title page for business plan example

Sign up for our newsletter for product updates, new blog posts, and the chance to be featured in our Small Business Spotlight!

How to write your business plan cover page

When you think of putting together your business plan , the business plan cover page may not be the first thing that comes to mind. While it’s traditionally one of the last sections you create in a business plan, it’s one of the most important.

Definition: What is a business plan cover page?

The cover page of a business plan is used to give an overview of all the key information of your business. This includes your company name, logo, address, and any other information that may define your business. It's the first page of your plan, so it should look professional, visually pleasing, and informative.

When potential investors or banks read a business plan, their first impression is the cover page—but don’t overthink it. A business plan cover page is meant to be simple and straightforward, with some important contact information and, more importantly, your logo.

Use this breakdown to find out what the purpose of your cover page is, which elements you need to include, and how to structure it to maximize your impact:

What is the purpose of a cover page?

Your cover page exists to communicate what the enclosed document is and to provide the necessary information for a reader to contact you about your business.

The appearance and quality of a business plan cover page will set the tone for your business plan’s content, so make sure it’s visually appealing, free of errors, and concise.“ Simple, clean and powerful are the three goals of a strong business plan cover,” suggest the experts at Growthink . Don’t clutter your cover page with details about how your business will operate—save those important details for the executive summary .

What should you include on a business plan cover page?

To keep it simple, your business plan cover page should include:

Company logo

• Document title
• Business name
• Business address and contact information
• Business plan completion date
• Confidentiality statement

How should you format a business plan cover page?

Once you know what information belongs in this section, all that remains now is to organize it. If you need some further guidance, these downloadable templates can streamline the process of drafting a cover page—and the rest of your business plan, too.

1. Company logo

Add a high-resolution thumbnail of your logo at the top of the cover page. This will help establish a brand identity and allow readers to connect visually to the business right from the start.

Hot tip: people are 89% more likely to remember your logo if you put it in the top left corner.

Give the logo some space and then include the words “Business Plan” in a large, bold font. You can also frame the title as “Three–” or “Five–Year Business Plan,” if you intend to make those kinds of financial projections in the document.

3. Business name

Beneath the title, write your company name in a bold font. This should be the most noticeable and prominent feature on the page, so choose a large typeface.

4. Tagline (optional)

This part is optional, but you can also include a catchy slogan or motto that describes your company and what you do.

5. Address and contact information

Under the company name, include your business’s physical address and website if you have one. Provide the details necessary for interested parties to contact you, such as a phone number and email address.

It’s also helpful to include your name as the business owner and the names of any partners or executive officers so that potential investors know where to direct their inquiries.

6. Date of completion

Below the contact information, write the year (or year and month) in which this business plan was finalized and issued. If you’re including the month, it’s a good idea to update it throughout the year as you send out your business plan so readers don’t assume it’s outdated.

7. Confidentiality Statement

At the bottom of the page, include a sentence to the effect of:

“This document contains confidential and proprietary information created by [business name]. This document is issued exclusively for informational purposes and should not be reproduced without the consent of [business name].”

Adding this confidentiality statement offers a protective measure against the disclosure of your business idea , according to this cover page guide .

*While subscribed to Wave’s Pro Plan, get 2.9% + $0 (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) and 3.4% + $0 (Amex) per transaction for unlimited transactions during the offer period. After the offer ends: over 10 transactions per month at 2.9% + $0.60 (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) and 3.4% + $0.60 (Amex) per transaction. Discover processing is only available to US customers. See full terms and conditions.

See Terms of Service for more information.

Send invoices, get paid, track expenses, pay your team, and balance your books with our financial management software.

Cover page design

Now it’s time for the finishing touches: the actual design of your cover page. Your business plan’s cover page gives the first impression of your business, so your company logo, fonts, and brand colors should all work together to make people want to read more.

Brand colors

90% of a customer’s impression of your business comes from the brand colors you choose, so it’s important to choose colors that represent your business’s personality and elicit the right emotions from your readers.

Don’t know where to start? Grab a pen and paperand write down three emotions you want your customers to feel when they think of your brand. Now you can brainstorm some colors that represent those emotions. For example, you might choose blue if your product is associated with reliability, or yellow if your product is supposed to make your clients feel happy. It’s safer to only choose 2-3 colors , including black, for your color scheme.

You can also analyze the competition and choose colors that help you stand out. Canva has more detailed instructions on how to create your brand color palette .

When it comes to fonts, it’s best practice to stick to one type of typeface, such as serif or sans serif . It’s also important to choose fonts that are simple, easy to read, and represent your brand.

Serif fonts give off the impression that your brand is trustworthy and dependable, and work great for more traditional businesses, like law practices. “Serif fonts have been widely used in books, newspapers, and magazines, which is why they remind us of more classical, formal and sophisticated themes—think of Old English and Roman scripture,” Robyn Young, founder of branding agency robyn young & co, told Canva .

But if you’re going for a more contemporary and youthful feel, then sans serif is the way to go. “Brands that want a modern aesthetic that scales well at different sizes and is easy to read on screens are going to choose sans serif for their main branding elements,” said Young .

When it comes to choosing a logo, simplicity is key. Try to create something that represents your brand and speaks to your audience without being too busy (in other words: white space is your friend).

It’s also important to remember to be practical: your logo should look good in any medium, size, color, and even time period. Beyond your business plan cover page, you’ll need it for your social media, marketing material, or labels.

Business plan cover page examples

To further illustrate the structure and format of a business plan cover page, we’ve compiled a few cover page template examples. The first example from officetemplatesonline is simple but attractive and effectively emphasizes pertinent information. The next cover page example is from a fictional clothing store . They usea pop of color to instantly tell you about their brand personality.

Keep your business plan cover page simple

As you prepare to write your business plan , remember to keep your cover page simple and concise. With your logo, business name, and contact information, you’ll introduce the reader into your business plan quickly and easily—and set yourself up for success as a result.

Just don’t forget to proofread and keep an eye out for typos!

Related Posts

Let our How to Start a Business Playbook guide the way.

The information and tips shared on this blog are meant to be used as learning and personal development tools as you launch, run and grow your business. While a good place to start, these articles should not take the place of personalized advice from professionals. As our lawyers would say: “All content on Wave’s blog is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered legal or financial advice.” Additionally, Wave is the legal copyright holder of all materials on the blog, and others cannot re-use or publish it without our written consent.

• Customer Reviews
• Net 30 Account
• Wise Services
• Steps & Timeline
• Work at a Glance
• Market Research at a Glance
• Business Plan Writing Services
• Bank Business Plan
• Investor Business Plan
• Franchise Business Plan
• Cannabis Business Plan
• Strategic Business Plan
• Corporate Business Plan
• Merge and Acquisition Business Plan (M&A)
• Private Placement Memorandums (PPM)
• Sample Business Plans
• Professional Feasibility Study
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Pitch Deck Presentation Services
• Business Plan Printing
• Market Research
• L-1 Business Plan
• E-2 Business Plan
• EB-5 Business Plan
• EB-5 Regional Centers
• Immigration Attorneys
• Nonprofit Business Plan
• Exit Business Planning
• Business Planning
• Business Formation
• Business License
• Business Website
• Business Branding
• Business Bank Account
• Digital Marketing
• Business Funding Resources
• Small Business Loans
• Venture Capital
• Net 30 Apply

How to Write a Business Plan Cover Page Complete Guide with Examples

Fill the form to download business plan cover page examples.

A business plan cover page may not come to mind when you think of writing your business plan. Although it’s traditionally one of the last sections of a business plan, it’s one of the most crucial.

Your business plan only has one chance to make a good impression on your reader. The cover page of a book or business plan can easily make a person make a decision.

In this article, we will explain the importance of business plan cover pages and provide a step-by-step guide to help you create your own cover page for your business plan. See our real world business plan examples to see what should be included in the other sections of your business plan.

What is a business plan cover page?

The cover page of a business plan summarizes all the important aspects of the business and serves as an introduction to the full business plan. Bankers and investors can quickly determine the purpose of a business plan by viewing the cover page.

You should include the name of your company, your logo, addresses, and other information that identifies your business. This is the first page of your plan, so it should look professional, visually pleasing, and informative.

What is the purpose of a cover page?

The purpose of the cover page is to communicate what the document enclosed is and to provide information that enables a reader to contact you about your business.

Make sure your business plan’s cover page is visually appealing, free of errors, and concise to set the tone for its content.

A strong business plan cover page should be simple, clean, and powerful. Don’t clutter your cover page with details about how your business will operate. Save those details for the executive summary .

Whether you are writing a business plan , marketing plan, or proposal, the business plan cover page is an essential part of your plan. Read on to find out which elements your business plan cover page should contain and how to design it for maximum impact.

What to Include in the Business Plan Cover Page?

Although there are no specific rules regarding what should be included on your business plan cover page, we have prepared some essential information that you should not overlook.

Company logo

• Business name
• Document title
• Tagline (optional)
• Contact information and address
• Completion date
• Confidentiality statement

Now let’s look at each of these elements in greater detail so you know what you need to include on your business plan cover page.

1. Company Logo

Use a neat, clean, high-quality logo to make your business plan cover page look professional. The logo should be placed at the top of the page.

The image should be large enough to see details, but not so large that it becomes a distraction. Brand identity begins with your logo. The company logo is the first and most significant section that will capture your readers’ attention immediately.

People are 90% more likely to remember your logo if you place it in the top left corner.

2. Business Name

After the company logo, your company name is the second most important section of your cover page as you want your reader to remember your company name as they read the document.

To make your company name stand out from the rest of the information on the business plan cover page, you should use a readable, bold font that is the largest font on the page.

Please keep in mind that if your company logo includes your company name, you can remove either your company logo or name from the cover page.

You can download 50+ Free Business Plan Templates here that include not only pre-built cover pages but also provide step-by-step guidance in the creation of your entire business plan.

3. Document Title

Plan titles tell the reader immediately what the document is about, whether it is a business plan , marketing plan, expansion plan, recovery plan, or anything else.

It is commonly referred to as a “Business Plan,” but you can also customize it by saying “Five-Year Business Plan” or “Merger Business Plan” if you want to outline more specific objectives.

The title of the plan should be large and prominent on the cover page. Readers should know the purpose of the document immediately.

Increase readability by using a clear, bold font, such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial. It may be difficult to read script lettering and doesn’t appear professional.

Please Note: Make sure your name isn’t more prominent than your business plan title cover page.

4. Tagline (optional)

Business owners sometimes use taglines to describe what they do and how they’re different. It’s optional, but you can also include a catchy slogan or motto describing your business.

A tagline becomes an essential part of your cover page if you want your reader to immediately understand what you do.

Generally, your business plan will be more interesting to investors or readers if the tagline is memorable. A business tagline is a short catchy marketing slogan that signifies your brand or company name, as well as other important aspects of your business.

Create a tagline by describing what you do in a few words. Put your tagline under your company logo on your cover page so readers understand what you do immediately.

5. Contact Information and Address

“Prepared By” contains contact information the reader can use to contact the person. It includes information about the company’s mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, and website.

To make investors aware of where to direct their inquiries, include your name as the business owner as well as the names of any partners or executives.

Try to center this information on the page to maintain consistency in formatting. As long as the information is clearly visible and readable, you may use a smaller font size than you used for the company name and title.

6. Completion Date

When was this plan written? The date is important to readers, so include it (month and year are sufficient).

Under the contact information, write the year (or the year and month) in which the business plan was finalized and published. It’s a good idea to update your business plan throughout the year if you’re including the month, so readers don’t think it’s old.

It is important to note that your company name should appear more prominently than your title and date. Depending on your business plan’s writing style, you may spell out the date, like Jan 20, 2023, or write it numerically, like 20/1/23.

Dates should be formatted consistently throughout the document. To maintain consistency, center the text and use the same font size as your address and contact information.

7. Confidentiality Statement

Adding a confidentiality statement to your cover page protects your idea from being disclosed. It is not required, but you may want to include a confidentiality statement on the cover page, or just text “Confidential” to emphasize that this is a confidential document such as the following:

Example of Confidentiality Statement

It is understood that the information provided in this [Company’s Name] Business Plan is totally confidential, and the reader undertakes not to disclose any aspect of it without the express written consent of the business owner.

How to write a business plan cover page that captures investors' attention?

• Keep it concise and to the point: Investors are busy people, so they don’t want to read a long and rambling cover page. Keep your cover page brief and to the point, highlighting your key business strengths and unique selling points.
• Use clear and concise language: Avoid using jargon or technical language that your target audience may not understand. Use clear and concise language to communicate your business vision and goals.
• Highlight your key business strengths and unique selling points: What makes your business unique and different from the competition? What are your key strengths? Highlight these things on your cover page to grab investors’ attention.
• Make sure your cover page is visually appealing and professional: Your cover page is the first thing that potential investors will see, so it’s important to make a good impression. Use a professional design and layout, and avoid using too many colors or fonts.
• Proofread carefully for any errors: Typos and grammatical errors on your cover page will make you look unprofessional. Proofread your cover page carefully before submitting it to any potential investors.

What are some creative business plan cover page design ideas?

• Use high-quality images or graphics that are relevant to your business: Images and graphics can be a great way to add visual interest to your cover page and make it more engaging for potential investors. Choose high-quality images or graphics that are relevant to your business and that will help to communicate your brand message.
• Use a unique and eye-catching font scheme: Your cover page should stand out from the crowd, so use a unique and eye-catching font scheme. Avoid using overused or generic fonts.
• Use your company colors and branding to create a cohesive look: Your cover page should be consistent with your overall branding. Use your company colors and fonts to create a cohesive look and feel.
• Keep your design simple and elegant: A simple and elegant design is often the most effective. Avoid cluttering your cover page with too much text or too many images and graphics.

Are You Looking for a Customized Business Plan Template?

It only takes 3 proven steps to complete your business plan with our custom-designed business plan template Trusted by thousands of businesses with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee!

What makes a great cover page for a business plan

Formatting should be consistent.

Messy or unprofessional cover pages can create negative perceptions in your readers’ minds before they even open your business plan.

The cover page of your business plan is the first impression of your company, so your logo, fonts, and brand colors should all work together to capture the reader’s attention.

Follow these best practices to create a cover page that stands out:

Keeping your cover page neat and consistent will allow your reader to perceive your organization and professionalism. Use consistent formatting through

• Maintaining equal spacing between characters and lines
• Choosing fonts that are similar or identical
• Make sure each line of your cover page is centered

When it comes to fonts, it’s best practice to stick to one type of typeface, such as serif or sans serif. It’s also important to choose fonts that are simple, easy to read, and represent your brand.

It is important to ensure your business plan’s cover page is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Make sure you proofread your document several times before publishing the final version, and ask others to review it as well.

The less the better

In your business plan executive summary , you will summarize its contents. The cover page should not do the same. It is also unwise to create a business plan cover that is graphically complicated because the information will be difficult to discern. A strong business plan cover page should be simple, clean, and powerful.

Make use of the color scheme of your company

Color plays a crucial role in establishing your brand’s credibility and trustworthiness. Choosing the right brand color will reveal more about your business than you could ever imagine.

In addition, using the right colors can enhance your brand value by creating a strong visual identity. To make your business plan more appealing, your brand color should be incorporated everywhere, such as titles, subtitles, features, images, etc.

Ensure the colors don’t distract from the important information and consider coordinating them with your company’s brand or logo.

