Cut to the chase with business plan templates

Save time with business plan templates as a model.
A good model can provide all the relevant headings and sub-headings of information for you to include, and maybe even examples of text which relate to your kind of business.

Business plan preparation can be quite complex, especially if it is intended for readers other than your business team. Complicated financial, risk assessment and operational technicalities may need to documented in an expert way, in order to objectively establish your business case for the reader.

On the other hand many business plans prepared for the banks for a borrowing submission can often be prepared with perhaps just a little help from your accountant.

But always bear in mind that your business is unique,
and it is very important that your business plan reflects this. A business plan which looks like it has come from a "cookie-cutter" template is less likely to be taken seriously.

No two plans are alike
or rather, no two plans should be alike. If you come across more than one plan template which is relevant to your type of business, compare and contrast the templates' content headings to help you ensure that you haven't missed anything important.

If you use a sample plan as a starting point, make sure you read and adjust every relevant sentence, remove sentences which are not relevant, and add clarifying information which is specific to your business.

There is no single correct way to write a business plan,
and the content of business plan templates will vary. However there are core information components, and a generally accepted sequence. Specific stakeholders (like the bank, or an investor) will often suggest or require specific information to be included. Business plan templates can be broadly categorised as follows:

• Services
• Internet Services
• Products - Manufacturing
• Products - Wholesale/Retail

The differences can be significant, so don't choose a template which doesn't match your business type!

Typically a business with physical products will have inventory and cost of goods sold (and all the associated financing and logistical issues), whereas service businesses do not.

Service businesses often have particular challenges however in measuring the cost of their "product", and pricing.

Internet services may or may not involve the handling of physical product, and have a range of logistical issues in marketing, administration and fulfillment which differ markedly from a bricks and mortar business.

The plan example you choose should cover content relevant to your type of business, and the primary purpose, internal or external.

For a complete library of sample business plans,

Go to top of business plan templates page.