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How to Create a Business Plan Presentation [Plus Templates]

Written by: Masooma Memon

How-to-Create-a-Business-Plan-Presentation

You know your business idea is strong, but presenting it in a way that captivates your audience and inspires them to take the desired action? That’s a different story.

But don’t worry. With the right approach and resources, you can create a business plan presentation that not only conveys your idea in the best possible way but also wins over potential investors, partners and clients.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you have in mind like how many slides does your business idea presentation need, what goes into those slides, and how to create, design and present an impressive business plan presentation.

Here's a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit business plan presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme

simple business plan presentation sample

Along the way, we’ll also show you a series of ready-to-use business plan presentation templates that you can customize to use as your own. See? We did say creating a presentation isn’t rocket science.

Ready to learn how to create a business presentation?

Let’s get started already.

What Is a Business Plan Presentation?
What Should Be In a Business Plan Presentation?

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation

How to Design a Business Plan Presentation With Visme

Business Plan Presentation Best Practices

How to present a business plan presentation, business plan presentation faqs.

A business plan presentation is a formal slide deck that includes your goals, mission, strategy, pricing model, financial projections, teams and other information about your new business.
Typically, a business plan presentation includes a title slide, problem, solution, pricing plan, business operations information, marketing plan, industry overview, financial projections, team and a concluding slide with your contact details.
To create a business plan presentation, identify your goals, conduct research, create an outline, develop the content, design your slides, prepare supporting material, and finalize and polish.
Design a business plan presentation easily in Visme by picking a template, adjusting the slides, customizing the template, and then downloading and sharing your presentation.
Some tips for creating impressive business plan presentations include drawing attention to your core message, making your slides easy to read and understand, sticking to one or two fonts, picking a nice color scheme, using minimal text and paying attention to the visuals.
To effectively present a business plan presentation, keep your presentation concise, add interactivity, pay attention to the design and incorporate data visualization.
Visme makes it easy to create a professional business plan presentation that leaves a solid impression on your audience. Use features like ready-made templates, built-in graphics, animations, branding and AI-powered tools to create stunning presentations.

What is a Business Plan Presentation?

We know a business plan as a formal document that includes your business goals, mission, strategy and the rest of the starting-a-business shebang.

A business plan presentation is all that with added pressure since you’ve to convey the entire information in slides – clearly and concisely.

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Put another way, you don’t have wordy documents to convey your ideas. Instead, you’ll need to be clear about selling your idea to investors by sharing all the important details in an engaging and succinct manner.

What Should Be in a Business Presentation?

Now that you know how your slides need to look, let’s talk about another important point—your presentation’s slides and what they need to talk about.

The bare minimum slides you need are 10. Remember, cover only one business aspect per slide. Here’s what your slides should be about.

Slide 1: The Title Slide

This needs no explanation — it’s your introductory page that should include your business’s name, any slogan that you may have, and a logo as well (if it’s ready). Don’t forget to add your name to the slide.

Since this is the first slide, it needs to be an impression maker. One way to create such a slide is to rely on a powerful image that showcases your business idea.

Take, for example, this presentation template by Visme. It pretty much speaks for itself, narrating the business idea is related to social media scheduling.

Looking for the perfect image for your presentation? Grab one from a pool of 700+ free presentation images .

Slide 2: The Problem Your Business Solves

Dedicate your second slide to diving into the pain point your business solves. You can use facts to make things convincing. But, there’s nothing that beats a good story.

Here is an amazing business plan presentation example that does just that.

business plan presentation - The Problem Your Business Solves

Additionally, make sure you let your design do the talking. For instance, this presentation template uses a few words and pairs them with icons that explain facts.

Slide 3: Your Business’s Solution

Now that you’ve introduced the problem, give the solution.

This is the part where your story comes to its happy ending. And what’s the happy ending? Your business idea.

Again, make sure your solution-offering slide isn’t wordy, but digestible. Try a diagram or sketch to explain your idea like here.

Slide 4: Your Pricing Plan

Okay, so investors know you’ve a great idea that you’ve delivered in an even greater story format. They’re impressed. What’s next? Your pricing structure.

In your business model slide, go on to tell who your customers are, what your revenue sources are going to be, and how much you expect customers to pay for your product/service?

But, instead of writing it all, present your pricing plans in a simple-to-grasp chart.

Here’s what I mean.

Slide 5: Business Operations Information

Now is the time you give your audience an inside peep into the operating nuts and bolts of your business.

Where will your business headquarters be located? What about the staff that runs the show in the background. What equipment will you need? Answer all that in this slide.

Just make sure you offer all this info in a chart or diagram.

business plan presentation - business operation information

Slide 6: Your Marketing Plan

Next, tell your audience how you plan to market your business.

Nope, "TV and ads" is not the right answer. Instead, share your marketing plan including the channels you’ll use and how you plan to do so.

business plan presentation - marketing plan and acquisition channels

Planning to make a separate marketing presentation? Dig into this guide to create one with free templates.

Slide 7: Industry Overview

In other words, this slide is for competitor analysis. Make sure you keep it clipped and use a positive approach.

Defaming or bad-mouthing competitors won’t help. What’ll make a difference in your favor though is how well you explain your unique selling proposition (USP) or what makes your business a winner.

Share this information in a chart or outline the key pointers like this template below does.

business plan presentation - industry overview

Slide 8: Financial Projections

Time to pull out the crystal ball that shows the future!

Answer the following in this slide: what financial projections do you’ve for the next 3 years and 5 years to come. Then, explain how you reached those numbers.

Here’s a template that does that well:

Slide 9: Your Team

Here’s the part when you talk about the key players who’ll help you build your business.

See how this template intros teammates.

business plan presentation - team slide template

Slide 10: Concluding Slide

This is your last slide. It’s best to close your presentation with your contact details (check out the slide below for an idea) and a sense of urgency.

But why the urgency, you ask? Because you want to tell your audience that now is the right time for your business to enter the market.

1. Identify Your Goals

Before diving into your presentation, take a step back and clarify your purpose.

Are you seeking investment, looking for partners or pitching to potential clients. Knowing your aim helps shape your entire approach.

Then, set clear goals for your presentation. Maybe you want to secure a certain amount of funding or land a specific partnership. Having these objectives in mind keeps you focused and helps you measure success later on.

2. Research and Gather Information

Now it's time to roll up your sleeves and dig into the nitty-gritty.

Start with thorough market research—understand your industry inside out and know your competitors like the back of your hand.

Also, get a solid grasp on your target audience. Research their backgrounds, interests and what they're looking for. This insight is gold when tailoring your content.

Don't just skim the surface; dive deep. Collect hard data, compelling statistics and solid financial information that backs up your claims.

As you gather all this information, keep it organized. Use spreadsheets, mind maps or whatever system works for you. The point is to have this valuable intel at your fingertips when you need it.

For example, you can use Visme’s whiteboard tool for this purpose. Or design an engaging mind map that you can easily share with your team.

3. Outline Your Presentation Structure

Think of your presentation as a story—it needs a beginning, middle and end. And all of these parts need to flow seamlessly.

Start by mapping out the key points and sections you want to cover. Then, arrange them in a logical order that builds momentum. Make sure each section naturally leads into the next, creating a compelling narrative.

As you plan, consider how much time and emphasis each part deserves. Your game-changing product might warrant more time than your office location, for instance. A well-structured presentation keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your vision effortlessly.

Want to learn more? Here’s a detailed guide on the different types of presentation structures you might want to use for your business plan presentation.

4. Develop Your Content

Here's where you breathe life into your presentation.

Craft content that's not just informative, but captivating. Think about what makes your business unique and exciting— that's the story you want to tell.

Develop a clear, punchy value proposition that instantly communicates your worth. As you write, keep your audience in mind. What matters to them? Align your content with their interests and needs. If you need help with crafting the perfect words, use Visme’s AI Writer for assistance.

For each slide, aim for concise, impactful statements. Back up your claims with solid data and facts—investors love numbers. And while it's good to show you know your stuff with industry jargon, remember to explain complex terms. You want to impress, not confuse.

5. Design Your Slides

Now it's time to make your presentation visually appealing. If you’re using a template, choose a design theme that's professional and aligns with your business idea.

Ideally, your presentation design should be clean, modern and easy on the eyes. Use high-quality visuals, charts and graphics to illustrate your points. We’ll discuss more about how to design a business plan presentation in the next section.

Be careful not to go overboard. Keep your slides uncluttered and easy to read. A good rule of thumb is no more than six bullet points per slide. Use them to highlight key points and provide visual interest, not to display every word you're going to say.

6. Prepare Supporting Materials

Your presentation is just one part of the package. Create handouts or leave-behind documents that reinforce your key points and provide additional details. These could include executive summaries, product specifications or financial projections.

Also, develop a one-page business plan or a more detailed one for those who want to dive deeper. These materials show you're thorough and prepared, and they give interested parties something concrete to review after your presentation.

Visme offers a bunch of business plan templates to help you in that area. Here’s a business plan template you can use right away:

The best part about using Visme is you can ensure your document design is consistent with your presentation. Simply upload your brand elements like fonts, colors and logo, and our Brand Kit will apply your unique style across any project you create.

In fact, you don’t even have to manually upload anything if you’re short on time and have a website. Input your site URL into our Brand Design Tool and let the AI pull the brand elements automatically and apply them to your designs.

7. Finalize and Polish

You're almost done! But before you call it a day, revisit and fine-tune your presentation so it’s free from any potential issues. Proofread everything meticulously and check for spelling errors, consistency in formatting and accuracy in your data and projections.

Make sure all your information is up-to-date and relevant. Also, pay attention to any animations and transitions between your slides—they should be smooth and logical.

This is also a great time to get some outside perspective. Present to trusted advisors, mentors or colleagues who can give you honest, constructive feedback. They might catch things you've missed or have ideas to make your presentation even stronger.

If you’re creating your business plan presentation in Visme, you can invite team members to review your slides, leave feedback by commenting or annotating and even work on the content with you using our collaboration and workflow features.

How to Design a Business Plan Presentation with Visme

So far, you’ve learned a lot of theory on making a business plan presentation. It’s time to put all that and more into practice.

Start off with writing your content. And, go on to design your slides next.

With Visme, you’ve two ways to go about creating your presentation: either start with a template or work from the scratch.

Have you already started making your presentation in PowerPoint, but only just discovered Visme? No worries! Nobody’s going to ask you to start over.

Instead, simply follow the steps in here to import your PowerPoint presentation in Visme . Or, watch this video to understand how do so.

Now, let’s start designing.

1. Pick a Template

Visme offers templates in various categories, so you’ll be sure to find a template that fits your business idea.

For instance, here’s a business presentation template.

Here’s something for those of you with an idea in the finance sector.

Plus, a template for a product idea.

Each of the available templates are editable, which means if there’s something you want to change about it, you can easily do so.

Looking for something that takes creativity to a whole new level? Pick from one of our animated presentation templates. And if you’re short on time, you can use Visme’s AI Presentation Maker to whip up a custom design tailored to your business idea and vision.

2. Adjust the Slides

Once you’ve picked your template, click Add New Slide to bring other slides from the template into your presentation. Pick and choose any and all of the slides you need to use in your business plan presentation.

You can also bring in slides that you've previously saved to your slide library to help customize your presentation even further.

3. Customize the Template

Lastly, customize your template’s font and color.

If you already haven’t settled on your brand colors, dive into color psychology to pick colors for your presentation that inspire trust.

If you plan to power your first slide with images, you can either select images from Visme’s stock photo library or upload your own image. You can also add icons , shapes, animated graphics, illustrations, 3D characters , gestures and more to spruce up your slides.

And if you can’t find the perfect image, whip one up using the AI Image Generator or edit existing images using the AI Image Editing tool . It can unblur, upscale and remove unwanted backgrounds in seconds.

Pro Tip : Take advantage of Dynamic Fields to always keep important data like names, dates and contact information accurate. Once you've customized the fields and assigned values , your data will be pulled in throughout your project.

Alternatively, you can create your presentation from the ground up using a blank canvas or by starting with a presentation theme .

4. Download and Share

Finally, it’s time to share your business plan presentation.

You have several options to do that in Visme. Here they are:

Download: Save your presentation in PDF or PPTX (PowerPoint) format. You can also download in HTML5 (offline web) format to preserve animation and interactivity,
Share online: Publish and share your presentation online using a public or private link. No need to download any files—your presentation will be hosted on Visme.
Embed: Generate an embed code for your presentation to add it to a website or portal.

Also, fun fact: when you share your presentation online with Visme, you can track built-in analytics to understand how people are interacting with your slide deck.

With the recap out of the way, let’s talk about the fundamentals of preparing a business presentation that you need to keep front and center as you plan.

1. Draw attention to your core message.

This is the heart of any successful presentation — one that makes it a winner. To ensure your message comes off coherently, explain your business idea to yourself.

The stronger your grip on your idea, the better you’d be able to explain it in a few sentences, or paragraphs at most.

In other words, make sure you can summarize your plans into an elevator pitch. Also, don’t forget, use simple language — can a child understand your business idea? If so, you’re in the right direction.

2. Make your slides easy to read and understand.

If a clear message is the heart of a prizewinning (read: investor winning) presentation, good readability and ease in understanding are the lungs, working to keep your presentation alive and breathing.

The question now is, how do you go about creating digestible slides? Here are a couple of things that can help.

3. Stick to one or two fonts.

Garamond, Helvetica and Gill Sans are some of the best fonts to use in a presentation .

And while you’re at it, select a readable font size. 30 points is a good benchmark size to keep in mind like we discussed above.

Take a look at how well the font size is adjusted in this template. The changing font size also creates a visual flow that navigates viewers’ attention.

business plan presentation - use readable fonts like in this template

4. Pick a nice color scheme.

Know those bright colors that hurt the eye and are hard to look at? Steer away from them. A subtle color combination works best like in the Visme presentation template below.

5. Use minimal text.

To do so, read each word carefully and ask yourself: can I do just fine without this word? If you find yourself replying in the affirmative to this question, remove the word. In short, make each word earn its keep.

Here’s a template using only as many words as needed to get the message across.

6. Pay attention to the visual elements in each slide.

The goal is simple: you’ve got to use design elements smartly without overdoing them. Sure, you’ve heard a picture is worth a thousand words, but nailing visual components in your presentation can take some effort.

Put another way, it isn’t about throwing in a bunch of thumbnail images and icons to each slide and calling it a day. Instead, it’s about adding them thoughtfully so they’re impactful rather than extra baggage.

Check out this template from Visme to get an idea of what we’re talking about here.

On the whole, aim to create a business plan presentation that’s readable, comprehensible and clutter-free.

Before we wrap this up, here are some tips to help you deliver more memorable presentations:

Keep Your Presentation Concise

Short, powerful messages leave a far deeper impression than long, rambling presentations.

Follow the 9-minute rule —originally for salespeople but equally valuable for presenters—to deliver more impactful presentations.

Aim to deliver 2-3 slides per minute, keeping your key points within about 9 minutes. This helps maintain your audience’s attention and ensures your core message is communicated without overwhelming the listeners with excessive information.

Add Interactivity to Your Presentation

Breathe life into your business presentations and stand out by incorporating interactive elements, such as animated icons, popups, clickable buttons, embedded videos and more.

Interested in creating an interactive business presentation? Here are 20 tips to get you started.

You can also take a look at how to create an interactive quiz within your presentation below.

Create engaging interactive content with Visme.

Add interactive pop-ups and hover effects
Increase interest and engagement on your design
Lead your audience to specific content with interactivity

Pay Attention to Your Presentation’s Design

Not only is visual design an important component of any presentation , but it’s also what hooks your audience. It takes about 50 milliseconds for your audience to assess a design’s visual appeal so aim to leave a strong visual impression.

Use a powerful image as this template does.

Or try a color-based design with a modern layout like the one in this business presentation template:

Incorporate Data Visualization

Wherever possible, use any of the various chart types at your disposal to present your data. These could be line or bar graphs, pie charts, Gantt charts, Venn diagrams, pictograms, population pyramids and much more.

But why should you use charts to share your data? Simple: data visualization makes complex numbers easy to understand at a glance and more interesting to look at.

Check out this funnel chart template by Visme that you can add to your business plan presentation:

Or this cool gauge chart to track the achievements of your sales staff:

With a few clicks of a button, add creative infographics to your Visme presentations and take them to a whole new level.

Q. How Many Slides Does Your Business Presentation Need?

Aim for 10-12 slides in your business presentation. This aligns with Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule: 10 slides max, presented in 20 minutes, using at least 30-point font. This approach helps you stay focused and keep your audience hooked to your presentation till the end.

Made with Visme Infographic Maker

If absolutely necessary, you can stretch to 13 slides, but try not to go beyond this to prevent overwhelming your audience. Remember, a concise presentation often has more impact than a lengthy one.

Create a Business Plan Presentation That Wins Investors

Creating a business plan presentation really isn’t much of a tough nut to crack. Consider half your work done if you’re cent percent clear about your business idea. This way your presentation’s content will come easy to you.

As for the design? Leave that to Visme. Our online presentation software makes it easy to create a beautiful and professional business plan presentation that leaves a solid impression on your audience.

Use features like built-in graphics, custom 3D characters, animations, branding and AI-powered tools to create the best business plan presentation you could envision.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Masooma Memon is a pizza-loving freelance writer by day and a novel nerd by night. She crafts research-backed, actionable blog posts for SaaS and marketing brands who aim to employ quality content to educate and engage with their audience.

How to Make a Killer Business Plan Presentation (+Templates)

Learn how to make a business plan presentation with tips for slide design, structure, and engaging examples, as well as templates to bring your vision to life.

7 minute read

How to make a business plan presentation

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What slides should a business plan presentation include?

Opening slide
Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Business overview
The challenge you're addressing
Market analysis
Your solution
Marketing and sales strategy
Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Team composition
Funding request and allocation

Your business plan presentation needs to be as strong as your idea

Having a well-crafted business plan is crucial, but if it's not presented effectively, it's like having a treasure map that no one can read.

Even the best ideas can fall flat if they're not communicated clearly, potentially burying your chance of getting your business off the ground.

Remember, presenting a business plan is more than just sharing facts and figures. It's about engaging your audience, whether they're investors or stakeholders, and making them believe in your vision.

But don't worry, you're not alone in this. This guide is here to help you master the art of business plan presentation. You'll learn how to structure your presentation, design slides that captivate, and conclude in a way that leaves a lasting impact and drives action.

Let's dive in!

What to include in a business plan presentation?

A business plan presentation is your chance to delve deep, showcasing not just the what and the how, but also the why of your business. It's your strategic playbook that can persuade investors, guide your team, and set the foundation for your business's success.

11 essential slides of a business plan presentation:

Opening slide: Set the tone with an engaging first impression.

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Define what sets your business apart.

Business overview: Offer a concise snapshot of your company.

The challenge you're addressing: Describe the problem your business solves.

Market analysis: Demonstrate your understanding of the industry and market trends.

Your solution: Detail how your product or service addresses the problem you’ve identified.

Marketing and sales strategy: Outline your approach to winning and keeping customers.

Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Specify your objectives and how you’ll measure success.

Team composition: Introduce key team members, their roles, and expertise.

Funding request and allocation: Explain your financial requirements and how the funds will be utilized.

Next steps: Guide the reader on the next steps after reviewing your plan, whether it's a meeting request, further discussion, or a specific action you want them to take.

What does a business plan presentation look like?

In today's fast-paced business world, static business plan presentations are losing their edge. Imagine having to constantly pinch and zoom on a mobile device just to see the details. It's frustrating and distracting.

People also get disengaged when faced with walls of text. They're there to hear a story, not read a novel.

Interactive presentations, on the other hand, bring your business plan to life. They encourage audience participation, adapt to the flow of discussion, and make complex ideas more digestible and memorable.

You can see what an interactive business plan presentation looks like below:

How to turn a business plan into a presentation

Transforming your business plan into a presentation is a crucial step in bringing your vision to life. It's not just about having a plan; it's about presenting it in a way that resonates with investors and partners.

Start by distilling the essence of your plan, focusing on key points like your mission, market analysis, and financial projections. Use engaging visuals and a clear narrative to make complex information accessible.

For detailed insights on how to write a business plan , check out our guide.

How to make a business plan presentation in 6 easy steps

Crafting a business plan is about blending vision and strategy into a narrative that captivates your audience. With Storydoc's AI business presentation maker, creating this narrative becomes intuitive and easy.

In the guide below, we'll show you how to turn your plan into an engaging presentation in 6 simple steps. Stick around to see how seamlessly Storydoc can bring your business story to life.

1) Describe your presentation’s objective

Kick things off by sharing with our AI the type of business plan you're looking to create. This is like setting the GPS for your journey, ensuring every part of your plan is aligned with your end goal.

2) Give an overview of yourself, your organization, and your offering

Introduce the essence of your business - who you are, what your company stands for, and the unique value of what you offer. This sets the stage for a personalized and relevant presentation.

Introduce yourself to Storydoc's AI assistant

3) Select a suitable design template

Dive into our collection of design templates and pick one that resonates with your business's personality.

4) Tailor your business plan presentation to your needs

Now, here’s where you add your personal touch. Fill in your details, tweak the design, and watch the magic happen as the template adapts to your content. This is where your business plan presentation starts to take on a life of its own.

Then, you can either upload your own multimedia elements or sit back as our AI assistant generates some for you.

Customizable Storydoc multimedia presentation

5) Add personalized elements

Next up, sprinkle in some personalization. It works just like personalizing a newsletter - you can insert dynamic variables that automatically fill up with your recipient's data.

This level of customization not only makes your presentation feel tailor-made for each reader but also adds a layer of engagement. As a matter of fact, it can get 68% more people to read your deck in full , and share it internally 2.3x more often!

Personalized Storydoc multimedia presentation

6) Review and refine your business plan presentation

Finally, take a step back and review your plan. Ensure it looks good, flows well, and clearly conveys your message.

The beauty of Storydoc is that it's a living document – if you spot a mistake or need to update information after sharing, you can. You're in control, ensuring your audience always sees the most polished and up-to-date version of your business plan presentation.

Business plan design principles to turn average into impressive

Designing a business plan presentation is about more than just putting words on a page; it's about creating an experience that captures and holds attention. In today's digital age, the way you present your plan can be just as important as the content itself.

Let's explore how to design a business plan presentation that stands out in the modern business landscape.

1) Move from static to interactive

Gone are the days of static, text-heavy business plan presentations. Today's plans are interactive, engaging readers with clickable elements, dynamic charts, and even embedded videos.

This interactivity not only makes your plan more interesting but also allows readers to engage with the content in a more meaningful way.

Here's a great example of an interactive business plan presentation:

2) Use scroll-based design

Forget the hassle of pinching and zooming on a PDF. A scroll-based design, similar to a modern website, offers a fluid reading experience.

It's straightforward and aligns with how we naturally consume content online, making your business plan presentation easier and more enjoyable to read.

Here's an example of scroll-based design:

3) Make sure your business plan presentation is mobile-friendly

With so many people reading on their phones, your business plan presenttion needs to look good on any device.

Responsive design means your plan is easily readable on a phone, tablet, or computer, ensuring that your message is clear no matter how your audience accesses it.

4) Shift from local files to online documents

Step away from traditional Word docs or PDFs and embrace online documents. They're great for sharing, updating in real time, and collaborating with others.

Plus, they're accessible from anywhere, which is perfect for busy investors who are always on the move.

For more information, check out our comparison of the best business plan document types .

5) Embrace visual storytelling

Use visuals like infographics and charts to tell your business's story. They can turn complex data into easy-to-understand, engaging information. A well-placed visual can often do a better job of explaining your points than text alone.

Here's a great example of visual storytelling:

Business plan visual storytelling example

Best business plan software

Selecting the right tool to create your business plan presentation is vital for any startup. To ease your journey, I've compiled a list of the top business plan software, each designed to cater to different needs.

From comprehensive platforms guiding you step-by-step to dynamic tools that add interactive elements to your presentation, there's something for every entrepreneur.

The best business plan software currently available:

LivePlan.com

BizPlan.com

Upmetrics.co

GoSmallBiz.com

Business Sorter

MAUS Master Plan Lean

For a deep dive into each tool and to find the one that best fits your business's needs, explore our detailed guide to the best business plan software .

Interactive business plan presentation templates

The pressure to get your business plan presentation right can be overwhelming. After all, in many cases, you only get one shot to impress.

These business plan presentation templates offer a framework that takes care of the structure and design, allowing you to focus solely on fleshing out your strategy.

Whether you're pitching to investors, partners, or stakeholders, these templates give you the confidence that your plan is presented in the best possible light.

Grab one and see for yourself.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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The Easy Guide to Making a Business Plan Presentation

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

That’s why a business plan is crucial to your business. If you want to make sure that the promising business idea in your head is feasible, you have to start with a business plan .

Visuals make anything easier to understand. That’s why including them in your business plan presentation is a foolproof way to ensure that it’s readily welcomed by your audience and digested without confusion.

By no means is this business plan template limited to presentations; you can also include these diagrams in your business plan documents to make them more readable.

Following are downloadable Simple Business Plan Templates

Business Plan Template PDF
Business Plan Template Word
Business Plan Template PowerPoint

What is a Business Plan?

Benefits of using a business plan presentation, executive summary, company profile, customer profiles.

Perpetual Map
Porter’s Five Forces

SWOT Analysis

Pest analysis, competitor profile.

Competitive Intelligence

Marketing and Sales Strategies

Organizational structure and management, product canvas, value proposition canvas.

Financial plan

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Business Plan Presentation

Faqs about business plan presentations, want to extend the guide to creating a business plan presentation.

Let’s start by clarifying the business plan definition.

A business plan is a document that describes your business in terms of what it does, the products and services it offers, your business strategy and business goals, and your action plan outlining how you plan to achieve your goals and earn money.

The main purposes of a business plan are to

Show the future financial performance of the company and its economic situation for the owners and investors.
Help identify risks that may affect the growth of the company and provide strategies to overcome them.
Help make predictions about market trends, competitor behavior, customer requirements and define and prioritize key business objectives .
Serve as a key resource for developing budgets

Clarity and Communication

A business plan presentation helps you communicate your business idea, goals, and strategies with clarity. It allows you to distill complex information into concise and visually appealing slides, making it easier for your audience to understand and grasp the key points. Presenting your business plan in a structured and organized manner enhances clarity and ensures that your message is effectively communicated.

Engaging and Persuasive

A well-designed and well-delivered business plan presentation can be highly engaging and persuasive. By using visual aids, such as graphs, charts, and images, you can capture the attention of your audience and create a memorable impact. Effective storytelling and compelling visuals can help you convey the value proposition of your business, showcase market opportunities, and convince investors, stakeholders, or potential partners to support your venture.

