help with small business plan

What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
Why are your offerings valuable to them?

It can be helpful to build a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be crystal clear on why you're targeting them.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you'll discuss how you'll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. You might consider including information on:

The brand positioning vision and how you'll cultivate it
The goal targets you aim to achieve
The metrics you'll use to measure success
The channels and distribution tactics you'll use

It can help to already have a marketing plan built out to help you inform this component of your business plan.

At some point in your business plan, you'll review the key features and benefits of your products and/or services. Laying these out can give readers an idea of how you're positioning yourself in the market and the messaging you're likely to use . It can even help them gain better insight into your business model.

7. Pricing and Revenue

This is where you'll discuss your cost structure and various revenue streams. Your pricing strategy must be solid enough to turn a profit while staying competitive in the industry. For this reason, you might outline:

The specific pricing breakdowns per product or service
Why your pricing is higher or lower than your competition's
(If higher) Why customers would be willing to pay more
(If lower) How you're able to offer your products or services at a lower cost
When you expect to break even, what margins do you expect, etc?

8. Financials

This section is particularly informative for investors and leadership teams to determine funding strategies, investment opportunities, etc. According to Forbes , you'll want to include three main things:

Profit/Loss Statement - This answers the question of whether your business is currently profitable.
Cash Flow Statement - This details exactly how much cash is incoming and outgoing to provide insight into how much cash a business has on hand.
Balance Sheet - This outlines assets, liabilities, and equity, which gives insight into how much a business is worth.

While some business plans might include more or less information, these are the key details you'll want to include.

Keep in mind that each of these sections will be formatted differently. Some may be in paragraph format, while others will be in charts.

Sample Business Plan Templates

Now that you know what's included and how to format a business plan, let's review some templates.

1. HubSpot's One-Page Business Plan

Download a free, editable one-page business plan template..

The business plan linked above was created here at HubSpot and is perfect for businesses of any size — no matter how many strategies we still have to develop.

Fields such as Company Description, Required Funding, and Implementation Timeline gives this one-page business plan a framework for how to build your brand and what tasks to keep track of as you grow. Then, as the business matures, you can expand on your original business plan with a new iteration of the above document.

Why We Like It

This one-page business plan is a fantastic choice for the new business owner who doesn’t have the time or resources to draft a full-blown business plan. It includes all the essential sections in an accessible, bullet-point-friendly format. That way, you can get the broad strokes down before honing in on the details.

2. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

Sample business plan: hubspot free editable pdf

One of the major business expenses is marketing. How you handle your marketing reflects your company’s revenue. We included this business plan to show you how you can ensure your marketing team is aligned with your overall business plan to get results. The plan also shows you how to track even the smallest metrics of your campaigns, like ROI and payback periods instead of just focusing on big metrics like gross and revenue.

Fintech startup, LiveFlow, allows users to sync real-time data from its accounting services, payment platforms, and banks into custom reports. This eliminates the task of pulling reports together manually, saving teams time and helping automate workflows.

When it came to including marketing strategy into its business plan, LiveFlow created a separate marketing profit and loss statement (P&L) to track how well the company was doing with its marketing initiatives. This is a great approach, allowing businesses to focus on where their marketing dollars are making the most impact.

“Using this framework over a traditional marketing plan will help you set a profitable marketing strategy taking things like CAC, LTV, Payback period, and P&L into consideration,” explains LiveFlow co-founder, Lasse Kalkar .

Having this information handy will enable you to build out your business plan’s marketing section with confidence. LiveFlow has shared the template here . You can test it for yourself.

2. Lula Body

This fictional business plan for an art supply store includes everything one might need in a business plan: an executive summary, a company summary, a list of services, a market analysis summary, and more. Due to its comprehensiveness, it’s an excellent example to follow if you’re opening a brick-and-mortar store and need to get external funding to start your business .

One of its most notable sections is its market analysis summary, which includes an overview of the population growth in the business’ target geographical area, as well as a breakdown of the types of potential customers they expect to welcome at the store. This sort of granular insight is essential for understanding and communicating your business’s growth potential. Plus, it lays a strong foundation for creating relevant and useful buyer personas .

It’s essential to keep this information up-to-date as your market and target buyer changes. For that reason, you should carry out market research as often as possible to ensure that you’re targeting the correct audience and sharing accurate information with your investors.

