start up business plan template word

Create a business plan

You've been dreaming of starting your own business. You've started with some concrete steps, and you're ready to put your proposal together. But how do you start, and how do you know when you have the right information?

How to get it done

Create a business plan with templates in Word:

Start with a template

Download these templates from the Office Templates site to create your plan:

Fill in your Business plan .

Analyze your market with the Business market analysis template .

Detail your financials in a Financial plan .

Divide up the work and track deliverables with this Business plan checklist .

Wrap up with this Business startup checklist .

Need a little help?

Learn how to:

Start a document from a template .

Apply themes to change your plan's look.

Related resources

Related article

Must follow steps for starting a successful business

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Free Download

Business Plan Template for Small Businesses

Business planning can feel complicated. it doesn't have to be. start putting pen to paper today with your free business plan template download..

Available formats:

Downloads: 929,830

Our free template includes:

• Fill-in-the-blanks simplicity

You don't need to be an expert. This template makes business planning easy.

All 100% free. We're here to help you succeed in business, no strings attached.

Why you need a business plan

Writing a business plan can seem like a big task, especially if you’re starting a business for the first time and don’t have a financial background. After all, business plans have changed over the years, and what lenders and investors expect now is different than it was even just 10 years ago.

What hasn’t changed is that writing a business plan will help you:

• Develop a strategy for success
• Reduce the risk of starting a business
• Explore new business ideas
• Attract investors and get funding

Learn more about how you can get value out of your business plan .

What is included in this business plan template?

This template includes definitions, guidance, and examples for every business plan component needed to start, fund, and grow your business.

After downloading the full template, you’ll receive instructions on how to fill out each of the following sections.

Executive summary

The brief summary of your business plan introduces everyone to your business, the problem you solve, and what you’re asking from your readers. It’s the first chapter of your business plan and the last thing you write once you have the details from your full plan.

Problem & solution

More than a simple description of your products and services – here you define the problem you’re solving and the value you provide. It’s also your chance to showcase any initial traction that shows you’re on the right track.

Market analysis and target market

A detailed assessment of the market you intend to enter, including the size and value of the market, potential customer segments, and their buying patterns.

Competition

Show that you know who your competitors are, what advantages you have, and how you’re positioning your business to be competitive.

Marketing & sales

Describe how you’ll reach and sell to potential customers with a detailed sales plan and chosen marketing channels.

What makes your business run? Outline the day-to-day workflows and what needs to be set up for your business to deliver a product or service.

Milestones & metrics

Set goals for your business that include the dates and people responsible for accomplishing them. This is what you’ll use to manage responsibilities, track growth, and execute your larger strategy.

Company overview and team

Provide a brief rundown of the legal and structural components of your company, including your history, current team, and gaps you need to fill.

Financial plan

Create well-structured and accurate financial statements to help you pitch to investors, land funding, and achieve long-term success. All without the help of a financial advisor or a degree in accounting.

While not required, this last section of your business plan is a great place to drop in additional documents that support and strengthen the rest of your plan.

How do you write a simple business plan?

If you’re exploring a business idea and don’t plan to pursue funding, then you actually don’t need to write a traditional business plan. Instead, opt for a one-page plan , which is far easier to create but just as effective.

To write a simple one-page business plan, follow the same core sections as a traditional plan. But instead of lengthy paragraphs and multiple pages covering each area of your business, stick with single sentences and bulleted lists.

If a one-page plan sounds like a better option, download our free simple business plan template to get started.

Start your business plan today

Whether you're writing a business plan to validate your business idea, secure funding, or grow your existing business – our template will help you achieve your goals.

Business plan template FAQ

What file formats are available for this business plan template?

You can download and use this business plan template as a Google Doc, .docx (Microsoft Word), or PDF.

Can you print out this template?

This is a printable business plan template that can be downloaded and printed no matter which format you choose.

Why should you start with a business plan template?

Starting with a good business plan template (like this one) includes everything you need to get started. It helps you organize your thoughts, and provides guidance, instructions, and examples to create an investor-ready and SBA-approved business plan format. It really speeds up the planning process. Oh, and it's 100% free!

Is writing a business plan easy?

Using a business plan template can make writing a business plan easier. Additionally, if you focus on just getting your information down quickly, with the expectation that you'll revisit and revise your plan, you can speed up and simplify the process .

Can someone write your business plan for you?

If you're still struggling to write your business plan even when using a template, you can look into hiring a professional business plan writer. We even have a free resource to help you ask just the right questions  to make sure you find the right plan writer.

A faster way to plan.

LivePlan is the #1 planning tool for over 1 million businesses.

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Work With a Professional Plan Writer

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Free Business Plan Template

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

Updated on September 17th, 2023

The SMB Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

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.

Jan 11, 2022

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.

