automate your business plan · ii automate your business plan quick start preface congratulations...

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

For Windows® XP, Vista, Windows® 7 and 8

QUICKSTART MANUAL Version 2015

Developed by:

Out of Your Mind... and Into the Marketplace™

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 2015 for Windows® Based on the printed book, Anatomy of a Business Plan, in a computer-accessible format compatible with Windows® Use of the AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN software program is strictly subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the License Agreement on the facing page of this User’s Manual. Except as set forth in the Agreement, User is prohibited from copying and shall have no rights in or to any information contained in any diskette, software, manual, workbook, format, screen, or other material supplied with this program. © Copyright 2015: Linda Pinson

Out of Your Mind... and Into the Marketplace™ 13381 White Sand Drive, Tustin, CA 92780 Tel: 714-544-0248 URL: www.business-plan.com

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN content author: Linda Pinson

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN content assistant: Ndaba Mdhlongwa AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 5.0 programmer: John Koelsch

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 6.0 programmer: Mark Zane

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN V9 -12 and V2006 - 2015 programmer: DeWayne Filppi Help File author: Richard Sandham (V10) Kim Carrillo (V11-V2007) Julie Filppi (V2008 - V2015) Quick Start Manual author: Linda Pinson Anatomy of a Business Plan author: Linda Pinson

This user Manual, and the computer system it describes, are designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. They are distributed with the understanding that the publisher/developer is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

ISBN: 978-0-944205-60-0 Printed in the United States of America

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START i

License Agreement AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 2015

This software is protected by United States Copyright law. As a purchaser, you are authorized to make back-up copies to protect from data loss or inadvertent alteration/destruction of source software. However, only one user and one computer may use the software at any one time unless otherwise specified under a separate licensing agreement. AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN is intended for use as a companion to the book, Anatomy of a Business Plan. Copyright restrictions on the book and the software are similar. You may share the book, use the book as source material for a business plan, and give the book away. You are not authorized to copy the book. Similarly, you may use the software to produce a business plan and distribute copies of that plan in electronic or paper form. You may also give the software away as long as you destroy any copies you have. You may not distribute or share copies of the software. Examples are as follows: YOU MAY:

♦ Make backup copies. ♦ Take copies with you on a trip, provided others are not using the software at your home site

while you are using it on your trip. ♦ Use the software at the office and then use it at home, provided others are not using the

software at the office at the same time that you are using it at home. ♦ Resell the original software purchased, provided you destroy any copies that you have made. ♦ Give all copies to another person, retaining nothing.

YOU MAY NOT: ♦ Make copies for your friends or associates. ♦ Sell copies. ♦ Give the software to someone and keep a copy. ♦ Lend the software to a friend or associate while you use another copy.

Please use this form to register your copy of AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN. Registration of this software will entitle you to product support. It will also allow us to notify you of upgrades and enhancements. Software Title: AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN V2015 for Windows® Serial Number ____________________________ Date Purchased _____________

Registered Name ____________________________________________________

Registered Address __________________________________________________

State ___________________________________________ ZIP________________

Telephone No. ___________________ Email ______________________________

_____ Do not notify me of related products/services. (If not checked, we will put you on our mailing list.)

Mail or Fax Registration to: Out of Your Mind... Tel: (714) 544-0248 and Into the Marketplace™ E-Mail: [email protected] 13381 White Sand Drive Fax: (714) 730-1414 Tustin, CA 92780 URL: www.business-plan.com

ii AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Preface

Congratulations on your decision to write a business plan for your company. Studies show good business planning is a major factor in the success of any business. However, small business owners rarely have time for leisurely and unrestricted business planning. New business owners have a million things to do. Business licenses have to be procured, supplies have to be purchased, and there is a product to be produced or a service to be developed. Later on, there is the day-to-day operation of the business to be contended with. All of these pressures tend to crowd out the business planning process. Everyone knows that a business plan is important, but it just never seems to hit the “urgent” list until funds are needed or the business is in trouble. That’s where this software package comes in. Out of Your Mind...and Into the Marketplace™ is the recognized leader in business plan development. Our business plan book, Anatomy of a Business Plan, winner of the Ben Franklin Award for Best Business Book of the Year, is widely recognized as the most practical and straightforward guide to business planning on the market today. It has helped more than a million business owners to write winning business plans that have secured funding and guided their companies to greater profitability. In 1991, we took this practical approach to business planning a step further with the development of our software. Our latest release, AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN 2015 for Windows® will give you every advantage of today’s latest computer technology. Our goal from the beginning has been to enable you to produce maximum results in minimum time. We know that time is your most valuable commodity. We do not promise that you will plug in some names and numbers and turn out a business plan in a few hours. That would only be a “quick fix” to take you to the bank on Monday and have your loan request turned down on Tuesday. Business planning is a serious job and will require that you dedicate a reasonable time frame to complete the job. What we do promise you is that if you will follow our process, AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN will reduce your working hours significantly. It will enable you to produce a real working business plan that will serve as a guide throughout the life of your business and that will more than satisfy your lenders and investors. The AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN physical software package includes a free copy of the textbook, Anatomy of a Business Plan. The book is not included with the downloadable. If you do have the book, it will be your hard copy to take you step-by-step through the business planning process. The contents of the book are also included in the software files. This Quick Start Manual will provide you with answers to your install, word processing and spreadsheet questions. It will also explain the menus and give you some helpful hints on the use of the software. After installation, the software will closely parallel the book. You will find complete instructions for developing your business plan, as well as a full complement of examples and Open/Edit templates within the software. AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN is a stand-alone application that requires no other software. We have tried to make it so simple that you will not need a user’s guide at all. I wish you every success during the business planning process and hope that we have made your job easier. We welcome any comments you might have that will help to make our product even better for future users. Please feel free to contact us at the address below.

Good Luck! By planning, you are planning to succeed!

Linda Pinson Author/Developer

Out of Your Mind...and Into the Marketplace™ 13381 White Sand Drive, Tustin, CA 92780 Tel: (714) 544-0248 Fax: (714) 730-1414 E-Mail: [email protected] Home Page Address: http://www.business-plan.com

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START iii

How to Call for Product Support ______________________________________

How to Call for Technical Support If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you can call (469) 223-4474 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time or (714) 544-0248 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday for answers to technical questions about operating AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN. If we are not available at the time of your call, leave a message and we will get back to you promptly. You may also e-mail us at: [email protected] or [email protected] For disk or manual replacement, product updates, and other customer service issues, call us during normal customer service hours in California at (714) 544-0248.

If you live anywhere outside of the U.S. or Canada, and cannot contact us during normal Customer Service hours, and your dealer or distributor cannot solve the problem, send a fax message to us in the U.S. The fax number is (714) 730-1414. Our Product Support Specialists are trained to help you with technical support of our product. They cannot customize AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN to meet your individual needs, nor can they assist you with hardware or software products that our software does not support. If you need business plan consulting, we will answer quick questions at Out of Your Mind...and Into the Marketplace™ for free. If your call requires more time, you will be billed accordingly. We may also be able to refer you to professionals who can provide for your specific needs. Tell Us What New Features You Would Like We do periodically enhance and upgrade our product and would appreciate receiving your requests for new features. Input from our customers helps us to effectively support and improve our product for you and for future users.

iv AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

Table of Contents

License Agreement ...................................................................................................Preface......................................................................................................................How to Call for Product Support ...............................................................................Automate Your Business Plan File Structure............................................................

1 – Installation Before Installation __________________________________________________Minimum Requirements______________________________________________Installation Instructions ______________________________________________

2 – Starting Automate Your Business Plan “Log In” as a User of Automate Your Business Plan ________________________Automate Your Business Plan Opening Screen ___________________________

3 – Understanding Automate Your Business Plan The Main Screen Menus _____________________________________________Print Plan _________________________________________________________Save/View Plan Text and Spreadsheet Documents as PDF File ______________Exporting/Importing your Plan _________________________________________Creating a PowerPoint Presentation for Your Business _____________________Utilities Menu ______________________________________________________The Checklist ______________________________________________________Create/Edit Plan Menu_______________________________________________Instructions, Example, Open/Edit_______________________________________What’s Next? ______________________________________________________

4 - Using the Word Processor in Automate Your Business Plan Overview _________________________________________________________Open/Edit Your Document____________________________________________Overtyping the Document ____________________________________________Insert Text ________________________________________________________Delete Text________________________________________________________

To delete a paragraph or paragraphs _______________________________To delete a character or characters in a paragraph_____________________

Text Selection _____________________________________________________Select a Paragraph _____________________________________________

Format Text _______________________________________________________Text Styles ____________________________________________________

Move Text ________________________________________________________Copy Text_________________________________________________________Save Document ____________________________________________________Spelling Check_____________________________________________________Print Document ____________________________________________________

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1 __ 1 __ 1 __ 1

3 __ 3 __ 4

7 __ 7 __ 8 __ 9 _ 10 __11 _ 11 _ 13 _ 15 _ 16 _ 19

20 _ 20 _ 21 _ 21 _ 21 _ 22 _ 22 _ 22 _ 23 _ 23 _ 23 _ 23 _ 24 _ 24 _ 25 _ 25 _ 25

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START v

Print Plan __________________________________________________________ 25 Conclusion _________________________________________________________ 25

5 - Using the Spreadsheet Program in Automate Your Business Plan 26 Overview __________________________________________________________ 26 Open/Edit Your Document_____________________________________________ 27 Modifying the Fields__________________________________________________ 27 Selecting A Range of Cells ____________________________________________ 27 Enter Text _________________________________________________________ 28 Enter Numeric Data __________________________________________________ 28 Enter a Numeric Format_______________________________________________ 28 Delete Cell Information _______________________________________________ 28 Move Cell Information ________________________________________________ 28 Copy Cell Information ________________________________________________ 28 Enter a Formula _____________________________________________________ 29 Inserting Columns and Rows___________________________________________ 29 Changing Column Width ______________________________________________ 29 Changing the Row Height _____________________________________________ 29 Save Document _____________________________________________________ 30 Setting Page Breaks in Spreadsheets ____________________________________ 30 Print Document _____________________________________________________ 31 Print Plan __________________________________________________________ 31 Conclusion _________________________________________________________ 31

Appendix A: Word Processor 32 Areas of the Word Processor___________________________________________ 32 Menu Bar __________________________________________________________ 32 Standard Toolbar ____________________________________________________ 34 Formatting Toolbar___________________________________________________ 37 Font Type and Size Menus ____________________________________________ 37 Character and Paragraph Formatting Buttons_______________________ _______38 Setting Indents______________________________________________________ 40 Tabs______________________________________________________________ 40

Appendix B: Spreadsheet 42 Areas of the Spreadsheet _____________________________________________ 42 Menu Bar __________________________________________________________ 42 Standard Toolbar ____________________________________________________ 44 Drawing Toolbar_____________________________________________________ 48 Formatting Toolbar___________________________________________________ 50 Cell Contents Area___________________________________________________ 54

Glossary of Terms 55

vi AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Automate Your Business Plan File Structure

C:\Program Files\AutoBPlan 2015\DOC When you install AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN on your computer, it will automatically install under the default folder, “C:\ProgramFiles\AutoBPlan 2015”. During installation a subfolder named “DOC” will be created.

DOC - All of AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN’s original instruction, example, and Open/Edit files are maintained in this folder. These are the files that will be accessed through the Create/Edit Plan menu when you are working on your business plan. These files remain in tact and are the source files for every plan that you open. At any time you may revert to the original Open/Edit file. When you are in the plan go to: File Delete Plan File. The Delete Plan File Window will appear. Highlight the plan file you wish to delete and click on OK. The next time you access the file through the Create/Edit Plan menu, you will get the original “DOC” Open/Edit file.

AutoBPlan 2015 (subfolder of Documents)

Note: Windows XP calls this folder “MyDocuments”. Windows Vista and 7 call it “Documents”

BACKUP PLAN TEMP

BACKUP - When you open a business plan file, a copy of the version you accessed will be placed in BACKUP under a folder with the same name as the plan in which you are working. If you save changes to your file, the saved version will replace the current backup file. You have backup files for every task that you have worked on. The backup files will not reflect unsaved changes. Save often! This is also the folder used to automatically store backup copies of your project files. PLAN - When you log in the first time, a new folder is created under the PLAN folder. Its name will be your user name (ID). Every time you open a new plan, a folder is created under your “user name” folder. (Example: AutoBPlan 2015\PLAN\UserName(ID)\PLAN1) After you have accessed, worked on, and saved a file in your plan, that file will save to the Plan Name in the Plan\User Name (ID) folder. The Plan\User Name folder also contains the folder, Master, and will contain any documents you have created when Master is open. In the Master Plan, you can customize files and have them accessible for use in other plans. This is especially useful for anyone who wishes to create more than one plan that will use the same chart of accounts for spreadsheets or that will use the same basic marketing or organizational plans. TEMP - The “Temp” folder is for AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN'S scratch work. It is a “behind-the scenes” folder and is used solely for internal program tasks. Do not attempt to access or save anything in the “Temp” folder.

PORTABILITY AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN is a stand-alone business plan program. It requires no other software. However, should you wish to work in your own word processor or spreadsheet application, the file names can be found on the next page, followed by the name of the word processing file or spreadsheet that can be accessed under that name. You also have the option of using your own word processing and/or spreadsheet applications (i.e.: MS Word, Word Perfect, Excel, etc.) instead of ours and still remain within the software.

Word Processing Files: The text files are in RTF format. This means that your word processor must be able to read RTF files. Microsoft Word and Word Perfect currently have that capability. Some other word processors may also be able to read RTF files. Doing this may require some reformatting.

Spreadsheet Files: Your customized spreadsheet workbook files must be generated in our proprietary VTS (Formula 1) format. Completing the workbook in VTS format allows you to use all of our programmed features, including generation of charts and graphs. However, if you want to be able to open your spreadsheet workbook in Excel, you can save a copy in Excel format by selecting the XLS extension during a save. This will enable you to share the file with users of Excel and other popular applications. Please note that Excel will not retain graphics (charts, graphs, etc.) created in our Formula 1.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START vii

MENU TREE AND LIST OF FILES At the top of the previous page, we provided a graphic representation (menu tree) of the folders and subfolders that will be created on your hard drive. The "DOC" folder contains the program’s original business plan Instruction, Example, and Open/Edit program files. It also has a subfolder of supplementary stand alone customizable spreadsheets. In the table below, you will find a list of the text and spreadsheet program files with their descriptions.