Feedback and Interaction

Presenting your business plan allows you to receive immediate feedback and engage in discussions with your audience. This feedback can be invaluable in refining your business strategy , identifying potential gaps or weaknesses, and addressing questions or concerns. The interactive nature of a presentation enables you to have a dialogue, gather insights, and build relationships with key stakeholders. It also provides an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, passion, and confidence, which can further strengthen your credibility and increase the likelihood of securing support or funding for your business.

The Key Elements of a Business Plan

A business plan should contain the following key components.

Executive summary
Company profile
Market analysis
Marketing and sales strategies
Organizational structure and management
Services and products

Although this comes first, it’s smarter to write it at the end. The executive summary of your business plan should explain what is great about your business model and its products or services.

It should be concise and appealing to the reader. And it’s easier to write a meaningful summary once you have filled in the rest of your plan.

Your company profile should provide details on,

Company history
Overview of the company
Mission Statement
Key resources
Business contact information
Products or services
Location details
The market you serve
Your key customers
The customer issue you seek to solve

All these details can be presented in a much nicer way with an infographic like the one below. It’s easier to read and understand and more compact and clearer than paragraphs of detail.

Market Analysis

Through a market analysis , you can find enough detail to define your target market, its size, customer segments, and their needs.

Your market analysis should also include a competitor analysis, where you will research your key competitors in terms of their influence in the market, their strengths and weaknesses, the threats they pose to you, their products and services, their pricing plans, their marketing strategies etc.

Some visual techniques you can use in this section to present your data are

These aptly summarize all your findings on your customers such as their demographic details, jobs, responsibilities, needs, challenges etc.

Perceptual Map

This tool helps you depict and analyze how your (potential) target customer perceives the brands or products of your competitors. It helps you make sense of your product or service’s competitive positioning through the survey data at your hand.

Porter’s Five Forces

This tool is used to assess your business competitive strength and position against your competitors. Using it you can understand whether your new product or service is profitable.

SWOT analysis is a great way to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and the opportunities and threats they bring to you within the industry. You can also use it to assess the capabilities of your own company.

SWOT Analysis Template for Business Plan

More on SWOT Analysis: What, Why and How to Use Them Effectively

PEST stands for Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural and Technological factors. It’s a great way to examine how the external forces in your market can impact your company. It will also help you shape your marketing strategy and develop your risk management plan.

View More More on SWOT Analysis: PEST Analysis Tools

All the details you have gathered on your competitors, such as their sales numbers, strategies, partners, suppliers etc. can be organized here. It’s a great way to prepare your competitor analysis data to be added to your business plan presentation.

View More Competitor Analysis Tools

Competitive Intelligence Mind Map

Or you can convey these data in a mind map. You can use Creately Viewer to add this to your online documents, websites, intranet, Wiki, or business plan presentations. This way you can view any links included in the mind map and navigate through it easily.

Competitor Intelligence Mind Map Template

You can learn how to use these tools along with other useful techniques in more detail in;

View More Market Strategy Planning Tools

This is where you outline how you plan to market and sell your product. It’s easier to do now as you have extensive knowledge about your market, target customer and your competitors.

With your marketing strategy, you have to consider factors like your marketing or communication channels, marketing goals, marketing budgets, resources etc.

With your sales plan , pay attention to your sales targets, sales tools, resources etc.

You can use mind maps to visualize all this data to your audience. You can either use two mind maps to outline your sales and marketing strategies separately or a single mind map to showcase both.

Marketing and Sales Plan Template

If you want separate a marketing plan and sales plan, check out the templates below,

Marketing Plan Template for Business Plan Presentation
Sales Plan Template for Business Plan Presentation

Who are the key personnel involved in your organization? List them down in this section along with their expertise.

Use an organizational chart to represent your team, their roles and skills. It can help you highlight the hierarchy of your organizational structure as well.

Organizational Structure for Business Plan Presentation

Services and Products

This section explains your services or products and how they can benefit the customers. Here are some visualizations you can use to make this section more interesting to your audience.

Product canvas is a tool used to map, design and describe your product strategy. It takes into consideration your target audience, the important features of your product decided by storyboards , epics, design sketches, mockups , and the tasks you need to carry out to build the product.

Learn about this in more detail here .

It’s a tool you can use to ensure that your product or service fits the requirements of your customer. It helps you look into

The value you can deliver to the customer via your product or service
Which customer problems/s that you are trying to solve
Which is the job that your product helps the customer to finish
Which customer needs you are satisfying
What are the different products you are offering to each customer segment

Value Proposition Canvas for Business Plan

Financial Plan

This is the section where you provide all financial information related to your business. This section is required if you are presenting your business plan to investors.

It will include both historical data such as cash flow statements,profit and loss statements, income statements etc. and financial projections based on the impact of your new product.

If you are pitching a new product to your investors, you may also want to include your funding requirements.

For a business plan presentation, you can use a digital database of your financial information with a simple Creately mind map. You can link up all your financial statements on your mind map.

This way anyone who refers to the mind map can easily access the linked resources from one single place.

Overloading with Information

One of the most common mistakes is including too much information on each slide. This overwhelms the audience and makes it difficult for them to follow along. Keep your slides concise and focused on key points. Use bullet points or visuals to convey information effectively.

Lack of Visual Appeal

A presentation that lacks visual appeal can fail to engage the audience. Avoid using too much text and opt for visually appealing elements such as images, graphs, and charts. Use a consistent color scheme and fonts that are easy to read. Make sure your visuals support your message rather than distract from it.

Ignoring the Audience’s Needs

It’s essential to consider the needs and interests of your audience when creating a presentation. Tailor your content to address their concerns and provide relevant information. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may not understand. Focus on presenting the most compelling aspects of your business plan that align with their interests.

Lack of Practice and Rehearsal

Presenting a business plan without sufficient practice and rehearsal can lead to a lack of confidence and a disjointed delivery. Practice your presentation multiple times to become familiar with the content, timing, and transitions. Rehearse in front of a mirror or a small audience to receive feedback and improve your delivery.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create a compelling and effective presentation that effectively communicates your business plan to your audience.

In this post we have explained how to create a business plan presentation step-by-step. Make use of the templates that are provided to make your presentation more eye-catching and easy-to-understand.

Here are some more tips on making your presentation a hit.

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How long should a business plan presentation be?

Should i include all the details of my business plan in the presentation, more related articles.

Process Mapping Guide: Definition, How-to and Best Practices

Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

Home Powerpoint Business Simple Business Plan PowerPoint Templates

Simple Business Plan PowerPoint Templates

Create future goal presentations with our simple business plan PowerPoint Template. The presenters can transmit business ideas and solutions with clarity and professionalism. This is a business slide deck that is designed to help you convey your business strategy, goals, and financial projections without boring your viewers. If you want to avoid yawns, you should have a captivating PowerPoint design enriched with color and design aesthetics. This business plan presentation has an alluring two-tone color background and thematic conceptual frameworks to deliver the overall business strategy and plan you have prepared for future years.  

The Template Presentation Business Plan presents your business plan professionally to attract potential investors. A business plan is a blueprint of your strategic marketing and sales initiatives so you should explain these roadmaps during your investment meetings. It allows you to outline your business goals, strategies and action plans for internal stakeholders as well. You can make financial projections, revenue models, and budget allocations with this slide deck. Besides, the users can present market research, target audience, and competitive analysis reports. Detail your business operations, organizational structure and key milestones with this business plan ppt deck.

This Business Plan Template in PowerPoint is perfect for new business owners looking to present their business ideas to investors, partners, or banks. It helps consultants and advisors to add their business promotion strategies to convince their clients. Corporate executives, marketing teams, and business students can use this for a variety of purposes. Its compatibility with both PowerPoint and Google Slides ensures that you can work seamlessly across different platforms, enhancing your productivity and flexibility.

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Other user cases of the template:, can i customize the powerpoint templates to match my branding.

Yes, all our PowerPoint templates are fully customizable, allowing you to edit colors, fonts, and content to align with your branding and messaging needs.

Will your templates work with my version of PowerPoint?

Yes, our templates are compatible with various versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, ensuring smooth usage regardless of your software version.

What software are these templates compatible with?

Our templates work smoothly with Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. Moreover, they’re compatible with Apple Keynote, LibreOffice Impress, Zoho Show, and more, ensuring flexibility across various presentation software platforms.

60+ Best Business Plan PowerPoint (PPT) Templates 2024

So you’re starting your own business, and one of the many steps in your exciting journey is putting together a business plan, which you’ll then be presenting to investors, clients, lenders, and other stakeholders. Sounds daunting, right? Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to worry about putting together an incredible presentation from scratch, and could simply use your time to focus on the stuff that matters?

Your wish is our command – we’ve curated a list of the best free and premium business plan templates for PowerPoint, all available for instant download, and all fully customizable in PowerPoint with no technical design knowledge required! Simply choose your favorite design and then replace the content with your own, and boom – a stunning business plan presentation, ready to go.

Let’s take a look at the business plan presentation templates we’ve chosen for you.

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The X Note Template

Clean Business PPT

Analysiz Powerpoint

Ciri PPT Template

Agency Portfolio PPT

Bolo PPT Template

Yellow purple business plan powerpoint template.

This PowerPoint template will allow you to design business plan slideshows for various brands and companies. It comes with a modern and stylish design that will effectively highlight your content. There are 30 unique slide layouts in this template.

Gescaft – Business Plan PowerPoint Template

The clean and professional design of this template makes it a great choice for making business plan presentations for agencies, small businesses, and even startups. The template lets you choose from 36 slides that are available in 3 different color themes.

Simple Business Plan PowerPoint Template

If you prefer PowerPoint slideshows with simple designs, this one is for you. It includes more than 30 different slides with fully customizable layouts. There are device mockups, infographics, and vector icons all across the slideshow.

Examine – Business Plan Presentation Template

This is one of the most professional-looking business plan templates on our list. Each slide in this presentation features a clean design with modern layouts. There are 30 editable slides in the template. And it comes in Google Slides and PowerPoint formats.

Multipurpose Business Plan PowerPoint Template

You can use this PowerPoint template to make business plan slideshows for all kinds of businesses and companies. It includes more than 50 unique slides featuring infographics, charts, graphs, and much more.

Buladiq – Business Marketing Plan PowerPoint Template

With this PowerPoint template, you can design colorful and creative marketing plans for your business. It can also be customized to create business plans as well. There are 30 unique slides in this template with editable graphics and free fonts.

LEBON – Business Strategy Plan PPT Templates

You can use this PowerPoint template to design business plans and strategy presentations to showcase your plan for growing your company. The template comes with many useful items such as data charts, gallery slides, and 26 unique slide designs to choose from.

Simple Business Plan Presentation Template

The simple and clean design of this PowerPoint template will allow you to design more professional-looking business plan presentations. There are 24 different slides included in this template with easily editable colors and graphics.

Verzus – Minimal Business Plan PowerPoint Template

This PowerPoint business plan template is ideal for modern brands and agencies. It features a highly visual and colorful design with a minimalist content layout. The template has more than 30 unique slides, which you can customize however you like.

Business Plan PowerPoint Presentation Template

With 33 unique slides to choose from, this business plan template is ideal for crafting presentations for modern brands and startups. It lets you customize the design of the slides using 20 color themes and an icon pack featuring over 4K icons.

Clean PowerPoint Business Plan Template

Looking for a business plan template with a clean and minimal design? Then this PPT template is for you. It includes 30 unique slides with easily editable layouts. You can even add colors if you want to.

Creative Business Plan PowerPoint PPT

This PowerPoint template will allow you to design a colorful slideshow to showcase your business plan. There are 30 unique slides in this template with editable graphics, mockups, vector icons, and a few infographics.

Fritz – Dark Business Plan PowerPoint Template

The dark and bold design of this business plan template makes it a great choice for crafting presentations for technology brands and businesses. The template has 30 slides with modern designs that you can easily customize to your preference.

Minimal Business Plan PowerPoint PPT Template

Looking for a business plan template with a minimal design? Then start with this PowerPoint template. This template uses fewer colors and elements to give full attention to the content of each slide. Of course, you can edit to change colors as well.

Business Plan – Modern PowerPoint Template

A business plan presentation has to be bold and unique to attract the attention of your audience. With this PowerPoint template, you can easily achieve that goal. The template features 25 different slide layouts with a dark color theme and fully customizable designs.

Modern Business PowerPoint Presentation Template

If you want to use a minimal and clean layout for your business plan slideshow, this PowerPoint template will come in handy. It features 30 unique slides with modern and minimal designs. The template also includes image placeholders and editable vector graphics.

Marketing Plan – PowerPoint Business Plan Template

This PowerPoint template is perfect for making a marketing plan presentation for brands and businesses. The template comes with 25 different slide layouts with changeable colors, editable shapes, fonts, and much more.

Clean Business Plan PowerPoint Presentation Template

Whether you want to create a business plan or company profile presentation, this PowerPoint template can handle them all. It includes more than 20 unique slides with multipurpose layouts. You can edit and customize them to create many different types of presentations with ease.

Planr – Business Plan Workflow Powerpoint Template

This is a unique PowerPoint template you can use to outline the workflow of your business plan in a very detailed and visual way. It lets you choose from 30 different slide layouts to create a compelling presentation to showcase your business plans.

Modern Business Plan PowerPoint Template

If you are looking for a professional and modern business plan template, you’re in for a treat. It comes with 100 unique slides and a wealth of features that should really be seen in order to be fully appreciated.

Arunika – Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Arunika is a versatile business plan template that is an ideal choice for virtually any corporate or industry under the sun. It offers 30 editable slides and a range of features for you to take advantage of.

Point Plan PowerPoint Template

Check out this beautifully designed business plan template that is perfect for a professional presentation. It contains 30 neat and uncluttered slides, free fonts, editable icons, graphics, and colors.

ICO Business Plan PowerPoint Template

One of the best business plan ppt examples for a minimal and stylish presentation is the ICO theme from Envato Elements, a collection of 40+ modern and creative slides with a simple and elegant design that offers 10 premade color schemes and a range of high-quality vector-based graphics.

Classic Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Next in our lineup of the best business plan templates for PowerPoint is an ultra-modern design that’s ideal for a corporate firm or professional services company. It comes with more than 100 unique slides and includes vector icons and free fonts for your use.

B-Plan PowerPoint Template

Our next business plan template for PowerPoint is a series of 250 modern slides in a high definition widescreen size format with thousands of icons and hundreds of vector shapes included. It also features an impressive set of 5 different color schemes to choose from!

Basic Business Plan Template PPT

If you’re looking for a simple, easy to edit base for your business plan PowerPoint presentation, consider this template of basic slides featuring clean, modern design elements, easy to use customization options, and a range of icons, fonts, and animations to help you add a bit of interest.

Modern Business Plan Template PPT

Here we have an ultra-modern and professional-looking set of slides that are super easy to customize and offer a clean, creative aesthetic with a strong focus on typography and usability, plus a range of prebuilt slide layouts. It’s a great business plan PPT for any product or business idea.

Multipurpose Business Plan Template PPT

The next in our premium selection of business plan PowerPoint templates is this modern, multipurpose option that’s fully editable, easy to customize, and comes with a total of 150 slides to choose from, including five different color schemes and a clean, minimal design.

Minaski Startup Business Plan Template PPT

Next up is Minaski, a beautifully crafted business plan template for PowerPoint that’s been specifically designed for startup companies to use for their business plan presentation. It includes 100 unique slides with two color variations, and image placeholders with drag and drop functionality for easy editing.

UpTwo Business Plan Template PPT

Looking for colorful, eye-catching business plan PPT examples? This modern and engaging option is a brilliant choice, and offers three premade color themes, dark and light backgrounds, widescreen and standard sizing formats, animation settings, and drag and drop picture placeholders, making it super easy to adapt for your own needs.

Creative Business Plan Template PPT

This highly professional and creative PowerPoint template has been designed based on real-life business plans and includes all of the slides you’d need when documenting your startup or company plan. It comes with an incredible total of 700 slides, including 10 color variations and a library of 4000 vector icons to help you customize.

Dots Business Plan Template PPT

The Dots business plan template PowerPoint is a great choice for any kind of modern business. It comes with 250 unique slides, 20 premade color schemes, light and dark backgrounds, and a comprehensive range of purpose-built layouts, as well as fully editable graphics and drag and drop images.

Bold Business Plan Template PPT

One of the most versatile business plan PPT examples, our next template features 30 unique slides in a high definition 16:9 aspect ratio format, with free fonts and icons and a range of customization options to help you add your own personal touch. It also includes a range of useful layouts and slide styles.

Corporate Business Plan Template PPT

Looking for a business plan PowerPoint that’s suitable for a corporate presentation? This template is perfect – it comes with a huge range of 350 purpose-built slides, offering 5 color schemes to choose from and a variety of slide layouts that are all ready for you to populate with your own text and images.

Vision Business Plan Template PPT

Ideal as a business plan PowerPoint template for a startup company or new business, our next option features 40 unique slides with 10 color schemes, dark and light variations, editable vector graphics, and image placeholders that make customization a breeze.

Lumeta Business Plan Template PPT

Another to add to your list of amazing startup business plan PPT examples, the Lumeta template is a professionally designed set of 100 unique slides that require little customization and includes a range of high-quality vector graphics and a high definition widescreen format for a polished look.

Clean Business Plan Template PPT

Here we have a great business plan PPT for any product, featuring a clean, simple design with minimal distraction, ensuring that the focus is entirely on your pitch. It includes a comprehensive selection of prebuilt slides that are ideal for putting together a professional and detailed business plan presentation that’s sure to impress.

Octave Business Plan Template PPT

The Octave business plan template for PowerPoint is a 60-slide series of highly functional layouts that will help you create the perfect business plan presentation within any industry. It offers drag and drop images, 10 premade color schemes, and fully editable graphics for complete control over your design.

Papiere Goldy Business Plan Template PPT

Next up, we have Papiere Goldy, a stylish, minimal template that combines modern, professional design elements with a subtle vintage vibe that’s brilliant for presenting a business plan for any creative or offbeat business. It includes 50 unique slides that can all be fully customized.

Canopoly Business Plan Template PPT

Bright, bold, and ready to impress – that’s what the Canopoly business plan PowerPoint template is all about. With 80 different layouts, 15 color schemes, light and dark backgrounds, and free fonts to choose from, it’s never been so easy to create a professional-looking business plan presentation.

Infographic Business Plan Template PPT

If you want to include infographics in your business plan PowerPoint presentation, consider this impressive template that’s super flexible and easy to edit. It offers a total of 400 slides, with vector icons, elements, and maps at your disposal, as well as free fonts and five different color options.

Stylish Business Plan PowerPoint Template

This multipurpose business plan presentation deck not only grabs the attention of your audience but also effectively communicates the information you’re sharing.

Coreplan – Business Plan Template PPT

Business Plan Presentation PowerPoint Template

The Coreplan Presentation Template for Microsoft PowerPoint is a modern and sleek professional presentation that will give a boost to your business meetings and lectures. It contains 42 beautifully designed slides that can be easily edited and adjusted to suit all of your professional and business needs.

Biz Plan Business Plan Template PPT

The Biz Plan template is the last premium business plan PowerPoint in our list and offers a total of 150 slides with 5 color variations, section break slides, handcrafted infographics, and pixel perfect illustrations, ideal for new businesses in any industry or sector that are needing to gain traction.

Croners – Business PowerPoint Template

Consider Croners for a clean and elegant presentation. This PowerPoint template while having a minimalistic design, will surely leave a long-lasting impression on your clients, and help you seal the deal you have worked extremely hard for.

Expertize – Professional PowerPoint Template

Expertize is a modern and sophisticated PowerPoint template for businesses wanting to emphasize more on the content and less on the design. The template although oozes simplicity in each of its 36 slides, manages to engross the audience in an instant.

Danu – Business PowerPoint Template

Danu is a clean, professional, and multipurpose PowerPoint template that can be put to use for a variety of purposes from pitch deck and company profile, to startup investment presentation and personal portfolio.

Blast Business PowerPoint Template

The “Blast” is one of the most stylish professional PowerPoint templates we’ve seen and features modern, minimalistic design elements laid out in a professional and visually appealing way. With 30 unique slides and five different colorways included, however, you’ve got plenty of room to be creative.

3D Diagram Business PowerPoint Template

If you’re looking for an infographic presentation that really stands out, check out this modern and professional 3D diagram ppt containing 30 unique slides that can be completely edited to your heart’s content.

Bonus: Free Business Plan PowerPoint (PPT) Templates

We will now feature some more B-plan PPT templates. All these themes are absolutely free for you to download. Let’s dive in:

Free Startup Business Plan PowerPoint Template

This free PowerPoint template features a modern and minimal design for crafting professional business plan slideshows on a budget. It’s ideal for startups, small businesses, and agencies in the in various industries. There are 37 slides in the template.

#1 Business Plan Free PowerPoint Template

If you want to design a more colorful and creative business plan presentation, this free PowerPoint template is for you. It comes with 35 unique slide layouts with colorful designs. You can also edit and change the colors as well.

Free Interior Studio Business Plan PPT Template

This free PowerPoint business plan template is designed with architecture firms and interior design studios in mind. But, you can repurpose it to create presentations for other businesses. It has 20 unique slide layouts.

Free Modern Business Plan PowerPoint Template

You can design highly visual and attractive business plan presentations using this free PowerPoint template. It comes with 20 slides featuring content layouts full of image placeholders.

Free Sales Account Business Plan PPT Template

You can use this free PowerPoint template to design a business plan related to your company sales accounts. There are 36 unique slides in this template with beautiful gradient colors and editable graphics.

Free Business Financial Plan PowerPoint Template

This free PowerPoint template is also ideal for making financial plans for your business and brand. It has modern and stylish slide layouts featuring free fonts and editable vector graphics. The template includes 35 slides.

Inspire – Free Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Get your hands on Inspire, a captivating business plan template that you’ll be hard-pressed to not consider. It consists of everything you’d expect in a professional and eye-catching template. It’s free and up for grabs!

Free Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Here we have a flexible and multipurpose business template that fits right into your needs. It provides you with a range of slides and amazing options that will make customization a breeze. With this template in your resource kit, the only limit you have for creating a stunning presentation is your creativity!

Free Strategic Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Our next business plan template for PowerPoint is the Strategic business plan theme, featuring 25 modern and simple slides that are fully customisable and easy to edit, and includes a 16:9 widescreen layout and premade slides for images, tables, flowcharts and graphs to help you present your case.

Investment Free Business Plan PowerPoint Template

Here we have another super professional option that’s suitable for a corporate audience, particularly in the finance and investment industries. This template consists of 30 unique and fully editable slides with five businesslike colour schemes, and is available as a free download from SlidesGo.

Free Colourful Business Plan Template PPT

Here we have a business plan template for PowerPoint that offers 48 slides with a bright, colorful design that’s ideal for any type of business, and can be customized accordingly. It’s available as a free download from Free PowerPoint Templates Design.

Free Voonex Business Plan Template PPT

Next up, we have Voonex, a professionally designed business plan template that’s incredibly easy to customize, and features a versatile color scheme of blue, grey, and white. This template can be downloaded for free from PresentationGO.

Free Tech Startup Business Plan Template PPT

Our last business plan template PowerPoint is a free download from SlidesGo, and as the name suggests, it’s perfect for a tech startup. It includes several stunning color schemes and a futuristic, flat design that’s ideal for a communications and technology business.

And with that, we’ve just made your business planning journey slightly easier, by providing a range of free and premium business plan template PowerPoint for you to download and customize straight away, ready for those all-important business plan presentations!

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9 Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Own (2024)

Need support creating your business plan? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration and guidance.

a stock of books on purple background representing business plan examples

Any aspiring entrepreneur researching how to start a business will likely be advised to write a business plan. But few resources provide business plan examples to really guide you through writing one of your own.

Here are some real-world and illustrative business plan examples to help you craft your business plan .

Business plan format: 9 examples

The business plan examples in this article follow this template:

Executive summary
Company description
Market analysis
Products and services
Marketing plan
Logistics and operations plan
Financial plan
Customer segmentation

1. Executive summary

Your executive summary is a page that gives a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. While it appears at the beginning, it’s easiest to write this section last, as there are details further in the report you’ll need to include here.

In this free business plan template , the executive summary is four paragraphs and takes a little over half a page. It clearly and efficiently communicates what the business does and what it plans to do, including its business model and target customers.

Executive summary for Paw Print Post detailing the business model and target customers.

2. Company description

You might repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page , social media profile pages, or other properties that require a boilerplate description of your small business.

Soap brand ORRIS has a blurb on its About page that could easily be repurposed for the company description section of its business plan.

ORRIS homepage promoting cleaner ingredients for skincare with a detailed description.

You can also go more in-depth with your company overview and include the following sections, like in this business plan example for Paw Print Post:

Business structure

This section outlines how you registered your business —as an LLC , sole proprietorship, corporation, or other business type : “Paw Print Post will operate as a sole proprietorship run by the owner, Jane Matthews.”

Nature of the business

“Paw Print Post sells unique, one-of-a-kind digitally printed cards that are customized with a pet’s unique paw prints.”

“Paw Print Post operates primarily in the pet industry and sells goods that could also be categorized as part of the greeting card industry.”

Background information

“Jane Matthews, the founder of Paw Print Post, has a long history in the pet industry and working with animals, and was recently trained as a graphic designer. She’s combining those two loves to capture a niche in the market: unique greeting cards customized with a pet’s paw prints, without needing to resort to the traditional (and messy) options of casting your pet’s prints in plaster or using pet-safe ink to have them stamp their ’signature.’”

Business objectives

“Jane will have Paw Print Post ready to launch at the Big Important Pet Expo in Toronto to get the word out among industry players and consumers alike. After two years in business, Jane aims to drive $150,000 in annual revenue from the sale of Paw Print Post’s signature greeting cards and to have expanded into two new product categories.”

“Jane Matthews is the sole full-time employee of Paw Print Post but hires contractors as needed to support her workflow and fill gaps in her skill set. Notably, Paw Print Post has a standing contract for five hours a week of virtual assistant support with Virtual Assistants Pro.”

Your mission statement may also make an appearance here. Passionfruit shares its mission statement on its company website, and it would also work well in its example business plan.

Passionfruit About page with a person in a "Forever Queer" t-shirt.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis consists of research about supply and demand , your target demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. You might run a SWOT analysis and include that in your business plan.

Here’s an example SWOT analysis for an online tailored-shirt business:

SWOT analysis chart with strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

You’ll also want to do a competitive analysis as part of the market research component of your business plan. This will tell you which businesses you’re up against and give you ideas on how to differentiate your brand. A broad competitive analysis might include:

Target customers
Unique value proposition , or what sets the products apart
Sales pitch
Price points for products
Shipping policy

4. Products and services

This section of your business plan describes your offerings—which products and services do you sell to your customers? Here’s an example for Paw Print Post that explains its line of custom greeting cards, along with details on what makes its products unique.