Free Business Plan Template

One of the reasons that so many small businesses fail is that they don't do the necessary up front work to create an accurate and realistic business plan. Creating a business plan doesn't guarantee success, but the process of writing a plan is critical for any successful new business. It isn't our goal to try to tell you everything you need to know about creating a business plan. Instead, our goal is to make the process easier by providing a professionally designed business plan template that you can edit easily using Word and Excel .

Business Plan Template

License : Private Use (not for distribution or resale)

Authors : Jon Wittwer and Jim Wittwer

Update (7/22/2016) : We've added a basic break-even analysis worksheet to the companion Excel workbook.

Description

This template provides a business plan outline with sample questions, tables, and a working table of contents. It was created for newer versions of Word and Excel (Office 2007 or later) so that you can easily change the fonts and color scheme and the file will be compatible with the mobile and web-based Word & Excel apps.

It is best to use Excel for financial statements, data tables and charts. So, we have provided a companion Excel workbook with these sample financial statements and other tables and graphs that you can copy and paste into your Word document.

The companion workbook combines many of the different spreadsheets you can find on Vertex42.com, but customized specifically for inclusion in a business plan.

Using the Business Plan Template

Editing headings and table of contents.

Word allows you to assign format Styles to text and paragraphs, and we've designed the template to use these Styles for defining headings, sub-headings, and figure captions.

If you want to add a new section so that the Table of Contents updates correctly, just add a new heading in the body of the document and assign it the Heading 1 or Heading 2 style.

To update the Table of Contents, go to the References tab and within the Table of Contents group of buttons, click on Update Table and then "Update entire table."

Copy/Paste From Excel to Word

For simple tables, you can use Copy/Paste (Ctrl+c / Ctrl+v) to copy a table from Excel to Word. This will typically paste the data as a formatted and editable table in Word, though none of the formulas will be functional within Word (and the table will not be linked to Excel). If you don't want the table to be editable in Word, you can "Paste as a Picture" using Paste Special or by choosing the "Picture" option when you right-click in Word to paste the table.

Important : When you paste a chart object into your business plan, make sure to "Paste as a Picture" because pasting the chart as an embedded object means that the entire spreadsheet becomes embedded in your Word document (even though what you see is only the chart).

If you want to insert a table into Word as a "Linked Object" so that when you edit Excel, the table in Word will update automatically, you may have a more difficult time preserving the formatting of the original. However, at the least the entire spreadsheet won't be embedded within your business plan Word document.

More Related Templates

Resources for Writing a Business Plan

• Write Your Business Plan at SBA.gov - Anybody starting a business should become familiar with the SBA (small business association). SBA.gov also has an online tool for creating a business plan .
• YouTube: How to Write a Business Plan - Business Wales (3 minutes) - This video offers a quick overview and tips for the essential parts of a business plan.
• YouTube: How to Write a Business Plan - Berkeley-Haas (71 minutes) - This presentation offers both the venture capitalist and entrepreneur perspective on how to write a business plan that can successfully attract funding.
• Write Your Business Plan at Entrepreneur.com - A book written by the staff of a company that should know what they are talking about.
• Sample Business Plans at bplans.com - Finding a business plan for similar businesses in your industry is a great way to get ideas for what to include in your plan. This site is a great resource for not only finding sample plans, but also for creating a business plan online using their step-by-step approach.

Other Free Business Plan Templates

• Business Planning Template Gallery at SCORE.org - This nonprofit organization (supported by the SBA) has provided expertise and free mentorship for millions of small business owners. They also have a useful collection of templates.
• Develop Your Business Plan at business.gov.au - This Australian Government site provides a really good business plan template for Word, including a detailed guide, questions to answer, and sample financial statements.

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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.

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10 Free Business Plan Templates in Word, Excel, & ClickUp

ClickUp Contributor

February 13, 2024

Turning your vision into a clear and coherent business plan can be confusing and tough. 

Hours of brainstorming and facing an intimidating blank page can raise more questions than answers. Are you covering everything? What should go where? How do you keep each section thorough but brief?

If these questions have kept you up at night and slowed your progress, know you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve put together the top 10 business plan templates in Word, Excel, and ClickUp—to provide answers, clarity, and a structured framework to work with. This way, you’re sure to capture all the relevant information without wasting time. 

And the best part? Business planning becomes a little less “ugh!” and a lot more “aha!” 🤩

What is a Business Plan Template?

What makes a good business plan template, 1. clickup business plan template, 2. clickup sales plan template, 3. clickup business development action plan template, 4. clickup business roadmap template, 5. clickup business continuity plan template, 6. clickup lean business plan template, 7. clickup small business action plan template, 8. clickup strategic business roadmap template , 9. microsoft word business plan template by microsoft, 10. excel business plan template by vertex42.

A business plan template is a structured framework for entrepreneurs and business executives who want to create business plans. It comes with pre-arranged sections and headings that cover key elements like the executive summary , business overview, target customers, unique value proposition, marketing plans, and financial statements.  