LIST OF PROGRAM FILES CONTAINED IN THE “DOC” FOLDER

CMPEVAL.RTF Competition Comparison Worksheet COVER.RTF Cover Sheet Open/Edit COVERE.RTF Cover Sheet Example COVERI.RTF Cover Sheet Instructions EXECSUM.RTF Executive Summary Open/Edit EXECSUME.RTF Executive Summary Example EXECSUMI.RTF Executive Summary Instructions EXITSTRAT.RTF Developing an Exit Strategy FASSUMPT.RTF Developing Financial Assumptions FINHISTI.RTF Financial History Instructions FINNEED.RTF Summary of Financial Needs Open/Edit FINNEEDI.RTF Sum. Financial Needs Instructions & Example GLOSSARY.RTF Glossary of Business Planning Terms INSUP.VTS Insurance Update Form Open/Edit INSUPE.VTS Insurance Update Form Example LENDERS.RTF What Do Lenders and Investors Look For? LINKED.VTS Integrated Spreadsheet – New Business LINKED-E.VTS Integrated Spreadsheet – Existing Business LOANFUN.RTF Dispersal of Loan Funds Open/Edit LOANFUNE.RTF Dispersal of Loan Funds Example LOANFUNI.RTF Dispersal of Loan Funds Instructions LOCAN.RTF Location Analysis Worksheet MARKET.RTF Marketing Plan Open/Edit - Basic MARKETE.RTF Marketing Plan Example - Basic MARKETI.RTF Marketing Plan Instructions – Basic MARKET2.RTF Marketing Plan Open/Edit – Advanced

MARKET2E.RTF Marketing Plan Example – Advanced MARKET21.RTF Marketing Plan Instructions – Advanced MARKMUST.RTF Marketing Musts Worksheet NONPROFIT.RTF Business Planning for Nonprofits ORGN.RTF Organizational Plan Open/Edit ORGNE.RTF Organizational Plan Example ORGNI.RTF Organizational Plan Instructions PRESENTI.RTF Business Plan PPT Presentation Instructions PRESENT1E.PPTX PowerPoint Presentation Example 1 PRESENT2E.PPTX PowerPoint Presentation Example 2 PRESENT1.PPTX PowerPoint Presentation Template 1 PRESENT2.PPTX PowerPoint Presentation Template 2 RESOURCE.RTF Research Resource List STRATEGY.RTF Multimedia Marketing Worksheet SUMBUS.RTF Summary of the Business Worksheet SUPDOCS.RTF Supporting Documents Instructions TARGET.RTF Target Market Worksheet Open/Edit TAXCALC.RTF Federal Tax Calendar for Corporation TAXCALP.RTF Federal Tax Calendar for Partnership TAXCALSC.RTF Federal Tax Calendar for S Corporation TAXCALSP.RTF Federal Tax Calendar for Sole Proprietor TAXPLAN.RTF Taxes & Business Planning Introduction TIMELIN.RTF Timeline-Milestone Tables Worksheet TIMELINE.RTF Timeline-Milestone Tables Example TAXPUB.RTF Free IRS Tax Publications Available TOC.RTF Table of Contents Open/Edit TXTSECI.RTF Financial Text Documents Introduction

Long Name Files & Descriptions Linked SS Instructions EBus.DOC Linked SS Instructions NBus.doc Business Financial Statement.PDF Personal Financial Statement.PDF Intro FDocs Existing Biz.RTF Intro FDocs New Biz.RTF Whats New Interface.rtf Wizard Instructions N&E.rtf Dayne Exist Example.VTS MA New Example.VTS

Instructions for Linked Spreadsheet Workbook for Existing Business Instructions for Linked Spreadsheet Workbook for New Business Business Financial Statement Form (Printable) for Acrobat Reader Personal Financial Statement Form (Printable) for Acrobat Reader Introduction to Financial Documents for Existing Business Introduction to Financial Documents for New Business What's New in Automate Your Business Plan Version 2015? Instructions for The Chart of Accounts Wizard Example Linked Spreadsheet Workbook for Existing Business (Dayne Landscaping) Example Linked Spreadsheet Workbook for New Business (Marine Art of California)

Supplementary Spreadsheets “Stand Alone Spreadsheets” Folder

In the DOC folder, there is a folder named “Stand Alone Spreadsheets”. In this folder, you will find customizable stand alone copies of all of the major financial spreadsheets (projected, historical, and financial statement analysis) accompanied by instruction files and filled-in example spreadsheets. In most circumstances, you will not need the stand alone spreadsheets because they will be part of the customized integrated spreadsheet workbook that will be generated for your company through the Chart of Accounts Wizard. However, we find a few customers who would like to work only with a single spreadsheet and have maintained copies of the stand alone spreadsheets for their convenience. In addition to the regular spreadsheets, we have also included a few extras that may come in handy, such as a five-year income projection, some quarterly spreadsheets, and sources of cash and cash to be paid out worksheets. The stand alone spreadsheets have been divided into the following subfolders:

Financial Doc – Intro & Instructions: Introduction to financial documents + instructions for working with the spreadsheets Financial Statement Analysis: Ratio table, analysis summary, balance sheet and income statement analysis spreadsheets Historical Spreadsheets: Profit & loss statements (annual and 12-month) and balance sheets Projected Spreadsheets: 1, 3, and 5-year income projections, pro forma cash flow statements, sources of cash and cash to be

paid out worksheets, and various quarterly projection spreadsheets (may be required by professors).

AUTOMATLE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Chapter 1 - Installation 1

1 – Installation

Before Installation Before you install Automate Your Business Plan, it is a good idea to make backup copies of your installation files to another hard drive, CD, USB storage device, or other media. This will insure that you have the files in case your original media becomes damaged or lost. Remember that Automate Your Business Plan is copyrighted. It is illegal for you to copy Automate Your Business Plan except for backup purposes.

Minimum Requirements To use Automate Your Business Plan, Version 2015, the minimum requirements are an IBM PC (700 MHz or higher recommended) or compatible, 1 GB RAM (minimum), 100 MB hard disk space, VGA graphics card and monitor, mouse, Windows® XP, Vista or Windows® 7 or 8 operating system, and a PC compatible printer.

Installation Instructions Automate Your Business Plan is installed onto your hard disk using a special installation program called InstallShield. Installation from the CD-ROM requires approximately 50 MB of hard disk space.

Start Windows® (requires Windows® XP, Vista, or Windows® 7 or 8 operating system). No other applications should be running while Automate Your Business Plan is being installed. Programs (such as Anti-Virus, Schedulers, etc.) can create conflicts and installation errors and should be disabled.

INSTALLING IN WINDOWS® XP, Vista, Windows® 7 or 8

1. Insert the Automate Your Business Plan CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive. When it is closed, the installation screen should automatically show up on your desktop. Go to Step 3. If it does not appear, go to Step 2.

2. Use Windows Explorer to find the Automate Your Business Plan setup.exe file on your installation CD. Double click on setup.exe to start the installation process.

2 • Chapter 1 - Installation AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

3. InstallShield will launch the Installation: During the installation process, you will be asked to read and accept the license agreement before proceeding with the installation.

You will also be informed that the software will be installed into the default folder on your hard drive, "C:\Program Files\AutoBPlan 2015". You have the option of changing to another folder of your choice. However, we suggest that you accept the default folder for your installation.

The program files will be installed onto your computer. When the installation is complete, an icon can be placed on your desktop to enable you to quickly open the program. You will also have an opportunity to read the "ReadMe" file (good idea). You may then be asked to reboot your computer after installing and before opening the software for the first time.

To Open Automate Your Business Plan: Double click on the icon and follow the on-screen instructions. Installing as an Upgrade

• If you have been using an earlier version of Automate Your Business Plan, uninstall the previous version. Your business plan files will not be deleted. They will remain on your computer in a folder under Documents (Vista and Windows 7 or 8) or My Documents (XP).

• During installation, Automate Your Business Plan will detect the plan files that you have under the previous version and give you the option of installing them in the new version. If you choose to do so, they will be copied to the new installation and will be accessible to you there. 1

• You should verify this for yourself before deleting any of the original files. We cannot take responsibility for lost plan files. Although, we do automatically back up your project on your C: drive, it is always a good idea to make a backup to an alternate location to safeguard against unexpected data loss. 2 Note: The best way to back up your entire plan is to go to File Export Plan and then to export your business plan project as a PAR file to the location of your choice (see page 10 of this manual).

1

Financial document files for separate spreadsheets produced in a previous version of the software cannot be imported into the linked spreadsheet workbook. They will be saved in the plan as separate spreadsheets, exactly the same they were in the original business plan.

2 Files for all of your business plans are saved automatically in the following folder: My Documents (“Documents” in Windows 7 and Vista)\ AutoBPlan 2015\Plan\(Log In Name)\(Plan Name) To copy your files to another location, use Windows Explorer and go to the folder. Select the plan files. You can then copy and paste them to a new location of your choice.

Installing the Downloaded Version (v2015) 1. Follow the instructions provided to you during the download process.

2. The downloaded file will unzip into a folder called "Automate" on your C: drive. Using Windows Explorer, go to the Automate folder and double click on the Install folder. You will find all of your program files. One file will be the autobplan.exe file. You will also find a file that you will use to print out this Quick Start Manual. This manual is in PDF format and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print the file.

3. To install the software: double-click on the "autobplan.exe" file the Install Shield will launch the installation. At this point, you continue by following the procedures above starting at Step 3. Follow the prompts to install the program. Again, it is recommended that you follow the defaults during installation.

Errors, Problems, Failed to Install? Be sure all other applications are closed. Re-Install the software. Do not install over the top of the bad installation as it may perpetuate errors generated during the initial installation. Install to a new folder of your choice. If the installation is still not successful, please call for technical support.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Chapter 2 - Starting Automate Your Business Plan 3

2 – Starting Automate Your Business Plan

“Log In” as a User of Automate Your Business Plan Automate Your Business Plan will ask that you log in each time you enter the program. This feature provides for privacy of information and will allow the user access only to those plans created while logged in under his/her user name and selected password. Please Note: You must log in. Bypassing the log-in feature will cause errors in the program!

The first time you log in (new user):

The program will prompt you for a user name. The name you select should contain no more than eight characters (letters and numbers only with no spaces). You will be prompted to select and type in a password. You will next be prompted to type in your password a second time. When the above steps have been completed, the program will verify that you are logged in under your user name and you will be ready to open your first new business plan file.

After the first session: Each time you begin a new session, you will again be prompted to log in. You will enter the same user name and password that you selected during the first session. The program will verify that you are logged in under your user name and you will have access to any business plans that you have previously worked on. You may also open new plans and they will be accessible to you in future sessions.

Note: Remember your user name and password. They are necessary to access your saved plan files. If you forget either, you can find your business plan files under the plan name at: My Documents (“Documents” in Windows 7 and Vista)\AutoBPlan 2015\Plan\(User Name)\(Plan Name). The files will then have to be copied to a new plan created under a new user name and password.

4 • Chapter 2 – Starting Automate Your Business Plan AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Automate Your Business Plan Opening Screen

The screen you see here is what will immediately appear after you have logged in. You have a choice of selecting the following items:

► Open a New Plan for Existing Business/New Business

This is a one-time activity for each new business plan that you will be creating. Using the program, you can develop as many plans as you would like. However, each plan will have a unique name and its own set of plan files.

When you select “Open New Business Plan for Existing Business/New Business,” the screen below will appear.

Enter the Business Plan Name that you have chosen. The plan name does not have to be the name of the business. This will become your business plan folder name and will not appear in the plan. Use alphabet letters and/or numbers only (no symbols, characters, etc.). You can use a hyphen. Next, enter a Business Plan description in 60 or fewer characters. Characters, spaces, etc. are allowed here. Click on “Accept” to continue.

Note: Before You Start Writing Your Business Plan: Read and/or print out the topics listed under Before You Begin at the top of the Create/Edit Plan menu tree on the left of the main screen. The information will help you to be better prepared to move forward with the business planning process. At this time you are now ready to begin work on your business plan. All of the menus will now be live and your business plan name will appear at the top of the screen. ► Open the Last Edited Plan

Choosing this Option will open the last plan and last document you worked before you exited Automate Your Business Plan in a previous session.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Chapter 2 - Starting Automate Your Business Plan 5

► Choose Plan to Open from your Plan list Once you have created a Business Plan, the startup procedure is different. Select the Icon named “Choose Plan to Open from you Plan list” from the opening screen. When selected, the following screen will appear, listing all plans that have been previously opened:

Select the Plan Name that you wish to open by placing the cursor over the Plan Name and double clicking with the left mouse button.

Once opened, your plan name will appear at the top of the screen.

The Checklist and Create/Edit Plan menu, as well as all other menus, will be active. You can now continue to work with the selected plan.

► What’s New in AYBP 2015?

Click on the middle icon in the bottom row of the opening screen to learn about AYBP Version 2015’s latest features.

► AYBP Help

Clicking on the question mark on the lower right side of the opening screen, will access our HTML Help File.

Note: The Help file can also be accessed at any time by selecting Help under the main menu. There are two selections under this dropdown. Help is where you would go to obtain our searchable Help menu and contents. About AYBP will provide you with information on the version, copyright, technical support, etc.

You Are Now Ready to Work on Your Business Plan!

If You Started a New Plan This screen is the last one to appear before you enter the Main Screen Area. If you are creating a new plan, your next step is to go to Create/Edit Plan. This window is just a reminder to let you know where to go next. You have two choices. You can go to the Create/Edit Plan menu tree on the left of the screen or you can choose to go to the Create/Edit dropdown menu at the top of the screen. Click on the screen to close this window. Go to: Create/Edit Plan to work on your business plan. This menu is the doorway to all of the text and financial document templates that you will wok with during the development of your plan. We will guide you through the process.

