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Free Simple Business Plan Templates

Are you a business startup and want to get a free business plan template for your business? If yes, then you are at the right place. As a business plan writing company , we list out professional business plan templates for you so you can write your business plan easily. We have shared a wide range of templates for diversified business needs. You can choose one that suits your requirements

Free One Page Business Plan Template

Utilize this concise Free one-page business plan to systematically record your essential concepts. This template assists in constructing a simplified overview of your business plan, making it easily digestible for stakeholders. Consider this one-page plan as a starting point, serving as a reference for developing a more comprehensive business blueprint.

Simple Business Plan Template

This template guides you step by step through all the elements of a small business plan , covering areas like the company’s history, introducing the management team, conducting market analysis, presenting product or service details, outlining financial projections, and more. Additionally, it includes a pre-built table of contents to maintain the structure of your plan, and it’s fully adaptable to suit your specific needs.

Lean Startup Business Plan Template

The lean business plan template offers a simplified alternative to the traditional business plan Template. It includes concise sections for your company’s overview, industry context, problem-solving approach, unique value proposition, target market, and essential performance metrics. Additionally, there’s space to map out a timeline of crucial activities.

Free Business Plan Template

Boost your business with our collection of easy-to-use templates designed just for you.

Business Plan Templates By Business Category​

Potential Issues with Business Plan Templates & How to Address Them

Generic templates vs. industry specificity.

• Issue: One-size-fits-all business plan templates might not capture industry-specific details crucial for investors.
• Solution: Look for templates with industry-tailored sections or customize existing ones to highlight your industry’s nuances.

Lack of Financial Expertise

• Issue: Users might struggle with financial projections or terminology.
• Solution: Include clear instructions and financial guidance within the simple business plan template.. Users can also consult free online resources or financial advisors.

Data Accuracy and Consistency

• Issue: Inaccurate or inconsistent data can mislead investors.
• Solution: Double-check all data entries and ensure consistency across the plan. Consider using real financial data from your business (if applicable).

Overreliance on Templates

• Issue: Business Plan Templates shouldn’t replace critical thinking and analysis specific to your business.
• Solution: Use the template as a framework, but personalize it with your unique value proposition, competitive landscape analysis, and strategic goals.

Formatting and Readability

• Issue: Poor formatting can make your plan look unprofessional.
• Solution: Pay attention to formatting elements like fonts, spacing, and visuals. Ensure the plan is clear, concise, and easy to read.

Remember: Our Page includes 45 different kinds of business plan templates tailored for specific industries, So you can choose any format that suits your business with your ease.

Get Your One Page Business Plan Template from Wisebusinessplan Today!

Essential elements of a business plan.

• Executive Summary
• Business Description
• Market Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing and Sales Strategy
• Organization and Management
• Product or Service Line
• Financial Projections
• Funding Request
• Appendix (optional)

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

Creating a business plan can seem like a daunting task, but the following tips aim to simplify the process as you develop your plan:

• Utilize a business plan template (choose from the options above) or refer to the previous section to establish a standard outline for your plan.
• Adapt your outline to suit the specific needs of your business. If you’re using a standard business plan outline, remove any sections that don’t apply to your situation or aren’t vital for running your business.
• Begin by gathering all the information you currently have about your business. Then, use this information to complete each section in your plan outline.
• Leverage available resources and conduct additional research to fill in any remaining gaps. (Note: You don’t have to fill out your plan in sequence, but remember that the executive summary, which summarizes key points, should be completed last.)
• Ensure your plan effectively conveys the interplay between your marketing, sales, and financial objectives.
• Include details in your plan that outline your strategic course of action, looking ahead three to five years.
• Regularly revisit your plan as strategies and objectives evolve.

At the very least, ensure your business plan addresses the following questions:

• What product or service are we offering?
• Who is the product or service for?
• What problem does our product or service solve?
• How will we deliver the product or service to our target customers?
• What makes our product or service superior to alternatives?
• How can we surpass our competitors?
• What is our unique value proposition?
• When will tasks be completed, and who is responsible for them?
• If funding is needed, how will it be utilized?
• When are payments due, and when will income be received?
• What is the ultimate purpose of your business?

To determine the type of business plan that suits your needs and for more helpful guidance, consult our guide on crafting a concise business plan.

Benefits of Using a Business Plan Template

Developing a business plan can be a time-consuming task, particularly if you’re unsure how to get started. However, utilizing the right template tailored to your business needs can prove highly advantageous. Here’s how using a business plan template, as opposed to starting from scratch, can be particularly helpful:

Facilitates Organized Planning

A template allows you to promptly jot down your thoughts and ideas in an orderly fashion. It provides a structured framework that simplifies the planning process.

Provides Clarity and Structure

Using a template gives your plan a clear structure, helping you outline your business objectives, strategies, and goals with greater precision.

Time and Resource Efficiency

Templates save you precious time and resources. They eliminate the need to create every section from the ground up, enabling you to focus on the content and strategy, rather than the format.

Prevents Oversight

Templates serve as comprehensive guides, helping you cover all the essential details your business plan should encompass. This reduces the risk of omitting crucial elements vital to your business’s success.

In essence, a well-designed business plan template streamlines the planning process, making it more efficient and ensuring that your plan is both thorough and well-organized.

Restrictions of Business Plan Templates

While a business plan template can be a helpful starting point, it comes with certain limitations, particularly if the template doesn’t align precisely with your business’s unique requirements. Here are some drawbacks to consider:

Lack of Customization

Every business is distinct, and your business plan should reflect that individuality. A template may not adequately cater to your specific needs, potentially resulting in an ill-fitting plan.

Impaired Collaboration

Using a template may hinder effective collaboration among different teams involved in the plan’s development, such as sales, marketing, and accounting teams. It might not be conducive to seamless teamwork.

Data Dispersal

Templates can lead to the creation of multiple files stored in various locations. This can make it challenging to maintain a centralized and up-to-date plan.

Chart and Graph Creation

Templates often require you to manually generate charts and graphs to support your strategic points. This adds an extra layer of work and complexity.

Multiple Updates

Keeping your plan, spreadsheets, and supporting documents synchronized can be cumbersome when using a template. Changes made may not automatically update across all documents, potentially causing version control issues.

In summary, while business plan templates can be a useful starting point, it’s essential to be aware of their limitations, especially when your business has specific requirements that may not be accommodated by a generic template.

A business plan template is a pre-written document that provides a structure and outline for writing a business plan. It can help businesses of all sizes save time and effort, ensure completeness, improve consistency, and make a better impression on potential investors and lenders.

To write a business plan using a template, simply follow the structure and outline provided. Fill in the blanks with information about your company, its products or services, its target market, its financial projections, and its marketing and sales strategies. Be sure to customize the template to fit the specific needs of your business.

The best business plan templates for small businesses are those that are tailored to the specific needs of small businesses. Some popular options include:

• Lean Startup Canvas
• Business Model Canvas
• One-Page Business Plan
• SBA Business Plan Template
• SCORE Business Plan Template

To customize a business plan template, simply add or remove sections as needed to fit the specific needs of your business. You can also change the wording and formatting of the template to match your company’s brand voice.

Here are a few tips for writing a successful business plan using a template:

• Be honest and realistic in your projections.
• Be clear and concise in your writing.
• Be specific about your goals and objectives.
• Tailor your plan to your target audience.
• Proofread your plan carefully before submitting it to potential investors or lenders.

Here are a few examples of good business plans written using templates:

• Tesla Business Plan
• Airbnb Business Plan
• Warby Parker Business Plan
• Glossier Business Plan
• Spotify Business Plan

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Powerful business plan templates

Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

Put your ideas to work with simple templates for every business plan

Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

Free Business Plan Template

Download a free business plan template for Word. Includes frequently asked questions about business plans.

Updated on September 17th, 2023

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A business plan template is a pre-formatted business plan that contains an outline for a synopsis of your business details, goals, and measurable steps you are planning to take to achieve these. A business plan is vital to obtain financing for your business and should be the foundation of your pitch deck.

Below is our free downloadable business plan template. This plan can be tailored to your specific business and the stage it is in, as well as for the intended audience.

Business Plan Template - Free Download

Download this blank business plan template in Word format and create your own business plan.

Benefits of Using a Business Plan Template:

• Ensure that your plan is presented in a standard format.
• Uncover the right information before your business is launched.
• Create a professional document without outsourcing.

See our template .

Why You Should Use a Business Plan Template:

Business plan templates allow entrepreneurs and small business owners to save time by working off of a pre-formatted document. With a professional template, you can add specific information about your business without having to start from scratch.

Writing a business plan is a time-consuming process, even if you use a template. However, using a template ensures that you add all of the content that you need before you make your business pitch. Working through a template one section at a time can help you to gather all of the information that you need.

