Ok, you know you want to start a business.  You know that you need a business plan, and you know that you need help.  Where do you go to get it? This article will consider tips for finding good books to use as well as list a few other resources.

There are many good books--ones that are highly rated by customers on reputable sites--that deal with writing a business plan.  The trick is to find the right book for you.

For example, do you plan on opening a restaurant?  You could look to Roger Field's book entitled: Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next Hot Spot.  The book is written with the future restaurant owner in mind.

Looking for advice specific to women?  You could try Karin Abarbanel and Bruce Freeman's book Birthing the Elephant: The Woman's Go-For-It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business.  Abarbanel and Freeman attempt to address concerns common to women entrepreneurs through advice and interviews of successful women entrepreneurs.

Hopefully the point is clear: look for a book that caters to your specific needs.  If you can't find a book about opening a granola friendly green smoothie bar, don't worry -- there are plenty of excellent general advice books.

One example is Start Your Own Business by Entrepreneur Press.  The book is formatted as a reference guide that allows you to get details on the information you need.  It also includes a resource guide for further help.

Above all, find a book that gives the advice you most want.  Reading customer reviews is a great way to quickly find out what a book is really all about.

Other resources to consider include sample business plans, like the ones posted on bplans.com, Small Business Development Centers funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and SCORE offices.

The SBA's Small Business Development Centers are found throughout the United States.  Each Center can give you personalized help in creating a business plan.

SCORE is a nonprofit organization made up of entrepreneurs and executives, some retired, some still working, that are dedicated to helping startup businesses.  Similar to the SBA's SBDCs, SCORE has offices that can provide you personalized help.

The catch with both SBDCs and SCORE offices is finding one near to you.  You can check here for SBDC locations and here for SCORE locations.