the message or suggests that you like to spend too much in inappropriate places.     When your plan is complete, make a point to hang onto the original; dont give it away. Also, make sure you keep a list of the people who get copies and the dates they received them.     Finally, take yourself out for a terrific dinner with someone whose company you enjoy. You deserve it.     G. Consider Using a Business Consultant     It is often wise to have your plan reviewed after you think it is in good shape. For a modest fee, a good small business consultant or CPA who specializes in businesses similar to yours may be able to save you from a costly mistake or point out additional profit opportunities. At the very least, he should be able to suggest how to improve the way your information is presented. If he gives you minor suggestions for improvement, you can incorporate them easily. If the suggestions are more major, give some thought before making changes. Remember, this is your business and your proposal and its up to you to make the final decisions. (See Chapter 12, Section B, for a discussion of consultants.)           Antoinettes Discouraging Moment     Antoinette was pleased with her plan after putting it together, reviewing it and polishing it. She was convinced she had a winner. Almost as an afterthought, she decided to have a business consultant review her business plan before taking it to the bank. She was glad she did. In brief, here is what the consultant told her.     "Antoinette, you have written a fine business plan and have a good idea for a business, but your financial projections contain one serious error. I believe that you have underestimated the amount of inventory you will have to carry by $45,000 to $50,000. Unfortunately, changing this number will influence all your other financial projections and will mean you have to rethink your entire plan."     The consultant then discussed the same inventory turnover problem we discovered in Chapter 7, Section E1. The consultant suggested that Antoinette take a few days to decide if she wished to try and raise more money and rework her entire plan or drop the idea.     Antoinette was stunned. She expected to discover some minor flaws, not a possibly fatal one. Nevertheless, after much soul-searching, she was relieved to have uncovered the problem before, not after, she began her business. She decided that raising the extra money for inventory wasnt an insurmountable problem. The question was whether she could reasonably increase her sales projections enough to justify the increased inventory. To make this decision, she decided to again talk to a number of women in the target audience to get a better idea of how often they might patronize her store.     I shall leave the decision to you as to whether Antoinette decides to proceed with her plans or decides to go back to work for a salary. After all, its much the same sort of difficult choice you may have to make about your own business. Chapter 10: Selling Your Business Plan