Colors represent 90% of your brand’s personality and elicit the right emotions from your customers, so choose colors that represent your brand’s personality and evoke the right emotions.

When it comes to choosing a logo, simplicity is key. Try to create something that represents your brand and speaks to your audience without being too busy (in other words: white space is your friend).

It’s also important to remember to be practical: your logo should look good in any medium, size, color, and even time period. Beyond your business plan cover page, you’ll need it for your social media, marketing material, or labels.

Download Pack of 6 Business Plan Cover Page Examples

We will show you some real-world business plan cover page examples so you may know how to design your own.

Download Business Plan Cover Page Templates

Here are a few business plan cover examples to illustrate the structure and format. Download and customize it according to your needs.

Business Plan Cover Page Example 1

Business Plan Cover Page Example 2

Business Plan Cover Page Example 3

Business Plan Cover Page Example 4

Business Plan Cover Page Example 5

Business Plan Cover Page Example 6

If you’re not confident in your ability to create a business plan on your own, or if you simply don’t have the time to do so, Wise Business Plans can help.

Our expert business plan writers have years of experience crafting comprehensive plans for businesses of all sizes and industries. We’ll work with you to understand your unique vision and goals, and we’ll create a customized plan that outlines your marketing strategy, target market, financial projections, and more.

Articles & Templates Related to Business Plans

Real Sample Business Plans for Small Business

How to Write a Business Plan

Expert Business Plan Writer

How to Write One Page Business Plan

25 Reasons Why You Need a Business Plan

How to Write an Effective Executive Summary with Examples

Dozens of Business Plan Templates for Different Industries

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Business Plan

How Much Does a Business Plan Cost?

Quick Links

• Investor Business Plans
• M&A Business Plan
• Private Placement
• Feasibility Study
• Hire a Business Plan Writer
• Business Valuation Calculator
• Business Plan Examples
• Real Estate Business Plan
• Business Plan Template
• Business Plan Pricing Guide
• Business Plan Makeover
• SBA Loans, Bank Funding & Business Credit
• Finding & Qualifying for Business Grants
• Leadership for the New Manager
• Content Marketing for Beginners
• All About Crowdfunding
• EB-5 Regional Centers, A Step-By-Step Guide
• Logo Designer
• Landing Page
• PPC Advertising

• Business Entity
• Business Licensing
• Virtual Assistant
• Business Phone
• Business Address
• E-1 Visa Business Plan
• EB1-A Visa Business Plan
• EB1-C Visa Business Plan
• EB2-NIW Business Plan
• H1B Visa Business Plan
• O1 Visa Business Plan
• Business Brokers
• Merger & Acquisition Advisors
• Franchisors

Proud Sponsor of

• 1-800-496-1056

• (613) 800-0227

• +44 (1549) 409190

• +61 (2) 72510077

Everything you need to know about business plan cover pages

You have only one chance to make a good first impression with the readers of your business plan.

People do judge books—and business plans—by their covers. A quick glance at the cover can easily be enough to make up one’s mind.

So set yourself up for success with a powerful cover page that stands out and entices the reader to find out more about your business.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Definition: What is a Business Plan Cover Page?

Cover page (also known as title page or cover sheet) is the first page of a business plan that communicates what the enclosed document is about and highlights the key company information like name, logo and contact details, making a good impression with professional and attractive appearance.

Purpose: Why is Business Plan Cover Page Important?

Many businesses spend hours preparing their business plans but then do not pay enough attention to the title page. This is a huge mistake .

5 ways a strong cover page can help you make a positive first impression:

• Clearly indicate what the presented document is about
• Provide the necessary information for a reader to contact you
• Create a powerful first impact that sets the stage for how readers will engage with your document
• Avoid falling victim to negative preconceived notions as a result or unprofessional or unattractive cover
• Maximize the chance of the plan being read by making the document stand out from the crowd and immediately drawing your reader’s attention

Keep reading to find out which elements you need to include in the cover page, how to structure it to maximize the impact of your business plan, and to take a look at some successful examples .

Contents: What Should You Include in a Business Plan Cover Page?

Surprisingly, there are no strict rules about what to show on your business plan cover sheet, but there certainly are best practices that you should follow.

Here are 9 elements that are typically included on business plan covers, 3 of which are essential and you should not miss to include them. The remaining 6 are optional for your consideration.

1. Must-haves: 3 mandatory cover page elements

1.1. Business name: The name of the company that is the subject of the plan.

1.2. Document title: The words “ Business Plan ” in a prominent spot so that it is clear what kind of document this is.

1.3. Contact information: Name, title and contact details (e.g., phone, email, social media, website, address) of the primary contact persons presenting the plan (e.g., CEO, Founder, Owner, President) so that any interested parties know exactly to whom to direct their inquiries and can reach them quickly and easily.

2. Nice-to-haves: 6 optional cover page elements:

2.1. Company logo: The logo of the company if available and desired.

2.2. Tagline: Short, memorable summary of the business described in the plan.

2.3. Date: In order to make sure your plan does not look outdated, include only the year of the business plan completion date. If you are including both the month also, it is advisable to create a new cover sheet each time you send out the plan.

2.4. Version control: Numbering each copy of the plan enables you to more easily keep track of who you sent what version of the document to.

2.5. Disclaimer: Disclaimer can help protect you and your company from confidentiality and other legal issues resulting from the distribution of the business plan by indicating that the plan is for information only, not an offering of stock in the company, and not to be shared with third parties without your prior consent.

2.6. Visuals: Graphic elements or images to enhance the professional look and visual appeal of the document.

Let’s have a more detailed look at these cover page elements so you know what exactly to include into each of them:

Business Name

The most prominent feature on your business plan cover is the name of your company.

Instantly, the reader should notice the name of your business. In fact, if readers take away nothing else from the cover page, they should remember your company’s name.

As this is the most noticeable feature on the page, use a large font that stands out, but is easy to read, looks professional and corresponds to the typeface that you used for the rest of the document.

Company Logo

Placing a high-quality company logo on the cover page helps to make the business plan look more professional and establish a brand identity by allowing readers to connect visually to the business right from the beginning.

If your logo includes the full name of the company, you do not have to display both the company name and logo on the cover page, it is sufficient to choose one of the two.

Document Title

The readers need to know what the presented document is about – immediately and clearly.

The cover page should clearly state whether it is a Business Plan, Executive Summary, Financial Forecast, Marketing Plan, Recovery Plan, or any other kind of plan.

For example, write the words “ Business Plan ” in a prominent spot on the cover sheet to make it crystal clear what type of document this is. You may include any additional words that are part of the title, such as “Three/Five-Year Business Plan” if needed or relevant.

As a focal point on the cover page, the document title should be in a large font size .

There is no rule though about whether the Document Title or Company Name and Logo should be of the largest font size, as all are of key importance. So it is entirely your decision what feature you prefer to highlight on the cover page of the document.

Contact Information

Contact details should always be on the business plan cover page, letting the reader know who is presenting the document and how to contact them if they need more information.

It is helpful to indicate the names and titles of the company’s primary contact persons for investors and other business plan readers, such as:

• External distribution: company founder, owner, president, partner, CEO
• In-house corporate plans: head of division, departmental manager, executive officer

Next, provide the contact details that will allow the interested parties to reach these primary contact persons quickly and easily, including:

• Name and title of primary contact(s)
• Phone number
• Email address
• Social media handles
• Website address
• Postal address

The contact information is typically displayed in the smallest font on the cover page.

Company tagline, or a motto , is a catchy memorable marketing slogan that captures the essence of a business in a few short and simple words: >> What you do >> How you do it >> Why are you different from the competition

For example, you will undoubtedly recognize the following company mottos:

As such, the tagline is a useful part of the cover page as it helps the business plan readers better understand what you do straight away, and even excite them to read the business plan and study it with more interest.

When was this business plan finalized and issued ? The readers will be interested to know. Hence, it is advisable to state the document completion date on the cover page.

Strictly speaking, you do not need to denote anything more specific that the year in which you completed the business plan. (“Business Plan: 2021”) This will ensure that the plan does not appear outdated for an entire year.

Imagine that you are a potential investor who in December 2021 receives a business plan dated January 2021. It would be natural to assume that the document has been rejected many times by other investors over the last 12 months.

Alternatively, you can include both the current month and year on the cover sheet. (“Business Plan: January 2021”) Each time you update the document and send it out or present it, you will need to check if this date of completion needs updating .

The date is featured on the cover sheet less prominently and in a smaller font size than the document title and company name, and is often displayed below the plan title.

Version Control

As your business develops, you may revise your business plan any number of times and send it to multiple recipients . To keep track of the different versions of the plan that you produce and which version you sent to whom, you may decide to use a version control system.

However, it does not make the best impression when someone receives a “Version 25” of your plan.

Instead, consider devising a simple coding system . For example: “Copy D.5” would indicate it is the fifth copy of a fourth version of the document or “Version 4.5” could mean a fifth copy of a document version completed in April.

Numbering each copy of your business plan before distribution, and keeping a list of which individual has received which copy, would enable you to keep track of how many copies are in circulation, and, if needed, ask to have a copy returned, or trace the responsible party in case a copy is circulated without your permission.

Confidentiality Statement & Disclaimer

Why should your plan include a disclaimer.

Legal issues may arise as a result of circulating your business plan. 

For example, anyone who is in the possession of the document could potentially divulge the confidential information. 

Also, in some countries, offering ownership in your company in return for an investment is considered as selling of stock, which is a regulated activity. The best way to protect yourself is to consult a lawyer.

Nevertheless, including a disclaimer in the business plan helps to protect your company by indicating the plan itself is not an offering of stock for sale but rather a document for information purposes only.

The same disclaimer can also be used to help protect the confidentiality of the information disclosed in your business plan by informing the reader that the plan is confidential and not to be shared with other parties without the owner’s consent, especially when you are not adding a non-disclosure agreement.

What Should the Disclaimer Say?

These are the two most common ways how to show the disclaimer in the business plan:

1. Display a brief disclaimer , just one or two sentences, directly on the front cover , probably at the bottom of the page. Consult a lawyer for the most appropriate wording, but a standard disclaimer might look something to the effect this:

2. Write “ Confidential ” on the cover sheet and include a longer disclaimer and confidentiality statement in the main body of the business plan, perhaps on the first page after the cover sheet.

In addition, you can also include the text “Confidential” into the header or footer of the document.

Design: How Should You Format a Business Plan Cover Page?

The cover page is the first thing the readers will see when they open your business plan. Thus, your business plan cover should be neat , clean , attractive , and professional enough to draw your readers’ attention , make a good first impression and set the tone for your business plan’s content.

Cover page that is messy, dated, unattractive or in any way unprofessional can create negative preconceptions in the recipients’ minds before they even start reading the business plan.

Your design should be clean and professional, which can be accomplished by observing the following best practices:

Visual Identity

Most successful businesses have a strong association with their brand identity , including a company logo, typeface and color scheme. Visual identity helps to establish recognition, familiarity, trust and confidence in customers by evoking the right emotions and sending the right message.

As a result, companies take care to develop a brand identity and keep consistent across all marketing collateral and business materials.

Likewise, your brand identity should be integrated into all parts of your business plan, including the cover page. The best practice is to make the plan consistent with the logo, font type and color scheme as they appear across your other company’s documents.

If you do not have a brand identity created yet, keep the color scheme of the plan cover simple.

The easiest is to have a logo designed, which is inexpensive and easy to do nowadays, and then use your logo colors across the business plan. Alternatively, consider using an online color scheme generator to select colors that go well together.

To stay on the safe side, use maximum of two to three colors, one of which should be black. You can use different shades of the same color (e.g., light blue and dark blue).

First and foremost, the fonts you use in the business plan, including its cover, need to be readable .

The most important information should be displayed in a way that it stands out from the rest of the elements on the business plan cover page, for example, differentiated by font size , weight or color .

Ideally, the typefaces and their color(s) should be consistent with the brand identity used in all of the other company’s marketing materials.

Do not combine more than two typefaces. It is ok to combine a sans-serif (e.g., Times New Roman) with a sans-serif (e.g., Arial) typeface.

Again, less is definitely more here. Refrain from cluttering the business plan cover sheet with photos and graphics.

If you do use a visual element, make sure to leave enough white space around it so the page does not look too busy.

The resolution of any images, including the company logo, should be of high enough quality to not look pixelated.

There is no need for a fancy over-designed cover page, unless you are a large corporation or perhaps a design agency. Equally, beware of any templates with outdated designs that will make your cover look like it was created back in 1999.

Professional designers often combine different alignments (left / right / center) of elements on a page (text, images) to achieve a desired design effect. However, a design novice should play it safe and keep the alignment simple and consistent , especially when it comes to professional documents, such as a business plan.

You should be able to comfortably fit all of the recommended elements on the cover sheet (e.g., company name and logo, document title, contact details, date, disclaimer), and still leave enough white space on the page.

Making a great first impression does not equal to creating a cover that is graphically busy and cluttered with unimportant details. Instead, set yourself up for success by keeping the business plan cover sheet neat , clean , simple and concise .

Proofreading

Carefully proofread the cover page to avoid, at all costs, any mistakes and typos , which would do you a great disservice in the eyes of the reader. Even better, have someone else to look it over.

Finally, make sure that the cover page looks good in every format you will be distributing the business plan in, probably including a PDF electronic file and a printed hard copy.

Some common issues include:

• Photos look pixelated due to low image resolution
• Colors do not print well (e.g., dark font color on a dark background)
• White space left at the edges of a printout because and image does not stretch (i.e., “bleed” in designer terms) enough into the edges of the page

Most importantly, the cover page should look professional and stand out from the crowd so that your business plan has a better chance of being read.

Finally, remember that these aren’t rigid rules. The overall goal for a cover page is to look neat and professional so that it stands out from the crowd and your business plan has a better chance of being read. In the end, that’s the most important outcome.

The cover sheet is the first thing the readers of your business plan will see. Make a good first impression.

Examples: Sample Images

Here are some examples to further illustrate the structure and format of a business plan cover page:

Sign up for our Newsletter

Get more articles just like this straight into your mailbox.

Related Posts

Recent posts.

• 400+ Sample Business Plans
• WHY UPMETRICS?

Customer Success Stories

Business Plan Course

Strategic Planning Templates

E-books, Guides & More

Entrepreneurs & Small Business

Accelerators & Incubators

Business Consultants & Advisors

Educators & Business Schools

Students & Scholars

AI Business Plan Generator

Financial Forecasting

AI Assistance

Ai Pitch Deck Generator

Strategic Planning

See How Upmetrics Works  →

• Sample Plans

Small Business Tools

How to Design a Cover Page for a Business Plan?

Free Business Plan Cover Pages

• April 12, 2024

Many entrepreneurs spend hours preparing and writing their business plans. However, do not pay much attention to the cover page. This is a big mistake.

The business plan cover page can create a strong first impact. It sets the platform for how investors or readers will engage with your document.

In this article, we will understand the importance of a cover page and how you can design one yourself.

What is a Business Plan Cover Page & Why is it Necessary to Design it?

The cover page is an integral part of the business plan. It is the first page of your business plan that highlights the key information of your company like a company logo, company name, address, and other key information.

By looking at the business plan cover page, a banker or investor can get a quick idea about the purpose of the presented document.

Your business plan cover should be neat, clean, attractive, and professional enough to draw your reader’s attention.

Whether you are writing a business plan, marketing plan, or business proposal , the cover page is an essential part of all.