6. Curriculum Companion Suites (CSS)

business plan examples: curriculum companion suites

If you’re looking for a SaaS business plan example, look no further than this business plan for a fictional educational software company called Curriculum Companion Suites. Like the business plan for the NALB Creative Center, it includes plenty of information for prospective investors and other key stakeholders in the business.

One of the most notable features of this business plan is the executive summary, which includes an overview of the product, market, and mission. The first two are essential for software companies because the product offering is so often at the forefront of the company’s strategy. Without that information being immediately available to investors and executives, then you risk writing an unfocused business plan.

It’s also essential to front-load your company’s mission if it explains your “Why?” In other words, why do you do what you do, and why should stakeholders care? This is an important section to include if you feel that your mission will drive interest in the business and its offerings.

Are you starting a new business or trying to get a loan for your existing venture? If so, you’re going to need to know how to write a business plan. Business plans give entrepreneurs the opportunity to formally analyze and define every aspect of their business idea .

In this post, you’ll learn how to put together a business plan and find the best resources to help you along the way.

Start selling online now with Shopify

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a formal document that outlines your business’s goals and how you will achieve those goals. Entrepreneurs who start out with business plans are 16 percent more likely to build successful companies , according to the Harvard Business Review. Developing a business plan ensures sustainable success, guiding you as you grow your business, legitimizing your venture, and helping you secure funding (among countless other benefits).

What Are the Main Purposes of a Business Plan?

Most financial institutions and service providers require you to submit a detailed business plan to obtain funding for your business. Online businesses will likely have a low overhead to start, so they may not need funding and therefore may not feel the need to write a business plan. That said, writing a business plan is still a good idea as it can help you secure a drastic increase limit on your credit card as your business grows or open a business account. This varies per bank.

If you’re growing your business, use it to help you raise expansion capital, create a growth strategy, find opportunities, and mitigate risks.Palo Alto software found that companies who make business plans are twice as likely to secure funding . .

If you’re just starting your business, making a business plan can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, communicate your vision to others, and develop accurate forecasts.

How to Make a Business Plan: The Prerequisites

Here are the prerequisites to creating a solid business plan:

Establish Goals

There are two key questions to ask here:

Approaching your business plan through that lens will help you focus on the end goal throughout the writing process. These also provide metrics to measure success against.

Before writing your business plan, gather the content and data needed to inform what goes in it. This includes researching your market and industry – spanning everything from customer research to legalities you’ll need to consider. It’s a lot easier to start with the information already in front of you instead of researching each section individually as you go.

Turn to guides, samples, and small business plan templates to help. Many countries have an official administration or service dedicated to providing information, resources, and tools to help entrepreneurs and store owners plan, launch, manage, and grow their businesses.

The following will take you to online business plan guides and templates for specific countries.

These business resource sites also offer a wealth of valuable information for entrepreneurs including local and regional regulations, structuring, tax obligations, funding programs, market research data, and much more. Visit the sites above or do the following Google searches to find official local business resources in your area:

Some Chamber of Commerce websites offer resources for business owners, including business plan guides and templates. Check your local chapter to see if they have any.

Banks that offer business funding also often have a resource section for entrepreneurs. Do a Google search to find banks that offer business funding as well as business plan advice to see the business plans that get funding. If your bank doesn’t offer any advice, search for the largest banks in your area:

If you’re looking for more sample business plans, Bplans has over 500 free business plan samples organized by business type as well as a business plan template. Their collection includes 116 business plans for retail and online stores. Shopify also offers a sample business plan intended to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs identify functional areas of a business they may not have considered.

Understand Your Audience

Because business plans serve different purposes, you’re not always presenting it to the same audience. It’s important to understand who’s going to be reading your business plan, what you’re trying to convince them to do, and what hesitations they might have.

That way, you can adapt your business plan accordingly. As such, your audience also determines which type of business plan format you use. Which brings us to our next point…

Which Business Plan Format Should You Use?

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) presents two business plan formats:

If the business plan is just for you and internal folks, draft a lean startup business plan or a customized version of the traditional business plan with only the sections you need. If you need it for business funding or other official purposes, choose the formal business plan and thoroughly complete the required sections while paying extra attention to financial projections.

If your business operates outside the U.S., clarify the preferred format with your bank.

The Executive Summary is the first part of your business plan, so this is where you need to hook readers in. Every business plan starts this way — even a simple business plan template should kick off with the Executive Summary. Summarize your entire business plan in a single page, highlighting details about your business that will excite potential investors and lenders.

