Finally, if business plan is only being presented to a single or a small number of investors, amount of graphs and charts should reflect wants, needs and sophistication of those few readers. For instance, if plan is being presented only to strategic investors who understand market, graphs can be used to convey information for which these investors may already have background knowledge.

Conversely, always keep in mind that plan is not a slide presentation, and too many graphs and charts may position company as one that is too lazy to complete process of developing a formal business plan.

To summarize, amount of charts and graphs used in business plan must reflect audience for plan; an audience that is usually time and energy constrained. The charts and graphs must complement text, enable audience to quickly and easily digest information, and as always, interest audience in taking next step (e.g., scheduling an in-person meeting) in investment process.

It is time to get yourself ready to be ahead of rest and to hit ground running when demand starts to grow again.

And if you are an employee in a company that refuses to give you training you need and want, then don’t just sit there complaining. Do something about it. Training should be continuous and lifelong. You cannot possibly know it all. There is always some new skill to learn. There is always some extra knowledge to acquire. But do it. Work hard at it, but make it fun and enjoy it.