{"id":9752,"date":"2019-01-15T01:40:26","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T01:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devgrowthink.wpengine.com\/?page_id=9752"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:23:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T11:23:27","slug":"dave-lavinsky","status":"publish","type":"team","link":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/team\/dave-lavinsky","title":{"rendered":"Dave Lavinsky"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"ProfilePage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/team\/dave-lavinsky\",\n    \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/team\/dave-lavinsky\",\n    \"name\": \"Dave Lavinsky\",\n    \"jobTitle\": \"Co-Founder & President of Growthink\",\n    \"gender\": \"Male\",\n     \"nationality\": \"US\",\n    \"award\": [\"Winner of the Anderson School at UCLA\u2019s Knapp New Venture Competition.\"],\n    \"contactPoint\": {\n      \"@type\": \"ContactPoint\",\n      \"email\": \"dave.lavinsky@growthink.com\"\n    },\n    \"worksFor\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/\",\n      \"name\": \"Growthink\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\",\n      \"description\": \"For over 20 years, Growthink has written business plans for thousands of clients. In addition, hundreds of thousands of companies have used our business plan template and articles to develop their plans and start and grow their companies.\",\n      \"founder\": \"Dave Lavinsky\"\n    },\n    \"knowsAbout\": [\"Business Plans\", \"Business Consulting\", \"Capital Raising\", \"New Venture Development\", \"Business Strategy\", \"Business Growth\"],\n    \"image\": {\n      \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dave-Lavinsky-1.png\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dave-Lavinsky-1.png\",\n      \"caption\": \"Dave Lavinsky\"\n    },\n    \"alumniOf\": {\n      \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n      \"name\": \"Anderson School of Management at UCLA\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.anderson.ucla.edu\/\"\n    },\n    \"description\": \"Dave is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of business planning, capital raising, and new venture development, and author of the world\u2019s #1 business plan template. Dave has 25+ years of experience writing business plans, providing business consulting and starting & growing companies. Over the past decade, Dave has guest lectured at top universities, developed over 100 business plans, and has written hundreds of articles on entrepreneurship, business planning and capital-raising. He is also the author of Start At The End: How Companies Can Grow Bigger and Faster By Reversing Their Business Plan, published by Wiley. Prior to Growthink, Dave gained professional management consulting, marketing consulting and market research experience with FIND\/SVP (now Guideline), BPA International and The NPD Group. Dave has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and earned his Bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Virginia.\",\n    \"sameAs\": [\n      \"https:\/\/x.com\/davelavinsky\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.lavinskyofficial\/\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/davelavinsky\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davelavinsky\/\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/author\/dave-lavinsky\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.score.org\/contributor\/dave-lavinsky\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.allbusiness.com\/author\/dave-lavinsky\",\n      \"https:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/author\/dave-lavinsky\",\n      \"https:\/\/amasty.com\/blog\/author\/Dave%20Lavinsky\/\",\n      \"https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/person\/dave-lavinsky\"\n    ],\n    \"hasCredential\": {\n      \"@type\": \"EducationalOccupationalCredential\",\n      \"credentialCategory\": {\n        \"@type\": \"DefinedTerm\",\n        \"name\": \"Educational\"\n      },\n      \"description\": \"MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA\"\n    }\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 18px; color: black; display: inline;\">Expertise:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"display: inline;\">Business Plans, Business Consulting, Capital Raising and New Venture Development<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 18px; color: black; display: inline;\">Education:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"display: inline;\">University of Virginia (BS) and UCLA (MBA)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Highlights<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Has helped over 1 million entrepreneurs, small business owners and executives create business plans.<\/li>\n<li>Contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur, featured in hundreds of magazine articles, and author of the bestselling book \u201cStart At The End.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Over 25 years of experience in new venture development, with a history of launching several successful startups<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Experience &amp; Expertise<\/h2>\n<p>Dave Lavinsky has helped countless entrepreneurs, business owners and executives with creating business plans that have catapulted their growth. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/products\/business-plan-template\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">business plan template<\/a> is widely regarded as the standard for creating a great plan.<\/p>\n<p>With over 25 years of experience, Dave has mastered the art of launching and growing businesses. In addition to business planning, Dave specializes in areas including capital raising, sales, marketing and new venture development. He loves turning innovative ideas into successful businesses.