business plan reference books

The 8 Best Business Plan Books in 2022

You are finally ready to start that business you’ve been sitting on for a while, but you have no idea how to begin. There is a lot of planning to do and so much advice in the pipelines. So, how do you begin? Start with the best business plan books in 2022. The curated list below includes books from year past but they represent the best options to launch your business today.

This business plan book comes in PDF format takes an innovative approach to writing a business plan that is not only effective, but fun.Download this business plan workbook PDF now and walk through:

• Setting tangible goals and milestones
• Creating a powerful elevator speech
• Precisely defining your target customer base
• Intelligently understanding your competition
• Articulately structuring the core of your business plan
• And much more!

Write the business plan of your dreams! This business plan workbook goes beyond the cold numbers to help any entrepreneur plan a business with his or her life ambitions in mind. You’ll be able to crystallize your vision.

Table of Contents

Best Business Plan Books in 2022

It is often said that every prosperous owner is an avid reader of self-help books, so let’s begin from there. Get some real-world guidance from the best industry leaders and business owners in these eight books we have picked. Master how to position yourself properly, create personal connections, and build your dream team.

Yes, you have to separate the fluff from the real counsel. Learn how to lay the proper foundation for your startup with these best business plan books in 2022.

1. “Hurdle: The Book on Business Planning” by Tim Berry

This trusty gem has made it on many lists and stays atop of our best business plan books in 2022. Tim is the founder of Palo Alto Software, makers of Business Plan Pro and Live Plan, and was one of MoreBusiness.com’s partners when we started the site many years ago.

If you want a book that would break down the steps to constructing a solid business plan, then “Hurdle” is an amazing option. Written by Tim Berry, the book teaches the reader the basics of business planning, daily organizational management, and how best to implement what you’ve learned in real-life situations.

That is not all; you also get multiple examples on profit monitoring and calculation, cash flow tracking , plus a 53-page workbook to master drafting a working business plan. So it’s two for the price of one. With this book, you get to practice your business plan while you read.

2. “Anatomy of A Business Plan” by Linda Pinson

If you read this book, you will discover that the writer, Linda Pinson nailed her goals, as the name of the book suggests. With this title, you can draft a tailor-made business plan that considers your business case and specifics.

From organizational structure, financial documentation, marketing systems, marketing, and planning, this title holds your hand through it all. Get extensive reviews, valuable hints and ideas, workbooks, plus five real-world sample business plans to get you started.

Josh Radnore, a businessman, books critic and a writer for PapersOwl underlines the key principle of a business plan: “The right business plan should take your long-term goals into consideration. Ask yourself what you want to achieve and set realistic and achievable goals”. He carries on by adding: “When you do this, you can know what you need to do to get where you want to go”.

3. “The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur” by Jim Horan

Are you trying to draft a concise one sheet business plan to meet up urgently with an investor? Jin Horan and Tom Peter came up with a quick but detailed guide that focuses on the exact details you need to write that plan. You get a book that can guarantee your success without taking too much of your time.

There is no need to read this overnight; you can figure out clear ways to outline your business systems, objectives, road map, action plan, and the vision and mission statements in a few hours.

4. “The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan” by Hal Shelton

Read this concise and well-written guide to get a glimpse into the secrets Hal Shelton has to share. Just by reading this step-by-step title and implementing the teachings, you can set your organization up for success.

Learning from your mistakes is so last year; this book will teach you the common errors business owners make when planning. You would also grasp how to develop your unique style to help you attract investors and loans, help – when, where and how to get it – and how to stand out.

5. “The Art of The Start 2.0” by Guy Kawasaki

It’s not just about drafting a business plan; there are other necessary things that can affect your small business when you are starting. To help you plan and achieve your goals more easily, Guy Kawasaki, who you might know from the Canva design platform, has prepared the “essential guide for anyone starting anything”.

Get access to real-world counsel on how to perfect your pitch, crowdfunding, bootstrapping, the role of social media and other digital innovations in drafting the ideal business plan.

6. “The Complete Book of Business Plans” by Joseph A Covello and Brian J Hazelgren

This title made it to our best business plan books in 2022 because of the examples it provides. Get ahead with the dozens of business plan templates this title offers. Do you need motivation or counsel on attracting the right investors? Only by answering these questions in detail can you create a successful business plan to help you begin a profitable company.

You’ve got all you require in detail here, including the right steps to statistical analysis. You can even grasp how to pick the right business partners and plan for success and business longevity.

It does not matter if you are a first-timer or starting your fifth organization. With this book, you would be forced to ask yourself every difficult question that needs to be answered.

7. “The Founder’s Dilemmas” by Noam Wasserman

Business planning goes beyond market research, drafting a pitch and attracting investors with a business plan template . Along the line in this never-ending journey, you would need to think about leadership and how it can affect your new company. The staffing and leadership roles and whom you employ can say a lot.

The author, Noam Wasserman, helps you look at these factors before they can become issues. Take a break from the “how” and “why” of the ideal business plan and focus on the “who” in this interesting read.

8. “Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies” by Rhonda Abrams

Not every business plan will work, and this title would help you determine whether the one you have in mind is a winner. Authored by an expert in all business matters, Rhonda Abrams, you can learn about positioning, organizational costs, proven strategies for funding, and the competition.

With graphics, exercises, and worksheets to make reading fun, this is one of the best business plan books in 2022 and you will discover a thing or two, especially if you take some guidance given by other experts.

The guidance you get and the information you consume when starting any business are crucial to its success. Don’t start one of those companies that fold up early on because of poor organizational design and systems. To plan properly, you need to master tips and tricks from the best of the best, and you can get this by reading the best business plan books in 2022.

So, pick one of the titles in this carefully curated list and download MoreBusiness.com’s sample business plans today and you’ll be well on your way to planning a successful business that promises longevity.

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7 Top Business Plan Books for New-age Entrepreneurs

Free Ultimate Guide On Writing A Business Plan

• October 18, 2023

12 Min Read

Business Plan books are the first thing to go for once you have decided on the idea you want to pursue as an entrepreneur.

Starting up as an entrepreneur is not as simple as it seems. Transforming your idea into a business that creates value for the world is a long process.

The process is full of uncertainties, hurdles, and burnout. To make consistent efforts without giving up, you need a plan you can rely upon.

A plan that helps you in making wise decisions in your entrepreneurial journey is known as a business plan.

It also helps in refining processes and keeps you in line with your business goals.

Now, how would you create a business plan?

Well, you can anyhow get to know what it contains. However, to easily create a business plan that covers all aspects of your business, you must read these books.

In this article, we are going to discuss the 7 top business plan books written for ambitious entrepreneurs like you!

Best Business Plan Books

• Art of the Start 2.0
• The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies
• The Founder’s Dilemma
• The One-Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur
• The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan
• Anatomy of a Business Plan
• The Complete Book of Business Plans

1. Art of the Start 2.0

Goodreads rating: 3.87/5

The author of this book is American millionaire Guy Kawasaki. Though his name is enough for anyone to stand up from their seats let me tell you a few things about him.

• He worked with Apple in 1984 as a part of the marketing team for Macintosh computers.
• He is the author of 12 books including The Art of Social Media, and Enchantment.
• He is currently working as the chief evangelist of Canva which is a graphic designing software.

Now coming to what this book holds for you, it’s one of those books that focus on transforming your business idea into a full-fledged organization.

Guy Kawasaki explains why it is important to have a vision and how you, as an entrepreneur, can feed your team with the same vision.

If your team does not adhere to the same vision, there will always be chaos in the workspace.

You must also share stories about your product and your journey. Everyone loves stories. You don’t have to write a 300-page book but a few social media posts, and videos that resonate well with your target audience.

The book also guides entrepreneurs while hiring. It tells you to hire people who are new in the industry. They are most likely to innovate new products as they consistently ask questions.

Key Highlight:

This book will help you in writing a business plan along with guiding you in various steps of entrepreneurship. This book holds something for every aspect of entrepreneurship.

It also stresses how you can use the internet and cloud tools to make the processes more accessible and more efficient. In the modern era, businesses are equipped with tools that are affordable and accessible to everyone.

Moreover, the book also throws light on socializing and partnering with the right people for leadership roles or to get funding.

By reading this book, you will feel more powerful as an entrepreneur and will be ready to take on challenges that come along with entrepreneurship.

This book doesn’t sound like rhetoric and probably that’s why this book received appreciation from all across the world.

Book Link- Art of the Start 2.0

A reader’s review:

The focus is on tech entrepreneurs. While much of the advice is applicable to other industries, the book will hit the bullseye specifically with those starting technology businesses.

Anita Campbell (via Goodreads)

2. The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies

The author of the book is Rhonda Abrams who has written more than 12 books on entrepreneurship. Being an entrepreneur herself, the knowledge she shares is absolute gold and trustworthy.

She also writes one of the most popular columns in the US known as Small Business Strategies.

Let us now discuss what Rhonda Abrams has taught in her book.

The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies is a complete guide for anyone stuck in writing. It is one of those books that give you a push to start working on your idea.

This book contains various worksheets and charts which makes it consumable as well as practical.

You will get enough examples of various parts of a business plan , giving you an in-depth idea of what it looks like and how it is written.

This book not only teaches you to write a business plan that reminds you about your vision but also this plan can help you get investors on board.

It also equips you with strategies to get funds at the best possible rates and also to minimize the costs involved in running a business.

It gives you an in-depth understanding of positioning your brand in the market to gain the attention of your target audience and thus derive maximum profit.

Moreover, you can also use it for competitions related to showcasing plans for their businesses. The book is used by many entrepreneurs and is recommended to every small business.

Book Link- The Successful Business Plan

There’s enough information here to help you get almost any business started. This is a proven source, for it’s been through several re-prints since 1991.

Jeffrey Brown (via Goodreads)

3. The Founder’s Dilemma

Goodreads rating: 4.01/5

The book, The Founder’s dilemma, is one of the best business plan books by Noam Wasserman. Apart from this, he has written another bestseller known as Life is a startup.

Noam Wasserman served as a professor at Harvard Business school for 13 years and is currently working at the University of Southern California as a founding Director at the Founder Central Initiative.

The book he wrote is an absolute beauty. Not because he has told some hidden secrets but because he has addressed a problem that many entrepreneurs often ignore.

And that problem is the company’s leadership. You might have a billion-dollar business idea and even have cracked the tech for it, but you might still fail because of listening to the wrong advice.