Products and services section of Paw Print Post showing customized greeting cards with paw prints.

5. Marketing plan

It’s always a good idea to develop a marketing plan before you launch your business. Your marketing plan shows how you’ll get the word out about your business, and it’s an essential component of your business plan as well.

Business plan sample showing marketing plan for Paw Print Post.

The Paw Print Post focuses on four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place. However, you can take a different approach with your marketing plan. Maybe you can pull from your existing marketing strategy , or maybe you break it down by the different marketing channels. Whatever approach you take, your marketing plan should describe how you intend to promote your business and offerings to potential customers.

6. Logistics and operations plan

The Paw Print Post example considered suppliers, production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory. This includes any raw materials needed to produce the products.

Business plan example with a logistics and operations plan for Paw Print Post.

7. Financial plan

The financial plan provides a breakdown of sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and other relevant financial metrics related to funding and profiting from your business.

Ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy’s financial plan breaks down predicted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

Bar chart illustrating monthly expenses and direct costs for a business from January to December.

It then dives deeper into the financials to include:

Funding needs
Projected profit-and-loss statement
Projected balance sheet
Projected cash-flow statement

You can use a financial plan spreadsheet to build your own financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement.

Income statement template created by Shopify with sales, cost of sales, gross margin, and expenses.

8. Customer segmentation

Customer segmentation means dividing your target market into groups based on specific characteristics. These characteristics can be demographics, psychographics, behavior, or geography. Your business plan will provide detailed information on each segment, like its size and growth potential, so you can show why they are valuable to your business.

Airsign , an eco-friendly vacuum cleaner company, faced the challenge of building a sustainable business model in the competitive home appliance market. They identified three key customer personas to target:

Design-oriented urban dwellers
Millennials moving to suburbs
Older consumers seeking high-quality appliances

The company utilized Shopify’s customer segmentation tools to gain insights and take action to target them. Airsign created targeted segments for specific marketing initiatives.

Put your customer data to work with Shopify’s customer segmentation

Shopify’s built-in segmentation tools help you discover insights about your customers, build segments as targeted as your marketing plans with filters based on your customers’ demographic and behavioral data, and drive sales with timely and personalized emails.

9. Appendix

The appendix provides in-depth data, research, or documentation that supports the claims and projections made in the main business plan. It includes things like market research, finance, résumés, product specs, and legal documents.

Readers can access detailed info in the appendix, but the main plan stays focused and easy to read. Here’s an example from a fictional clothing brand called Bloom:

Appendix: Bloom Business Plan

Types of business plans, and what to include for each

This lean business plan is meant to be high level and easy to understand at a glance. You’ll want to include all of the same sections in one-page business plan, but make sure they’re truncated and summarized:

Executive summary: truncated
Market analysis: summarized
Products and services: summarized
Marketing plan: summarized
Logistics and operations plan: summarized
Financials: summarized

A startup business plan is for a new business. Typically, these plans are developed and shared to secure funding . As such, there’s a bigger focus on the financials, as well as on other sections that determine viability of your business idea—market research, for example:

Market analysis: in-depth
Financials: in-depth

Your internal business plan is meant to keep your team on the same page and aligned toward the same goal:

A strategic, or growth, business plan is a big-picture, long-term look at your business. As such, the forecasts tend to look further into the future, and growth and revenue goals may be higher. Essentially, you want to use all the sections you would in a normal business plan and build upon each:

Market analysis: comprehensive outlook
Products and services: for launch and expansion
Marketing plan: comprehensive outlook
Logistics and operations plan: comprehensive outlook
Financials: comprehensive outlook

Feasibility

Your feasibility business plan is sort of a pre-business plan—many refer to it as simply a feasibility study. This plan essentially lays the groundwork and validates that it’s worth the effort to make a full business plan for your idea. As such, it’s mostly centered around research:

Nonprofit business plans are used to attract donors, grants, and partnerships. They focus on what their mission is, how they measure success, and how they get funded. You’ll want to include the following sections in addition to a traditional business plan:

Organization description
Need statement
Programs and services
Fundraising plan
Partnerships and collaborations
Impact measurement

Set yourself up for success as a business owner

Building a good business plan serves as a roadmap you can use for your ecommerce business at launch and as you reach each of your business goals. Business plans create accountability for entrepreneurs and synergy among teams, regardless of your business model .

Kickstart your ecommerce business and set yourself up for success with an intentional business planning process—and with the sample business plans above to guide your own path.

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Business plan examples FAQ

How do i write a simple business plan.

To write a simple business plan, begin with an executive summary that outlines your business and your plans. Follow this with sections detailing your company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product or service, marketing and sales strategy, and financial projections. Each section should be concise and clearly illustrate your strategies and goals.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The best business plan format presents your plan in a clear, organized manner, making it easier for potential investors to understand your business model and goals. Always begin with the executive summary and end with financial information or appendices for any additional data.

What are the 4 key elements of a business plan?

Executive summary: A concise overview of the company’s mission, goals, target audience, and financial objectives.
Business description: A description of the company’s purpose, operations, products and services, target markets, and competitive landscape.
Market analysis: An analysis of the industry, market trends, potential customers, and competitors.
Financial plan: A detailed description of the company’s financial forecasts and strategies.

What are the 3 main points of a business plan?

Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business and provide an overall summary of what you intend to accomplish.
Contents: Your content should include details about the products and services you provide, your target market, and your competition.
Cash flow: Your cash flow section should include information about your expected cash inflows and outflows, such as capital investments, operating costs, and revenue projections.

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Less is More: 15+ Brilliantly Simple Presentation Examples to Nail Every Event

Leah Nguyen • 08 April, 2024 • 8 min read

While spending time making a beautiful, well-crafted slide design that makes your audience's jaws drop to the floor is a good idea, in reality, we often don't have that much time.

Making a presentation and presenting it to the team, the client, or the boss is just one of the countless tasks we'll have to juggle for a day, and if you're doing it on a daily basis, you'd want the presentation to be simple and concise.

In this blog, we'll give you simple presentation examples plus tips and trips to help you rock the talk in style.

Simple powerpoint presentation example, simple pitch deck template example, simple business plan presentation sample, simple powerpoint presentation examples for students, tips for giving a simple presentation, frequently asked questions, more tips on interactive presentation.

Presentation Format: How To Make An Outstanding Presentation
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Simple presentation example - How-to guide

PowerPoint presentations are so versatile in applications that you can use them in almost any scenario, from university lectures to business pitching, the possibilities are endless. Here are some simple PowerPoint presentation examples that require minimal slides and design elements:

Introduction - 3-5 slides with your name, topic overview, agenda. Use simple slide layouts, and large titles.

Informational - 5-10 slides conveying facts through bullet points, images. Stick to 1 idea per slide in headlines and subheads.
How-To Guide - 5+ slides demonstrating steps visually. Use screenshots and keep the text concise per slide.
Meeting Recap - 3-5 slides summarising discussions, next steps, assignments. Bullet points work best.

Simple presentation example - Meeting recap

Job Interview - 5-10 slides highlighting your qualifications, backgrounds, referrals. Customise the template with your photo.
Announcement - 2-3 slides alerting others to news, deadlines, events. Large font, minimal clip art if any.
Photo Report - 5-10 slides of images telling a story. 1-2 sentences of context beneath each.
Progress Update - 3-5 slides tracking work to date through metrics, graphs, screenshots against goals.

Simple presentation example - Progress update

Thank You - 1-2 slides expressing gratitude for an opportunity or event. Personalised the template.

When you're pitching your project to investors, a simple presentation will win the heart of these busy businessmen. An example of a simple pitch deck template that could be used for early-stage startups would be like this:

Slide 1 - Title, company name, tagline.
Slide 2 - Problem & solution: Clearly define the problem your product/service solves & explain your proposed solution concisely.
Slide 3 - Product/Service: Describe the core features and benefits of your offering, illustrate usability through screenshots or diagrams.
Slide 4 - Market: Define your target customer and the size of the potential market, highlight trends and tailwinds in the industry.

Slide 5 - Business model: Describe your revenue model and projections, explain how you will acquire and retain customers.
Slide 6 - Competition: Note top competitors and how you differentiate, highlight any competitive advantages.
Slide 7 - Traction: Provide metrics showing early progress or pilot results, share customer testimonials or case studies if possible.

Slide 8 - Team: Introduce co-founders and advisory board members, highlight relevant experience and expertise.
Slide 9 - Milestones & Use of Funds: List key milestones and timeline for product launch, detail how funds from investors will be allocated.
Slide 10 - Financials: Provide basic 3-5 year financial projections, summarise your fundraising request and offering terms.
Slide 11 - Closing: Thank the investors for their time and consideration. Reiterate your solution, market opportunity, and team.

For the business plan, the goal is to clearly present the opportunity and gain investors' support. Here is a simple presentation example that captures all the essence of the business aspects:

Simple presentation example - Business plan

Slide 1 - Introduction: Introduce yourself/team briefly.
Slide 2 - Business Overview: State the name and purpose of the business, briefly describe the product/service, capture the market opportunity and target customers.
Slide 3+4 - Operations Plan: Describe how the business will operate on a day-to-day basis, summarise the production/delivery process, highlight any competitive advantages in operations.
Slide 5+6 - Marketing Plan: Outline the marketing strategy, describe how customers will be reached and acquired, detail promotional activities planned.

Slide 7+8 - Financial Projections: Share projected financial numbers (revenue, expenses, profits), highlight key assumptions used, show the expected return on investment.
Slide 9+10 - Future Plans: Discuss plans for growth and expansion, outline capital needed and intended use of funds, invite questions and next steps.
Slide 11 - Close: Thank the audience for their time and consideration, provide contact details for the next steps.

As a student, you will have to make presentations and present them regularly in class. These simple PowerPoint presentation examples will work well for student projects:

Book Report - Include title, author, summary of plot/characters, and your opinion on a few slides.

Simple presentation example - Book report

Science Experiment - Introduction, hypothesis, method, results, conclusion each on their own slide. Include photos if possible.
History Report - Pick 3-5 important dates/events, have a slide for each with 2-3 bullet points summarising what happened.
Compare/Contrast - Choose 2-3 topics, have a slide for each with bullet points comparing the similarities and differences.

Movie Review - Title, genre, director, short summary, your review and rating on a 1-5 scale slide.
Biographical Presentation - Title slide, 3-5 slides each on important dates, accomplishments, and life events in order.
How-To Presentation - Demonstrate instructions for something step-by-step over 4-6 slides using images and text.

Simple presentation example - How-to presentation

Keep the language simple, utilise visuals when possible, and limit each slide to 5-7 bullet points or less for ease of following along.

Delivering an outstanding presentation is no easy feat, but here are the best tips for you to get down to it quickly:

A sweet start with icebreaker games , or general knowledge quiz questions , choosing randomly by spinner wheel !
Keep it concise. Limit your presentation to 10 slides or less.
Have crisp, well-formatted slides with ample whitespace and few words per slide.
Use headers to clearly separate different sections.
Supplement your points with relevant graphics/images.
Bullet point your content rather than long paragraphs of text.
Limit each bullet point to 1 short idea/sentence and 5-7 lines max per slide.
Rehearse your presentation until you can discuss without reading slides verbatim.
Don't cram too much info into slides, present key highlights concisely.
Practice your timing to evenly pace yourself within any time constraints.
State conclusions clearly and leave slides visible as you answer questions.
Bring a paper handout if further detail is needed but not crucial to your talk.
Consider interactive elements like online quiz , a poll , mock debate or audience Q&A to involve them.
Gather feedback live from audience, with brainstorm tool , word cloud or an idea board !

The goal is to thoughtfully entertain as much as educate through an engaging style and dynamic delivery. Questions mean you succeeded, so smile at the chaos you created. End on a high note that’ll have them buzzing like bees for weeks to come!

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What are the examples of presentation?

Some examples of simple presentation topics you could do:

How to care for a new pet (include different animal types)
Safety tips for social media use
Comparing breakfast foods from around the world
Instructions for a simple science experiment
Book or movie review and recommendation
How to play a popular sport or game

What is a good 5 minute presentation?

Here are some ideas for effective 5-minute presentations:

Book Review - Introduce the book, discuss the main characters and plot, and give your opinion in 4-5 slides.
News Update - Summarise 3-5 current events or news stories in 1-2 slides each with images.
Profile of an Inspirational Person - Introduce their background and accomplishments in 4 well-crafted slides.
Product Demonstration - Showcase the features and benefits of a product in 5 engaging slides.

What is the easiest topic for presentation?

The easiest topics for a simple presentation could be about:

Yourself - Give a brief introduction and background about who you are.
Your favourite hobby or interests - Share what you enjoy doing in your spare time.
Your hometown/country - Highlight a few interesting facts and places.
Your education/career goals - Outline what you want to study or do.
A past class project - Recap what you learned from something you've already done.

Leah Nguyen

Words that convert, stories that stick. I turn complex ideas into engaging narratives - helping audiences learn, remember, and take action.

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Simple Business Plan for Entrepreneurs Minitheme

It seems that you like this template, simple business plan for entrepreneurs minitheme presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

With a business plan, you have a general idea of how to proceed and how to run a business so that it's financially viable. Don't know how to translate it into a presentation? Check out this new template and surprise your audience with its visuals! This design is chock-full of shapes, which might sound like a distracting thing, but actually give this presentation a very unique look! If the audience remembers your slideshow, that means it was successful!

Features of this template

100% editable and easy to modify
20 different slides to impress your audience
Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
Designed to be used in Google Slides, Canva, and Microsoft PowerPoint
16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens
Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the free resources used

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Am I free to use the templates?

How to attribute?

Attribution required If you are a free user, you must attribute Slidesgo by keeping the slide where the credits appear. How to attribute?

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Simple Business Plan Template (2024)

Updated: May 4, 2024, 4:37pm

Why business plans are vital, get your free simple business plan template, how to write an effective business plan in 6 steps, frequently asked questions.

While taking many forms and serving many purposes, they all have one thing in common: business plans help you establish your goals and define the means for achieving them. Our simple business plan template covers everything you need to consider when launching a side gig, solo operation or small business. By following this step-by-step process, you might even uncover a few alternate routes to success.

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Whether you’re a first-time solopreneur or a seasoned business owner, the planning process challenges you to examine the costs and tasks involved in bringing a product or service to market. The process can also help you spot new income opportunities and hone in on the most profitable business models.

Though vital, business planning doesn’t have to be a chore. Business plans for lean startups and solopreneurs can simply outline the business concept, sales proposition, target customers and sketch out a plan of action to bring the product or service to market. However, if you’re seeking startup funding or partnership opportunities, you’ll need a write a business plan that details market research, operating costs and revenue forecasting. Whichever startup category you fall into, if you’re at square one, our simple business plan template will point you down the right path.

Copy our free simple business plan template so you can fill in the blanks as we explore each element of your business plan. Need help getting your ideas flowing? You’ll also find several startup scenario examples below.

Download free template as .docx

Whether you need a quick-launch overview or an in-depth plan for investors, any business plan should cover the six key elements outlined in our free template and explained below. The main difference in starting a small business versus an investor-funded business is the market research and operational and financial details needed to support the concept.

1. Your Mission or Vision

Start by declaring a “dream statement” for your business. You can call this your executive summary, vision statement or mission. Whatever the name, the first part of your business plan summarizes your idea by answering five questions. Keep it brief, such as an elevator pitch. You’ll expand these answers in the following sections of the simple business plan template.

What does your business do? Are you selling products, services, information or a combination?
Where does this happen? Will you conduct business online, in-store, via mobile means or in a specific location or environment?
Who does your business benefit? Who is your target market and ideal customer for your concept?
Why would potential customers care? What would make your ideal customers take notice of your business?
How do your products and/or services outshine the competition? What would make your ideal customers choose you over a competitor?

These answers come easily if you have a solid concept for your business, but don’t worry if you get stuck. Use the rest of your plan template to brainstorm ideas and tactics. You’ll quickly find these answers and possibly new directions as you explore your ideas and options.

2. Offer and Value Proposition

This is where you detail your offer, such as selling products, providing services or both, and why anyone would care. That’s the value proposition. Specifically, you’ll expand on your answers to the first and fourth bullets from your mission/vision.

As you complete this section, you might find that exploring value propositions uncovers marketable business opportunities that you hadn’t yet considered. So spend some time brainstorming the possibilities in this section.

For example, a cottage baker startup specializing in gluten-free or keto-friendly products might be a value proposition that certain audiences care deeply about. Plus, you could expand on that value proposition by offering wedding and other special-occasion cakes that incorporate gluten-free, keto-friendly and traditional cake elements that all guests can enjoy.

3. Audience and Ideal Customer

Here is where you explore bullet point number three, who your business will benefit. Identifying your ideal customer and exploring a broader audience for your goods or services is essential in defining your sales and marketing strategies, plus it helps fine-tune what you offer.

There are many ways to research potential audiences, but a shortcut is to simply identify a problem that people have that your product or service can solve. If you start from the position of being a problem solver, it’s easy to define your audience and describe the wants and needs of your ideal customer for marketing efforts.

Using the cottage baker startup example, a problem people might have is finding fresh-baked gluten-free or keto-friendly sweets. Examining the wants and needs of these people might reveal a target audience that is health-conscious or possibly dealing with health issues and willing to spend more for hard-to-find items.

However, it’s essential to have a customer base that can support your business. You can be too specialized. For example, our baker startup can attract a broader audience and boost revenue by offering a wider selection of traditional baked goods alongside its gluten-free and keto-focused specialties.

4. Revenue Streams, Sales Channels and Marketing

Thanks to our internet-driven economy, startups have many revenue opportunities and can connect with target audiences through various channels. Revenue streams and sales channels also serve as marketing vehicles, so you can cover all three in this section.

Revenue Streams

Revenue streams are the many ways you can make money in your business. In your plan template, list how you’ll make money upon launch, plus include ideas for future expansion. The income possibilities just might surprise you.

For example, our cottage baker startup might consider these revenue streams:

Product sales : Online, pop-up shops , wholesale and (future) in-store sales
Affiliate income : Monetize blog and social media posts with affiliate links
Advertising income : Reserve website space for advertising
E-book sales : (future) Publish recipe e-books targeting gluten-free and keto-friendly dessert niches
Video income : (future) Monetize a YouTube channel featuring how-to videos for the gluten-free and keto-friendly dessert niches
Webinars and online classes : (future) Monetize coaching-style webinars and online classes covering specialty baking tips and techniques
Members-only content : (future) Monetize a members-only section of the website for specialty content to complement webinars and online classes
Franchise : (future) Monetize a specialty cottage bakery concept and sell to franchise entrepreneurs

Sales Channels

Sales channels put your revenue streams into action. This section also answers the “where will this happen” question in the second bullet of your vision.

The product sales channels for our cottage bakery example can include:

Mobile point-of-sale (POS) : A mobile platform such as Shopify or Square POS for managing in-person sales at local farmers’ markets, fairs and festivals
E-commerce platform : An online store such as Shopify, Square or WooCommerce for online retail sales and wholesale sales orders
Social media channels : Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest shoppable posts and pins for online sales via social media channels
Brick-and-mortar location : For in-store sales , once the business has grown to a point that it can support a physical location

Channels that support other income streams might include:

Affiliate income : Blog section on the e-commerce website and affiliate partner accounts
Advertising income : Reserved advertising spaces on the e-commerce website
E-book sales : Amazon e-book sales via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
Video income : YouTube channel with ad monetization
Webinars and online classes : Online class and webinar platforms that support member accounts, recordings and playback
Members-only content : Password-protected website content using membership apps such as MemberPress

Nowadays, the line between marketing and sales channels is blurred. Social media outlets, e-books, websites, blogs and videos serve as both marketing tools and income opportunities. Since most are free and those with advertising options are extremely economical, these are ideal marketing outlets for lean startups.

However, many businesses still find value in traditional advertising such as local radio, television, direct mail, newspapers and magazines. You can include these advertising costs in your simple business plan template to help build a marketing plan and budget.

5. Structure, Suppliers and Operations

This section of your simple business plan template explores how to structure and operate your business. Details include the type of business organization your startup will take, roles and responsibilities, supplier logistics and day-to-day operations. Also, include any certifications or permits needed to launch your enterprise in this section.

Our cottage baker example might use a structure and startup plan such as this:

Business structure : Sole proprietorship with a “doing business as” (DBA) .
Permits and certifications : County-issued food handling permit and state cottage food certification for home-based food production. Option, check into certified commercial kitchen rentals.
Roles and responsibilities : Solopreneur, all roles and responsibilities with the owner.
Supply chain : Bulk ingredients and food packaging via Sam’s Club, Costco, Amazon Prime with annual membership costs. Uline for shipping supplies; no membership needed.
Day-to-day operations : Source ingredients and bake three days per week to fulfill local and online orders. Reserve time for specialty sales, wholesale partner orders and market events as needed. Ship online orders on alternating days. Update website and create marketing and affiliate blog posts on non-shipping days.

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6. Financial Forecasts

Your final task is to list forecasted business startup and ongoing costs and profit projections in your simple business plan template. Thanks to free business tools such as Square and free marketing on social media, lean startups can launch with few upfront costs. In many cases, cost of goods, shipping and packaging, business permits and printing for business cards are your only out-of-pocket expenses.

Cost Forecast

Our cottage baker’s forecasted lean startup costs might include:

Business Need	Startup Cost	Ongoing Cost	Source

Gross Profit Projections

This helps you determine the retail prices and sales volume required to keep your business running and, hopefully, earn income for yourself. Use product research to spot target retail prices for your goods, then subtract your cost of goods, such as hourly rate, raw goods and supplier costs. The total amount is your gross profit per item or service.

Here are some examples of projected gross profits for our cottage baker:

Product	Retail Price	(Cost)	Gross Profit

Bottom Line

Putting careful thought and detail in a business plan is always beneficial, but don’t get so bogged down in planning that you never hit the start button to launch your business . Also, remember that business plans aren’t set in stone. Markets, audiences and technologies change, and so will your goals and means of achieving them. Think of your business plan as a living document and regularly revisit, expand and restructure it as market opportunities and business growth demand.

Is there a template for a business plan?

You can copy our free business plan template and fill in the blanks or customize it in Google Docs, Microsoft Word or another word processing app. This free business plan template includes the six key elements that any entrepreneur needs to consider when launching a new business.

What does a simple business plan include?

A simple business plan is a one- to two-page overview covering six key elements that any budding entrepreneur needs to consider when launching a startup. These include your vision or mission, product or service offering, target audience, revenue streams and sales channels, structure and operations, and financial forecasts.

How can I create a free business plan template?

Start with our free business plan template that covers the six essential elements of a startup. Once downloaded, you can edit this document in Google Docs or another word processing app and add new sections or subsections to your plan template to meet your specific business plan needs.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business, an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Krista Fabregas is a seasoned eCommerce and online content pro sharing more than 20 years of hands-on know-how with those looking to launch and grow tech-forward businesses. Her expertise includes eCommerce startups and growth, SMB operations and logistics, website platforms, payment systems, side-gig and affiliate income, and multichannel marketing. Krista holds a bachelor's degree in English from The University of Texas at Austin and held senior positions at NASA, a Fortune 100 company, and several online startups.

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How to Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (+ Template and Examples)

Every successful business has one thing in common, a good and well-executed business plan. A business plan is more than a document, it is a complete guide that outlines the goals your business wants to achieve, including its financial goals . It helps you analyze results, make strategic decisions, show your business operations and growth.

If you want to start a business or already have one and need to pitch it to investors for funding, writing a good business plan improves your chances of attracting financiers. As a startup, if you want to secure loans from financial institutions, part of the requirements involve submitting your business plan.

Writing a business plan does not have to be a complicated or time-consuming process. In this article, you will learn the step-by-step process for writing a successful business plan.

You will also learn what you need a business plan for, tips and strategies for writing a convincing business plan, business plan examples and templates that will save you tons of time, and the alternatives to the traditional business plan.

Let’s get started.

What Do You Need A Business Plan For?

Businesses create business plans for different purposes such as to secure funds, monitor business growth, measure your marketing strategies, and measure your business success.

1. Secure Funds

One of the primary reasons for writing a business plan is to secure funds, either from financial institutions/agencies or investors.

For you to effectively acquire funds, your business plan must contain the key elements of your business plan . For example, your business plan should include your growth plans, goals you want to achieve, and milestones you have recorded.

A business plan can also attract new business partners that are willing to contribute financially and intellectually. If you are writing a business plan to a bank, your project must show your traction , that is, the proof that you can pay back any loan borrowed.

Also, if you are writing to an investor, your plan must contain evidence that you can effectively utilize the funds you want them to invest in your business. Here, you are using your business plan to persuade a group or an individual that your business is a source of a good investment.

2. Monitor Business Growth

A business plan can help you track cash flows in your business. It steers your business to greater heights. A business plan capable of tracking business growth should contain:

The business goals
Methods to achieve the goals
Time-frame for attaining those goals

A good business plan should guide you through every step in achieving your goals. It can also track the allocation of assets to every aspect of the business. You can tell when you are spending more than you should on a project.

You can compare a business plan to a written GPS. It helps you manage your business and hints at the right time to expand your business.

3. Measure Business Success

A business plan can help you measure your business success rate. Some small-scale businesses are thriving better than more prominent companies because of their track record of success.

Right from the onset of your business operation, set goals and work towards them. Write a plan to guide you through your procedures. Use your plan to measure how much you have achieved and how much is left to attain.

You can also weigh your success by monitoring the position of your brand relative to competitors. On the other hand, a business plan can also show you why you have not achieved a goal. It can tell if you have elapsed the time frame you set to attain a goal.

4. Document Your Marketing Strategies

You can use a business plan to document your marketing plans. Every business should have an effective marketing plan.

Competition mandates every business owner to go the extraordinary mile to remain relevant in the market. Your business plan should contain your marketing strategies that work. You can measure the success rate of your marketing plans.

In your business plan, your marketing strategy must answer the questions:

How do you want to reach your target audience?
How do you plan to retain your customers?
What is/are your pricing plans?
What is your budget for marketing?

How to Write a Business Plan Step-by-Step

1. create your executive summary.

The executive summary is a snapshot of your business or a high-level overview of your business purposes and plans . Although the executive summary is the first section in your business plan, most people write it last. The length of the executive summary is not more than two pages.

Generally, there are nine sections in a business plan, the executive summary should condense essential ideas from the other eight sections.