<\/p>\n<p>Dave is a seasoned entrepreneur, having launched and exited multiple ventures. He has served numerous companies and organizations and is a past board member of the Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance. He was also a finalist at the Anderson School at UCLA\u2019s \u201cKnapp New Venture Competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dave is the author of the best selling book \u201cStart At The End: How Companies Can Grow Bigger and Faster By Reversing Their Business Plan,\u201d published by Wiley (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Start-End-Companies-Reversing-Business\/dp\/1118376765\" target=\"&quot;_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wiley.com\/en-us\/Start+at+the+End%3A+How+Companies+Can+Grow+Bigger+and+Faster+by+Reversing+Their+Business+Plan-p-9781118417447\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wiley<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Dave has been a contributor to magazines including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davelavinsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/author\/dave-lavinsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Entrepreneur<\/a> and has been featured in numerous magazines and journals including The Wall Street Journal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3003685\/4-reasons-your-company-needs-stop-making-excuses-and-create-systems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fast Company<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/jeff-haden\/new-data-reveals-a-record-breaking-increase-in-small-business-startups-why-that-matters-to-you.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inc.<\/a> among others.<\/p>\n<p>You can find Dave on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/davelavinsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davelavinsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Education<\/h2>\n<p>Dave\u2019s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. His education laid the foundation for his expertise in business strategy and growth.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Quote:<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;How do I feel about entrepreneurial companies? I love them ALL, big and small!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">CliftonStrengths\u2122:<\/h2>\n<p>Achiever, Competition, Focus, Maximizer, Relator<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Values:<\/h2>\n<p>Freedom, Accountability, Fitness, Work Ethic, Resilience<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Personal<\/h2>\n<p>Dave lives in Oregon with his wife and has 2 children in their twenties. Outside of his professional life, Dave enjoys hiking, trail running, skiing, mountain biking, traveling and music.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Upcoming Projects<\/h2>\n<p>Dave has taken a special interest in the AI space and recently launched PlanPros.ai which has already been called the <a href=\"https:\/\/planpros.ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">best AI business plan generator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 22px;\">Noteworthy Articles Written by Dave Lavinsky<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/products\/business-plan-template\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Best Business Plan Template to Use Today<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/content\/20-reasons-why-you-need-business-plan\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">20 Reasons Why You Need a Business Plan<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-executive-summary-tips-killer-executive-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Write the Executive Summary of Your Business Plan<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/key-components-business-plan-part-ii\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The 10 Key Components of a Business Plan<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/content\/how-write-business-plan-raising-venture-capital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Write a Business Plan for Raising Venture Capital<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-format-how-structure-your-business-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Business Plan Format to Expertly Write Your Plan<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/3-year-business-plan-template\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Perfect 3 Year Business Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/non-profit-business-plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nonprofit Business Plan Template &amp; Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-examples\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Startup<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/business-plan-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growthink\u2019s Ultimate Guide to Business Plan Software<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/pro-forma-business-plan-template-financial-statements\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pro Forma Business Plan Template &amp; Financial Statements<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/business-plan-financial-projections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Create Financial Projections for Your Business Plan<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/ai-business-plan-generator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Best AI Business Plan Generator<\/a><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Expertise: Business Plans, Business Consulting, Capital Raising and New Venture Development Education: University of Virginia (BS) and UCLA (MBA) &nbsp; Highlights Has helped over 1 million entrepreneurs, small business owners and executives create business plans. Contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur, featured in hundreds of magazine articles, and author of the bestselling book \u201cStart At The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":32133,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":""},"team_group":[],"class_list":["post-9752","team","type-team","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.7 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dave Lavinsky, Co-Founder &amp; President of Growthink<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dave Lavinsky, Co-Founder &amp; President of Growthink, is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of business planning, capital raising &amp; new venture development\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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