Generally, it's a good idea to write your Executive Summary last. This way, you will have a much better idea of how to summarize and describe your business.

Download our template to get started.

Business to Business

Discover more about Business to Business (B2B) - what it means and how it affects your business. Includes an overview and frequently asked questions.

Nov 28, 2023

How do you write a business plan?

You can use a template , or start from scratch. Either way, your business plan should include a summary of your business, financial projections, details about marketing, a description of your products/services, and a SWOT analysis.

What is a business plan template?

A business plan template is a pre-formatted document that already contains an outline and basic details. You can customize a template to create a business plan for your own business.

How do I write a business plan for a startup?

Planning for a startup is the same as planning for any new business venture. You need a detailed business plan that is focused primarily on the financial needs of your new business. This will help to attract investors and give you a realistic picture of how much capital you need to succeed.

How do I write a 5-year business plan?

A 5-year business plan is typically written the same way as a normal business plan, except the financial projections from one year to the next may go into more detail. The plan may also include special projects/developments that you want to invest in during the first five years of operation.

What are the three main purposes of a business plan?

• Create a roadmap for the growth of your business.
• Demonstrate to lenders and investors that you have a path to success.
• Gather and evaluate all of the information needed to make decisions.

What should a business plan include?

• Executive Summary.
• Business Overview.
• Operations.
• Market Analysis.
• Products and Services.
• Competition.
• Management.
• Financial Plan.
• Projected Revenue.
• Appendices.

How do you write a successful business plan?

Successful business plans are well researched, including supporting documentation (financial statements, graphs, etc), demonstrate a keen understanding of the target market, and have a multi-faceted marketing strategy.

What do you title a business plan?

Business plans usually have a cover page with a prominent title that includes the company name and the words "Business Plan" either above or below the name. The cover page may also include contact information or a business address.

What are the types of business plans?

• Startup business plan.
• Growth business plan.
• Strategic business plan.
• Feasibility business plan.
• Internal business plan.
• Operations business plan.

How long is a business plan?

The length of your business plan is less important than the quality of the content that is contained within it. However, business plans generally vary in length from 20 to 50 pages depending on the spacing, size of the font, visual elements, and detail of each section.

How much does it cost to get a business plan written?

On the low end, freelancers may charge several hundred dollars to write a business plan, while professionals and consultants may charge several thousand. If you are going to outsource the creation of your business plan, make sure you hire someone who has lots of experience.

How do you write an executive summary for a business plan?

An executive summary should contain the following:

• Introduction.
• Company strengths.
• Explanation of product/service and how it meets a need or solves a problem.
• Conclusion emphasizing the importance/value of the business.

You should try to be concise when you're writing your executive summary since the rest of your business plan will provide more explanation for readers. The point is to draw people in and give them a 1000-foot view of what you are doing. It is generally agreed that the executive summary should make up no more than 5 - 10% of your entire business plan.

Simple Business Plan Template (2024)

Updated: May 4, 2024, 4:37pm

Table of Contents

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:

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:

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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Business Plan Templates in Google Docs and Word

Choose the best business plan templates in google docs, google slides, google sheets, and other formats. we provide you with startup, botanical business, coffee shop business plan forms, and more. find your blank in white or dark colors and with trendy designs.

Amazing Startup Business Plan

Professional Business Startup Costs

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Dark Modern Business Plan

Trendy Business Plan

Business Startup Costs

Modern Blue Business Plan

Exclusive Startup Business Plan

Nature Business Plan

Green Business Plan Rubric

Gray Accent Business Plan

Black Start Up Business Plan

Yearly Business Plan

Fabulous Startup Business Plan

White Modern Business Plan

Financial Business Plan

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Architecture Project Business Plan

Business Plan for Startup

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Black and White Business Plan

Stylish Business Plan

Bright Business Plan

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Gradient Business Plan

Pastel Modern Business Plan

Partners Platform Business Plan

One-Page IT Company Business Plan

Elegant Green Botanical Business Plan

Yellow Circle Business Plan

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Green Business Plan

Great Modern Business Plan

Elegant Business Plan

Modeling Agency Business Plan

Beauty Salon Business Plan

Coffee Business Plan

Economic Windmills Business Plan

Simple Colorful Business Plan

Creative Violet Business Plans

Basic Business Plan

Flowers Shop Business Plan

Orange Market Business Plan

Simple Business Plan

Aroma Mocha Cafe Business Plan

Do you need to pick the right editable business plan template? Our options have an exceptional design yet comprehensible concept. Keep in mind that you can edit and customize these samples using Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. You can find options for any startup idea on our website. Our samples are 100% unique. Designers are creating free business plan templates from scratch.

Business plans on the website draw attention immediately. They have a memorable design that is easy to remember. You can edit, adjust, download, and publish our templates for free. No hidden fees, no additional payments.

There are 50+ business plan templates now, and you can opt for other categories of free templates. Our website has hundreds of designer options to offer. Just saying, keep that in mind.

Customize and print our free and ready-to-use layouts using Google Docs. It doesn’t require much time or effort. The majority of users say that they can edit the template unaided in just a few minutes. We are analyzing your feedback and making new templates with outstanding designs. Feel free to give us any feedback or recommendations.

Each of our unique spreadsheets is editable, customizable, and completely free. Therefore, we do not expect to get anything in return. If you like our free business plans, subscribe to our social media and stay tuned for the latest updates.

Business plans template FAQs

35+ Best Business Plan Templates for Word 2024

Are you writing a business plan for a brand new startup? Or updating an old business plan for an established brand? Then this collection of MS Word business plan templates will definitely come in handy.

The key to making an effective business plan brochure that wins over investors and inspires employees is to use a modern and attractive design.

No one wants to read through a 100-page brochure that looks like a VCR manual from the 1960s. Today, people prefer cleaner brochure layouts with proper paragraph formatting that offer a much smoother reading experience.

Designing such modern business plan documents is not that difficult. In fact, you can easily create them using Word templates.

In this post, we showcase high-quality business plan templates for Word that have been designed by professionals. They feature modern designs and clean layouts that are perfect for all kinds of startups, businesses, and corporate companies. Have a look.

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Explore Word Templates

Education Business Plan Word Template

This Word template is designed for making business plan documents related to educational brands and businesses. However, you can easily customize the design to make business plans for various other industries. The template includes 20 unique page layouts with modern designs.

Business Plan & Proposal Template for Word

You can use this Word template to make both business proposals and business plans. It has a very flexible page design that you can change to make brochures for startups, agencies, and other businesses. There are 20 pages in this template in A4 size.

Bold Business Plan Word Template

If you want to make a bold business plan with a high-end luxury feel, this Word template will come in handy. It features a dark color theme that will fit in nicely with luxury brands, hotels, corporate agencies, and more. The template has 56 different page layouts. It comes in Word, Apple Pages, and InDesign formats.

Big Business Plan Brochure Template for Word

Get started with this Word template to make business plan documents with clean and minimal design. It includes 28 unique pages with easily editable layouts. You can change its colors, fonts, and images with ease. The template is available in multiple formats, including Word, InDesign, Affinity Publisher, and more.

Free Simple Business Plan Word Template

While this free business plan template only has 4 page layouts and a simple design, it’s more than enough for making a basic business plan document for a small business. It comes in Word and Apple Pages formats.

Tropo – Minimalist Business Plan for Word

Tropo is a minimalist business plan template designed for Microsoft Word. It’s user-friendly, designed with organized files for effortless customization, and is suitable for creating business proposals. Tropo offers 32 editable pages, customizable fonts, and colors, well-organised layers, and is print-ready.

Business Proposal Template for Word

This is a professional-quality business proposal template for Word that offers flexibility and ease of customization. This 20-page template can be easily edited to suit your unique business needs without jeopardizing the layout or the readability. It’s fully customizable, well-layered, and organized.

This is an adaptable template, perfect for showcasing your unique services and business plans to new clients. It’s a user-friendly, customizable template, enabling designers to express their brand and work competence professionally. The pack includes a 20-page InDesign and Microsoft Word templates.

Business Proposal Template for Word & InDesign

A versatile business proposal template ideal for constructing thorough business plans or proposals. Compatible with Microsoft Word 2010 and higher, as well as Adobe InDesign CS4 and above, the template offers a comprehensive 16-page document that can adapt for print or digital output.

Business Plan & Project Proposal Template

This is a comprehensive business proposal template for Word. Boasting 40 pages of editable sections such as company details, project timelines, budget specifics, and more, the template utilizes a structured editorial layout to organize information efficiently.

Multipurpose Business Brochure Word Template

This brochure template features multipurpose page layouts. This means you can edit and customize each page to make many different types of documents, including business plans and proposals. It has 20 unique pages in A4 size.

