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Stressful economic times often lead to an increase in small and self-owned businesses. As individuals seek to regain control of their own career paths in the wake of corporate bankruptcies and layoffs, self-employment can be one strategy for doing so. In order to ensure success, however, it's imperative that the business be structured appropriately, beginning with a clear and concise business plan.

When faced with writing a simple business plan for a small business, many owners feel quickly overwhelmed, but it needn't be frightening or difficult. The key to writing a simple business plan is to keep it well organized and specific. Potential investors don't have the time to wade through mountains of information, and will often set aside unclear business plans in favor of those that are easily read and understood.

The format of your business plan is relatively simple. You need a cover page, a table of contents, the body of work, and a conclusion. Divide your body of work into sections under specific topics. A simple business plan should at minimum consist of the following five specific topics:

Name and Description

First, as ridiculously simple as it sounds, you need a name and a description. The name needs to be catchy, easily pronounced, and easily remembered. It should make your services easily identifiable. You want potential consumers to know immediately what it is that you do, simply by reading the name of your business. Time spent trying to identify the purpose of your business is time wasted, and as any successful business person knows, time equals money.

In addition to the name, provide a detailed description of your business, including services or products provided, number and locations of all offices, number of employees, and organizational charts.

Vision Statement

Secondly, you need a clear vision statement. What is the purpose of your business? A vision statement doesn't have to be long and complex. Rather, it should clearly speak to the goal your business seeks to accomplish. Stay away from personal goals. Remember, in order for a company to be successful, it has to answer to the needs of the consumers. Your vision statement should focus on what your company can contribute to the consumer and to the community as a whole.

Market Research

Next, a description of your market research should be included. Describe market analyses that have been completed. How did you determine that there is a market for your services? Describe the particular demographic to whom

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