A good business plan template helps with thorough planning, clear documentation, and practical implementation. Here’s what to look for:

• Comprehensive structure: A good template comes with all the relevant sections to outline a business strategy, such as executive summary, market research and analysis, and financial projections 
• Clarity and guidance: A good template is easy to follow. It has brief instructions or prompts for each section, guiding you to think deeply about your business and ensuring you don’t skip important details
• Clean design: Aesthetics matter. Choose a template that’s not just functional but also professionally designed. This ensures your plan is presentable to stakeholders, partners, and potential investors
• Flexibility : Your template should easily accommodate changes without hassle, like adding or removing sections, changing content and style, and rearranging parts 🛠️ 

While a template provides the structure, it’s the information you feed it that brings it to life. These pointers will help you pick a template that aligns with your business needs and clearly showcases your vision.

10 Business Plan Templates to Use in 2024

Preparing for business success in 2024 (and beyond) requires a comprehensive and organized business plan. We’ve handpicked the best templates to help you guide your team, attract investors, and secure funding. Let’s check them out.

If you’re looking to replace a traditional business plan document, then ClickUp’s Business Plan Template is for you!

This one-page business plan template, designed in ClickUp Docs , is neatly broken down into the following sections:

• Company description : Overview, mission, vision, and team
• Market analysis : Problem, solution, target market, competition, and competitive advantage
• Sales and marketing strategy : Products/services and marketing channels
• Operational plan : Location and facilities, equipment and tools, manpower, and financial forecasts
• Milestones and metrics: Targets and KPIs

Customize the template with your company logo and contact details, and easily navigate to different sections using the collapsible table of contents. The mini prompts under each section guide you on what to include—with suggestions on how to present the data (e.g., bullet lists, pictures, charts, and tables). 

You can share the document with anyone via URL and collaborate in real time. And when the business plan is ready, you have the option to print it or export it to PDF, HTML, or Markdown.

But that’s not all. This template is equipped with basic and enterprise project management features to streamline the business plan creation process . The Topics List view has a list of all the different sections and subsections of the template and allows you to assign it to a team member, set a due date, and attach relevant documents and references.

Switch from List to Board view to track and update task statuses according to the following: To Do, In Progress, Needs Revision, and Complete. 

This template is a comprehensive toolkit for documenting the different sections of your business plan and streamlining the creation process to ensure it’s completed on time. 🗓️

If you’re looking for a tool to kickstart or update your sales plan, ClickUp’s Sales Plan Template has got you covered. This sales plan template features a project summary list with tasks to help you craft a comprehensive and effective sales strategy. Some of these tasks include:

• Determine sales objectives and goals
• Draft positioning statement
• Perform competitive analysis
• Draft ideal customer persona
• Create a lead generation strategy

Assign each task to a specific individual or team, set priority levels , and add due dates. Specify what section of the sales plan each task belongs to (e.g., executive summary, revenue goals, team structure, etc.), deliverable type (such as document, task, or meeting), and approval state (like pending, needs revisions, and approved).

And in ClickUp style, you can switch to multiple views: List for a list of all tasks, Board for visual task management, Timeline for an overview of task durations, and Gantt to get a view of task dependencies. 

This simple business plan template is perfect for any type of business looking to create a winning sales strategy while clarifying team roles and keeping tasks organized. ✨

Thinking about scaling your business’s reach and operations but unsure where or how to start? It can be overwhelming, no doubt—you need a clear vision, measurable goals, and an actionable plan that every member of your team can rally behind. 

Thankfully, ClickUp’s Business Development Action Plan Template is designed to use automations to simplify this process so every step toward your business growth is clear, trackable, and actionable.

Start by assessing your current situation and deciding on your main growth goal. Are you aiming to increase revenue, tap into new markets, or introduce new products or services? With ClickUp Whiteboards or Docs, brainstorm and collaborate with your team on this decision.

Set and track your short- and long-term growth goals with ClickUp’s Goals , break them down into smaller targets, and assign these targets to team members, complete with due dates. Add these targets to a new ClickUp Dashboard to track real-time progress and celebrate small wins. 🎉

Whether you’re a startup or small business owner looking to hit your next major milestone or an established business exploring new avenues, this template keeps your team aligned, engaged, and informed every step of the way.

ClickUp’s Business Roadmap Template is your go-to for mapping out major strategies and initiatives in areas like revenue growth, brand awareness, community engagement, and customer satisfaction. 

Use the List view to populate tasks under each initiative. With Custom Fields, you can capture which business category (e.g., Product, Operations, Sales & Marketing, etc.) tasks fall under and which quarter they’re slated for. You can also link to relevant documents and resources and evaluate tasks by effort and impact to ensure the most critical tasks get the attention they deserve. 👀

Depending on your focus, this template provides different views to show just what you need. For example, the All Initiatives per Quarter view lets you focus on what’s ahead by seeing tasks that need completion within a specific quarter. This ensures timely execution and helps in aligning resources effectively for the short term.