Creative Business Plan Template for Word

This is a massive business plan template that comes with more than 60 different page layouts to choose from. It’s especially suitable for agencies and startups for making a high-quality business plan document. The template is available in Word and InDesign formats.

Company Proposal & Business Plan Word Template

Whether you want to make a business plan or a proposal document, this Word template can handle both. It features a modern and professional layout for making documents for corporate businesses. The template includes 20 pages in A4 size.

Education School Plan Template for Word

You can use this Word template to make a stylish business plan or educational plan for a school. The template has fully customizable paragraph styles, editable colors, fonts, images, and much more. It has 20 page custom layouts.

Free Agency Business Plan Word Template

This free business plan template includes 5 page layouts with very simple and basic designs. You can use it to make business plan documents for advertising and design agencies. It’s available in Apple Pages format too.

Modern Business Plan Template for Word

A business plan document is about presenting your goals, missions, and vision for the company in an appealing way. Having a great-looking design is a must for achieving that task. This Word template will help you create such a business plan document. It includes 20 different page layouts with modern designs. And you can edit it using either MS Word or InDesign.

Clean Business Plan Microsoft Word Template

If you want to make sure your business plan looks more professional, a clean and minimal design is the best choice for your brochure. With this template, you can design a clean and professional-looking business plan to showcase your business goals. It includes 16 page layouts with fully customizable designs. You can also choose from 3 different color schemes to design your document.

Simple Business Plan Template for Word

This Word business plan template uses a very simple design. It doesn’t have too many design elements, images, or lots of colors. Instead, the design puts more focus on the contents of the document. This approach makes it a great template for designing a highly effective business plan for many different types of businesses. It includes 12 page layouts as well.

Business Plan Brochure Template for Word

If you want to make an impressive and attractive business plan brochure for a big company or a corporate brand, this Word template will come in handy. It features 48 different page layouts with modern and stylish designs. The template is available in both MS Word and InDesign formats. And, as a bonus, you also get letterhead and business card templates.

One Page Business Plan Template for Word

Sometimes a simple one-page document is more than enough to highlight the key points of a business plan. This template is ideal for making such brochures. The template comes with 4 page layouts but you can easily customize it to create one-page or even multi-page documents.

Professional Services Free Business Plan Word Template

This free business plan template for Word comes directly from the official MS Office templates directory. It’s free to download and features page layouts with modern designs. It’s ideal for creating a business plan for small agencies.

Free Word Business Plan Template for Freelancers

Another free Word business plan template from the Office directory. This template is designed with freelancers and agencies that specialize in home-based professional services. It includes a fully editable layout as well.

Editable Business Plan Template for Word

Every Word template should give you the freedom to edit, customize, and do anything you want with the design. This template lets you do all that and more. It features a fully editable layout that you can customize to your preference. The template also includes 40 page layouts that come in A4 and US Letter sizes.

Minimal Business Plan Word Template

Looking for a clean, simple, and minimalist business plan template? Then this Word template is made just for you. It has a very light and simple layout that allows you to showcase all elements of your business plan in a professional way. The template includes 32 page layouts and it’s available in Word and InDesign formats.

Startup Business Plan Word Template

This Word business plan template is designed specifically for startups and agencies. It features a set of modern page layouts, 20 custom page designs to be exact. You can also customize each page layout by changing colors and fonts. It comes in US Letter and A4 sizes as well.

4-Page Business Plan Template for Word

You can create a powerful four-page business plan using this Word template. It features an effective page design that is ideal for creating a summary of your business plan. The template is fully customizable and it’s available in Word, IDML, and INDD formats.

One Page Simple Business Plan Word Template

This simple and minimal business plan template is perfect for making a one-page brochure or even a two-page document. The template comes with 2 page layouts that you can use to create a simple double-sided one-page business plan. Or you can print them separately too. It’s very basic but quite effective at the same time.

Free Simple Business Plan Template for Word

A free business plan template that you can edit and customize in Word. This template has a very basic and blank design that you can use however you like. You can make this template your own by adding a few design elements as well.

Free One-Page Business Plan Template for Word

This is a free one-page business plan template that has a minimal layout for making a straightforward business plan brochure. It includes multiple sections for detailing different aspects of your business plan.

Marketing & Sales Plan Word Template

Marketing and sales plans are also part of a business plan, especially for marketing agencies. With this Word template, you can design an effective sales plan for your business. The template features 32 different page layouts in A4 size. It comes in Word and InDesign versions as well.

Real Estate Business Plan Template for Word

This Word template features a very clean and visual-centric design that’s ideal for making business plans for real estate and rental property businesses. There are more than 30 unique page layouts in this template with easily editable designs. You can change colors, fonts, and paragraphs however you like to fit your brand.

Basic Microsoft Word Business Plan Template

If you want to make a simple and basic business plan for a small company, this Word template is for you. It features a minimal layout with a basic design for making a small brochure. You can use 4 different page layouts to create your business plan. And it’s fully customizable too.

Simple Word Business Plan Template

This business plan template also features a simple design. It’s ideal for startups, agencies, and even small businesses for making a business plan to motivate employees and even set goals for your future. The template includes 4 page designs in A4 size.

A creative business plan Word template that comes with more than 50 different page designs. With this template, you can make all kinds of business plan brochures for various types of brands. The template also includes editable colors, paragraphs, objects, free fonts, and so much more.

Business Project Plan Template for Word

A simple business plan template for small brands. This template includes 3 unique page layouts for crafting a basic business plan. It’s ideal even for solopreneurs and freelancers for creating a strategy for your business. It comes in A4 size.

Free Healthcare Business Plan Word Template

This free business plan template is made with businesses and companies in the healthcare industry. It features a clean design with several page layouts you can use to craft an effective business plan.

Free Editable Business Plan Template for Word

Another blank and basic business plan Word template you can download for free. This template has very simple page layouts but they are ideal for creating an effective business plan brochure for small businesses.

Be sure to check out our best Word templates collection for more design inspiration.

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Business Plan Template

Strategizing success with a business plan.

In the competitive world of entrepreneurship and business management, a well-structured business plan is essential for outlining strategic goals, attracting investment, and guiding operations. A Business Plan serves as a critical framework for detailing a company's vision, mission, objectives, market analysis, and operational strategies.

This document is an indispensable tool, providing comprehensive insights into the business structure, potential challenges, marketing strategies, financial projections, and growth opportunities. It not only facilitates communication with potential investors and stakeholders but also serves as a roadmap for decision-making and resource allocation within the company. This plan transcends traditional business documentation; it is about constructing a vision that aligns with market demands and operational capabilities.

What is a Business Plan Template?

A Business Plan template acts as a foundational guide that spells out the essential components needed to draft a detailed and effective business strategy. This includes elements such as an executive summary, company description, market analysis, organizational and management structure, sales strategies, funding requests, and financial projections. Employing a template ensures a systematic approach to business planning, allowing for customization to reflect the unique aspects of the business while promoting a clear, mutual understanding of the strategic direction and operational planning.

Key Elements of a Business Plan

A robust Business Plan should thoroughly address:

• Executive Summary - Provides a concise overview of the business and its strategic goals.
• Company Description - Details the nature of the business, the needs it addresses, and its unique attributes.
• Market Analysis - Offers an examination of industry trends, target markets, competition, and positioning.
• Organization and Management - Describes the company’s organizational structure and profiles of the management team.
• Products or Services - Explains what the company sells or the services it offers, including details on product life cycles and benefits to customers.
• Marketing and Sales Strategy - Outlines strategies for reaching target markets, including pricing, promotions, sales tactics, and distribution.
• Funding Request - Specifies the amount of funding needed, potential sources, and planned use of funds.
• Financial Projections - Includes detailed forecasts for income, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and budget.
• Appendices - Contains any additional information that supports the business plan, such as letters of recommendation, product photos, legal documents, and other pertinent data.

Supporting Documents for Structuring a Business Plan

To enhance the functionality and comprehensiveness of a Business Plan, integrating related documents is advisable:

• ** Market Analysis - Delivers comprehensive evaluations of market trends, customer demographics, and competitive landscapes, crucial for informing strategic business decisions and supporting detailed market assessments.
• ** Financial Projections (3 Years) - Provides extensive financial forecasts, including income statements, cash flow estimates, and balance sheets, crucial for assessing the business's viability and supporting strategic planning over a three-year period.
• ** Operational Plan - Details the day-to-day operations necessary to run the business, complementing the strategic overview.Risk Management Plan: Assesses potential risks and outlines strategies to mitigate them, ensuring the business is well-prepared for uncertainties.
• ** Risk Management Plan - Assesses potential risks and outlines strategies to mitigate them, ensuring the business is well-prepared for uncertainties.