A good executive summary should do the following:

A Snapshot of Growth Potential. Briefly inform the reader about your company and why it will be successful)
Contain your Mission Statement which explains what the main objective or focus of your business is.
Product Description and Differentiation. Brief description of your products or services and why it is different from other solutions in the market.
The Team. Basic information about your company’s leadership team and employees
Business Concept. A solid description of what your business does.
Target Market. The customers you plan to sell to.
Marketing Strategy. Your plans on reaching and selling to your customers
Current Financial State. Brief information about what revenue your business currently generates.
Projected Financial State. Brief information about what you foresee your business revenue to be in the future.

The executive summary is the make-or-break section of your business plan. If your summary cannot in less than two pages cannot clearly describe how your business will solve a particular problem of your target audience and make a profit, your business plan is set on a faulty foundation.

Avoid using the executive summary to hype your business, instead, focus on helping the reader understand the what and how of your plan.

View the executive summary as an opportunity to introduce your vision for your company. You know your executive summary is powerful when it can answer these key questions:

Who is your target audience?
What sector or industry are you in?
What are your products and services?
What is the future of your industry?
Is your company scaleable?
Who are the owners and leaders of your company? What are their backgrounds and experience levels?
What is the motivation for starting your company?
What are the next steps?

Writing the executive summary last although it is the most important section of your business plan is an excellent idea. The reason why is because it is a high-level overview of your business plan. It is the section that determines whether potential investors and lenders will read further or not.

The executive summary can be a stand-alone document that covers everything in your business plan. It is not uncommon for investors to request only the executive summary when evaluating your business. If the information in the executive summary impresses them, they will ask for the complete business plan.

If you are writing your business plan for your planning purposes, you do not need to write the executive summary.

2. Add Your Company Overview

The company overview or description is the next section in your business plan after the executive summary. It describes what your business does.

Adding your company overview can be tricky especially when your business is still in the planning stages. Existing businesses can easily summarize their current operations but may encounter difficulties trying to explain what they plan to become.

Your company overview should contain the following:

What products and services you will provide
Geographical markets and locations your company have a presence
What you need to run your business
Who your target audience or customers are
Who will service your customers
Your company’s purpose, mission, and vision
Information about your company’s founders
Who the founders are
Notable achievements of your company so far

When creating a company overview, you have to focus on three basics: identifying your industry, identifying your customer, and explaining the problem you solve.

If you are stuck when creating your company overview, try to answer some of these questions that pertain to you.

Who are you targeting? (The answer is not everyone)
What pain point does your product or service solve for your customers that they will be willing to spend money on resolving?
How does your product or service overcome that pain point?
Where is the location of your business?
What products, equipment, and services do you need to run your business?
How is your company’s product or service different from your competition in the eyes of your customers?
How many employees do you need and what skills do you require them to have?

After answering some or all of these questions, you will get more than enough information you need to write your company overview or description section. When writing this section, describe what your company does for your customers.

The company description or overview section contains three elements: mission statement, history, and objectives.

Mission Statement

The mission statement refers to the reason why your business or company is existing. It goes beyond what you do or sell, it is about the ‘why’. A good mission statement should be emotional and inspirational.

Your mission statement should follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid). For example, Shopify’s mission statement is “Make commerce better for everyone.”

When describing your company’s history, make it simple and avoid the temptation of tying it to a defensive narrative. Write it in the manner you would a profile. Your company’s history should include the following information:

Founding Date
Major Milestones
Location(s)
Flagship Products or Services
Number of Employees
Executive Leadership Roles

When you fill in this information, you use it to write one or two paragraphs about your company’s history.

Business Objectives

Your business objective must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.) Failure to clearly identify your business objectives does not inspire confidence and makes it hard for your team members to work towards a common purpose.

3. Perform Market and Competitive Analyses to Proof a Big Enough Business Opportunity

The third step in writing a business plan is the market and competitive analysis section. Every business, no matter the size, needs to perform comprehensive market and competitive analyses before it enters into a market.

Performing market and competitive analyses are critical for the success of your business. It helps you avoid entering the right market with the wrong product, or vice versa. Anyone reading your business plans, especially financiers and financial institutions will want to see proof that there is a big enough business opportunity you are targeting.

This section is where you describe the market and industry you want to operate in and show the big opportunities in the market that your business can leverage to make a profit. If you noticed any unique trends when doing your research, show them in this section.

Market analysis alone is not enough, you have to add competitive analysis to strengthen this section. There are already businesses in the industry or market, how do you plan to take a share of the market from them?

You have to clearly illustrate the competitive landscape in your business plan. Are there areas your competitors are doing well? Are there areas where they are not doing so well? Show it.

Make it clear in this section why you are moving into the industry and what weaknesses are present there that you plan to explain. How are your competitors going to react to your market entry? How do you plan to get customers? Do you plan on taking your competitors' competitors, tap into other sources for customers, or both?

Illustrate the competitive landscape as well. What are your competitors doing well and not so well?

Answering these questions and thoughts will aid your market and competitive analysis of the opportunities in your space. Depending on how sophisticated your industry is, or the expectations of your financiers, you may need to carry out a more comprehensive market and competitive analysis to prove that big business opportunity.

Instead of looking at the market and competitive analyses as one entity, separating them will make the research even more comprehensive.

Market Analysis

Market analysis, boarding speaking, refers to research a business carried out on its industry, market, and competitors. It helps businesses gain a good understanding of their target market and the outlook of their industry. Before starting a company, it is vital to carry out market research to find out if the market is viable.

The market analysis section is a key part of the business plan. It is the section where you identify who your best clients or customers are. You cannot omit this section, without it your business plan is incomplete.

A good market analysis will tell your readers how you fit into the existing market and what makes you stand out. This section requires in-depth research, it will probably be the most time-consuming part of the business plan to write.

Market Research

To create a compelling market analysis that will win over investors and financial institutions, you have to carry out thorough market research . Your market research should be targeted at your primary target market for your products or services. Here is what you want to find out about your target market.

Your target market’s needs or pain points
The existing solutions for their pain points
Geographic Location
Demographics

The purpose of carrying out a marketing analysis is to get all the information you need to show that you have a solid and thorough understanding of your target audience.

Only after you have fully understood the people you plan to sell your products or services to, can you evaluate correctly if your target market will be interested in your products or services.

You can easily convince interested parties to invest in your business if you can show them you thoroughly understand the market and show them that there is a market for your products or services.

How to Quantify Your Target Market

One of the goals of your marketing research is to understand who your ideal customers are and their purchasing power. To quantify your target market, you have to determine the following:

Your Potential Customers: They are the people you plan to target. For example, if you sell accounting software for small businesses , then anyone who runs an enterprise or large business is unlikely to be your customers. Also, individuals who do not have a business will most likely not be interested in your product.
Total Households: If you are selling household products such as heating and air conditioning systems, determining the number of total households is more important than finding out the total population in the area you want to sell to. The logic is simple, people buy the product but it is the household that uses it.
Median Income: You need to know the median income of your target market. If you target a market that cannot afford to buy your products and services, your business will not last long.
Income by Demographics: If your potential customers belong to a certain age group or gender, determining income levels by demographics is necessary. For example, if you sell men's clothes, your target audience is men.

What Does a Good Market Analysis Entail?

Your business does not exist on its own, it can only flourish within an industry and alongside competitors. Market analysis takes into consideration your industry, target market, and competitors. Understanding these three entities will drastically improve your company’s chances of success.

You can view your market analysis as an examination of the market you want to break into and an education on the emerging trends and themes in that market. Good market analyses include the following:

Industry Description. You find out about the history of your industry, the current and future market size, and who the largest players/companies are in your industry.
Overview of Target Market. You research your target market and its characteristics. Who are you targeting? Note, it cannot be everyone, it has to be a specific group. You also have to find out all information possible about your customers that can help you understand how and why they make buying decisions.
Size of Target Market: You need to know the size of your target market, how frequently they buy, and the expected quantity they buy so you do not risk overproducing and having lots of bad inventory. Researching the size of your target market will help you determine if it is big enough for sustained business or not.
Growth Potential: Before picking a target market, you want to be sure there are lots of potential for future growth. You want to avoid going for an industry that is declining slowly or rapidly with almost zero growth potential.
Market Share Potential: Does your business stand a good chance of taking a good share of the market?
Market Pricing and Promotional Strategies: Your market analysis should give you an idea of the price point you can expect to charge for your products and services. Researching your target market will also give you ideas of pricing strategies you can implement to break into the market or to enjoy maximum profits.
Potential Barriers to Entry: One of the biggest benefits of conducting market analysis is that it shows you every potential barrier to entry your business will likely encounter. It is a good idea to discuss potential barriers to entry such as changing technology. It informs readers of your business plan that you understand the market.
Research on Competitors: You need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and how you can exploit them for the benefit of your business. Find patterns and trends among your competitors that make them successful, discover what works and what doesn’t, and see what you can do better.

The market analysis section is not just for talking about your target market, industry, and competitors. You also have to explain how your company can fill the hole you have identified in the market.

Here are some questions you can answer that can help you position your product or service in a positive light to your readers.

Is your product or service of superior quality?
What additional features do you offer that your competitors do not offer?
Are you targeting a ‘new’ market?

Basically, your market analysis should include an analysis of what already exists in the market and an explanation of how your company fits into the market.

Competitive Analysis

In the competitive analysis section, y ou have to understand who your direct and indirect competitions are, and how successful they are in the marketplace. It is the section where you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, the advantage(s) they possess in the market and show the unique features or qualities that make you different from your competitors.

Four Steps to Create a Competitive Marketing Analysis

Many businesses do market analysis and competitive analysis together. However, to fully understand what the competitive analysis entails, it is essential to separate it from the market analysis.

Competitive analysis for your business can also include analysis on how to overcome barriers to entry in your target market.

The primary goal of conducting a competitive analysis is to distinguish your business from your competitors. A strong competitive analysis is essential if you want to convince potential funding sources to invest in your business. You have to show potential investors and lenders that your business has what it takes to compete in the marketplace successfully.

Competitive analysis will s how you what the strengths of your competition are and what they are doing to maintain that advantage.

When doing your competitive research, you first have to identify your competitor and then get all the information you can about them. The idea of spending time to identify your competitor and learn everything about them may seem daunting but it is well worth it.

Find answers to the following questions after you have identified who your competitors are.

What are your successful competitors doing?
Why is what they are doing working?
Can your business do it better?
What are the weaknesses of your successful competitors?
What are they not doing well?
Can your business turn its weaknesses into strengths?
How good is your competitors’ customer service?
Where do your competitors invest in advertising?
What sales and pricing strategies are they using?
What marketing strategies are they using?
What kind of press coverage do they get?
What are their customers saying about your competitors (both the positive and negative)?

If your competitors have a website, it is a good idea to visit their websites for more competitors’ research. Check their “About Us” page for more information.

If you are presenting your business plan to investors, you need to clearly distinguish yourself from your competitors. Investors can easily tell when you have not properly researched your competitors.

Take time to think about what unique qualities or features set you apart from your competitors. If you do not have any direct competition offering your product to the market, it does not mean you leave out the competitor analysis section blank. Instead research on other companies that are providing a similar product, or whose product is solving the problem your product solves.

The next step is to create a table listing the top competitors you want to include in your business plan. Ensure you list your business as the last and on the right. What you just created is known as the competitor analysis table.

Direct vs Indirect Competition

You cannot know if your product or service will be a fit for your target market if you have not understood your business and the competitive landscape.

There is no market you want to target where you will not encounter competition, even if your product is innovative. Including competitive analysis in your business plan is essential.

If you are entering an established market, you need to explain how you plan to differentiate your products from the available options in the market. Also, include a list of few companies that you view as your direct competitors The competition you face in an established market is your direct competition.

In situations where you are entering a market with no direct competition, it does not mean there is no competition there. Consider your indirect competition that offers substitutes for the products or services you offer.

For example, if you sell an innovative SaaS product, let us say a project management software , a company offering time management software is your indirect competition.

There is an easy way to find out who your indirect competitors are in the absence of no direct competitors. You simply have to research how your potential customers are solving the problems that your product or service seeks to solve. That is your direct competition.

Factors that Differentiate Your Business from the Competition

There are three main factors that any business can use to differentiate itself from its competition. They are cost leadership, product differentiation, and market segmentation.

1. Cost Leadership

A strategy you can impose to maximize your profits and gain an edge over your competitors. It involves offering lower prices than what the majority of your competitors are offering.

A common practice among businesses looking to enter into a market where there are dominant players is to use free trials or pricing to attract as many customers as possible to their offer.

2. Product Differentiation

Your product or service should have a unique selling proposition (USP) that your competitors do not have or do not stress in their marketing.

Part of the marketing strategy should involve making your products unique and different from your competitors. It does not have to be different from your competitors, it can be the addition to a feature or benefit that your competitors do not currently have.

3. Market Segmentation

As a new business seeking to break into an industry, you will gain more success from focusing on a specific niche or target market, and not the whole industry.

If your competitors are focused on a general need or target market, you can differentiate yourself from them by having a small and hyper-targeted audience. For example, if your competitors are selling men’s clothes in their online stores , you can sell hoodies for men.

4. Define Your Business and Management Structure

The next step in your business plan is your business and management structure. It is the section where you describe the legal structure of your business and the team running it.

Your business is only as good as the management team that runs it, while the management team can only strive when there is a proper business and management structure in place.

If your company is a sole proprietor or a limited liability company (LLC), a general or limited partnership, or a C or an S corporation, state it clearly in this section.

Use an organizational chart to show the management structure in your business. Clearly show who is in charge of what area in your company. It is where you show how each key manager or team leader’s unique experience can contribute immensely to the success of your company. You can also opt to add the resumes and CVs of the key players in your company.

The business and management structure section should show who the owner is, and other owners of the businesses (if the business has other owners). For businesses or companies with multiple owners, include the percent ownership of the various owners and clearly show the extent of each others’ involvement in the company.

Investors want to know who is behind the company and the team running it to determine if it has the right management to achieve its set goals.

Management Team

The management team section is where you show that you have the right team in place to successfully execute the business operations and ideas. Take time to create the management structure for your business. Think about all the important roles and responsibilities that you need managers for to grow your business.

Include brief bios of each key team member and ensure you highlight only the relevant information that is needed. If your team members have background industry experience or have held top positions for other companies and achieved success while filling that role, highlight it in this section.

Create Management Team For Business Plan

A common mistake that many startups make is assigning C-level titles such as (CMO and CEO) to everyone on their team. It is unrealistic for a small business to have those titles. While it may look good on paper for the ego of your team members, it can prevent investors from investing in your business.

Instead of building an unrealistic management structure that does not fit your business reality, it is best to allow business titles to grow as the business grows. Starting everyone at the top leaves no room for future change or growth, which is bad for productivity.

Your management team does not have to be complete before you start writing your business plan. You can have a complete business plan even when there are managerial positions that are empty and need filling.

If you have management gaps in your team, simply show the gaps and indicate you are searching for the right candidates for the role(s). Investors do not expect you to have a full management team when you are just starting your business.

Key Questions to Answer When Structuring Your Management Team

Who are the key leaders?
What experiences, skills, and educational backgrounds do you expect your key leaders to have?
Do your key leaders have industry experience?
What positions will they fill and what duties will they perform in those positions?
What level of authority do the key leaders have and what are their responsibilities?
What is the salary for the various management positions that will attract the ideal candidates?

Additional Tips for Writing the Management Structure Section

1. Avoid Adding ‘Ghost’ Names to Your Management Team

There is always that temptation to include a ‘ghost’ name to your management team to attract and influence investors to invest in your business. Although the presence of these celebrity management team members may attract the attention of investors, it can cause your business to lose any credibility if you get found out.

Seasoned investors will investigate further the members of your management team before committing fully to your business If they find out that the celebrity name used does not play any actual role in your business, they will not invest and may write you off as dishonest.

2. Focus on Credentials But Pay Extra Attention to the Roles

Investors want to know the experience that your key team members have to determine if they can successfully reach the company’s growth and financial goals.

While it is an excellent boost for your key management team to have the right credentials, you also want to pay extra attention to the roles they will play in your company.

Organizational Chart

Adding an organizational chart in this section of your business plan is not necessary, you can do it in your business plan’s appendix.

If you are exploring funding options, it is not uncommon to get asked for your organizational chart. The function of an organizational chart goes beyond raising money, you can also use it as a useful planning tool for your business.

An organizational chart can help you identify how best to structure your management team for maximum productivity and point you towards key roles you need to fill in the future.

You can use the organizational chart to show your company’s internal management structure such as the roles and responsibilities of your management team, and relationships that exist between them.

5. Describe Your Product and Service Offering

In your business plan, you have to describe what you sell or the service you plan to offer. It is the next step after defining your business and management structure. The products and services section is where you sell the benefits of your business.

Here you have to explain how your product or service will benefit your customers and describe your product lifecycle. It is also the section where you write down your plans for intellectual property like patent filings and copyrighting.

The research and development that you are undertaking for your product or service need to be explained in detail in this section. However, do not get too technical, sell the general idea and its benefits.

If you have any diagrams or intricate designs of your product or service, do not include them in the products and services section. Instead, leave them for the addendum page. Also, if you are leaving out diagrams or designs for the addendum, ensure you add this phrase “For more detail, visit the addendum Page #.”

Your product and service section in your business plan should include the following:

A detailed explanation that clearly shows how your product or service works.
The pricing model for your product or service.
Your business’ sales and distribution strategy.
The ideal customers that want your product or service.
The benefits of your products and services.
Reason(s) why your product or service is a better alternative to what your competitors are currently offering in the market.
Plans for filling the orders you receive
If you have current or pending patents, copyrights, and trademarks for your product or service, you can also discuss them in this section.

What to Focus On When Describing the Benefits, Lifecycle, and Production Process of Your Products or Services

In the products and services section, you have to distill the benefits, lifecycle, and production process of your products and services.

When describing the benefits of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

Unique features
Translating the unique features into benefits
The emotional, psychological, and practical payoffs to attract customers
Intellectual property rights or any patents

When describing the product life cycle of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

Upsells, cross-sells, and down-sells
Time between purchases
Plans for research and development.

When describing the production process for your products or services, you need to think about the following:

The creation of new or existing products and services.
The sources for the raw materials or components you need for production.
Assembling the products
Maintaining quality control
Supply-chain logistics (receiving the raw materials and delivering the finished products)
The day-to-day management of the production processes, bookkeeping, and inventory.

Tips for Writing the Products or Services Section of Your Business Plan

1. Avoid Technical Descriptions and Industry Buzzwords

The products and services section of your business plan should clearly describe the products and services that your company provides. However, it is not a section to include technical jargons that anyone outside your industry will not understand.

A good practice is to remove highly detailed or technical descriptions in favor of simple terms. Industry buzzwords are not necessary, if there are simpler terms you can use, then use them. If you plan to use your business plan to source funds, making the product or service section so technical will do you no favors.

2. Describe How Your Products or Services Differ from Your Competitors

When potential investors look at your business plan, they want to know how the products and services you are offering differ from that of your competition. Differentiating your products or services from your competition in a way that makes your solution more attractive is critical.

If you are going the innovative path and there is no market currently for your product or service, you need to describe in this section why the market needs your product or service.

For example, overnight delivery was a niche business that only a few companies were participating in. Federal Express (FedEx) had to show in its business plan that there was a large opportunity for that service and they justified why the market needed that service.

3. Long or Short Products or Services Section

Should your products or services section be short? Does the long products or services section attract more investors?

There are no straightforward answers to these questions. Whether your products or services section should be long or relatively short depends on the nature of your business.

If your business is product-focused, then automatically you need to use more space to describe the details of your products. However, if the product your business sells is a commodity item that relies on competitive pricing or other pricing strategies, you do not have to use up so much space to provide significant details about the product.

Likewise, if you are selling a commodity that is available in numerous outlets, then you do not have to spend time on writing a long products or services section.

The key to the success of your business is most likely the effectiveness of your marketing strategies compared to your competitors. Use more space to address that section.

If you are creating a new product or service that the market does not know about, your products or services section can be lengthy. The reason why is because you need to explain everything about the product or service such as the nature of the product, its use case, and values.

A short products or services section for an innovative product or service will not give the readers enough information to properly evaluate your business.

4. Describe Your Relationships with Vendors or Suppliers

Your business will rely on vendors or suppliers to supply raw materials or the components needed to make your products. In your products and services section, describe your relationships with your vendors and suppliers fully.

Avoid the mistake of relying on only one supplier or vendor. If that supplier or vendor fails to supply or goes out of business, you can easily face supply problems and struggle to meet your demands. Plan to set up multiple vendor or supplier relationships for better business stability.

5. Your Primary Goal Is to Convince Your Readers

The primary goal of your business plan is to convince your readers that your business is viable and to create a guide for your business to follow. It applies to the products and services section.

When drafting this section, think like the reader. See your reader as someone who has no idea about your products and services. You are using the products and services section to provide the needed information to help your reader understand your products and services. As a result, you have to be clear and to the point.

While you want to educate your readers about your products or services, you also do not want to bore them with lots of technical details. Show your products and services and not your fancy choice of words.

Your products and services section should provide the answer to the “what” question for your business. You and your management team may run the business, but it is your products and services that are the lifeblood of the business.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing your Products and Services Section

Answering these questions can help you write your products and services section quickly and in a way that will appeal to your readers.

Are your products existing on the market or are they still in the development stage?
What is your timeline for adding new products and services to the market?
What are the positives that make your products and services different from your competitors?
Do your products and services have any competitive advantage that your competitors’ products and services do not currently have?
Do your products or services have any competitive disadvantages that you need to overcome to compete with your competitors? If your answer is yes, state how you plan to overcome them,
How much does it cost to produce your products or services? How much do you plan to sell it for?
What is the price for your products and services compared to your competitors? Is pricing an issue?
What are your operating costs and will it be low enough for you to compete with your competitors and still take home a reasonable profit margin?
What is your plan for acquiring your products? Are you involved in the production of your products or services?
Are you the manufacturer and produce all the components you need to create your products? Do you assemble your products by using components supplied by other manufacturers? Do you purchase your products directly from suppliers or wholesalers?
Do you have a steady supply of products that you need to start your business? (If your business is yet to kick-off)
How do you plan to distribute your products or services to the market?

You can also hint at the marketing or promotion plans you have for your products or services such as how you plan to build awareness or retain customers. The next section is where you can go fully into details about your business’s marketing and sales plan.

6. Show and Explain Your Marketing and Sales Plan

Providing great products and services is wonderful, but it means nothing if you do not have a marketing and sales plan to inform your customers about them. Your marketing and sales plan is critical to the success of your business.

The sales and marketing section is where you show and offer a detailed explanation of your marketing and sales plan and how you plan to execute it. It covers your pricing plan, proposed advertising and promotion activities, activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success, and the benefits of your products and services.

There are several ways you can approach your marketing and sales strategy. Ideally, your marketing and sales strategy has to fit the unique needs of your business.

In this section, you describe how the plans your business has for attracting and retaining customers, and the exact process for making a sale happen. It is essential to thoroughly describe your complete marketing and sales plans because you are still going to reference this section when you are making financial projections for your business.

Outline Your Business’ Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The sales and marketing section is where you outline your business’s unique selling proposition (USP). When you are developing your unique selling proposition, think about the strongest reasons why people should buy from you over your competition. That reason(s) is most likely a good fit to serve as your unique selling proposition (USP).

Target Market and Target Audience

Plans on how to get your products or services to your target market and how to get your target audience to buy them go into this section. You also highlight the strengths of your business here, particularly what sets them apart from your competition.

Before you start writing your marketing and sales plan, you need to have properly defined your target audience and fleshed out your buyer persona. If you do not first understand the individual you are marketing to, your marketing and sales plan will lack any substance and easily fall.

Creating a Smart Marketing and Sales Plan

Marketing your products and services is an investment that requires you to spend money. Like any other investment, you have to generate a good return on investment (ROI) to justify using that marketing and sales plan. Good marketing and sales plans bring in high sales and profits to your company.

Avoid spending money on unproductive marketing channels. Do your research and find out the best marketing and sales plan that works best for your company.

Your marketing and sales plan can be broken into different parts: your positioning statement, pricing, promotion, packaging, advertising, public relations, content marketing, social media, and strategic alliances.

Your Positioning Statement

Your positioning statement is the first part of your marketing and sales plan. It refers to the way you present your company to your customers.

Are you the premium solution, the low-price solution, or are you the intermediary between the two extremes in the market? What do you offer that your competitors do not that can give you leverage in the market?

Before you start writing your positioning statement, you need to spend some time evaluating the current market conditions. Here are some questions that can help you to evaluate the market

What are the unique features or benefits that you offer that your competitors lack?
What are your customers’ primary needs and wants?
Why should a customer choose you over your competition? How do you plan to differentiate yourself from the competition?
How does your company’s solution compare with other solutions in the market?

After answering these questions, then you can start writing your positioning statement. Your positioning statement does not have to be in-depth or too long.

All you need to explain with your positioning statement are two focus areas. The first is the position of your company within the competitive landscape. The other focus area is the core value proposition that sets your company apart from other alternatives that your ideal customer might consider.

Here is a simple template you can use to develop a positioning statement.

For [description of target market] who [need of target market], [product or service] [how it meets the need]. Unlike [top competition], it [most essential distinguishing feature].

For example, let’s create the positioning statement for fictional accounting software and QuickBooks alternative , TBooks.

“For small business owners who need accounting services, TBooks is an accounting software that helps small businesses handle their small business bookkeeping basics quickly and easily. Unlike Wave, TBooks gives small businesses access to live sessions with top accountants.”

You can edit this positioning statement sample and fill it with your business details.

After writing your positioning statement, the next step is the pricing of your offerings. The overall positioning strategy you set in your positioning statement will often determine how you price your products or services.

Pricing is a powerful tool that sends a strong message to your customers. Failure to get your pricing strategy right can make or mar your business. If you are targeting a low-income audience, setting a premium price can result in low sales.

You can use pricing to communicate your positioning to your customers. For example, if you are offering a product at a premium price, you are sending a message to your customers that the product belongs to the premium category.

Basic Rules to Follow When Pricing Your Offering

Setting a price for your offering involves more than just putting a price tag on it. Deciding on the right pricing for your offering requires following some basic rules. They include covering your costs, primary and secondary profit center pricing, and matching the market rate.

Covering Your Costs: The price you set for your products or service should be more than it costs you to produce and deliver them. Every business has the same goal, to make a profit. Depending on the strategy you want to use, there are exceptions to this rule. However, the vast majority of businesses follow this rule.
Primary and Secondary Profit Center Pricing: When a company sets its price above the cost of production, it is making that product its primary profit center. A company can also decide not to make its initial price its primary profit center by selling below or at even with its production cost. It rather depends on the support product or even maintenance that is associated with the initial purchase to make its profit. The initial price thus became its secondary profit center.
Matching the Market Rate: A good rule to follow when pricing your products or services is to match your pricing with consumer demand and expectations. If you price your products or services beyond the price your customer perceives as the ideal price range, you may end up with no customers. Pricing your products too low below what your customer perceives as the ideal price range may lead to them undervaluing your offering.