This template is ideal for business executives and management teams who need to coordinate multiple short- and long-term initiatives and business strategies.

In business, unexpected threats to operations can arise at any moment. Whether it’s economic turbulence, a global health crisis, or supply chain interruptions, every company needs to be ready. ClickUp’s Business Continuity Plan Template lets you prepare proactively for these unforeseen challenges.

The template organizes tasks into three main categories:

• Priorities: Tasks that need immediate attention
• Continuity coverage: Tasks that must continue despite challenges
• Guiding principles: Resources and protocols to ensure smooth operations

The Board view makes it easy to visualize all the tasks under each of these categories. And the Priorities List sorts tasks by those that are overdue, the upcoming ones, and then the ones due later.

In times of uncertainty, being prepared is your best strategy. This template helps your business not just survive but thrive in challenging situations, keeping your customers, employees, and investors satisfied. 🤝

Looking to execute your business plan the “lean” way? Use ClickUp’s Lean Business Plan Template . It’s designed to help you optimize resource usage and cut unnecessary steps—giving you better results with less effort.

In the Plan Summary List view, list all the tasks that need to get done. Add specific details like who’s doing each task, when it’s due, and which part of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) it falls under. The By Priority view sorts this list based on priorities like Urgent, High, Normal, and Low. This makes it easy to spot the most important tasks and tackle them first.

Additionally, the Board view gives you an overview of task progression from start to finish. And the BMC view rearranges these tasks based on the various BMC components. 

Each task can further be broken down into subtasks and multiple checklists to ensure all related action items are executed. ✔️

This template is an invaluable resource for startups and large enterprises looking to maximize process efficiencies and results in a streamlined and cost-effective way.

The Small Business Action Plan Template by ClickUp is tailor-made for small businesses looking to transform their business ideas and goals into actionable steps and, eventually, into reality. 

It provides a simple and organized framework for creating, assigning, prioritizing, and tracking tasks. And in effect, it ensures that goals are not just set but achieved. Through the native dashboard and goal-setting features, you can monitor task progress and how they move you closer to achieving your goals.

Thanks to ClickUp’s robust communication features like chat, comments, and @mentions, it’s easy to get every team member on the same page and quickly address questions or concerns.

Use this action plan template to hit your business goals by streamlining your internal processes and aligning team efforts.

For larger businesses and scaling enterprises, getting different departments to work together toward a big goal can be challenging. The ClickUp Strategic Business Roadmap Template makes it easier by giving you a clear plan to follow.

This template is packaged in a folder and split into different lists for each department in your business, like Sales, Product, Marketing, and Enablement. This way, every team can focus on their tasks while collectively contributing to the bigger goal.

There are multiple viewing options available for team members. These include:

• Progress Board: Visualize tasks that are on track, those at risk, and those behind
• Gantt view: Get an overview of project timelines and dependencies
• Team view: See what each team member is working on so you can balance workloads for maximum productivity

While this template may feel overwhelming at first, the getting started guide offers a step-by-step breakdown to help you navigate it with ease. And like all ClickUp templates, you can easily customize it to suit your business needs and preferences.

Microsoft’s 20-page traditional business plan template simplifies the process of drafting comprehensive business plans. It’s made up of different sections, including:

• Executive summary : Highlights, objectives, mission statement, and keys to success
• Description of business: Company ownership and legal structure, hours of operation, products and services, suppliers, financial plans, etc.
• Marketing: Market analysis, market segmentation, competition, and pricing
• Appendix: Start-up expenses, cash flow statements, income statements, sales forecast, milestones, break-even analysis, etc.

The table of contents makes it easy to move to different sections of the document. And the text placeholders under each section provide clarity on the specific details required—making the process easier for users who may not be familiar with certain business terminology.

No business template roundup is complete without an Excel template. This business plan template lets you work on your business financials in Excel. It comes with customizable tables, formulas, and charts to help you look at the following areas:

• Highlight charts
• Market analysis
• Start-up assets and expenses
• Sales forecasts
• Profit and loss
• Balance sheet
• Cash flow projections
• Break-even analysis

This Excel template is especially useful when you want to create a clear and visual financial section for your business plan document—an essential element for attracting investors and lenders. However, there might be a steep learning curve to using this template if you’re not familiar with business financial planning and using Excel.

Try a Free Business Plan Template in ClickUp

Launching and running a successful business requires a well-thought-out and carefully crafted business plan. However, the business planning process doesn’t have to be complicated, boring, or take up too much time. Use any of the above 10 free business plan formats to simplify and speed up the process.

ClickUp templates go beyond offering a solid foundation to build your business plans. They come with extensive project management features to turn your vision into reality. And that’s not all— ClickUp’s template library offers over 1,000 additional templates to help manage various aspects of your business, from decision-making to product development to resource management .