6 • Chapter 2 – Starting Automate Your Business Plan AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

If You Are Returning to a Plan If you are going to the open the last plan you worked on (edited) or if you choose to open a previously-opened plan from the plan list, a similar screen will appear. You have three options to choose from:

Access all Plan Documents through the Create/Edit menu tree or by using the Create/Edit dropdown menu.

Open the Last Document you edited

Access a plan template of choice through the checklist. Click on one of these choices or click on Close to start working on your plan documents.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ What's Next? Now that you have chosen to Open a New Plan, Update an Existing Plan, or Work with Your Master Plan, you are ready to begin the writing of your business plan. Each of your plan templates, as well as the instructions and examples for each task are accessed by going to the Create/Edit Plan menu tree on the left of the screen or to the Create/Edit dropdown menu at the top of the Main Screen. The Create/Edit Plan menu is where you will start creating individual pieces of your plan, such as the Cover Sheet, Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Organizational Plan, Marketing Plan, and the Integrated Spreadsheet Workbook. In Chapter 3, you will be introduced to all of the Main Screen menus and icons.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Chapter 3 - Understanding Automate Your Business Plan 7

3 - Understanding Automate Your Business Plan

The Main Screen Menus

The Icon Toolbar The icons found below the Main Screen Menu Toolbar will provide you with quick access to some of the features described below.

The Main Screen Menu Toolbar The Main Screen Menu Toolbar has various choices. Each menu can be accessed by a click of the left mouse button.

The File Menu Use Log In to either log in as a new user or log in as an existing user.

Use New Plan to open a new plan for a new or existing business. Use Open Plan to select and open existing plans. Use Save Plan to Zip File to save any or all of your business plan files to a

zip file. Use Save/View Plan Text as PDF to save and or all of your text

documents to a single PDF file and to open it in Adobe's Acrobat Reader. Use Print Plan to print the entire plan or only certain sections of the plan. Use Print Page Numbers to add page numbers to your business plan. Use Export Plan to export your plan to a .par plan project. Use Import Plan to import a .par plan project. Use Close Plan to close out a plan that is open. This does not close the

program only the plan. Use Import Files to import a document from another plan to the current

plan you have open. Use Delete Plan to delete an entire business plan. Use Delete Files to delete specific files from a business plan.

Use Master Files to open a Master Plan and customize documents for use in multiple plans.

Use the previously opened business plan list to switch from one plan to another quickly and easily.

Use Exit AutoBPW to completely exit out of the program.

8 • Chapter 3 – Understanding Automate Your Business Plan AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Printing Your Business Plan and/or

Saving Plan to a Zip File or to a PDF File Automate Your Business Plan has three menus under the File Menu that are specifically dedicated to compiling and printing out your business plan.

• Print Plan: Enables you to print all or selected parts of your plan in a single operation.

• Save Plan to Zip File: Saves selected pieces of your business plan in two files and zips them into a compressed file that can be electronically transferred.

• Save/View Plan as PDF: Saves selected text and spreadsheets parts of a plan as a single PDF file and opens the file for viewing/printing in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. Don’t miss this. It is a great feature (See page 9).

Print Plan In addition to printing your spreadsheets as stand-alone documents, you can choose to print them as pieces of your entire business plan. To do so, go to the main window, select File, and choose Print Plan. The following window will appear:

Print Your Entire Business Plan in One Operation In the left box, you will see all of the pieces of your business plan that you have worked on. If you check the "Show Only Completed Sections" box, you will see only those pieces that you have previously “Marked as Complete”. Files that you wish to print as part of your plan will need to be moved into the right-hand box which is entitled “Print These Sections”.

To move a section into the right-hand box, highlight the name of the section and click on the arrow (>). When you have moved all of the plan files that you wish to print into the right-hand box, you may re-order them in any way that you wish to have them print out. To move a section of your plan up or down, you simply click on the appropriate arrow under the box.

After you have selected and re-ordered the pieces of your plan, click on Print and all of the selected files will print at one time. Note: The pages will not be numbered as they print.

Printing Page Numbers In the main screen, select File and then click on the Print Page Numbers menu. A window will open that will give you the option to feed the pages you wish to number through the printer and assign them whatever page numbers you wish. It is suggested that you do not number the Cover Sheet and Table of Contents. Page 1 will normally be the Executive Summary. After you have printed and numbered your pages, you can insert the proper numbering in your Table of Contents and your plan will be finished.

Note: Page numbers can also be inserted in headers or footers in the original text and spreadsheet documents if you choose to do so.


Save Plan to Zip File This feature allows you to save your plan documents or your entire plan to a .zip file. Zip files are most commonly used in conjunction with an application called "WinZip." Zip files save time and space, and make downloading software and transferring e-mail attachments faster. Zip files are “archives” used for distributing and storing files. Zip files contain one or more files. Usually the files archived in a Zip file are compressed to save space.

To Save Your Business Plan to a Zip File:

• Under the File Menu, choose Save Plan to Zip File.

• Click on (highlight) the sections you would like to save to the Zip File.

• Click on the right arrow ( >) to move them over to the area on the right called Save These Sections.

• Re-order the sections in any way you would like by highlighting a section and moving it up or down with the up/down arrows at the bottom of the window.

• Click on Save to Zip File on the bottom.

Automate Your Business Plan will compile all of your text files into one text (rtf) file and zip it together with your Integrated Spreadsheet Workbook files (vts).

Save/View Plan as PDF File This feature allows you to save selected parts of your business plan text files as a single PDF file and to view the resulting document automatically after saving. PDF files are commonly viewed and/or printed using Adobe's free "Acrobat Reader" application (included on your CD or download). PDF files are easy to transport and will retain the same formatting and look when viewed on various computers.

To Save/View Your Business Plan Documents as a Single PDF File:

• Under the File Menu, choose Save/View Plan as PDF. Note: You can also access this feature via the Print PDF Icon on the icon toolbar (5th from the left).

• Click on (highlight) the sections you would like to save to the PDF File.

• Click on the right arrow ( >) to move them over to the area on the right called Include These Sections.

• Re-order the sections in any way you would like by highlighting a section and moving it up or down with the up/down arrows at the bottom of the window.

• Click on Save and View PDF on the bottom. Then choose "Save" from the Save As window.

Automate Your Business Plan will compile the selected text and spreadsheet files into one PDF document. The file will be saved with your plan files and will automatically open in Acrobat Reader after the save.

Note: Some spreadsheets in your workbook are not available with this PDF feature. However, you will see that it does includes most of the financials commonly selected for inclusion in a business plan that you would share with or email to a potential lender, investor, or business associate.


Exporting/Importing your Plan There are several reasons why you would want to export/import your plan.

• To transport to another installation of Automate Your Business Plan (i.e. From home computer to laptop, from laptop to work computer, etc.).

• To have a backup of your plan. Saving to either another location on your hard drive or to external media, such as burning to a CD. Saving away from your main hard drive will insure that you do not lose your plan.

• To replace the existing plan with an exported plan.

To Export a Plan to a Project (.par) File:

1. Click on the File menu and then 2. The next box will appear explaining the click on Export Plan. export plan function. Click OK.

3. The export plan box will appear and prompt you to 4. The abp box will appear informing you that the Plan Choose the “Save in” location and to see the name was successfully exported. It will also give you the of your plan project (.par) file. Click on Save. location of the exported plan. Click on OK. To Import a Plan Project (.par) File: You can import a plan project (.par) file from any computer with Automate Your Business Plan installed on it. You can also import a plan project (.par) file to another plan on the same computer.


Click on the File menu, and then click on Import Plan, the following box will appear. Find the plan project (.par) file that you want to import. You will then be prompted to either Overwrite the Current Plan that you are using or to Import as a New Plan. If you choose Import as a New Plan, it will ask you for a name. At this time, name your plan and click OK.

After you have successfully imported your plan, the Plan Import Status box will appear and ask whether you would like to open it or not.

Utilities Menu The Utilities Menu offers five choices: Use Editor, Use Spreadsheet, Create Presentation, Amortization

(explained below) Tool, and AutoBPW Options:

• Use Editor and Use Spreadsheet will allow you to use Automate Your Business Plan’s default editor or spreadsheet application in stand-alone mode.

- Click on the option of your choice. The word processor or spreadsheet application will

open and present you with a blank document.

- Create a text document or spreadsheet of any kind and save it to a folder of your choice. The word processor will save in RTF (Rich Text Format) as well as others and the spreadsheet application saves in VTS or XLS format.

Note: You can also access the spreadsheet and text editor applications via the fifth and sixth icons from the left on the Icon Toolbar.

• Create Presentation under the Utilities menu (as well as the icon on the far right of the Icon Toolbar) will open the dropdown menus that you will use to create a PowerPoint presentation of your business based on the information and numbers developed during the business planning process. You will see Instruction, Example, and Template menus. Read the instructions and look at the two example business plan presentations (one for a new and one for an existing business). Then you can select one of our two Templates to use for developing your own presentation. Fill in information pertinent to your business, and add graphics. You can also make any other desired changes (background, color, fonts, slide timing, etc.). When you are finished, you will have a PowerPoint Presentation for potential lenders, investors, partners, or business associates.

Note: To use this software feature, you must have Microsoft PowerPoint on your computer. Otherwise, you will not see the Icon or the Create Presentation menu under the Utilities menu. This feature opens PowerPoint and utilizes it for the presentation templates that we have provided for you.


• Amortization opens our Amortization Calculator© and gives you instructions on its use. With the amortization program, you will be able to calculate and print out principal and interest payments for the entire term of any loans that you will seek for your company. Note: You can also find this item on the Icon Toolbar.

• AutoBPW Options include detecting unlisted plans, automatic use of Master files, opening files maximized, and choosing the number of recently open plans, documents, and spreadsheets that will be listed under the File Menus. From within the Options window, you may also choose to activate your own word processor and/or spreadsheet applications for use within the program.

The options in the top half of the window are straightforward and intuitive. You simply check or uncheck the choices on the left and increase or decrease the numbers on the number of most recently opened plan, document, and spreadsheet file names that you wish to see when you are working in Automate Your Business Plan. You can also find a shortcut to the AutoBPW Options window on the Icon Toolbar.

About Master Files – One of the choices under the File menu is Master Files. If a company wants to develop more than one business plan, it may be desirable to develop a Master Plan in which you maintain a set of files with certain information that can automatically be repeated in multiple plans.

• If "Automatically use Master files" is checked, files that have been developed in the Master Plan will automatically be imported into files that are accessed for the first time in any new plans that are opened.

• If it is not checked, and a Master Plan file exists, you will be queried when you access a menu in the new plan as to whether or not you wish to import the Master file.


Using Your Own Word Processor and/or Spreadsheet Applications – The bottom half of the window will allow you to abandon our default word processor and/or spreadsheet applications and select your own if it is compatible with our file formats. Examples are Microsoft Word, Corel Word Perfect, and Microsoft Excel.

Do deselect our default editor if you would like to develop your text files in your favorite word processor (ex: MS Word) instead of our word processor. The files are rtf files and will work equally well in either one.

Do not deselect our default spreadsheet application and change to Excel to generate and work on your financial integrated (linked) spreadsheet workbook. The spreadsheet workbook must be customized by using our Chart of Accounts Wizard. Our spreadsheet application also uses its own Charting Tool to automatically generate your charts and graphs.

Warning!! If you choose to work in your own application, you will still be working entirely within Automate Your

Business Plan. However, there are some things to understand and some instructions to follow before you choose this option.

Please read the Automate Your Business Plan "ReadMe" file. You will find the file on your CD and on your hard drive in the following folder: C:\Program Files\AutoBPlan 2015\Readme.txt. Click on the file name to access, read, and/or print the file. Failure to follow instructions may cause you unnecessary frustration.

The Checklist The Checklist is used to help you keep track of documents that can be created using Automate Your Business Plan. The Checklist will show you which of the major tasks (1) have not been started, (2) are underway but not completed, or (3) have been completed. Supplementary worksheets are not included on the Checklist. Notice on the Main Screen Menu Toolbar in the previous chapter, the menu item to the left of the Create/Update Plan choice is Checklist. When you choose this menu item, a list of all the documents that can be created for your company using Automate Your Business Plan will be presented. Note: It is not necessary that you complete each document or that you complete them in any order. However, the order that they are presented in this manual has been found to be the most effective. The checklist is automated in that it will indicate when you have started a document and when you have completed a document. When you choose Checklist from the main menu toolbar, the screen to the right appears:


The checklist is a scrollable list of all of the documents (except the worksheets) that can be created by Automate Your Business Plan. Since not all the documents can be seen on the first screen, to see the rest of the documents, move the cursor to the scroll bar on the right of the window, click on the scroll box, and drag it down while holding down the left mouse button. As you scroll down, you will see the remaining documents that are tracked by the Checklist.

• Start Date is automatic: You will notice that the first column in the window will show the start date that you begin working on the document. This will automatically be done by the system when you first enter the Open/Edit section (which will be explained later in this manual) for the appropriate document. After you have first entered the Open/Edit section for the appropriate document, the date will appear to the left of the document on the checklist.

• Marking as Complete: When you have completed a document, you will need to indicate this to

the system so that it can be indicated in the checklist that the document has been completed. The way you indicate a document has been completed is to do the following:

While you are in the document, click on File. When you do this, the following screen will appear.

One of the choices on this screen is Mark as Complete. Choose this when you have completed each document so that the document can be indicated as complete in the Checklist screen.


Note: The Checklist can also be used as an alternate route to access each of the named Open/Edit documents. Clicking the left mouse button once on the name of the document will maximize the file and you can begin work. You cannot access Instruction and Example files through the Checklist. To access these files, you must go through the Create/Edit Plan Menu.

Create/Edit Plan Menu

Create/Edit Plan will be used to access and work on all of the documents for your business plan.

You can access all of the plan files by using the Create/Edit Plan menu tree on the left of the screen or by going to the Create/Edit dropdown menu on the Main Screen menu bar (see screen on the right). Via Create/Edit Plan, you can easily access all task menus and work your way through the entire business planning process.

By clicking on this menu choice, you will see this screen. “Before You Begin” menu The very first menu is named Before You Begin. Choose this menu to review and/or print four introductory topics: Developing an Exit Strategy, What Do Lenders and Investors Look For?, Developing Financial Assumptions, and Nonprofit Business Planning.

