The nonprofit shop, which works closely with the U.S. Small Business Administration, has more than 10, 000 working and retired business professionals who volunteer to help entrepreneurs learn everything from writing a business plan to marketing skills.

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He started writing his business plan there and then.

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He called the Boston chapter of the SBA several times, but after waiting several weeks for a response, they only offered assistance with writing his business plan--help Aldrich says he didn't need.

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Government programs The U.S. Small Business Administration has timely, helpful advice for entrepreneurs eager to learn about every aspect of entrepreneurship, from getting the word out through social media and raising money to writing a business plan.

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Franchise advantages include skipping the writing of the business plan, no product development or branding, and an operations manual.

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The first of the four years was dedicated to writing the book and shaping a business plan in New York.

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The goal with the Udacity startup course is not necessarily to teach you how to solve all your startup problems but rather to teach you to develop a business model that actually works before jumping into development or writing a plan.

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Thirty pages of writing can slow down a busy business owner but a one-page plan allows you to get the whole picture of why, what and how you are going to get there fast.

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