Have you reviewed your business plan lately? Don't have one? Let's take a look at this fundamental piece of business development.

A business plan is a document to outline the objectives of your organization over the coming years. It describes how your company has progressed over the last few years, and where it is headed. It analyzes your customer base as well as your competitors.

As you journey through describing your business objectives, you will emerge with a more focused perspective on your company's goals. It also gives you the key points for you to discuss your business with clients and business partners. So what does a business plan usually look like?

Executive Summary
Your business plan, like any report, should start with some introductory text. The executive summary introduces the reader to the highlights of your business, and your vision of its purpose.

Investment Summary
The investment summary shows how your company is organized. It provides information to investors on why they should prop up your business with their funds and services.

Business Description
The products and/or services you currently provide and will provide are described in the business description. Remember to describe your quality control methodology in this section.

Marketing Analysis
Your marketing overview should identify your growth strategy. It should outline your strategy for entering new markets, retaining your share of current markets, and identifying markets that are no longer profitable. This section is very important in an economic downturn as customers tend to be more frugal with spending.

Professional Landscape
Your business is not an island unto itself. You cooperate with some businesses (i.e., coopetition), while flat out competing with others. This section will help you identify your cooperative and adversarial relationships so you can have a more strategic networking plan.

Exit Strategy
Most businesses fail within their first two years. In a weak economy, more businesses are prone to failure. An exit strategy will identify the terms of when you should dissolve the business, and the best options for minimizing its impact on your life.

Conclusion
Wrap up the business plan with a conclusion. This section should provide the reader a reason to contact you or visit your company to assess its worth to them.

You can add more sections to this plan as your needs warrant. The key to this plan is to provide a path for your company to follow. It forces you to address these aspects of your business and think of your company's raison d'etre.