Business planning is more than just creating a roadmap or preparing for financing. It relates to attracting top talent, looking for prospective investors, competing for large contracts, and presenting a credible face to prospective suppliers, strategic alliance partners, and more. A well-constructed business plan is useful for other things besides raising money. It's a way to inspire confidence in your venture—you can use it as a selling mechanism for any number of things. You're selling the company when you hire top executives and others, if you're trying to get involved with a major corporation in any ongoing relationship, etc. In those cases, the plan offers a form of credibility enhancement. A plan can consist of a variety of trade secrets and proprietary information—ensure it is correctly protected. Choose carefully who you want to read the plan and how much information they may need. The point is to be able to give people a sense of your strategic direction and the process you follow in optimizing your product or service. It's typically a good idea to gauge what you'll show anyone to a specific circumstance. For example, you may not want to show someone with whom you're developing a strategic alliance what your sales plan might be, especially if they're in any way considered competitors. Or you may not want to divulge your financials to a prospective new hire. For example, if you have a new restaurant concept or restaurant startup, remember that your idea can be copied. For this type of plan, you may be well advised to hire a professional restaurant business plan writer who can guide you through the restaurant funding maze and protect your idea or new concept. Restaurant consultants are not necessarily cheap.