Business Plan Pro Review

Detailed Reviews

Developed and manufactured by PaloAlto Software Inc., Business Plan Pro is a business plan software comes in two different versions- Standard and Premier, with the latter having some commendable extras. The company PaloAlto Software Inc., was founded in 1988 and currently headquartered at Eugene, Oregon.

Ideal for established and startup businesses alike, there are some excellent things that the software simplifies in many ways. Like many other software solutions on business planning, the main task of this one is to ease the tasks of business owners and policy makers for better management and planning.

Different Versions for Business Plan Pro

Business Plan Pro, as mentioned, comes in Standard and Premier Versions. The Standard version includes features like 500+ Sample Plans, EasyPlan Wizard, strategy development, free books, industry ratios analysis, customization of plans, and export of files to MS office and PDF formats. The Premier Version has all of it along with add-on options like integrated management dashboard, sales forecast check between actual and planned figures, plan vs. actual check on profits and losses and visual cash planning with cash pilot.

Quick Look at The Features

The features of Business Plan Pro start with 500 sample plans, designed to meet the needs of most companies out there. There is a built-in browser that will find help in finding the sample plan suited for your business. What makes the software workable for entrepreneurs and planners is the ability to save plans in most MS format, including Excel, or and PowerPoint and also in PDF for easy presentation.

Easiness In Use

Using Business Plan Pro is as simple as it gets with easy step-by-step guide, advice and practical examples for planning things right. There are clear instructions available at every step of the planning process, with additional resources added all throughout. Even for the greenhorns of the business, the task of starting out a business plan should be easy with this one.

Get Plan vs. Actual data

One of the best features of Business Plan Pro Premier is the comparison between planned and actual figures of both sales and profit figures. Tracking the actual figures and keeping up with the estimates figures comes off as uncomplicated. There are different sections for sales forecast vs. actual and profit and loss forecast vs. actual. Certainly, this aids in overall understanding of the management functioning and reduces the wide gap between management inaction and planned actions.

Customized Templates

The Premier version comes with added features like import of data from Microsoft Excel, easy creation of cash flow chart with dynamic Cash Pilot and 24-month Data in graphics. In short, you can take on regular planning needs with ease, and there are also business evaluation tools, which aids in investment analysis and better presentations.

Keeping the needs of franchisees and multi-sector businesses in mind, the software offers the solution to create custom business plans, add tables and text and save the same as a new plan template for others to follow. This generates uniformity in operations for business sections, especially the ones that are linked by type or organization.

Market Research Tools

PaloAlto Software Inc. has designed the software with a lot of additional industry and market research tools including ratio analysis, industry research, integrated resources and market analysis wizard. There are also easy funding options with, venture capital database, business valuation feature and investment offering table, with the last two only available for the premier version.

Conclusion

Business Plan Pro appeals for all types of business setups and formats with ease, and that remains its most worthy unique selling point. From understanding the numbers in business plans to the most advanced features for forecasting and check on deviations, this software has it all.