Need a captivating cover page for your business plan?

Make compelling business plans in minutes with Upmetrics

Plans starting from $7/month

What to include in the Business Plan Cover Page?

There is no specific rule about what to include and what not on your cover page. But we have prepared some essential information that you should not miss including in it.

1. Company Logo

Your company logo will be the first and most essential section that will draw your reader’s attention immediately, so you must include your company logo on your cover page.

A neat-clean, high-quality logo should be used to make your business plan cover page look like a professional cover page. It should be placed at the top of your business plan cover page.

Placing the logo on the business plan cover page sets a strong brand association that focuses a reader’s attention throughout the document.

2. Company Name

The second most important section of the cover page after the company logo is your company name. You will always want your reader to remember your company name through the document reading process.

Your company name font should be readably bold and should be the largest font on the page so that it stands out from the rest of the information on the business plan cover page.

3. Business Tagline or Motto

A business tagline is a short catchy marketing slogan that is usually written with a company name or brand and is also sometimes used to indicate key features of your business. Some businesses use a tagline to show what they do and how they are different from the competition.

If you want your readers to understand your business, then a tagline plays a crucial role. Usually, a memorable tagline can excite an investor or reader that they will take a special interest while reading your business plan.

4. Branding Color

Brand color is most important in establishing trust and confidence in your customers. Your brand color will speak more than you can think about your business. Also, the right use of colors can increase your brand value by creating a strong visual identity in the industry.

Most successful companies have a strong association with their logos and brand colors. Their colors always tend to reflect their branding, even when they don’t include any text on them.

Brand color can help in establishing trust and familiarity by evoking the right emotions in your reader’s brains and sending the right message to them. Also, your brand color should be integrated into your business plan everywhere, like titles, subtitles, features, images, etc to make your business plan template more attractive.

5. Plan Title and Plan Year

The plan title will give a clear idea about what the presented document is about, whether it is a business plan, marketing plan, business expansion plan, recovery plan, or anything else.

The plan title is the notable feature of the cover page and should be in large font size. Immediately, the reader should know the purpose of the presented document.

There is no rule about which should be of the largest font size, “Company Name” or “Plan Title” as both have their benefits. It is the owner’s choice to decide what they want to highlight on the cover page for their document.

Also, readers will want to learn about what is the business plan creation time or what will be the execution time for the presented document. Thus it is important to specify the plan year on your cover page.

It should be written relatively in a smaller size and frequently below the plan title.

6. Prepared By

The “Prepared By” section is used to specify who is presenting the document and it should be the name of the company CEO, President, Owner, or sometimes another key person.

This information will help the reader to know about the key person in the company and whom they should contact in the case for more information.

7. Contact Information

Contact information contains the information reader can use to contact the person specified in the “Prepared By” section. This information includes the company’s physical address, phone number, email address, and company website .

Contact information should always be on the business plan cover page. It lets the reader learn who is presenting the document and how to contact that person.

8. Confidentiality Statement

While it is not required, you may want to include a confidentiality statement on the cover page. Or just state “Confidential” to let the reader know that this document is confidential and not directed to share with others without the owner’s consent.

The confidentiality statement on your cover page will look like this:

Example of Confidentiality Statement

Tips to make a cover page remarkable.

Now, that you know what to include in a cover page of the business plan, let’s see how to make it memorable:

Check the formatting

Before presenting or submitting your business plan to the readers, make sure the formatting (spacing, fonts, size, color) everything is consistent. This will increase the readability and help your audience to understand the things you want to deliver.

Keep it all simple

Keep your cover page for a business plan free from any clutters. The design should be classy and elegant. It should sync with the goals of your business. Ensure consistency by using the same brand color for both your business’ branding and cover page.

Review—Re-review

Double-check the cover page for any typos or grammatical errors. The better option is to have another person review it. This way, he/she will find the mistakes that you might be missing out on.

How to Design a Business Plan Cover Page?

Upmetrics gives you a beautifully designed business plan cover page template with no work on your side. Industry experts recommend our cover pages. Thus, you can trust us for your cover page without any doubts.

You can use a cover page theme that suits the personality of you and your business. Upmetrics comes with professionally designed cover pages that immediately transform the reader’s plain business plan reading experience into an interesting opening.

Upmetrics provides a feature where you can control which information and section you want to highlight on the cover page. Also, you can remove any section that you feel is not necessary for your cover page.

We also allow you to upload your own custom cover page design, so you can personalize your business plan with the cover page of your choice. So, wait no more, and start designing your cover page!

Upmetrics Business Plan Cover Page Examples

Build your Business Plan Faster

with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a business proposal have a cover page.

Yes, a business proposal includes a cover page. The cover page is the first impression of your proposal and should include key information, such as the title, company name, date, and logo.

The cover page can make your business proposal look more professional as it sets the tone for the proposal. 

What three aspects must be included in the cover page?

The three main things to include in a cover page of a business plan are:

• Clear title: It should be focused on the main topic of the plan & business idea.
• Contact information: Include the name of your company and the ways to contact you.
• Date: Readers would want to know the execution time and the timeline of the business plan.

What is the best format for a cover page?

A business plan cover page is the first thing that your potential investors will see. So, the best format for a cover page is to keep it simple & clean so that it draws your audience’s attention to read the whole business plan.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

Related Articles

How to Write a Business Plan Complete Guide

How to Write a Business Plan Executive Summary: Tips & Example

Table of Contents in Business Plan – Example, Template

Reach your goals with accurate planning.

No Risk – Cancel at Any Time – 15 Day Money Back Guarantee

Popular Templates

How to design your business plan cover page?

You're probably familiar with the saying, " You don't get two chances to make a lasting impression. ".

In simple words, the first perception that people have about a person, place, or thing is often the one that lasts forever. 

Your cover page acts as a preview and is the first thing that readers will see when they view your business plan - meaning it is imperative that your design is professional, informative and attractive.

There’s no room for negligence and nor should there be considering that the success of your business might hinge on it. A well-designed business plan cover page will encourage investors or lenders to continue reading and learn more about your business.

In this guide:

What is the role of the business plan cover page?

What information should you include on your business plan title page.

• What tools can I use to design my business plan cover page?
• Business plan cover page examples and templates

Design and editorial tips for a professional and impactful cover page

Key takeaways.

A business plan cover page usually includes basic details about the business, such as its name, logo, tagline, and contact details.  

The introductory page or cover page should aim to give the reader an overview of your business’s personality. For both startups and existing businesses, this provides a great opportunity to impress.

Let’s take a look at some of the key roles that a cover page plays in a business plan.

Showcases your brand’s personality

Think of the first page of your business plan as your company's business card. Make it visually appealing and professional to help capture the reader's attention. 

It’s important that both your company logo and color scheme is consistent with your branding and corporate identity. The design should be professional and trustworthy.

Gives a feel for your business

Your business plan cover page design introduces your business plan to potential investors, lenders, partners, and other stakeholders and gives them an insight into your business’s values.

When crafting the cover page, the design chosen should appeal to relevant parties. Whilst you could go for something fancy, it’s often the simple and sleek designs that work best. Remember that professionalism is something that needs to be showcased in your business plan throughout, especially if you are seeking funding from investors or lenders.

Key information, such as your business name, company logo, and contact details, should all be included in your business plan cover page so that the reader doesn’t have to scan the document looking for it.

By showcasing your brand's personality and giving a glimpse into your business, the cover page sets the tone for the rest of your business plan.

Need a solid financial forecast?

The Business Plan Shop does the maths for you. Simply enter your revenues, costs and investments. Click save and our online tool builds a three-way forecast for you instantly.

Now that we've established the importance of the cover page, let's break down the key elements you should include to make it effective.

Your business plan title page should be clear and concise, and the information provided easy to understand. Aim to avoid clutter or unnecessary information because it doesn’t add any value to your business plan.

Nevertheless, the content present on the cover page should provide sufficient detail to the reader regarding the nature of your business, your brand values and contact information. 

Company name and logo

Ensure that your company name and logo are both clearly displayed on the cover page. This will help increase brand recognition and enhance the document's visual appeal. 

Including a short tagline or slogan can help convey the purpose of the business and creates a positive first impression, but is not mandatory.

Main point of contact

The business plan front cover should also include the phone number and email address of the main point of contact. 

This saves the reader unnecessary hassle because they don’t have to go searching for those details inside your business plan.

Value proposition

Your business plan cover page is the first impression potential investors, partners, or lenders will have of your business.

It's your opportunity to succinctly communicate the unique value your business offers to its target audience.

The value proposition is the essence of what makes your business special.

To write a professional yet catchy value proposition, start by identifying your target market and their pain points. Then, highlight how your product or service solves these pain points better than anyone else:

• For instance, if you're in the retail sector, your value proposition might emphasize convenience, quality, or affordability.
• In the hospitality industry, it could be exceptional customer service or a unique experience.
• In manufacturing, it might focus on efficiency or innovation.
• Agriculture might emphasize sustainability or locally sourced products.
• Construction & real estate could highlight craftsmanship or reliability.
• And business services might emphasize expertise, efficiency, or cost-effectiveness.

Examples of how a business plan cover page value proposition might look like:

• Empowering small businesses with seamless, all-in-one digital marketing solutions.
• Elevating fitness routines with personalized workout plans and virtual coaching.
• Delivering gourmet, farm-to-table meal kits for health-conscious foodies.
• Simplifying travel booking with a user-friendly platform offering personalized itineraries and insider tips.
• Creating memorable event experiences through bespoke, technology-driven event planning services.

Remember that value propositions in this case don't have to be lengthy - in fact it's probably better if you keep yours short and snappy to ensure that the cover page looks attractive. Including a paragraph or two on the cover page can be off-putting for the reader.

By clearly defining your value proposition on your business plan cover page, you set the stage for success and capture the attention of potential stakeholders.

Need inspiration for your business plan?

The Business Plan Shop has dozens of business plan templates that you can use to get a clear idea of what a complete business plan looks like.

Date of publication 

To provide context to the reader, it's important to include the date that the business plan was written or last updated. This gives the reader an idea about how up-to-date your forecast and other editorial details are likely to be.

Should I include a confidentiality statement on my business plan cover page? 

Your business plan contains sensitive and proprietary information, so it's a good idea to mark the document as confidential. 

From a practical standpoint, however, unless you have a binding non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in place with the reader, any confidential statement you include is unlikely to be enforceable (and, in most cases, it would probably not be economical to enforce even if it was enforceable).

If you are concerned about any future legal implications, it might be better to include a full disclaimer at the end of the document, rather than just a confidentiality statement on your business plan cover page. 

A full disclaimer allows you to address the following aspects clearly:

• Confidentiality statements
• Forward-looking statements (the reader shouldn't rely on your forecasts and should form their own assesment)
• Notice that the document is not an offer to sell securities

In most cases a full disclaimer is an overkill, but you should take advice from your lawyer if you are concerned.

Should I include an index page or table of content on my business plan cover page? 

You should include a table of content but it should be after the first page of a business plan and not on it.

Business plans often span 15 to 30 pages (or more) and having a well-structured table of contents that summarise where each of the main sections and subsections can be found is vital.

It helps readers navigate through your business plan with ease. Be sure to provide page numbers for each section and subsection too (for readers who print the document), and clickable links (for PDF readers).

What tools can I use to design my business plan cover page? 

Now that you have a clear understanding of what your cover page should entail, let's explore some tools that can help you bring your design to life.

During the 1990s, word processors and spreadsheets were commonly used to draft business plans. Their limitations often necessitated to use of external tools to create a professional-looking cover page.

Nowdays, utilising business plan software is considered the optimal approach to write a business plan without making calculation errors in the forecast. And most tools also come equipped with options to design a stylish cover page.

The Business Plan Shop , in particular, offers you the ability to create a visually appealing cover page design that showcases your brand identity. You can customise a cover page template by replacing the information with your own business name, logo, brand colors, and contact information.

Using our business plan software to design your cover page and draft your business plan offers numerous benefits:

• You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
• You can be inspired by already written business plan templates
• You can easily make your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
• You get a professional document, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors
• The software will enable you to easily track your actual financial performance against your forecast and update your forecast as time goes by

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try our software for free by signing up here .

Business plan cover page examples and templates 

With The Business Plan Shop, you can customize a cover page template by replacing the information with your own business name, logo, contact information, colours, and other details.

You can also adjust the size of the text, layout and design of the cover page to suit your preferences and make it more visually appealing. 

There are four key design and editorial tips to keep in mind whilst drafting your business plan title page:

Choosing the right font and typography

Utilizing colors strategically to make the business plan cover page visually appealing, layout and alignment, obtaining feedback from stakeholders.

Let's explore each of them in more detail.

Your business plan cover page's font and typography play a crucial role in conveying professionalism and readability.

Font selection may seem trivial, but it can significantly impact how your cover page is perceived.

Opt for clean, easily readable fonts like Arial, Poppins or Helvetica and avoid overly decorative fonts that can be difficult to read.

Consider the personality of your business and target audience when choosing fonts. For example, a law firm might choose a more traditional serif font for a professional look, while a creative agency might opt for a modern sans font to convey innovation.

Similarly, if you're a small manufacturing company creating a business plan, you might choose a bold, straightforward font like Arial for headings to convey strength and reliability, while using a simple sans-serif font like Helvetica for body text to ensure readability.

Color is a powerful tool for capturing attention and conveying brand identity on your cover page.

Color psychology can influence how your audience perceives your business and message.

Choose colors that align with your brand identity and evoke the desired emotions.

For instance, blue conveys trust and professionalism, green suggests growth and sustainability, and red signifies energy and urgency.

Use colors sparingly and strategically to draw attention to key elements like your company name or value proposition.

Suppose you're a small construction company creating a business plan.

You might use earthy tones like brown or green to evoke a sense of stability and reliability, while incorporating pops of orange or yellow to convey energy and enthusiasm.

The layout and alignment of your business plan front cover can enhance readability and visual appeal.

A well-organized layout ensures that important information is easy to find and understand.

Keep your layout clean and uncluttered, with ample white space to avoid overwhelming your audience and align elements like text and images consistently to create a cohesive look

Use hierarchy to prioritize information, with key details like your company name and value proposition prominently displayed.

If you're a small retail store, you might align your company name and logo to the center for a traditional look, with your value proposition below to draw attention.

Need a convincing business plan?

The Business Plan Shop makes it easy to create a financial forecast to assess the potential profitability of your projects, and write a business plan that’ll wow investors.

Seeking feedback from stakeholders can provide valuable insights and improve the effectiveness of your cover page.

Feedback helps ensure that your cover page resonates with your target audience and effectively communicates your message.

Share your cover page draft with trusted colleagues, mentors, or advisors for constructive criticism whilst asking for specific feedback on clarity, professionalism, and impact.

By implementing these design and editorial tips, you'll create a cover page that not only looks professional but also effectively communicates your business's identity and purpose.

Let's recap the key points to remember when designing your business plan cover page:

• Your business plan title page is the first impression stakeholders will have of your business, so it's essential to make it professional and impactful.
• The business plan cover page aims to showcase your brand's personality and give a feel for what your business is like.
• Utilize colors strategically to evoke emotion and reinforce your brand identity, ensuring consistency with your overall branding.
• Include key information such as your main point of contact and date of publication on the business plan's first page.
• Utilising business plan software, such as The Business Plan Shop is the best way to create a business plan cover page in no time.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

• How to format a business plan and make it look good
• How investors analyse business plans
• Executive Summary - The most crucial part of your business plan
• How to do a market analysis for a business plan

Know someone looking to design a business plan cover page? Share this article with them!