Why Employ a Detailed Template for a Business Plan?

Utilizing a detailed template for drafting your Business Plan offers significant benefits:

• Strategic Clarity - Ensures all aspects of the business strategy are covered comprehensively, providing a clear roadmap for growth.
• Investor Readiness - Facilitates the creation of a persuasive and professional plan that can attract investors and secure funding.
• Operational Guidance - Serves as an ongoing reference to guide daily operations and strategic decisions.
• Market Insight - Encourages thorough market and competitor analysis, which is critical for positioning and differentiating the business effectively.

Adopting a comprehensive Business Plan is essential for navigating the complexities of starting and managing a business. It provides a clear, actionable outline of the company’s strategy and operational plans, ensuring that all team members are aligned with the business’s goals and objectives. This fundamental document not only sets the stage for business success but also fortifies the organization's efforts to achieve sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

Updated in April 2024

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3,000+ templates & tools to help you start, run & grow your business, all the templates you need to plan, start, organize, manage, finance & grow your business, in one place., templates and tools to manage every aspect of your business., 8 business management modules, in 1 place., document types included.

Business Plan

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Executive Summary

• Business Name : [Your Business Name]
• Business Model : [Brief description]
• Goals : [Short-term and long-term goals]

Company Description

• Mission Statement : [Mission statement]
• Company History : [Brief history]
• Business Structure : [LLC, Corporation, etc.]

Market Analysis

• Target Market : [Description]
• Market Trends : [Analysis]
• Competitive Analysis : [Overview of competitors]

Organization and Management

• Organizational Structure : [Description]
• Management Team : [Details of key team members]

Products and Services

• Product/Service 1 : [Description]
• Product/Service 2 : [Description]

Marketing and Sales Strategy

• Marketing Plan : [Overview]
• Sales Strategy : [Description]

Financial Projections

• Revenue Model : [Description]
• Projected Income : [Figures]
• Funding Requirements : [Details]
• Supporting Documents : [List of documents]

Business Plan Template

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Business and Marketing Plan Template

The don’ts, steps to create a business plan.

• Research and Analysis : Understand your market, industry trends, and competitors.
• Define Objectives : Outline your business goals and objectives.
• Develop Strategies : Create strategies to achieve your goals.
• Financial Planning : Include financial projections, budget, and funding needs.
• Operational Plan : Detail the day-to-day operations and management structure.
• Marketing Plan : Develop a plan to attract and retain customers.
• Review and Revise : Regularly update your business plan to reflect changes. You may also see  College Business Plan

Key Purposes of a Business Plan

• Strategic Planning : Provides a roadmap for business development.
• Financial Management : Helps in budgeting and financial projections.
• Attracting Investors : Essential for securing funding from investors.
• Performance Monitoring : Tracks progress towards business goals.
• Communication Tool : Clearly conveys business ideas to stakeholders, similar to an Agriculture Business Plan .

Main Points in a Business Plan

• Executive Summary : Overview of the business and its objectives.
• Business Description : Detailed information about the business.
• Market Analysis : Insights into the industry, market, and competitors.
• Organization and Management : Structure and management team.
• Product Line or Services : Description of products or services offered.
• Marketing and Sales : Strategies to attract and retain customers.
• Financial Projections : Budget, financial forecasts, and funding needs, similar to a School Business Plan .

Components of a Business Plan

• Executive Summary : Brief overview of the business plan.
• Company Description : Information about the business and its mission.
• Market Analysis : Detailed analysis of the market and competition.
• Organization Structure : Management team and organizational hierarchy.
• Product/Service Line : Information about products or services offered.
• Marketing Strategy : Plans for marketing and sales.
• Financial Plan : Budget, financial projections, and funding requirements, similar to a Restaurant Business Plan .

Key Elements of a Business Plan

• Executive Summary : Summarizes the entire business plan.
• Market Analysis : Provides insights into market conditions and competition.
• Financial Plan : Details financial projections and funding needs, akin to an One Page Business Plan .

Essential Components of a Business Plan

• Executive Summary : Overview of the plan.
• Business Description : Detailed business information.
• Market Analysis : Industry and market insights.
• Organization and Management : Management structure.
• Product Line or Services : Details of products or services.
• Marketing and Sales : Strategies for market penetration.
• Funding Request : Financial requirements and funding sources.
• Financial Projections : Budget and financial forecasts, similar to a Boutique Business Plan .

The 6 P’s of Business Plan

• Purpose : Define the mission and vision.
• Products : Detail the products or services offered.
• People : Highlight the management and team structure.
• Processes : Outline the operational workflows.
• Promotion : Develop marketing and sales strategies.
• Performance : Set goals and measure progress, akin to a Fast Food Business Plan .

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Simple Business Plan Templates

By Joe Weller | April 2, 2020

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In this article, we’ve compiled a variety of simple business plan templates, all of which are free to download in PDF, Word, and Excel formats.

On this page, you’ll find a one-page business plan template , a simple business plan for startups , a small-business plan template , a business plan outline , and more. We also include a business plan sample and the main components of a business plan to help get you started.

Simple Business Plan Template

Download Simple Business Plan Template

Word  |  PDF

This simple business plan template lays out each element of a traditional business plan to assist you as you build your own, and it provides space to add financing information for startups seeking funding. You can use and customize this simple business plan template to fit the needs for organizations of any size.

One-Page Business Plan Template

Download One-Page Business Plan Template

Excel  |  Word  |  PDF  | Smartsheet

Use this one-page business plan to document your key ideas in an organized manner. The template can help you create a high-level view of your business plan, and it provides easy scannability for stakeholders. You can use this one-page plan as a reference to build a more detailed blueprint for your business. 

For additional single page plans, take a look at " One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide ."

Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Download Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Use this fill-in-the-blank business plan template to guide you as you build your business plan. Each section comes pre-filled with sample content, with space to add customized verbiage relevant to your product or service.

For additional free, downloadable resources, visit " Free Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Templates ."

Simple Business Plan for Startup

‌  Download Startup Business Plan Template — Word

This business plan template is designed with a startup business in mind and contains the essential elements needed to convey key product or service details to investors and stakeholders. Keep all your information organized with this template, which provides space to include an executive summary, a company overview, competitive analysis, a marketing strategy, financial data, and more. For additional resources, visit " Free Startup Business Plan Templates and Examples ."

Simple Small-Business Plan Template

Download Simple Small-Business Plan Template

This template walks you through each component of a small-business plan, including the company background, the introduction of the management team, market analysis, product or service offerings, a financial plan, and more. This template also comes with a built-in table of contents to keep your plan in order, and it can be customized to fit your requirements.

Lean Business Plan Template

Download Lean Business Plan Template

This lean business plan template is a stripped-down version of a traditional business plan that provides only the most essential aspects. Briefly outline your company and industry overview, along with the problem you are solving, as well as your unique value proposition, target market, and key performance metrics. There is also room to list out a timeline of key activities.

Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Download Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Use this simple business plan outline as a basis to create your own business plan. This template contains 11 sections, including a title page and a table of contents, which details what each section should cover in a traditional business plan. Simplify or expand this outline to create the foundation for a business plan that fits your business needs.

Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Download Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Excel  | Smartsheet

This template doubles as a project plan and timeline to track progress as you develop your business plan. This business planning template enables you to break down your work into phases and provides room to add key tasks and dates for each activity. Easily fill in the cells according to the start and end dates to create a visual timeline, as well as to ensure your plan stays on track.

Simple Business Plan Rubric Template

Download Simple Business Plan Rubric

Once you complete your business plan, use this business plan rubric template to assess and score each component of your plan. This rubric helps you identify elements of your plan that meet or exceed requirements and pinpoint areas where you need to improve or further elaborate. This template is an invaluable tool to ensure your business plan clearly defines your goals, objectives, and plan of action in order to gain buy-in from potential investors, stakeholders, and partners.

Basic Business Plan Sample

Download Basic Business Plan Sample

This business plan sample serves as an example of a basic business plan that contains all the traditional components. The sample provides a model of what a business plan might look like for a fictional food truck business. Reference this sample as you develop your own business plan.

For additional resources to help support your business planning efforts, check out “ Free Strategic Planning Templates .”

Main Components of a Business Plan

The elements you include in your business plan will depend on your product or service offerings, as well as the size and needs of your business. 