Pricing Strategy

Your pricing strategy influences the price of your offering. There are several pricing strategies available for you to choose from when examining the right pricing strategy for your business. They include cost-plus pricing, market-based pricing, value pricing, and more.

Cost-plus Pricing: This strategy is one of the simplest and oldest pricing strategies. Here you consider the cost of producing a unit of your product and then add a profit to it to arrive at your market price. It is an effective pricing strategy for manufacturers because it helps them cover their initial costs. Another name for the cost-plus pricing strategy is the markup pricing strategy.
Market-based Pricing: This pricing strategy analyses the market including competitors’ pricing and then sets a price based on what the market is expecting. With this pricing strategy, you can either set your price at the low-end or high-end of the market.
Value Pricing: This pricing strategy involves setting a price based on the value you are providing to your customer. When adopting a value-based pricing strategy, you have to set a price that your customers are willing to pay. Service-based businesses such as small business insurance providers , luxury goods sellers, and the fashion industry use this pricing strategy.

After carefully sorting out your positioning statement and pricing, the next item to look at is your promotional strategy. Your promotional strategy explains how you plan on communicating with your customers and prospects.

As a business, you must measure all your costs, including the cost of your promotions. You also want to measure how much sales your promotions bring for your business to determine its usefulness. Promotional strategies or programs that do not lead to profit need to be removed.

There are different types of promotional strategies you can adopt for your business, they include advertising, public relations, and content marketing.

Advertising

Your business plan should include your advertising plan which can be found in the marketing and sales plan section. You need to include an overview of your advertising plans such as the areas you plan to spend money on to advertise your business and offers.

Ensure that you make it clear in this section if your business will be advertising online or using the more traditional offline media, or the combination of both online and offline media. You can also include the advertising medium you want to use to raise awareness about your business and offers.

Some common online advertising mediums you can use include social media ads, landing pages, sales pages, SEO, Pay-Per-Click, emails, Google Ads, and others. Some common traditional and offline advertising mediums include word of mouth, radios, direct mail, televisions, flyers, billboards, posters, and others.

A key component of your advertising strategy is how you plan to measure the effectiveness and success of your advertising campaign. There is no point in sticking with an advertising plan or medium that does not produce results for your business in the long run.

Public Relations

A great way to reach your customers is to get the media to cover your business or product. Publicity, especially good ones, should be a part of your marketing and sales plan. In this section, show your plans for getting prominent reviews of your product from reputable publications and sources.

Your business needs that exposure to grow. If public relations is a crucial part of your promotional strategy, provide details about your public relations plan here.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a popular promotional strategy used by businesses to inform and attract their customers. It is about teaching and educating your prospects on various topics of interest in your niche, it does not just involve informing them about the benefits and features of the products and services you have,

Businesses publish content usually for free where they provide useful information, tips, and advice so that their target market can be made aware of the importance of their products and services. Content marketing strategies seek to nurture prospects into buyers over time by simply providing value.

Your company can create a blog where it will be publishing content for its target market. You will need to use the best website builder such as Wix and Squarespace and the best web hosting services such as Bluehost, Hostinger, and other Bluehost alternatives to create a functional blog or website.

If content marketing is a crucial part of your promotional strategy (as it should be), detail your plans under promotions.

Including high-quality images of the packaging of your product in your business plan is a lovely idea. You can add the images of the packaging of that product in the marketing and sales plan section. If you are not selling a product, then you do not need to include any worry about the physical packaging of your product.

When organizing the packaging section of your business plan, you can answer the following questions to make maximum use of this section.

Is your choice of packaging consistent with your positioning strategy?
What key value proposition does your packaging communicate? (It should reflect the key value proposition of your business)
How does your packaging compare to that of your competitors?

Social Media

Your 21st-century business needs to have a good social media presence. Not having one is leaving out opportunities for growth and reaching out to your prospect.

You do not have to join the thousands of social media platforms out there. What you need to do is join the ones that your customers are active on and be active there.

Businesses use social media to provide information about their products such as promotions, discounts, the benefits of their products, and content on their blogs.

Social media is also a platform for engaging with your customers and getting feedback about your products or services. Make no mistake, more and more of your prospects are using social media channels to find more information about companies.

You need to consider the social media channels you want to prioritize your business (prioritize the ones your customers are active in) and your branding plans in this section.

Choosing the right social media platform

Strategic Alliances

If your company plans to work closely with other companies as part of your sales and marketing plan, include it in this section. Prove details about those partnerships in your business plan if you have already established them.

Strategic alliances can be beneficial for all parties involved including your company. Working closely with another company in the form of a partnership can provide access to a different target market segment for your company.

The company you are partnering with may also gain access to your target market or simply offer a new product or service (that of your company) to its customers.

Mutually beneficial partnerships can cover the weaknesses of one company with the strength of another. You should consider strategic alliances with companies that sell complimentary products to yours. For example, if you provide printers, you can partner with a company that produces ink since the customers that buy printers from you will also need inks for printing.

Steps Involved in Creating a Marketing and Sales Plan

1. Focus on Your Target Market

Identify who your customers are, the market you want to target. Then determine the best ways to get your products or services to your potential customers.

2. Evaluate Your Competition

One of the goals of having a marketing plan is to distinguish yourself from your competition. You cannot stand out from them without first knowing them in and out.

You can know your competitors by gathering information about their products, pricing, service, and advertising campaigns.

These questions can help you know your competition.

What makes your competition successful?
What are their weaknesses?
What are customers saying about your competition?

3. Consider Your Brand

Customers' perception of your brand has a strong impact on your sales. Your marketing and sales plan should seek to bolster the image of your brand. Before you start marketing your business, think about the message you want to pass across about your business and your products and services.

4. Focus on Benefits

The majority of your customers do not view your product in terms of features, what they want to know is the benefits and solutions your product offers. Think about the problems your product solves and the benefits it delivers, and use it to create the right sales and marketing message.

Your marketing plan should focus on what you want your customer to get instead of what you provide. Identify those benefits in your marketing and sales plan.

5. Focus on Differentiation

Your marketing and sales plan should look for a unique angle they can take that differentiates your business from the competition, even if the products offered are similar. Some good areas of differentiation you can use are your benefits, pricing, and features.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing Your Marketing and Sales Plan

What is your company’s budget for sales and marketing campaigns?
What key metrics will you use to determine if your marketing plans are successful?
What are your alternatives if your initial marketing efforts do not succeed?
Who are the sales representatives you need to promote your products or services?
What are the marketing and sales channels you plan to use? How do you plan to get your products in front of your ideal customers?
Where will you sell your products?

You may want to include samples of marketing materials you plan to use such as print ads, website descriptions, and social media ads. While it is not compulsory to include these samples, it can help you better communicate your marketing and sales plan and objectives.

The purpose of the marketing and sales section is to answer this question “How will you reach your customers?” If you cannot convincingly provide an answer to this question, you need to rework your marketing and sales section.

7. Clearly Show Your Funding Request

If you are writing your business plan to ask for funding from investors or financial institutions, the funding request section is where you will outline your funding requirements. The funding request section should answer the question ‘How much money will your business need in the near future (3 to 5 years)?’

A good funding request section will clearly outline and explain the amount of funding your business needs over the next five years. You need to know the amount of money your business needs to make an accurate funding request.

Also, when writing your funding request, provide details of how the funds will be used over the period. Specify if you want to use the funds to buy raw materials or machinery, pay salaries, pay for advertisements, and cover specific bills such as rent and electricity.

In addition to explaining what you want to use the funds requested for, you need to clearly state the projected return on investment (ROI) . Investors and creditors want to know if your business can generate profit for them if they put funds into it.

Ensure you do not inflate the figures and stay as realistic as possible. Investors and financial institutions you are seeking funds from will do their research before investing money in your business.

If you are not sure of an exact number to request from, you can use some range of numbers as rough estimates. Add a best-case scenario and a work-case scenario to your funding request. Also, include a description of your strategic future financial plans such as selling your business or paying off debts.

Funding Request: Debt or Equity?

When making your funding request, specify the type of funding you want. Do you want debt or equity? Draw out the terms that will be applicable for the funding, and the length of time the funding request will cover.

Case for Equity

If your new business has not yet started generating profits, you are most likely preparing to sell equity in your business to raise capital at the early stage. Equity here refers to ownership. In this case, you are selling a portion of your company to raise capital.

Although this method of raising capital for your business does not put your business in debt, keep in mind that an equity owner may expect to play a key role in company decisions even if he does not hold a major stake in the company.

Most equity sales for startups are usually private transactions . If you are making a funding request by offering equity in exchange for funding, let the investor know that they will be paid a dividend (a share of the company’s profit). Also, let the investor know the process for selling their equity in your business.

Case for Debt

You may decide not to offer equity in exchange for funds, instead, you make a funding request with the promise to pay back the money borrowed at the agreed time frame.

When making a funding request with an agreement to pay back, note that you will have to repay your creditors both the principal amount borrowed and the interest on it. Financial institutions offer this type of funding for businesses.

Large companies combine both equity and debt in their capital structure. When drafting your business plan, decide if you want to offer both or one over the other.

Before you sell equity in exchange for funding in your business, consider if you are willing to accept not being in total control of your business. Also, before you seek loans in your funding request section, ensure that the terms of repayment are favorable.

You should set a clear timeline in your funding request so that potential investors and creditors can know what you are expecting. Some investors and creditors may agree to your funding request and then delay payment for longer than 30 days, meanwhile, your business needs an immediate cash injection to operate efficiently.

Additional Tips for Writing the Funding Request Section of your Business Plan

The funding request section is not necessary for every business, it is only needed by businesses who plan to use their business plan to secure funding.

If you are adding the funding request section to your business plan, provide an itemized summary of how you plan to use the funds requested. Hiring a lawyer, accountant, or other professionals may be necessary for the proper development of this section.

You should also gather and use financial statements that add credibility and support to your funding requests. Ensure that the financial statements you use should include your projected financial data such as projected cash flows, forecast statements, and expenditure budgets.

If you are an existing business, include all historical financial statements such as cash flow statements, balance sheets and income statements .

Provide monthly and quarterly financial statements for a year. If your business has records that date back beyond the one-year mark, add the yearly statements of those years. These documents are for the appendix section of your business plan.

8. Detail Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projections

If you used the funding request section in your business plan, supplement it with a financial plan, metrics, and projections. This section paints a picture of the past performance of your business and then goes ahead to make an informed projection about its future.

The goal of this section is to convince readers that your business is going to be a financial success. It outlines your business plan to generate enough profit to repay the loan (with interest if applicable) and to generate a decent return on investment for investors.

If you have an existing business already in operation, use this section to demonstrate stability through finance. This section should include your cash flow statements, balance sheets, and income statements covering the last three to five years. If your business has some acceptable collateral that you can use to acquire loans, list it in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

Apart from current financial statements, this section should also contain a prospective financial outlook that spans the next five years. Include forecasted income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and capital expenditure budget.

If your business is new and is not yet generating profit, use clear and realistic projections to show the potentials of your business.

When drafting this section, research industry norms and the performance of comparable businesses. Your financial projections should cover at least five years. State the logic behind your financial projections. Remember you can always make adjustments to this section as the variables change.

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section create a baseline which your business can either exceed or fail to reach. If your business fails to reach your projections in this section, you need to understand why it failed.

Investors and loan managers spend a lot of time going through the financial plan, metrics, and projection section compared to other parts of the business plan. Ensure you spend time creating credible financial analyses for your business in this section.

Many entrepreneurs find this section daunting to write. You do not need a business degree to create a solid financial forecast for your business. Business finances, especially for startups, are not as complicated as they seem. There are several online tools and templates that make writing this section so much easier.

Use Graphs and Charts

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section is a great place to use graphs and charts to tell the financial story of your business. Charts and images make it easier to communicate your finances.

Accuracy in this section is key, ensure you carefully analyze your past financial statements properly before making financial projects.

Address the Risk Factors and Show Realistic Financial Projections

Keep your financial plan, metrics, and projection realistic. It is okay to be optimistic in your financial projection, however, you have to justify it.

You should also address the various risk factors associated with your business in this section. Investors want to know the potential risks involved, show them. You should also show your plans for mitigating those risks.

What You Should In The Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection Section of Your Business Plan

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section of your business plan should have monthly sales and revenue forecasts for the first year. It should also include annual projections that cover 3 to 5 years.

A three-year projection is a basic requirement to have in your business plan. However, some investors may request a five-year forecast.

Your business plan should include the following financial statements: sales forecast, personnel plan, income statement, income statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, and an exit strategy.

1. Sales Forecast

Sales forecast refers to your projections about the number of sales your business is going to record over the next few years. It is typically broken into several rows, with each row assigned to a core product or service that your business is offering.

One common mistake people make in their business plan is to break down the sales forecast section into long details. A sales forecast should forecast the high-level details.

For example, if you are forecasting sales for a payroll software provider, you could break down your forecast into target market segments or subscription categories.

Your sales forecast section should also have a corresponding row for each sales row to cover the direct cost or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). The objective of these rows is to show the expenses that your business incurs in making and delivering your product or service.

Note that your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) should only cover those direct costs incurred when making your products. Other indirect expenses such as insurance, salaries, payroll tax, and rent should not be included.

For example, the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for a restaurant is the cost of ingredients while for a consulting company it will be the cost of paper and other presentation materials.

2. Personnel Plan

The personnel plan section is where you provide details about the payment plan for your employees. For a small business, you can easily list every position in your company and how much you plan to pay in the personnel plan.

However, for larger businesses, you have to break the personnel plan into functional groups such as sales and marketing.

The personnel plan will also include the cost of an employee beyond salary, commonly referred to as the employee burden. These costs include insurance, payroll taxes , and other essential costs incurred monthly as a result of having employees on your payroll.

3. Income Statement

The income statement section shows if your business is making a profit or taking a loss. Another name for the income statement is the profit and loss (P&L). It takes data from your sales forecast and personnel plan and adds other ongoing expenses you incur while running your business.

Every business plan should have an income statement. It subtracts your business expenses from its earnings to show if your business is generating profit or incurring losses.

The income statement has the following items: sales, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), gross margin, operating expenses, total operating expenses, operating income , total expenses, and net profit.

Sales refer to the revenue your business generates from selling its products or services. Other names for sales are income or revenue.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) refers to the total cost of selling your products. Other names for COGS are direct costs or cost of sales. Manufacturing businesses use the Costs of Goods Manufactured (COGM) .
Gross Margin is the figure you get when you subtract your COGS from your sales. In your income statement, you can express it as a percentage of total sales (Gross margin / Sales = Gross Margin Percent).
Operating Expenses refer to all the expenses you incur from running your business. It exempts the COGS because it stands alone as a core part of your income statement. You also have to exclude taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Your operating expenses include salaries, marketing expenses, research and development (R&D) expenses, and other expenses.
Total Operating Expenses refers to the sum of all your operating expenses including those exemptions named above under operating expenses.
Operating Income refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is simply known as the acronym EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Calculating your operating income is simple, all you need to do is to subtract your COGS and total operating expenses from your sales.
Total Expenses refer to the sum of your operating expenses and your business’ interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
Net profit shows whether your business has made a profit or taken a loss during a given timeframe.

4. Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement tracks the money you have in the bank at any given point. It is often confused with the income statement or the profit and loss statement. They are both different types of financial statements. The income statement calculates your profits and losses while the cash flow statement shows you how much you have in the bank.

5. Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a financial statement that provides an overview of the financial health of your business. It contains information about the assets and liabilities of your company, and owner’s or shareholders’ equity.

You can get the net worth of your company by subtracting your company’s liabilities from its assets.

6. Exit Strategy

The exit strategy refers to a probable plan for selling your business either to the public in an IPO or to another company. It is the last thing you include in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

You can choose to omit the exit strategy from your business plan if you plan to maintain full ownership of your business and do not plan on seeking angel investment or virtual capitalist (VC) funding.

Investors may want to know what your exit plan is. They invest in your business to get a good return on investment.

Your exit strategy does not have to include long and boring details. Ensure you identify some interested parties who may be interested in buying the company if it becomes a success.

Exit Strategy Section of Business Plan Infographic

Key Questions to Answer with Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection

Your financial plan, metrics, and projection section helps investors, creditors, or your internal managers to understand what your expenses are, the amount of cash you need, and what it takes to make your company profitable. It also shows what you will be doing with any funding.

You do not need to show actual financial data if you do not have one. Adding forecasts and projections to your financial statements is added proof that your strategy is feasible and shows investors you have planned properly.

Here are some key questions to answer to help you develop this section.

What is your sales forecast for the next year?
When will your company achieve a positive cash flow?
What are the core expenses you need to operate?
How much money do you need upfront to operate or grow your company?
How will you use the loans or investments?

9. Add an Appendix to Your Business Plan

Adding an appendix to your business plan is optional. It is a useful place to put any charts, tables, legal notes, definitions, permits, résumés, and other critical information that do not fit into other sections of your business plan.

The appendix section is where you would want to include details of a patent or patent-pending if you have one. You can always add illustrations or images of your products here. It is the last section of your business plan.

When writing your business plan, there are details you cut short or remove to prevent the entire section from becoming too lengthy. There are also details you want to include in the business plan but are not a good fit for any of the previous sections. You can add that additional information to the appendix section.

Businesses also use the appendix section to include supporting documents or other materials specially requested by investors or lenders.

You can include just about any information that supports the assumptions and statements you made in the business plan under the appendix. It is the one place in the business plan where unrelated data and information can coexist amicably.

If your appendix section is lengthy, try organizing it by adding a table of contents at the beginning of the appendix section. It is also advisable to group similar information to make it easier for the reader to access them.

A well-organized appendix section makes it easier to share your information clearly and concisely. Add footnotes throughout the rest of the business plan or make references in the plan to the documents in the appendix.

The appendix section is usually only necessary if you are seeking funding from investors or lenders, or hoping to attract partners.

People reading business plans do not want to spend time going through a heap of backup information, numbers, and charts. Keep these documents or information in the Appendix section in case the reader wants to dig deeper.

Common Items to Include in the Appendix Section of Your Business Plan

The appendix section includes documents that supplement or support the information or claims given in other sections of the business plans. Common items you can include in the appendix section include:

Additional data about the process of manufacturing or creation
Additional description of products or services such as product schematics
Additional financial documents or projections
Articles of incorporation and status
Backup for market research or competitive analysis
Bank statements
Business registries
Client testimonials (if your business is already running)
Copies of insurances
Credit histories (personal or/and business)
Deeds and permits
Equipment leases
Examples of marketing and advertising collateral
Industry associations and memberships
Images of product
Intellectual property
Key customer contracts
Legal documents and other contracts
Letters of reference
Links to references
Market research data
Organizational charts
Photographs of potential facilities
Professional licenses pertaining to your legal structure or type of business
Purchase orders
Resumes of the founder(s) and key managers
State and federal identification numbers or codes
Trademarks or patents’ registrations

Avoid using the appendix section as a place to dump any document or information you feel like adding. Only add documents or information that you support or increase the credibility of your business plan.

Tips and Strategies for Writing a Convincing Business Plan

To achieve a perfect business plan, you need to consider some key tips and strategies. These tips will raise the efficiency of your business plan above average.

1. Know Your Audience

When writing a business plan, you need to know your audience . Business owners write business plans for different reasons. Your business plan has to be specific. For example, you can write business plans to potential investors, banks, and even fellow board members of the company.

The audience you are writing to determines the structure of the business plan. As a business owner, you have to know your audience. Not everyone will be your audience. Knowing your audience will help you to narrow the scope of your business plan.

Consider what your audience wants to see in your projects, the likely questions they might ask, and what interests them.

A business plan used to address a company's board members will center on its employment schemes, internal affairs, projects, stakeholders, etc.
A business plan for financial institutions will talk about the size of your market and the chances for you to pay back any loans you demand.
A business plan for investors will show proof that you can return the investment capital within a specific time. In addition, it discusses your financial projections, tractions, and market size.

2. Get Inspiration from People

Writing a business plan from scratch as an entrepreneur can be daunting. That is why you need the right inspiration to push you to write one. You can gain inspiration from the successful business plans of other businesses. Look at their business plans, the style they use, the structure of the project, etc.

To make your business plan easier to create, search companies related to your business to get an exact copy of what you need to create an effective business plan. You can also make references while citing examples in your business plans.

When drafting your business plan, get as much help from others as you possibly can. By getting inspiration from people, you can create something better than what they have.

3. Avoid Being Over Optimistic

Many business owners make use of strong adjectives to qualify their content. One of the big mistakes entrepreneurs make when preparing a business plan is promising too much.

The use of superlatives and over-optimistic claims can prepare the audience for more than you can offer. In the end, you disappoint the confidence they have in you.

In most cases, the best option is to be realistic with your claims and statistics. Most of the investors can sense a bit of incompetency from the overuse of superlatives. As a new entrepreneur, do not be tempted to over-promise to get the interests of investors.

The concept of entrepreneurship centers on risks, nothing is certain when you make future analyses. What separates the best is the ability to do careful research and work towards achieving that, not promising more than you can achieve.

To make an excellent first impression as an entrepreneur, replace superlatives with compelling data-driven content. In this way, you are more specific than someone promising a huge ROI from an investment.

4. Keep it Simple and Short

When writing business plans, ensure you keep them simple throughout. Irrespective of the purpose of the business plan, your goal is to convince the audience.

One way to achieve this goal is to make them understand your proposal. Therefore, it would be best if you avoid the use of complex grammar to express yourself. It would be a huge turn-off if the people you want to convince are not familiar with your use of words.

Another thing to note is the length of your business plan. It would be best if you made it as brief as possible.

You hardly see investors or agencies that read through an extremely long document. In that case, if your first few pages can’t convince them, then you have lost it. The more pages you write, the higher the chances of you derailing from the essential contents.

To ensure your business plan has a high conversion rate, you need to dispose of every unnecessary information. For example, if you have a strategy that you are not sure of, it would be best to leave it out of the plan.

5. Make an Outline and Follow Through

A perfect business plan must have touched every part needed to convince the audience. Business owners get easily tempted to concentrate more on their products than on other sections. Doing this can be detrimental to the efficiency of the business plan.

For example, imagine you talking about a product but omitting or providing very little information about the target audience. You will leave your clients confused.

To ensure that your business plan communicates your full business model to readers, you have to input all the necessary information in it. One of the best ways to achieve this is to design a structure and stick to it.

This structure is what guides you throughout the writing. To make your work easier, you can assign an estimated word count or page limit to every section to avoid making it too bulky for easy reading. As a guide, the necessary things your business plan must contain are:

Table of contents
Introduction
Product or service description
Target audience
Market size
Competition analysis
Financial projections

Some specific businesses can include some other essential sections, but these are the key sections that must be in every business plan.

6. Ask a Professional to Proofread

When writing a business plan, you must tie all loose ends to get a perfect result. When you are done with writing, call a professional to go through the document for you. You are bound to make mistakes, and the way to correct them is to get external help.

You should get a professional in your field who can relate to every section of your business plan. It would be easier for the professional to notice the inner flaws in the document than an editor with no knowledge of your business.

In addition to getting a professional to proofread, get an editor to proofread and edit your document. The editor will help you identify grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and inappropriate writing styles.

Writing a business plan can be daunting, but you can surmount that obstacle and get the best out of it with these tips.

Business Plan Examples and Templates That’ll Save You Tons of Time

1. hubspot's one-page business plan.

The one-page business plan template by HubSpot is the perfect guide for businesses of any size, irrespective of their business strategy. Although the template is condensed into a page, your final business plan should not be a page long! The template is designed to ask helpful questions that can help you develop your business plan.

Hubspot’s one-page business plan template is divided into nine fields:

Business opportunity
Company description
Industry analysis
Target market
Implementation timeline
Marketing plan
Financial summary
Funding required

2. Bplan’s Free Business Plan Template

Bplans' free business plan template is investor-approved. It is a rich template used by prestigious educational institutions such as Babson College and Princeton University to teach entrepreneurs how to create a business plan.

The template has six sections: the executive summary, opportunity, execution, company, financial plan, and appendix. There is a step-by-step guide for writing every little detail in the business plan. Follow the instructions each step of the way and you will create a business plan that impresses investors or lenders easily.

3. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

HubSpot’s downloadable business plan template is a more comprehensive option compared to the one-page business template by HubSpot. This free and downloadable business plan template is designed for entrepreneurs.

The template is a comprehensive guide and checklist for business owners just starting their businesses. It tells you everything you need to fill in each section of the business plan and how to do it.

There are nine sections in this business plan template: an executive summary, company and business description, product and services line, market analysis, marketing plan, sales plan, legal notes, financial considerations, and appendix.

4. Business Plan by My Own Business Institute

My Own Business Institute (MOBI) which is a part of Santa Clara University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers a free business plan template. You can either copy the free business template from the link provided above or download it as a Word document.

The comprehensive template consists of a whopping 15 sections.

The Business Profile
The Vision and the People
Home-Based Business and Freelance Business Opportunities
Organization
Licenses and Permits
Business Insurance
Communication Tools
Acquisitions
Location and Leasing
Accounting and Cash Flow
Opening and Marketing
Managing Employees
Expanding and Handling Problems

There are lots of helpful tips on how to fill each section in the free business plan template by MOBI.

5. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs build successful companies. This business plan template for startups by Score is available for free download. The business plan template asks a whooping 150 generic questions that help entrepreneurs from different fields to set up the perfect business plan.

The business plan template for startups contains clear instructions and worksheets, all you have to do is answer the questions and fill the worksheets.

There are nine sections in the business plan template: executive summary, company description, products and services, marketing plan, operational plan, management and organization, startup expenses and capitalization, financial plan, and appendices.

The ‘refining the plan’ resource contains instructions that help you modify your business plan to suit your specific needs, industry, and target audience. After you have completed Score’s business plan template, you can work with a SCORE mentor for expert advice in business planning.

6. Minimalist Architecture Business Plan Template by Venngage

The minimalist architecture business plan template is a simple template by Venngage that you can customize to suit your business needs .

There are five sections in the template: an executive summary, statement of problem, approach and methodology, qualifications, and schedule and benchmark. The business plan template has instructions that guide users on what to fill in each section.

7. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two free business plan templates, filled with practical real-life examples that you can model to create your business plan. Both free business plan templates are written by fictional business owners: Rebecca who owns a consulting firm, and Andrew who owns a toy company.

There are five sections in the two SBA’s free business plan templates.