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

Create a convincing business plan

Assess the profitability of your business idea and create a persuasive business plan to pitch to investors

500,000+ entrepreneurs have already tried our solution - why not join them?

Not ready to try our on-line tool ? Learn more about our solution here

Need some inspiration for your business plan?

Subscribe to The Business Plan Shop and gain access to our business plan template library.

Need a professional business plan? Discover our solution

Write your business plan with ease!

It's easy to create a professional business plan with The Business Plan Shop

Want to find out more before you try? Learn more about our solution here

How to Design a Cover Page for Your Business Plan

Paula Kehoe

Reviewed by

December 22, 2021

This article is Tax Professional approved

If you're starting a new business or growing an existing one, it’s critical to have a successful business plan to guide your decisions.

I am the text that will be copied.

Why? A good plan helps you understand your business expenses and cash flow, and it can lay out your goals and track milestones along the way. It’s also important if you’re applying for a loan or approaching potential investors who may be interested in your future business.

That means when you’re writing your business plan, you have one chance to make a good first impression and catch your reader’s attention. It takes a lot of research and planning, but after you’ve finished the hard work of compiling the contents of your plan, you’re still not done. Your business plan’s cover page may seem like an afterthought, but it shouldn’t be. As they say, never judge a book by its cover, but that’s precisely what happens when it comes to business plan cover pages.

A glimpse at the cover page can be enough for someone to decide if they want to pay attention to your business or ignore it. So, before you distribute your business plan, design a cover that stands out and entices interested parties to find out more about your company.

Helpful resource: How to Write Your First Business Plan

What is a business plan cover page?

Think of the cover page (also called a title page) as a welcome mat that leads to your full business plan. It’s meant to be simple and highlight the legal information of your business like a company logo, company name, address, contact details, and other key information.

The quality and appearance of the cover page may influence the perception of the material that follows in your plan—and the credibility of your business. If you want to spark the interest of prospective investors or lenders, you need to make sure that it’s professional, informative, and easy to read.

What is the purpose of a business plan cover page?

The main purpose of any business plan cover page is to inform and enhance your report. Your cover page should communicate a little about the business plan itself and provide the necessary information for a reader to contact you about the business you’re spotlighting.

Keep the cover page concise and focus only on the introductory basics. There’s no need to get into the weeds here. Instead, save those details about how your business will operate for the executive summary, which underlines the most crucial pieces of your plan, such as your short-term and long-term goals.

What should you include on a business plan cover page?

There are no hard-and-fast rules about what to show on your business plan cover page. But there are a few standard elements you should consider adding. Once you know what information you want to use, you just have to arrange it.

1. Document title

Often, the title of these documents is merely “Business Plan.” But you can also customize it with “Five-Year Business Plan” or “Business Acquisition Plan” if you want to outline more explicit goals of your business plan.

Use a clear, bold font to increase readability, like Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial. Avoid script lettering as it doesn’t come across as professional and may be challenging to read.

2. Business name

Add your company name below the title of the document. Use the same font of the title, but increase the font size slightly, so it stands out. Your company name is a significant part of the cover page, so use sharp, bold text that’s big enough to read clearly. Also, center your company name a few spaces below the title to continue a clean and consistent appearance.

3. Contact information

Below your company name, include a physical address, phone number, email, website, and other details about your business. You can also add a section titled “prepared by” to list your name and credentials, as well as the names of partners or collaborators, so readers know where to direct their inquiries.

To keep consistent formatting, center this information on the page. You can use a smaller font size than you used for your company name and title, as long as the information is clearly visible and legible.

4. Date of completion

Under your company’s contact information, include the month and year you completed your business plan. Use the same font size as your address and contact information, and center the text for consistency.

5. Company logo

Your logo is the foundation of your brand identity. It can draw interest and pique the curiosity of your audience. If you have a high-resolution thumbnail of your company’s logo, add and center it at the top of the page. The logo should be large enough that readers can easily see details, but not so big that it’s a distraction from the rest of the content.

6. Business tagline

Some businesses use a tagline to show what they do and how they’re different from the competition. Think Nike’s “Just Do It” or Dollar Shave Club’s “Shave Time. Shave Money.”

If you have a tagline, add it to your cover page under your company logo so readers understand straight away what you do or how you do it. A memorable tagline can excite an investor so that they’ll take a special interest while evaluating your business plan.

7. Confidentiality statement

At the bottom of your cover page, add a brief confidentiality statement to protect your business’s intellectual property or sensitive information. This may prevent others from disclosing your business plan without your permission.

For this section, use a slightly smaller font size, but try to make sure the text is still visible. Here’s an example of a typical confidentiality statement:

“This document contains confidential, proprietary information created by (your company’s name). It is issued exclusively for informational purposes and should not be reproduced without the consent of (your company’s name).”

Business plan cover page templates

Looking to create a standout cover page? There are dozens of professionally-designed business plan templates, including cover pages, available online. You can download and customize these in a matter of minutes.

If you need help getting started, try one of these:

• Microsoft Word
• Business in a Box
• MS Office Templates

You might even be able to adapt one of Canva’s proposal templates to suit your needs.

How to make your business plan cover page stand out

A cover page that’s messy or unprofessional in any way can create negative preconceptions in your reader’s minds before they even look at your business plan.

Set yourself up for success with a cover page that stands out by following these best practices:

Use consistent formatting

Inconsistent formatting can turn a stable document into chaos. Try to stay consistent when using styles and line spacing. Make sure your fonts are complementary, and don’t select too many—that could be overwhelming.

Proofread it

Because your cover is the first page of a business plan, it’s important to ensure there are zero spelling typos or mistakes within your content. Carefully proofread your document before distributing the final draft and ask someone else to read your work. Having a second set of eyes can smooth out any rough spots and save you potential embarrassment.

Show your brand’s personality

The design elements (color scheme, font type, images) you use can create a memorable, bold statement for your cover page that’ll make a positive impression on your audience. Still, do keep it professional. Coordinate the colors with your company’s logo or brand, and be sure the elements don’t distract from the important details on the cover page.

How Bench can help

While we can’t design a beautiful business plan cover page for you, we can help you out with the contents of that plan. Bench is America’s largest professional bookkeeping service for small businesses. We can handle your bookkeeping and tax filing for you while you focus on starting and running your business. Even if you’re pre-revenue , you need a solid bookkeeping setup—plus, reliable bookkeeping can give you the numbers you need to prove to investors that you’re a good bet.

Even if you aren’t using your business plan to seek funding, including your financial projections offers major benefits. By looking into the future of your business, you can make plans for growth and set realistic goals to reach along the way. Get started with our guide to financial forecasting .

Make a great first impression

Although your business plan cover page has a big job to do, it’s meant to be simple and straightforward. With just a few business details, like your company name, logo, and contact information, the cover page is your first opportunity to stand out and persuade readers that you’re worth the investment.

Join over 140,000 fellow entrepreneurs who receive expert advice for their small business finances

Get a regular dose of educational guides and resources curated from the experts at Bench to help you confidently make the right decisions to grow your business. No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

SMALL BUSINESS MONTH. 50% Off for 6 Months. BUY NOW & SAVE

50% Off for 6 Months Buy Now & Save

Wow clients with professional invoices that take seconds to create

Quick and easy online, recurring, and invoice-free payment options

Automated, to accurately track time and easily log billable hours

Reports and tools to track money in and out, so you know where you stand

Easily log expenses and receipts to ensure your books are always tax-time ready

Tax time and business health reports keep you informed and tax-time ready

Automatically track your mileage and never miss a mileage deduction again

Time-saving all-in-one bookkeeping that your business can count on

Track project status and collaborate with clients and team members

Organized and professional, helping you stand out and win new clients

Set clear expectations with clients and organize your plans for each project

Client management made easy, with client info all in one place

Pay your employees and keep accurate books with Payroll software integrations

• Team Management

FreshBooks integrates with over 100 partners to help you simplify your workflows

Send invoices, track time, manage payments, and more…from anywhere.

• Freelancers
• Self-Employed Professionals
• Businesses With Employees
• Businesses With Contractors
• Marketing & Agencies
• Construction & Trades
• IT & Technology
• Business & Prof. Services
• Accounting Partner Program
• Collaborative Accounting™
• Accountant Hub
• Reports Library
• FreshBooks vs QuickBooks
• FreshBooks vs HoneyBook
• FreshBooks vs Harvest
• FreshBooks vs Wave
• FreshBooks vs Xero
• Free Invoice Generator
• Invoice Templates
• Accounting Templates
• Business Name Generator
• Estimate Templates
• Help Center
• Business Loan Calculator
• Mark Up Calculator

Call Toll Free: 1.866.303.6061

1-888-674-3175

• All Articles
• Productivity
• Project Management
• Bookkeeping

Resources for Your Growing Business

How to write a business plan cover page: 5 essential tips.

Writing a comprehensive business plan is a great first step in making a successful business.

It’s a good idea to create a business plan, even if you are writing the plan just for yourself. 

If you are writing the plan for potential investors, you’ll want to include a strong business proposal cover page. This helps to entice the recipient to read through your plan.

We’ll break down the 5 steps to creating a successful cover page and some essential tips that will help you along the way.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

1. Use a Business Cover Page Template 

2. use your business logo, 3. the document title, 4. company information and date, 5. write a confidentiality statement, key takeaways.

Writing a business plan cover page is relatively straightforward.

But when you’re staring at a blank page, the task may suddenly seem very daunting. 

That’s why we recommend using a cover page template. 

Even if you don’t end up using the template, it can inspire ideas and help you get over that initial writing block. 

When somebody looks at your cover letter, it needs to stand out and be unique.

What better way to be unique than by including your business’s logo?

Your logo should be at the top of the page so that it’s the first thing that they see. Make sure that it’s a high-resolution image of the logo, as a blurry or pixelated image will look unprofessional. 

It’s also a good idea to keep the themes of your cover page consistent with your logo. So make sure your cover letter is using the same font type and color scheme as your logo. 

This will help your cover letter catch the eye of the reader and establish brand association.  It also helps them to start associating your logo with your business’s name. 

Next up is writing a short, yet strong document title. 

This is a short step, but it’s an important one. 

When choosing your document title you should be including your company name, and the duration the business plan will cover.

For example:

“Park Avenue Mechanics: A Five-Year Business Plan”

It’s short, simple, and tells the reader exactly what to expect. This should be placed below the logo in large print.  

Another simple, yet important step.

Underneath the title, you’ll need to write the physical business address. This is the address that your company is registered to. Then you should write the business’s contact information and the date. 

The physical address is where the investors or interested parties should send all their inquiries. 

The contact information should include the business phone number, email address and fax number. 

It is also a good idea to include your website address, if you have one, for people wanting to learn more about the public front of your business. 

Then directly below your contact information, write the date that the business plan was completed. This is so the reader can see when the information inside was relevant. Though it’s obviously important to keep your business plan as up-to-date as possible. 

Last but not least is your confidentiality statement. 

This is good legal practice as it can protect your business against anybody leaking the contents of your business plan. 

Your confidentiality statement should be along the lines of this: 

“This document contains confidential information created by [your company name]. This document is issued exclusively for informational purposes, and may not be reproduced or shared without the consent of [your company name].”

This should clear up any confusion that may arise as to the privacy of the document. 

Think of your business plan cover page as your first impression. Don’t put hours upon hours of effort into the business plan itself but then just throw together a quick cover page. 

You could well be shooting yourself in the foot. 

The entire job of the cover page is to make sure the reader not only picks up your business plan but turns the page over and starts reading. 

So once you’ve finished your business plan, make sure you write a good cover letter. 

It could just be the difference. 

Are you looking for more business advice on everything from starting a new business to new business practices? 

Head over to our resource hub .

RELATED ARTICLES

Save Time Billing and Get Paid 2x Faster With FreshBooks

Want More Helpful Articles About Running a Business?

Get more great content in your Inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to receive communications from FreshBooks and acknowledge and agree to FreshBook’s Privacy Policy . You can unsubscribe at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

👋 Welcome to FreshBooks

To see our product designed specifically for your country, please visit the United States site.

Business Plan Cover Page Tips To Get an Investor’s Attention

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Below are the five keys to creating a formal business plan cover page.

To see what to include in the other sections of your plan, reference the best business plan template .

Be sure to include the following elements to create a great business plan cover page:

1. Company Name

First and foremost, your Company’s name should be included on the business plan cover page. This should be the most prominent feature of the cover page, and as such, is traditionally in the largest font setting. Immediately, the reader should know the name of your company.

2. Company Logo and Color Scheme

The best business plan covers are those that look like they are of professional quality. This can be accomplished by including a high-quality image of the company logo and the font type and color scheme for the company’s marketing materials. Like a book cover, a business plan cover page is intended to draw the reader’s attention immediately. Plans with an unattractive cover page can fall victim to incorrect preconceived notions.

Below is a sample of the professionally designed covers included in Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template .

3. Title and Date

When was this plan written? Readers need to know, so include the date (month and year are enough).

And what is it? The cover page should state if this is a Business Plan, Executive Summary, or Financial Projections. So, at this point, your business plan cover page may read as follows:

John’s Plumbing, Inc. Business Plan March 2021

Note that the title and date should be featured less prominently than your company name.

4. Less is More

Your business plan executive summary will summarize the contents of the plan. There is no need for the cover page to do so, as well. It is also inadvisable to create a business plan cover that is so graphically busy that the information is difficult to discern. Simple, clean, and powerful are the three goals of a strong business plan cover page.

5. CEO/Owner/Key Contact Information

Who should the reader contact if they wish to know more information? The name and contact information for the CEO, President, Owner, or another key contact should not be located at the end of the document. It should be on the first page, letting the reader know who is presenting the document.

6. Confidentiality Statement

While it is not essential, you may want to include a Confidentiality Statement on your cover, such as the following:

This document includes confidential and proprietary information of and regarding [Company Name]. This document is provided for informational purposes only. You may not use this document except for informational purposes, and you may not reproduce this document in whole or in part or divulge any of its contents without the prior written consent of [Company Name]. By accepting this document, you agree to be bound by these restrictions and limitations.

Suggested Resources:

Download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template here that not only has ten pre-built and professionally designed cover pages but quickly guides you through creating your entire business plan and financial model.

Your business plan title page is critical since it’s the first thing readers will see, and it will give them an immediate impression as to whether you are professional or not. As such, the page is one of the critical components of a business plan . As part of your initial business plan outline , you should think about how you want others to perceive your business. Not only should this perception be established throughout your plan but be sure to do so on your business plan cover page.

Many people ask about business plan cover letters to accompany their plans.

Most plans are emailed to investors or lenders nowadays. As such, business plan cover letters are often not needed. Instead, in the body of your email, you can include text such as the following: “Attached please find my business plan. I am available to discuss this at your convenience. I look forward to hearing from you.” Such an email will typically suffice if you seek a bank loan, VC funding, or funding from angel investors .

However, if you’d like a more formal cover letter, reference our sample business plan cover letter here .

To answer any additional questions you might have regarding your plan, see our business plan help page or download our small business plan template pdf to get started today.

The World’s #1 Business Plan Template

Would you like to know the quickest and easiest way to create a winning business plan?

And how to use it to raise funding, improve your strategy, or both?

