Biography for Tim Berry
“I wanted it to be right.”
Tim Berry, president of Palo Alto Software, says he started creating his own software for business planning and forecasting to bridge what he calls “the know-how gap” that exists between what personal computers can potentially do for business people and what they are actually doing.
“At Stanford in the late 1970s, we took an entire course to learn how to do a business plan,” he recalls. “Nowadays personal computers have made all of that much easier, but only when people know how to use them. I don’t mean simple computer or software training, but the management techniques like cash flows, financial analysis and forecasting models. What we do is share and explain the thinking tools as well as the technical tools.”
Berry, former vice president at Creative Strategies International, is the author of Business Plan Pro® and Marketing Plan Pro®. He is a Stanford MBA, author of three books on business planning with spreadsheets (published in the mid-1980s by Hayden Books, McGraw-Hill Microtext and Dow Jones-Irwin) and a former wire service news and business magazine foreign correspondent.
Palo Alto Software, located in Eugene, Oregon, calls upon Berry’s diverse background as a writer, international business consultant and software author. For most of the 1970s he worked in Latin America as a correspondent with United Press International, Business Week, and other publications. He also wrote published fiction (not including market research) and freelance articles for the London Financial Times and Clipper, the Pan American Airlines magazine, among others.
“News journalism taught me that the reader is always right. If a piece isn’t understood, then the writer blew it,” Berry says. That straightforward writing style shows up in the Palo Alto Software product manuals. “I still write some of the most important elements of the documentation,” he says. The process now involves a team of contributors, “and if it isn’t clear and simple, we won’t accept it. Clarity is doubly important to us because we deal with the fusion of two confusing topics: computers and business techniques. Our manuals have to be exceptionally good.”
Berry returned to the United States in 1979 to enter Stanford’s business school and to work as a consultant with Creative Strategies International. After completing his MBA in 1981, he became a vice president at Creative Strategies, where he started a group to focus on market analysis of the personal computer software market.
“I was one of those who was too optimistic about the personal computer market of the early 1980s,” he says. “I was in good company. All of the market research firms said roughly the same thing, which says a lot about why those mistakes were made. The whole thing taught me a lot about common sense and forecasting, and that is now reflected in our business products.”
In 1983 Berry met Philippe Kahn, who had arrived in the San Jose area to start a company. Berry revised Kahn’s business plan for Borland International and took stock and a position on the board of directors. Borland struggled for months before sales took off with the favorable market reception of Turbo Pascal in late 1983.
Berry began developing market forecasts for Apple Computer’s Latin American group in 1982 while still with Creative Strategies, and continued with Apple after starting his own company. He was the consultant for Apple Latin America’s annual business plan from 1983 through 1987, as sales increased sixfold. He was the consultant to Apple Japan’s business planning process from 1991 to 1993, as sales quadrupled.
Technology Work History
Berry’s work history in business planning includes:
- 1988-present…..President and principal product author, Palo Alto Software, Inc.
- 1990-present…..Adjunct professor Lundquist School of Business, University of Oregon
- 1991-1993…..Consultant, Apple Computing Japan
- 1988…..InfoPlan dissolved; Palo Alto Software incorporated
- 1984…..Publishes first business software product, consultant to computer and software clients
- 1980s…..Author of books on business planning and spreadsheets
- 1983…..Founding of InfoPlan, predecessor of Palo Alto Software
- 1983…..Consultant, Borland International
- 1982-1987…..Consultant, Apple Computing Latin America
- 1981-1983…..Vice-president, Creative Strategies
- 1979-1981…..MBA program,Stanford University and consultant for Creative Strategies International
Education
- MBA, Stanford University
- MA (Journalism), University of Oregon
- Undergraduate degree (magna cum laude), University of Notre Dame
He has also consulted on business planning and forecasting for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Ashton-Tate, Lotus Development Corporation, DataQuest and others.
Berry’s first business plan software product was published in 1985. Since 1993 he has concentrated mainly on building Palo Alto Software’s product business.
