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Starting With a Plan Your brilliant idea isn't enough. You need a good plan of action.

By Amy Rauch Neilson

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Who needs a business plan? Isn't it enough just to have agreat idea? Your winning idea is a good place to start, butit's probably not enough to sustain your business over the longhaul.

Dana Philen found this out while completing a class project withthe Entrepreneur Invention Society (EIS) in which she had to notonly come up with an original invention, but write a business planas well. The Atlanta teen invented the Walk 'N Train dogcollar, which combines a choke chain with a regular collar.According to Philen's plan, her invention could be more than aclass project--it could be the start of a successful business.

Today, it is. Philen's unique dog collar is available atwww.walkntrain.com. She says her participation in theEIS program, as well as writing her business plan, really openedher eyes to the opportunities the world has to offer. AlthoughPhilen's business started as a great idea, she needed aconcrete plan to put that idea into action.