Below are the components of a standard business plan and details you should include in each section:

• Company name and contact information
• Website address
• The name of the company or individual viewing the presentation
• Table of Contents
• Company background and purpose
• Mission and vision statement
• Management team introduction
• Core product and service offerings
• Target customers and segments
• Marketing plan
• Competitive analysis
• Unique value proposition
• Financial plan (and requirements, if applicable)
• Business and industry overview
• Historical timeline of your business
• Offerings and the problem they solve
• Current alternatives
• Competitive advantage
• Market size
• Target market segment(s)
• Projected volume and value of sales compared to competitors
• Differentiation from competitors
• Pricing strategy
• Marketing channels
• Promotional plan
• Distribution methods
• Legal structure of your business
• Names of founders, owners, advisors, etc.
• Management team’s roles, relevant experience, and compensation plan
• Staffing requirements and training plans
• Physical location(s) of your business
• Additional physical requirements (e.g., warehouse, specialized equipment, facilities, etc.)
• Production workflow
• Raw materials and sourcing methods
• Projected income statement
• Projected cash flow statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Break-even analysis
• Charts and graphs
• Market research and competitive analysis
• Information about your industry
• Information about your offerings
• Samples of marketing materials
• Other supporting materials

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the thought of putting together a business plan. Below, you’ll find top tips to help simplify the process as you develop your own plan. 

• Use a business plan template (you can choose from the variety above), or refer to the previous section to create a standard outline for your plan.
• Modify your outline to reflect the requirements of your specific business. If you use a standard business plan outline, remove sections that aren’t relevant to you or aren’t necessary to run your business.
• Gather all the information you currently have about your business first, and then use that information to fill out each section in your plan outline.
• Use your resources and conduct additional research to fill in the remaining gaps. (Note: It isn’t necessary to fill out your plan in order, but the executive summary needs to be completed last, as it summarizes the key points in your plan.)
• Ensure your plan clearly communicates the relationship between your marketing, sales, and financial objectives.
• Provide details in your plan that illustrate your strategic plan of action, looking forward three to five years.
• Revisit your plan regularly as strategies and objectives evolve.
• What product or service are we offering?
• Who is the product or service for?
• What problem does our product or service offering solve?
• How will we get the product or service to our target customers?
• Why is our product or service better than the alternatives?
• How can we outperform our competitors?
• What is our unique value proposition?
• When will things get done, and who is responsible for doing them?
• If you need to obtain funding, how will you use the funding?
• When are payments due, and when do payments come in?
• What is the ultimate purpose of your business?
• When do you expect to be profitable?

To identify which type of business plan you should write, and for more helpful tips, take a look at our guide to writing a simple business plan .

Benefits of Using a Business Plan Template

Creating a business plan can be very time-consuming, especially if you aren’t sure where to begin. Finding the right template for your business needs can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. 

Using a business plan template — instead of creating your plan from scratch — can benefit you in the following ways:

• Enables you to immediately write down your thoughts and ideas in an organized manner
• Provides structure to help outline your plan
• Saves time and valuable resources
• Helps ensure you don’t miss essential details

Limitations of a Business Plan Template

A business plan template can be convenient, but it has its drawbacks — especially if you use a template that doesn’t fit the specific needs of your business.

Below are some limitations of using a business plan template:

• Each business is unique and needs a business plan that reflects that. A template may not fit your needs.
• A template may restrict collaboration with other team members on different aspects of the plan’s development (sales, marketing, and accounting teams).
• Multiple files containing different versions of the plan may be stored in more than one place.
• You still have to manually create charts and graphs to add to the plan to support your strategy.
• Updates to the plan, spreadsheets, and supporting documents have to be made in multiple places (all documents may not update in real time as changes are made).

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The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

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What is a business plan?

A business plan is a document that helps small business owners determine the viability of their business idea. Combining market research and financial analysis, a professional business plan helps startup CEOs and potential investors determine if the company can compete in the target market.

Typically, a good business plan consists of the following:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Mission statement
• Product and services
• Marketing plan
• Operations plan
• Management organization
• Financial plan
• Conclusion & appendix

Every section involved in a business plan is designed to help startup businesses reach their target market.

A business plan asks founders and entrepreneurs to detail their business strategy in a step-by-step process that makes sense from an operational perspective. This is essential if a startup is seeking a business loan or an investment from a venture capital firm.

However, even small businesses that are already economically viable can benefit from creating a business plan, since it encourages business owners and their management teams to examine their business model and reevaluate the best ways to reach their target customers.

Should I use a business plan template?

Yes.  If you’ve never written one, a business plan can be challenging to write.

Creating a successful plan that you can use to grow your small business can require weeks of market analysis and financial preparation. You may spend time using Microsoft Excel or Powerpoint in order to create documentation which better supports our operational decisions.

However, almost every professional business plan is structured in the same way and most ask for the same information. Because of this, using a business plan template is advisable to save time, money, and effort.

Business plan templates for free

Rather than spending time trying to figure out how to write a business plan , use a free template as a guide to completion.

Business plan templates from PandaDoc can help you reach an effective go-to-market strategy even faster by asking you to provide all the relevant information you need when creating an effective business plan.

Grab a free template to get started!

Frequently asked questions

How many pages should my business plan be.

This depends on the kind of business plan you need to write and how you intend to use the plan that you create.

For example, a plan for a small business seeking potential investors or a business loan will need to provide income statements, cash flow statements, and a balance sheet (usually for a three-year or five-year forecast period).

These financial statements can be omitted if a small business owner isn’t seeking funding and is instead planning to use their business plan as a guiding document for themselves and their management team members.

Some business plans may only run a few pages. Fully-developed business plans can be as long as 50 pages. Much of this depends on the type of business, the operational strategy, and the level of detail that goes into developing the business plan.

Who needs a business plan?

Every business should have a business plan. This is an essential guidance document for any founder or CEO.

Good business plans help a company determine the viability of its place in the market and can help the business develop better strategies for differentiating itself from its competitors.

Business planning also forces business owners to evaluate their marketing strategy, the cost of customer acquisition and retention, and how they plan to grow their business over time.

What is the best business plan template?

Business plans come in all shapes and sizes. The best business plan template for your business is one that you understand and that matches the size and legal structure of your operation.

If you’re a sole proprietor, a business plan template designed for a big corporation probably doesn’t make sense. However, a business plan that helps you build an effective roadmap to grow your business while protecting your intellectual property is a good starting point.

PandaDoc offers specialized business plan templates for common industries along with tips to help you get started with business planning.

Should I hire someone to write my business plan for me?

No. You’ll find freelance writers and business strategy companies out there who are happy to write your business plan for a fee.  These resources can guide you through the process, but you should write (or be heavily involved in) the creation of your business plan.

The reason for this is simple: You know the most about your business, and your business needs you to succeed.

A writer can work with you to make your business plan sound better to investors, and a consultant can help you fill in knowledge gaps — like how to conduct a SWOT analysis — and point out weaknesses in your plan. But, at the end of the day, you need to use the business plan to pitch investors and run your business.

Those ideas and guiding principles aren’t something you can outsource.

Should I use business planning software?

Software isn’t required when creating an effective business plan. Most business planning software is designed to help you navigate the outlining and writing process more effectively.

You don’t need software to write a professional business plan, but a solid template can help you get started. Download a free template from PandaDoc today and take your business to the next level.

Get started with PandaDoc today

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Home Business Plan

Business Plan Templates

Use our template to make an investment-worthy business plan.

Updated December 8, 2023 Written by Sara Hostelley | Reviewed by Brooke Davis

A business plan is a document outlining a company’s operations, strategies, goals, and objectives. It’s crucial to guide you through each stage of starting and growing your business.

Templates (8)

What is a business plan, why is a business plan essential, components of a business plan, how to write a business plan, business plan sample.

Below, you can find free business plan templates for specific business types. You can also find more in-depth information on writing a plan for your business, whether it’s a food truck, restaurant, real estate business, or another entity:

Create a detailed plan that lays out the details of how your business will achieve it's objectives.

Traditional Business Plan

Create a simplified version of a traditional business plan.

One-Page Business Plan

Create a Non-Profit Business Plan and learn how to write one.

Create a Daycare Business Plan and learn how to write one.

Create a Restaurant Business Plan and learn how to write one.

Create a Real Estate Business Plan and learn how to write one.

Real Estate

Create a Food Truck Business Plan and learn how to write one.

A business plan is a document detailing how a business, whether it’s a new or existing company, will achieve its goals and objectives. It guides you through every step of starting and running a company.

A business plan can be the foundation of your business, serving as a written roadmap that covers all aspects of how to structure, run, and grow your business. You can also refer back to it as your business progresses to track its growth and success.

In addition to being a helpful document internally, a business plan is also vital for a company to communicate its success to external parties that may influence its future success.

Consider some of the main reasons why large and small business owners alike use business plans:

1. Use As a Roadmap

A business plan sets specific, measurable, and time-bound goals. Having these goals helps you track progress, evaluate performance, and adjust as necessary.

By laying out goals, you have a clear and attainable plan of action with the ability to see and monitor your progress.