If you want your business to not suffer due to wrong decisions made by top leadership, you must read this book.

This book will help you in deciding whom you want to work with, and how to share the equity among co-founders and employees without being emotional.

However, this book might not be useful for small businesses but is a gem for someone planning to launch a high-growth business.

Book Link – The Founder’s Dilemma

I’ve never seen a book before that was particularly helpful – to a founder – about the wide range of issues a founder will face.

Brad Feld (via Goodreads)

4. The One-Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur

Goodreads rating: 3.86/5

The author of this mind-blowing book is none other than Jim Horan.

Known for his expertise in solving complex business problems , Jim has helped many entrepreneurs in turning their businesses into profit-making machines.

Jim Horan has also been a Fortune 500 executive and has written six books in the One Page Business Plan for Creative Entrepreneur series.

This book is quite different from other books as it is written for entrepreneurs who do not understand a lot about business figures but want to get started soon.

There’s a saying that if you cannot write your business plan on a single page, you are probably doing it wrong.

The book enables you to write it in a couple of hours which includes your mission, objectives, and plans.

It will be crisp and easy to understand for your investors as well as the team. In this fast-moving world, it becomes really uncomfortable to give a week preparing a business plan.

You have the idea and with the help of this book, you can turn the idea into a business in no time.

Having said that, this book is not recommended to someone who is building a high-growth company or a business with many manufacturing units.

This book is specially designed for small businesses to increase their profits and improve their vision.

Book Link – The One-Page Business Plan

One of my favorites! I have used these templates many times. It really forces you to be concise and focus on your vision. Highly recommend!

Teri Temme (via Goodreads)

5. The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan

Goodreads rating: 3.70/5

The author of this book Hal Shelton is an extremely experienced executive who has worked with many corporations, non-profits, and investment companies.

Hal Shelton completed his BS from Carnegie Mellon University and then pursued an MBA from the University of Chicago.

The secrets to writing a successful Business Plan focus on each section of the plan to help you create one that stands out in front of the investors.

The book also informs you about the common errors entrepreneurs make while writing. These errors sometimes cost very high as they might create confusion for investors as well as for the team.

You will also learn to do the market analysis and write the same in your plan. You will be able to answer questions like how big is the market and whether it is sufficient to run a successful business or not.

Investors receive a lot of business plans and going through each one of them is not feasible. Therefore writing an executive summary becomes extremely important.

The executive summary is an easy way to grab investors’ attention and help them understand your business without going through lengthy documents.

If you are launching a non-profit organization, this book can help you in many ways as a section of the book is dedicated to non-profits.

Moreover, the book also consists of secret strategies for writing a business plan and getting bank loans or funding from investors.

Book Link – The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan

This book provides a very solid foundation to write your plan. The author also provides excellent examples and instructions as to what to and not to do in writing your business plan

Kirk G. Meyer (via Goodreads)

6. Anatomy of a Business Plan

The author of this book, Linda Pinson, has worked very closely with the U.S. small business administration to write the government business plan publication.

She has also been honored as Education Advocate of the year and SBA regional women in Business advocate of the year.

Apart from this book, she has written many books on entrepreneurship such as Keeping the books and steps to start a small business startup.

This is one of the best business books for people who do not know anything about business plans.

This book provides you with an in-depth understanding of different business plans and will enable you to choose your ideal kind.

After reading the book, you will learn to update your plan according to the needs of your business and the position of your brand in the market.

The author also highlights the importance of mentioning the table of contents and executive summary in navigating smoothly through the book.

Apart from this, it also throws light on how you can efficiently market your business. You will also learn how to mention the financials of your company which is an important thing to do.

The Anatomy of a Business Plan also contains five real-life business plans which give you an understanding of how successful businesses can be explained in a few pages.

You also get a few worksheets which makes the overall experience of reading the book delightful.

Book Link – Anatomy of a Business Plan

This book is like “a mentor for your business plan”. Really informative and helpful.

Marvin Musfiq (via Goodreads)

7. The Complete Book of Business Plans

Goodreads rating: 3.47/5

The authors of this book are Brian Hazelgran and Joseph A. Covello. Both of them have a great understanding of how businesses operate in this book. They have told us that one size doesn’t fit all.

That means business plans for different businesses cannot be written in the same way.

This book contains 12+ plans that give you an idea of how you write one for yourself.

This book also focuses on how you should bring people into your business and what vision you should have to run the business for decades.

Moreover, when you read the book you will have to ask a lot of questions to yourself. The book will compel you to ask questions yourself that are immensely important before writing it.

Once you give satisfactory answers to the questions asked, you will feel more motivated to start a business , and writing a business will look like a cakewalk.

The above quote shows how important it is to plan your business and create a visionary plan for your business.

Book Link – The Complete Book of Business Plans

Great book encompassing everything about writing business plans.

Denny Troncoso (via Goodreads)

Bottom Line

All the Business plan books that we discussed above are going to help you in some way or the other.

But don’t worry you don’t need to read all of them. Just figure out where you stand and where you would want to go and select a book accordingly.

Innovative tools present in the industry like Upmetrics have helped many entrepreneurs in business and financial planning. If you need more help writing a perfect business plan, check out Upmetrics NOW and grow 2X faster.

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with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Related Articles On Business Plan Writing

• A Guide to Write an Effective Business Plan Executive Summary
• Formulating a Detailed Business Plan Outline
• Get Your Business Plan Written by Expert Writers
• Determining the Ideal Length of a Business Plan
• Understand the Operations Plan Section in a Business Plan
• How to Design a Compelling Business Plan Cover Page
• Guidelines for Formulating a Business Plan Table of Contents
• Understanding the Importance of a Confidentiality Statement in a Business Plan

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Book description

How to Write a Business Plan presents the latest thinking on effective business planning, while putting all the information and tools students need right at their fingertips. From diagnosing and measuring customer satisfaction to finding innovative ways to raise capital, the fifth edition of this best-selling course explains how to organize and implement the planning process from beginning to end and position a company for success.

Students will learn how to: • Evaluate a business’s capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses • Pinpoint the crucial elements of the competitive environment, including market, economic, and technological factors • Establish realistic goals, objectives, and strategies in areas including marketing, organization and management, production/services, R&D, finance, and information technology • Develop both operating and financial plans • Identify and integrate customer requirements into the business plan • Write the actual planning document and use it to steer a company to greater productivity and profits • Obtain the capital needed to grow a business

Completely revised and updated, the course now includes sections on developing Information Technology goals and strategies, a new chapter preparing an IT Plan, and a glossary of terms. It also covers the role of the balanced scorecard in developing a business plan and looks at new ways to raise capital such as crowdfunding and search funds. Sample outlines, exercises, and review questions reinforce key concepts and allow students to strengthen their skills. Startups and established businesses alike all need a plan—this course makes creating one easy.

Table of contents

• About This Course
• How to Take This Course
• The Business Plan Is the Final Step of Planning
• The Business Plan and the Development Process
• Executive Summary
• Sales and Revenue Plan
• Production Plan
• Research and Development Plan
• Organization and Management Plan
• Financial Plan
• Information Technology Plan
• Contingency Plans
• Review Questions
• What Is Business Planning?
• Internal Uses of a Business Plan
• External Uses of a Business Plan
• Market Strategy
• Production or Service Strategy
• Research and Development Strategy
• Organization and Management Strategy
• Financial Strategy
• Information Technology Strategy
• Step 1: Organizing the Planning Process
• Step 2: Diagnosing the Situation
• Step 3: Setting Goals
• Step 4: Developing Operating Plans
• Step 5: Developing a Financial Plan
• Step 6: Writing the Business Plan Document
• Evaluating Market Strategy
• Evaluating Production or Service Strategy
• Evaluating Research and Development Strategy
• Evaluating Organization and Management Strategy
• Evaluating Financial Strategy
• Evaluating Information Technology Strategy
• The Balanced Scorecard and the Business Plan
• How to Use the Results of an Internal Diagnosis
• Structure of the Company’s Operating Environment Focus on the Customer
• Customer Value Model for the Family Doctor
• Identifying the Company’s Customers
• Four Key Questions for Customer Research
• Customer Versus Market Segmentation
• Measuring Customer Satisfaction
• Ten Key Steps in Customer Satisfaction Measurement
• Analysis of Market Developments
• Analysis of Technological Developments
• Analysis of Economic Developments
• Analysis of Major Societal Forces and Trends
• Legislative and Regulatory Actions
• How to Use the Results of an External Diagnosis
• Definition of a Mission
• The Purpose of Goal Setting
• The Nature of Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
• How Goals Are Established
• Setting Market Goals and Strategies
• Setting Production or Service Goals and Strategies
• Setting Research and Development Goals and Strategies
• Setting Organization and Management Goals and Strategies
• Setting Financial Goals and Strategies
• Setting Information Technology Goals and Strategies
• How Goals, Objectives, and Strategies Should Be Used
• Developing Quarterly Sales and Revenue Objectives
• Developing Estimates of Marketing and Sales Expenses
• Pulling Revenue and Expense Objectives Together
• Linking Sales and Revenue Objectives to the Research and Development Plan
• Finalizing the Sales and Revenue Plan
• Production Scheduling
• Raw Materials Planning
• Direct Labor Planning
• Production Overhead Planning
• Computing the Cost of Goods Sold
• Finalizing the Production Plan
• Factors Involved in the Structure
• Form of the Structure
• Implementing the Structure
• Developing Effective Management and Information Systems
• Developing an Effective Workforce
• Estimating Management and Administrative Expenses
• Linking the Financial Plan to Financial Goals and Strategies
• Preparing an Income Statement
• Planning Working Capital
• Planning Long-Term Assets
• Planning a Financing Structure
• Finalizing a Balance Sheet
• Preparing a Statement of Cash Flows
• Finalizing a Financial Plan
• IT Situation Analysis
• Goals and IT Initiatives
• Timelines and IT Initiatives
• Tracking Emerging Technologies
• Goal Setting and IT Initiatives
• The IT Plan and Organizational Learning
• Information Technology Budget
• Information Technology Performance Measures
• Alternatives for Raising Capital
• Venture Capitalists
• Joint Ventures
• Search Funds
• Crowdfunding
• Public Securities Markets
• Commercial Banks
• Asset-Based Lenders
• Leasing Companies
• Government-Assisted Programs
• Industrial Revenue Bonds
• People Involved
• Viability of the Concept
• Marketing Skills and Experience
• History of Success
• Personal Commitment of Resources
• Reasonableness of Financial Projections
• The Bankers’ Perspective
• Age of the Business
• Personal Goals
• Packaging the Written Plan
• Submitting the Plan
• Closing the Transaction
• Bibliography
• Online Resources

Product information

• Title: How to Write a Business Plan
• Author(s): Michael P. Griffen
• Release date: September 2015
• Publisher(s): AMA Self-Study
• ISBN: 9780761215516

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The 10 Best Books for Writing a Business Plan

• Ivaylo Durmonski
• Reading Lists

There are a lot of insightful thoughts around the concept of planning. In a sense, planning helps you forecast the “weather” of your business. Prepares you for what might happen. And distance you, hopefully, further away from your business going to dust. Most importantly, it allows you to think about the type of tasks you should focus on doing today. Do we know how to plan our business if we’re not business owners , though?