Note. This information will help tremendously in getting you off to the right start when writing your plan. The list of choices that follows indicates the types of documents that can be created using Automate Your Business Plan. The documents that can be created in the Create/Edit Plan menu choice are:

Cover Sheet: Cover Sheet document

Table of Contents: Table of Contents document

Executive Summary: Executive Summary document

Organizational Plan: Organization Plan document, Insurance Update Form, Location Analysis Worksheet

Marketing Plan - Basic: Marketing Plan document, Target Market Worksheet, Competition Comparison Worksheet

Marketing Plan - Advanced: Marketing Plan document, Target Market Worksheet, Competition Evaluation Worksheet Marketing Musts Worksheet, Multi-Media Marketing Strategy Worksheet

Financial Documents:

Integrated (Linked) Spreadsheet Workbook:

Integrated (Linked) Spreadsheet Workbook and Chart of Accounts Wizard

Includes: Projected, Historical, and Financial Statement Analysis Spreadsheets w/Charts & Graphs. Also includes linked Assumptions Worksheet and linked Quarterly Budget Analysis for each of the four quarters of the projected year.

Financials Text Documents: Summary of Financial Needs, Loan Fund Dispersal Statement

Supporting Documents: Information on how to prepare supporting documents.


Regarding Financial Documents

The Integrated (Linked) Spreadsheet Workbook contains all of the financial documents that you will need for your business plan. Our Chart of Accounts Wizard will guide you through the input and will be automatically customize all of the spreadsheets to the Chart of Accounts for your business.

The spreadsheets are all linked and information that you input or change in one worksheet will automatically flow and be updated in all related worksheets.

Instructions, Example, Open/Edit All of the above text files and spreadsheets (with the exception of self-explanatory worksheets) that you will need to complete to write your business plan in Automate Your Business Plan will have the following three selections:

1. Instructions

2. Example

3. Open/Edit

Instructions

This menu choice contains instructions on how to complete the document on which you are working. To illustrate this, select Cover Sheet Instructions on the Create/Edit Plan menu from the main menu bar -or- select Instructions under Cover Sheet on the Create/Edit Plan menu tree on the left side of your screen:

When the instructions are accessed, they come up in a word processor. The word processor should be used to print these instructions out so that they can be utilized to help you complete the current business plan task. If you are using our default Editor (word processor) you will see the following screen:


These instructions will tell you why a cover sheet is important, what you need to include, and how you will construct the cover sheet for your business plan. This menu choice contains instructions on how to complete the document on which you are working. When the instructions are accessed, they come up, appearing in a word processor. The word processor should be used to print these instructions out so that they can be utilized to help you complete the current business plan task. To illustrate this, under the menu, Cover Sheet, the instructions will tell you why a cover sheet is important, what you need to include, and how you will construct the cover sheet for your business plan. Example This menu choice, accessed from the menu tree or from the main menu dropdown, opens an example of a document that was completed for another company.

This will help you visualize how the cover sheet can be created for your own business. This should also be printed out so that you can follow the example as you are reading the instructions (which you can also print out in the Instructions section). The example menu for the Cover Sheet will access an example cover sheet for a business called ABC Corporation.


This example plus the instructions on how to build a Cover Sheet for your company will help you prepare the cover sheet for your company. The examples can be especially helpful when you have writer’s block during the development of complex parts of your business plan, such as your executive summary, organizational plan, or marketing plan.

Note: There are examples files for all text documents and financial spreadsheets. You can also find examples of four completed business plans in the Appendices of Anatomy of a Business Plan.

Open/Edit This menu choice is where you will actually build the pieces of your business plan. Some of the documents that you will be creating will require the functions of a word processor and other documents will require a spreadsheet program. You can use our full-powered word processor and spreadsheet programs to help you build each document as you follow the printed Instructions and Example (printing these are discussed in the previous two sections). In all cases templates are used as a kick-off point for the building task. The template will indicate the areas that you should replace with text that corresponds to your company information.

To access the template, choose Executive Summary Open/Edit from the main menu dropdown or from the menu tree.

The document (Executive Summary) will be presented in the word processor (shown here):


In this example (Text Documents):

• Replace the line: (Typeover: Your Company Name Here) with your company name. Use the Insert menu to bring in a graphic file of your company logo below the name (as in the example).

• Replace the paragraph starting with: (Typeover here) Use the key word approach... with the text needed to present a summary description of your business. The headings and formatting are built into the documents. It is your job to apply your industry knowledge and vision for your specific business to the writing process.

• Add or delete headings and rework your files in any way you choose. All text documents for your business plan can be completed in this way.

Financial Documents (Spreadsheets) are pre-formatted and pre-formulated. If you utilize the Integrated (Linked) Spreadsheet Workbook, our Chart of Accounts Wizard will customize all of the spreadsheets to your company’s chart of accounts. After the spreadsheet workbook has been customized and generated, you will input (or update) information and dollar amounts. Input will automatically flow to all related spreadsheets.

Note: The word processor and the spreadsheet programs are stand-alone applications. If you would feel more comfortable working within your own word processor or spreadsheet application (e.g. Microsoft Word® and/or Excel®), you can de-select ours, choose your own application, and still work within the software. You can change word processors or spreadsheet applications by going to the Utilities menu and choosing AutoBPW Options.

Do Not change to Excel® when you work with our Integrated (Linked) Spreadsheet Workbook. Our Chart of Accounts Wizard and Charting and Graphing functions are designed to work with our own spreadsheet application. After you have generated your customized spreadsheet workbook, you can save a copy in XLS file format at any time. The copy can then be opened in Excel®. You will not retain our charts and graphs, but you will retain the information on which they are based and can recreate them at any time with Excel®'s charting tool.

What’s Next? In the next two chapters, you will learn how to use our word processor and spreadsheet programs. If you will familiarize yourself with the word processor and spreadsheet programs before you start writing your business plan, it will help you to work faster and more efficiently.

20 • Chapter 4 - Using the Word Processor AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

4 - Using the Word Processor in Automate Your Business Plan

Overview This chapter will assume that you are new to using a Word Processor in the Windows environment. It will show you how to use the word processor to create the business plan documents that need to be created on a word processor. Some of your business plan documents need to be created on a spreadsheet and that will be shown in the next chapter. The documents that will be created in Automate Your Business Plan using a word processor are: • Cover Sheet Cover Sheet Document

• Table of Contents Table of Contents Document

• Executive Summary Executive Summary Document

• Organizational Plan Organizational Plan Document, Location Analysis Worksheet, Timeline-Milestone Tables

• Marketing Plan Marketing Plan - Basic or Marketing Plan – Advanced; Competition, Target Market, Basic or Advanced Strategy, Market Must Worksheets

• Financial Documents Summary of Financial Needs, Loan Fund Dispersal (Sources and Uses of Funds)

• Supporting Documents Resumes and other documents created by you, as needed, in open word processor At the end of chapter three, the Create/Edit Plan menu for Automate Your Business Plan was presented. You should notice that there is a menu choice on the Create/Edit Plan menu for the cover sheet, the statement of purpose, the organizational plan and the marketing plan. As you choose each item, you will be presented with sub menus. In many of the menu items, such as the Cover Sheet Menu Item, you will be presented with the sub menu items of Instructions, Example and Open/Edit. You should first choose Instructions for this section from the menu and read the instructions that will tell you what you need in order to create your current business plan document. You can read the instructions on the screen or, better yet, you can print them as hard copy. After reading and/or printing the instructions, you should exit the file and return to the Create/Edit Plan menu item. From the Create/Edit Plan menu item, you should next choose Example. This will show you an example of the type of document for this section, in this case a sample cover sheet. The example is from a different business than yours, but it will show you what elements you need to include and how they could be effectively organized. You can print out this example or look it over on the screen. Then, you should exit from the example and return to the Create/Edit Plan menu item. From the Create/Edit Plan menu item, you should finally choose Open/Edit. It is in this section that you will create your business plan document. By choosing Open/Edit, you will be presented with the example or with prompts that will guide you through the writing of each of the sections of your business plan. In the case of a Cover Sheet, you will use the word processor in type over mode to create your own cover sheet over the top of our example.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Chapter 4 - Using the Word Processor • 21

Open/Edit Your Document Your own business plan will be written in the files that are found under the Open/Edit menu for each task to be accomplished. The Open/Edit menus for your business plan text documents will open a word processing window. On the screen, you will be instructed as to how to proceed in each file, using the tools of the word processor, so that your final document will reflect the appropriate information for your business. To make you more comfortable with the process, we have provided you with examples (found under the Example menu for each task) to show you how another business has handled the task. The files for each part of your business plan can be worked on and the changes saved until you feel that you are satisfied with the results.

Overtyping the Document One way to modify a document is to type over the text that already appears in the window. To do this using the mouse and the keyboard, first use the mouse to move the cursor to the point at which you wish to begin to overtype. Click the left mouse button to set the cursor. Next you will press the Insert key. Then begin typing and you will automatically type existing type. To end the overtype mode and return to the default insert mode, you merely press the Insert key again.

Note: If you use overtype mode, you will not have to delete the sample text over which you will type your new document. If you do not use the overtype mode, at the end, you will have to delete all the sample text.

In summary, to get into Overtype mode:

• Use the mouse to move the cursor to the point where you wish to begin overtype. • Click on the left mouse button to set the cursor. • Press the Insert key.

To use Overtype mode:

• Start typing your new text. • The new text will replace the old sample text.

Insert Text To insert a new paragraph of text To use the word processor to insert a new paragraph, move the cursor to the left margin at the point where you wish to begin typing. Click on the left mouse button to set the cursor and then start typing. As you are typing, do not worry about where the line ends and do not press the Enter key when you are at the end of a line. The word processor will keep track of the end of the line and when the end of the line is reached, it will automatically move to the next line in the appropriate manner. When you are at the end of the paragraph, then you must press the enter key to indicate that you are at the end of a paragraph. You must then press the enter key again to indicate that you are starting a new paragraph. As you are entering the words of the paragraph, if you make a mistake and wish to correct it, use the backspace key. As you press the backspace key, the previous letter will be deleted and you can type in the new letter or letters and continue on with the paragraph.

To insert a word or words into a paragraph To insert a word or words into an already existing paragraph, move the cursor to the left of the existing word in the paragraph where you want to insert the new word. Click on the left mouse button to set the cursor at that insertion point. Then type the new word or words that will be inserted as you type.


Delete Text

To delete a paragraph or paragraphs To delete a paragraph or paragraphs there are three techniques. This first method uses the backspace key. The second is to use the Edit/Cut choice from the Menu Bar. The third method uses the Cut Tool from the Standard (Icon)Toolbar. To use the backspace key method, move the cursor to the left margin of the paragraph or paragraphs that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button and drag it across the entire paragraph or paragraphs (moving the cursor from left to right and from top to bottom) that you wish to delete. As you do so, the paragraph or paragraphs should become highlighted. This means that they have been selected. Now simply press the backspace key and the paragraph or paragraphs will be deleted. If you want to replace the paragraph or paragraphs, simply start typing the new words and they will be inserted. To use the Edit/Cut method, move the cursor to the left of the paragraph or paragraphs that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button and drag it across the entire paragraph or paragraphs (moving the cursor from left to right and from top to bottom) that you wish to delete. As you do so, the paragraph or paragraphs should become highlighted. This means that they have been selected. Now click on the Edit choice of the Menu Bar. At this point a list of choices will be presented and one of them will be Cut. Select Cut and the paragraph or paragraphs will be deleted. To use the Cut Tool method, move the cursor to the left of the paragraph or paragraphs that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button and drag it across the entire paragraph or paragraphs (moving the cursor from left to right and from top to bottom) that you wish to delete. As you do so, the paragraph or paragraphs should become highlighted. This means that they have been selected. Now click on the Cut icon from the Toolbar. The Cut tool is a picture of a pair of scissors on the Toolbar that is just below the Menu Bar at the top of the window. When you click on the Cut tool, the highlighted paragraph or paragraphs will be deleted.

To delete a word or words in a paragraph To delete a word or words in a paragraph there are three techniques. This first method uses the backspace key. The second method uses the Edit/Cut choice from the Menu Bar. The third method uses the Cut Tool from the Tool Bar. To use the backspace key method, move the cursor to the left of the word or words that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button and drag it across the entire word or words that you wish to delete. As you do so, the words should become highlighted. This means that they have been selected. Now simply press the backspace key and the word or words will be deleted. If you want to replace the word or words, simply start typing the new words and they will be inserted. To use the Edit/Cut method, move the cursor to the left of the word or words that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button and drag it across the entire word or words that you wish to delete. As you do so, the words should become highlighted. This means that they have been selected. Now click on the Edit Choice of the Menu Bar. At this point a list of choices will be presented and one of them will be Cut. Click on the choice Cut and the word or words will be deleted. To use the Cut Tool method, move the cursor to the left of the word or words that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button and drag it across the entire word or words that you wish to delete. As you do so, the words should become highlighted. This means that they have been selected. Now click on the Cut tool from the Tool Bar. The Cut tool is a picture of a pair of scissors on the Tool Bar which is just below the Menu Bar at the top of the window. When you click on the Cut tool, the highlighted word or words will be deleted.

To delete a character or characters in a paragraph To use the word processor to delete a character or characters from an already existing paragraph, move the cursor to the right of the character or characters that you wish to delete. Press the mouse button to set the cursor at the right of the character or characters. Now simply press the backspace key once for each character that you wish to delete.


Text Selection Select a Paragraph There are two ways to select a paragraph. You can drag the cursor across the paragraph or you can select the lines of a paragraph. In the first method you position the cursor at the far left top margin of the paragraph. Then you click the mouse and drag it across the words of the paragraph moving the cursor from the left to the right while at the same time moving the cursor from the top of the paragraph to the bottom. You will notice that the paragraph is highlighted. This means that it has been selected. If the document is in such a place that only part of the paragraph appears on the screen, move the cursor below the document into the scroll area at the bottom of the window. As you do so, the document text will scroll up and the rest of the paragraph will appear and be highlighted. If too much gets selected, move the cursor up above and deselect the text. In the second method, you position the cursor in the non print area of the margin just before the upper left corner of the paragraph. When you click in this area, an entire line is highlighted. This means that one line of text has been selected. Now if you click in this area and hold down the mouse button and bring the cursor straight down in front of all the lines of the paragraph, every line of the paragraph will be highlighted meaning that the entire paragraph has been selected.