Sign up for ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan today to fast-track your business’s growth! 🏆

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Free Startup Plan, Budget & Cost Templates

By Kate Eby | September 12, 2017

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A business plan describes how a new business will meet its primary objectives over a given period of time. It is both a strategic document that can act as a roadmap and a tool for securing funding and communicating with stakeholders. For a startup business, planning is key to developing a thorough understanding of the target market, competition, market conditions, and financing opportunities.

Included on this page, you'll find a variety of helpful, free startup business planning templates , like a SWOT analysis template , a competitive analysis template , a business startup checklist template , and more.

Startup Business Planning Templates

Competitive analysis template - excel.

Download Competitive Analysis Template

Excel | Smartsheet

Analyze multiple competitors based on the categories you want to compare, and use the results to identify your top rivals. This template contains several sheets to provide a comprehensive look at how your startup stacks up to the competition, the strengths of each company, and potential partnerships or opportunities.

SWOT Analysis Template - Excel

Download SWOT Analysis Template

While researching your business plan, both risks and opportunities are likely to arise. This critical information gives you the chance to plan for how you will take advantage of or address them as needed. A SWOT analysis helps you identify and gain a clear understanding of internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats. The results of the analysis will inform your business goals and strategies for reaching them. Once completed, you can add this SWOT template to a startup business plan or use it as a planning tool. If this template doesn’t have the details you require, you can find more of our  free SWOT Analysis Templates .

Marketing Plan Template - Excel

Download Marketing Plan Template

Easily create a detailed marketing plan for different campaigns, including projected and actual costs. It also doubles as a marketing calendar template, showing a weekly, monthly, and quarterly breakdown of your timeline and initiatives. A marketing plan is typically part of a business plan, but you can use this dedicated template for developing a thorough plan and schedule.

Business Startup Checklist Template - Excel

Download Business Startup Checklist Template

This template offers a simple checklist to help you organize all of the tasks that need to be accomplished, from initial research and planning to establishing professional partnerships and acquiring necessary permits. Edit the list to include relevant actions for a particular business. This is an easy way to ensure that important items are not overlooked and prioritize steps.

Business Planning Schedule - Excel

Download Business Planning Schedule

This template allows you to create a schedule for tasks with a visual calendar for planning. This layout can help you organize your planning process and provide a timeline for reaching certain milestones. The template is structured around planning stages, allowing you to separate tasks hierarchically. To use this template for another planning process, simply edit the tasks included and add your dates to the schedule.

Target Market Comparison Template - Excel

‌ Download Target Market Comparison Template - Excel

Utilize this worksheet to compare target markets in order to understand which are ideal for your product or service. Understanding your customers is vital not only for developing effective strategies, but also for showing investors that you’ve done the necessary research and understand how to reach potential customers.

Startup Business Plan Template - Word

Download Startup Business Plan Template

Word  | Smartsheet

This template offers a traditional outline for creating a business plan document. You’ll find sections for an executive summary, company description, marketing plan, product and operational information, financial data, and room for appendices. You can refine the plan to suit different industries and business types. For example, if you want to create a technology startup business plan template, you will want to show how the startup will deal with rapidly changing markets, and provide product and market research that shows how your business will be on the cutting edge. You may also need to provide longer-term financial projections since high-tech startups often operate for an extended time without profits. 

For additional resources, visit " Free Startup Business Plan Templates and Examples ."

One-page Business Plan Template - Word

Download One-page Business Plan Template

Excel  |  Word  |  PDF  | Smartsheet

Create a streamlined business plan document on a single page with this Word template. A simplified plan can be helpful for summarizing information into a brief report. This format gives readers a quick overview of your startup business plan while emphasizing key points. 

For additional resources, visit " One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide ."

Startup Financial Templates

Small-business budget template - excel.

Download Small-Business Budget Template

This basic budget is ideal for small businesses that want an easy, blank template to customize. To create a business budget, include both fixed and variable expenses along with revenue and funding sources. Use this template to track expenditures and revenue, maintain a balanced budget, and to help grow your business.

Sales Forecast Template - Excel

Download Sales Forecast Template

With this template, you get a 12-month sales forecast as well as sales data from prior years. You can organize the spreadsheet based on product names, target customers, or other categories, and then enter forecasted monthly sales, including adjustments for seasonal changes or other factors that might impact sales. The template also calculates monthly and yearly totals.

Business Startup Costs Template - Excel

Download Business Startup Costs Template

Startup costs begin to accrue before operations begin, so it’s important to determine expenses early on to avoid being underfunded or overspending. This startup costs template shows a summary of both funding and expenses at the top, with itemized details below. You can use this worksheet to outline expenses, create a tentative budget, and compare actual costs as they accrue. Similar to a start up budget template, this version helps you focus on expenditures.

