====== Using Offtoa to Plan my Business ======

<php>echo "<b>What does ".$conf['comp_name']." do?</b>";</php>

<php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php>:

  * Provides step-by-step guidance to craft your business strategy and capture your business strategy as a set of assumptions.
  * Automatically creates your //pro forma//  financial statements from your business strategy assumptions.
  * Provides detailed analysis of your pro formas, just like a potential investor would. And we recommend what you need to change in your strategy to fix any problems.

<php>echo "<b>How do you use ".$conf['comp_name']."?</b>";</php>
  * Go to <php>echo "<a href='https://www.".$conf['comp_name'].".com/app/login'>www.".$conf['comp_name'].".com/app/login</a>";</php>
      * If you do not already have an <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php> account: Press **Sign Up**. Select a subscription package.  Follow the registration instructions.
      * If you already have an <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php> account: Enter your email and password and press the **Log In** button at the bottom.
  * In the upper left, press **Create New Plan**. Then press **Continue** in the lower right corner.
  * You will be asked to enter assumptions about your company in this order:
    - General Assumptions
    - Products
    - Markets
    - Pricing
    - Sales Model - Predict Units Sold/Year<sup>1</sup>
    - Raw Materials<sup>2</sup>
    - Cost of Goods Sold<sup>2</sup>
    - Personnel
    - Commissions<sup>2</sup>
    - Other Expenses
    - Major Purchases<sup>2</sup>
    - Loans<sup>3</sup>
    - Investments<sup>3</sup>
    - Customer Payments
    - Supplier Payments
    - Cash at Beginning
  * Use **Back** and **Continue**  button of every screen to navigate between screens.  To jump to any specific screen, just press the **Assumptions** link in the expanding menu bar on the left of the page.
  * While you enter your assumptions
    * Occasionally take a quick look at the <php>echo "<b>".$conf['comp_name']."Score</b>";</php> to obtain a very quick idea of the financial health of your company - on a scale from 0 to 100.
    * Occasionally press the gray <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php> **Scoreboard** link in the upper right (just below the <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php>Score) to obtain a slightly more detailed summary of the financial health of your company.
    * At any time, press the **Reports** link in the expanding menu bar on the left to examine your financial statements.  <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php> produces them for you automatically.
  * Before taking a close look at your //pro forma// financials, we recommend you let <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php>  do a check of your assumptions to make sure that what you entered makes sense.  Do this by clicking on **Business Analysis/Assumptions Review** link in the expanding menu bar on the left.
  * When examining your income statement, press the **Analysis Findings** link at the bottom of the page to look for issues in your income statement. Use the blue **View Next Finding** and **View Previous Finding** buttons to thumb through all issues. When you find something you wish to address, press the green **How Do I Fix This** button, and <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php> provides a list of changes you can make to your assumptions that could fix the problem.
  * When examining your cash flow statement, press the **Analysis Findings** link at the bottom of the page to look for issues in your cash flow statement. Use the blue **View Next Finding** and **View Previous Finding** buttons to thumb through all issues. When you find something you wish to address, press the green **How Do I Fix This** button, and <php>echo $conf['comp_name'];</php> provides a list of changes you can make to your assumptions that could fix the problem.
  * Repeat the previous step while examining your balance sheet, capitalization table, and valuation and IRR report. Fix any problems.
  * In many cases, fixing one problem may cause other problems. So before you declare yourself complete, take one more pass through all the issues by pressing the **Business Analysis/Final Review** on the menu on the left and fix any remaining problems.

----

<php> echo '<small><sup>[1]</sup> For more accurate results, use top-down ("Predict Market Penetration") and bottom-up ("Marketing and Sales Dollars Spent to Drive New Customer Acquisition") models of sales projections and compare them.</small>';</php>

<php> echo "<small><sup>[2]</sup> ".$conf['comp_name']." will give you the option to skip this step if it isn't applicable to your business.</small>";</php>

<php> echo "<small><sup>[3]</sup> If you have specific plans for future loans or investments, you may also enter them now, or you can wait, and ".$conf['comp_name']." will tell you when you need to raise money and how much.</small>";</php>
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