Format Text Formatting text refers with the way that the text looks. Using the word processor tools you can change the following formatting items:

• Text Styles: Bold, Italics, and Underline • Text Fonts: Fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman • Text Font Sizes: 10-point, 12-point, etc. • Font Color: Color choices for text

Text Styles There are two ways to change the styles of text such as Bold, Italics and Underlining:

• The first way is to use the Formatting Toolbar. • The second way is to use the Format Menu.

To make text bold using the Formatting Toolbar, first select the text by placing the cursor to the left of the text and then dragging the cursor across the text. Then choose the icon that is a capital B, a capital I, or a capital U on the Tool Bar. The text will become bold. This is the quickest method. The second method is to select the text (as in the paragraph above). Then choose the Format item on the Menu Bar. This will present a number of choices, one of which is Font. Next click on the Font choice and the font folder will be presented. On the Font Folder, there will be a number of font style choices. Click on the Bold font style, the Italics font style, or the Underline font style and then click on OK.

Text Fonts & Font Color

There are two ways to change the fonts of text such as Times New Roman, Swiss, Arial, etc. and also two ways to change the color of the text.



To change text type or font, using the Formatting Toolbar, first select the text by placing the cursor to the left of the text and then dragging the cursor across the text. Then choose the down arrow that is by the box that contains the present text style or font on the toolbar. A list of fonts will be presented. Choose the desired font, such as Times New Roman or Arial and the selected text will be changed to that font. To change text color, highlight the text you want to change, click on the Text Color Icon, and select the new color. This is the quickest method for changing text font and text color. To change either the font attributes or the color, select the text as mentioned above. Then choose Format on the Menu Bar. This will present a number of choices, one of which is Font. Click on the Font choice and a window will be presented. There will be a number of font style choices and color choices. For instance, you can click on the Bold font style and a color. Then click on OK. While the text is highlighted, if you wish to change only the color, you may also choose Font Color from the Format menu and select the color in which you wish the text to appear and/or print out.

Text Size There are two ways to change the fonts of text.


To change text type or font, using the Formatting Toolbar, first select the text by placing the cursor to the left of the text and then dragging the cursor across the text. Then choose the down arrow that is by the box that contains the present text size on the toolbar. A list of sizes will be presented. Choose the desired size, such as 20 or 9 and the selected text will be changed to that size. This is the quickest method. The second method is to select the text as mentioned above. Then choose Format on the Menu Bar. This will present a number of choices, one of which is Font. Next click on the Font choice and the font folder will be presented. On the Font Folder, there will be a number of font size choices. Click on the Size 10 or 9 or whatever and then click on OK.

Move Text There are two methods to move the text from one place in the document to another.

• The first method is to use the use the Standard (Icon) Toolbar. • The second method is to use the Edit Menu.

To use the Standard (Icon) Toolbar to move text, select the text that needs to be moved. Click on the Cut icon that looks like a pair of scissors on the toolbar. Move the cursor to the desired position in the text to where the text is to be moved. Click on the Paste icon on the toolbar. This will place the text that was cut (which means that it was eliminated from the document but kept in a temporary location separate from the document) at the place where the cursor is located. To use the Menu Bar to move text, select the text that needs to be moved. Click on Edit from the Menu Bar. A list of choices will be presented. Click on Cut. Move the cursor to the desired position in the text where the text is to be moved. Click on Edit from the Menu Bar. A list of choices will be presented. Click on Paste. This will place the text that was cut (which means that it was eliminated from the document but kept in a temporary location separate from the document) at the place where the cursor is located.

Copy Text There are two methods to copy the text from one place in the document to another.

• The first method is to use the use the Standard (Icon) Toolbar. • The second method is to use the Edit Menu.

To use the Standard (Icon) Toolbar to copy text, select the text that needs to be moved. Click on the Copy icon that looks like two documents on the Toolbar. Move the cursor to the desired position in the text to where the text is to be copied. Click on the Paste icon on the Toolbar. This will place a copy of the text (which means that a copy of the text was made and placed in a temporary location separate from the document) at the place where the cursor is located.


To use the Menu Bar to move text, select the text that needs to be moved. Click on Edit from the Menu Bar. Next, click on Copy. Move the cursor to the desired position in the text where the text is to be moved. Click on Edit from the Menu Bar. A list of choices will be presented. Click on Paste. This will place a copy of the text (which means that a copy of the text was made and placed in a temporary location separate from the document) at the place where the cursor is located.

Save Document When you have completed your document, you must save it. To do this, choose File from the Menu Bar. A number of choices will be presented. The preferred choice will be Save. This choice will automatically save your plan file to the plan folder in the software. The other choice is Save As. Use this only if you wish to save your file in a different folder and/or under another file name. A window will appear showing the default file name. Select the folder in which you wish to save the file, type the file name of the document, and then press the Enter key or click on Save. Note: You will have to remember the name and location if you change either. The file will no longer be automatically accessed through its menu choice. Saving Word Processing Files: Word processing files in Automate Your Business Plan are saved in the file type, RTF (Rich Text Format). This means your files may be opened as RTF files in Microsoft Word and other processors reading RTF files without losing their formatting.

Spelling Check When you have completed your document, you may want to check the document for spelling errors. To do this, choose ABC from the Standard (Icon) Toolbar. As each suspected error is encountered in the document, a guess at the correct spelling of the word will be presented along with a number of options. The options are: 1. to change to the guess presented by the spelling checker, 2. to ignore the suspected error and continue, or 3. to delete the word and to allow over typing of the error with your own correction. The spelling checker will continue like this throughout the document.

Print Document When you have completed your document, you may want to print it. To do this, choose File from the Menu Bar. A number of choices will be presented. One of the choices will be Print. Click on Print. A box will be presented with print choices. Of particular importance is the choice of the number of pages that you wish to print. To print the entire document, click on OK and the document will be printed. To print only certain pages, insert page numbers in the appropriate boxes. You may also select the number of copies you wish to print.

Print Plan If you would like to print all (or any combination) of the business plan documents that you have created, you may go to the Main Screen, choose File, and select Print Plan. You will see a screen that is divided into two windows. The left-hand window will contain the name of all of the business plan documents that you have worked on. You can select those that you wish to print and, using the arrow, move them to the right-hand screen entitled “Print these documents”. You may rearrange the order in which you wish the pieces of your plan to print out by highlighting the name of the file which you wish to re-order and then move it either up or down with the arrows underneath the window. When you have selected and re-ordered all of the files you wish to include in you plan, select Print. After you print your plan, insert page numbers in the plan by choosing File and then selecting Print Page Numbers.

Conclusion The techniques presented in this chapter are for using the word processor to create documents that will be needed in your business plan. The techniques are overtyping the document, insert text, delete text, select text, format text, move text, copy text, save document, spelling check, print document and print plan. These and the spreadsheet program techniques presented in the next chapter will enable you to create all of the documents needed to write your business plan.

26 • Chapter 5 - Using the Spreadsheet Program AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

5 - Using the Spreadsheet Program in Automate Your Business Plan

Overview This chapter will assume that you are new to using a Spreadsheet Program in the Windows environment. It will show you how to use the spreadsheet program to complete the business plan documents that need to be created in a row and column format with formulation capabilities. These are in contrast to the text documents that require the word processor as described in the last chapter. The following are the business plan documents that require the spreadsheet program in Automate Your Business Plan. They are found under the Create/Edit Plan menu and subsequently under (1) the Organizational Plan menu and (2) the Financial Spreadsheet Workbook menu. Organization Plan documents: Insurance Update Form (Supplementary Worksheet) Financial Spreadsheet Workbook: Chart of Accounts Wizard (for customizing/generating your spreadsheet workbook)

Integrated Spreadsheet Workbook containing the following linked worksheets: Chart of Accounts, Historical Profit & Loss Statement, Historical Balance Sheet, Assumptions, Cash Flow Statement, Quarterly Budget Analysis (4 quarters), Three-Year Income Projection, Break-Even Analysis, Projected Balance Sheet, Ratio Table, Ratio Analysis Summary, Vertical Income Statement Analysis, Vertical Balance Sheet Analysis, and Charts & Graphs

At the end of chapter three, the Create/Edit Plan menu for Automate Your Business Plan was presented. You should notice that there is a menu choice on the Create/Edit Plan menu for the Financial Spreadsheet Workbook. You will then be presented with submenus: Introduction to Financials, Instructions (Chart of Accounts Wizard), Instructions (Spreadsheet Workbook), Example Spreadsheet Workbook, Open/Edit Spreadsheet Workbook, and Add/Delete/Edit Chart of Accounts. You should first choose the Introduction for this section from the menu and read it before proceeding further. Next go to the Instructions (Chart of Accounts Wizard). Read and/or print the instructions and then exit the instructions file.

Note: Be sure to read each instruction file. The instructions will save you many hours and help you to work your way more effectively through the Chart of Accounts Wizard and the Spreadsheet Workbook.

From the Financial Spreadsheet Workbook menu, you should choose Example Spreadsheet Workbook. This will show you an example of a completed spreadsheet workbook for another company. The type of business may differ from yours, but will show you the main elements that you will be working with during the completion of your own workbook. Print out the example, exit the file and return to the Financial Spreadsheet Workbook menu.

From the Financial Spreadsheet Workbook menu you should choose Open/Edit Spreadsheet Workbook. It is here that you will work on and complete your own business plan financial statements (spreadsheets). You will access our Chart of Accounts Wizard where you will input information specific to your business. The software will then generate a customized preformatted and pre-formulated integrated spreadsheet workbook. The instructions found under the menu, Instructions (Spreadsheet Workbook), will guide you through the input your financial information.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Chapter 5 - Using the Spreadsheet Program • 27

Open/Edit Your Document As mentioned above, the Open/Edit menu will guide you through the customization and generation of a preformatted and pre-formulated spreadsheet workbook that will be completed to build the financial documents portion of your business plan. What you must do is modify the document using the tools of the spreadsheet program so that the document is changed to reflect the financial projections (and any historical financial information) for your own company. The spreadsheet workbook is constructed after completing the two main text sections (Organizational and Marketing Plans).

Helpful Hint: The secret to creating valid financial documents is to write the text sections of your plan with an eye toward the financial ramifications of what you are planning. In other words, what revenues and expenses will be generated by each of the decisions you have made. Think of these revenues and expenses in terms of both how much they will be – and when they will occur. For more information on developing financial assumptions, go to Before You Begin on the Create/Edit Plan menu.

Modifying the Fields One way of modifying the document is to change text information in the fields (cells) by typing in the “Cell Contents Area.” To do this, highlight the cell that contains the information by moving the cursor to the field and click on the field. This will highlight the text in the field and the current information will appear in the “Cell Contents Area” of the screen. For example if the text is a description such as “Design Specialist Salary/Taxes” and you want it to be “Worker Salary/Taxes”, simply highlight the cell, place your cursor in the text showing in the cell contents area and type in “Worker Salary/Taxes” and it will replace “Design Specialist Salary/Taxes”. If you want to replace a monetary value in a field (cell), click on the cell to highlight the monetary value. Now, type in the values that you desire. You should notice that not only will the old monetary value be replaced by the new monetary value and the spreadsheet will automatically re-calculate to reflect the changes in numbers.

The file entitled “Instructions for Spreadsheet Workbook,” contains extensive instructions pertaining to working with the Integrated Spreadsheet Workbook. This file is accessed by going to CREATE/EDIT PLAN → FINANCIAL SPREADSHEET DOCUMENTS → INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPREADSHEET WORKBOOK. Be sure to read and follow these instructions when you are working on spreadsheets. Failure to do so could result in destroying the integrity of the spreadsheet workbook. More importantly, the instructions will simplify your job.

Selecting a Range of Cells To select a range of cells within a worksheet, click and hold down the left mouse button and drag your mouse diagonally from one corner of the block to the opposite corner (or straight along the row or column, depending on the dimensions of the range you want to select). Release the mouse button to end your selection.

• To select an entire row: click on the Row Label (gray block with number at left of row).

• To select multiple rows: click on the Row Label and drag up or down.

• To select an entire column: click on the Column Label (gray block with letter at top of column).

• To select multiple columns: click on the Column Label and drag right or left.

• To select the entire worksheet: click on the empty block to the top and left of the worksheet. This selects the entire worksheet for global application of formats, fonts and other formatting attributes.


Enter Text Text can be entered into the cells of your worksheet for use as labels. Labels are used to indicate what the data signifies. Each individual cell has a default length. However, if there is nothing in the adjoining cell, the cell will automatically expand to accommodate the label's length. Otherwise, it is truncated (only part of the typed text will appear). To accommodate the full typed text, you will have to increase the width of the column.

Enter Numeric Data Numeric data refers to the numeric values you will work with in the worksheet. They are the values assigned to labels and are used to carry out mathematical calculations.

Numeric data can be entered and then formatted in a variety of ways. These formats allow you to have more control over the way your numbers and dates are displayed. When you enter numbers, do not enter commas or dashes. The numeric format you select will place them in the appropriate spot.

It is important to note that if the number entered is greater than nine (9) digits, it will automatically display in scientific notation. Also, when entering numeric data, if the cell size is decreased to the point where it cannot accommodate the entire number, the program will truncate the number. In this instance, it appears on the screen as an asterisk (*).

The default numeric format is general.

Enter a Numeric Format With the cell highlighted, select Cells from the Format menu. Choose the Number Tab. Choose the desired numeric Category and Type from the list boxes. Click on OK.

Delete Cell Information You can delete the contents of a cell or a range of cells in three ways. You can either use the mouse to select the Clear command from the Edit menu, select the Cut command from the Edit menu, or use the DELETE key on the keyboard.