Startup Budget Template - Excel

Download Startup Budget Template

A startup budget is an important tool for identifying what financial resources are available, determining how much revenue is needed to meet business goals, and pinpointing areas where you can save money. A budget works as a planning tool as well as a method for tracking actual expenditures. As part of a business plan, it supports the process of pitching to investors and completing loan applications. This budget template is geared toward startup companies and includes a section for projected monthly costs.

Startup Financial Projections Template - Excel

Download Startup Financial Projections Template

Similar to a pro forma template for startups, this version includes a 12-month profit and loss projection, a balance sheet, and a cash flow statement. Use the template to analyze the current financial standing and run a future forecast for a business. The spreadsheet includes pre-populated fields with expenses and income sources, which you can easily edit to accommodate your business.

Personal Financial Statement - Excel

Download Personal Financial Statement

Some lenders may require a personal financial statement in addition to relevant business data. This template lists assets and liabilities in order to calculate net worth. You’ll also find space for adding a signature so you can certify that the information is correct.

Balance Sheet Template - Excel

Download Balance Sheet Template

This template can be modified to either show an opening day balance for a startup or to create a projected balance sheet. Choose a given time period, enter your numbers for assets, liabilities, and equity, and the template will provide automatic calculations.

First-Year Budget Calculator - Excel

Download First-Year Budget Calculator

Combining business and personal budget information into a single template can be useful for small business owners who are just getting started. This template focuses on first-year budget calculations including startup costs, operating expenses, estimated income, personal expenses, and more. You can identify fixed and recurring costs for a full view of expenses for the first year.

12-Month Cash Flow Forecast - Excel

Download 12-Month Cash Flow Forecast

This template shows all 12 months of the year for a monthly and annual cash flow forecast. In addition to creating a forecast, you can compare actual cash flow totals for each month. The template is divided into categories for cash on-hand, cash receipts, and cash paid-out, with an alternating color scheme for easy viewing.

Annual Business Budget Template - Excel

Download Annual Business Budget Template

As a startup becomes established, this template can be used to create a budget showing totals on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. You can create a projected 12-month budget as well as compare financial data to the previous year’s performance. The template provides detailed income and expense categories for thorough planning and tracking.

Financial Dashboard Template - Excel

Download Financial Dashboard Template - Excel

Create a visual financial report with this dashboard template, which tracks statistics over time using graphs and charts. Compare sales rep performance, product revenue, regional data, or other financial KPIs. A graphical report provides a quick overview of financial information in a format that is easy to understand and share with stakeholders.

Marketing Budget Plan - Excel

Download Marketing Budget Plan

Create a dedicated marketing budget with results displayed in both a spreadsheet format and pie chart. Calculate costs for various marketing campaigns in order to view fund allocation. The template includes space for comments and notes to aid in strategic business planning.

Website Budget Template - Excel

Download Website Budget Template

This startup website template provides sections for calculating initial development costs as well as creating a projected budget over three years. View a list of costs and benefits to see how the website will impact the business over time. This template can help you determine the value of your website investment and track actual annual performance.

Loan Amortization Schedule - Excel

Download Loan Amortization Schedule

Keep track of a loan balance, payments made, upcoming amounts due, and interest paid with this loan amortization template. Enter lender information and loan terms at the top of the template, and then use the schedule to track payment details. Startups owners will appreciate how easy it is to manage business loans and create repayment plans.

Why Write a Startup Business Plan?

The benefits of writing a startup business plan range from clarifying initial ideas to attracting potential investors. The process of business planning can help uncover weaknesses as well as opportunities you may have overlooked. Planning encourages entrepreneurs to examine each step required to start a business in order to avoid mistakes in the long run. Collecting data through market analysis can allow you to confidently make informed decisions and provide a dose of reality to your business idea by affirming or challenging initial assumptions about your product, business model, or strategies for achieving success. Once you clarify your startup vision, analyze financial and market data, and define goals, you can create a strategic action plan to use as a guide for reaching objectives and addressing potential challenges. 

After establishing a startup, continue business planning to identify ways to grow and improve the business as well as to plan for resource use and development. If you treat your business plan as a living document that you regularly review and update, you can also use it to measure progress over time. An effective plan communicates a company’s vision to team members and all stakeholders, and provides both a foundation and an adaptable model that can grow and change along with the business.

One key reason for startups to develop sound business plans is to convince investors and lenders to finance the endeavor. Most banks and investors will want to see detailed financial projections and a statement of your current personal and business financial standing. Investors may want to see market data and other proof that your plan has a high chance for success. Without adequate financing, no startup can succeed, so it’s essential to create an ironclad pitch for funders.