Explain what your business has to offer, your target market , what separates you from the competition, a little bit about yourself and the core people behind your business, and realistic projections about your business’ success.

While this is the first section of your business plan, write it after you’ve completed the rest of your business plan. It’s a lot easier because you can pull from the sections you’ve already written, and it’s easier to identify the best parts of your business plan to include on the first page.

Company Description

In the Company Description, share 411 about your business. Include basic details like:

Your mission statement , philosophy and values, vision, short- and long-term goals, and milestones along with a brief overview of your industry, market, outlook, and competitors should also be in the Company Description.

Pro tip: These are the details you’ll use each time you create a business profile, whether that's on social media, business directories, or other networks. Keep your information consistent to reduce confusion and instill more confidence in potential customers.

Products & Services

The Products & Services section details what you plan to sell to customers. For a dropshipping business , this section should explain which trending products you’re going to sell, the pain points your products solve for customers, how you’ll price your products compared to your competitors, expected profit margin, and production and delivery details.

Remember to include any unique selling points for specific products or product groupings, such as low overhead, exclusive agreements with vendors, the ability to obtain products that are in short supply / high demand based on your connections, personalized customer service, or other advantages.

For dropshipping businesses selling hundreds or even thousands of products, detail the main categories of products and the number of products you plan to offer within each category. By doing this, it’s easier to visualize your business offerings as a whole to determine if you need more products in one category to fully flesh out your online store.

Market Analysis

The Market Analysis section of your business plan allows you to share the research you have done to learn about your target audience — the potential buyers of your products. People requesting a business plan will want to know that you have a solid understanding of your industry, the competitive landscape, who’s most likely to become your customers. It’s important to demonstrate that there’s a large enough market for your product to make it profitable and/or to make a strong return on investment .

To complete the Market Analysis component of your business plan, check out the following resources for industry, market, and local economic research:

Use these websites and others to learn about the projected growth of your industry and your potential profitability. You can also use social media tools like Facebook Audience Insights to estimate the size of your target market on the largest social network

Another way to research your market and products is through Google Trends . This free tool will allow you to see how often people search for the products your business offers over time. Be sure to explain how your business plans to capitalize on increasing and decreasing search trends accordingly.

Marketing & Sales

Knowing your target market is half the battle. In the Marketing & Sales section, share how you plan to reach and sell products to your target market. Outline the marketing and advertising strategies you intend to use to market your product to potential customers – search marketing , social media marketing , email marketing , and influencer marketing methods .

If you’re unsure how to market your business’ products, analyze your competitors for some inspiration. Discovering your competition’s marketing tactics will help you customize your own strategy for building a customer base and ultimately taking your business to the next level.

Do a Google search for your competitor’s business name to find the websites, social accounts, and content they’ve created to market their products. Look at the ways your competitor uses each online entity to drive new customers to their website and product pages.

Then come up with a plan to convert a similar audience with your marketing and advertising messages. For dropshipping businesses, conversions will typically take place on your website as people purchase your products and/or by phone if you take orders over the phone.

Management & Organization

In the Management & Organization piece of your business plan, describe the structure of your business. In terms of legal structure and incorporation, most businesses are classified as sole proprietorships (one owner), partnerships (two or more owners), corporations, or S corporations.

Draft a condensed resume for each of the key members of your business. If you’re a solopreneur , include how your past education and work experience will help you run each aspect of your business. If you have one or more partner(s) and employee(s), include their relevant education and experience as well.

Think of this as a great way to evaluate the strengths of each individual running your business. When self-evaluating, you’ll be able to identify the aspects of your business that’ll be easier to manage and which ones to delegate to freelancers, contractors, employees, and third-party services. This also makes it easier to find the best way to utilize their strengths for business growth.

Funding Request

Chances are, you don’t have a funding request for a startup dropshipping business since the appeal to dropshipping is the low upfront investment . If you’re looking for a loan, however, this would be the section where you outline the dollar amount you need, what you plan to invest in, and how you see the return on your investment.

Another way to use this section is to analyze the investment you have or plan to make when starting or growing your business. This should include everything from the computer you use to run your website to the monthly fee for business services.

Financial Projections

In Financial Projections, share your projected revenue and expenses for the first or next five years of your business. The idea here is to demonstrate that the revenue you’re anticipating will easily lead to a return on any investment, whether from your personal finances or a capital lending service.