There is nothing wrong with having a regular job.

A lot of people are doing it.

Theoretically, since we’re born. We enter a sophisticated system of government-operated institutions that aim to spit us out after approximately 20 years, ready to help someone else grow his dream business.

You’re thought -sort of – how to plan your career. But you’re never thought how to plan your business.

Regardless of your current situation. The idea of starting a business or learning basic business skills will surely reach your mind at some point.

If you’re still not sure whether or not this is something you can achieve on your own. The business books mentioned below are specifically selected to boost your planning skills.

These books, of course, primarily serve business owners or people that are dreaming of becoming such.

Yet, these reads will definitely expand your horizon even if you don’t plan on starting your own thing right now. They will give you a perspective that will force you to think long term – the best way of thinking.

The 10 Best Books for Writing a Business Plan:

1. the goal by eliyahu goldratt, 2. the one page business plan for the creative entrepreneur by jim horan, 3. mind your business by ilana griffo, 4. business plan template and example by alex genadinik, 5. the best-laid business plans by paul barrow, 6. smart business by ming zeng, 7. measure what matters by john e. doerr, 8. your next five moves by patrick bet-david, 9. business model generation by alexander osterwalder, 10. playing to win by a.g. lafley.

What’s the book about?

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is a novel. A fascinating story that describes the life of a business owner who is facing a series of obstacles that, if not handled well, will lead to a catastrophic ending of the company he is running. Mr. Goldratt presents this fictional business environment to teach us an important lesson: That the speed of a convoy is determined by the slowest ship.

Who is it for?

Especially interesting for people who already own businesses but are struggling to grow. For people who can’t adequately articulate what is wrong with what they are doing. Eliyahu Goldratt teaches us that we should observe a business as a series of systems . The faster the systems operate. The faster you’ll grow. To speed up this process, first, you need to identify the weakest link and improve upon the process.

Thought-Provoking Quote:

“Since the strength of the chain is determined by the weakest link, then the first step to improve an organization must be to identify the weakest link.” Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Get the book | Read my summary

In this book, Jim Horan compiles his years of experience as a Fortune 500 executive and business consultant. The pages will help you quickly form a simple business plan based on the most successful companies in the world. The book goes through the 5 stages every organization hoping to make a profit from their products and/or services needs: Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, Action.

This resource is great for people just starting their online or offline venture. Folks who are considering the idea of starting a business but are not quite sure what to do first. The One Page Business Plan For Creative Entrepreneur will show you the exact steps you need to begin your entrepreneurial journey.

Get the book

This long-winded title is here to show you how to start a business from scratch. Ilana Griffo, the author, shares her journey on how she started her side hustle which eventually become a six-figure design studio. A lot of readers describe this title as everything you need to learn about being your own boss. Of course, it all starts with planning.

Great book for anyone dreaming about starting a creative project both online and/or offline. The honest tips and the real-world insights will show you exactly what you need to do. How to start and how to plan your day. The book is the perfect companion that will be your guide in your money-making journey.

Simply put, this title will help you create a professional business plan. The author even boasts that you will do the planning in minutes. Not that you should rush. But the included exercises and the questions Alex Genadinik is asking in the book will help you think critically about your overall structure and the products you will be creating – or refining if you already have existing goods.

The program presented in this title is used by a number of universities to teach students how to plan better. As stated in the description, the book… “will help you identify the most effective business strategies for your situation.” You will start by writing a short 3-sentence business plan which will focus you on what’s truly important.

“Product: What is the product or service? What benefit does it provide and to whom? Can you make it inexpensively and of high quality? What form will it take? Website? App? Brick and mortar business? Marketing: Identify a few of the most effective marketing strategies to promote your business Finances: What are the major sources of revenue? How will this happen profitably? When will you achieve financial sustainability? Do you need to raise money for this? How much?” Alex Genadinik

The first book I read on business planning. Foreword by Richard Branson. This title is dated, but still adequate even though everything is happening online these days. The text will teach you the most important ideas around planning a business. It’s full of case studies about different projects and ideas. The author carefully explains how to present your business plan to others in a way that everyone will get.

This book will explain in a simple way why it’s essential and how you should approach the subject of planning in general. The ideas inside are great for people who are looking to raise money or get approval from seniors for their proposed course of action. Also, if you’re still not convinced that you need planning, this book will surely change your perspective.

Written by Ming Zeng, the former Chief of Staff and strategy adviser to Alibaba Group’s founder Jack Ma. This book presents a framework that will help business owners create a winning future strategy for their companies. The titles reveal some of the revolutionary practices Alibaba developed to rapidly increase efficiency.

We commonly read about what Google is doing or about what other Silicon Valley unicorns are working on. It’s a good idea to take a fresh eastern perspective on how to operate your business. Smart Business will show you how to use cutting-edge technologies to plan and scale your business.

Measure What Matter will teach you how to use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) as an approach to make decisions in business. The legendary John Doerr has helped some of the best companies in the world to scale and exceed their yearly goals by using this simple method.

With time, every owner begins to collect all kinds of data to measure whether or not his project is succeeding. Sadly, many entrepreneurs end up being fixated on the wrong things. This book will explain what you need to measure and why. Helping you focus on the right things so you can reach explosive growth.

“We must realize—and act on the realization—that if we try to focus on everything, we focus on nothing.” John Doerr

In short, this book is about figuring out what you should do next. Taking a holistic view of your business is always a good way to think about where you plan to go. Occasionally, though, you also need to think and plan about what you should do right now – planning your next few moves. The steps inside this title will help you gain clarity on what you really want, who you want to be, and what to do to get these things.

For those who are not only working on businesses, but in business as well. Patrick Bet-David explains how to not let emotions cloud your judgment. How to switch from a broad view of your business to a narrower view. Essentially, the lessons inside will help you identify your true self. Understand who you want to be and where you want to go, both in your life and in your business.

“Your vision must align with who you want to be. Your choices must align with your vision. Your effort must align with the size of your vision. Your behavior must align with your values and principles.” Patrick Bet-David

Full of visual elements, Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers will help you soak up the knowledge and figure out your own business model. This is not your regular book where you’ll be presented with a wall of text. The title is full of infographics and design elements that will prompt you to actively work on defining your business plan and your strategy.

I’d say that this book is for people who are kind of tired of the traditional corporate-heavy jargon that is usually part of business literature. This title combines useful information and presents it in an easily digestible matter that will surely increase your comprehension and your participation when using the material.

“People are moved more by stories than by logic. Ease listeners into the new or unknown by building the logic of your model into a compelling narrative.” Alexander Osterwalder

Written by a long-standing Procter & Gamble Chairman and CEO, this book might seem a bit dry for your taste. Well, it surely is. Rarely anyone below CEO will relate to the mentioned examples. Yet, this read will change the way you think about your business. You’ll become more strategic with your daily decisions. You will become better at identifying what to do and what not to do.

Great companies do not become great by accident. They become great thanks to the strategic choices they make. Even if you don’t end up getting the book, simply consider the title for a moment: “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works”. Now, ask yourself, are you playing to win, or are you simply playing? This question alone will disturb your current processes and assist you in finding the best course of action for your business.

“The heart of strategy is the answer to two fundamental questions: where will you play, and how will you win there?” A.G. Lafley

Some Closing Thoughts

Business planning is important for various reasons.

Not only you’ll get clarity on where you’ll want to go. But you will also set a to-do list that will portray how to get to where you want.

More specifically, conducting a business plan will force you to think about what type of business you want to create. Understand your core motivators. Help you find your unique proposition and how you are different from the rest of the businesses out there.

I’ve hand-picked the selection of business books above so you can plan better. Of course, you don’t need to read all of the titles. Usually one or two from the list is enough to get you moving in the right direction.

If you’re looking for more reads on the topic. Make sure to check my must-read business books list. Or, the selection of books on how to start a business (plus my business book summaries ).

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• Library of Congress
• Research Guides

Entrepreneur's Reference Guide to Small Business Information

Business planning.

• Introduction
• Registration
• Raising Capital
• Managing Your Business
• Human Resources
• Marketing and Advertising
• Doing Business with Government
• Company and Industry Research
• International Opportunities
• Looking at the Numbers
• Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
• Directories
• Subscription and Free Databases
• Search the Library's Catalog
• Using the Library of Congress

The books and websites listed in this section offer guidance to creating business plans including detailed strategies and sample business plans.

Print Materials

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog . Links to additional online content are provided when available.

Online Resources

• BeOnline Guide to Business Plans, Forms (Business Reference Services) Additional online resources compiled by the staff of the Library of Congress Business Reference Section.
• Bplans (Palo Alto Software) External Free sample plans for small businesses.
• Business Planning (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) External Find out how to write a business plan and access templates, sample business plans, market research information and statistics.
• Business Plans Index (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh) External This is an index of business plans that are available online and in print format. Organized by industry categories.
• Write Your Business Plan (U.S. Small Business Administration) Learn how to write a business plan quickly and efficiently with a business plan template.
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• URL: https://guides.loc.gov/entrepreneurs-reference-guide

Business Plan Development Guide

(6 reviews)

Lee Swanson, University of Saskatchewan

Copyright Year: 2017

Publisher: OPENPRESS.USASK.CA

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Kevin Heupel, Affiliate Faculty, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 3/4/20

The text does a good job of providing a general outline about writing and developing a written business plan. All of the important steps and components are included. However, the text is light on details, examples, and rationale for each element... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The text does a good job of providing a general outline about writing and developing a written business plan. All of the important steps and components are included. However, the text is light on details, examples, and rationale for each element of the business plan. Some examples from actual business plans would be helpful.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

For the most part, the content is accurate. The content covers all important aspects of drafting a business plan. I thought the industry analysis could use more information about collecting primary and secondary sources; instead, this information was referenced in the marketing plan section.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Most of the content relies on cites as far back as 2006; however, when it comes to developing and writing a business plan nothing has changed. Thus, the content is current and there is no concern about it becoming obsolete in the near future.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is clear. There are no difficult terms used and the writing is simple. The text uses a lot of bullet points though, which gets tedious to read for a few pages.