Executive Summary
Company Description
Service Line
Marketing and Sales

8. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan

The one-page business plan by the $100 startup is a simple business plan template for entrepreneurs who do not want to create a long and complicated plan . You can include more details in the appendices for funders who want more information beyond what you can put in the one-page business plan.

There are five sections in the one-page business plan such as overview, ka-ching, hustling, success, and obstacles or challenges or open questions. You can answer all the questions using one or two sentences.

9. PandaDoc’s Free Business Plan Template

The free business plan template by PandaDoc is a comprehensive 15-page document that describes the information you should include in every section.

There are 11 sections in PandaDoc’s free business plan template.

Executive summary
Business description
Products and services
Operations plan
Management organization
Financial plan
Conclusion / Call to action
Confidentiality statement

You have to sign up for its 14-day free trial to access the template. You will find different business plan templates on PandaDoc once you sign up (including templates for general businesses and specific businesses such as bakeries, startups, restaurants, salons, hotels, and coffee shops)

PandaDoc allows you to customize its business plan templates to fit the needs of your business. After editing the template, you can send it to interested parties and track opens and views through PandaDoc.

10. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

InvoiceBerry is a U.K based online invoicing and tracking platform that offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats for freelancers and small businesses.

Before you can download the free business plan template, it will ask you to give it your email address. After you complete the little task, it will send the download link to your inbox for you to download. It also provides a business plan checklist in .xlsx file format that ensures you add the right information to the business plan.

Alternatives to the Traditional Business Plan

A business plan is very important in mapping out how one expects their business to grow over a set number of years, particularly when they need external investment in their business. However, many investors do not have the time to watch you present your business plan. It is a long and boring read.

Luckily, there are three alternatives to the traditional business plan (the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck). These alternatives are less laborious and easier and quicker to present to investors.

Business Model Canvas (BMC)

The business model canvas is a business tool used to present all the important components of setting up a business, such as customers, route to market, value proposition, and finance in a single sheet. It provides a very focused blueprint that defines your business initially which you can later expand on if needed.

The sheet is divided mainly into company, industry, and consumer models that are interconnected in how they find problems and proffer solutions.

Segments of the Business Model Canvas

The business model canvas was developed by founder Alexander Osterwalder to answer important business questions. It contains nine segments.

Key Partners: Who will be occupying important executive positions in your business? What do they bring to the table? Will there be a third party involved with the company?
Key Activities: What important activities will production entail? What activities will be carried out to ensure the smooth running of the company?
The Product’s Value Propositions: What does your product do? How will it be different from other products?
Customer Segments: What demography of consumers are you targeting? What are the habits of these consumers? Who are the MVPs of your target consumers?
Customer Relationships: How will the team support and work with its customer base? How do you intend to build and maintain trust with the customer?
Key Resources: What type of personnel and tools will be needed? What size of the budget will they need access to?
Channels: How do you plan to create awareness of your products? How do you intend to transport your product to the customer?
Cost Structure: What is the estimated cost of production? How much will distribution cost?
Revenue Streams: For what value are customers willing to pay? How do they prefer to pay for the product? Are there any external revenues attached apart from the main source? How do the revenue streams contribute to the overall revenue?

Lean Canvas

The lean canvas is a problem-oriented alternative to the standard business model canvas. It was proposed by Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Stack as a development of the business model generation. It uses a more problem-focused approach and it majorly targets entrepreneurs and startup businesses.

Lean Canvas uses the same 9 blocks concept as the business model canvas, however, they have been modified slightly to suit the needs and purpose of a small startup. The key partners, key activities, customer relationships, and key resources are replaced by new segments which are:

Problem: Simple and straightforward number of problems you have identified, ideally three.
Solution: The solutions to each problem.
Unfair Advantage: Something you possess that can't be easily bought or replicated.
Key Metrics: Important numbers that will tell how your business is doing.

Startup Pitch Deck

While the business model canvas compresses into a factual sheet, startup pitch decks expand flamboyantly.

Pitch decks, through slides, convey your business plan, often through graphs and images used to emphasize estimations and observations in your presentation. Entrepreneurs often use pitch decks to fully convince their target audience of their plans before discussing funding arrangements.

Considering the likelihood of it being used in a small time frame, a good startup pitch deck should ideally contain 20 slides or less to have enough time to answer questions from the audience.

Unlike the standard and lean business model canvases, a pitch deck doesn't have a set template on how to present your business plan but there are still important components to it. These components often mirror those of the business model canvas except that they are in slide form and contain more details.

Using Airbnb (one of the most successful start-ups in recent history) for reference, the important components of a good slide are listed below.

Cover/Introduction Slide: Here, you should include your company's name and mission statement. Your mission statement should be a very catchy tagline. Also, include personal information and contact details to provide an easy link for potential investors.
Problem Slide: This slide requires you to create a connection with the audience or the investor that you are pitching. For example in their pitch, Airbnb summarized the most important problems it would solve in three brief points – pricing of hotels, disconnection from city culture, and connection problems for local bookings.
Solution Slide: This slide includes your core value proposition. List simple and direct solutions to the problems you have mentioned
Customer Analysis: Here you will provide information on the customers you will be offering your service to. The identity of your customers plays an important part in fundraising as well as the long-run viability of the business.
Market Validation: Use competitive analysis to show numbers that prove the presence of a market for your product, industry behavior in the present and the long run, as well as the percentage of the market you aim to attract. It shows that you understand your competitors and customers and convinces investors of the opportunities presented in the market.
Business Model: Your business model is the hook of your presentation. It may vary in complexity but it should generally include a pricing system informed by your market analysis. The goal of the slide is to confirm your business model is easy to implement.
Marketing Strategy: This slide should summarize a few customer acquisition methods that you plan to use to grow the business.
Competitive Advantage: What this slide will do is provide information on what will set you apart and make you a more attractive option to customers. It could be the possession of technology that is not widely known in the market.
Team Slide: Here you will give a brief description of your team. Include your key management personnel here and their specific roles in the company. Include their educational background, job history, and skillsets. Also, talk about their accomplishments in their careers so far to build investors' confidence in members of your team.
Traction Slide: This validates the company’s business model by showing growth through early sales and support. The slide aims to reduce any lingering fears in potential investors by showing realistic periodic milestones and profit margins. It can include current sales, growth, valuable customers, pre-orders, or data from surveys outlining current consumer interest.
Funding Slide: This slide is popularly referred to as ‘the ask'. Here you will include important details like how much is needed to get your business off the ground and how the funding will be spent to help the company reach its goals.
Appendix Slides: Your pitch deck appendix should always be included alongside a standard pitch presentation. It consists of additional slides you could not show in the pitch deck but you need to complement your presentation.

It is important to support your calculations with pictorial renditions. Infographics, such as pie charts or bar graphs, will be more effective in presenting the information than just listing numbers. For example, a six-month graph that shows rising profit margins will easily look more impressive than merely writing it.

Lastly, since a pitch deck is primarily used to secure meetings and you may be sharing your pitch with several investors, it is advisable to keep a separate public version that doesn't include financials. Only disclose the one with projections once you have secured a link with an investor.

Advantages of the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck over the Traditional Business Plan

Time-Saving: Writing a detailed traditional business plan could take weeks or months. On the other hand, all three alternatives can be done in a few days or even one night of brainstorming if you have a comprehensive understanding of your business.
Easier to Understand: Since the information presented is almost entirely factual, it puts focus on what is most important in running the business. They cut away the excess pages of fillers in a traditional business plan and allow investors to see what is driving the business and what is getting in the way.
Easy to Update: Businesses typically present their business plans to many potential investors before they secure funding. What this means is that you may regularly have to amend your presentation to update statistics or adjust to audience-specific needs. For a traditional business plan, this could mean rewriting a whole section of your plan. For the three alternatives, updating is much easier because they are not voluminous.
Guide for a More In-depth Business Plan: All three alternatives have the added benefit of being able to double as a sketch of your business plan if the need to create one arises in the future.

Business Plan FAQ

Business plans are important for any entrepreneur who is looking for a framework to run their company over some time or seeking external support. Although they are essential for new businesses, every company should ideally have a business plan to track their growth from time to time. They can be used by startups seeking investments or loans to convey their business ideas or an employee to convince his boss of the feasibility of starting a new project. They can also be used by companies seeking to recruit high-profile employee targets into key positions or trying to secure partnerships with other firms.

Business plans often vary depending on your target audience, the scope, and the goals for the plan. Startup plans are the most common among the different types of business plans. A start-up plan is used by a new business to present all the necessary information to help get the business up and running. They are usually used by entrepreneurs who are seeking funding from investors or bank loans. The established company alternative to a start-up plan is a feasibility plan. A feasibility plan is often used by an established company looking for new business opportunities. They are used to show the upsides of creating a new product for a consumer base. Because the audience is usually company people, it requires less company analysis. The third type of business plan is the lean business plan. A lean business plan is a brief, straight-to-the-point breakdown of your ideas and analysis for your business. It does not contain details of your proposal and can be written on one page. Finally, you have the what-if plan. As it implies, a what-if plan is a preparation for the worst-case scenario. You must always be prepared for the possibility of your original plan being rejected. A good what-if plan will serve as a good plan B to the original.

A good business plan has 10 key components. They include an executive plan, product analysis, desired customer base, company analysis, industry analysis, marketing strategy, sales strategy, financial projection, funding, and appendix. Executive Plan Your business should begin with your executive plan. An executive plan will provide early insight into what you are planning to achieve with your business. It should include your mission statement and highlight some of the important points which you will explain later. Product Analysis The next component of your business plan is your product analysis. A key part of this section is explaining the type of item or service you are going to offer as well as the market problems your product will solve. Desired Consumer Base Your product analysis should be supplemented with a detailed breakdown of your desired consumer base. Investors are always interested in knowing the economic power of your market as well as potential MVP customers. Company Analysis The next component of your business plan is your company analysis. Here, you explain how you want to run your business. It will include your operational strategy, an insight into the workforce needed to keep the company running, and important executive positions. It will also provide a calculation of expected operational costs. Industry Analysis A good business plan should also contain well laid out industry analysis. It is important to convince potential investors you know the companies you will be competing with, as well as your plans to gain an edge on the competition. Marketing Strategy Your business plan should also include your marketing strategy. This is how you intend to spread awareness of your product. It should include a detailed explanation of the company brand as well as your advertising methods. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy comes after the market strategy. Here you give an overview of your company's pricing strategy and how you aim to maximize profits. You can also explain how your prices will adapt to market behaviors. Financial Projection The financial projection is the next component of your business plan. It explains your company's expected running cost and revenue earned during the tenure of the business plan. Financial projection gives a clear idea of how your company will develop in the future. Funding The next component of your business plan is funding. You have to detail how much external investment you need to get your business idea off the ground here. Appendix The last component of your plan is the appendix. This is where you put licenses, graphs, or key information that does not fit in any of the other components.

The business model canvas is a business management tool used to quickly define your business idea and model. It is often used when investors need you to pitch your business idea during a brief window.

A pitch deck is similar to a business model canvas except that it makes use of slides in its presentation. A pitch is not primarily used to secure funding, rather its main purpose is to entice potential investors by selling a very optimistic outlook on the business.

Business plan competitions help you evaluate the strength of your business plan. By participating in business plan competitions, you are improving your experience. The experience provides you with a degree of validation while practicing important skills. The main motivation for entering into the competitions is often to secure funding by finishing in podium positions. There is also the chance that you may catch the eye of a casual observer outside of the competition. These competitions also provide good networking opportunities. You could meet mentors who will take a keen interest in guiding you in your business journey. You also have the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs whose ideas can complement yours.

Exlore Further

12 Key Elements of a Business Plan (Top Components Explained)
13 Sources of Business Finance For Companies & Sole Traders
5 Common Types of Business Structures (+ Pros & Cons)
How to Buy a Business in 8 Steps (+ Due Diligence Checklist)

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Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

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14 Professional Business Plan Samples [Downloadable pdf]

Looking for business plan examples for inspiration? Download or view 14 business plans examples/samples, vetted by our MBA business plan writers. Download in PDF format or read like a book. These real business plan samples would help in writing your own business plan.

14+professional business plan examples or samples

View Real Business Plan Examples/Samples

As an entrepreneur, effectively pitching your idea to attract investors and secure funding can be a challenge. Moreover, when launching a business, creating a comprehensive business plan is paramount.

To aid you in these crucial tasks, we offer a collection of real-world and sample business plan examples across diverse industries. A well-structured business plan is indispensable in the fast-paced entrepreneurial landscape, as it delineates your goals, strategies, and financial projections, providing a clear roadmap for your venture.

Our aim is to facilitate the creation of an effective business plan by integrating real-life examples to elucidate the key elements involved. Below, you’ll find a range of 14 detailed business plan examples available for download and use.

Important Sections to Include in Business Plan

To create a robust business plan, ensure inclusion of the following key sections:

Executive Summary: A brief snapshot of your business and the key highlights of your business plan. Read more
Product and Services: An elaborate description of the offerings you will provide to your customers. Read more
Marketing and Sales Plan: A strategic roadmap outlining how you intend to promote and market your business before, during, and after its launch. Read more
Operating Planning: An explanation of the systems, processes, and tools necessary to efficiently run your business behind the scenes. Read more
Organization and Management: Organization and management in a business plan outline the structure and leadership of the company. Read more
Financial Plan: A comprehensive plan mapping out your short-term and long-term financial goals and the associated costs of running your business. If you require funding, this section is where you can outline your request and financial needs. Read more
Key External Drivers: External drivers encompass factors like outsourcing, economic changes, industry competition, and business legislation complexity. Read more
Startup Summary: The startup summary offers a comprehensive financial overview of , detailing expenses, asset value, and total requirements, crucial for transparency with entrepreneurs and investors. Read more
Projected Industry Growth : Projected industry growth forecasts the sector’s expansion, offering a 10-year perspective and average annual growth rate, providing clarity to investors. Read more
Break-even analysis: The break-even analysis visually presents key metrics and a 12-month revenue forecast to help stakeholders grasp the point where the business covers costs and starts generating profit . Read more
Management Summary: The management summary provides a concise overview of organizational structure, key personnel, their roles, and financial commitments, ensuring stakeholders understand the business’s operational strength and leadership capability. Read more
Financial Indicators: The financial indicators section evaluates organizational fiscal health, focusing on year-over-year profitability metrics, leverage ratios, liquidity ratios, and additional metrics, providing a comprehensive understanding of the business’s financial performance and efficiency in revenue generation from equity investments. Read more

Practical Business Plan Examples Illustrating Strategies for Startup Success

1. E-commerce Plan Sample or Example

Something Borrowed Something New is a burgeoning e-commerce enterprise specializing in wedding accessories and personalized gifts. Operating on a drop-shipping model, this business has the capability to make a significant impact in the market.

Moreover, leveraging social networking and blogging can be instrumental in generating awareness and capturing interest, thereby creating a robust online marketing strategy for Something Old and Something New.

To enhance their business operations, they are contemplating the integration of a WhatsApp CRM system. This initiative aims to optimize communication with potential customers, ensuring prompt responses to inquiries and fostering a seamless interaction process.

2. Online Marketplace Business Plan Example or Sample

EPlace Solutions will be an innovative online marketplace business portal offering a variety of products to consumers throughout the globe. Founded by Mr. John Jones, a seasoned business visionary with an eye toward profit and achievement, the organization is set to enter the market in 2023.

Online shopping is at an all-time high with new consumer mindsets calling for them to shop for the types of deals and bargains that will be so much a part of the online marketplace business model.

3. Snack Bar Business Plan Sample / Business Plan Example

There is an increasing demand for snack-type fast food to be consumed while window shopping and walking around inside a shopping mall.

Do you plan to start a snack bar business? Then here’s a complete snack bar startup business plan template and feasibility report you can use FREE of charge. It sounds easy to open a snack bar, but in reality, you need well-planned strategies to ensure that your business stands the test of time.

Our snack bar business plan sample includes a detailed description of the products and services offered, as well as a market a nalysis and competitive analysis.

It also includes a financial plan that outlines the startup costs, revenue projections, and break-even analysis. We like this sample plan because it demonstrates how to build a profitable snack bar business by creating a unique menu and offering healthy, high-quality snac ks that meet custome r demand.

Your snack shop business plan can look as polished and professional as the sample plan. It’s fun and easy, with Wise Business Plan. Let’s review the snack shop business plan sample and adjust them according to your audience for the best results.

4. Coffee Shop Business Plan Sample/Business Plan Example PDF

A coffee shop business plan is a document that outlines what your business idea is and how it will be implemented. Its purpose is to answer questions such as what it costs to start a coffee shop, how these costs will be financed, and how much money you can expect to earn from your cafe.

Are you looking for the right business plan for your cafe? Let’s review the Coffee shop business plan sample to find out how cloud-based software can make your day-to-day work more efficient.

Our coffee shop business plan sample includes a detailed description of the products and services offered, as well as a market analysis and competitive analysis.

It also includes a financial plan that outlines the startup costs, revenue projections, and break-even analysis. We like this sample plan because it demonstrates how to build a profitable coffee shop business by creating a unique brand and offering high-quality products a nd customer service.

5. Food Hall Business Plan Sample/Business Plan Example PDF

In the food industry, there is fierce competition. To ensure success, you need to hit the ground running with the right pitch. Our food house business plan is the ideal solution with an attractive design highlighting key information and conveying the right message.

This food business plan example features food images intended to tantalize the taste buds. It captures the theme perfectly and will convey the ultimate message to investors, clients and customers.

It is important to remember that the business plan template can be customized to meet your company’s specific needs and requirements. It will help showcase your business as a leader in the modern industry.

This food business plan template provides key slides to showcase everything from finances to marketing and key competitors. If you prefer, you can alter the content displayed to meet your specific needs, but this is a good starting point.

Ultimately, this food house business plan will be suitable for any business operating in the food industry and keen to get interested from key individuals. It will ensure that you can build up the rep of your company.

We provide a one-of-a-kind sales pitch deck designed to appeal to your prospective audience, as well as a custom presentation tailored to their information requirements.

6. Printing Shop Business Plan Sample/Business Plan Example Plan

When establishing a think tank, you will need to develop a business plan and document it properly. As a mass think tank, you need a special strategy to legalize the think tank as a non-profit organization and to raise funds for your project successfully.

Copy and print businesses offer a variety of services to both businesses and consumers. A copy and print shop can handle everything from single-page printing to large-volume jobs using several types of media.

Our printing shop business plan sample includes a detailed description of the products and services offered, as well as a market analysis and competitive analysis. It also includes a financial plan that outlines the startup costs, revenue projections, and break-even analysis. We like this sample plan because it demonstrates how to build a profitable printing shop business by offering high-quality, customized printing services with a focus on customer s ervice and efficient operations.

Let’s take a look at Printing and Photocopy Business Plan Sample that you can use to inspire your own and easily create one.

7. Acquisition Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

The acquisition business plan sample is intended for businesses seeking to acquire another company or merge with a competitor. This plan includes an analysis of the target company, a valuation, and a strategy for integrating the acquired business into the existing operations. We like this sample plan because it provides a clear roadmap for the acquisition process and demonstrates the potential benefits of the deal.

8. L-1 Visa Business Plan Example with Sample PDF

At Wisebusinessplans, we understand that obtaining an L1 visa for an executive or manager requires a thorough and compelling business plan.

Our L1 business plan sample includes all the necessary components to satisfy USCIS requirements and demonstrate your qualifications and your company’s viability in the US market.

The L1 business plan sample is a comprehensive plan for a new business seeking L1 visa approval for an executive or manager. This plan focuses on demonstrating the applicant’s qualifications and the company’s viability in the US market.

We like this sample plan because it is specific to the L1 visa process and includes all the necessary components to satisfy USCIS requirements.

9. E-2 Visa Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

If you’re an entrepreneur seeking E-2 visa approval, Wise Business Plans can help you create a persuasive business plan.

Our E-2 business plan sample outlines your investment, business operations, and financial projections, providing a clear and compelling case for your ability to successfully run a business and make a significant economic impact.

The E-2 business plan sample is designed for entrepreneurs seeking E-2 visa approval, which allows individuals to invest in and manage a business in the United States. This plan outlines the applicant’s investment, business operations, and financial projections. We like this sample plan because it provides a clear and compelling case for the applicant’s ability to successfully run a business and make a significant economic impact.

10. EB-5 Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

If you’re looking to obtain an EB-5 visa by investing in a new commercial enterprise in the United States, Wise Business Plans can help you create a compelling business plan.

Our EB-5 business plan sample includes a description of your business, a market analysis, and financial projections, providing a detailed and persuasive case for the potential success of your venture.

The EB-5 business plan sample is designed for individuals seeking to obtain an EB-5 visa by investing in a new commercial enterprise in the United States. This plan includes a description of the business, a market analysis, and financial projections. We like this sample plan because it provides a detailed and persuasive case for the potential success of the business, which is crucial for obtaining EB-5 visa approval.

11. Investor Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

If you’re seeking investment from angel investors, venture capitalists, or other private equity firms, Wise Business Plans can help you create a compelling pitch.

Our investor business plan sample includes a pitch deck, financial projections, and a detailed analysis of the market the potential return on investment and the scalability of your business.

The investor business plan sample is intended for businesses seeking to attract investment from angel investors, venture capitalists, or other private equity firms. This plan includes a pitch deck, financial projections, and a detailed analysis of the market opportunity. We like this sample plan because it emphasizes the potential return on investment and the scalability of the business.

12. Nonprofit Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

At Wisebusinessplans, we’re committed to helping non-profit organizations achieve their social impact goals.

Our non-profit business plan sample includes a mission statement, programs and services, marketing and outreach strategies, and a financial analysis, providing a clear roadmap for establishing or expanding your organization.

The non-profit business plan sample is designed for organizations seeking to establish or expand a non-profit entity. This plan includes a mission statement, programs and services, marketing and outreach strategies, and a financial analysis. We like this sample plan because it demonstrates a strong commitment to social impact and outlines a clear strategy for achieving the organization’s goals.

13. Bank Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

Whether you’re seeking financing from a bank or other financial institution, Wise Business Plans can help you create a detailed and persuasive business plan.

Our bank business plan sample includes a thorough financial analysis, market research, and a strategy for achieving profitability, highlighting the key factors that banks consider when evaluating loan applications.

The bank business plan sample is tailored for businesses seeking financing from a bank or other financial institution. This plan includes a detailed financial analysis, market research, and a strategy for achieving profitability. We like this sample plan because it highlights the key factors that banks consider when evaluating loan applications, and provides a strong case for the borrower’s ability to repay the loan.

14. Cannabis Business Plan Sample/ Example PDF

The cannabis industry is rapidly growing, and Wise Business Plans can help you enter it with confidence.

Our cannabis business plan sample includes a market analysis, operational strategy, and regulatory compliance a comprehensive overview of the unique challenges and opportunities in the industry and offering a clear roadmap for success.

The cannabis business plan sample is tailored for entrepreneurs seeking to enter the rapidly growing cannabis industry. This plan includes a market analysis, operational strategy, and regulatory compliance plan. We like this sample plan because it provides a comprehensive overview of the unique challenges and opportunities in the cannabis industry, and offers a clear roadmap for success.

Detailed Overview of Key Components of a Business Plan

1. executive summary.

The executive summary is a concise overview of your business plan, highlighting the key points of each section. It should capture the essence of your business, its mission, and the purpose of the business plan. This section should be written last, but it’s placed at the beginning of the business plan. Here is an example executive summary from our professional business plan written for Eplace Solution , an innovative e-commerce portal.

Tips for Writing Executive Summary

Keep it brief and focused on key points.
Clearly define the problem and your solution.
Highlight market opportunities and growth potential.
Showcase your team’s qualifications.
Include financial projections.
End with a clear call to action.
Tailor it to your audience.
Review and update regularly.

the executive summary of a real estate business example

2. Company Overview or Description

In this section, provide a detailed description of your company, including its history, legal structure, location, and vision. Explain your mission statement and core values that guide your business decisions. Use real-life examples of successful companies and how their strong company descriptions have contributed to their growth. In addition, you can reuse your company description on your About page, Instagram page, or other properties that ask for a boilerplate description of your business.

This section also allows you to describe how you register your business . Here you must choose whether your business is a corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC , or another type of business .

Tips for Writing Company Description

Describe your company’s mission and vision.
Explain what your business does and the problems it solves.
Mention your target market and customer base.
Highlight your unique selling points.
Provide a brief history and background.

3. Market Analysis

A market analysis analyzes how you are positioned in the market, who your target customers are, what your product or service will offer them, and industry trends. It might be useful to do a SWOT analysis to discover your strengths and weaknesses to identify market gaps that you may be able to exploit to build your business.

As part of your market research, you’ll also need to perform a competitive analysis. It will give you an idea of who your competition is and how to differentiate your brand. Here’s an example of a competitive analysis we did for a food business.

Tips for Writing Market Analysis

Research and understand your industry thoroughly.
Identify market trends and growth opportunities.
Analyze your competitors and their strengths and weaknesses.
Define your target audience and their needs.
Include data and statistics to support your analysis.

4. Product and Services

Adding products and services to a business plan involves more than listing your company’s offerings. If you intend to gain funding or partner with another business, your products, and services section needs to demonstrate your company’s quality, value, and benefits.

Here’s an example of a product and service section in the business plan we wrote for an e-commerce business that offers wedding accessories.

An example of Product and service section of business plan

Tips for Writing Product and Services

Clearly describe your offerings and their features.
Explain how your products/services address customer needs.
Highlight any unique qualities or advantages.
Discuss your pricing strategy.
Mention any future product/service development plans.

Here is example of services section of a bank.

5. Marketing and Sales Plan

It is always a good idea to have a marketing plan before launching your business. A potential investor will want to know how you will advertise your business. Therefore, you should create a marketing plan that explains your planned promotion and customer acquisition strategies.

Discuss how you will make a sale. How will you attract customers and maximize their lifetime value? Ensure your marketing and sales forecasts align with your financial forecasts Marketing plans are usually based on the four Ps : product, price, place, and promotion. Breaking it down by marketing channels makes it easier. Discuss how you intend to market your business via blogs, email, social media, and word-of-mouth. Here is an example of marketing strategies we develop for a restaurant business.

Marketing plan of business plan screenshot

Tips for Writing Marketing and Sales Plan

Define your marketing goals and objectives.
Outline your marketing strategies, including channels and tactics.
Explain your sales strategy and target sales goals.
Include a budget for marketing and sales activities.
Discuss your sales team and their roles.
Detail your customer acquisition and retention strategies.
Mention any partnerships or collaborations for marketing and sales.

Example of marketing and sales plan section of a bank

6. Operation Planning

The operation plan should include all the steps needed to run the business in the long run. The plan should include details about logistics, duties for each department of the company, and responsibilities for the team.

