The software does a lot of things for you, but it doesn’t do everything. Also, not all business plan software is created equal, so you have to be careful about choosing the right one.
To guide you, here is a list of things to check when evaluating business plan software:
Financial forecast:
Does the software’s financial forecast meet the expectations of banks and investors?
If the software does not allow you to make a 3-year forecast, you run the risk of seeing your plan refused by your bank.
Text part:
A business plan contains a financial forecast, but it is not limited to this one.
The textual part that accompanies the financial forecast is just as important (if not more) because this is where you will detail the business opportunity, explain your action plan, and highlight the team that will execute. the plan.
A good business plan software should therefore offer a decent text editor.
But that’s not enough, it should also offer you clear instructions and examples to guide you in writing your plan.
Final render:
Almost most importantly, the document generated by the software should look professional. The presentation should be clear and airy. Rendering of tables and graphics of good quality. And the document must be in PDF format because this way you can be sure that the recipient of your plan will be able to open the document.
Security :
Finally, if it is an online business plan software it must be secured using an SSL certificate. Otherwise you run the risk of your data being stolen (and possibly ending up in the hands of your competitors).
How do you know if online software is safe? Very simple, when you are connected to the software, the bar of your browser should be green as in the image below.
This means both that the connection is secure but also that the identity of the site has been verified by the certificate issuer.
Online Or Download Business Plan Software?
Up to you. However, online software has several advantages:
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- They are generally more recent: the Web has many advantages for software publishers and they tend to migrate on the web
- Some, like ours, are Mac and tablet compatible: there is little chance that you will find business plan software to download that is compatible with a Mac or a tablet.
- They do not require installation and are accessible from anywhere: from your home, office, etc.