If you’re looking for funding, you’ll need to go into detail with projected income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and capital expenditure budgets. If you aren’t looking for funding, it won’t hurt to create these types of financial projections so you can realistically plan for the future of your business.

The Appendix of your business plan includes any supplemental documents needed throughout the sections of your business plan. These may include, but are not limited to:

If you’re submitting your business plan for funding, contact the lender to see what documentation they want included with your funding request.

SWOT Analysis

In addition to the above sections, some business plans also include a SWOT Analysis. This is a one-page summary of your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The strengths and weaknesses you include will be internal, whereas opportunities and threats you include will be external.

Depending on the revelations of this section, you may or may not want to make a SWOT analysis when submitting your business plan formally unless it is requested.

Summary: How to Create a Business Plan

As you can see, creating a business plan for your dropshipping business is a great way to validate your business idea , discover your business’s strengths and weaknesses, and make a blueprint for your business's future.

In summary, here are the sections you will need to write for your business plan, step by step:

SWOT analysis (Optional)

If you haven’t already, take the time to create a business plan to launch or grow your business in 2023!

This article was co-authored by Helena Ronis . Helena Ronis is Co-founder and CEO of AllFactors, a unified web analytics software to drive company's marketing and business growth. She has worked in product and marketing in the tech industry for over 8 years, and studied Digital Marketing & Analytics at the MIT Sloan School of Management Executive Program. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 37 testimonials and 91% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,004,032 times.

Preparing To Write Your Business Plan

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The above sections are the broad components of the business plan. These sections in turn break down into the following seven sections, which we will, in order, focus on writing next: Company description, market analysis, organization structure and management, products and services, marketing and sales, and request for funding. [6] X Research source

Writing Your Business Plan

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While the first section is technically known as the "Executive Summary" (which gives an official overview of your business), it is typically written last since all the information from the business plan is required to create it.

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For example, if your business is a small coffee shop, your description may read something like, "Joe's coffee shop is a small, downtown-based establishment focused on serving premium brewed coffee and fresh baking in a relaxed, contemporary environment. Joe's coffee is located one block from the local University, and aims to provide a comfortable environment for students, professors, and downtown employees to study, socialize, or simply relax between classes or meetings. By focusing on excellent ambiance, close location, premium products, and superb customer service, Joe's coffee will differentiate itself from its peers."

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Be clear in defining your sales strategy. Will you use sales representatives, billboard advertising, pamphlet distribution, social media marketing, or all of the above?

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Finalizing Your Business Plan

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Your cover page should include: The words "Business Plan" centered in large bold font, along with your company name, company logo, and contact information. Simplicity is key.

To write a business plan for a small business, start by writing an executive summary that briefly outlines your business. Follow that with a company description that explains your business in more detail. You'll also want to include sections on your target customers, how your business will be structured, and what products or services you will offer. Finally, conclude your business plan with a section on your marketing strategy and also a funding request for potential investors. For help writing each section of your business plan, read the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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H&R Block launches one of the first services to help small businesses navigate CARES Act stimulus relief options

May 07, 2020

Small business owner having one-one-one phone consultation with an H&R Block small business expert

Recovery Action Plan service includes phone consultation with an H&R Block small business expert, providing tailored guidance and personalized plan

Many small businesses are struggling with how to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, and H&R Block believes they should have a trusted place to turn for assistance. That is why H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is introducing a Recovery Action Plan consulting service to help small businesses navigate the CARES Act stimulus options, including loan programs and tax credits.

The Recovery Action Plan service* includes up to an hour-long one-on-one phone consultation for $99 with an H&R Block small business expert to discuss various relief options, eligibility requirements, and potential actions. After the session, the small business owner will receive a customized action plan outlining the CARES Act options for their business and the immediate next steps they can take.

“We hear from small business owners every day asking for help understanding the CARES Act stimulus relief programs,” said Jeff Jones, H&R Block, President and CEO. “Because they shouldn’t have to go it alone, we developed the Recovery Action Plan service, using our human advantage – our network of highly trained tax professionals –-to help small businesses recover and thrive despite the financial impact of the pandemic. This is an important part of our community impact initiative to Make Every Block Better by supporting communities and small businesses across the country.”

The Recovery Action Plan service will help small business owners understand which stimulus loan programs they may be eligible for, how much they might be able to borrow, and, where applicable, the guidelines for the loan to be forgiven. H&R Block experts will also help small business owners determine their eligibility for applicable tax credits and conduct a free Second Look® review of the small business’s prior three years of tax returns to ensure they received all the credits and deductions they are entitled to. As an added benefit, small business owners who use this service will receive $25 off their 2019 tax prep fees if they have not yet filed.