The main aspect of running a business is its costs. Whether it’s machinery or services, each requires capital.

how to write an operation plan in a business plan

Tips for Writing Operational Planning

Describe your day-to-day business operations.
Explain your supply chain and production processes.
Outline your facility and equipment requirements.
Discuss your quality control and efficiency measures.
Mention any legal and regulatory compliance considerations.
Detail your staffing and management structure.
Include contingency plans for potential disruptions.

7. Organization and Management

In this section, you can describe your current team and the people you need to hire. You will need to highlight your team’s relevant experience if you intend to seek funding. Basically, this is where you demonstrate that this team can be successful in starting and growing the business.

Management summary of a business plan screenshot

Tips for Writing Organization and Management Summary

Introduce your leadership team and their roles.
Highlight their relevant experience and qualifications.
Explain your organizational structure and hierarchy.
Discuss key personnel responsibilities and functions.
Mention any plans for team growth or development.
Address any advisory boards or external support.

Management summary of coffee shoppe business.

8. Financial Plan

A financial plan should include sales and revenue forecasts, profit and loss statements , cash flow statements , and balance sheets .

Now, if you plan to pitch investors or submit a loan application, you’ll also need a “use of funds” report. Here you outline how you plan to leverage any funding you might acquire for your business.

With our business templates , you can create your own income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet.

Tips for Writing Financial Plan

Include detailed financial projections (income statement, cash flow, balance sheet).
Explain your funding requirements and sources.
Discuss your pricing and revenue model.
Describe your expense management and cost controls.
Mention any financial risks and mitigation strategies.
Highlight key financial milestones and goals.

Financial highlights of foodShack business.

9. Key External Drivers

External drivers refer to the external factors or influences that significantly impact the activity and growth of an industry. These drivers include outsourcing of non-core activities, changes in economic activity, competition from other industries, and the complexity of business legislation.

Additionally, external drivers encompass the effects of changes in new business formation, especially among small businesses, which directly affect the demand for services within the industry.

Tips for writing key external drivers

Identify and analyze current and emerging market trends in your industry.
Assess potential positive or negative impacts these trends may have on your business.
Evaluate broader economic conditions, including inflation rates, interest rates, and GDP growth.
Elucidate how changes in economic conditions could influence consumer behavior, product demand, and overall cost structure.
Outline key industry regulations and compliance requirements, discussing potential impacts on operations, costs, and market access.
Highlight relevant technological advancements and explain their potential effects on your product or service offerings, operations, and competitiveness.
Analyze current and potential future competitors, emphasizing the evolving competitive landscape’s impact on market share, pricing strategy, and overall business strategy.
Consider social and cultural factors influencing consumer preferences and behaviors, exploring how societal changes can affect product demand.
Evaluate environmental trends and regulations, discussing potential impacts on operations, supply chain, and customer perceptions.
Assess political stability, government policies, and geopolitical factors, exploring potential risks and opportunities from political changes.
Discuss global market conditions, analyzing how global economic trends, trade policies, and currency fluctuations may affect operations and expansion plans.
Identify and discuss potential risks in the supply chain, such as disruptions, shortages, or geopolitical issues.
Consider demographic shifts affecting your target market and discuss how changes may impact your customer base and marketing strategies.
Highlight key legal and regulatory factors affecting the business, discussing potential legal challenges, compliance costs, and regulatory changes.
Outline comprehensive risk management strategies, including contingency plans and risk mitigation strategies.
Explain how you will monitor external drivers and emphasize the importance of staying agile and responsive to changes in the external environment.

10. Startup Summary

The startup summary serves as a comprehensive overview of essential financial aspects, encompassing total startup expenses, the overall value of startup assets, and the total requirements, which is the cumulative sum of all expenses and startup investments.

It provides a clear financial snapshot, outlining the costs involved in launching the business, the value of assets acquired, and the overall financial needs for the startup.

This section is crucial for entrepreneurs and potential investors, offering a transparent understanding of the financial foundation required to initiate and sustain the business successfully.

This roadmap ensures a realistic evaluation of the business idea, identifying potential challenges and offering solutions.To write an effective plan, focus on what sets your venture apart from competitors, maintain conciseness, and embrace flexibility as a living document.

Answer fundamental questions about your business, create actionable checklists, execute the plan, and continually revise and update based on experiences and feedback.This iterative process fosters continuous improvement, helping entrepreneurs stay adaptable and enhance their business strategies over time.

Tips for writing Startup Summary

Clearly state the startup’s name and provide a concise description of its activities.
Include a succinct mission statement capturing the startup’s purpose and goals, reflecting its core values.
Specify the founding date and offer brief bios of key founders, highlighting relevant experience.
Summarize the startup’s concept, explaining offered products or services and key distinguishing features.
Clearly articulate the problem or need in the market that the startup addresses, defining the target audience.
State what makes the startup unique, whether it’s a special feature, market gap, or competitive advantage.
Provide a brief description of the market opportunity, covering target market size, trends, and growth prospects.
Outline how the startup plans to generate revenue, detailing streams, pricing strategy, and potential partnerships.
Offer a snapshot of the startup’s current status, highlighting key achievements such as product development or partnerships.
If seeking funding, clearly state the amount sought and its allocation, covering areas like product development and marketing.
Include a high-level financial summary with key projections for revenue, expenses, and profitability.
Briefly outline future aspirations and plans, encompassing areas like expansion, product development, or strategic partnerships.

11. Projected Industry Growth

The projected industry growth is a pivotal aspect that forecasts the expansion of a specific sector over a defined timeframe.

For instance, it could provide an estimate of where that particular business will be standing in the next 10 years, and what will be the average annual growth rate of that industry.

This information provides prospective investors and stakeholders with a clear understanding of the industry’s potential and positions the startup within a dynamic and flourishing market.

Tips for writing Projected Industry Growth

Emphasize the importance of industry trends and growth to your business.
Provide a concise overview, including market size, major players, and recent trends.
Briefly explain how you gathered data on industry growth projections (e.g., market research reports, expert interviews).
Identify and discuss prevailing trends, such as technological advancements, changes in consumer behavior, and regulatory shifts.
Summarize the industry’s historical growth, highlighting growth rates, market expansion, and notable milestones.
Highlight key factors expected to drive industry growth, such as emerging markets, technological innovations, and demographic shifts.
Discuss specific opportunities within the industry, including gaps in the market, underserved segments, or areas of competitive advantage.
Acknowledge potential challenges or risks that could impact industry growth, demonstrating a realistic understanding.
Present projections for future growth rates based on historical data, expert opinions, and your analysis. Include short-term and long-term projections.
Discuss how key competitors are positioned to leverage industry growth, emphasizing your business’s differentiation strategies.
Consider the regulatory landscape impacting growth, discussing anticipated changes and their potential effects on the industry.
Explore international trends and their implications for industry growth, including factors like global economic conditions and geopolitical influences.

Here is example of market analysis section of a bank.

Tips for Writing Projected Industry Growth

12. Break-even Analysis

The break-even analysis serves as a vital financial tool, offering a detailed estimation of key metrics such as Sales Revenue, Cost of Sales, Gross Profit, Fixed Expenses, and Income Before Tax.

These critical components are visually presented through a bar graph, providing a clear and concise overview of the financial dynamics.

Additionally, the break-even analysis delves into a 12-month forecast, outlining the projected amount of revenue generated and the corresponding fixed costs.

This section is instrumental in helping stakeholders understand the financial threshold at which the business covers its costs and begins to generate profit.

Tips for writing Break-even Analysis

Define break-even analysis as a financial calculation where total revenue equals total costs.
Identify constant costs regardless of production or sales levels.
Enumerate and explain costs changing with production or sales.
Present the break-even analysis formula, indicating the units needed to cover costs.
Perform a practical break-even calculation using business-specific fixed costs, selling price, and variable cost per unit.
Include a break-even chart or graph for a visual understanding of cost-revenue dynamics.
Conduct a proactive sensitivity analysis to explore how changes in variables impact the break-even point.
Specify the anticipated timeframe to reach the break-even point in terms of months or units sold.
Clearly outline assumptions made in the analysis and provide justifications for transparency and credibility.
Acknowledge potential risks or challenges that may affect the accuracy of the break-even analysis.
Briefly mention contingency plans for difficulties in reaching the break-even point within the projected timeframe.

13. Management Summary

The management summary within the business plan provides a concise overview of the organizational structure and key personnel.

This includes a count of individuals, specifying the number of founders and operational team members integral to the organization.

The summary delves into the roles and responsibilities of each key figure, offering insights into the leadership dynamics driving the business.

Furthermore, the management summary sheds light on the financial aspect by presenting details about personal wages and payroll allocations for both founders and operational staff.

This comprehensive section ensures a clear understanding of the human resource framework and the financial commitments associated with the management team, crucial for stakeholders evaluating the business’s operational strength and leadership capability.

Tips for Writing Management Summary

Highlighting the critical role the management team plays in the business’s success, the introduction emphasizes their significance.
Listing each key member with names, positions, and brief role summaries introduces the core of the management team.
Providing brief biographies for each team member underscores their relevant experience, skills, achievements, and industry-specific expertise.
Clearly outlining roles and responsibilities emphasizes how each team member’s skills contribute to the overall success of the business.
Sharing the team’s vision and strategy involves discussing key strategic goals and outlining the plans to achieve them.
Highlighting notable achievements or milestones showcases the team members’ successful ventures, industry recognition, or career accomplishments.
Discussing team dynamics emphasizes collaboration and the complementary nature of their skills in driving the business forward.
Introducing advisory board members, if applicable, underscores the additional guidance and expertise they bring to the business.
Discussing how the team plans to contribute to future growth and development includes strategies for talent acquisition, leadership development, and succession planning.
Touching on the team’s culture and values emphasizes their role in shaping the overall ethos of the business.
If seeking investment, briefly mentioning how the management team plans to use funding for business growth and development provides insight into their financial strategy.

Here is example of marketing and sales plan section of a bank.

14. Financial Indicators

The financial indicators section within the business plan helps in evaluating the fiscal health and performance of the organization.

Year-after-year profitability estimates take center stage, encompassing key metrics such as gross margin, net profit margin, and EBITDA to revenue.

These indicators provide a comprehensive understanding of the business’s ability to generate profit relative to its revenue.

Furthermore, the financial indicators extend to leverage ratios, including the critical Debt to Equity ratio, Debt to Assets ratio, and Interest Coverage ratio.

These metrics illuminate the organization’s capital structure, debt management, and its capacity to meet interest obligations.

Liquidity ratios includes the Current Ratio and Current Debt to Total Asset Ratio.

These ratios provide insights into the company’s short-term financial health and its ability to meet immediate obligations.

The financial indicator toolbox is enriched with additional metrics, notably the Revenue to Equity ratio, which sheds light on the efficiency of generating revenue from equity investments.

Tips For Writing Financial Indicators

Detailed revenue forecasts for the next 3-5 years. Breakdown by product/service and geographical regions.
Detailed breakdown of anticipated expenses. Include fixed and variable costs, operational expenses, and other relevant expenditures.
Historical P&L statements if available. Projected future profits and losses based on revenue and expense projections.
Outline of expected cash inflows and outflows. Emphasis on the ability to meet short-term obligations.
Snapshot of the company’s financial position. Includes assets, liabilities, and equity.
Calculation and presentation of key financial ratios (liquidity, solvency, profitability). Discussion on the significance of these ratios.
Identification and explanation of relevant KPIs. Highlighting alignment with the overall business strategy.
Discussion of potential financial risks. Mitigation strategies and addressing uncertainties.
Clear statement of the amount and purpose of funds required.
Outline of key assumptions underlying financial projections. Rationale for these assumptions.
Summary of industry financial trends and business positioning. Outlook on future financial prospects considering market dynamics.

Discover Business Plan Formats and Free Templates

Looking For The Right Business Plan Format?

These sample business plans will provide you with a complete structure and format for your business plan, which will give you a head start on developing your document, so you won’t be stuck seeing an empty page and wondering what to write.

Simply going through the process of writing a business plan is one of its key benefits. If you sit down to write, you’ll naturally think about your startup costs, your target market , and any market analysis or research you’ll need to conduct. In addition to defining your position among your competitors, you will establish your goals and milestones.

You can see what should be included in a sample financial plan, but It is wrong to assume that a sample company’s financial projections will fit your own. If you need more resources to get you started, we recommend this guide on how to write a business plan .

In addition, you can download our 40+ free business plan templates covering a range of industries.

Business Plan Examples For Students PDF

Common types of business plan, 1. one page business plan.

One-page business plans are short, compact, and to the point and are designed to make the plan easy to read at a glance. Make sure to include all of the sections, but truncate and summarize them

2. Start-up business plan

Start-up business plans are for businesses that are just getting started. They are usually developed to secure outside funding. In this regard, financials are of increased importance, as well as other sections that determine whether your business idea is viable, such as market research.

3. Strategic business plan

A strategic business plan lays out a company’s goals and how it will achieve them at a high level. It is a foundational document for the company as a whole. A strategic business plan allows all levels of the business to see the big picture, inspiring employees to work together to reach the company’s goals.

4. Feasibility business plan

Developing a feasibility plan answers two primary questions about a business venture: who would purchase the service or product the company wants to sell, and if the venture is profitable.

5. Internal business plan

Internal Business plans are geared to a specific audience within a company to keep your team on the same page and focused on the same goals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, whether you’re venturing into a traditional business or creating an innovative startup, the significance of a well-crafted business plan cannot be overstated. Different types of business plans cater to specific needs, from internal alignment to strategic expansion. Employing a template in MS Word ensures a polished presentation. The process of writing an executive summary, creating a plan, and defining the components of your business plan is essential.

Recognizing the need for a comprehensive and standard business plan can help guide your endeavors. Whether you choose to write a full business plan or opt for a one-page business overview, leveraging templates in MS Word can simplify the process. In essence, understanding the types of business plans and utilizing an executive summary template provides a structured approach to showcase your business overview.

Take inspiration from example business plans to tailor your strategy, ensuring a roadmap for success in the dynamic world of entrepreneurship. Always remember, a meticulously crafted business plan not only communicates your vision effectively but also serves as a valuable resource that can help secure investments and guide your business’s growth trajectory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Begin with an executive summary, delve into market analysis, outline your strategies, create financial projections, and use available business plan examples as templates to guide your writing.

A comprehensive business plan template should encompass key sections such as an executive summary, business description, market analysis, marketing strategy, organizational structure, and financial projections. Seek templates online that cover these elements.

Tailor your business plan to the scale of your small business. Define your objectives clearly, outline cost-effective strategies, and emphasize agility in adapting to market changes.

Explore well-crafted business plan examples you can visit our website wisebusinessplan.

The fundamental components include an executive summary, business description, market analysis, marketing and sales strategy, organizational structure, product/service description, and financial projections.

Investors focus on growth potential, detailed financial projections, market analysis, competition analysis, and the qualifications and experience of your management team when reviewing a business plan.

To find a business plan example for a tech startup,you can visit our visit wisebusinessplan .

A business plan provides a comprehensive overview of your entire business, including strategies, operations, and financials. In contrast, a business proposal typically focuses on a specific project or offer, outlining the details and benefits to a potential client.

Craft an engaging executive summary by summarizing your business’s mission, highlighting the market opportunity, showcasing your product or service, and providing a concise overview of your financial projections.

Seek tailored business plan examples for nonprofit organizations you can visit wisebusinessplan .

Download Pack of 14 Business Plan Examples

These business plans are written by MBA writers. Real-world use cases were used in these plans.

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Sample Ppt Business Proposal Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Propose your business with our professionally designed sample PPT business proposal PowerPoint presentation slides. It helps you generate more revenue through prospective clients. The purpose of business proposal is to define your business and its strategies to the prospective business clients so to grab a new business opportunity. This company proposal presentation slide will help in making your document more professional and ethical to share with your prospective business customers. Write a good proposal with this business proposal outline PowerPoint design including the elements like the general business information, details of your business promoters, and the details of your business location, the details about your business assets including tangible or intangible assets, the various business procedures and many more. Though business planning is being considered as a standout amongst the most critical procedure of your business and this PPT design will assist you managing all your business errands enough. Utilize this business plan PowerPoint design to clarify the business capacity of your business. Further such business structure will help in reducing your management exertion as well. Hence start instating this PPT layout. Our Sample Ppt Business Proposal Powerpoint Presentation Slides are absolutely fair in every deal. They eliminate any disparity.

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Content of this Powerpoint Presentation

It doesn’t matter, in which vertical your business is, an ideal business proposal should be your key to attract potential investors or partners. It is not surprising to say that in this rapid changing scenario, be in terms of technology or ideas, business proposal can make a strong impact on the decision-making process of clients.

If you are on the same page and exploring ideas to improve your business proposals, we welcome you to the Hall of Progress and Accomplishment. Slideteam's complete deck of business proposals can help you attract potential clients with its ideal proposal templates. Each slide tells a story, and we are on a journey of development and change.

What's amazing? Our business proposal PPTs are editable and equipped with engaging graphics and visuals, tables, charts, flowcharts, and more to show information, insights, and figures.

Let us dig deep and start transforming those old proposals into appealing ones. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Template 1: Company Overview

Have you ever wondered what attracts potential investors the most? It's obviously the first impression of the company. The company's mission, values, key achievements, and history are the most vital points for attracting investors. Use this company overview template to highlight your mission, values, and growth so far. This template helps partners or investors understand the company's services and other offerings and make decisions about collaboration. Also, you can highlight the company's core competencies, unique selling proposition (USP), out-of-the-box ideas, and the enterprises or markets in which it works.

Template 2: The Solution

With Our Solution Template, businesses can use an organized methodology and offer a solid framework to address challenges. It is also easy to understand and serves as a guide for complex issues. Whether you are tackling complex issues or looking for improvement, this template is a perfect fit for progress.

Template 3: Value Proposition-product/Services

When you are putting in a business proposal, the investor should know how your product would be beneficial for them, how it works, and whether it is resolving their problems or not. With this template, you can show the customers the benefits of your product, how it works, and how they would feel when using your product. Ensure that you focus on the customer's issues and fears when changing to a new product like yours and be the solution to their hidden needs. Discuss your experience and how other people are using substitutes and not your product and still facing complexities. Solve the customer's problems and retain them for a longer time.

Template 4: Product Roadmap

However small or big, every component in a business proposal plays a key role in attracting potential clients. Continuing this thought, the product roadmap is a vital aspect of any business proposal template. The roadmap helps you to break your product journey into different levels. It is a strategically effective template that briefly describes the priorities and progress of a company's product over time. Also, to stay updated with technological changes, you can tell about your new platforms like Android and Mac App, or channels like WhatsApp or Messenger, or anything.

Template 5: Business Model

Use this template to tell investors or clients how your company works and makes money. It includes four elements: user acquisition, gathering user information, intelligent suggestions, and user switches. It might include information like who you work with, who uses your stuff, how much money you make, and bank details. This template helps you figure out how well ads do in your business and gives ideas for making ads work.

Template 6: Go-to-Market Strategy

There is no denying the fact that to excel in any field, one requires extensive research and should stay up-to-date with the latest trends. With this go-to strategy template, you can articulate your plans, inquire about your competitors, set marketing goals, and even identify your potential audience. Furthermore, it covers project areas like provocation, discovery, diagnostic, design, and recommendation. With these areas, you can learn everything from the potential markets to the best channel approach and review market data to measure results. So, whether you're releasing a new product or looking to gain a competitive edge, this template could be a solution to your query.

Template 7: Project Comparison

To stand out amongst competitors and to grow, it is essential to stay current with the latest changes in the market. With the project comparison template, you can compare and analyze your competitors' strengths and weaknesses. Also, this template allows you to create a checklist to compare their features and to know where you can improve. Thus, it helps your business to stay ahead of the competitors and make informed decisions.

Template 8: Financial Projections

This template provides comprehensive insights into important growth metrics, showcasing relevant data from the last six financial years. This relevant data includes total expenses, net revenue, financing cost, PAT margin (profit after tax margin), target market, and more. Thus, it acts as an excellent roadmap and helps companies forecast financial performance. It also enhances planning and communication strategies in financial planning.

Template 9: Break-Even Analysis

What makes this break-even analysis template better than others is its potential to simplify complex financial aspects. Do you want to understand your break-even point? Download this template and gain a clear vision of your business's financial dynamics. With this template, you can forecast the economic impact of fixed and variable selling price changes. This break-even analysis is essential in determining the financial feasibility of the business strategies and other production levels.

Template 10: Shareholding Pattern

This shareholding template helps businesses monitor their shares before and after funding. It allows you to add the shareholder's name and the total number of shares acquired before and after funding. In short, this template gives an overview of people owning a company's stock. It offers benefits across different stages of the company, making it a valuable resource in the field.

Take Away Thoughts

The proper business proposal is one of the prominent elements that attract potential clients to any business. Our business proposal template outlines practical strategies and showcases the potential of any venture. These templates foster meaningful connections and are crafted to effectively offer engaging solutions for organizations to showcase their business proposals. If you don’t want to miss the opportunity to stand out in today’s competitive marketplace, then use our business proposal templates right away.

Sample Ppt Business Proposal Powerpoint Presentation Slides with all 63 slides:

Handle iconic events with our Sample Ppt Business Proposal Powerpoint Presentation Slides. Ensure arrangements are genuinely high class.

Ratings and Reviews

by Dallas Medina

July 17, 2021

by Clay Castillo

July 16, 2021

Business Plan Examples for Students

Ajay Jagtap

December 29, 2023

26 Min Read

Do you know what’s the most common mistake students and rookie entrepreneurs make while preparing their first business plan?

Of course, it’s the first business plan we’re talking about; there’ll definitely be a few. However, overcomplicating things and failing to consider a business plan example still remain the most common one.

That’s why we decided to come up with a solution. We’ve curated this list of top business plan examples for students to help you get going.

So whether you need a business plan for a college project, start a side hustle, or win a business competition, these examples are just what you need to create business plans that stand out.

Ready to dive in? Let’s start by understanding the key elements of a business plan example:

Key Elements of a Business Plan Example

Business planning is not as complicated of a process as people think it is; they’re just overcomplicating things. (Don’t think so?)

Let’s simplify the key elements that make up a comprehensive business plan; you’ll understand it better that way.

Executive Summary: A high-level overview or summary of your plan.
Company Overview: A detailed description of your business idea, its fundamental elements, history, and future goals.
Market Analysis: A study of your external business environment that includes details about your industry, competitors, and target market.
Products and Services: Description of the products or services you intend to exchange for money.
Sales and Marketing Strategies: A section outlining sales and marketing strategies your business will implement to achieve its financial goals.
Operations Plan: A section outlining the business processes and daily activities involved in ensuring seamless business operations.
Management Team: Introduction to your founders, key management, and their compensation plan.
Financial Plan: Your financial plan is a detailed breakdown of your business’s financial projections and financing needs.

That’s pretty much it about the key elements of a business plan example. Next, let’s explore the best business plan examples for students.

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Top Business Plan Examples for Students

Now that you already know about the components of a business plan template, let’s review some of the best business plan examples for students.

1. Startup Business Plan Example

Upmetrics’ startup business plan example is the ideal solution for students planning to start up or participate in a business plan competition. This business plan template follows the SBA-approved business planning format used by thousands of successful entrepreneurs.

Whether your startup is about a new-age AI-based application, an online shopping site, or traditional IT consulting—this sample business plan is just what you need.

Unlike any traditional small business plan, this example of a startup business plan is lean and agile in approach, focuses on innovation, and emphasizes market validation.

2. Lean Business Plan Example

Since you’re transitioning from a student to an entrepreneur, you may not have enough time to spend on creating a detailed business plan. That’s where this lean business plan template can help.

It’s a condensed version of a traditional plan summarizing all its sections with a primary focus on covering only the critical aspects of the business.

This template is best for startups or businesses uncertain about business planning and student-turned-entrepreneurs with limited time and resources to prepare a business plan.

3. SBA Business Plan Example

Following an SBA-recommended business plan format is key to securing bank loans and business grants. Since it can be time-consuming to find a template that follows a similar outline as the SBA, this SBA-approved business plan example is the way to get started.

This SBA business plan template has nine primary sections, that include executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization, product description, marketing, funding request, and financial projections.

SBA business plan examples ensure you stay on track and don’t deviate from your funding needs.

4. One-Page Business Plan Example

As you may have already guessed, a one-page business plan is a one-page version of a traditional business plan. Since it’s a condensed version of a business plan, drafting it can be quite easy and quick compared to a lean or traditional plan.

Employees, partners, and vendors often use one-page business plans as a quick overview of your company and banks and investors as a summary of your operations.

While it may not be the ideal choice for entrepreneurs seeking investment or bank loans, students with side hustles and idea-stage startups can consider this option.

5. HBS Sample Business Plan

Harvard Business School’s new venture competition selected this sample business plan as a finalist in 2011.

This is a business plan of App Success, a collaborative web-based platform that connects low-income high school seniors with college students from top universities; this business will enable them to collaborate on college selection, college applications, and financial aid applications.

This example can be a great reference for those planning to start a mobile or web-based solution.

6. Kean University Sample Business Plan

Kean University organizes a business plan competition every year for its students where students prepare and present business plans to compete, and this is one of the sample business plans the University provides to participants to understand the format.

It’s a business plan of Blue Water Boatworks, Inc., a boat detailing and cleaning company specializing in servicing recreational fiberglass and aluminum watercraft.

This example can be a great reference for those planning to start a business related to housekeeping, cleaning, or maintenance.

7. UVM Sample Business Plan

If you are looking for a strategic business plan for a food business, the University of Vermont’s Fancy Foods Business Plan can be a guiding resource for you.

Despite the fact that it can be a good reference for detailed planning, it was written in 1998, so any statistics and numbers may not seem relevant to today’s market landscape. Make sure you keep that in mind.

You may closely follow this example as a reference if planning to start a food truck, restaurant, or any other business that serves food.

That was the list of best sample business plans for students. However, there’s more to talk about. You now have a business plan example, but what about pitching to investors? Let’s explore free pitch deck examples for students.

Free Pitch Deck Example for Students

Pitching to investors as a first-time founder can be exciting but also overwhelming at times. Worry not; we’ve got a solution—investor pitch templates. We’ve prepared a set of 8 investor pitch templates and examples for students and entrepreneurs to help create winning business pitches.

Whether you need a pitch to find an opportunity, ask for subject matter knowledge, or a problem-solving pitch, these investor pitch examples have got you covered. Download now.

How to write a winning plan for a business plan competition?

Creating a business plan is no different than creating one for a real business. Similar to how entrepreneurs prepare and present business plans to investors, Students in business plan competitions pitch to judges.