For learn more about Tim Berry, please visit his website at www.TimBerry.com
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
2/22/08
I plied my craft as a Commercial Mortgage Owner/Broker for six years, sourcing many millions of dollars for start up and existing business across America. Health issues forced my business sale six years ago. I investigated your products then, but decided instead to require business owner submissions to include copies of their complete business plans with other submission DOC’s for review and processing of public/private lenders.
Recently, I contracted an independent relationship with a premiem mortgage foreclosure loss mitigation firm. I am specifically curious whether ANY Business Plan Pro and/or Marketing Plan Pro products contain templates that are SPECIFIC or ADAPTABLE to this portion of the mortgage industry?
I’m processing tentative investor leads from a myriad of sources and will need the methodology of a quickly processed Business Plan submission to augment other necessary tangent business articles.
Consequently, I would appreciate you transferring my query to the appropriate desk for immediate response. Thank You.
Best Regards,
Lance F. Logan
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Hi Lance,
Thank you for the comment!
I’ve forwarded your information to the customer care department and they should be in touch with you shortly.
‘Chelle Parmele
February 28th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
As a former journalist myself, I’m pleased with what Tim has done with creating Palo Alto and the suite of software. Now that I have ventured into the world of on-line publishing, in addition to writing/editing, I’m hoping that Business Plan Pro will help to develop the kind of plan needed to make the business a success.
Very inspirational read.
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Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment, good luck to you at AbengNews.com!
‘Chelle Parmele
March 8th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I received the free offer for you software and really could have used it were in the process of opening a discount store carring item from several different companies and I’m a disabled Army solider with my backgroung in comminucation. If you are ever giving any more programs I really could use them to work with.
Thank You
Anthony D Adams
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Anthony,
You should get in touch with the sales department and speak to them about the different software products we have available. They’ll be more than happy to help you out! sales@paloalto.com
Regards,
‘Chelle Parmele
April 30th, 2008 at 7:34 am
I would like to know if you have a business plan for a Mental Heath Home Service which I will be changing to a Not for profit very soon.
Please reply
Thank you
Hallie Chase
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Hi Hallie,
I’ve forwarded your question to the sales department and they will be getting in touch with you as soon as possible.
Thanks for your question!
‘Chelle Parmele
May 20th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Are you planning an internet based version to avoid issues with working with macs or different os? See Zimba Mail solutions to see how way to implement.
Love the software but can’t use on my Mac
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Bill, we hear you and we hear from Mac users every day and are working hard on a solution. We understand that the Mac market is rising quickly and we’re very aware that we need to have a solid Mac and online version to offer. Thanks for hanging in there and keep checking back for changes and updates. When we have something ready, we’ll post all about it on all our websites.
And thanks for dropping by with your questions. I appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I’ll be happy to help you out.
BTW, I checked out menucentral.com, what a great idea! Are you planning on taking your site national or stick in the Redding area?
‘Chelle Parmele
June 30th, 2008 at 12:59 am
business planning and forecasting to bridge what he calls “the know-how gap”…………….very correct …joy
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 am
I think customer service is the most important part of any business and even if you have all the right plans, the money to put it into motion if you fail at customer service then all the preparation and planning would be useless, the point to this comment is based on experience with Pro Alto customer service agent Shawnie who may be in the wrong field of work possibly because she was not only rude but no help either. I will find another software to go with because how you treat you’re customers is what really sets a company above the competition.
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Hi Donna,
Thank you for your comment. I am sorry you had a less than great experience with one of our customer service agents. Our entire company- from the management to the programmers to the support staff, work very hard to make as great a product as possible. We can’t succeed in making every single person who contacts us happy, but we do our very best.
Without knowing what happened between you and Shawnie, I can’t speak to the specific nature of the issue, but I have worked with Shawnie for five years here at Palo Alto Software and know she works extremely hard to bring a high level of customer satisfaction to everyone she comes in contact with.
I regret we were unable to give you the very best experience.
Best regards and please let us know if we can help you in the future.
‘Chelle Parmele