The Definitive Business Plan: The fast-track to intelligent business planning for executives and entrepreneurs, Second Edition

Chapter 5. Know the world

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• For or against you?

• The next steps

• Collecting information

• Understanding the world at large

• Business partners

• The market – what you are fighting for

• The industry – what you are up against

• Competitive advantages

• Now write about it

• Moving on

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	“Therefore I say: Know the enemy and know yourself, in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. “When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. “If ignorant of both your enemy and of yourself you are sure to be defeated in every battle.”
	--Sun Tzu, The Art of War, C. 400 BC

Chapter 4 asked you to assess the internal state of your business. In this chapter you will look outwards to try to understand your external environment ...