What to Include in a Business Plan

Business plans are tailored to fit a specific type of business and to serve a particular purpose, whether it’s to seek funding, influence a particular audience, or develop strategy for internal use. While you’ll need to continually revise plans need to fulfill a certain function, there are similar elements in all business plans. Here are some of the common sections included in a startup business plan:

• Summary and Objectives: This first section can provide background information, a detailed company description, general industry information, goals that you want to achieve, and long-term objectives. Depending on the size and type of business, this information may be divided into multiple sections or summarized in one pitch. 
• Marketing Plan: Providing market data and an outline for how you will market and sell products and services allows you to show a deep understanding of your target audience and your plans for branding and distribution. Be sure to conduct thorough research that you can use to back up your plans with supporting numbers and statistics. You may also include separate, detailed sections on competition, customer characteristics, product features, sales forecasts, and marketing strategy.
• Operational Plan: This section is concerned with the equipment, processes, and people involved in daily operations. You may want to include details on location requirements, production methods, legal issues (such as licenses or insurance requirements), staffing information, vendor needs, and other operational elements. 
• Management and Organization: A description of management positions and professional advisors provides an organized look at key roles, the experience individuals bring to the business, and important consultants or mentors. You can also include resumes for key employees and startup owners if the business plan is supporting a loan application or investor pitch.
• Startup Expenses and Financial Plan: Estimate expenses as accurately as possible and include contingencies for unforeseen costs. Creating estimates requires thorough research, and expenses should include even small items - while they are easy to overlook, they may add up to significant costs. A comprehensive financial plan can include profit and loss projections and other budget forecasts in order to provide a clear picture of a startup’s financial standing and future outlook. 

A business plan will, of course, look different for a restaurant, web-based business, technology service provider, or product manufacturer. Before getting started, consider what you want to accomplish with your business plan, and customize it accordingly.

Business Plan Tips

Taking the time for thorough research and planning can help you make informed decisions, avoid potential pitfalls, and craft an effective plan. Here are a few tips to consider as you create a business plan:

• Get Creative: Business plans can follow a simple outline, but turning your plan into a creative presentation can make a statement and grab investors’ attention. 
• Use Data Wisely: No matter what format or approach you take, a startup business plan should be concise and include compelling evidence and hard data to back up your claims. 
• Refine Your Plan: Consider your audience and review your plan to ensure the information presented is appropriate, sufficient, and clear. 
• Focus on Objectives: Connect every strategy to core objectives so that there is a clear path for attaining success. 

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Original text

Do you want to increase the odds that your business startup will be a success? Download this step-by-step business plan template to lay the groundwork for your new business.

Writing a business plan allows you to carefully think through every step of starting your company so you can better prepare and handle any challenges. While a thorough business plan is essential in the financing process, it's helpful even if you don’t need outside financing.

Creating a business plan can:

• Help you discover any weaknesses in your business idea so you can address them before you open for business
• Identify business opportunities you may not have considered and plan how to take advantage of them
• Analyze the market and competition to strengthen your idea
• Give you a chance to plan strategies for dealing with potential challenges so they don’t derail your startup
• Convince potential partners, customers, and key employees that you’re serious about your idea and persuade them to work with you
• Force you to calculate when your business will make a profit and how much money you need to reach that point so that you can be prepared with adequate startup capital
• Determine your target market and how to reach them

A detailed, step-by-step plan gives you a blueprint you can refer to during the startup process and helps you maintain momentum.

What this business plan template includes

Writing a business plan for a startup can sometimes seem overwhelming. To make the process easier and more manageable, this template will guide you step-by-step. The template includes easy-to-follow instructions for completing each business plan section, questions to help you think through each aspect, and corresponding fillable worksheet/s for critical sections.

After you complete the 11 worksheets, you will have a working business plan for your startup to show your SCORE mentor .

Business plan sections covered in this template:

• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Products and Services
• Marketing Plan
• Operational Plan
• Management and Organization
• Startup Expenses and Capitalization
• Financial Plan

The Appendices include documents that supplement information in the body of the plan.  These might be contracts, leases, purchase orders, intellectual property, key managers’ resumes, market research data or anything that supports assumptions or statements made in the plan.

The last section of the template, “Refining Your Plan,” explains ways to modify your plan for specific purposes, such as getting a bank loan, or for specific industries, such as retail or manufacturing.

Complete the Business Plan Template for a Startup Business to create a working business plan for your startup.

Then, contact a  SCORE mentor  to review and refine your plan online or in person.

Quick Start Business Plan The aim of this module is to give you the tools, direction and ideas you need to build a business plan. If you're starting a business then a business plan is essential, because it forces you to think through your ideas and options.

10 Business Planning Tips for Starting a Business In this webinar, you'll learn 10 business planning tips to help you start your entrepreneurial journey on the right path.

Business Plan 101: Sales & Marketing The sales and marketing section of your business plan describes how you intend to sell your product. Learn what you should include in this section.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

More From Forbes

How to start a business from scratch (in 5 doable steps).

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Entrepreneurial aspirations? Starting a business from scratch is easier than you might think.

