QUESTION ON Starting a Commercial Building Permit Business

I have been exploring the idea of setting up a commercial building permit business for the last 3 years. What has slowed me up has been a few physical concerns. These have been resolved and am now attempting to proceed but need some help. The business of processing commercial building permits is fairly simple. Documents required, payment of fees and in what form, time schedules for review of plans by various departments and attention to tracking progress are easy to handle. The writing of a business plan that holds a person attention is the biggest concern. A service oriented business can seem very uninteresting especially when a person does not come from a construction background. Would it be possible to write what I can and have someone help me punch up the details? Need suggestions. Thanks,

In my opinion, a little would be great for your business plan, and I agree that there has to be some way to make what you want to do appear to have some intrigue and excitement especially if you are looking for investors and/or loans. Both types of professions work hard at making their enticing so that people will read them (and possibly act on them).

Additionally, it may help to have someone who is completely unknowledgeable about the business you are looking at, read the document. If someone who is clueless (so to speak) reads it, and can understand what you are proposing, then you should have good luck with those it is meant for.

Be sure, when you do the business plan, that you add a marketing plan to it as well. Business plans are grand for helping you set and reach your goals, but they do not do much for showing your intended audience HOW you are planning on bringing the income to the business.

A favorite lesson of mine, when dealing with business and marketing plan writing is: Specificity is the key to effective communication. Best of luck!

Recommended Resources on How To Start a Building Permit BusinessKnowing Your Buildings: A Firefighter Reference Guide

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Getting it Right: Avoiding the High Cost of Wrong Decisions

Article originally published in June 2001. Updated March 7, 2012

Tammy Harrison is a successful home based working mom for over five years. She holds a degree from Mizzou in Consumer Economics. Her business focuses on Marketing and Creativity for Small Businesses as well as numerous other small businesses.