Consistency rating: 5

The text does a good job of maintaining consistency in terms of framework and terminology. The text is organized where it's easy to find the information you want in a quick manner.

Modularity rating: 3

The text has a lot of bullet points and the paragraphs are dense. However, the use of subheading is excellent.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is organized as if you're writing a business plan from start to finish, which is helpful as a practical guide.

Interface rating: 5

There are no navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, or any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is free of grammatical errors. The sentence structure is simple with many bullet points, which helps to avoid any grammatical issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book was written by a Canadian professor and provides references to Canadian sources. However, the information in this text can be used for U.S. schools.

This book is very short and provides a good, general overview about the process of creating and writing a business plan. It won't help a reader if he/she is confused about a certain part of the business plan. The reader will have to find another source, such as "Preparing Effective Business Plans" by Bruce Barringer, Ph.D. The book provides links to good resources and a finished business plan that the reader can reference. I would recommend the book for undergraduate courses.

Reviewed by Kenneth Lacho, Professor of Management, The University of New Orleans on 6/19/18

1. Text is relevant to Canada. Not the United States 2. Needs to cover resources available to entrepreneur, e.g., federal government agencies, trade associations, chambers of commerce, economic development agencies. 3. Discuss local economy or... read more

1. Text is relevant to Canada. Not the United States 2. Needs to cover resources available to entrepreneur, e.g., federal government agencies, trade associations, chambers of commerce, economic development agencies. 3. Discuss local economy or economic area relevant to this proposed business. 4. Business model ok as a guide. 5. Suggested mission statement to cover: product/business, target customer, geographical area covered. 6. Need detailed promotion plan, e.g., personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, networking publicity, and social media. 7. How do you find the target market? 8. Chapter 6 too much detail on debt and equity financing. 9. Discuss how to find sources of financing, e.g., angels. 10. Expand coverage of bootstring, crowdfunding. 11. Chapter 4 – good checklist. 12. Chapter 3 - overlaps. 13. Chapter 7 – 3 pages of executive summary – double or single spaced typing. Number all tables, graphs. 14. Some references out-of-date, mostly academic. Bring in trade magazines such as Entrepreneur.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

In my opinion, the content is accurate and error free.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The material is relevant to writing a business plan. I wonder if the Porter, SWOT VRIO, etc. material is too high level for students who may not be seniors or have non-business degrees (e.g., liberal arts). Porter has been around for a while and does have longevity. The author has to be more alert to changes in promotion, e.g., social media and sources of financing, e.g., crowdfunding.

Clarity rating: 3

As noted in No. 9, the tone of the writing is too academic, thus making the material difficult to understand. Paragraphs are too long. Need to define: Porter, TOWS Matrix, VRIO, PESTEL. A student less from a senior or a non-business major would not be familiar with these terms.

Consistency rating: 4

The text is internally consistent. The model approach helps keep the process consistent.

Modularity rating: 4

The process of developing a business plan is divided into blocks which are parts of the business plan. Paragraphs tend to be too long in some spots.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics are presented in a logical step-wise flow. The language style is too academic in parts, paragraphs too long. Leaves out the citations. Provides excellent check lists.

There are no display features which confuse the reader.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text has no grammatical errors. On the other hand, I found the writing to be too academic in nature. Some paragraphs are too long. The material is more like an academic conference paper or journal submission. Academic citations references are not needed. The material is not exciting to read.

The text is culturally neutral. There are no examples which are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

This book best for a graduate class.

Reviewed by Louis Bruneau, Part Time Faculty, Portland Community College on 6/19/18

The text provides appropriate discussion and illustration of all major concepts and useful references to source and resource materials. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text provides appropriate discussion and illustration of all major concepts and useful references to source and resource materials.

Contents of the book were accurate, although it could have benefited from editing/proofreading; there was no evidence of bias. As to editing/proofreading, a couple of examples: A. “Figure 1 – Business Plan… “ is shown at the top of the page following the diagram vs. the bottom of the page the diagram is on. (There are other problems with what is placed on each page.) B. First paragraph under heading “Essential Initial Research” there is reference to pages 21 to 30 though page numbering is missing from the book. (Page numbers are used in the Table of Contents.)

The book is current in that business planning has been stable for sometime. The references and resources will age in time, but are limited and look easy to update.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is written in a straightforward way, technical terms that needed explanations got them, jargon was avoided and generally it was an easy read.

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 5

The book lends itself to a multi-week course. A chapter could be presented and students could work on that stage of Plan development. It could also be pre-meeting reading for a workshop presentation. Reorganizing the book would be inappropriate.

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.

Generally, the book is free of interface problems. The financial tables in the Sample Plan were turned 90° to maintain legibility. One potential problem was with Figure 6 – Business Model Canvas. The print within the cells was too small to read; the author mitigated the problem by presenting the information, following Figure 6, in the type font of the text.

I found no grammatical errors.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

I require a business plan in a course I teach; for most of the students the assignment is a course project that they do not intend to pursue in real life. I shared the book with five students that intended to develop an actual start-up business; three of them found it helpful while the other two decided not to do that much work on their plans. If I were planning a start-up, I would use/follow the book.

Reviewed by Todd Johnson, Faculty of Business, North Hennepin Community College on 5/21/18

The text is a thorough overview of all elements of a business plan. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text is a thorough overview of all elements of a business plan.

The content is accurate and seems to lack bias.

Content seems relevant and useful . It does not help an entrepreneur generate ideas, and is very light on crowdfunding and other novel funding source content. It is more traditional. This can be easily updated in future versions, however. "Social Media" appears once in the book, as does "Crowd Funding".

The book is comprehensive, but perhaps not written in the most lucid, accessible prose. I am not sure any college student could pick this up and just read and learn. It would be best used as a "teach along guide" for students to process with an instructor.

The text seems consistent. The author does a nice job of consistently staying on task and using bullets and brevity.

Here I am not so certain. The table of contents is not a good guide for this book. It does make the book look nicely laid out, but there is a lot of complexity within these sections. I read it uncertain that it was well organized. Yes there are many good bits of information, however it is not as if I could spend time on one swathe of text at a time. I would need to go back and forth throughout the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2

Similar to the above. I did not like the flow and organization of this. An editor would help things be in a more logical order.

Interface rating: 2

The interface is just OK. It is not an attractice interface, as it presents text in a very dense manner. The images and charts are hard to follow.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I a not certain of the origins of Saskatchewan, but I do feel this is a different read. It is more formal and dense than it has to be. This would be a difficult read for my students. I do not feel it is insensitive in any way, or offensive in any way.

I would not adopt this book if given the chance. It is too dense, and not organized very well, even though the information is very good. The density and lack of modularity are barriers to understanding what is obviously very good information.

Reviewed by Mariana Mitova, Lecturer, Bowling Green State University on 2/1/18

Though this textbook has a prescriptive nature, it is quite comprehensive. The author strikes a good balance between presenting concepts in a concise way and providing enough information to explain them. Many every-day examples and live links to... read more

Though this textbook has a prescriptive nature, it is quite comprehensive. The author strikes a good balance between presenting concepts in a concise way and providing enough information to explain them. Many every-day examples and live links to other resources add to the completeness of the textbook.

Content seems accurate.

Since the content is somewhat conceptual, the text will not become obsolete quickly. In addition, the author seems to be updating and editing content often hence the relevance to current developments is on target.

The text is very clear, written in clear and straight-to-the point language.

The organization of content is consistent throughout the entire text.

The textbook is organized by chapters, beginning with overview of the model used and followed by chapters for each concept within the model. Nicely done.

The flow is clear, logical and easy to follow.

Overall, images, links, and text are well organized. Some headlines were misaligned but still easy to follow.

No concerns for grammar.

No concerns for cultural irrelevance.

Reviewed by Darlene Weibye, Cosmetology Instructor, Minnesota State Community and Technical College on 2/1/18

The text is comprehensive and covers the information needed to develop a business plan. The book provides all the means necessary in business planning. read more

The text is comprehensive and covers the information needed to develop a business plan. The book provides all the means necessary in business planning.

The text was accurate, and error-free. I did not find the book to be biased.

The content is up-to-date. I am reviewing the book in 2017, the same year the book was published.

The content was very clear. A business plan sample included operation timelines, start up costs, and all relevant material in starting a business.

The book is very consistent and is well organized.

The book has a table of contents and is broken down into specific chapters. The chapters are not divided into sub topics. I do not feel it is necessary for sub topics because the chapters are brief and to the point.

There is a great flow from chapter to chapter. One topic clearly leads into the next without repeating.

The table of contents has direct links to each chapter. The appearance of the chapters are easy to read and the charts are very beneficial.

Does not appear to have any grammatical errors.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

I am incorporating some of the text into the salon business course. Very well written book.

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Chapter 1 – Developing a Business Plan
• Chapter 2 – Essential Initial Research
• Chapter 3 – Business Models
• Chapter 4 – Initial Business Plan Draft
• Chapter 5 – Making the Business Plan Realistic
• Chapter 6 – Making the Plan Appeal to Stakeholders and Desirable to the Entrepreneur
• Chapter 7 – Finishing the Business Plan
• Chapter 8 – Business Plan Pitches

References Appendix A – Business Plan Development Checklist and Project Planner Appendix B – Fashion Importers Inc. Business Plan Business Plan Excel Template

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This textbook and its accompanying spreadsheet templates were designed with and for students wanting a practical and easy-to-follow guide for developing a business plan. It follows a unique format that both explains what to do and demonstrates how to do it.

About the Contributors

Dr. Lee Swanson is an Associate Professor of Management and Marketing at the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, Aboriginal entrepreneurship, community capacity-building through entrepreneurship, and institutional-stakeholder engagement. Dr. Swanson’s current research is funded through a Social Sciences Humanities Research Council grant and focuses on social and economic capacity building in Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Scandinavia. He is also actively studying Aboriginal community partnerships with resource based companies, entrepreneurship centres at universities, community-based entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions. He teaches upper-year and MBA entrepreneurship classes and conducts seminars on business planning and business development.

