• A start-up cost estimate. This is simply the total of all the expenses you'll incur before your business opens. If you need to pay off these costs during the first year or two of business, they should be included in your month-to-month cash-flow projection.

Again, no matter who your audience is, you should be as thorough as possible when calculating your break-even analysis and profit-and-loss forecast. The last thing you want is to experience the very real misery of starting a business that never had a chance to make a solid profit.

Getting Started on Your Business Plan

Your best bet is to follow a self-help business plan book that shows you how to conduct the financial forecasts described above. Two good bets are Business Plan Pro, by Palo Alto Software, and How to Write a Business Plan, by Mike McKeever (Nolo).