In short, the business planning process remains exactly the same. Let’s discuss how you can write a winning plan to help you win a business plan competition.

Select a compelling business idea : everything starts with a compelling idea. Make sure you have a viable business idea to compete in the competition.
Refer to winning business plan examples : Once you are sure about your business concept, refer to business plan examples from previous winners and how they planned the sections of their plan.
Market Research & Industry Analysis : After referring to business plan examples, conduct industry research and market analysis to make your statistical and financial numbers accurate and realistic.
Understand business model and revenue streams : Since you are preparing a business plan for a company that doesn’t exist, be sure about the business model and how the business will generate profit.
Use AI business plan generator : Using an AI business plan generator like Upmetrics can be incredibly helpful in speeding up the business planning process. With industry-specific business plan templates and AI assistance to write your plan, you can write the first draft of your plan in literally no time.
Presentation and visuals : Prepare visuals and graphs to make your business plan visually appealing and numbers digestible. You may not need to prepare these visuals if you use business plan software manually.
Proofread and edit : Grammatical errors are the last thing judges want to see in a business plan. Make sure you proofread and edit your draft thoroughly before submitting it.

Easy as that, that’s the way to write a perfect business plan that can lead you to victory in any business plan competition on planet Earth. Let’s look at an example of a real-life business and financial plan.

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Business and Financial Plan Example for Students

Having learned about business planning for students, let’s quickly discuss a coffee shop sample business plan and financial statements prepared using Upmetrics.

1. Executive Summary

The Cooper’s Cup will be a new cafe in Phoenix, Arizona. The 1,500 square foot café will be located in the newly constructed Market Square Plaza on the northeast corner of 135th Street and Mission Street. The anchor tenant, the Price Chopper grocery store, has already taken occupancy, and the excellent location brings more than 10,000 shoppers weekly.

The Cooper’s Cup, aptly named for the aromatic brown liquid that will fill the cup, fills the void of original cafes in the market and stands out from its corporate peers with its fast food concepts and prompt services. The Cooper’s Cup is the alternative to fast food/commercial/coffee shops and offers a much calmer, civilized gourmet coffee experience.

There are no televisions in the cafe, the background music is subtle, and work from local artists will hang on the walls. The restaurant is well-appointed, with overstuffed leather chairs and sofas in a library-like setting. The cafe is reminiscent of times gone by – yet is cutting edge technologically with WIFI and state-of-the-art espresso machines.

The Cooper’s Cup measures its financial success in terms of increased market share and earnings. This is a tremendous opportunity with a total local market of $54 million! The keys to success will be offering quality gourmet coffees, taking advantage of its small size, and relying on an outstanding barista staff.

To achieve these goals, the cafe will present some of the area’s finest gourmet beans from local distributors. Because of its small size, the restaurant can enjoy larger margins through lower overhead. The cafe will hand-select baristas and offer salaries comparable to the chains. The baristas will be trained to cross-sell and sell higher-margin products.

The primary objectives of the business plan for Cooper’s Cup are below:

To increase revenues by $36,000 or 5% in Year 2 and $73,000 or 10% by Year 3
Achieve a profit margin of 5.2% in Year 2 and 6.90% by Year 3
Be the Cafe of Choice in the Phoenix area and the recipient of the Best Coffeehouse Award.

Guiding Principles

The Cooper’s Cup is committed to values such as excellence, passion, quality, integrity, and leadership, allowing them to navigate challenges and provide for future opportunities. These core beliefs start with their commitment to their products and their employees. Cooper’s Cup rewards excellence and cherishes loyalty. The cafe will work with its employees to build strong businesses and a secure future.

Mission statement

The Cooper’s Cup is committed to its products and employees, which they believe is the recipe for market success.

Key to success

The Cooper’s Cup stands out from the competition. Below are their Keys to Success:

Great Products : providing exemplary products at market prices – will make customers want to return again and again.
Hire Quality Baristas : Pay employees rates similar to the larger chains with opportunities for long-term careers and opportunities for advancement with long-term plans to open a second facility.
Convert Customers to Connoisseurs : Only 40% of the nation’s coffee drinkers consume premium ground and whole bean coffee – this will aid in the continued growth.

Financial Summary

2. Business Overview

The Cooper’s Cup will be a coffee house/cafe located in Phoenix, Arizona. The cozy cafe will be located in the newly completed Market Square Plaza in the Arizona City area. The cafe will serve gourmet coffee, espresso, drip coffee, lattes, and smoothies. The simple pastry offerings may vary with seasonality, but the primary line will be muffins, bread, cookies, scones, and rolls. All pastries will be supplied daily by a local bakery.

The cafe will be owned and operated by Owen Jones, a veteran restaurateur with several years of experience running and managing chain restaurants. The cafe will be open for business Monday – Thursday 7-10, Fridays and Saturdays, 7-11, and closed Sundays.

The Cooper’s Cup will be formed as an S-Corporation owned by Mr. Doe.

Start-Up Summary

The Cooper’s Cup will have seating for 40 patrons. The rent is $2,075 a month, with a three-five-year lease available. The site comprises 1500 square feet of leased space consisting of a dining room, a coffee bar, two restrooms, and a storage room in the back.

This storefront needs to be plumbed and wired appropriately to be used as a restaurant. Painting, new floors, and countertops are also needed. A custom coffee bar needs to be built. With materials bought on sale and volunteer labor, the cost to renovate will be $71,725.

The coffeehouse equipment will consist of two commercial espresso machines, air pots and urns, a commercial blender, a commercial brewer, top-loading coffee bins, barista syrups, cold drink dispenser, frothing equipment, a commercial refrigerator, microwave, and stainless steel prep bar.

The cost of the equipment is $38,275. The furniture will consist of leather couches and chairs (purchased at auction), coffee tables, bookcases, and window treatments. The artwork will come from local artists and be sold on a consignment basis. The books were secured via donations. The total cost to furnish is $14,000. Other startup expenses will be dishes, furniture, rent deposit, and marketing.

Location and Facilities

The new coffeehouse is located in the highly desirable Phoenix, Arizona, area at the northeastern intersection of 135th Street and Mission Street in the Newmarket Square Plaza. The property is situated in an excellent location, with an easy 6-minute drive time to I-435 and 69 Highway.

The property is 95% leased with Price Chopper as the Anchor Tenant. Other tenants include LifeSpring Med Spa, Jane’s Canines (Pet Store & Boarding), Pride Cleaners Kahn Dental, and Swim U.

Price Chopper brings more than 10,000 shoppers per week to the center. The location comprises a population of 9,420 within a one-mile radius, 61,102 within a 2-mile radius, and 149,550 within a 5-mile radius – with a median household income of $120,856. Sprint / Nextel’s corporate office is within 2 miles of the site.

3. Market Analysis

Phoenix, Arizona, is an award-winning place to live and work and is considered the leading business community in the Midwest. National publications and organizations recognize Phoenix for its business environment and livability. Here’s a sampling: 6th Place, America’s Best Places to Live Money, Top 50 Cities to Live and Play, National Geographic Adventure, 3rd Hottest Town in the U.S., Money, Among 20 Best Places to Live & Work Employment Review, One of only 72 Sterling Tree Cities in the U.S., National Arbor Day Foundation, Top 10 best Locations to Raise a Family, Southern Business and Development, 1st Place, Kid Friendly Report Card, Population Connection, 2nd Best City in America to Live Business Development Outlook.

Phoenix is at the core of one of the most dynamic local markets in the U.S. It offers easy access to the Arizona City region’s amenities, and, as part of the Arizona City metropolitan area, it is within the most centrally located major market in the nation. I-35, I-435, I-635, and U.S. Highway 69 all pass through Phoenix, and no point in the city is more than 3.5 miles from a freeway. The city maintains an excellent arterial street network and plans to construct additional lane-miles as the area grows. Three airports serve the region. Arizona City International Airport (MCI) is just 25 interstate highway miles north of Phoenix. Johnson County Executive Airport—the second busiest in Arizona—provides complete services for private business jets and general aviation. New Century AirCenter, just 12 miles southwest of the city, offers available aviation services and accommodates cargo or passenger jets of any size.

Phoenix supplies some of the most highly educated workers in the nation, with 97% of Phoenix adults over age 25 holding at least a high school diploma. Johnson County, where Phoenix is located, ranks first among the country’s 231 counties with populations greater than 250,000. The county ranks sixth in the percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree and 16th with a graduate or professional degree.

The Phoenix area has a population of 175,265, based on the 2010 census. The median household income is $77,881, and the median age is 37.9. (2010 U.S. Census)

Industry Analysis

The U.S. coffee shop industry includes about 20,000 stores with a combined annual revenue of about $10 billion. Major companies include Caribou Coffee, International Coffee & Tea (The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf), Peet’s Coffee, and Starbucks. The industry is concentrated: the top 50 companies generate more than 70 percent of sales. Coffee shops are part of the specialty eatery industry, including retail outlets specializing in bagels, donuts, frozen yogurt, and ice cream products. (First Research)

Competitive Landscape

Consumer taste and personal income drive demand. The profitability of individual companies depends on the ability to secure prime locations, drive store traffic, and deliver high-quality products. Large companies have advantages in purchasing, finance, and marketing. Small companies can compete effectively by offering specialized products, serving a local market, or providing superior customer service. Specialty eateries, which include coffee shops, are labor-intensive: average annual revenue per worker is about $50,000. Coffee shops compete with convenience stores, gas stations, quick service, fast food restaurants, gourmet food shops, and donut shops. (First Research)

Market Size

Target Market and Segment Strategy

Most adult coffee drinkers said their lifelong habits began during their teenage years. 54% said they began drinking coffee between 13 and 19. Another 22% reported their coffee cravings started between 20 and 24. This means that 76% of adult coffee drinkers began drinking coffee by the time they were 24. So, despite a large amount of marketing and advertising directed at the younger age groups, savvy coffee shop owners will remember to cater some of their offerings to the adult and senior market. (National Coffee Drinking Study).

The Cooper’s Cup will offer a unique experience for coffee enthusiasts by providing a quiet, cozy, yet sophisticated cafe and a sense of refinement and peace in an otherwise hectic and fast-paced world. While other coffee shops cater to convenience with drive-throughs or loud music venues late into the night, the Cooper’s Cup will stand apart from its competitors with its quiet yet soothing ambiance, capturing a truly unique (and much-needed) market niche.

Unique products (specialized roasts, local ingredients, locally-themed or named drinks, custom drinks by the star barista, etc.)
Games, puzzles, mind benders, and other activities that encourage customers to linger over their coffee
Hosting or sponsoring local events (entertainment, readings, book clubs, etc.)
Using technology to creatively compete in marketing with big chains — services like FourSquare, Yelp, and Google Places can increase visibility in the local market.
Delivering amazing service from knowledgeable baristas — spend lots of time training staff and utilizing online services like the American Coffee & Barista School.
Selling coffee-related items (and tracking down any co-marketing opportunities with a local community college or another student-related group in the area)

4. Products and Services

Product/services descriptions.

The Cooper’s Cup’s primary offering is gourmet roasted coffees with mocha, carmelicious, white mocha, candy bar latte, and brewed coffee. Complementing the coffee will be a smoothie line including wild berry, strawberry, peach, mango, and lemonade. Rounding out the simple menu line will be pastries obtained from an outside supplier, freshly made and delivered daily. The pastry offerings may vary with seasonality, but the primary line will be muffins, bread, cookies, scones, and rolls.

Product/Service Sourcing

The Cooper’s Cup has negotiated supplier agreements with several local food-service wholesalers and coffee wholesalers in the Phoenix area that have a reputation for quality and reliability:

Mean Beans Coffee Roasters
Phoenix Brewers
Healthy Harvest Bread Co.
Mary’s Organics

If one of the abovementioned specialty suppliers cannot meet their needs, the following national suppliers can provide all the food-service products they require. In addition, the following wholesalers will supply the cafe with general restaurant supplies:

Lawrence Food Products Corp.
Gerry Food Supply Inc.

Future Products/Services

Young families, which comprise Phoenix’s third largest market share, are often overlooked in the coffee market. Coffeehouses traditionally have not been considered ‘kid’ friendly. To overcome this hurdle, Cooper’s Cup has long-term plans (5 years) to open a 2nd coffee shop: A combination indoor play area/coffee bar. This concept allows parents and caregivers to meet and relax with other adults while the children can enjoy the indoor playground amenities.

Additional future services will include in-store sales for home purchases and an online store.

The website will have the option to purchase a prepaid gift card program – Prepaid gift cards provide immediate cash, reduce credit card transaction charges, and draw new customers to the business.

5. Sales and Marketing Strategies

Swot analysis.

Unique Selling Proposition

The Cooper’s Cup stands out from a crowded sea of coffee chains and franchises. What sets it apart from the competition is primarily its smaller, cozier size combined with premium coffees served by knowledgeable baristas, providing so much energy and enthusiasm for its products.

Market Strategy and Positioning

The Cooper’s Cup utilizes a focus strategy on its Market. By specifically targeting three primary segments, they can cater specifically to their needs.

Senior Market (age 45+)

The Cooper’s Cup will target this Market simply by its well-selected location. Although this demographic group could readily drive downtown, they prefer a local cafe to unwind and relax and historically become some of the most loyal patrons.

Newly Hired Employees

The cafe will attract regular customers (weekly or more) – particularly the newly employed (first job) by providing free WIFI services and providing interesting games in the customer area.

Young Families

The third targeted Market, younger families, often find that coffeehouse is not ‘kid’ friendly. The company has long-term plans to create a combination coffee shop/play area so that parents and caregivers can meet with other adults while the children can enjoy the bounce houses, slides, and indoor playground equipment.

Pricing Strategy

The Cooper’s Cup primarily utilizes competition-based pricing. The cafe does not utilize coupons and discounts (other than opening promotions) because they believe that the most valuable customer demographic of daily coffee consumers is not influenced by discount programs or coupons.

Promotion and Advertising Strategy

Online Advertising – The Cooper’s Cup will advertise regularly on popular social media sites like Facebook. Compared to traditional print advertising, this is a cost-effective tactic that will allow them to reach prospects in a highly targeted way (e.g., based on criteria such as age, gender, geography, etc.).
Website – Cooper’s Cup will develop a simple Web site, which will provide basic information about the business, the menu, and links to their presence on the aforementioned social media channels.
Radio Advertising – During the first six months of operation and the busy holiday shopping season, the business will advertise on local radio stations.

Sales Strategy

The Cooper’s Cup will use the following methods to increase sales revenue (as recommended by Andrew Hetzel on Better Coffee, Better Business):

The menu will focus on the most profitable products sold. The cafe will always draw customer attention to the best products.
As warranted, the cafe will raise prices to bolster its brand image. Prices communicate the perceived value of a product, so if set too low, the customers might assume that the beverages are inferior compared to the competition.
Monitor flavoring inventory – Excess flavoring inventory ties up capital and valuable backroom space for storage. The cafe will utilize 4-6 varieties, including sugar-free offerings.
Control waste and theft – audit sales and inventory reports to evaluate ingredient waste due to inefficient preparation, returned drinks, and employee consumption. Retail locations can easily waste 20% or more of their daily sales in these three key categories, which is a substantial and unnecessary loss.
Monitor and evaluate hours of operation.
Run employee sales contests – The baristas are the salespeople and have great influence over the customer ordering process. All baristas will have some form of sales and customer service training to make each transaction active rather than passive. Sales contests will emphasize high-margin items or cross-selling.

6. Operations Plan

Staffing and training.

An ongoing training and education program will ensure that each staff member learns and implements Cooper’s Cup’s exacting service and operational procedures standards. Staff meetings will reinforce service standards and principles. The Cafe will have detailed work descriptions and training programs for each position, from entry-level employees to the ongoing development of managers and owners. New employees will undergo an extensive training program. This ensures that each guest receives a quality experience from all employees, regardless of how long they have been employed. The Cafe embraces the concept of promoting from within. Excellence in one function typically leads to excellence in another. Regular staff evaluations and training will ensure motivation and address critical issues.

Inventory controls

The founder will be responsible for hiring and training managers who, in turn, will ensure that the day-to-day operations will comply with the standards set by Restaurant policy. Weekly management meetings will provide a forum to review and discuss financial and operational performance. Critical decisions related to purchasing, human resources, marketing, capital expenditures, and customer service will also be addressed.

Purchasing cost controls

Food preparation personnel will follow standardized recipes developed by the founders to control food costs and ensure consistency. The coffee shop will offer an innovative menu with nutritious food and beverages while achieving the most significant margin yield.

Customer Service

The hospitality business recognizes the client’s support experience is the critical driver to replicate business. The direction will Offer a superior degree of Professionalism by hiring individuals who deliver the ideal attitude to work and teaching them the skills required to accommodate guests. The restaurant will keep high levels of consumer satisfaction with talented, educated, and well-trained workers who understand and implement the fundamentals of fantastic service. Ongoing training will be provided to enable staff to perform their jobs with confidence and ability. Employees are well-spoken, well-versed, and trained to provide friendly, prompt, and professional service to each customer. This practice teaches employees who, by producing an exceptional customer experience, can optimize sales and raise their reimbursement. The team will have the knowledge and service required to create excellent daily service for every customer.

Technology & Software

While the quality of the cuisine and dining experience contributes significantly to a restaurant’s profitability, attention to business and financial details can transform small changes into significant returns. Critical sales, cost of sales, labor, inventory, marketing, and overhead metrics are monitored daily. Trends are evaluated, and constructive actions will be taken where improvement is needed. The management team will have access to the restaurant’s transactions and reports available in its real-time POS (point of sale) and accounting systems. Trends will be evaluated, and corrective action will be implemented as required.

7. Organization Structure

The Cooper’s Cup is formed as an S-Corporation wholly owned by John Doe.

Management Team

The Cooper’s Cup will be owned 100% by John Doe. Mr. Doe, a graduate of Arizona State University, has an undergraduate degree in business administration. During high school, he worked as a waiter in a local hospital coffee shop that purchased its beans from a local roaster. In addition to being an avid coffee drinker, this job allowed him to learn about the business first-hand. In college, Doe worked in a campus coffeehouse for four years, eventually becoming an assistant manager. Following graduation, Doe secured a business development position for a regional restaurant chain, which provided additional first-hand exposure to the food and beverage industry—especially the steps involved in establishing new locations.

Management Team Gaps

The Cooper’s Cup will rely on its POS (Point of Sale) system to generate daily accounting and cost activity reports. Mr. Doe will supply these to an outside bookkeeper for the preparation of annual income taxes.

Personnel Plan

Initially, the cafe will hire 1 manager, 5 baristas, and 2 part-time servers. In Year 2, the cafe plans to hire 1 additional full-time barista.

8. Financial Plan

Important assumptions.

The sales forecast is conservative and assumes a 5% increase in Year 2 and a 10% in Year 3.
The analysis accounts for economic seasonality – wherein some month’s revenues peak (such as holidays ) and wane in slower months.
The analysis assumes the owner will not withdraw any salary till the 3rd year; at any time it is assumed that the owner’s withdrawal is available at his discretion.
Sales are cash basis – nonaccrual accounting
Moderate ramp-up in staff over the 5 years forecast
Barista’s salary in the forecast is $36,000 in 2023.
In general, most cafes have an 85% gross profit margin
In general, most cafes have a 3% net profit margin

Projected Balance Sheet

Projected Cash-Flow Statement

Projected Profit & Loss Statement

Break Even Analysis

Write Your Business Plan With Upmetrics

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Upmetrics is an AI business plan software that comes with AI assistance, financial forecasting features, and 400+ sample business plans so that you can prepare a business plan in no time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a business plan for a college project.

As mentioned earlier in the article, business planning for a college project or competition is no different than for a real business. You can write your business plan using these step-by-step instructions.

Select a compelling business idea
Refer to business plan examples
Prepare a business plan outline
Create a company description section
Conduct market research and industry analysis
Describe your product and services
Outline sales and marketing strategies
Create an operations plan
Introduce management team
Prepare financial projections
Summarize your plan with an executive summary

What is a business plan for students?

A business plan is a necessary business document that highlights its purpose, business goals, product/service offerings, go-to marketing strategies, operations and financial plan, key people involved in the business operations, and other necessary details.

As a student, consider a business plan example as a document that helps you better understand business and industry dynamics and learn how a business operates inside out.

What is a business plan competition for students?

Business plan competitions are competitions mostly organized by universities for students passionate about entrepreneurship and the business world. These competitions offer students a platform to showcase their entrepreneurial skills while also providing opportunities for mentorship and networking.

How can I increase my chances of winning a business plan competition?

There cannot be a straightforward answer to this question, but there’s surely a method that can increase your chances of winning a competition—Using AI-powered business plan software.

Why? An AI tool will make you 10X more productive while writing a business plan and preparing financial forecasts. So you can spend more time researching the market and brainstorming business ideas.

Where can I find more business plan examples for students?

Upmetrics’ library of 400+ business plan examples could be an incredible source for students to find more industry-specific business plan examples. There are examples for almost every small business category, including real estate, retail, entertainment and media, food & beverages, and more.

About the Author

Ajay is a SaaS writer and personal finance blogger who has been active in the space for over three years, writing about startups, business planning, budgeting, credit cards, and other topics related to personal finance. If not writing, he’s probably having a power nap. Read more

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Simple Business Plan Presentation Sample. For the business plan, the goal is to clearly present the opportunity and gain investors' support. Here is a simple presentation example that captures all the essence of the business aspects: Simple presentation example - Business plan.
Simple Business Plan for Entrepreneurs
Features of this template. Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups. Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon's extension for customizing your slides. Designed to be used in Google Slides, Canva, and Microsoft PowerPoint. 16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens.
Top 10 Business Plan Summary Templates with Samples and Examples
Template 8: Business Plan Executive Summary for Start-Up Sample of PPT On the lines of our very popular one-page template on start-ups, this is a magical PPT presentation. With your logo designed to perfection, showcase it and put your best foot forward with this comprehensive one-pager on how to outline a business plan summary if you are a ...
Simple Business Plan Template (2024)
Our simple business plan template covers everything you need to consider when launching a side gig, solo operation or small busi. Select Region United States. United Kingdom. Germany.
Business Plan Presentation PowerPoint Example
Download - https://bit.ly/2XTYVzb Not only formulating strategic goals for the business is important but also the way of articulating them is equally essenti...
How to Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (+ Template and Examples)
1. Create Your Executive Summary. The executive summary is a snapshot of your business or a high-level overview of your business purposes and plans. Although the executive summary is the first section in your business plan, most people write it last. The length of the executive summary is not more than two pages.
A Sample Presentation and Business Plan
This simple example gives a basic understanding of business plans and how to present them.Of course a full-fledged business plan is a lot more complex than t...
14 Business Plan Examples & Samples to Write Your Own [2024]
EB-5 Business Plan. Acquisition Business Plan. Private Placement Memorandum. L-1 Visa Business Plan. EB2-NIW Visa Business Plan. EB-5 Regional Center. Exit Business Plan. Franchise Business Plans. As an entrepreneur, effectively pitching your idea to attract investors and secure funding can be a challenge.
Sample Ppt Business Proposal Powerpoint Presentation Slides
Features of these PowerPoint presentation slides: Presenting Sample PPT Business Proposal PowerPoint Presentation Slides. Immaculate PowerPoint graphics beneficial for students, researchers and business professionals, 100% changeable elements or features like color, text shapes etc., accordant with different programs and all Google slides, phenomenal PPT graphics with a 100% accuracy and an ...
7 Best Business Plan Examples for Students (Updated 2024)
3. SBA Business Plan Example. Following an SBA-recommended business plan format is key to securing bank loans and business grants. Since it can be time-consuming to find a template that follows a similar outline as the SBA, this SBA-approved business plan example is the way to get started.. This SBA business plan template has nine primary sections, that include executive summary, company ...
10 Simple Tips to Write a Successful Business Plan
In the new book "Write Your Own Business Plan," business expert Eric Butow takes the anxiety and confusion out of planning and offers an easy-to-follow roadmap to success.
Career Journey Infographic. Free PPT & Google Slides Template
Free Google Slides theme, PowerPoint template, and Canva presentation template This template is perfect for business professionals looking to visually map out their career progression. Ideal for performance reviews, presentations, or personal branding, this beige-themed, basic-style infographic template provides a clean and straightforward way ...

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation [Plus Templates]

Table of Contents

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation

Business Plan Presentation Best Practices

What is a Business Plan Presentation?

Hey executives! Looking to cut design costs?

What Should Be in a Business Presentation?

Slide 1: The Title Slide

Slide 2: The Problem Your Business Solves

Slide 3: Your Business’s Solution

Slide 4: Your Pricing Plan

Slide 5: Business Operations Information

Slide 6: Your Marketing Plan

Slide 7: Industry Overview

Slide 8: Financial Projections

Slide 9: Your Team

Slide 10: Concluding Slide

1. Identify Your Goals

2. Research and Gather Information

3. Outline Your Presentation Structure

4. Develop Your Content

5. Design Your Slides

6. Prepare Supporting Materials

7. Finalize and Polish

How to Design a Business Plan Presentation with Visme

1. Pick a Template

2. Adjust the Slides

3. Customize the Template

4. Download and Share

1. Draw attention to your core message.

2. Make your slides easy to read and understand.

3. Stick to one or two fonts.

4. Pick a nice color scheme.

5. Use minimal text.

6. Pay attention to the visual elements in each slide.

Keep Your Presentation Concise

Add Interactivity to Your Presentation

Create engaging interactive content with Visme.

Pay Attention to Your Presentation’s Design

Incorporate Data Visualization

Q. How Many Slides Does Your Business Presentation Need?

Create a Business Plan Presentation That Wins Investors

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

How to Make a Killer Business Plan Presentation (+Templates)

helped business professionals at:

What slides should a business plan presentation include?

Your business plan presentation needs to be as strong as your idea

What to include in a business plan presentation?

What does a business plan presentation look like?

How to turn a business plan into a presentation

How to make a business plan presentation in 6 easy steps

1) Describe your presentation’s objective

2) Give an overview of yourself, your organization, and your offering

3) Select a suitable design template

4) Tailor your business plan presentation to your needs

5) Add personalized elements

6) Review and refine your business plan presentation

Business plan design principles to turn average into impressive

1) Move from static to interactive

2) Use scroll-based design

3) Make sure your business plan presentation is mobile-friendly

4) Shift from local files to online documents

5) Embrace visual storytelling

Best business plan software

Interactive business plan presentation templates

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Create your best business plan to date.

The Easy Guide to Making a Business Plan Presentation

What is a Business Plan?

SWOT Analysis

Marketing and Sales Strategies

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Business Plan Presentation

Clarity and Communication

Engaging and Persuasive

Feedback and Interaction

The Key Elements of a Business Plan

Market Analysis