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19 Best Business Plan Books of All Time

Our goal : Find the best Business Plan books according to the internet (not just one random person's opinion).

• Type "best business plan books" into our search engine and study the top 5+ pages.
• Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
• Rank the results neatly for you here! 😊 (It was a lot of work. But hey! That's why we're here, right?)

(Updated 2024)

As an Amazon Associate, we earn money from purchases made through links in this page.

Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024

• Best Business Plan Books

The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur

The fastest, easiest way to write a business plan.

The Art of the Start 2.0

The time-tested, battle-hardened guide for anyone starting anything.

Guy Kawasaki

Successful Business Plan

Secrets & strategies.

Rhonda Abrams

The Secrets to Writing a Successful Business Plan

A pro shares a step-by-step guide to creating a plan that gets results.

Hal Shelton

The Lean Startup

How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses.

The Founder's Dilemmas

Anticipating and avoiding the pitfalls that can sink a startup.

Noam Wasserman

How to Write a Business Plan

Mike P. McKeever

The Complete Book of Business Plans

Simple steps to writing powerful business plans.

Joseph A Covello

The 1-Page Marketing Plan

Get new customers, make more money, and stand out from the crowd.

Business Model Generation

A handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers.

Alexander Osterwalder

Starting a Business QuickStart Guide

The simplified beginner’s guide to launching a successful small business, turning your vision into reality, and achieving your entrepreneurial dream.

Ken Colwell

Mind Your Business

A workbook to grow your creative passion into a full-time gig.

Ilana Griffo

Writing Winning Business Plans

How to prepare a business plan that investors will want to read and invest in.

Garrett Sutton

Burn the Business Plan

What great entrepreneurs really do.

Carl J. Schramm

Anatomy of a Business Plan

The step-by-step guide to building a business and securing your company's future.

Linda Pinson

The Book on Business Planning

Writing a Convincing Business Plan

Arthur R. DeThomas Ph.D.

Hit the Deck

Create a business plan in half the time, with twice the impact.

David Ronick

Creating a Business Plan For Dummies

Veechi Curtis

• 12 Books You Should Read Before Starting a Business www.businessinsider.com
• Business Plan Books www.mymoneybooks.com
• The 9 Best Business Plan Books www.thebalancesmb.com
• 20 Best Books on The Business Plan - Bigger Investing www.biggerinvesting.com
• 20 Best Books on How to Write a Business Plan in 2023 www.profitableventure.com

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The 5 Best Business Plan Books (& Why You Shouldn’t Read Them)

You probably know that having a business plan will improve your chances of success in starting and growing your business. Reading the right business plan book can help you craft the perfect plan. But, there are more efficient ways than reading a book to learn about business planning and to complete your plan. In this article, I’ll show you such options, and if you’d still like to read a book, I’ll tell you the top 5 business planning books to consider.  

Why You Don’t Need To Read a Business Planning Book

There are many books about business planning that you could read, but why shouldn’t you? 

The simple answer, time. 

Reading even the best business plan books will take time to read and then process, and this is on top of the considerable time it takes to complete market research and write a solid business plan.

Instead, technology has provided today’s entrepreneurs with easy-to-follow simple business plan templates that teach you how to write the business plan as you complete the plan. Although every business is unique, a business plan template will offer you a great starting point and often includes customizable financial plans specific to your industry.   

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here

The right business plan template will include all essential components of a successful business plan including:

• Executive Summary
• Company Overview
• Market Analysis
• Customer Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing Plan
• Operations Plan
• Management Team
• Financial Plan

You can learn more about each of these business plan components and how to write a business plan from the business planning experts at Growthink.

    Finish Your Business Plan Today!

If you enjoy reading & want to learn more….

So, you don’t actually need to read a business book, but if you do, learn from the experts who have ventured on the same entrepreneurial journey. Their practical advice provides a step-by-step guide through the planning process to help you complete the necessary market research to stay competitive while completing the financial analysis needed to secure funding.  

How We Can Help You Succeed

At Growthink, we have helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs and business owners develop business plans to start and grow their companies. With this extensive experience, we’ve created a simple business plan template and business plan examples for 100+ sectors (and we’re still going!) to save you time and make it even easier to write a successful business plan. Check out the links below or learn more in our Business Plan Writing Help Center to help you launch or expand your successful business.

How to Finish Your Business Plan in 1 Day!

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your business plan?

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Here are our top 40 bestselling books that are sure to spark your interest, strengthen your management skills, and help you get the results you need in business and beyond. These books offer the best ideas in business and have strongly resonated with our readers. Each offers valuable insights to help you succeed in your career.

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster

In this updated and expanded version of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions--no matter where you are in your career. Whether you're starting a new job, being promoted from within, embarking on an overseas assignment, or being tapped as CEO, how you manage your transition will determine whether you succeed or fail. Use this book as your trusted guide.

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness (Paperback + Ebook)

If you read nothing else on mental toughness, read these ten articles by experts in the field. We've combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you build your emotional strength and resilience--and to achieve high performance.

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself (Paperback + Ebook)

The path to your own professional success starts with a critical look in the mirror. What you see there--your greatest strengths and deepest values--are the foundations you must build on. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles on managing yourself and selected the most important ones to help you stay engaged and productive throughout your working life.

Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant

In this perennial bestseller, globally preeminent management thinkers W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne challenge everything you thought you knew about the requirements for strategic success. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves (spanning more than 100 years across 30 industries), the authors argue that lasting success comes not from battling competitors but from creating"blue oceans"--untapped new market spaces ripe for growth.

Leading Change

Millions worldwide have read and embraced John Kotter's ideas on change management and leadership. Needed more today than at any time in the past, this immensely relevant book serves as both a visionary guide and a practical toolkit on how to approach the difficult yet crucial work of leading change in any type of organization.

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence (Paperback + Ebook)

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The Mind of a Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results

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Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence

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Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean

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The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism

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Human + Machine: Reimaging Work in the Age of AI

AI is changing all the rules of how companies operate. Based on the authors' experience, Accenture leaders Paul Daugherty and Jim Wilson, and research with 1,500 organizations, this book reveals how companies are using the new rules of AI to leap ahead on innovation and profitability, as well as what you can do to achieve similar results.

The Founders Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth

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Harvard Business Review Manager's Handbook: The 17 Skills Leaders Need to Stand Out

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StandOut 2.0: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Edge, Win at Work

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The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World

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Talent Wins: The New Playbook for Putting People First

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Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

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Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

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Getting Along: How to Deal with Anyone (Even Difficult People)

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Love and Work: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life

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Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader's Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You

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Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change

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15+ Business Plan Books for Free! [PDF]

Planning in business is of vital importance for the founding of any type of company. This is why we bring you this collection of business plan books in PDF format so you can start your adventure as it should be, with foresight and order.

A business plan is a written document, of a formal nature, with a logical, coherent and progressive order that has the purpose of carrying out a set of actions indicated in it. It is a kind of guide or map that takes into account current and future opportunities and obstacles that may arise in the specific context of the business .

Therefore, we invite you to learn how to make one successfully, using as a guide our selection of more than 15 books of business plans in PDF format , to which you have immediate and free access, below.

Here we present our complete selection of Business Plan Books:

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Rajdhani College

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The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

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Business Plan Guidelines

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Community Business Development Corporation

Lake Agassiz Development Group

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How to Write a Business Plan Fourteenth Edition

• figure out if your business idea will make money
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• ISBN-10 1413325459
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ NOLO; Fourteenth edition (November 30, 2018)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1413325459
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1413325454
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.75 x 9 inches
• #163 in Franchising Law (Books)
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About the author

Mike p. mckeever.

Mike P. McKeever has a B.A. in Economics from Whittier College, a Master of Science in Economics from the London (England) School of Economics and has done post-graduate work in financial analysis at the USC Business School. Currently, Mike is an Economics Professor at City College of San Francisco. Previously, he had taught classes at numerous community colleges in entrepreneurship and small business management. Author of How to Write a Business Plan, he has published articles on entrepreneurship for Dow Jones publications, the Sloan Publications Business Journal and numerous newspapers and periodicals.

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Use These Short Books to Master Topics that Will Improve Your Career

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Susan Heathfield is an HR and management consultant with an MS degree. She has decades of experience writing about human resources.

One trend in business books is the short management book, often written as a story or fable. These business books are approachable, useful, and may help encourage more people to read. And, as an employer, that's what you'd like to see—right? You're in favor of ongoing career development.

These business books pack a solid punch in a small package. Read some of the favorites that managers and HR staff recommend. You'll quickly agree with their assessment and understand why they have such universal appeal.

High Five! The Magic of Working Together

by Kenneth V. Blanchard, Sheldon Bowles, others (Morrow/Avon) ISBN: 0688170366 -

Fired from his job for failure to be a team player, Alan Foster helps a boy's hockey team learn both team secrets and hockey. Help from a retired girl's basketball coach, chants, cheers, focus, skill development, and knowing that, "None of us is as good as all of us," help Alan learn so he can teach. I love this book.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass) ISBN-13: 978-0787960759 -

Assigned to lead a dysfunctional Silicon Valley executive committee, Kathryn Petersen, a traditional manager, appointed CEO, watches and observes the effect of the group's interactions on its members and on the company's progress and results.

Following her instinctive knowledge about people and using her skill in building teams, she identifies the factors that are undermining the group's effectiveness. In story-style,

Lencioni tells how to overcome the human behaviors that corrupt this executive team's success: the lack of trust , fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of personal accountability, and inattention to results. A must-read for teams that strive for optimum success.

The 1% Solution for Work and Life

by: Tom Connellan (Peak Performance Press) ISBN-13: 978-0-9769506-2-2

Feeling a bit discouraged about your life and work? Not getting as excited as you once were? You can change this by doing one small thing just 1% differently than you are right now. Sound easy? It's not, but if you do one small thing differently for thirty days, it becomes part of your available toolkit.

And, 1% plus 1% plus 1% adds up. Follow Ken on his journey as he meets and learns from six One-Percenters, people who have transformed their lives using the ideas shared in this book. Even if you're after just a small improvement, each chapter gives you ideas that you can adapt now. For me, my new 1% shift? No email in the morning until I have published something. I am on the path.