H&R Block is supporting small businesses in several other ways as well. These include:

Small business owners can visit hrblock.com/smallbusiness to get started by scheduling their phone consultation with an H&R Block small business expert.

*Additional consultation is available for $60 per hour. All fees to be collected at time of consultation. Terms and conditions apply.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation , financial services and small business solutions . The company is disrupting the tax industry by providing consumers price transparency and with digital platforms such as Tax Pro Go SM . H&R Block believes the best solutions blend digital capabilities with human expertise and care. For more information, get H&R Block News online and follow @HRBlockNews .

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Individuals & Families

New york state of health: the official health plan marketplace, you and your family have many low cost, quality health insurance options available through the individual marketplace., you can quickly compare health plan options and apply for assistance that could lower the cost of your health coverage. you may also qualify for health care coverage from medicaid or child health plus through the marketplace. anyone can apply here..

Individuals and families in new york city (5 boroughs), nassau, suffolk and westchester counties can now find and purchase in-home care from a new york state licensed home care services agency through ny state of health’s home care partner, carina. to find an agency with trained, certified home care aides in your area, click on “get started” now., small businesses, the small business marketplace (shop) can help employers offer high quality, affordable health insurance coverage to employees directly from ny state of health certified insurers. the ny state of health small business marketplace (shop) is the only place where employers can take advantage of the small business health care tax credit, if eligible., you can compare multiple plans and insurers online. click on "quick quote” now to view the plans and rates available in your area., brokers are experts who advise small business owners and individuals about their health plan choices and help them make the best decisions for their families, employees and their business., navigators are the experts who will help new yorkers:, certified application counselors, marketplace facilitated enrollers, and navigators are types of assistors that can help new yorkers apply for health insurance, understand their coverage options, and enroll in a plan that is right for them., you are now leaving the ny state of health website and being directed to carina, which provides an online tool for connecting clients with certified in-home care providers., important information before you apply.

Children can apply for coverage any time during the year. Low-income adults who may be eligible for Medicaid or the Essential Plan can also apply at any time during the year.(Visit here to see if you are eligible.)

Other individuals and families can apply for coverage in a Qualified Health Plan only during the Open Enrollment Period which begins November 1 every year, unless they have a life event, such as loss of coverage, marriage or birth of a child, that qualifies them for a Special Enrollment Period .Individuals must apply within 60 days of the Qualifying Life Event.

If you are applying for Qualified Health Plan coverage, you may enroll online, by phone, or with an enrollment assistor on or before January 31, 2021.

NY State of Health has opened a time-limited exceptional circumstances Special Enrollment Period for other individuals and families to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan due to the ongoing public health emergency caused by the COVID-19. Once you complete your online application, please call Customer Service at 1-855-355-5777.

The Secretary of the Treasury, Janet L. Yellen, added: “This is an historic investment in entrepreneurship, small business growth, and innovation through the American Rescue Plan that will help reduce barriers to capital access for traditionally underserved communities. These SSBCI funds will promote equitable economic growth across the country.”

Small Business

3 Big Retirement Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

by David Chang, ChFC®, CLU® | Published on March 4, 2023

Image source: Getty Images

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Retirement planning is an important step for any small business owner. It can be easy to make costly mistakes, but with the right plan in place, you can secure a comfortable retirement. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, accounting for 62% of net new job creation since 1995. Small businesses created 12.7 million net new jobs, while large businesses created 7.9 million in the past 25 years.

While many small business owners focus on building their business, they often neglect their personal finances. Here are three of the biggest retirement mistakes that small business owners make and how to avoid them.

1. Not planning for retirement

As a small business owner, one of the first things you did was create a business plan . This plan helps you run, manage, and grow your business. Just like your business needs a plan, your retirement needs one, too! Many entrepreneurs are so focused on growing their businesses that they forget about their own financial future.

As such, it's important to start planning for retirement as soon as possible, even if you're just starting up your business. This will help ensure that you have enough money saved up by the time you retire. As a small business owner, you have certain retirement benefits that you can take advantage of. Two retirement-savings options for small business owners are a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) or a solo 401(k) plan (Roth or regular).