2. Plan Strategies For Potential Challenges

A business plan can help you think objectively about your business’s key elements and inform your decision-making as you move forward.

A detailed plan can provide a semblance of control over a potentially cumbersome process. Formulating a plan can improve your ability to make choices and decisions for yourself and the business. This approach is much better than suddenly making a critical decision without time to evaluate or haphazardly letting others decide for you.

3. Get Funding or Bring on New Business Partners

An accurate business plan is essential whether or not you need to secure a business loan. Investors and lenders often require a business plan before they commit capital. A solid plan demonstrates your commitment, viability, and potential return on investment.

Create a business plan that grabs the attention of potential investors and provides them with enough structure and confidence that they will move forward and grant funding and support to your business.

You can use your business plan to highlight how the proposed business will be successful and profitable.

4. Discover Any Weaknesses

A business plan includes a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis that helps identify potential risks and challenges. It is essential to allocate resources and demonstrate monthly profit or loss. By recognizing these elements early, you can develop strategies to mitigate or address them.

5. Analyze the Market and Competition

Market research within the plan helps you better understand your target audience, competition, and industry trends. This knowledge is crucial for making informed business decisions.

By learning about your competition, you can help make your goods or services stand out and help validate your business idea.

You should update a business plan as you go, altering your goals as necessary and being mindful of any changes of direction in your business.

A typical business plan includes the following sections:

• Executive Summary
• Management Team
• Products and Services
• Customers and Marketing
• SWOT Analysis

Our business plan template includes all of the above, so you won’t have to worry about missing out on essential sections.

Step 1 – Create an Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section of a traditional business plan, serving as the first impression of your business. Please give a brief overview of your company, including its mission, key goals, and a snapshot of your financial projections.

You can skip this step if you’re writing a lean business plan for a startup. Instead, replace it with a few sentences outlining the problem your startup aims to solve and the solution you will provide.

Executive Summary Example:

Market research indicates there are a growing number of dog owners in Tallahassee who want to train their animals. Consumer surveys indicate that most consumers don’t have the time or resources to train their animals themselves.

Consumers have also expressed a desire for combined dog walking and training services to help discipline their animals.

Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks provides a convenient service for customers with furry friends and disposable incomes.

Tips for Writing an Executive Summary

• Define a problem in your market and state how your business will solve it.
• Limit your executive summary to one page.
• Use a tone appropriate for your audience.

Step 2 – Describe Your Company’s Team

A professional business plan will include a statement about your company’s team and management.

Describe your startup’s legal structure. After that, you can insert a chart to show the hierarchical structure of your company. Show and name your C-suite executives, management team, and key employees. Include short biographies and links to their resumes and LinkedIn profiles to give the reader a complete picture of your staff’s qualifications.

If you have a smaller staff, you can highlight the founder and CEO and your staff members who perform the services or create your business’s products.

Example for Company’s Team Statement:

Jamie Clayton, Founder and CEO

• Board-certified veterinarian.

Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks’s dog walkers and trainers

• 14 full-time staff members.
• 26 part-time staff members.
• All staff members have the Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) credential from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

Tips for Writing about Your Company Management and Team

• Include any roles you’d like to hire to grow your company, if applicable.
• Highlight expertise and awards one to show your staff’s capabilities.

Step 3 – Summarize Market Analysis and Potential

Your business plan must also thoroughly analyze your target market and customer base. The goal here is to show that you understand your market and target audience and that there is a viable market for your business.

Market Analysis Example:

Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks’s ideal customer is a dog owner between the ages of 25 and 65 with a high disposable income. They’re ideally a working professional or have recently retired from the workplace. They love their dog (or dogs) and want them to be well-behaved and have an outlet for all their energy.

Market research shows that Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks has ample opportunities in the Tallahassee area:

• The total revenue for dog walking services in the U.S. increased from $900 million in 2019 to $1.1 billion in 2023.
• Dog ownership has increased by 20% over the last five years.
• Online search volume for “dog walkers in Tallahassee” is up by 10% since last year.
• 19% of Tallahassee’s residents have a household income of $125,000 or more (compared to the average of 5% across the U.S.).

Tips for Writing a Market Analysis

• Use reliable sources for acquiring data.
• Conduct consumer surveys to hear from people in your target area.
• Focus on the demand in your area and the growth potential.
• Include revenue and expense projections based on market data.

Step 4 – Describe Your Product or Service

Describe the products and services you offer. Pinpoint the value they provide to current and future customers and share your plans for research and development.

The main goal of this section is to convince the reader and yourself that your business is viable and that you have enough resources, time, and energy to achieve your goals.

Product Description Example:

Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks isn’t an ordinary dog walking service. When a customer signs up for our monthly subscription plan, we have one of our certified dog walkers go to their house 12 times a month on a schedule that works for them.

Our dog walker takes their dog on a 30-minute walk and corrects their behavior. Their dog learns how to walk on a leash calmly and be around cars and people. Not only does the dog get some exercise and fresh air, but they also learn discipline, meaning the customer doesn’t have to worry about training their dog in this sense.

Tips for Writing a Product/Service Description

• Highlight cross-sell and upsell opportunities, if applicable.
• Emphasize what distinguishes you from other companies providing similar services/products.
• Include details for updating your offerings in the future.

Step 5 – Plan Your Marketing Strategy

Discuss the brand vision you want to cultivate, the metrics you’ll track, and the channels you’ll use to reach your target audience. Outlining how you plan to collect and retain customers will help you experience growth in the long term.

Marketing Strategy Example:

Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks will focus on social media and direct mail marketing as its two main forms of advertising. We’ll track customer referrals to determine how many current customers are satisfied with our services.

On our social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, we’ll track our audience growth rate, bounce rate, and click-through rate.

Tips for Writing a Marketing Strategy

• Add the budget/resources you have, if applicable.
• Create strategies for marketing to different segments within your main target audience.

Step 6 – Conduct SWOT Analysis

Organizations use SWOT analyses to determine how closely a business will adhere to its growth trajectories. This analysis involves looking at a company’s SWOTs, which are:

• Strengths: Strengths are things your company does well. Examples include having a unique selling proposition, standout brandings, or human resources, like your employees and C-class executives.
• Weaknesses:  These barriers prevent your project or company from reaching certain milestones. Examples include financial limitations, a shortage of skilled professionals, and unclear selling propositions.
• Opportunities:  These positive external factors could give you a competitive edge. For instance, if you’re a manufacturer and the federal government cuts tariffs, you can export your products into a new market to boost market share and sales.
• Threats:  These are events, competitors, and situations that pose a risk to your company and the goals you’ve set for it. Typical threats include negative media coverage, changing customer demands, emerging competitors, and new rules and regulations.

SWOT Analysis Example:

• Appeals to people who don’t have the time or resources to train their pets.
• Low startup costs.
• Finding enough certified employees to meet the anticipated demand.
• Dealing with aggressive animals may be challenging for newer employees.

Opportunities

• Offering multiple subscription packages for customers who want more frequent training sessions for their pets.
• BehaviorBuddies is a dog walking service in Bradfordville that may take away customers.

Tips for Writing a SWOT Analysis

• Be honest with your business’s weaknesses and threats.
• Capitalize on opportunities you find through market analysis.

Step 7 – Develop a Strategy for Operations

Your business plan needs to include a thorough operations plan. This section reveals your manufacturing, fulfillment, managing, staffing, hiring strategies, and all the other processes you go through when running your business daily.

Operations Strategy Example:

Jamie Clayton will oversee the hiring of all employees, and the team lead will train all employees for at least one month to ensure they have the knowledge necessary to deal with animals of all temperaments.

The team lead will also organize the dog walking schedule to ensure all team members have enough time to arrive at customers’ houses and complete the dog walking/training sessions thoroughly.

Tips for Writing a Business Strategy

• Consider what your business needs to thrive on a daily basis.
• Account for inventory and supplies, even if your business is service-based.

Step 8 – Compile Your Business Financials

Create financial projections, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements for the first few years of operation. If you need funding, specify the amount and how you plan to use it.

Financial Statement Example:

Income Statement for the Year Ended December 31, 2023

• Revenue: $150,000
• Cost of Goods Sold: $30,000
• Gross Profit: $120,000
• Operating Expenses: $80,000
• Net Operating Income: $40,000
• Other Income/Expenses: -$2,000
• Net Income: $38,000

Tips for Writing a Financial Section

• Double-check the accuracy of financial information.
• Demonstrate how the proposed funding aligns with your company’s goals.
• Forecast future financial performance.

Step 9 – Explain Your Funding Request

If you’re seeking funding or investment for your business, explain the amount you need and how you intend to use it. Be transparent about the terms you’re offering to investors or lenders.