Well, we’ve developed the ultimate business plan template to help you do this. Simply click below to learn more.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

550+ Business Plan Examples to Launch Your Business

Need help writing your business plan? Explore over 550 industry-specific business plan examples for inspiration.

Find your business plan example

Accounting, Insurance & Compliance Business Plans

• View All 25

Children & Pets Business Plans

• Children's Education & Recreation
• View All 33

Cleaning, Repairs & Maintenance Business Plans

• Auto Detail & Repair
• Cleaning Products
• View All 39

Clothing & Fashion Brand Business Plans

• Clothing & Fashion Design
• View All 26

Construction, Architecture & Engineering Business Plans

• Architecture
• Construction
• View All 46

Consulting, Advertising & Marketing Business Plans

• Advertising
• View All 54

Education Business Plans

• Education Consulting
• Education Products

Business plan template: There's an easier way to get your business plan done.

Entertainment & Recreation Business Plans

• Entertainment
• Film & Television
• View All 60

Events Business Plans

• Event Planning
• View All 17

Farm & Agriculture Business Plans

• Agri-tourism
• Agriculture Consulting
• View All 16

Finance & Investing Business Plans

• Financial Planning
• View All 10

Fine Art & Crafts Business Plans

Fitness & Beauty Business Plans

• Salon & Spa
• View All 36

Food and Beverage Business Plans

• Bar & Brewery
• View All 77

Hotel & Lodging Business Plans

• Bed and Breakfast

Finish your plan faster with step-by-step guidance, financial wizards, and a proven format.

IT, Staffing & Customer Service Business Plans

• Administrative Services
• Customer Service
• View All 22

Manufacturing & Wholesale Business Plans

• Cleaning & Cosmetics Manufacturing
• View All 68

Medical & Health Business Plans

• Dental Practice
• Health Administration
• View All 41

Nonprofit Business Plans

• Co-op Nonprofit
• Food & Housing Nonprofit
• View All 13

Real Estate & Rentals Business Plans

• Equipment Rental

Retail & Ecommerce Business Plans

• Car Dealership
• View All 116

Technology Business Plans

• Apps & Software
• Communication Technology

Transportation, Travel & Logistics Business Plans

• Airline, Taxi & Shuttle
• View All 62

View all sample business plans

Example business plan format

Before you start exploring our library of business plan examples, it's worth taking the time to understand the traditional business plan format . You'll find that the plans in this library and most investor-approved business plans will include the following sections:

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally only one to two pages. You should also plan to write this section last after you've written your full business plan.

Your executive summary should include a summary of the problem you are solving, a description of your product or service, an overview of your target market, a brief description of your team, a summary of your financials, and your funding requirements (if you are raising money).

Products & services

The products & services chapter of your business plan is where the real meat of your plan lives. It includes information about the problem that you're solving, your solution, and any traction that proves that it truly meets the need you identified.

This is your chance to explain why you're in business and that people care about what you offer. It needs to go beyond a simple product or service description and get to the heart of why your business works and benefits your customers.

Market analysis

Conducting a market analysis ensures that you fully understand the market that you're entering and who you'll be selling to. This section is where you will showcase all of the information about your potential customers. You'll cover your target market as well as information about the growth of your market and your industry. Focus on outlining why the market you're entering is viable and creating a realistic persona for your ideal customer base.

Competition

Part of defining your opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage may be. To do this effectively you need to get to know your competitors just as well as your target customers. Every business will have competition, if you don't then you're either in a very young industry or there's a good reason no one is pursuing this specific venture.

To succeed, you want to be sure you know who your competitors are, how they operate, necessary financial benchmarks, and how you're business will be positioned. Start by identifying who your competitors are or will be during your market research. Then leverage competitive analysis tools like the competitive matrix and positioning map to solidify where your business stands in relation to the competition.

Marketing & sales

The marketing and sales plan section of your business plan details how you plan to reach your target market segments. You'll address how you plan on selling to those target markets, what your pricing plan is, and what types of activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success.

The operations section covers the day-to-day workflows for your business to deliver your product or service. What's included here fully depends on the type of business. Typically you can expect to add details on your business location, sourcing and fulfillment, use of technology, and any partnerships or agreements that are in place.

Milestones & metrics

The milestones section is where you lay out strategic milestones to reach your business goals.

A good milestone clearly lays out the parameters of the task at hand and sets expectations for its execution. You'll want to include a description of the task, a proposed due date, who is responsible, and eventually a budget that's attached. You don't need extensive project planning in this section, just key milestones that you want to hit and when you plan to hit them.

You should also discuss key metrics, which are the numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common data points worth tracking include conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, profit, etc.

Company & team

Use this section to describe your current team and who you need to hire. If you intend to pursue funding, you'll need to highlight the relevant experience of your team members. Basically, this is where you prove that this is the right team to successfully start and grow the business. You will also need to provide a quick overview of your legal structure and history if you're already up and running.

Financial projections

Your financial plan should include a sales and revenue forecast, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, and a balance sheet. You may not have established financials of any kind at this stage. Not to worry, rather than getting all of the details ironed out, focus on making projections and strategic forecasts for your business. You can always update your financial statements as you begin operations and start bringing in actual accounting data.

Now, if you intend to pitch to investors or submit a loan application, you'll also need a "use of funds" report in this section. This outlines how you intend to leverage any funding for your business and how much you're looking to acquire. Like the rest of your financials, this can always be updated later on.

The appendix isn't a required element of your business plan. However, it is a useful place to add any charts, tables, definitions, legal notes, or other critical information that supports your plan. These are often lengthier or out-of-place information that simply didn't work naturally into the structure of your plan. You'll notice that in these business plan examples, the appendix mainly includes extended financial statements.

Types of business plans explained

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. To get the most out of your plan, it's best to find a format that suits your needs. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan

The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used for external purposes. Typically this is the type of plan you'll need when applying for funding or pitching to investors. It can also be used when training or hiring employees, working with vendors, or in any other situation where the full details of your business must be understood by another individual.

Business model canvas

The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

The structure ditches a linear format in favor of a cell-based template. It encourages you to build connections between every element of your business. It's faster to write out and update, and much easier for you, your team, and anyone else to visualize your business operations.

One-page business plan

The true middle ground between the business model canvas and a traditional business plan is the one-page business plan . This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business.

By starting with a one-page plan , you give yourself a minimal document to build from. You'll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences making it much easier to elaborate or expand sections into a longer-form business plan.

Growth planning

Growth planning is more than a specific type of business plan. It's a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, forecast, review, and refine based on your performance.

It holds all of the benefits of the single-page plan, including the potential to complete it in as little as 27 minutes . However, it's even easier to convert into a more detailed plan thanks to how heavily it's tied to your financials. The overall goal of growth planning isn't to just produce documents that you use once and shelve. Instead, the growth planning process helps you build a healthier company that thrives in times of growth and remain stable through times of crisis.

It's faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

Download a free sample business plan template

Ready to start writing your own plan but aren't sure where to start? Download our free business plan template that's been updated for 2024.

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. It includes additional instructions for how to write each section and is formatted to be SBA-lender approved. All you need to do is fill in the blanks.

How to use an example business plan to help you write your own

How do you know what elements need to be included in your business plan, especially if you've never written one before? Looking at examples can help you visualize what a full, traditional plan looks like, so you know what you're aiming for before you get started. Here's how to get the most out of a sample business plan.

Choose a business plan example from a similar type of company

You don't need to find an example business plan that's an exact fit for your business. Your business location, target market, and even your particular product or service may not match up exactly with the plans in our gallery. But, you don't need an exact match for it to be helpful. Instead, look for a plan that's related to the type of business you're starting.

For example, if you want to start a vegetarian restaurant, a plan for a steakhouse can be a great match. While the specifics of your actual startup will differ, the elements you'd want to include in your restaurant's business plan are likely to be very similar.

Use a business plan example as a guide

Every startup and small business is unique, so you'll want to avoid copying an example business plan word for word. It just won't be as helpful, since each business is unique. You want your plan to be a useful tool for starting a business —and getting funding if you need it.

One of the key benefits of writing a business plan is simply going through the process. When you sit down to write, you'll naturally think through important pieces, like your startup costs, your target market , and any market analysis or research you'll need to do to be successful.

You'll also look at where you stand among your competition (and everyone has competition), and lay out your goals and the milestones you'll need to meet. Looking at an example business plan's financials section can be helpful because you can see what should be included, but take them with a grain of salt. Don't assume that financial projections for a sample company will fit your own small business.

If you're looking for more resources to help you get started, our business planning guide is a good place to start. You can also download our free business plan template .

Think of business planning as a process, instead of a document

Think about business planning as something you do often , rather than a document you create once and never look at again. If you take the time to write a plan that really fits your own company, it will be a better, more useful tool to grow your business. It should also make it easier to share your vision and strategy so everyone on your team is on the same page.

Adjust your plan regularly to use it as a business management tool

Keep in mind that businesses that use their plan as a management tool to help run their business grow 30 percent faster than those businesses that don't. For that to be true for your company, you'll think of a part of your business planning process as tracking your actual results against your financial forecast on a regular basis.

If things are going well, your plan will help you think about how you can re-invest in your business. If you find that you're not meeting goals, you might need to adjust your budgets or your sales forecast. Either way, tracking your progress compared to your plan can help you adjust quickly when you identify challenges and opportunities—it's one of the most powerful things you can do to grow your business.

Prepare to pitch your business

If you're planning to pitch your business to investors or seek out any funding, you'll need a pitch deck to accompany your business plan. A pitch deck is designed to inform people about your business. You want your pitch deck to be short and easy to follow, so it's best to keep your presentation under 20 slides.

Your pitch deck and pitch presentation are likely some of the first things that an investor will see to learn more about your company. So, you need to be informative and pique their interest. Luckily, just like you can leverage an example business plan template to write your plan, we also have a gallery of over 50 pitch decks for you to reference.

With this gallery, you have the option to view specific industry pitches or get inspired by real-world pitch deck examples.

Ready to get started?

Now that you know how to use an example business plan to help you write a plan for your business, it's time to find the right one.

Use the search bar below to get started and find the right match for your business idea.

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

Discover the world’s #1 plan building software

• 212 best farm names

How to Write a Business Plan (Plus Examples & Templates)

May 24, 2021

Have you ever wondered how to write a business plan step by step? Mike Andes, told us: 

This guide will help you write a business plan to impress investors.

Throughout this process, we’ll get information from Mike Andes, who started Augusta Lawn Care Services when he was 12 and turned it into a franchise with over 90 locations. He has gone on to help others learn how to write business plans and start businesses.  He knows a thing or two about writing  business plans!

We’ll start by discussing the definition of a business plan. Then we’ll discuss how to come up with the idea, how to do the market research, and then the important elements in the business plan format. Keep reading to start your journey!

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan is simply a road map of what you are trying to achieve with your business and how you will go about achieving it. It should cover all elements of your business including: 

• Finding customers
• Plans for developing a team
•  Competition
• Legal structures
• Key milestones you are pursuing

If you aren’t quite ready to create a business plan, consider starting by reading our business startup guide .

Get a Business Idea

Before you can write a business plan, you have to have a business idea. You may see a problem that needs to be solved and have an idea how to solve it, or you might start by evaluating your interests and skills. 

Mike told us, “The three things I suggest asking yourself when thinking about starting a business are:

• What am I good at?
• What would I enjoy doing?
• What can I get paid for?”

If all three of these questions don’t lead to at least one common answer, it will probably be a much harder road to success. Either there is not much market for it, you won’t be good at it, or you won’t enjoy doing it. 

As Mike told us, “There’s enough stress starting and running a business that if you don’t like it or aren’t good at it, it’s hard to succeed.”

If you’d like to hear more about Mike’s approach to starting a business, check out our YouTube video

Conduct Market Analysis

Market analysis is focused on establishing if there is a target market for your products and services, how large the target market is, and identifying the demographics of people or businesses that would be interested in the product or service. The goal here is to establish how much money your business concept can make.

Product and Service Demand

A search engine is your best friend when trying to figure out if there is demand for your products and services. Personally, I love using presearch.org because it lets you directly search on a ton of different platforms including Google, Youtube, Twitter, and more. Check out the screenshot for the full list of search options.

With quick web searches, you can find out how many competitors you have, look through their reviews, and see if there are common complaints about the competitors. Bad reviews are a great place to find opportunities to offer better products or services. 

If there are no similar products or services, you may have stumbled upon something new, or there may just be no demand for it. To find out, go talk to your most honest friend about the idea and see what they think. If they tell you it’s dumb or stare at you vacantly, there’s probably no market for it.

You can also conduct a survey through social media to get public opinion on your idea. Using Facebook Business Manager , you could get a feel for who would be interested in your product or service.

 I ran a quick test of how many people between 18-65  you could reach in the U.S. during a week. It returned an estimated 700-2,000 for the total number of leads, which is enough to do a fairly accurate statistical analysis.

Identify Demographics of Target Market

Depending on what type of business you want to run, your target market will be different. The narrower the demographic, the fewer potential customers you’ll have. If you did a survey, you’ll be able to use that data to help define your target audience. Some considerations you’ll want to consider are:

• Other Interests
• Marital Status
• Do they have kids?

Once you have this information, it can help you narrow down your options for location and help define your marketing further. One resource that Mike recommended using is the Census Bureau’s Quick Facts Map . He told us,  

“It helps you quickly evaluate what the best areas are for your business to be located.”

How to Write a Business Plan

Now that you’ve developed your idea a little and established there is a market for it, you can begin writing a business plan. Getting started is easier with the business plan template we created for you to download. I strongly recommend using it as it is updated to make it easier to create an action plan. 

Each of the following should be a section of your business plan:

• Business Plan Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Description of Products and Services

SWOT Analysis

• Competitor Data
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing Expenses Strategy 

Pricing Strategy

• Distribution Channel Assessment
• Operational Plan
• Management and Organizational Strategy
• Financial Statements and/or Financial Projections

We’ll look into each of these. Don’t forget to download our free business plan template (mentioned just above) so you can follow along as we go. 

How to Write a Business Plan Step 1. Create a Cover Page

The first thing investors will see is the cover page for your business plan. Make sure it looks professional. A great cover page shows that you think about first impressions.

A good business plan should have the following elements on a cover page:

• Professionally designed logo
• Company name
• Mission or Vision Statement
• Contact Info

Basically, think of a cover page for your business plan like a giant business card. It is meant to capture people’s attention but be quickly processed.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 2. Create a Table of Contents

Most people are busy enough that they don’t have a lot of time. Providing a table of contents makes it easy for them to find the pages of your plan that are meaningful to them.

A table of contents will be immediately after the cover page, but you can include it after the executive summary. Including the table of contents immediately after the executive summary will help investors know what section of your business plan they want to review more thoroughly.

Check out Canva’s article about creating a  table of contents . It has a ton of great information about creating easy access to each section of your business plan. Just remember that you’ll want to use different strategies for digital and hard copy business plans.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 3. Write an Executive Summary

An executive summary is where your business plan should catch the readers interest.  It doesn’t need to be long, but should be quick and easy to read.

Mike told us,

How long should an executive summary bein an informal business plan?

For casual use, an executive summary should be similar to an elevator pitch, no more than 150-160 words, just enough to get them interested and wanting more. Indeed has a great article on elevator pitches .  This can also be used for the content of emails to get readers’ attention.

It consists of three basic parts:

• An introduction to you and your business.
• What your business is about.
• A call to action

Example of an informal executive summary 

One of the best elevator pitches I’ve used is:

So far that pitch has achieved a 100% success rate in getting partnerships for the business.