Contributions for both plans are tax-deductible and grow tax deferred until you withdraw the money. If you opt for the solo Roth 401(k) plan, your contributions are taxed, but your withdrawals are not. The advantage you get as a small business owner is that for a SEP and a solo 401(k), you can contribute 25% of your net self-employment earnings with a maximum limit of $66,000 for 2023.

2. Not having enough life insurance

Small business owners are often unprepared for retirement simply because they haven't planned for it. One of the most critical mistakes made is not having enough life insurance . Many times, small business owners try to juggle expenses from both their business and family lives, leaving the important purchase of life insurance forgotten. Small business owners also have an extra liability from their businesses. Unfortunately, close to two out of five (38%) of small business owners do not have enough life insurance to protect their business. The average life insurance gap for a small business is $1.38 million.

Having enough life insurance ensures a family's financial security continues after the death of a beloved small business owner, who may have been the primary breadwinner for their household. It also makes sure that in case of an untimely death, any dependents will continue to be provided for and that any debts incurred by the small business are paid properly. In addition, if you have business partners, key-life insurance can help smooth out the transition of ownership in the event of disability or critical illness. Having sufficient life insurance is essential to ensure peace of mind and provide financial stability in retirement.

3. Assuming you don't need help

Another mistake many small business owners make is assuming they don't need help when it comes to retirement planning. When you need help with business marketing , accounting, HR, or logistics, it makes sense to hire specialists and experts to help. The same goes for your finances.

There are a lot of different components involved in managing your finances during retirement, including investments and taxes. Having someone knowledgeable helping you can save you both time and money in the long run and ensure that all your bases are covered when it comes to your retirement savings plan. This includes creating an exit strategy for your business as well.

Retirement planning is essential for any small business owner who wants to have a comfortable lifestyle once they decide to step away from their business. While it can be easy to make costly mistakes along the way, understanding these common pitfalls can help you avoid them in the future and set yourself up for success during retirement. With careful planning and professional assistance, you can ensure that all of your hard work pays off.

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Our Research Expert

David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® is an award-winning entrepreneur and financial planner with over two decades of experience in the personal finance space. He is a graduate of West Point and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard. He has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.

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Small Business Planning (Step-by-Step + Examples)

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8 things to include in any business plan
9 December 2022
so you have to go through this process with your own personal business plan for the
Your 2023 Business Plan is Missing a Podcast!