Funding Request Example:

Pawsitive Strides Canine Coaching & Walks has already hired a team to serve our existing customers. Once we scale to $500,000 in annual revenue over the next two years and at a 10% profit margin, our primary ongoing annual expenses (not including taxes) will total $350,000.

While already profitable, we are requesting $200,000 in the form of a business loan to buy two additional company vehicles. These vehicles will improve our employees’ ability to get to customers’ homes, and the remaining money will go toward maintaining current company vehicles.

Tips for Writing a Funding Request

• Add a timeline so investors know your goals and how you plan to use the money.
• If you seek funding in the form of an exchange for equity, an investor may expect to gain decision-making powers in your company. Plan for this situation accordingly.

Step 10 – Compile an Appendix for Official Documents

Include relevant documents, such as resumes of key team members, legal agreements, market research data, product design mock-ups, and your business’s legal structure documents.

Remember that each business plan is unique, so tailor your content to your venture and audience. Your business plan should effectively communicate your vision, strategy, and financial viability to potential investors, partners, and stakeholders.

Combine the appendix with a table of contents and footnotes section so you can reference it throughout your document.

You can download a free business plan template below in PDF or Word format:

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Use this free Business Plan Template for Word to manage your projects better.

To start your business journey on the right foot, download our free business plan template and break down your business goals into actionable components.

Before you can start your business, you need to find your niche, seek financial backing and create a business plan to bring your idea to fruition. Our free business plan template will guide you through every step of the way. But first, let’s quickly define what a business plan is.

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a document that explains how a business will operate and establish itself in the market to generate profits. Business plans are usually created before a new business starts, to make sure there are no loose ends that could affect its profitability or ability to operate. They can also be created for business improvement purposes.

Business plans are also crucial for raising funds for new business ventures, as they’re used to provide the key details an investor should know to determine whether or not a business is a sound investment.

What Is a Business Plan Template?

Our business plan template outlines the business, product or service that you want to launch. It also details the market you’re targeting, the goals and objectives of the venture and how you propose to achieve them.

The business plan is one of the three pillars that any new idea must stand on to be successful. The other two are a marketing plan and a financial plan. These will be touched upon in part within the business plan template and included in full as supporting documents.

What Should Be Included In a Business Plan Template?

Business plans vary from one organization to another. However, there are key elements that any business plan should have to provide a clear picture of a business, especially if you’re creating a business plan to request funding from investors. Here’s an outline that includes some of the most fundamental aspects to add to your business plans.

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Marketing & sales strategy
• Operational plan
• Financial projections
• Organizational structure and management
• Legal structure

While you can decide how thorough you want your business plan to be, you’ll want to provide as many details as possible. A detailed business plan can reveal significant flaws in your business model. Business planning flaws such as ignoring industry trends can cost your company money, or could even lead to bankruptcy, so it’s important that you take your time when making a business plan.

How to Use This Free Business Plan Template

Now, let’s dive into each of those sections to have a better idea of how to use this business plan template for Word.

Executive Summary

Here’s where you lay out your idea. Your executive summary is the elevator pitch, something that encapsulates your business plan contents in just one page or a couple of paragraphs.

The main purpose of your executive summary is to highlight the key elements from your business plan thatyou wish to communicate to investors or stakeholders such as the market opportunity, an overview of how you’ll manage the venture, competitive advantages, key aspects of the company background, etc.

Company Description

This section explains what your company does and what it intends to achieve.

• Mission statement: The mission statement is a short action declaration that explains the purpose of your business and what it does. It should be one or two sentences long.
• Vision statement: The vision statement is similar to your mission statement in terms of length, but the vision statement states the future goals of the organization.
• Value proposition: The value proposition explains how your company will offer value to customers in a unique way that differentiates it from the competition.
• Core values: The core values are the guiding principles that shape your company’s organizational culture, such as integrity, innovation and collaboration.

Market Analysis

This section should explain to readers how your company intends to compete and position itself in a particular market. To do so, you should include the following:

• Industry analysis: Provide an overview of your business industry. Briefly explain if there are any current trends that might affect your business, either positively or negatively, such as new competitors, new technologies or any other changes. You should include statistics to explain how your industry has grown over the years to convince stakeholders of its value.
• Target market: The target market section should explain the ideal customer for your products. Your marketing activities will be focused on this type of customer, so it should be the most profitable customer to serve. You can easily express what your target market is by creating buyer personas.
• Direct competitors: Direct competitors are businesses that offer exactly the same type of product you do and also serve the same target market. For this reason, you should use your unique value proposition to differentiate from them. Think about two different brands of soda. They offer the exact same product to the same market, at the same place.
• Indirect competitors: Indirect competitors are businesses that offer substitute products to your target market, which means they don’t offer the same product as you do, but their product could also be used to satisfy the same customer need. Now think about butter and margarine. While the product isn’t exactly the same, it can be purchased by customers to satisfy the same need.
• SWOT analysis: SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is a very important part of a business plan because it allows you to do a quick assessment of your current competitive position by looking at the internal strengths and weaknesses of your business while also considering any opportunities and threats from the external environment, such as the risk of new competitors or the opportunity of an underserved market.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

The purpose of this section is to explain how your company will market the product to your customers. It uses the 4 Ps of marketing as the guiding principle.

• Product: Explain what your product is, how it works and how it’s meant to be used. Also, explain some of the main attributes or features that make it superior to other products on the market. This can be anything such as lower production costs , durability or ease of use.
• Price: Pricing is an important part of your marketing strategy. Use this template to indicate your estimated profit margin along with a general description of the expected costs.
• Place: Place simply refers to two main things. Your sales channels, which are the methods you use to sell your product, such as online e-commerce platforms or brick-and-mortar locations and your distribution channels, which are the methods of transportation you’ll use to bring your product from the production line to the final customer.
• Promotion: Use this section to explain the various methods you’ll use to advertise your product, such as websites, social media platforms or traditional methods such as TV, newspaper or radio ads.

Operational Plan

This section should provide a quick overview of how your business will operate by outlining the following areas:

• Day-to-day operations: Briefly explain how your business will serve customers or manufacture products. The goal is to provide a quick overview of the daily operations of your business for stakeholders and investors.
• Supply chain: Every business needs to purchase raw materials, parts and components to deliver products or services to its target market. Use this section to explain the key steps in your supply chain , and who are your key suppliers.
• Permits and regulatory compliance: Use this section to list any permits or regulatory compliance standards your products should meet, if any.

Financial Projections

Use this section to attach any financial documents you might have. If you’re starting a new business you can use financial forecasts. Here are some of the financial documents you can include.

• Income statements
• Balance sheets
• Cash flow statements
• Capital expenditure budgets
• Cost forecasts
• Gross profit projections
• Profit & loss statement
• Projected balance sheet

In addition to these documents, it’s advisable to include an exit strategy. The exit strategy is a contingency plan that’s executed to minimize losses for investors and business owners in the event of bankruptcy or if the business must be terminated at some point. Use this section to briefly explain how you’d execute your exit strategy.

Management Team and Key Personnel

It helps to build confidence and give investors a sense of the risk they’re dealing with if you can provide profiles of your executive and management team. In fact, anyone who will be instrumental in executing the business plan should be included. Their skills and experience can go a long way to realizing your business plan.

Legal Structure

Last but not least, use this section to explain whether your business is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or any other type of legal structure.

While you can decide how thorough you want your business plan to be, the more details you provide the better, as a detailed business plan can reveal significant flaws in your business model. Business planning flaws such as ignoring industry trends can cost your company money, or could even lead to bankruptcy, so it’s important that you take your time when making a business plan.

Why Should You Use a Business Plan Template?

The main reason for a business plan template is to show off your idea in the best possible way to attract investors by collecting the points that show why your business, product or service is viable.

The other reason is that nothing is possible without a plan. Launching a new business, product or service is a project, and a project without a plan is like a boat without a rudder. It might not sink, but it’s unlikely to get where you want it to go.

There are more detailed reasons to take the time and effort required to fill in our business plan template. For example, a bank and investors won’t let you in the door without a business plan. The same is true for any potential partners.

On top of that, the template provides broad strokes as to how to implement your idea . This is vitally important if you sway your investors and need to make the plan a reality.

Once you have investors on board, you need to turn your business plan into a viable project. Project management software like ProjectManager can help. Our Gantt charts can organize tasks, track costs, allocate resources and more. Plus, live dashboards give you a high-level view of performance to catch issues before they become problems. With project management software, you can plan, track and report on everything that matters. We’ll help you make your business plan a successful venture.

When Should You Use This Free Business Plan Template for Word?

You should use a business plan template when you’re getting ready to shop your idea for the bank, investors or a partner. Before using our template, you’ll want to have done all the necessary due diligence.

