'Art of the Start' Video

Quick Bio

I'm chairman and founder of Palo Alto Software. Founder of Bplans. Co-founder of Eugene Social. Founder of Free the Numbers. I have more info at timberry.com.

New: The un-spreadsheet!

Lists and tables, instant budgets, no formulas, no functions, no fuss. Just add numbers!

Social Media Business Plans

My latest startup does social media business plans. Concrete, specific, practical recommendations ... Ready to execute ... Aimed at ROI and real business benefit ...Custom-made for your business!

Do-It-Yourself Business Plan

Small Business Trends, Amex OPEN, Up and Running, Huffington Post

• The best things in life aren't free, but they aren't for sale either. You have to work for them.
• Business ideas have no value.
• Time is the scarcest resource.
• You can only be one person at a time.
• An authentic original is better than a good copy.
• It's the planning, not just the plan, that makes business planning work.
• Truth reflects off mirrored surfaces and splits into specks, rays, and particles. William Blake wrote "anything possible to be believed is an image of truth" (in Proverbs of Heaven and Hell.)
• Writing skills, even -- unfashionable as this may be -- spelling and grammar, matter.
• Good writing is always easy to read.
• There are problems you can make worse, but not better.
• Successful business planning is nine parts implementation for every one part strategy.
• Angry words are not always biodegradable.