What should I include in an executive summary for investors?

Investors are going to need a more detailed executive summary if you want to secure financing or sell equity. The executive summary should be a brief overview of your entire business plan and include:

• Introduction of yourself and company.
• An origin story (Recognition of a problem and how you came to solution)
• An introduction to your products or services.
• Your unique value proposition. Make sure to include intellectual property.
• Where you are in the business life cycle
• Request and why you need it.

Successful business plan examples

The owner of Urbanity told us he spent 2 months writing a 75-page business plan and received a $250,000 loan from the bank when he was 23. Make your business plan as detailed as possible when looking for financing. We’ve provided a template to help you prepare the portions of a business plan that banks expect.

Here’s the interview with the owner of Urbanity:

When to write an executive summary?

Even though the summary is near the beginning of a business plan, you should write it after you complete the rest of a business plan. You can’t talk about revenue, profits, and expected expenditures if you haven’t done the market research and created a financial plan.

What mistakes do people make when writing an executive summary?

Business owners commonly go into too much detail about the following items in an executive summary:

• Marketing and sales processes
• Financial statements
• Organizational structure
• Market analysis

These are things that people will want to know later, but they don’t hook the reader. They won’t spark interest in your small business, but they’ll close the deal.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 4. Company Description

Every business plan should include a company description. A great business plan will include the following elements while describing the company:

• Mission statement
• Philosophy and vision
• Company goals

Target market

• Legal structure

Let’s take a look at what each section includes in a good business plan.

Mission Statement

A mission statement is a brief explanation of why you started the company and what the company’s main focus is. It should be no more than one or two sentences. Check out HubSpot’s article 27 Inspiring Mission Statement for a great read on informative and inspiring mission and vision statements. 

Company Philosophy and Vision

The company philosophy is what drives your company. You’ll normally hear them called core values.  These are the building blocks that make your company different. You want to communicate your values to customers, business owners, and investors as often as possible to build a company culture, but make sure to back them up.

What makes your company different?

Each company is different. Your new business should rise above the standard company lines of honesty, integrity, fun, innovation, and community when communicating your business values. The standard answers are corporate jargon and lack authenticity. 

Examples of core values

One of my clients decided to add a core values page to their website. As a tech company they emphasized the values:

•  Prioritize communication.
•  Never stop learning.
•  Be transparent.
•  Start small and grow incrementally.

These values communicate how the owner and the rest of the company operate. They also show a value proposition and competitive advantage because they specifically focus on delivering business value from the start. These values also genuinely show what the company is about and customers recognize the sincerity. Indeed has a great blog about how to identify your core values .

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement communicate the long lasting change a business pursues. The vision helps investors and customers understand what your company is trying to accomplish. The vision statement goes beyond a mission statement to provide something meaningful to the community, customer’s lives, or even the world.

Example vision statements

The Alzheimer’s Association is a great example of a vision statement:

A world without Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia.

It clearly tells how they want to change the world. A world without Alzheimers might be unachievable, but that means they always have room for improvement.

Business Goals

You have to measure success against goals for a business plan to be meaningful. A business plan helps guide a company similar to how your GPS provides a road map to your favorite travel destination. A goal to make as much money as possible is not inspirational and sounds greedy.

Sure, business owners want to increase their profits and improve customer service, but they need to present an overview of what they consider success. The goals should help everyone prioritize their work.

How far in advance should a business plan?

Business planning should be done at least one year in advance, but many banks and investors prefer three to five year business plans. Longer plans show investors that the management team  understands the market and knows the business is operating in a constantly shifting market. In addition, a plan helps businesses to adjust to changes because they have already considered how to handle them.

Example of great business goals

My all time-favorite long-term company goals are included in Tesla’s Master Plan, Part Deux . These goals were written in 2016 and drive the company’s decisions through 2026. They are the reason that investors are so forgiving when Elon Musk continually fails to meet his quarterly and annual goals.

If the progress aligns with the business plan investors are likely to continue to believe in the company. Just make sure the goals are reasonable or you’ll be discredited (unless you’re Elon Musk).

You did target market research before creating a business plan. Now it’s time to add it to the plan so others understand what your ideal customer looks like. As a new business owner, you may not be considered an expert in your field yet, so document everything. Make sure the references you use are from respectable sources. 

Use information from the specific lender when you are applying for lending. Most lenders provide industry research reports and using their data can strengthen the position of your business plan.

A small business plan should include a section on the external environment. Understanding the industry is crucial because we don’t plan a business in a vacuum. Make sure to research the industry trends, competitors, and forecasts. I personally prefer IBIS World for my business research. Make sure to answer questions like:

• What is the industry outlook long-term and short-term?
• How will your business take advantage of projected industry changes and trends?
• What might happen to your competitors and how will your business successfully compete?

Industry resources

Some helpful resources to help you establish more about your industry are:

• Trade Associations
• Federal Reserve
• Bureau of Labor Statistics

Legal Structure

There are five basic types of legal structures that most people will utilize:

• Sole proprietorships
• Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

Partnerships

Corporations.

• Franchises.

Each business structure has their pros and cons. An LLC is the most common legal structure due to its protection of personal assets and ease of setting up. Make sure to specify how ownership is divided and what roles each owner plays when you have more than one business owner.

You’ll have to decide which structure is best for you, but we’ve gathered information on each to make it easier.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is the easiest legal structure to set up but doesn’t protect the owner’s personal assets from legal issues. That means if something goes wrong, you could lose both your company and your home.

To start a sole proprietorship, fill out a special tax form called a  Schedule C . Sole proprietors can also join the American Independent Business Alliance .

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

An LLC is the most common business structure used in the United States because an LLC protects the owner’s personal assets. It’s similar to partnerships and corporations, but can be a single-member LLC in most states. An LLC requires a document called an operating agreement.

Each state has different requirements. Here’s a link to find your state’s requirements . Delaware and Nevada are common states to file an LLC because they are really business-friendly. Here’s a blog on the top 10 states to get an LLC.

Partnerships are typically for legal firms. If you choose to use a partnership choose a Limited Liability Partnership. Alternatively, you can just use an LLC.

Corporations are typically for massive organizations. Corporations have taxes on both corporate and income tax so unless you plan on selling stock, you are better off considering an LLC with S-Corp status . Investopedia has good information corporations here .

There are several opportunities to purchase successful franchises. TopFranchise.com has a list of companies in a variety of industries that offer franchise opportunities. This makes it where an entrepreneur can benefit from the reputation of an established business that has already worked out many of the kinks of starting from scratch.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 5. Products and Services

This section of the business plan should focus on what you sell, how you source it, and how you sell it. You should include:

• Unique features that differentiate your business products from competitors
• Intellectual property
• Your supply chain
• Cost and pricing structure 

Questions to answer about your products and services

Mike gave us a list  of the most important questions to answer about your product and services:

• How will you be selling the product? (in person, ecommerce, wholesale, direct to consumer)?
• How do you let them know they need a product?
• How do you communicate the message?
• How will you do transactions?
• How much will you be selling it for?
• How many do you think you’ll sell and why?

Make sure to use the worksheet on our business plan template .

How to Write a Business Plan Step 6. Sales and Marketing Plan

The marketing and sales plan is focused on the strategy to bring awareness to your company and guides how you will get the product to the consumer.  It should contain the following sections:

SWOT Analysis stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Not only do you want to identify them, but you also want to document how the business plans to deal with them.

Business owners need to do a thorough job documenting how their service or product stacks up against the competition.

If proper research isn’t done, investors will be able to tell that the owner hasn’t researched the competition and is less likely to believe that the team can protect its service from threats by the more well-established competition. This is one of the most common parts of a presentation that trips up business owners presenting on Shark Tank .

SWOT Examples

Examples of strengths and weaknesses could be things like the lack of cash flow, intellectual property ownership, high costs of suppliers, and customers’ expectations on shipping times.

Opportunities could be ways to capitalize on your strengths or improve your weaknesses, but may also be gaps in the industry. This includes:

• Adding offerings that fit with your current small business
• Increase sales to current customers
• Reducing costs through bulk ordering
• Finding ways to reduce inventory
•  And other areas you can improve

Threats will normally come from outside of the company but could also be things like losing a key member of the team. Threats normally come from competition, regulations, taxes, and unforeseen events.

The management team should use the SWOT analysis to guide other areas of business planning, but it absolutely has to be done before a business owner starts marketing. 

Include Competitor Data in Your Business Plan

When you plan a business, taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the competition is key to navigating the field. Providing an overview of your competition and where they are headed shows that you are invested in understanding the industry.

For smaller businesses, you’ll want to search both the company and the owners names to see what they are working on. For publicly held corporations, you can find their quarterly and annual reports on the SEC website .

What another business plans to do can impact your business. Make sure to include things that might make it attractive for bigger companies to outsource to a small business.

Marketing Strategy

The marketing and sales part of business plans should be focused on how you are going to make potential customers aware of your business and then sell to them.

If you haven’t already included it, Mike recommends:

“They’ll want to know about Demographics, ages, and wealth of your target market.”

Make sure to include the Total addressable market .  The term refers to the value if you captured 100% of the market.

Advertising Strategy

You’ll explain what formats of advertising you’ll be using. Some possibilities are:

• Online: Facebook and Google are the big names to work with here.
• Print : Print can be used to reach broad groups or targeted markets. Check out this for tips .
• Radio : iHeartMedia is one of the best ways to advertise on the radio
• Cable television : High priced, hard to measure ROI, but here’s an explanation of the process
• Billboards: Attracting customers with billboards can be beneficial in high traffic areas.

You’ll want to define how you’ll be using each including frequency, duration, and cost. If you have the materials already created, including pictures or links to the marketing to show creative assets.

Mike told us “Most businesses are marketing digitally now due to Covid, but that’s not always the right answer.”

Make sure the marketing strategy will help team members or external marketing agencies stay within the brand guidelines .

This section of a business plan should be focused on pricing. There are a ton of pricing strategies that may work for different business plans. Which one will work for you depends on what kind of a business you run.

Some common pricing strategies are:

• Value-based pricing – Commonly used with home buying and selling or other products that are status symbols.
• Skimming pricing – Commonly seen in video game consoles, price starts off high to recoup expenses quickly, then reduces over time.
• Competition-based pricing – Pricing based on competitors’ pricing is commonly seen at gas stations.
• Freemium services –  Commonly used for software, where there is a free plan, then purchase options for more functionality.

HubSpot has a great calculator and blog on pricing strategies.

Beyond explaining what strategy your business plans to use, you should include references for how you came to this pricing strategy and how it will impact your cash flow.

Distribution Plan

This part of a business plan is focused on how the product or service is going to go through the supply chain. These may include multiple divisions or multiple companies. Make sure to include any parts of the workflow that are automated so investors can see where cost savings are expected and when.

Supply Chain Examples

For instance, lawn care companies  would need to cover aspects such as:

• Suppliers for lawn care equipment and tools
• Any chemicals or treatments needed
• Repair parts for sprinkler systems
• Vehicles to transport equipment and employees
• Insurance to protect the company vehicles and people.

Examples of Supply Chains

These are fairly flat supply chains compared to something like a clothing designer where the clothes would go through multiple vendors. A clothing company might have the following supply chain:

• Raw materials
• Shipping of raw materials
• Converting of raw materials to thread
• Shipping thread to produce garments
• Garment producer
• Shipping to company
• Company storage
• Shipping to retail stores

There have been advances such as print on demand that eliminate many of these steps. If you are designing completely custom clothing, all of this would need to be planned to keep from having business disruptions.

The main thing to include in the business plan is the list of suppliers, the path the supply chain follows, the time from order to the customer’s home, and the costs associated with each step of the process.

According to BizPlanReview , a business plan without this information is likely to get rejected because they have failed to research the key elements necessary to make sales to the customer.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 7. Company Organization and Operational Plan

This part of the business plan is focused on how the business model will function while serving customers.  The business plan should provide an overview of  how the team will manage the following aspects:

Quality Control

• Legal environment

Let’s look at each for some insight.

Production has already been discussed in previous sections so I won’t go into it much. When writing a business plan for investors, try to avoid repetition as it creates a more simple business plan.

If the organizational plan will be used by the team as an overview of how to perform the best services for the customer, then redundancy makes more sense as it communicates what is important to the business.

Quality control policies help to keep the team focused on how to verify that the company adheres to the business plan and meets or exceeds customer expectations.

Quality control can be anything from a standard that says “all labels on shirts can be no more than 1/16″ off center” to a defined checklist of steps that should be performed and filled out for every customer.

There are a variety of organizations that help define quality control including:

• International Organization for Standardization – Quality standards for energy, technology, food, production environments, and cybersecurity
• AICPA – Standard defined for accounting.
• The Joint Commission – Healthcare
• ASHRAE – HVAC best practices

You can find lists of the organizations that contribute most to the government regulation of industries on Open Secrets . Research what the leaders in your field are doing. Follow their example and implement it in your quality control plan.

For location, you should use information from the market research to establish where the location will be. Make sure to include the following in the location documentation.

• The size of your location
• The type of building (retail, industrial, commercial, etc.)
• Zoning restrictions – Urban Wire has a good map on how zoning works in each state
• Accessibility – Does it meet ADA requirements?
• Costs including rent, maintenance, utilities, insurance and any buildout or remodeling costs
• Utilities – b.e.f. has a good energy calculator .

Legal Environment

The legal requirement section is focused on defining how to meet the legal requirements for your industry. A good business plan should include all of the following:

• Any licenses and/or permits that are needed and whether you’ve obtained them
• Any trademarks, copyrights, or patents that you have or are in the process of applying for
• The insurance coverage your business requires and how much it costs
• Any environmental, health, or workplace regulations affecting your business
• Any special regulations affecting your industry
• Bonding requirements, if applicable

Your local SBA office can help you establish requirements in your area. I strongly recommend using them. They are a great resource.

Your business plan should include a plan for company organization and hiring. While you may be the only person with the company right now, down the road you’ll need more people. Make sure to consider and document the answers to the following questions:

• What is the current leadership structure and what will it look like in the future?
• What types of employees will you have? Are there any licensing or educational requirements?
• How many employees will you need?
• Will you ever hire freelancers or independent contractors?
• What is each position’s job description?
• What is the pay structure (hourly, salaried, base plus commission, etc.)?
• How do you plan to find qualified employees and contractors?

One of the most crucial parts of a business plan is the organizational chart. This simply shows the positions the company will need, who is in charge of them and the relationship of each of them. It will look similar to this:

Our small business plan template has a much more in-depth organizational chart you can edit to include when you include the organizational chart in your business plan.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 8. Financial Statements 

No business plan is complete without financial statements or financial projections. The business plan format will be different based on whether you are writing a business plan to expand a business or a startup business plan. Let’s dig deeper into each.

Provide All Financial Income from an Existing Business

An existing business should use their past financial documents including the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement to find trends to estimate the next 3-5 years.

You can create easy trendlines in excel to predict future revenue, profit and loss, cash flow, and other changes in year-over-year performance. This will show your expected performance assuming business continues as normal.

