What's The Plan? Business plan? What business plan? You'll just wing it, right? Wrong. Here's how to put your business on the right track (plus all the tools to make planning easy).

If you think writing a business plan sounds about as appealing as spending a Saturday in traffic court or letting Great-Aunt Gertrude set you up on a blind date, you're not alone. When you've got a great business idea, why sit on the sidelines dealing with piles of paperwork? You'd rather just jump into the game. But even Mark McGwire prepares before he steps up to the plate. And rushing into business without a business plan is about as smart as heading into the Major Leagues without spring training. If you believe the myths about business plans, you could strike out big-time.

Debunking the Myths

�Myth #1: Business plans are boring. Not so, says Vicki L. Helmick, a CPA and business consultant in Orlando, Florida. "If you're excited about your business, you should be excited about doing the planning that will make it a success," Helmick points out. "Your business plan is where you articulate your vision of what you want your company to be, and then outline a strategy to make it happen."