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Small Business Administration
How we help small businesses Free business counseling Get business advice from our partnering organizations and experts. Find counselors SBA-guaranteed business loans Find an SBA lender near you to help fund your business. Use Lender Match Home & business disaster loans Apply for a low-interest disaster loan to help recover from declared disasters.
How To Write A Business Plan (2023 Guide)
Brainstorm Your Business Goals Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work...
How to Write a Business Plan, Step by Step
The U.S. Small Business Administration's Small Business Development Centers, which provide free business consulting and help with business plan development, can also be a resource....
How To Create a Business Plan for a Small Business (With Example)
Presenting to investors: Small businesses often present their ideas and business plan to potential partners and investors to help with start-up costs and business loans. Having an effective and formalized business plan provides investors with the information they can use when making their decision.
500+ free business plan examples to help write your plan
Need help writing your business plan? Explore over 500 free real-world business plan examples from a wide variety of industries to guide you through writing your own plan. If you're looking for an intuitive tool that walks you through the plan writing process, we recommend LivePlan.
Assistance for Small Businesses
The American Rescue Plan extends a number of critical tax benefits, particularly the Employee Retention Credit and Paid Leave Credit, to small businesses. Emergency Capital Investment Program The Emergency Capital Investment Programs support the efforts of low- and moderate-income community financial institutions Paycheck Protection Program
Business Plan Help for the Overwhelmed Small Business Owner
The answer is: Yes, you need a plan. But, no, you may not need a 10-page, structured, traditional business plan. In almost every case, having a business plan of some sort will help your small business succeed. A business plan gives you direction, helps you qualify your ideas and clarifies the path you intend to take your business.
Create a business plan
Pitch your business idea Create a business plan Brand your business Appointments with Bookings Collaborate with Teams Connect with customers Plan projects Estimates and invoices Track leads, sales, data Work with employees Create a business plan You've been dreaming of starting your own business.
The 4 Must-Have Components of a Business Plan
The four most important business plan sections for a basic business plan are: Executive summary; Marketing plan; Key management bios; Financial plan; Now, let's look at each of these key business plan sections in detail. 1. Executive summary. This is one of the shortest components of a business plan, but the one you should spend the most time ...
How to Write a Simple Business Plan
How to Write a Business Plan Step by Step Writing a strong business plan requires research and attention to detail for each section. Below, you'll find a 10-step guide to researching and defining each element in the plan. Step 1: Executive Summary The executive summary will always be the first section of your business plan.
How To Start Your Own Business
Follow the 10 steps from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to starting a business. You'll learn about writing a business plan, determining the legal structure of your business, and more. Avoid common mistakes and get advice from experienced small business owners who want to help. Local SBA partner organizations offer free access to ...
Business plan templates
Let these informative and polished templates guide you through creating your business plan. Business plan presentation. PowerPoint. Business plan (Design) Word. Business Plan. Word. Small business startup checklist. Word.
18 Best Sample Business Plans & Examples to Help You Write ...
8. Panda Doc's Free Business Plan Template. PandaDoc's free business plan template is one of the more detailed and fleshed-out sample business plans on this list. It describes what you should include in each section, so you don't have to come up with everything from scratch.
How to Write a Business Plan in 2023: Step by Step Guide
The following will take you to online business plan guides and templates for specific countries. United States Small Business Administration (SBA) - The "write your business plan page" includes traditional and lean startup business plan formats, three downloadable sample business plans, a template, and a step-by-step build a business plan ...
How to Write a Business Plan for a Small Business: 14 Steps
Preparing To Write Your Business Plan. 1. Determine the type of business plan you will use. While all business plans share the common objective of describing a businesses purpose and structure, analyzing the marketplace, and creating cash flow projections, the types of plans differ. There are three major kinds.
How to Write a Business Plan for a Small Business
Traditional business plan. This is a formal document for pitching to investors based on the outline in this article. If your business is a complicated one, the plan may exceed the typical length and stretch to as many as 50 pages. One-page business plan. This is a simplified version of a formal business plan, designed to fit on one page.
Small Business Plan
10+ Small Business Plan Examples 1. Small Construction Business Plan Template 2. Small Business Plan Template 3. Small Business Recruitment Plan Template 4. Small Business Development Plan Template 5. Small Business Sales Plan Template 6. Small Client Business Plan 7. Individual Small Business Plan 8. Small Business Plan Example 9.
Launching the Recovery Action Plan
That is why H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is introducing a Recovery Action Plan consulting service to help small businesses navigate the CARES Act stimulus options, including loan programs and tax credits. The Recovery Action Plan service* includes up to an hour-long one-on-one phone consultation for $99 with an H&R Block small business expert to ...
New York State of Health
The Small Business Marketplace (SHOP) can help employers offer high quality, affordable health insurance coverage to employees directly from NY State of Health certified Insurers. ... Brokers are experts who advise small business owners and individuals about their health plan choices and help them make the best decisions for their families ...
$353 Million in SSBCI Funds Going to Small Businesses in 4 States
The U.S. Department of the Treasury recently announced the approval of four additional state plans under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) in President Biden's American Rescue Plan. The funding will total up to $353.4 million, which brings the total of Treasury-approved state and territory plans to over $7 billion in SSBCI ...
Small Business Financial Plans
A small business financial plan is an outline of the financial status of your business, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow information. A financial plan can help guide a small business toward sustainable growth. Financial plans can aid in business goal setting and metrics tracking, as well as provide proof of profitable ...
Write a business plan
A business plan helps you to: clarify your business idea spot potential problems set out your goals measure your progress You'll need a business plan if you want to secure investment or a...
3 Big Retirement Mistakes Small Business Owners Make
The advantage you get as a small business owner is that for a SEP and a solo 401 (k), you can contribute 25% of your net self-employment earnings with a maximum limit of $66,000 for 2023. 2. Not ...
Free Business Plan Template for Small Businesses
Business Plan Template for Small Businesses, Startups, and Entrepreneurs. This simple, modern, investor-approved business plan template is designed to make planning easy. It's a proven format that has helped over 1 million businesses write business plans for bank loans, funding pitches, business expansion, and even business sales.

How To Write A Business Plan (2023 Guide)

5. Marketing Strategy

6. Key Features and Benefits

7. Pricing and Revenue

8. Financials

Sample Business Plan Templates

1. HubSpot's One-Page Business Plan

Why We Like It

2. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

2. Lula Body

6. Curriculum Companion Suites (CSS)

7. Culina Sample Business Plan

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