Business Plan
A good business plan guides you through each stage of starting and managing your business. You’ll use your business plan as a roadmap for how to structure, run, and grow your new business. It’s a way to think through the key elements of your business.
Your business plan is the tool you’ll use to convince people that working with you—or investing in your company—is a smart choice.
When you write your business plan, you don’t have to stick to the exact business plan outline. Instead, use the sections that make the most sense for your business and your needs. Traditional business plans use some combination of these nine sections.
Executive Summary
Briefly tell your reader what your company is and why it will be successful. Include your mission statement, your product or service, and basic information about your company’s leadership team, employees, and location.
Company Description
Use your company description to provide detailed information about your company. Go into details about the problems your business solves.
Market Analysis
You’ll need a good understanding of your industry outlook and target market. Competitive research will show you what other businesses are doing and what their strengths are.
Organization and Management
Tell your reader how your company will be structured and who will run it.
Service or Product Line
Describe what you sell or what service you offer.
Marketing and Sales
Your goal in this section is to describe how you’ll attract and retain customers.
Funding Request
If you’re asking for funding, this is where you’ll outline your funding requirements.
Financial Projections
Supplement your funding request with financial projections.
Appendix
Use your appendix to provide supporting documents or other materials.