Business Plan Template | Write Your Free Business Proposal (US)Alternate Names: A Business Plan is also known as a: Business Proposal. Marketing Plan. Business Outline. Business Strategy. What is a Business Plan?
A Business Plan is a written document that outlines a company's goals and how it plans to achieve these goals. The outline also encompasses several other aspects of a company's future agenda, and can serve as a tool for internal decision- making, or as a business proposal to pitch to potential investors. Who needs a Business Plan? Those who are starting a business or who have an existing business, including sole proprietors, general partners, limited liability company (LLC) members, and even corporations, should have a Business Plan to map out their strategies and goals for their company. When should I use a Business Plan? A Business Plan is essentially a tool for planning and education.
It can be used to build the framework for your new or existing enterprise, and to set goals for your business. It can also be used by your startup as a way to present your ideas, sales projections, and plans for achieving your objectives to potential investors for funding purposes. Ultimately, whether you plan to launch a company, transition from being a freelancer to a small business owner, or wish to recreate, improve, and organize your current business, a Business Plan is a helpful document for steering your business forward and informing others of your plans.
How long should a Business Plan be? The length of your Business Plan depends on the size of your company, and how you intend to use your plan. It can be as simple or as comprehensive as you would like. The more you put into it, the more your business may derive use from it because there is a clear strategy laid out for you to follow. If you intend to use your plan as a business proposal to enlist investor funding, it is recommended that you should have a more concise and detailed plan.
A GUIDE TO USING OUR BUSINESS CONTINUITY TEMPLATE. Here's a look a the structure and content of the template, indicating key issues to address and activities to perform. 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. Related posts: Generic Business Card Template Even though with generic business card you can make so. Restaurant Business Card Template In like manner a restaurant. Swot analysis SWOT analysis method and examples, with free SWOT template. The SWOT analysis is an extremely useful tool for understanding and.
What is included in a Business Plan? While a Business Plan may vary in how it is organized, the proposal typically includes: Executive Summary: This is a portion of the plan that summarizes your company. It can include an overview of your company's management structure, a description of your product/service, your goals, and a summary of your finances and marketing strategy. Business Description and Mission Statement: This is a brief rundown of your business's history, ownership, and its mission or vision statement. Product or Service: Here you can include a breakdown of what your product or service is, its unique features, any patents you may have, as well as any future products you want to develop.
Business Plan Information Alternate Names: A Business Plan is also known as a: Business Proposal; Marketing Plan; Business Outline; Business Strategy; What is a.
Marketing Strategy: Your marketing strategy is how you plan to get your product or service in front of customers. This is where you can include your ideas for promotion (online/traditional methods), as well as how you physically plan to sell your product or service (brick- and- mortar, ecommerce, etc.). Competitors Analysis: This section describes your competition and how you intend to compete against their current strategies. SWOT: SWOT is an acronym for "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats." A SWOT analysis evaluates these specific aspects of your business.
Should you use a business plan template? There are many ways to approach writing a business plan, and some are better than others. Can you find a completed business. Planning should always be the first step in developing a business. A plan gives your business direction and helps you prepare for a lot of what you may need to. Business plans and marketing strategy free business planning and marketing tips, samples, examples and tools - how to write a business plan, techniques for. We've compiled our best resources on disaster recovery templates, and business continuity templates for your convenience. Learn how to create a DR plan with our free.
Operations Overview: An operations overview provides a glimpse into the daily operations of your business, including the management and staffing structure, human resources plan, your physical operational facility, and your production methods, such as quotas or manufacturing details. Financial Plan: Your financial plan may include your company's income (profit and loss) statements. It can also encompass your capital requirements if you are pitching your ideas to investors. In that case, you may describe the investment amount you require and how you plan to repay this capital in a repayment plan. How do I write a Business Plan? There are many tools available to help you write a Business Plan, including Law. Depot's online Business Plan template, which guides you through the process, and allows you to customize a document specifically to your business's needs.
How often should I update my Business Plan? Your Business Plan should be a working document that you consistently refer to and periodically revise as your situation changes. Whether this is once a year, or every quarter, it's important to adjust your plan as necessary so it always reflects your business's current and future direction. Updating your plan keeps your company and employees focused on the same goals, and may even enliven your business as you hit milestones, and work towards achieving new ones. Related Documents.
Top 1. 0 Business Plan Templates You Can Download Free. 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 1. 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: 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 1. The Refining the Plan resource that comes with it is helpful, especially if this is your first crack at writing a business plan. Editor's Note: Looking for loan solutions for your business? If you would like information to help you choose the one that's right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our partner, Buyer. Zone, provide you with information for free: 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. 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 $1. 00 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. 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, Law. Depot'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.
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 1. A second download on the same page is an Excel file to help with your financial projections. 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 Power.
Point 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. Global financial services firm v. Finance offers a basic, 3. No, it won't be completely unique, but v.
Finance 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. U. K. online invoicing software brand Invoiceberry offers free business plan templates in . 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! 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 1. Word documents, or grab all 1.
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. Like some of the others, you fill out Rocket. Lawyer'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.