Just Do Your Best

by Chuck Harwood (Group Fare Productions) ISBN - 13:978-0881971019

In just 108 pages, the essence of performing successfully on your job is distilled and shared. In an out-of-the-ordinary management setting: a visit to a cattle ranch, Mr. Harwood identifies the five critical factors in job success.

Knowing your job well, and continuously improving what you know, is the first. The second factor is making good decisions. Enjoy attending the management meeting with the ranch employees - the daily lunch table at the ranch. Visit 15 additional workplaces he uses as examples for the five factors. Insightful, fun book.

Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results

by Harry Paul, Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen (Hyperion) ISBN: 0786866020

Based on the fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market, a supervisor learns how to create an environment in which employees are excited to serve customers and each other. Find out how she transformed a toxic work environment!

The One Minute Manager

by Spencer Johnson, Kenneth H. Blanchard (Morrow/Avon) ISBN: 0688014291

Can several million people be wrong? Read the book that spawned the dynasty! Timeless tips for supervisors and others who want to increase their effectiveness with people. Learn how to catch people doing something right and the power of clear, understandable goals. Though deceptively simple, this is a great read!

Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment

by William C. Byham (Development Dimensions International) ISBN: 0962348317

This continuing favorite may be hard to find but it's worth the search. Join a supervisor who is transported to a state in which he can suddenly "see" the real impact his actions have on whether staff is enabled to think, contribute, and find meaning in work. Experiment and learn with him as he changes.

Please Don't Just Do What I Tell You: Do What Needs to Be Done

by Bob Nelson (Hyperion) ISBN: 0786867299

Written directly for employees, the book has great tips about how to express individual initiative and self-empowerment at work. "Doing what you're told," no longer brings success for the individual or the organization - if it ever did! Everyone has the capacity to fulfill this "ultimate expectation." Share this book to help people find out how!

Gung Ho! Turn on the People in Any Organization

by Kenneth Blanchard, Sheldon Bowles (Morrow/Avon) ISBN: 068815428X

The story, told as a fable, provides a three-part strategy for motivating employees. Make sure people know why their work is important, give them control over how they do their jobs, and provide encouragement are the success factors. The story is told by a plant manager who learned these truths from a Native American manager.

The Peon Book

by Dave Haynes, Chief Executive Peon (Berrett-Koehler) ISBN: 1576752852

Not just a regular management book, written by an executive or a consultant, The Peon Book recommends you get the information you need to lead and manage people from the people you are trying to lead and manage. If all else fails, ask! What a concept!

Who Moved My Cheese?

by Spencer Johnson (Penguin Putnam, Inc.) ISBN: 0399144463

Explores positively approaching change through a parable populated by mice and "littlepeople," mouse-sized people. If you're an expert in change management , give it a chance; the book will make you smile and remind you of key change issues.

Others will find change management tips, real encouragement, and the sense that change is "doable." It's a book for everyone. Enjoy!

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‘house of the dragon’ changes the books in shocking controversial ‘blood and cheese’ murder.

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They served up some Blood and Cheese. 

Spoilers below for the first episode of “House of the Dragon” Season 2. 

The season premiere for the “Game of Thrones” spinoff’s second season, “House of the Dragon,” covered an infamous and controversial murder, known to fans of the books as “Blood and Cheese.” 

As Season 2 begins, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, but her half-brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), and his supporters have usurped her, and now both sides are at war over whether Rhaenyra or Aegon should be monarch. 

Season 1 ended with Aegon’s mercurial brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) killing Rhaenyra’s son. In the Season 2 premiere, Rhaenyra’s husband, Daemon (Matt Smith), hires rat catchers in the castle (known as “Blood and Cheese”) to retaliate by killing Aemond. 

As the episode title says, “a son for a son” is Daemon’s planned revenge.

This plot goes awry, however, and spirals into tragedy. The assassins end up not killing Aemond, but instead killing his nephew, a child: Aegon’s son with their sister, Heleana (Phia Saban). 

The horrifying act isn’t shown onscreen, but the child struggling can be heard, along with stabbing noises. 

Heleana grabs her remaining child, flees in terror, and runs into her mother’s bedroom, where Alicent (Olivia Cooke) is having sex with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankle) – a scandalous affair, since Criston is a member of the Kingsguard and is supposed to be celibate. 

It’s a wild writing choice for the show to throw a sex scene into this moment – really, now?! 

But, they went there. 

Although Alicent seems mortified that her daughter caught her, Heleana is so traumatized that she barely seems to register the hanky-panky playing out in front of her, stammering out, “They killed the boy” as the episode ends.

“House of the Dragon” is based on the book “Fire & Blood” by George R. R Martin . Unlike the novels that “Game of Thrones” was based on, it’s written like a fictional history textbook – so, it’s more like a Wikipedia entry than a novel with fleshed-out characters. It’s also written by fictional scholars who have conflicting accounts of “what happened.” 

This leaves the show room to make changes, and there are some big curveballs to “Blood and Cheese.”  As awful as it was onscreen, it’s considerably softened from how it was on the page. 

In the book, it’s never clear that Daemon didn’t deliberately target a child. The show does leave some room for ambiguity – Blood and Cheese ask Daemon what they should do if they’re unable to find and kill Aemond. The scene ends there, purposefully leaving Daemon’s reply unknown. 

But, onscreen, Daemon’s primary orders are for them to kill Aemond – a dangerous young man who killed his stepson –  not an innocent child. This makes him seem like less of a monster for this atrocity than he does in the book. 

The whole sequence is also more of an ordeal in the book, with Blood and Cheese holding Alicent and maids hostage, and lying in wait for Heleana. In the show, the assassins stumble upon Helena by happenstance and bumble their way into the atrocious deed, continuing the show’s trend of “atrocities happening by accident,” (since Season 1 also softened Aemond’s murder of Rhaenyra’s son to be accidental, where the book didn’t make that clear. Season 1 also softened Alicent’s support of her son’s coup to be a “misunderstanding” of her husband’s dying wishes, rather than a deliberate power-grab). 

Blood and Cheese aren’t too smart – as one of them grabs Helena onscreen and holds a knife to her throat, the other man points out that Daemon’s instructions to them were, “A son for a son.” Exasperated, he tells his collaborator, “Does she look like a f–ing son to you?”

So, the murder in the show results from their incompetence, not from them planning it that way and lying in wait to execute their evil plan, the way it happens on the page.

In the book, they also give Heleana a terrible choice of which child she wants them to spare. In the show, they still make her point to a child, but they tell her to point out which one is Aegon’s heir. So, it’s clear that these men are up to no good, but their heinous intentions are not as explicitly stated to Heleana.

The book also doesn’t have her flee the scene, only to stumble on her mom getting it on with Criston. That wild part of the sequence was entirely a show-only creation.

“House of the Dragon” Season 2 airs Sunday nights on HBO (9 p.m.) and streams on Max. 

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Washington Post editor and CEO clashed on reorganization before her exit

Executive editor Sally Buzbee urged a delay of William Lewis’s plan to restructure the newsroom. Her abrupt replacement by a veteran Wall Street Journal editor triggered questions from staff.

Barely five months after joining The Washington Post as publisher and CEO, William Lewis recently began discussing a plan with his top executives for dramatically restructuring the newsroom.

His timing, though, drew resistance from executive editor Sally Buzbee. With her team of journalists absorbed by the demands of covering a historic presidential campaign, she urged Lewis to wait until after Election Day.

Lewis didn’t want to wait. Hired by Post owner Jeff Bezos with a mandate to reverse a sharp decline in subscriptions and a $77 million deficit over the past year, he wanted to execute the new plan immediately. She also balked at the role he saw for her in the new structure — and the two agreed she should depart, according to two people familiar with the conversation.

Buzbee’s abrupt exit after three years at The Post — which even her own department heads learned about late Sunday in a companywide email from Lewis — left the newsroom reeling.

A Monday morning newsroom meeting to introduce Matt Murray , who will take on a new role as a top Post editor, turned contentious as staff members pressed Lewis about Buzbee’s departure and his plans to spin off portions of The Post’s journalism into a new division.

Murray, a former editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, vowed to uphold journalism standards and The Post’s legacy.

“This is change about growth,” he said. “It’s change about the future. It’s change about building on The Post and taking it to the next generation and enhancing the legacy of the place.”

Lewis, who previously worked with Murray at the Journal, called him “a proper journalist who loves causing trouble and working with fellow editors and reporters, and an old-fashioned editor who will edit each day.”

Though Lewis took staff questions, he refused to give specifics about the decision-making behind Buzbee’s departure.

“I really enjoyed working with Sally,” Lewis said. “I wish it could have gone on for longer, but it couldn’t. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to take that bit of the conversation any further.”

He apologized for the manner of the announcement. The news “began to leak out, which is why we had to scramble.”

Buzbee, the first woman to head the news operations of The Post, has not responded to requests for comment.

She had been hired in 2021 by The Post’s previous publisher, Fred Ryan, after the retirement of former executive editor Martin Baron. Buzbee spent most of her career at the Associated Press, most recently as its top editor. Ryan stepped down as publisher in 2023, and since Lewis has stepped into the role, he has made several executive-level hires.

As recently as this weekend, Buzbee had given no indication that she would be leaving. On Saturday night, she attended the White House News Photographers Association award dinner, where she chatted with Post journalists and sat next to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

And less than two weeks ago, Buzbee participated in a companywide presentation to discuss a plan by Lewis to revamp core elements of the business, including new subscription offerings.

She told Post department heads late Sunday in a brief call that she had been presented with a reorganization plan that she didn’t want to be a part of, according to three people familiar with her remarks who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak.

The Style section

The publisher and his top editor had discussed Lewis’s restructuring plans over several weeks, and Buzbee had hoped to persuade him not to execute his plan until after the election, according to a person familiar with their conversations.

But Lewis was eager to accelerate the timing of his plan. He offered Buzbee oversight of a new division of the company, which he described Sunday evening as being focused on “service and social media journalism.”

But Buzbee was uncomfortable with the structure and did not believe she could be effective in the role, the person familiar with their conversations said. That left her with no real place in the organization and the two agreed that she needed to step aside.

For weeks before the announcement of her departure, though, Lewis had made inquiries to potential candidates to succeed Buzbee, according to people familiar with his discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect confidential communications.

Buzbee was not present for the staff meeting Monday but received a healthy round of applause from Post colleagues, who questioned her treatment by company leaders.

