The first step toward opening a brewery had to be a good business plan. I picked up some books from the library but just couldn't find a good starting point. This started to look like a hurdle I was not going to get over which added to my original doubts about committing to opening a brewery. Fortunately the Nano Con online came along. During breakouts some of the attendees talked about business plans. A few of the business owners talked about LivePlan. They spoke highly of it and so I thought I'd give that a try. I paid for a 3 month introductory membership for $15 a month. Honestly, this made all the difference in the world. It broke the process down piece by piece, there are videos, and examples. I bought a one year subscription and so far it's been one of my best investments. I thought I had a clear idea of where I was going but after working through LivePlan I realize at best I had a notion of what I wanted to accomplish. Now I have a detailed, clear path. It helps me continue to refine my ideas and goals. I'm up to the money portion now which is a bit more challenging but the videos and tutorials I think will get me through that part. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out.