I get 200 to 300 marketing and business plans a year to look
at, and St. Croix provides start-up financing for only two
or three. What sets a potentially successful idea, product, or
technology apart from all the rest is markets and marketing.
If you have a real product with a distinctive point of difference
that satisfies the needs of customers, you may have
a winner. And you get a real feel for this in a well-written
marketing or business plan.1
This appendix (1) describes what marketing and business
plans are, including the purposes and guidelines in writing
effective plans, and (2) provides a sample marketing plan.