In other words, once you have an idea for the business, product or service, you need to do market research to see where it fits in the larger commercial landscape. Then, you’ll need to figure out how much capital you’ll need to realize the idea.

Once you have all the work done for your proposal, then you can start the process of filling in the business plan template. The more thorough your preparation, the more convincing your plan and the more likely you’ll get it off the ground.

Who Should Use This Free Business Plan Template for Word?

Anyone who is planning to run a business needs to use our business plan template. It’s your roadmap  and provides you with a plan forward by outlining objectives, establishing priorities and more.

You’ll also need this business plan template if you already have an established business and are looking for buyers to sell it to. This is also true if you’re looking to determine the value of your business says for taxes or estate planning.

How to Track the Execution of Your Business Plan With ProjectManager

ProjectManager is award-winning software that helps you organize your plan and execute it more effectively. Once you’ve filled in your business plan template, the real work begins. Our tool helps you create a schedule and manage your resources to successfully deliver your plan.

Gantt Charts to Plan

Use our Gantt chart project view to input your tasks or import the task list from any spreadsheet. You can also use one of the many industry-specific templates loaded into the tool to get you started. Then add durations for your tasks and they’ll populate the timeline side of the Gantt, giving you a full picture of the plan laid out chronologically.

Dashboards to Track Progress

When you execute your plan, you need to monitor its actual progress to make sure you’re on track. Our real-time dashboard collects status updates and automatically monitors your schedule, costs and other vital metrics, displaying them in easy-to-read graphs and charts. This high-level view helps you catch issues before they become problems.

Reports for Your Stakeholders

Keeping executives and other stakeholders in the loop is important. One-click reporting makes it simple to get data on the performance of your plan as it’s executed and then share those reports. They can even be filtered to give stakeholders the only information they want.

There’s so much more that ProjectManager does to make sure your plan is a success. From unlimited file storage to resource and team management, we allow you to make your business plan and implement it successfully.

What Other Free Excel Templates Can Help You Build a Business Plan?

Our business plan template collects a lot of information, but in order to have a thought-through plan, you’ll want to use some of the other free project management templates we have free on our website.

Project Charter Template

For your plan to work, you need to have a project charter. Our free project charter template helps you figure out the scope of your project, identify objectives and deliverables and even start figuring out the tasks, resources and costs for the work to come.

Statement of Work Template

The statement of work outlines the course of your project plan, including activities, deliverables and the timetable. It defines these essential components of any plan and acts as the first step in your journey to creating a project plan. The free statement of work (SOW) template lays it all out for you.

Project Proposal Template

Before the plan comes the proposal. It’s the pitch to get your project approved so you can then create a plan. The free project proposal template sets the stage and all you have to do is add the details. When approved you have already made the first step towards a plan, which makes it that much easier.

Related Business Planning Resources

If you’re looking for more information about business and planning, then check out the resources page on our website. We have tutorial videos, blog posts and guides that address every aspect of project management. Here are just a few relevant articles.

• 15 Free Word and Excel Templates for Business 
• Strategic Planning in Business
• Why You Need a Reliable Business Continuity Plan
• How to Choose a Project Planner That’s Right for You

ProjectManager is an online tool that gives you real-time data to make better decisions when managing your project. Organize your teams, help them collaborate and drive your project more efficiently to a successful end. Join the tens of thousands of teams that already use ProjectManager and take your free 30-day trial today.

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Top 10 Business-Plan Templates You Can Download Free

Why reinvent the wheel get free professional business plan templates at no cost..

Writing your business plan. Ughhhh.

It's definitely not the most exciting part of starting a business. In fact, if you're like a lot of entrepreneurs, you're probably going to find yourself pulling a few all-nighters to get one done before heading into your first pitch for funding . Because that's the thing--your business plan is a pretty important.

Any funder worth his or her salt wants to see it right off the bat. Moreover though, a solid business plan is a living document that will continue to guide your efforts as your business grows. Recently, I shared 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups , an infographic created by Mark Vital over at Funders and Founders.

A lot of those mistakes (most of them, in fact) are the result of poor planning. Bad location, a marginal niche, having no specific user in mind, raising too much or too little money--all of these issues can be prevented or at least mitigated with good planning.

Creating your business plan is more than just getting your ideas down on paper for potential funders to see. It's an exploratory process in which you can evaluate your options, test your assumptions about your idea, and even discover new opportunities. It might even lead you to kill off aspects of your business before investing too much time or money in them.

That doesn't mean you have to bust out Word and start the plan from scratch. A template is great--you probably aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before, so it provides a proven structure for your plan. Pretty much everything on it can be customized. Check out these comprehensive business plan templates you can download for free to get you started:

1. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs get their companies off the ground. Its template, available as a PDF or Word download, asks a whopping 150 questions and is generic enough to customize for most types of businesses. The Refining the Plan resource that comes with it is helpful, especially if this is your first crack at writing a business plan.

2. U.S. Small Business Administration Business Plan Engine

The SBA's template is available to fill out online and then download as a PDF. You can go back in and edit it as needed, so don't worry about having everything ready the first time you sit down to tackle it. Even broken into sections, it's a long document and a bit of a slog to get through, but it produces a professional-looking and useful business plan. This is particularly helpful if your idea isn't fully fleshed out and you know you have homework to do--it prompts you for information.

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

Who said a business plan has to be a long, complicated document? Some funders are going to want to see a lot of detail, but you can provide that in appendices. The $100 Startup, the website for the best-selling book of the same name, has a ton of stripped-down resources for entrepreneurs, including this super simplified business plan template.

4. LawDepot's WYSIWYG Business Plan Template

This one says you just have to answer a few simple questions and will be "done before you know it!" Don't believe it. A business plan should take time and a lot of homework, but if you've already done that, LawDepot's template is a decent choice. It walks you through getting started, marketing, product, competitive analysis, SWOT, and more, with a window below the input fields to show you the plan as you work away at it. You can download it free with a trial subscription, but you'll have to remember to cancel it within the week if you don't plan to continue using it.

Editor's Note: Looking for Business Loans for your company? If you would like information to help you choose the one that's right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our partner, BuyerZone, provide you with information for free:

5. sme toolkit business plan samples.

The SME Toolkit, jointly offered by IFC and IBM, offers a simple two-page outline of what should be included in your business plan to meet the minimum requirements of funders and tax authorities (in the U.S.). It contains 10 broad sections, including market analysis, management and organization, etc., with a one-paragraph explanation of each. A second download on the same page is an Excel file to help with your financial projections.

6. Office Online Templates Galore

Of course, Microsoft offers a ton of business plan templates for Office users (you can get birthday invitations while you're at it). If you'd rather do a business plan presentation than a Word doc, you can download one of Microsoft Office's half a dozen or so PowerPoint templates for just that purpose. You'll want to customize it with your company branding (you have your branding down, right?), but it's easier than starting from a blank PPT.

7. vFinance Inc. Business Plan Template and Guide

Global financial services firm vFinance offers a basic, 30-page business plan template to download from its website--one the company says has been downloaded more than a quarter of a million times. No, it won't be completely unique, but vFinance knows what it's doing and the template is pretty comprehensive. VFinance is the creator of the massive Venture Capital Directory and has tailored the plan to appeal to funders. If that's your goal, definitely check this one out.

8. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

U.K. online invoicing software brand Invoiceberry offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats. Each one also contains a marketing plan and executive summary template. There's a catch, though--the company asks you to take one of the following three actions before you can download the template: like it on Facebook, give it a +1 on Google+, or give it your email address. If you don't mind doing that, it's a good deal. Kudos to Invoiceberry for figuring out this effective lead-gen tactic too!

9. Santa Clara University's My Own Business Institute Plans

Santa Clara U's MOBI is an initiative of its Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Leavey School of Business. On the site, you can download each of the 15 business plan sections individually as Word documents, or grab all 15 together in one doc. There's a ton of other helpful resources as well, including guidelines for evaluating your potential sites, a list of key people to review your plan, and sample financial sheets.

10. RocketLawyer's Business Plan Templates by State

Like some of the others, you fill out RocketLawyer's form and download the business plan when you're done--but its template allows you to choose your state before getting started. These plans are tailored to meet your financing requirements in your state, which is a huge bonus for those seeking funding through banks. It's also heavily geared toward financing, making it a good choice if that's a priority for you.

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Business Plan Sample

A business plan is a document that provides a roadmap for your business. It covers all aspects of your business, from your business model and value proposition to your marketing and sales strategy. Your business plan should be tailored to your specific business and should be updated as your business evolves. A business plan is an essential tool for any business, whether you're just starting out or have been in business for years. It helps you map out your business goals and strategies, and provides a clear path for you to follow. It also helps you attract investors and partners, and can be used to secure loans and other forms of financing.

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