General Business Planning & Advice (incl. Valuations)

Accountants are not just number-crunchers. Added value services that accountants can offer include:

• Drafting of business plans.
• Performing Business Valuations
• Assisting in obtaining business loans and finance.
• Opinions on marketing and recruitment strategies.
• Opinions on commercial legal matters or often the ability to refer you to an independent and competent attorney.
• Networking with other professionals/businesses.
• Advice on purchasing or selling a business.
• Advice on bankruptcy, liquidation or death of owners.

Many accounting practitioners will proffer to offer these services, but it can be seen that some of these areas are fairly complex and it could pay to appoint somebody with direct experience in the area in which you need advice.

Wikipedia Definition:

"Business plans are decision-making tools. There is no fixed content for a business plan. Rather the content and format of the business plan is determined by the goals and audience. A business plan should contain whatever information is needed to decide whether or not to pursue a goal.

For example, a business plan for a non-profit might discuss the fit between the business plan and the organizations mission. Banks are quite concerned about defaults, so a business plan for a bank loan will build a convincing case for the organizations ability to repay the loan. Venture capitalists are primarily concerned about initial investment, feasibility, and exit valuation. A business plan for a project requiring equity financing will need to explain why current resources, upcoming growth opportunities, and sustainable competitive advantage will lead to a high exit valuation.

Preparing a business plan draws on a wide range of knowledge from many different business disciplines: finance, human resource management, intellectual property management, supply chain management, operations management, and marketing, among others. It can be helpful to view the business plan as a collection of sub-plans, one for each of the main business disciplines."

"...a good business plan can help to make a good business credible, understandable, and attractive to someone who is unfamiliar with the business. Writing a good business plan cant guarantee success, but it can go a long way toward reducing the odds of failure."