Move Cell Information You can move the contents of a cell by following the delete cell information instructions above using the Cut command. Then move the cursor to the cell where you want the information to be moved. Select the cell with the mouse and then select the Paste command from the Edit menu. It is important to note that if there is already information contained in the cells where you want to paste the new information, the old data will be overwritten by the new information.

Copy Cell Information You can copy the information in one cell into another cell by following the same procedure as the move cell information procedure mentioned above except that, instead of selecting Cut, you will select Copy from the Edit menu. Next, move your cursor to the desired cell and select Paste from the Edit Menu.


Enter a Formula Mathematical formulas can be entered to perform mathematical operations. These formulas can range from simple addition to complex trigonometry. When entering a formula into the cell in a worksheet, the first character typed must be an equal sign (=). This tells the spreadsheet program that you want to perform a calculation. If you are adding values of more than one cell, you must follow the equal sign with the letters SUM. The signs used for functions are: (1) + for addition, (2) - for subtraction, (3) * for multiplication, and (4) / for division. Formulas for performing complex calculations also require parentheses to group calculations according to algebraic principals.

To enter the formula: Select the cell. Enter a formula beginning with an equal sign. For example to calculate the sum of cell A1 and cell B1, type =sumA1+B1. Then press Enter.

Warning: Changing formulation in the spreadsheet workbook may compromise the integrity of the workbook. In separate spreadsheets, formulas (and other information in locked cells) cannot be entered or changed in locked cells. If the cell is locked, go to the Lock menu, and click on Unlock.

Inserting Columns and Rows This applies only to separate spreadsheet files. Columns and rows in the Integrated Spreadsheet Workbook are pre-set by the Chart of Accounts Wizard. In the separate spreadsheet files, columns and rows can be inserted to accommodate new information that needs to be added to your worksheet. You can also add rows or columns to paste information that has been cut or copied. Before columns and rows can be inserted, you will have to select the Format menu and click on Disable Protection. If the Enable Protection menu is visible, this means that protection is already disabled. Once an empty column or row has been added, you can duplicate the formatted row or column of your choice by selecting the row or column to be duplicated, copying it, highlighting the empty row or column and selecting “paste”.

• To insert a column: click on a cell to activate it. From the Edit menu select Insert. Select Column and then click on OK. A new column will be inserted to the left of the column containing the highlighted cell. Do this for each new column that is desired.

• To insert a row, click on a cell to activate it. From the Edit menu select Insert. Select Row and then click on OK. Do this for each new row that is desired.

Changing Column Width To change the column width, click on the letter at the top of the column you wish to change. The whole column will be highlighted which means that the whole column has been selected. From the Format menu, select Column Width and enter a value in the text field. This value represents the number of characters for the width field. Click on OK. Increase the number to increase the width of the column. Column width can also be changed by positioning the cursor over the left border of the column (the cross will change to an arrow) and dragging to increase or decrease the column width.

Changing the Row Height To change the row height, click on the number to the left of the row you wish to change. The whole row will be highlighted which means that the whole row has been selected. From the Format menu select Row → Row Height and enter a value in the text field. Click on OK. This value represents the number of characters. Increasing the number will increase the height of the column. You can also change the row height by placing your cursor over the bottom border (the cross will change to an arrow) and dragging to narrow or widen the row.


Save Document When you have completed your document, you must save it. To do this, choose File from the Menu Bar. A number of choices will be presented.

• Using “SAVE”: If you select Save, the file will be automatically saved by default as one of your plan files.

• Using “SAVE AS”: One of the choices will be Save As. Click on Save As. A box will be presented and a default file name will be presented. Select the folder in which you wish the document to be saved. Then type the name you want for the document in the File Name box. Press the Enter key or click on OK.

Note: Always use Save unless you specifically wish to save a file outside of the plan folder. Saving an Excel® Copy of Your Spreadsheets: Spreadsheets in Automate Your Business Plan may be saved in two file types. The default file type is VTS. However, spreadsheets are also portable to Excel® and copies may be saved under the XLS extension. If you wish to save your spreadsheet as an Excel® file, select Save As under the File menu and Excel Workbook (XLS) under Save As Type. You will then be able to open the copy of the spreadsheet in Excel® at any time.

Note: Do Not Select Excel as the file format for your working copy of the Integrated Spreadsheet Workbook. The Linked Spreadsheet Workbook should only be worked on and saved in VTS format. If you change to Excel or save the workbook in XLS format, the Chart of Accounts Wizard, our Charting and Graphing application, and other helpful features will not work.

Setting Page Breaks in Spreadsheets In order to force certain areas of your spreadsheets to be printed on different pages, Automate Your Business Plan has a feature that divides pages both vertically and horizontally. When it is set, the page break appears as a narrow line that extends the entire length (vertical page break) or the entire width (horizontal page break) of the spreadsheet.

Vertical Page Breaks

• To insert vertical page breaks: Click the letter at the top of the column to the left of which you wish to insert a page break. From the File menu, click on Page Breaks. Click on Insert and click on Vertical. A page break will be inserted to the left of the highlighted column.

• To remove vertical page breaks: Click the letter at the top of the column that is to the right of the page break you wish to remove. From the File menu, click on Page Breaks. Click on Remove and then click on Vertical. The page break will be removed.

Horizontal Page Breaks

• To insert horizontal page breaks: Click the number at the left of the row that is under the row which you wish to be the last row in a page. From the File menu, click on Page Breaks. Click on Insert and click on Horizontal. A page break will be inserted above the highlighted row.

• To remove horizontal page breaks: Click the number of the row that is under the page break that you wish to remove. From the File menu, click on Page Breaks. Click on Remove and then click on Horizontal. The page break will be removed.

Hint: If you added rows in a spreadsheet and it is printing part of the spreadsheet on one page and part on another, look for page breaks and delete and insert new page breaks as appropriate. If you wish to force a spreadsheet to print particular sections on a new page (within your printer’s margin limitations), you will have to insert page breaks. You might also go to File Page Setup and change the percentage at which your spreadsheet is printing out to get more or less on one page.


Print Document When you have completed your document, you may want to print it. To do this, choose File from the Menu Bar. A number of choices will be presented. Select Print. A box will be presented with print choices.

Of particular importance is the choice of the number of pages that you wish to print. • To print the entire document: click on OK and the document will be printed. • If the spreadsheet is more than one page: you may choose the page or pages to print by entering

those page numbers in the appropriate boxes. You may also select the number of copies to be printed.

Print Plan In addition to printing your spreadsheet as a stand-alone document, you may also choose to print as a piece of your entire business plan. To do so, go to the main window, select File, and choose Print Plan. The following window will appear:

Print Your Entire Business Plan in One Piece In the left box, you will see all of the pieces of your business plan that you have worked on. If you check the Show Only Completed Sections box, you will see only those pieces that you have previously “Marked as Complete.” Files that you wish to print as part of your plan will need to be moved into the right-hand box which is entitled “Print These Sections.”

To move a section into the right-hand box, highlight the name of the section and click on the arrow (>). When you have moved all of the plan files that you wish to print into the right-hand box, you may re-order them in any way that you wish to have them print out. To move a section of your plan up or down, you simply click on the appropriate arrow under the box.

After you have selected and re-ordered the pieces of your plan, click on Print and all of the selected files will be printed at once.

Note: The pages will not be numbered as they print unless you have previously inserted page numbers in the headers or footers in your original text and/or spreadsheet documents.

Printing Page Numbers In the main screen, select File and then click on the Print Page Numbers menu. A window will open that will give you the option to feed the pages you wish to number through the printer and assign them whatever page numbers you wish. It is suggested that you do not number the Cover Sheet and Table of Contents. Page 1 will normally be the Executive Summary. After you have printed and numbered your pages, you can insert the proper numbering in your Table of Contents and your plan will be finished.

Conclusion The techniques that have been presented in this chapter are for using the spreadsheet program to create most of the documents that will be needed for your business plan. The techniques are selecting a range of cells, enter text, enter numeric data, delete cell information, move cell information, copy cell information, enter a formula, insert columns, insert rows, change column width, change row height, save document and print document.

By using the techniques of the spreadsheet program plus the techniques presented in the previous chapter on the word processor, you will be able to create all the documents needed to “Automate YOUR Business Plan”.

32 • Appendix A: Word Processor AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Appendix A: Word Processor Areas of the Word Processor The diagram below shows the various areas of the word processor. They are: (1) Menu Bar, (2) Standard Icon Toolbar, and (3) Formatting Toolbar (Font Type, Font Size, and Text Formatting). Following the diagram, these areas will be explained, together with the choices that can be selected for each area. The Status Bar is self-explanatory, showing the current page number, line and column number, magnification, and whether or not the number lock is on.

Menu Bar The Menu Bar lists four menus: File, Edit, Insert, View, and Format. When each of these menus is selected by clicking the left mouse button, the word that is chosen is highlighted in blue and a set of choices is presented.

File Menu If the File Menu is chosen, the following choices are presented:

New File - When this choice is made, a new file or document is made. The screen is blanked allowing you to start a new document.

Mark as Complete - When you have completed a business plan task, clicking here will place a “Complete” notation on the Checklist.

Open File - This choice is made to open an existing file or document.

Page Setup – This is where you would change the page layout of the document

Save- This choice is made to save the document presently in work and to save it with the same name under which it was opened.

Print Preview – This choice allows you to preview the document before printing it.

Save As - This choice is made to save the document presently in work but under a new name.

Print - This choice is made to print out the entire document or pieces of it.

Revert – This choice is made to go back to a previous version of the document

Exit - This choice is made to exit the word processor and current file

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Appendix A: Word Processor • 33

Edit Menu If the Edit Menu is chosen, the following choices are presented: Undo Input - This choice cancels the last editing action that was performed. Redo - This choice eliminates the last Undo Input action that was done. Cut - This choice places whatever was highlighted by the cursor on the clipboard. The result is that the highlighted area will be deleted. Copy - This choice makes a copy of whatever was highlighted by the cursor and places it on the clipboard. Paste - Whatever has been placed on the clipboard will be inserted into the document following the cursor. Find - Choose this to find a word or phrase in the document. Replace - Choose this to find a word or phrase in the document and replace it with another word or phrase.

Note that some of the choices will be in black type and some choices will be in gray type. The black type indicates that the choice can be made. The gray type indicates that the choice cannot be made. In order to activate the choice, some previous action is required. In the case of the Cut, Copy and Paste choices, some text has to be chosen by the cursor. To select text with the cursor, place the cursor at the beginning of the text, hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the end of the text while holding down the left mouse button. The selected text will be highlighted in black. Notice in the example above that the Redo text is gray, which means the Redo choice cannot be made. In order to activate that choice, an Undo Input must first be performed.

Insert Menu If the Insert Menu is chosen, the following choices are presented:

Picture - The Insert Picture menu will allow you to scroll via Windows Explorer and insert a graphic image into your text file. The image will be inserted at the point of the cursor. Text Frame - This allows you to insert a movable text frame into your document. Page Number - This choice allows you to insert page numbers into headers or footers. Edit Page Numbers - Choose this to access the page numbering editing window. Page Break - Selecting Page Break will insert a page break at the point of the cursor. Section Break - Use this choice to add a new section to your document.

Note: Graphics may also be inserted in your document at the point of the cursor using the Copy and Paste menus. The image can be sized, moved, and formatted after insertion.

View Menu If the View Menu is chosen, the following choices are presented:

Control Characters - This choice shows all the control characters that are being used in the document. Choosing this menu again will hide all the control characters. Zoom - This choice allows you to choose the desired magnification of the document. Header - Choosing Header will cause the header on the document to be visible and open for input. Footer - The View Footer menu will cause the footer on the document to be visible and open for input.

Format Menu If the Format Menu is chosen, the following choices are presented: Font - This choice allows different font styles and sizes of type to be used for selected text. Font Color - This choice will allow you to change the color of your text. Paragraph - This choice allows different paragraph characteristics to be implemented. Indents - This choice allows different indentations to be used in the document. Frames - This choice will allow you to place any or all sides of a frame around a block of text. Bullets & Numbering - This choice will allow you to add bullets or numbers to lists. Picture - This choice will allow you to format the layout, position, size, etc. of an inserted graphic. Text Frame - This choice will allow you to format the layout, position, size, frame, and color of the text box. Header and Footer - This choice will all you to make header and footer formatting choices.


Table Menu If the Table Menu is chosen, the following choices are presented:

Insert - This choice allows you to insert a table, specify rows and columns or to insert additional columns or rows in a table. Delete - This choice will allow you delete a table, column, or row. Select - This choice allows you to select a table, row, or cell. Grid Lines - This choice toggles on or off and allows you to choose whether or not you want to see the table's grid lines on the screen or on the printed page. Properties - This choice will allow you to make choices for the selected table, row, or cell regarding

frame lines, background color, text distance, and vertical alignment.

Standard (Icon) Toolbar The next area of the word processor is the Standard Toolbar. The toolbar is a series of icons or miniature pictures that represent actions or functions that will be performed just by selecting one of them with the left button of the mouse. The diagram below shows the toolbar:

The meaning of each icon (or tool) can be discovered by placing the i-beam cursor over the icon without depressing the left mouse button. When this is done the meaning of the icon will appear in a box just below the icon with an arrow pointing to the icon that has been identified. Sometimes the meaning will not appear unless the mouse is moved around within the borders of the icon. DO NOT depress the left button of the mouse until it is decided that you want to perform that function. New File Icon The first icon that appears in the Toolbar is the New File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the New File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the New File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar area section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and New File choice is that it is faster.

The action performed by choosing this icon is that the screen will be blanked out and a new document can be started.

Open File Icon The second icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Open File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Open File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Open File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Open File choice is that it is faster.

The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the screen will be blanked out and an already existing document can be brought into the word processor.


Save File Icon The third icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Save File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Save File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Save File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Save File choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the file will be saved to disk under the same name used to open the file. Save as PDF Icon The fourth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Save as PDF icon

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Save as PDF function. This function is not available as a menu choice. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the file will be saved as a PDF file (*.pdf) that can be accessed, read, and/or printed in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Print File Icon The fifth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Print File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Print File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Print File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Print File choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the file will be printed on the printer. Cut Text Icon The sixth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Cut Text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Cut Text function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Cut Text choice as mentioned


above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Cut Text choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the text that is selected will be deleted from the word processor screen and put into the clipboard area (a hidden area that does not appear on the screen. The effect of this is that it will be deleted unless the paste option is chosen to place the text in some other place in the document.