Murray was replaced as the top editor of the Journa l in early 2023 after nearly five years but remained at parent company News Corp in an advisory role. He had been in discussions for another job opportunity, but as those deliberations wore on, he decided to accept Lewis’s invitation to join The Post, one of those people said.

In his own remarks, Murray, who spent 29 years at the Journal, focused on the future, which he said will meld the legacy of The Post with a forward-looking approach to news.

A native of the Washington, D.C., area, Murray said he doesn’t plan to remake The Post in the Journal’s image — and that The Post is the newspaper that made him want to work in journalism.

“I’ve been in the business long enough, and I’ve done enough things that I’m not interested at this point in managing decline,” Murray said. “I’m interested in the future and growth. … This is going to be an exciting time. We’re going to have a lot of new opportunities and new things.”

Murray will serve only temporarily as Buzbee’s replacement, Lewis has said. After Election Day, he will hand over the reins of leadership for the newsroom’s core reporting areas — including politics, investigations, business, technology, sports and features — to Robert Winnett , a British journalist who is currently the deputy editor of Telegraph Media Group.

At that point, Murray will shift over to serve as the leader of the new company division.

Lewis previously worked alongside both Murray and Winnett — the former when he was publisher of the Journal, the latter when he was the editor of the Daily Telegraph.

During Monday’s meeting, one staff member highlighted these connections, as well as Lewis’s past remarks about his commitment to diversity.

“The most cynical interpretation sort of feels like you chose two of your buddies to come in and help run The Post,” she said. “And we now have four White men running three newsrooms.”

Lewis reaffirmed his commitment to diversity while acknowledging that “I’ve got to do better, and you’ll see that going forward.”

Lewis has referred to the new division that Murray will oversee as a “third newsroom” — distinct from the news operations that will eventually be helmed by Winnett, and distinct from The Post’s opinions section, which has always operated separately from news and which will still be overseen by David Shipley, its leader since 2022.

Yet a lack of detail about what the new division will entail — and how it will intersect with the rest of the news organization — prompted questions in the staff meeting.

In one heated exchange with a Post staffer, Lewis warned that the newsroom cannot afford to be resistant to change, saying that “decisive, urgent” actions are needed for the company to survive upheaval within the media industry and a recent loss of subscribers and revenue.

“We are going to turn this thing around, but let’s not sugarcoat it. It needs turning around,” he said. “We are losing large amounts of money. Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff. Right. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore.”

In his brief remarks, Murray did not share his specific editorial priorities, though he mentioned a few specific stories that will be top priorities for The Post, including the presidential election, the Donald Trump trials and the trial facing Hunter Biden.

“The Post has such a great legacy, a history and tradition of great journalism in the past and right until this morning,” he said. “There’s so much outstanding work that comes out of this newsroom. I’m humbled and proud to be a part of it.”

The decision to change editorial leadership and create a new division was part of Lewis’s new strategy for The Post, which focuses on reaching new audiences and rejecting a “one-size-fits-all” strategy for serving readers and attracting new customers.

But, Murray said there are no plans to blow things up for the sake of doing so. Going forward, Murray said the mission at The Post “will be to take what we do and really translate it the right way.”

• How Saudi Aramco plans to win the oil endgame

The world’s biggest energy firm is the linchpin of the kingdom’s ambitions

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T HE MANAGERS of Saudi Aramco could have the cushiest jobs in the energy business. The oil colossus produces 11m barrels of oil a day, more than any other firm and a tenth of the world’s total (see chart 1). It boasts by far the largest proven reserves of the stuff, which would last into the second half of the century at current pumping rates. Its piddling production costs of $3 a barrel, a tenth of what many Western private-sector rivals must content themselves with, allowed it to generate an eye-watering $282bn in total net profit over the past two years. And although its oil burns as dirtily as any other, Aramco emits less carbon when liberating it from rock formations than competitors do. That makes the company’s product appealing in a world increasingly concerned about global warming but still hooked on hydrocarbons .

As less generously endowed rivals fall by the wayside, Aramco’s market share would, in other words, be almost certain to rise with a few modest investments in maintaining reservoirs. Yet the company’s employees are busier than ever. That is because Aramco is the linchpin of the strategy of Muhammad bin Salman , Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, to end his country’s reliance on its oil riches, diversify its economy and decarbonise its energy production.

Aramco is, for a start, the chief source of funds for this vision. On June 2nd it launched a long-awaited secondary share offering, hoping to raise $13bn in exchange for just 0.7% or so of its government-held stock. This followed a record-breaking $30bn initial public offering in 2019. Some of the money will again flow to the Public Investment Fund, the main vehicle for the kingdom’s sovereign wealth.

Yet Aramco is more than just a princely piggy bank. As the kingdom’s most important business, it also has to transform itself in line with the royal strategy. “Our goal is to make our energy source as affordable and sustainable as possible,” says Ahmad al-Khowaiter, Aramco’s head of technology and innovation.

Achieving that goal involves a three-pronged strategy. Its first element is to double down on oil, but to extract it in ever-cleaner ways. Aramco is planning to spend between $48bn and $58bn this year on capital investments. Wood Mackenzie, a consultancy, reckons it will disburse more than $200bn on exploration and production between 2024 and 2030, far and away the most in the industry. At the same time, Mr al-Khowaiter stresses that his firm is determined to keep its own emissions in check. It routinely uses sophisticated modelling and clever drilling technology to minimise how much carbon is released in its operations. It has pledged to spew no net greenhouse gases by 2050, a decade ahead of Saudi Arabia’s national target.

In particular, Aramco is cracking down on methane, the main ingredient of natural gas, which is often produced alongside oil. Since 2012 it has flared less than 1% of this potent planet-cooking compound, compared with perhaps 4% that America’s shalemen set alight. As a member of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, a group of large oil firms, it has vowed to reduce methane emissions to close to zero by 2030. At Abqaiq, the world’s largest oil-processing facility, Aramco staff show off drones being used to sniff out leaks of the gas, so they can be patched up. Recent analysis of satellite data by Kayrros, a French analytics firm, shows that methane intensity from Saudi oil and gas production last year was the second-lowest in the world, behind only greener-than-thou Norway.

The second pillar of Aramco’s strategy involves broadening its hydrocarbon portfolio to reduce its exposure to oil, which has historically dominated its production and exports. This pivot gained sudden momentum earlier in the year when the government ordered Aramco to stop work on expanding its maximum oil-production capacity by 1m barrels per day, from 12m-13m. With the global market well supplied and the country sitting on a lot of spare capacity, the expansion made little sense. And the $40bn or so of capital spending that it would have consumed between 2024 and 2028 can be put to use elsewhere.

One area of diversification is natural gas. Because it burns more cleanly than oil or coal, and because the resulting CO 2 emissions are more concentrated and thus easier to capture and store, it is considered by many governments a realistic bridge to a greener energy future. Aramco wants to produce 165bn cubic metres of gas a year by 2030, up from 110bn in 2022.

Petrochemicals, another big area of interest for Aramco, could soak up a further $100bn in Saudi investments this decade. The firm plans to direct 1m barrels of its oil into making such products. SABIC , a Saudi petrochemical company in which Aramco has a 70% stake, is working with two industrial giants, BASF and Linde, on technology that converts oil into chemicals using electricity rather than natural gas to heat the process. A full-scale pilot plant was inaugurated in Germany in April.

This points to the third pillar of Aramco’s master plan—decarbonisation. The company has turned itself into one of the biggest green investors in the energy world (see chart 2). A tenth of its capital spending (equivalent to $4bn-5bn a year) and a sixth of its research-and-development budget (another $540m) are earmarked for non-hydrocarbon investments. Last year a fifth of the roughly 1,000 patents Aramco secured in America related to decarbonisation and digital technologies, up from a seventh in 2022. The company is also planning to place $2bn of its $4bn in new venture-capital wagers on such things. During a visit to Saudi Arabia in May by Jennifer Granholm, America’s energy secretary, Aramco signed agreements with several American green startups.

The most mature of the green technologies in Aramco’s sights is renewable power. Rystad Energy, a research firm, estimates that the company will develop 12 gigawatts ( GW ) in wind and solar capacity by 2030, up from virtually nothing a few years ago. Prince Muhammad has ordained that half the country’s currently filthy power-generation mix must be clean by 2030. Thanks to scorching desert sun and, in places, fierce night winds, Saudi renewables projects enjoy among the lowest costs in the world. One of the startups that tagged along with Ms Granholm was Rondo, which is developing batteries that store renewable energy as heat.

Some of this clean power can be used to produce equally clean hydrogen, which could replace hydrocarbons both as a store of energy and in some industrial processes such as steelmaking. In addition to this “green” hydrogen, made by splitting it from oxygen in water molecules using lots of renewable energy, Aramco wants to become the world leader in “blue” hydrogen, which is derived from natural gas but in a process that prevents the resulting carbon from reaching the atmosphere.

As part of this effort the company is working with Topsoe, a Danish engineering firm, on ways to reduce such emissions. It has already shipped small quantities of blue ammonia, a gas from which hydrogen can be easily derived but which is less fiddly to transport, to customers in Asia. These were the first-ever commercial shipments to be independently certified as low-carbon. Aramco plans to make 11m tonnes of blue ammonia per year by 2030, a fifth of what the International Energy Agency, an official forecaster, expects to be the global market for the stuff.

Hydrogen can also be used to produce synthetic liquid fuels that would do the same job—and use the same infrastructure—as petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, minus the carbon emissions. Aramco is planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in partnership with Repsol, a Spanish oil company, to produce such “drop-in” e-fuels. As a proof of concept, Mr al-Khowaiter points to Formula One motor racing. Starting in 2026 the teams, including Aramco’s partnership with Aston Martin, a British sports-car maker, will have to use 100% sustainable fuels.

All Aramco’s blue-hydrogen plans rely on its ability to capture the carbon emitted in its production. As its collaboration with Topsoe and its shipments of blue ammonia to Asia show, it is having some success in this area. But its carbon-capture plans are much grander, and go far beyond hydrogen production.