If you are seeking an investment, then the business is probably not going to continue as normal. Depending on the financial plan and the purpose of getting financing, adjustments may be needed to the following:

• Higher Revenue if expanding business
• Lower Cost of Goods Sold if purchasing inventory with bulk discounts
• Adding interest if utilizing financing (not equity deal)
• Changes in expenses
• Addition of financing information to the cash flow statement
• Changes in Earnings per Share on the balance sheet

Financial modeling is a challenging subject, but there are plenty of low-cost courses on the subject. If you need help planning your business financial documentation take some time to watch some of them.

Make it a point to document how you calculated all the changes to the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement in your business plan so that key team members or investors can verify your research.

Financial Projections For A Startup Business Plan

Unlike an existing business, a startup doesn’t have previous success to model its future performance. In this scenario, you need to focus on how to make a business plan realistic through the use of industry research and averages.

Mike gave the following advice in his interview:

Financial Forecasting Mistakes

One of the things a lot of inexperienced people use is the argument, “If I get one percent of the market, it is worth $100 million.” If you use this, investors are likely to file the document under bad business plan examples.

Let’s use custom t-shirts as an example.

Credence Research estimated in 2018 there were 11,334,800,000 custom t-shirts sold for a total of $206.12 Billion, with a 6% compound annual growth rate.

With that data,  you can calculate that the industry will grow to $270 Billion in 2023 and that the average shirt sold creates $18.18 in revenue.

Combine that with an IBIS World estimate of 11,094 custom screen printers and that means even if you become an average seller, you’ll get .009% of the market.

Here’s a table for easier viewing of that information.

The point here is to make sure your business proposal examples make sense.

You’ll need to know industry averages such as cost of customer acquisition, revenue per customer, the average cost of goods sold, and admin costs to be able to create accurate estimates.

Our simple business plan templates walk you through most of these processes. If you follow them you’ll have a good idea of how to write a business proposal.

How to Write a Business Plan Step 9. Business Plan Example of Funding Requests

What is a business plan without a plan on how to obtain funding?

The Small Business Administration has an example for a pizza restaurant that theoretically needed nearly $20k to make it through their first month.

In our video, How to Start a $500K/Year T-Shirt Business (Pt. 1 ), Sanford Booth told us he needed about $200,000 to start his franchise and broke even after 4 months.

Freshbooks estimates it takes on average 2-3 years for a business to be profitable, which means the fictitious pizza company from the SBA could need up to $330k to make it through that time and still pay their bills for their home and pizza shop.

Not every business needs that much to start, but realistically it’s a good idea to assume that you need a fairly large cushion.

Ways to get funding for a small business

There are a variety of ways to cover this. the most common are:

• Bootstrapping – Using your savings without external funding.
• Taking out debt – loans, credit cards
• Equity, Seed Funding – Ownership of a percentage of the company in exchange for current funds
• Crowdsourcing – Promising a good for funding to create the product

Keep reading for more tips on how to write a business plan.

How funding will be used

When asking for business financing make sure to include:

• How much to get started?
• What is the minimum viable product and how soon can you make money?
• How will the money be spent?

Mike emphasized two aspects that should be included in every plan, 

How to Write a Business Plan Resources

Here are some links to a business plan sample and business plan outline. 

• Sample plan

It’s also helpful to follow some of the leading influencers in the business plan writing community. Here’s a list:

• Wise Plans –  Shares a lot of information on starting businesses and is a business plan writing company.
• Optimus Business Plans –  Another business plan writing company.
• Venture Capital – A venture capital thread that can help give you ideas.

How to Write a Business Plan: What’s Next?

We hope this guide about how to write a simple business plan step by step has been helpful. We’ve covered:

• The definition of a business plan
• Coming up with a business idea
• Performing market research
• The critical components of a business plan
• An example business plan

In addition, we provided you with a simple business plan template to assist you in the process of writing your startup business plan. The startup business plan template also includes a business model template that will be the key to your success.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our business hub .

Have you written a business plan before? How did it impact your ability to achieve your goals?

80% of businesses fail... Learn how not to.

Learn from business failures and successes in 5 min or less. The stories, frameworks, and tactics that will make you a 10x better founder.

Brandon Boushy

Related articles

Best Pressure Washer Trailer Setup (2024)

When you start a pressure washing business, you need the best mobile pressure washer trailer setup you can afford.

Don’t worry if you don’t know what you need. We provide the ultimate guide to buying or building a commercial pressure washer setup. We talked to the team at Brown’s Pressure Washing business to find out what equipment they use for their pressure washer setup.

[su_note note_color="#dbeafc"]

What is a pressure washer trailer?

Increase mobility, organize better, protect equipment, project a professional image, improve workflows, scale easier, benefits of a pressure washer truck setup, pressure washers, hoses and reels, power source, chemical tank, reclaim tank, accessories and customization, controls and safety features, buy a mobile pressure washing trailer, build a homemade pressure washer trailer setup.

• What trailer setup will you get? [/su_note]

Pressure washer trailers are single or dual-axle trailers that include:

• A self-contained gas, electric, or diesel-powered hot or cold water pressure washer
• Water tanks

You can add chrome fittings and other accessories to improve your workflow and make your job easier. You might also add a recovery system to your mobile wash trailer. The reclamation allows you to recover dirty water from pressure washing and safely dispose of or reuse the water.

Pro Tip: This allows you to comply with most municipal and environmental regulations that govern wash-water runoff, which is an essential part of running a successful power washing business.

Pressure washer trailers must meet requirements outlined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) and may be certified by the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers ( NATM ).

What are the benefits of pressure washer trailer systems?

Investing in a mobile pressure washing trailer for your pressure washing rig can offer several advantages and benefits. Here are some reasons why it might be a worthwhile investment:

Let’s look at how a pressure washer trailer achieves each of these objectives.

A pressure washing trailer setup provides the ability to transport your pressure washing equipment easily and efficiently. You can connect to a vehicle and take your pressure wash rig to multiple job sites or locations without disconnecting and reassembling the equipment each time.

You’ll save time, money, and effort, especially when you have multiple projects or sites daily.

A pressure washer trailer provides dedicated space for your pressure washing equipment, accessories, and tools. You’ll benefit from having everything in one place so you’ll know exactly where to look for what you need.

You can customize the trailer with racks, shelves, and compartments to optimize storage and know your trailer-mounted equipment is secure during transportation.

A commercial pressure washer trailer often provides secure weatherproof storage for your pressure washing equipment. Power washing trailers protect your investments from rain, snow, and UV exposure. You’ll reduce deterioration and damage, plus the power washing trailer locks deter theft of equipment.

A dedicated trailer for your pressure washing rig enhances how your customers view you. It conveys a more professional and organized appearance. Clients may perceive you as more reliable and serious about your work, which can improve trust, customer satisfaction, and value perception compared to other pressure washers.

Optimize your business workflows and increase efficiency with a well-designed trailer. Customize your pressure washer trailer with features like water tanks, hose reels, and equipment mounting options to streamline your operations.

You’ll have easier access to water sources, more efficient hose management, and quicker setup and teardown. Each of these reduces downtime and improves productivity so you can take more jobs each day.

Investing in a pressure washer trailer provides flexibility for future growth and tool expansion. As your pressure washing business grows, you can easily add more equipment or upgrade your rig without worrying about storage limitations or constraints.

A power washing trailer offers the capacity and versatility to accommodate additional equipment or accessories as demand for your services increases.

It’s important to carefully assess your specific business needs, budget, and operational requirements before buying a trailer for your pressure washing rig.

Pro Tip: Measure the dimensions and weight of your machine, fuel tanks, and large water tank before choosing a pressure washer trailer.

You’ll also need to gather additional information about the capacity of the trailer, towing capacity of your vehicle, and any local regulations or permits that pertain to towing a powerwash trailer.

Next, let’s look at why Brown’s prefers a truck bed pressure washer setup.

Pressure washing trucks like the one pictured above can be a great alternative to pulling pressure washing trailers around behind your vehicles. A pressure wash truck setup serves all the same benefits as a washer trailer and has some additional advantages. You might prefer a pressure washing truck set up for these reasons:

• More compact : Trailers can add an additional 10 to 20 feet to a vehicle, which makes it difficult to travel in congested cities. A power washing truck requires less space.
• Less maintenance : You won’t have to replace wheels on a trailer if you get a skid for a truck, though you’ll still have to maintain your power washing trucks.
• Less storage space : A power washer truck will fit in a single parking space, while a power washer trailer will need its own space. That means you’ll need only half the parking.

A mobile pressure washing company will probably want to consider the pros and cons of each, but the team at Brown’s considers a truck pressure washer rig better than a power washer trailer.

Want to learn more about pressure washing?

Brown's Pressure Washing share their tips and strategies about how they've reached their success in out article on starting a pressure washing business. Learn more here .

Next, let’s look at what to include in a pressure washer trailer system.

Best pressure washer trailer setup for under $25K

Brown’s Pressure Washing uses a pressure washing truck setup that includes:

• 8 GPM @ 3500 PSI Honda Gx690 pressure washer
• 18-gallon fuel tank
• 200-gallon water tank
• 100-gallon chemical tank
• 7-gallon soap tank
• Interstate deep cycle marine battery
• 3-18” electric hose reels
• 7 GPM 12v chemical pump with metering system
• 250’ water house
• 200’ pressure hose
• 200’ chemical hose
• 20” surface cleaner
• Remotes to operate equipment

Josiah Le Beau, the Operations Manager at Brown’s Pressure Washing, told us:

[su_quote]We also add some additional technology that helps us operate our equipment through remotes which increase efficiency and an overall better cleaning for the homeowner! Everything all together cost around $23,000.[/su_quote]

Check out their custom pressure washer setup for trucks in the interview below.

Next, we discuss the elements you’ll want to include in your pressure washing rigs.

The skid frame is a sturdy and durable platform made of metal, such as steel or aluminum. It is where you mount the pressure washer components and accessories.

The skid frame design can easily be put in a truck bed or trailer for easy transportation and stability. If you have a big multi-day job you can even take it out and leave it on the job site. You can buy skids online but the closest option to Brown’s current pressure washer setup with add-ons is the Alumimax Pro Pressure Wash Skid .

Brown’s Pressure Washing recommends the 8 GPM, 3500 PSI Honda Gx690 Pressure Washer. This gas machine is the heart of their custom rig.

You might choose an electric-powered unit instead of a gas-powered washer depending on your preferences and needs. You’ll connect the pressure washer securely to the skid frame, often with vibration-dampening mounts to reduce noise and enhance its operational stability.

Learn about some of the best pressure washers for each type of cleaning job.

You’ll need hoses for the pressure washer to be truck or trailer-mounted. Brown’s uses three color-coded hoses on electric reels. The hoses are:

• 250’ Water hose ($299)
• 200’ Pressure hose ($259)
• 200’ Chemical hose($259)

You’ll want each hose to be rated to handle a minimum of 3500 PSI (or whatever your pressure washer is rated) so that you can utilize the power washers full force on bigger jobs. Brown’s color codes their hoses and uses Kings hose reels .

You’ll notice that they have both hand crank and electrical options in the picture above.

Your power source will consist of an electrical battery or a fuel tank. If you use any electrical components with a trailer-mounted gas washer, you may need both.

Fuel tank (gas-powered only)

Your mobile power washer trailer will need fuel for the engine. Brown’s uses an 18-gallon fuel tank like the one in the picture below. We have provided one that appears to have similar features in our Amazon shop .

Battery (solar optional)

You’ll need a battery to power electric pressure washers and any other electrical equipment. Brown’s uses an Interstate deep cycle marine battery.

You’ll probably want a way to charge it, too. There are a variety of ways to charge batteries including solar, alternators, or heat reclamation turbines.

Custom pressure washer rigs often incorporate a self-contained water tank instead of connecting a hose to the water supply at the job site. The tank is securely fastened to the skid frame and may include features like baffles for stability during transport.

The team at Brown’s suggested getting a 200-gallon-capacity tank to meet the needs of most applications, including residential, business, and small industrial jobs.

You will also want a separate tank for the chemicals in your pressure washer setup. Brown’s suggests a 100-gallon chemical tank because companies will use two parts water to one part chemicals.

The pressure washing industry uses a lot of water. Brown’s 8 GPM setup uses as much water in 45 minutes as the average U.S. household uses in a whole day.

Reclaiming water may be required in your area, but even if it isn’t, it may reduce your long-term costs because you can filter it and reuse it.

Custom rigs on skids can be customized to include various accessories based on specific requirements. These may include surface cleaners, extension wands, nozzles, spray guns, and chemical injection systems. The accessories can be mounted on the skid frame or stored in dedicated compartments for easy access and organization.

Custom rigs on skids typically include controls and safety features for convenient and safe operation. This may include pressure control valves, thermal protection, safety switches, and pressure gauges. These components ensure optimal performance, protection against overheating, and safe use of the pressure washer system.

Custom pressure washer rigs built on skids offer flexibility, portability, and efficient organization of equipment. They are commonly used in various industries such as construction, property maintenance, agriculture, and fleet cleaning, where a self-contained and transportable pressure washing system is beneficial. The customization options allow for tailoring the rig to specific needs, ensuring optimal performance and productivity on the job.

Take UpFlip & Brown's Pressure Washing Course

Learn everything you know about starting a pressure washing business from the amazing team at Brown's Pressure Washing. Explore this FREE masterclass to get a glimpse of what's awaiting you inside.

Get your own pressure washer trailer

You have two options to get your first pressure washing trailer:

• Buy a fully assembled pressure washer trailer.
• Buy the components and build a pressure washer trailer.

Josiah told us:

[su_quote]I recommend that you start with a skid build-out for your pressure washing business. You can easily haul it in the bed of your truck, or if you don’t have a truck, you can haul it on a trailer until you get a truck that will fit it.[/su_quote]

When you first start a pressure washing business, you’ll probably want to buy a commercial pressure washing setup so you can start cleaning quicker.

You can find trailers and truck systems by searching terms like:

• Power wash trailer for sale
• Soft wash systems for sale
• Power wash trailers
• Soft washing trailer
• Pressure washer for trucks

Places to buy pressure washer setups

Southeast Trailer: This company offers options for a pressure washer setup. Businesses have options ranging from $1,399 to nearly $50K.

Northern Tool: Consider pressure washing setups ranging from $300 to $20K+ . You can choose from softwash systems for sale, power wash trailer setups (hot water), commercial pressure washing trailer (cold) setups, and more.

Once you develop expertise in your mobile cleaning business, it may be worth it to spend extra money on a custom wash trailer. You’ll save money by buying each piece of equipment separately, but you’ll have to perform the installation work or pay someone else to do it.

This route will require:

• Gather all your equipment.
• Build a complete skid.
• Secure equipment to the skid.
• Secure the skid to the power wash truck or softwash trailer.

What you’re saving in costs, you’ll be spending in sweat equity. Based on this setup , which is comparable to Josiah’s, it appears you can buy a similar model truck power wash unit for about $7K more than it would cost to build it yourself.

While it may be cheaper, you should decide whether the $7K is worth the time it will take to build out your rig or whether it’s better to buy a truck or trailer on the open market

What trailer setup will you get?

There are tons of options to expand your pressure washing business and improve efficiency. Making all these decision can be hard. Simplify your decision making with our Pressure Washing Class .

Will you choose a homemade trailer setup or a pre-built one? What quality and features are most important to your business?

Product Development: The Ultimate Guide (2024)

• What is the product development definition?
• How to create a product?
• What is the difference between methodology, strategy, and framework?

What is the product development process?

• What are product development cycles?
• What are the steps in the new product development process?
• What kind of software is used in product development?

What is product development?

