Telling you how to develop a complete business plan is just not the same as showing you exactly what needs to be included in one. Below is exactly what you need to include in your business plan so that you have a decent place to start. Here is a quick nine-step guide to what you will need in your company's business plan:

1. The executive summary: The executive summary is what introduces your business strategy to the reader and probably is the most important section for lending institutions.

What's the point in having a great idea if you don't have any cash? You need capital to move your business from an idea to reality. One route that you can use to get the money you need is to look for a business grant.

Here are some great tips to getting that grant approved.

1) Talk to your local grant agency, local council economic development officer and Business Link to see if there are any grants available in your specific area.

For most nonprofit agencies, grants are a must. Without them, these agencies will not be able to pay their employees or pay for the programs they create. As a result, they would have to close their doors and no longer help those in need. In order to guarantee their doors stay open, many choose to hire a freelance grant writer.

There are numerous reasons to hire a freelance grant writer, with the most important reason being experience.

A successful business often starts with a single idea. Then, with a little help from outside financial resource, this idea is later turned to reality. See the trend here? While we're not saying that money can make the world go round, it can do a lot of unusual feats, like turning your ideas into dollars, for instance.

But then, there lies a problem.

Several no-cost personal grants can be obtained if you happen to belong to a certain group.

Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance is one example of free grants allocated by the government to an individual.

Vietnam Era Veterans' Education Assistance is money extended to individuals or families through an agency of the U.S.

The most common road block to starting your own business is money. Unfortunately the freest way to get money (grants) has miniscule availability for business start up plans. If you are a non profit organization, the chance will be higher of receiving a grant. However, most new businesses are probably looking for profit. So how do you find money to start your business?

As mentioned, earning a grant is extremely difficult.

Grants are given every year for a variety of reasons, from small business start-ups, continuing education, preserving historic monuments, to art. Business grants are usually given to applicants that have a solid business plan, and the more detailed the reports are, the better chance of getting the grant.

When starting up your own small business, the first priority would be to find start-up capital.

Contrary to what a lot people are being made to believe, the U.S. government is not giving away "free federal grants". A grant, as defined by Jay M. Shafritz in his book "American Government and Politics", is a gift that entails certain obligations on the part of the grantee and expectations on the part of the grantor.

The operative word to remember in getting grants from the federal government is "obligations".