Many of Saudi Arabia’s sources of industrial carbon emissions, whether oilfields or petrochemical plants, are conveniently near rock formations where the captured emissions can be stored (see map). Aramco is working with Linde and SLB , an American oil-services firm, to build a vast hub in Jubail, an eastern city. This could capture 6m tonnes a year of Aramco’s own emissions, and another 3m from industrial customers, and either sequester them underground or turn them into useful products such as fertiliser (into which SABIC has been turning carbon at one of its chemical plants since 2015). The company’s long-term ambition is to capture 44m tonnes of CO 2 a year, equivalent to about 7% of Saudi emissions today. It looks likely, experts reckon, to reach its initial goal of 6m tonnes from 2026.

Most ambitiously of all, Aramco is working with companies like Siemens, a German engineering giant, and Spiritus, another of Ms Granholm’s startup travel companions, on “direct air capture” equipment. This can offset emissions elsewhere in Aramco’s operations, by scrubbing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere rather than from industrial point sources—or, eventually, from the burning of its oil by motorists and other end-users.

None of these green bets is guaranteed to pay off. Meeting the royal target of 50% clean electricity generation looks a stretch, given that the figure today is 3%. Blue ammonia, which costs the equivalent of $250 per barrel of oil, three times the current price of crude, remains too expensive to persuade buyers to sign long-term contracts. Synthetic fuels could likewise prove a costly and energy-intensive dead-end that serves only to slow the electrification of transport. As for snatching carbon from industrial flues, let alone from the atmosphere, despite years of efforts the technology remains pricey, untested at scale and controversial among environmentalists, many of whom see it as a pretext for not cutting emissions in the first place.

Many of Aramco’s decarbonisation plans are indeed designed to keep the world using its products, says Christyan Malek of JPMorgan Chase, a bank. But, he adds, it also involves making those products “as green as possible”. Helima Croft of RBC Capital Markets, an investment firm, says that given the level of Aramco’s non-oil investments, the Saudi strategy cannot simply be dismissed as “window dressing”. Such assurances will not persuade diehard environmental campaigners to embrace what they view as one of the world’s chief climate villains. For climate realists, the oil giant’s efforts can be seen as a real step in the right direction. ■

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Explore more

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Turning brown desert into green oasis”

Business June 8th 2024

• G42, an Emirati AI hopeful, has big plans
• Chinese fast-food insurgents are beating McDonald’s and KFC
• Elon Musk could earn more at Tesla than other company bosses
• Should the world fear China’s chipmaking binge?
• Is it better to be an early bird or a night owl?
• Lessons in capitalism from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s

From the June 8th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

More from Business

China’s giant solar industry is in turmoil

Overcapacity has caused prices—and profits—to tumble

A price war breaks out among China’s AI-model builders

It may stymie innovation

The rise of the far right alarms German business leaders

At least, most of them

How Gen Zs rebel against Asia’s rigid corporate culture

Young workers are striking, slouching off and setting sail

What Indian business expects from Modi 3.0

After a brief panic, investors and bosses welcome the new government

The EU hits China’s carmakers with hefty new tariffs

Duties will only hold them back for a while

Introducing Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models at the core of iPhone, iPad, and Mac

New Capabilities for Understanding and Creating Language

Image Playground Makes Communication and Self‑Expression Even More Fun

Genmoji Creation to Fit Any Moment

New Features in Photos Give Users More Control

Siri Enters a New Era

A New Standard for Privacy in AI

ChatGPT Gets Integrated Across Apple Platforms

Text of this article

June 10, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

Setting a new standard for privacy in AI, Apple Intelligence understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today introduced Apple Intelligence , the personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant. Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. With Private Cloud Compute, Apple sets a new standard for privacy in AI, with the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers.

“We’re thrilled to introduce a new chapter in Apple innovation. Apple Intelligence will transform what users can do with our products — and what our products can do for our users,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Our unique approach combines generative AI with a user’s personal context to deliver truly helpful intelligence. And it can access that information in a completely private and secure way to help users do the things that matter most to them. This is AI as only Apple can deliver it, and we can’t wait for users to experience what it can do.”

Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.

Whether tidying up class notes, ensuring a blog post reads just right, or making sure an email is perfectly crafted, Writing Tools help users feel more confident in their writing. With Rewrite, Apple Intelligence allows users to choose from different versions of what they have written, adjusting the tone to suit the audience and task at hand. From finessing a cover letter, to adding humor and creativity to a party invitation, Rewrite helps deliver the right words to meet the occasion. Proofread checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure while also suggesting edits — along with explanations of the edits — that users can review or quickly accept. With Summarize, users can select text and have it recapped in the form of a digestible paragraph, bulleted key points, a table, or a list.

In Mail, staying on top of emails has never been easier. With Priority Messages, a new section at the top of the inbox shows the most urgent emails, like a same-day dinner invitation or boarding pass. Across a user’s inbox, instead of previewing the first few lines of each email, they can see summaries without needing to open a message. For long threads, users can view pertinent details with just a tap. Smart Reply provides suggestions for a quick response, and will identify questions in an email to ensure everything is answered.

Deep understanding of language also extends to Notifications. Priority Notifications appear at the top of the stack to surface what’s most important, and summaries help users scan long or stacked notifications to show key details right on the Lock Screen, such as when a group chat is particularly active. And to help users stay present in what they’re doing, Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus that surfaces only the notifications that might need immediate attention, like a text about an early pickup from daycare.

In the Notes and Phone apps, users can now record, transcribe, and summarize audio. When a recording is initiated while on a call, participants are automatically notified, and once the call ends, Apple Intelligence generates a summary to help recall key points.

Apple Intelligence powers exciting image creation capabilities to help users communicate and express themselves in new ways. With Image Playground, users can create fun images in seconds, choosing from three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Image Playground is easy to use and built right into apps including Messages. It’s also available in a dedicated app, perfect for experimenting with different concepts and styles. All images are created on device, giving users the freedom to experiment with as many images as they want.

With Image Playground, users can choose from a range of concepts from categories like themes, costumes, accessories, and places; type a description to define an image; choose someone from their personal photo library to include in their image; and pick their favorite style.

With the Image Playground experience in Messages, users can quickly create fun images for their friends, and even see personalized suggested concepts related to their conversations. For example, if a user is messaging a group about going hiking, they’ll see suggested concepts related to their friends, their destination, and their activity, making image creation even faster and more relevant.

In Notes, users can access Image Playground through the new Image Wand in the Apple Pencil tool palette, making notes more visually engaging. Rough sketches can be turned into delightful images, and users can even select empty space to create an image using context from the surrounding area. Image Playground is also available in apps like Keynote, Freeform, and Pages, as well as in third-party apps that adopt the new Image Playground API.

Taking emoji to an entirely new level, users can create an original Genmoji to express themselves. By simply typing a description, their Genmoji appears, along with additional options. Users can even create Genmoji of friends and family based on their photos. Just like emoji, Genmoji can be added inline to messages, or shared as a sticker or reaction in a Tapback.

Searching for photos and videos becomes even more convenient with Apple Intelligence. Natural language can be used to search for specific photos, such as “Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt,” or “Katie with stickers on her face.” Search in videos also becomes more powerful with the ability to find specific moments in clips so users can go right to the relevant segment. Additionally, the new Clean Up tool can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.

With Memories, users can create the story they want to see by simply typing a description. Using language and image understanding, Apple Intelligence will pick out the best photos and videos based on the description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. Users will even get song suggestions to match their memory from Apple Music. As with all Apple Intelligence features, user photos and videos are kept private on device and are not shared with Apple or anyone else.

Powered by Apple Intelligence, Siri becomes more deeply integrated into the system experience. With richer language-understanding capabilities, Siri is more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal, with the ability to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. It can follow along if users stumble over words and maintain context from one request to the next. Additionally, users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment. Siri also has a brand-new design with an elegant glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen when Siri is active.

Siri can now give users device support everywhere they go, and answer thousands of questions about how to do something on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Users can learn everything from how to schedule an email in the Mail app, to how to switch from Light to Dark Mode.

With onscreen awareness, Siri will be able to understand and take action with users’ content in more apps over time. For example, if a friend texts a user their new address in Messages, the receiver can say, “Add this address to his contact card.”

With Apple Intelligence, Siri will be able to take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps. For example, a user could say, “Bring up that article about cicadas from my Reading List,” or “Send the photos from the barbecue on Saturday to Malia,” and Siri will take care of it.

Siri will be able to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to the user and their on-device information. For example, a user can say, “Play that podcast that Jamie recommended,” and Siri will locate and play the episode, without the user having to remember whether it was mentioned in a text or an email. Or they could ask, “When is Mom’s flight landing?” and Siri will find the flight details and cross-reference them with real-time flight tracking to give an arrival time.

To be truly helpful, Apple Intelligence relies on understanding deep personal context while also protecting user privacy. A cornerstone of Apple Intelligence is on-device processing, and many of the models that power it run entirely on device. To run more complex requests that require more processing power, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy and security of Apple devices into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence.

With Private Cloud Compute, Apple Intelligence can flex and scale its computational capacity and draw on larger, server-based models for more complex requests. These models run on servers powered by Apple silicon, providing a foundation that allows Apple to ensure that data is never retained or exposed.

Independent experts can inspect the code that runs on Apple silicon servers to verify privacy, and Private Cloud Compute cryptographically ensures that iPhone, iPad, and Mac do not talk to a server unless its software has been publicly logged for inspection. Apple Intelligence with Private Cloud Compute sets a new standard for privacy in AI, unlocking intelligence users can trust.

Apple is integrating ChatGPT access into experiences within iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, allowing users to access its expertise — as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities — without needing to jump between tools.

Siri can tap into ChatGPT’s expertise when helpful. Users are asked before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, and Siri then presents the answer directly.

Additionally, ChatGPT will be available in Apple’s systemwide Writing Tools, which help users generate content for anything they are writing about. With Compose, users can also access ChatGPT image tools to generate images in a wide variety of styles to complement what they are writing.

Privacy protections are built in for users who access ChatGPT — their IP addresses are obscured, and OpenAI won’t store requests. ChatGPT’s data-use policies apply for users who choose to connect their account.

ChatGPT will come to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year, powered by GPT-4o. Users can access it for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT subscribers can connect their accounts and access paid features right from these experiences.

Availability

Apple Intelligence is free for users, and will be available in beta as part of iOS 18 , iPadOS 18 , and macOS Sequoia  this fall in U.S. English. Some features, software platforms, and additional languages will come over the course of the next year. Apple Intelligence will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English. For more information, visit apple.com/apple-intelligence .

Press Contacts

Cat Franklin

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Jacqueline Roy

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Apple Media Helpline

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