The best way to start a business depends on the type of business you want and your individual situation. Ideal side hustles for college students are different than for stay-at-home parents . If you’re a talented baker, you’ll need a different plan if you want to open your own bakery, versus selling a few of your items at the weekend farmers’ market, versus building a national franchise to rival Mrs. Field’s Cookies or Baked By Melissa. If you have dreamed of owning a pastry-related business, but you don’t bake, then you’ll need a different plan than the talented baker for any of the three options above.

Since aspiring entrepreneurs vary so widely in their interests, ideas and talents, no one post can account for all situations, but here are five foundational steps to start a business from scratch.

1. Decide If You Will Buddy Up Or Go Solo

Going solo means that you have free rein to make all the decisions – but then you have to make all decisions, including who your customer is, what you’ll offer, what price you’ll charge, how you’ll market your business and more. Starting a business with one or more other people divides up the work — but it also divides up the rewards. If you’re not 100% in agreement with your partner(s), you may find that the business does not match your vision or live up to your quality standards.

As you can see, there are pros and cons to starting a business with others versus alone. Do a candid self-assessment about whether you have the risk appetite, stamina and desire to go it alone. One compromise could be to start your business solo, but rent a co-working space so you are surrounded by others. Or, join a mastermind group or entrepreneurs association so you have an ecosystem of colleagues on a similar journey.

2. Look At Your Unique Competitive Advantages For Ideas

Once you have answered the partner versus solo question, you still need a business idea. Your partner might have a strong opinion on this. If not, or if you don’t have a partner, one smart way to tilt the odds of business success in your favor is to pick an area where you have a unique competitive advantage.

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For example, the talented baker who decides to open a pastry-related business has ability as their unique competitive advantage. Someone who worked for years in the food industry would have an experience advantage. Someone with culinary training has an education advantage. If you have a rabid interest in a subject — e.g., you might be an accountant by day but you frequent pastry shops every chance you get and read all about the industry — your enthusiasm can be your advantage.

3. Marshall Your Resources

In addition to an idea for your business, you’ll need to invest resources into it — not just money, but also your time. The amount of money you need to invest varies widely based on the type of business you’re starting. Product businesses where you need material and/or equipment to create your goods to sell are going to have much higher upfront costs than service businesses where you might be selling your knowledge and therefore have virtually zero upfront financial costs.

Time to get started also varies widely. If you need to build out a physical location (e.g., the bakery with kitchen) or retail store for your products, you will have a longer time investment before you can even make your first sale than the service entrepreneur who can start selling themselves with a relatively inexpensive, fast-build digital presence.

Calculate what money you need to invest to get your business started, as well as how long you’ll need to prepare before you can start selling. Compare this to your personal situation (e.g., do you already have a job, are you part of a dual-career couple or have other family commitments) to gauge how quickly and easily you will be able to get your business started. If you plan to leave your current job to start your business, include in your calculations the notice you’ll give to your current employer, as well as how you plan to meet the expenses that your paycheck used to cover.

4. Check The Legal Requirements Your Business Needs To Meet

A bakery business selling at a farmers’ market faces different food safety requirements than if they open a physical store or operate a mail-order business. If you have workers, there are labor requirements to meet. Even if you are a solo business owner offering services, you might need to have a license or certification for that service. Businesses also need to comply with insurance and tax requirements.

Because requirements vary, not only by business, but also by geography (e.g., bakers at farmers’ markets in Maine vs. Florida). Your local library, community business school or SCORE chapter ( SCORE is a national nonprofit that provides small business mentoring) can help you research the rules that apply to your business. As you’re researching the business you hope to start, your enthusiasm for digging into these details is a good test of how serious you are about your business idea!

5. Make Your First Sale

The best feedback on your business new idea comes from your customer’s wallet. If someone is willing to spend money on something, then you have uncovered a genuine need or desire for whatever you are selling. If you’re selling a service, start offering it as soon as you have bandwidth to deliver it. Making your first sale will prove your concept has a market, and it will also help you gauge firsthand if you like delivering this service. You can also start testing your prices and how to structure your offering.

If you have a more involved business — e.g., the baker planning to open a store — see if you can sell some of your products in advance. For example, you can cater events, and you can see people’s reactions to your creations firsthand. You might even get some testimonials for your ad campaign. Or, you can start by selling via other stores or at farmers’ markets — to gauge reactions, get testimonials, test product variety and test pricing. Focusing on early sales also gives your business some much-needed cash flow upfront.

Start As Cheaply As Possible

Notice that these first steps — focusing on sales, doing research using libraries or free providers like SCORE — are really focused on getting your business up to the first sale as cheaply as possible. It takes time for any new venture to gain traction, so by running a lean business, you give it more time to be successful. Starting a business is not about buying business cards (you can start with word-of-mouth) or building a website (use existing social platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn) or running ads (build a following on social media to build a following on social media). You can start a business without necessarily spending a lot of money.

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