Copy Text Icon The seventh icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Copy Text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Copy Text function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Copy Text choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Copy Text choice is that it is faster.

The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the text that is selected will be copied from the word processor screen and put into the clipboard area (a hidden area that does not appear on the screen). The effect of this is that the paste option can then be used to place a copy of the text in some other place in the document.

Paste Text Icon The eighth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Paste Text icon.

Choose the Paste icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Paste Text function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Paste Text choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Paste Text choice is that it is faster.

The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that text that has been cut or copied to the clipboard area (a hidden area that does not appear on the screen) by previously using the Cut Text function or the Copy Text function will be copied from the clipboard area and put into the text on the screen where the cursor is positioned.

Check Spelling Icon The ninth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Check Spelling icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Check Spelling function. This function is not available as a menu choice. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that a program will be invoked to check for spelling errors in the document. When the spelling checker thinks it has found a misspelled word, the word will be presented and a correction can be made to replace the error or the checker can be instructed to ignore the word and proceed to the next misspelling candidate.


Color Text Icon The last icon that appears is the Color Text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Color Text function. This function is not available as a menu choice.

Choose the text you would like changed, depress the color palette icon and choose the color you would like. The text is then changed to the chosen color. To change the color back, click on the icon again and choose the original color.

Formatting Toolbar The Character and Paragraph Formatting Toolbar is another area of the word processor. There are two list boxes and twelve buttons: the Font Style Dropdown, the Font Size Dropdown, the Bold Button, the Italics Button, the Underline Button, the Left Justified Button, the Right Justified Button, the Center Justified Button, the Both Justified Button, the Zoom Button, the Numbered List Button, the Bulleted List Button, the Tabs Toggle Button, and the Show Control Characters Button. Font Type The Font Type dropdown menu is situated on the far left end of the formatting toolbar. This menu will allow one to choose a font to be applied to all or part of the document. Before using this menu, the text that you would like to change to the new font must be selected.

To select the text, position the cursor at the beginning of the text. Depress the left mouse button and hold it down. Drag the mouse so that the cursor passes over the text. As this is done, the selected text will be highlighted.

After the text is selected, the new font may be chosen. This is done as follows:

By picking the down arrow on the right, a list of font choices will appear just below the font that is listed to the left of the down arrow (in this case Times New Roman). The desired font can be picked from the list by positioning the cursor over the desired choice and pressing on the left mouse button twice in rapid succession (this is called double clicking). The new choice will appear to the left of the down arrow and the text that was now selected will now appear in the new font.

Font Size The Font Size dropdown menu is situated to the right of the Font Style list box. This menu will allow one to choose the size of a font to be applied to all or part of the document.

Before using this menu, the text that is supposed to be in the new font size must be selected. To select the text, position the cursor at the beginning of the text. Depress the left mouse button and hold it down. Drag the mouse so that the cursor passes over the text. As this is done, the selected text will be highlighted.


After the text is selected, the new size of the font may be chosen. This is done as follows:

By picking the down arrow on the right, a list of sizes will appear just below the size that is listed to the left of the down arrow (in this case 10). The desired size can be picked from the list of sizes by positioning the cursor over the desired choice and pressing on the left mouse button twice in rapid succession (this is called double clicking). The new choice will appear to the left of the down arrow and the text that was selected will now appear in the new size. Bold

The first button is the Bold Button. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting the Bold Button, the selected text will become bold text.

Italics

The second button is the Italics Button. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting the Italics Button, the selected text will become italics text.

Underline

The third button is the Underline Button. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting the Underline Button, the selected text will be underlined text.

Left Justified

The fourth button is the Left Justified Button. By selecting the text with the cursor and then selecting the Left Justified Button, the selected text will be Left Justified.

Right Justified

The fifth button is the Right Justified Button. By selecting the text with the cursor and then selecting the Right Justified Button, the selected text will be Right Justified.


Center Justified

The sixth button is the Center Justified Button. By selecting the text with the cursor and then selecting the Center Justified Button, the selected text will be Center Justified.

Both Justified

The seventh button is the Both Justified Button. By selecting the text with the cursor and then selecting the Both Justified Button, the selected text will be both Left Justified and Right Justified.

Zoom

The eighth button is the Zoom Button. Select the magnification of the text by placing the cursor on the down arrow and then choosing the desired percentage of magnification

Numbering & Bullets

The ninth and tenth buttons are the Bullets Buttons. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting one of these buttons, you will create lists in whichever of two formats (numbered or bulleted) that you choose.

Tabs Toggle

The eleventh button is the Tabs Toggle Button. By toggling (clicking in succession) on this button, you can change the tab stop choice from left-aligned to right-aligned, center, decimal, or right most. When you have selected the desired type of tab stop, place the cursor on the ruler at the desired position. Click the left mouse button to insert the tab stop.

Show Control Characters

The twelfth button is the Show Control Characters Button. Clicking on this button will cause the control characters to be visible in the word processing file. When the button is again selected, the control characters will disappear.


Setting Indents You will notice, just below the Formatting Toolbar, there is a ruler. The triangular symbols on the left and right sides of the ruler are the indent symbols.

Indent Symbols On the far left of the ruler there are two triangular symbols, one on top of the other. They are the left indent symbols. The single triangular symbol on the right is the right indent symbol.

• The Left Indent Symbol:

The top symbol represents the left indent position of the first line of the selected paragraph. The bottom symbol represents the left indent position of the remainder of the selected paragraph.

• The Right Indent Symbol: The triangular symbol on the right of the ruler represents the right left indent position of the remainder of the selected paragraph.

To Left Indent a Paragraph: • First pick the paragraph by positioning the I-Beam cursor somewhere in the paragraph.

• Then select the left indent symbol. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the indent to the desired position on the ruler. To position the first line to the left or right of the remainder of the paragraph, drag the top arrow to the desired position.

To Right Indent A Paragraph:

• First pick the paragraph by positioning the I-Beam cursor somewhere in the paragraph

• Select the right indent symbol. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the indent to the desired position on the ruler. The right indent symbol can be used in conjunction with the other two indent symbols to fully indent the chosen paragraph.

Setting Tabs The Five Tab Stops To the right of the Numbered and Bulleted List Format Buttons, you will see the Tab Stop Button. Each time you click on it with your mouse, it will change to a different kind of tab stop button.


There are five Tab Stop selections, each with a different symbol. These symbols represent different types of tab stops. The default is the first button. The second, third, fourth, and fifth buttons are accessed by clicking on the first button one or more times causing it to cycle through the other four selections.

• The first button, as seen in the above graphic, is the left-aligned tab stop. • The second button in the cycle is the right-aligned tab stop. • The third button in the cycle is a decimal tab stop. • The fourth button in the cycle is a centered tab stop. • The fifth button in the cycle is the right most tab stop

Setting Tab Markers on the Ruler

Tab Stop Symbols You will see on the above graphic there are a set of evenly placed tab stop symbols, which represent left aligned tab stops that have been placed at every half inch on the ruler. This is the default setting in the word processor.

With this default setting, you can press the tab key to move the insertion point to the next tab stop. If you begin typing, the typing will start at that tab stop.

You can set custom tab stops at particular locations or change the way text aligns at a tab stop.

• First, select the paragraph or paragraphs. • Then click the Tab Stop Button until you see one of the symbols mentioned above: Left-aligned,

Right-aligned, Centered, Decimal, or Right Most. • Finally, click on the ruler at the position where you want to insert the tab stop.

You can move and/or remove the tab stops by dragging them with the mouse.

• If you want to move the tab stop: Select and drag the tab marker to the left or the right. • To remove a tab stop: Select and drag the tab marker "off" the ruler.

42 • Appendix B: Spreadsheet AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Appendix B: Spreadsheet

Areas of the Spreadsheet

The diagram below shows the various areas of the spreadsheet. They are: (1) Menu Bar, (2) Standard Toolbar, and (3) Formatting Toolbar and (4) Cell Contents Area. Following the diagram, these areas will be explained, together with the choices that can be selected for each area.

Menu Bar The Menu Bar lists seven menus: File, Edit, Lock, View, Format, Object and Tools. When each of these menus is selected by the left mouse button, the word that is chosen is highlighted in blue and a set of choices is presented.

File Menu New (File) - When this choice is made, a new file or document is opened.

Open (File) - This choice is selected to open an already existing file.

Close (File) - Select to close currently open spreadsheet without exiting.

Save - Saves current spreadsheet with same name as when it was opened.

Save As - Used to save spreadsheet you are working on, but under new name.

Revert - Used when you want to obtain a previous version of the document

Mark Complete - When spreadsheet is done, choose this to tag the Checklist. Page Breaks - Choose when you want divide a spreadsheet into multiple pages.

Print - This choice is made to print the current working spreadsheet.

Page Setup - Choose to set margins and other page setup options before printing.

Print Setup - Used to choose the printer and set print options before printing.

Print Preview - Preview the way the document will look when it is printed.

Exit - Use to close the spreadsheet and exit to the Create/Edit Plan menu.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Appendix B: Spreadsheet • 43

Edit Menu Cut - This choice places whatever was highlighted by the cursor on the clipboard. The result is that the highlighted area will be deleted.

Copy - This choice makes a copy of whatever was highlighted by the cursor and places it on the clipboard.

Paste - Whatever has been placed on the clipboard will be inserted into the document beginning where the cursor is located.

Undo - Reverses the effects of the last change made by the user. Clear - Clear the contents of a cell.

Insert - Insert a row or column

Delete - The contents of a cell

Lock Menu Lock - Locks access to the contents of a cell or entire spreadsheet.

Unlock - Unlocks access to the contents of a cell or entire spreadsheet

Lock Status - Displays the lock protection status of a cell or spreadsheet.

Disable - Disables the lock protection status of cell or spreadsheet and Protection enables you to re-format (change borders, fonts, alignment, etc.)

View Menu Show - Show options that can be shown on the spreadsheet (gridlines, column Headings, row headings, horizontal scroll, vertical scroll, horizontal and vertical scroll bars, and number of displayed columns and rows. Toolbars - Displays or hides formatting and drawing and forms toolbars.

Formula Bar - Toggles the formula bar to be displayed or not displayed. Format Menu Alignment - Allows you to change the way text is aligned Border - Places a border around text Font - Allows you to change the font of the text used Number - Allows you to change the Style of numbers. Pattern - Allows you to apply patterns to the cells Row Height - Allows you to change the height of a row. Width - Allows you to change the column width


Object Menu

Pattern - Changes the pattern of objects Line Style - Changes the style of a line (weight, types, etc.). Name - Allows one to name an object. Options - Allows one to change the options for objects. Bring to Front - Brings an object to the front of the document. Send to Back - Sends the object to the back of the document.

Tools Menu Recalc - Causes the spreadsheet workbook to re-calculate.

Toggle Formula Display - Selecting this menu will alternately show and hide formulas in the cells or a worksheet.

Help Menu The Help Menu for the Linked Spreadsheet Contents Box will appear only when you are working within the linked spreadsheet. If you are working on an individual spreadsheet that is not linked, the box will only display Automate Your Business Plan Help.

Help For The - Click to obtain help for the worksheet you a Current Worksheet currently working on. The screen will be split horizontally. The top half of the screen will Display the worksheet in which you are currently working. The bottom half of the screen will display the instructions for the worksheet.

Automate Your Business Plan Help - Click to access the regular Automate Your Business Plan Help File.

Standard Toolbar The next area of the spreadsheet program is the Standard Toolbar. The toolbar is a series of icons or miniature pictures that represent actions or functions that will be performed just by selecting one of them with the left mouse button.

The diagram below shows the Standard Toolbar:

Automate Your Business Plan Help For The Current Worksheet


The meaning of each icon (or tool) can be discovered by placing the i-beam cursor over the icon without depressing the left mouse button. When this is done the meaning of the icon will appear in a box just below the icon with an arrow pointing to the icon that has been identified. Sometimes the meaning will not appear unless the mouse is moved around within the borders of the icon. DO NOT depress mouse button until it is decided that you want to perform that function. New File Icon The first icon that appears in the Spread Sheet Toolbar is the New File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the New File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the New File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar area section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and New File choice is that it is faster. The action performed by choosing this icon is that the screen will be blanked out and a new document can be started. Open File Icon The second icon that appears in the Spread Sheet Toolbar is the Open File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Open File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Open File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Open File choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the screen will be blanked out and an already existing document can be brought into the spreadsheet. Save File Icon The third icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Save File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Save File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Save File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Save File choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the file will be saved to disk under the same name used to open the file.


Print File Icon The fourth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Print File icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Print File function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Print File choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Print File choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the file will be printed on the printer.

Cut Text Icon The fifth icon that appears in the Toolbar is the Cut Text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Cut Text function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Cut Text choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Cut Text choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the text that is selected will be deleted from the word processor screen and put into the clipboard area (a hidden area that does not appear on the screen). The effect of this is that it will be deleted unless the paste option is chosen to place the text in some other place in the document.

Copy Text Icon The sixth icon that appears in the Toolbar (to the right of the Cut Text icon) is the Copy Text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Copy Text function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Copy Text choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Copy Text choice is that it is faster. The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the text that is selected will be copied from the word processor screen and put into the clipboard area (a hidden area that does not appear on the screen). The effect of this is that it will be copied and a copy of the text can be inserted in some other place in the document.


Paste Text Icon

The seventh icon that appears in the Toolbar (to the far right below) is the Paste Text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Paste Text function. Choosing this icon is the same as choosing the File Menu and then making the Paste Text choice as mentioned above in the Menu Bar section of the manual. The advantage of picking this icon over choosing the File Menu and Paste Text choice is that it is faster.

The action that will be performed by choosing this icon is that the text that is selected will be copied from the clipboard area (a hidden area that does not appear on the screen) and inserted at the point where the cursor is positioned. The way that the text was put into the clipboard was from the Copy Text procedure or the Cut Text procedure mentioned above.

Format Painter Icon The eighth icon that appears in the Tool Bar is the Format Painter icon.

The format painter copies formatting that you would like to apply to text. For example, if you would like to copy the formatting of this text: one, instead of clicking on the bold, italicize and underline icons, you can click on the format painter icon once and then highlight the formatted word. You then highlight the text you would like formatted and all the formatting is applied instantly. Drawing Toggle Icon The ninth icon that appears in the Tool Bar is the Drawing Toggle icon.

The drawing toggle turns the drawing toolbar on or off at the bottom left of the spreadsheet. If the drawing tools are visible in the lower left portion of the screen, you can click on the Drawing Toggle icon and the drawing tools will disappear. Conversely, if you again click on the icon, the drawing tool icons will again become visible and you can utilize them for graphic needs on your spreadsheet.

AutoSum Icon The tenth icon that appears in the Tool Bar is the AutoSum icon.

To add all numbers in a contiguous row or column, click a cell below the column of numbers or to the right of the row of numbers, and then click AutoSum and press enter. Your total will appear in the cell.


Spell Check Icon The last icon that appears in the Standard Toolbar is the Spell Check icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will check the spelling of the current document.

Linked Spreadsheet Contents Dropdown The Linked Spreadsheet Contents Dropdown Box will appear only when you are working within the linked spreadsheet. If you are working on an individual spreadsheet that is not linked, the box does not appear. Click on the dropdown menu to jump from sheet to sheet. You can also click on the left and right arrows to jump from sheet to sheet. It’s the same as clicking on the tabs on the bottom of each sheet.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you are working in the linked spreadsheet you may have to disable protection if you choose to change the format or formulation of certain cells. Disabling protection in the worksheet will unlock all cells in the worksheet. Usually the purpose of disabling is to change the formatting of the cell and nothing else. You should not disturb the formulation of the spreadsheets without due caution. It is important to remember to enable protection after you have formatted your cells in order to protect formulas and the integrity of the spreadsheet.

Drawing Toolbar On the bottom left of the spreadsheet program is the Drawing Toolbar. It will only appear if you have turned on the Drawing icon in the Standard Toolbar.

The icons are as follows from left to right):

Edit Polygon Points Icon


Line Icon

Rectangle Icon

Oval Icon

Arc Icon

Polygon Icon

Button Icon

Check Box Icon

Dropdown List Icon


Charting/Graphing Icon

To create Lines, Rectangles, Circles, or Arcs:

• Click on one of the icons for the desired shape. • Move the cursor to the desired position in the document for the shape. • Drag the cursor from one corner of the area where you want the shape to appear to the diagonally opposite corner.

To create a Polygon, click on the polygon icon:

• Move the cursor to the position desired for the polygon. • Drag the mouse pointer to draw the polygon freehand. • To change the shape of a polygon: Select the polygon and then click on the edit polygon icon.

Button, Checkbox and Dropdown Lists are primarily to be used when creating forms. You can try these features out by selecting each of the icons on a practice spreadsheet.

Charting/Graphing Drawing Mode is used when wanting to create charts or graphs for your data. Once you click on this icon a gallery of charts appears and the chart wizard guides you through creating a chart with your existing data. You must have existing data in selected spreadsheet cells in order for the chart wizard to generate a chart or graph.

Formatting Toolbar This formatting toolbar has all of the items you need to format the data in the cells of the spreadsheet.

Font Type (Style) The Font Type (Style) dropdown menu is in the left position on the formatting toolbar. Clicking on the down arrow on the right side of the white bar will cause the Font dropdown box to appear.


This dropdown box will allow you to choose a font, from a list of installed fonts, to be applied to all or part of the document. Before using this menu, the text to be modified must be selected. To select the text, position the cursor at the beginning of the text. Depress the left mouse button and hold it down. Drag the mouse so that the cursor passes over the text. As this is done, the selected text will be highlighted. After the text is selected, the new font may be chosen. By picking the down arrow on the right, a list of font choices will appear just below the font that is listed to the left of the down arrow (in this case Times New Roman). Font Size The Font Size dropdown menu is part of the Formatting Toolbar. Shown here. Clicking on the down arrow on the right side of the white bar will cause the Font Size dropdown box to appear. This box will allow one to choose the size of a font to be applied to all or part of the document. Before using this menu, the text which is supposed to be in the new font must be selected. To select the text, position the cursor at the beginning of the text. Depress the left mouse button and hold it down. Drag the mouse so that the cursor passes over the text. As this is done, the selected text will be highlighted. After the text is selected, the new size of the font may be chosen by picking the down arrow on the right, a list of sizes will appear just below the size that is listed to the left of the down arrow (in this case 10). The desired size can be picked from the list of sizes by positioning the cursor over the desired choice and clicking the left mouse button. The new choice will appear to the left of the down arrow and the text that was selected will now appear in the new size.

Bold The third button is the Bold Button. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting the Bold Button, the selected text will become boldface text.

Italics The fourth button is the Italics Button. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting the Italics Button, the selected text will become Italics text.


Underline The fifth button is the Underline Button. By selecting text with the cursor and then selecting the Underline Button, the selected text will become underline text.

Color Text The sixth icon in the Formatting Toolbar is the color text icon.

Choosing this icon by placing the cursor over the icon and depressing the left mouse button will perform the Color Text function. This function is not available as a menu choice. Choose the text you would like changed, depress the color palette icon and choose the color you would like. The text is then changed to the chosen color. To change the color back, click on the icon again and choose the original color.

Left Justify The Left Justified Button will align the selected text to the left side of the cell.

Center Justify

The Center Justified Button will align the selected text to the center of the cell. For instance, this paragraph, for the obvious reason of example, is center justified

Right Justify

The Right Justify Button will align the selected text to the right side of the cell.


Center and Merge The tenth icon that appears in the Formatting Toolbar is the Merge and Center Across Cells icon.

When a group of cells is selected and you then click on this icon, the selected cells are merged into one cell. Text in the merged cell will be centered.

Format Number The Format Number icon is the eleventh icon on the Formatting Toolbar.

• Select the text, row or column you would like formatted

• Click on this icon.

• The window below will appear.

• Choose number category and number type features such as dollar signs, percentages, decimals, etc.


Zoom To increase or decrease the magnification of the area below the cell contents, click on the arrow after the 100%.

When you click on the arrow and then select a value that appears on the dropdown menu, the spreadsheet will be magnified or decreased in size according to the percentage selected. You may also type a percentage in the zoom icon to change the magnification.

Cell Contents Area The bottom area of the tool bar is reserved for displaying information regarding the selected cell location and the current contents of the selected cell. Cell Location Currently Selected Cell (ex: A1) The shaded area on the left end of the cell contents line is reserved for identification of the location of the currently selected cell. Cell location is always written by naming both the column and row that contain the selected cell. If you click on the cell at the intersection of Column A and Row 1, the selection will read A1, as in the screen above. Cell Contents Cell Contents Whenever you click on (select) a cell, the contents of that cell are displayed in the white area noted above as the Cell Contents. You have the option of typing information (text or numbers) either directly in the cell or within the cell contents area. Either way, the contents will be displayed in the cell contents area. Sometimes the contents of the cell are longer than the length of the cell and it is more convenient to change the information in the Cell Contents Area than it is to change it directly in the cell.

To Type in the Cell Contents Area:

• Select (click on) the cell in which you wish to type information. • Move the cursor to the text in the Cell Contents Area. • Type in the changes, as you would in any word processing program. • When you are done typing, press return. New contents will be entered into the appropriate cell.

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Glossary • 55

Glossary of Terms Icon A pictorial representation of a function that can be performed when it is selected by the mouse.

Menu Bar A line of menu choices at the top of the window that present menu choices of functions that can be performed.

Scroll bar A bar at the left of the window and at the bottom of the window that allow one to scroll the text of a document up, down or across to see the rest of a document which is too large for the screen.

Tool Bar A line of icons at the top of the window that allow one to perform a function by clicking on the icon.

Word Processor A program used to input and maintain text for a document.

Spreadsheet Application A program designed in rows and columns and used for the input of information that requires formulation in order to perform calculations.

Overtype To change the text of a document by typing over the text instead of deleting the text and retyping the new text. The keyboard is put in overtype mode by pressing the Insert key on the keyboard.

Insert To insert new text in a document at the point of the curser. The Insert mode is the default status on a keyboard. If the keyboard is in "typeover" mode, press the Insert key on the keyboard.

56 • Index AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START

Index

A Alignment 33, 43 Amortization 11 Appendix A: Word Processor 32 B: Spreadsheet 42 B Bold 23-24, 38, 51 C Character/Character Delete 22 Check Spelling 36, 48 Checklist 13-14 Column Width 29, 30, 43 Copy Text 24, 36, 43 Create/Edit Plan Menu 5, 15, 26 Document Choices 15 Create New Plan File 4-6 D Delete Cell 28 Character 22 Paragraph 22 Text 22 Word 22 Document Print 8, 31 Save 6-9, 25, 30 E Edit Menu; wp-33 ss-43 Example files vii, 16-18 Existing Plan, Opening 5 Export/Import Plan 10-11 F Files, structure & file names (after Table of Contents) vi Fonts Format 23,37, 50-51 Size 23-24, 37, 51 Format Bold, Italics, Underline 23, 39 Font Color 23-24, 34, 32 Text Styles 23 Format Text 23, 38-39, 50-52 Formula, Enter 29

H Help 5 I

Indents 40 Insert Paragraph, Text, etc. 22 Insert Picture (Graphic) 33 Installation 1-2 Instruction Files 16-17 J Justification 38-39, 52 L License Agreement i Linked Spreadsheet vii, 15, 16,

26-30 Log-In Instructions 3 M Main Screen Icons Bar 7 Main Screen Menu Bar 7

Master Plan vi, 12 Move Text 24 N New Plan, Creating 4-5 O Open/Edit Documents vii, 14-21,

26, 27 Open/Edit File List, vii Open Existing Plan 5, 7 Overtyping Text 21, 25 P Paragraph, Delete/Select 23 Page Breaks 30, 42 Paste 24, 33, 36, 43, 47 PDF, Save As 7, 11, 35 Plans Create New 4 Update Existing 4-5 Create/Edit Plan 5, 15, 26 Master Plan vi, 6, 7 Preface iv Presentations, PowerPoint 11 Print Document/Plan 8, 31 Print Page Numbers 9, 31

R Row Height 29, 43 S Save File 7, 25, 30, 35, 45 Save Plan to PDF File 8, 9 Save Plan to Zip File 8, 9 Select Paragraph 22 Word or Words 22 Sizes Fonts 24, 37, 51 Spelling Check 36, 48 Spreadsheet Workbook, Linked vii, 8, 15, 16, 26-30 Spreadsheets Option 12 Support, Product v Spreadsheet Tool Areas of Spreadsheet 42-54

Cell Contents Area 54 Cell Location 54 Cell Contents 54 Typing In Cell 54 Formatting Toolbar 50-54

Center and Merge 53 Color Text 52 Font Size 51 Font Type (Style) 50 Font Attributes (Bold, Italics, Underline) 51 Format Number 53 Left, Center, and Right

Justify 52 Zoom 54

Drawing Toolbar 48-50

Arc Icon 49 Button Icon 49 Charting & Graphing Tool 50 Checkbox Icon 49 Dropdown List Icon 49 Edit Polygon Points 48 Line Icon 49 Oval/Circle Icon 49 Polygon Icon 49

Rectangle Icon 49

AUTOMATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN QUICK START Index • 57

Areas of Spreadsheet – cont.

SS Content Dropdown 48

Menu Bar 42-44 Edit & File Menus 43 Format Menu 43 Help Menu 44 Lock Menu 43 Object Menu 44 Tools Menu 44 View Menu 43

Standard Toolbar 44-48

AutoSum 47 Cut Text Icon 46 Copy Text Icon 46 Drawing Toggle 47 Format Painter 47 Linked Dropdown Box 49 New File Icon 45 Open File Icon 45 Print File Icon 46 Paste Text Icon 47 Save File Icon 45 Spell Check 48

Overview of SS 26-31

Open 27 Edit 27 Change Column Width 29 Change Row Height 29 Copy Cells 28 Enter Formula 29 Enter Numeric Data/Format 28 Enter Text 28 Insert Columns and Rows 29 Modifying Fields 27 Move Cells 28 Print Document 31 Print Plan (all or parts of) 31 “Save As” Excel 30 “Save” Document 30 Selecting a Range of Cells 27 “Save As” Excel 30 “Save” Document 30 Selecting a Range of Cells 27 Setting Page Breaks 30

T Tabs 39 Table Menu 34 Text

Copy 24, 36 Cut 35, 46 Format 23, Move 24

Text Selection 23 U Underline 23, 38 Update Plan File 6, 13 Utilities Menu 11-13

V View Menu 34, 43 W Word Delete 22 Select 22 Word Processor

Areas of WProcessor 32-41

Formatting Toolbar 37-39 Bold 38 Both Justified 39 Bullets 39 Center Justified 39 Control Characters 39 Font Type 37 Font Size 37 Italics 38 Left Justified 38 Numbering 39 Right Justified 39 Tabs Toggle 39 Underline 38 Zoom 39

Font Menu 37 Indents 40 Menu Bar 32-34

Edit Menu 33 File Menu 32 Format Menu 33 Insert Picture 33 Table Menu 34 View Menu 33

Size Menu 37-38 Standard Tool Bar 34-37

Check Spelling Icon 36 Color Text 37 Copy Text Icon 36 Cut Text Icon 35 New File Icon 34 Open File Icon 34 Paste Text Icon 36 Print File Icon 35 Save as PDF Icon 35

Save File Icon 35 Tabs 40-41 Overview of WP 20-25

Open/Edit 21 Copy Text 24 Delete Text 22 Delete Character 22 Delete Paragraph 22

Delete Word 22 Format Text 23

Text Styles 23 Text Fonts 23

Text Size 24 Insert Text 21

Move Text 24 Overtyping Text 21

Print Document 25 Print Business Plan 25 Print Page Numbers 9, 31 Print Plan 25, 31 Save Document 25 Spelling Check 25 Text Selection 23 Z Zoom 33, 39, 54