• Pharmaceuticals
• Custom made products
• How he came up with his idea.
• How he used crowdfunding to cover the costs of product development.
• Challenges he faced while developing his products and market strategy.

Why is product development important?

• Pushes the world forward.
• Provides insights into your customer needs.
• Establishes potential demand.
• Increases the quality of your products.
• Reduces the cost of failed projects.

Some terminology help

• Methodologies

Product Development Methodologies

Agile product development

• Gather information

Lean product development

Waterfall product development.

• Idea generation : In this phase the product development team is looking for product ideas that will fulfill customer needs. If you don’t have a team, you can throw around product ideas with your friends, mentor, or hire advisors.
• Idea screening : This part of the product development process refers to eliminating ideas that your company cannot reasonably implement. For instance, if you need a billion dollars, you probably need to nix the idea. Lack of skills or the time to market might be other reasons to abandon a project, especially when 41% of projects fail to meet their deadlines. User feedback and market research surveys are ways to find out if potential customers would buy the product concept. This is the point when it is least costly to eliminate product ideas.
• Concept development : This is the latest you want to get the customer involved. You’ll want to pursue user feedback, market research surveys, or other means of establishing whether potential customers would buy the product concept. This is the point when it is least costly to eliminate product ideas. This can be as inexpensive as printing a t-shirt and wearing it.
• Market strategy: You’ll want to identify the product marketing strategy during this product development phase. You’ll want to consider the four P’s of marketing: product, price, promotion and place.
• Business case analysis : In earlier stages of new product development, you were focused on if they would buy the idea. Now you are trying to figure out whether the idea is worth the cost of business resources and time that will be expended.
• Technical design : This part of the product development cycle is focused on turning the prototype into a functioning sellable product.
• Product roadmap: I would typically want a product roadmap created much earlier because getting operations, marketing, finance, and production involved this late in the game will hinder the ability of other departments to really impact the concept development.
• Test marketing : You’ll want to do more market research to validate the entire product, including the packaging, advertising, and distribution. You’ll perform test marketing by presenting the final product to the target market and gathering input. Given the cost of market release, you want to make sure the product and its packaging are acceptable before you start paying for mass production, a marketing campaign, and shipping.
• Product launch : This is the market introduction to the product. You’ll be making the target market aware of your offering and start to develop market share based on how well you meet the market needs. 

You don’t have to follow a development process to be successful

Product development frameworks .

• Quality Control : ISO 9000  
• Cybersecurity : ISO/IEC 27001
• Occupational Health and Safety : ISO 45000

What Is Product Development Strategy?

• How to find opportunities to build your product line.
• How to decide which opportunities are good ideas.
• How to build upon the opportunities.
• How to spread word about the new products.
• How to monetize the new products.

Product Portfolio Strategies

How to create products

• Gauge interest
• Connect with prospective customers
• Perform feasibility analysis 
• Brainstorm ideas.
• Evaluate the feasibility of the product idea.
• Turn the idea into a set of specifications.
• Create a minimum viable product.
• Gather input.
• Bring the product to market.

What is the first step in the new product development process?

• Customer feedback
• Sales team observations
• Marketing team suggestions
• Design team limitations
• Proposed business model
• Distribution strategy
• Feature requests
• Competitor advancements in the field
• Other industries that have advancements
• New technology that allows you to create lighter more efficient products
• Science fiction movies (I’m still waiting on a replicator from Star Trek. I hope it works better than the one below, though.)

In product development, what are the specifications?

• What problem are you trying to solve with the project concept?
• Who will be using the product?
• What are the high-level processes the product development team needs to follow?
• What features does the product development need to include?
• What limitations should the product team take into consideration? Finances? Brand guidelines? The margin of error? Pricing points? Timeline? 
• How will it work within existing product lines? Does it need to integrate with existing products? Does it need new equipment to create?
• Do you have the supply chain to create the finished product?

What is product development in fashion?

• Draw, design on a computer, or find photos that show the inspiration for what you want the product to look like.
• Find materials you want to use. 
• Find a seamstress to help you create a prototype.
• Adjust the prototype to fit properly based on your target customer.
• Create cut sheets and tech packs . 
• Source and manufacture in bulk.

Software Specifications

• Requirements analysis: What are the end user goals? How will they use the software? Does the software need to work offline on mobile devices? How fast does it need to be (200 ms is considered perfect from a speed standpoint).
• Create specifications for a minimum viable product.
• Create wireframes or a prototype to show what the user will experience once the software is complete. These are just graphical representations. They aren’t fully functional. 
• Upon approval of the prototype, start building the backend and optimizing the software for performance.
• Deploy to beta testers.
• Fix major defects.
• Release to target market.
• Provide technical support.
• Add new features and improvements.

How can a company's salespeople help with product development?

• The sales team is customer-facing, while you might be more focused on the management of the company, employees, and financials. 
• Good employees are a great source of idea generation because they know what the customers ask them. 
• They know what challenges they currently have supporting existing products.
• Salespeople can help find external beta testers.
• They’ll spread the word as the product development project approaches a finished product.
• Sales team involvement will create a better overall product launch because the marketing strategy, sales strategy, and pricing are discussed earlier.
• Your team will be able to make a better business case to your target audience.
• They can warn you when you are about to invest thousands or millions in a product that won’t meet users needs.

What is the product development life cycle?

• Product development
• Product launch
• Increased adoption
• Peak market share
• Declining demand

What are the 5 stages of product development?

• Idea generation
• Product idea screening
• Concept development
• Monetization

What are the steps of internal product development?

• Idea generation: Start by defining the problem(s) you are trying to solve. You’ll want input from all employees who will be impacted.
• Product idea screening : Does the idea solve the problem? What new problems could it create? Is it cost-effective? Which appears to be the best solution?
• Concept development: Here you’ll want to focus on evaluating the best ideas further and answer the following questions: Do you have the ability to implement the idea in-house or will you need to hire subcontractors? Is the current work creating the expected results? Should alterations be made?
• Product development: Does the solution work effectively? How are you going to train the team on the product? What bugs need to be fixed?

What are the steps of external product development?

• Idea generation: Use customer feedback, surveys, and analytics to find ideas. 
• Product idea screening : Establish whether the idea makes sense by presenting it to customers before spending a lot of money.
• Concept development : Improve the idea using customer feedback.
• Product development : Build the product and gather information on whether it solves the customers' problem.
• Monetize : Marketing should kick into high gear. Start monitoring customer feedback as more people buy the product.

What are the steps of concurrent product development?

• Business owner has an initial concept to serve a target audience.
• Employees from all departments ask questions to evaluate the product concept.
• Each department works on their pieces in parallel and shares with others frequently.
• By the time the new product is ready for manufacturing, the team is ready to launch.

An engineer who needs to manage new product development might use what type of software?

• Planview : This software is supposedly phenomenal for enterprise-level organizations. (I have not tested it, though.)
• Monday.com : UpFlip and Monday.com have a partnership, and we consider Monday the best overall CRM and project management tool. You will definitely want to work with their support because many of their features are complex. 
• Craft.io : This program has two 5-star reviews on Trustpilot, and they say it is easier to use than Aha or ProductPlan. Check out the Craft.io site for more information. This software is particularly good when you need help prioritizing features.
• Walling : This software for product development is most helpful for visualization with mood boards and easily viewing inspirational ideas to understand better what people are thinking. It has a 4.5 to 5-star rating on different review sites. People seem to like it, but we haven’t tested it.

• ProductBoard : This software is built for customers to be highly involved in the process. It seems to do well and has 4.3 to 4.7- star reviews on different sites. I might test ProductBoard because there’s a software product I want to create.
• ProdPad : If you want software with AI for business analysis built-in, this is probably the product life cycle software for you. It helps identify easy wins and resource-wasting ideas to make your development team more efficient.
• Dragonboat : This product development software is focused on making it easier to manage your organizational performance regarding objectives and key results (OKRs). Dragonboat makes it easy for you to see where you are in the product roadmap and how it connects to the OKRs.
• ClickUp : We use ClickUp at UpFlip to manage our content. It has a product management template that I set up to check out. It’s fairly basic but covers everything you need from an operational aspect during the design process. Check out more useful ClickUp templates .
• Airfocus : The Airfocus platform is a newcomer that seems to be receiving a lot of recognition for how it functions. It has four 5-star reviews on Trustpilot and focuses on product roadmap prioritization and presentation.

Other useful software you might want

• Canva : Easy software for graphic design and social media marketing. I spent 66 hours using Canva for 180 designs in one year. It works for business cards and t-shirts, too.
• Autodesk Software : Autodesk is a leader in engineering software. You can use their inventor suite to design products, but it’s pricey.
• Google Forms : Use these to gather initial feedback and responses as you test marketing. They have just enough functionality for the product manager to evaluate the results quickly and are included if you use a Google business email. 
• Upwork or Fiverr : Both Upwork and Fiverr are great places to hire freelancers to help accomplish your goals without hiring product development companies. You can hire a top rated product development manager or hire a freelancer for just one aspect of the process. 

What is your experience with product development?

How to Get a Cleaning Business License: 50 State Guide

Do I need a license to clean houses?

• Many people own home-based businesses and may deduct their payments to cleaning businesses from their business income.
• The Internal Revenue Service requires that companies report on payments to subcontractors that they pay more than $600 per year.
• Government officials can see social media pages, paid ads, and car magnets.
• Your cleaning service has employees.

What are the legal requirements for startup a cleaning business?

• All locations will need a Limited Liability Company (LLC) , Corporation , or “Doing Business As ( DBA )” for each state your business entity will be operating. These require filing with the Secretary of State (SOS) for each state.
• Eleven states specifically require a state business license . We’ll discuss each in their respective sections.
• At least 31 states have counties requiring cleaning services licenses to operate a small business in the cleaning industry. These will commonly be filed with the county clerk.
• At least seven states have cities requiring a business license to offer services within the city limits. Check with your city business licensing department for information.
• An Employer Identification Number is required when companies hire employees. Make sure to get one from the IRS and keep it somewhere safe. This is required to pay payroll taxes.
• Surety bonds : Some states, counties, or cities require a surety bond to protect customers against losses due to the behavior of cleaning businesses. They will normally specify where to get the surety bond.
• State Tax Documents : States may collect income tax, business taxes, and sales taxes. Consult with a tax attorney about this information.
• Insurance : There are a variety of insurance requirements, including workers' compensation, unemployment, and others. For instance, a small business that is cleaning large commercial buildings may need $1M to $2M general liability to perform work on the customer’s property.

How do I get a license for a cleaning business?

2022 NAICS Cleaning Codes

• 561720 : Standard janitorial, housekeeping, and commercial cleaning
• 561740 : Carpet, furniture, upholstery cleaning
• 561790 : Specialty cleaning like power washing, ducts, plumbing, gutters, parking lots, gutters
• Other less common specialty cleaners for crops, rice, poultry, oil, coal, and gas

Choose Your State

How to get a cleaning license in alabama.

• Alabama SOS : Register an LLC or Corporation or register the name of a sole proprietorship or partnership. To register a business name, you’ll need to file a notarized document with the County Probate offices as well.
• Alabama Taxes : Pay income and business taxes. There’s no fee to get the taxpayer ID number.
• County Probate Offices : You’ll get your business license and name filed and notarized here. The costs of the business license range from about $9 to $24 based on population size.

How Cleaning Businesses Get a License in Alaska

• Alaska SOS : Register your cleaning company and get a state business license. Business licenses are approximately $25 for the name, $50 per year for sole proprietors, and $100 for other companies.
• Alaska Taxes : This is not applicable unless you have to file because you file a federal partnership.
• Fairbanks : Requires a $40 initial fee and a renewal fee that varies based on the Consumer Price Index and the gross receipts.
• Nome : Requires a business license (unspecified amount), reseller’s permit, and 5% sales tax collection with an extra 2% during May through August.
• UTQIAĠVIK (Barrow) : Licensing runs around $150 if filed before December 31 and $250 if late.

How to Get a Cleaning Business License in Arizona

• Arizona SOS : If you need a DBA, LLC, or Corporation, you need to apply with the SOS.
• Arizona Taxes : Sole proprietors and partnerships need to file estimated income tax. They don't need to pay sales taxes.
• Cities in Arizona: There are at least 17 jurisdictions that have other requirements.

Cleaning Business License in Arkansas

• Arkansas Taxpayer Access Point (ATAP) : House cleaning services are taxable in Arkansas, so you’ll need to register your business through the ATAP and collect sales taxes on your services. Sole proprietors also must pay estimated self-employment income taxes on form AR1002ES.
• List of County Clerks : “Doing business as” (DBA) names must be registered with the county clerk's office before you do business. Failing to register them may result in daily fines . 
• Cities in Arkansas: Many cities in Arkansas have additional licensing requirements for businesses operating within their limits. The application fee varies from $50 to $1,000 or more, depending on the type of business. If you don’t see your city on the list below, contact your county clerk to learn if you need a license in your municipality. You can also use their Local Tax Lookup Tool to determine your local tax rates.

How to Get a Cleaning License in California

• CalGold : This is the license and permit portal for the state of California. Typing in your information will lead you to the county and city licensing requirements for your area, as well as any federal or state permits that you’ll need. You can also apply for an LLC here.
• California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) : All businesses in California must register with the state tax department. However, house cleaning services are not taxable, so you do not need to pay sales tax. 
• Cities in California : At least 22 cities in California require a business license. You can access permit and license information through CalGold, or use the links below to go straight to the page for your city:

Janitorial Cleaning Business License: California

Cleaning business license in colorado.

• MyBizColorado : Register your business name and register with the Colorado Department of Revenue for taxes through this portal. Cleaning services are not taxed in Colorado, so you will not need to collect and pay sales tax. 
• County Clerk Websites : County clerks and recorders are listed here. You will need to apply for a business license in each county where you operate. The cost varies from county to county, with an average application cost of $15 to $30.
• Cities in Colorado : In addition to county licenses, many Colorado cities have additional licensing or tax registration requirements. If you don’t see your city on the list below, check with your county clerk to find out if there are additional licensing requirements for your municipality:

Cleaning Business License in Connecticut

• Secretary of State : Register as an LLC or Corporation, or get a license for companies that need one through this portal. Cleaners do not need a state business license.
• Department of Revenue Service : Register on MyConnect for a Connecticut number that is used for income and sales tax. 
• List of Town Clerks : Apply for your DBA and business license (if necessary) in each county where you operate. 

License for Cleaning Business in Delaware

• $75 for a business license
• $50 for a seller permit
• $90 for an LLC

Florida Cleaning Business License Requirements

Cleaning services license in georgia.

• GA SOS Office: Go here for LLC, Corporation, or trademarks. Here’s the full list of filing fees .
• Payroll Tax and Sales Tax Numbers : Get them on the Georgia Tax Center website.
• Court Clerks : File a DBA at the Clerk’s office. Find your county’s Clerk .

Cleaning Business License in Hawaii

Cleaning Business License in Idaho

• Secretary of State : Business licenses run about $25. You’ll also need to get a DBA, LLC, or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Idaho State Tax Commission : The seller’s permit is free, but you do have to get one.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need additional documents, but only Caldwell specifically requires them for cleaners. Look up your location’s county clerk .

Cleaning Business License in Illinois

• Secretary of State : Get an LLC or corporation if you wish to keep business assets and personal assets separate. 
• My Tax Illinois : Get your tax ID number.
• County Clerk : Sole proprietors will need to get a DBA notarized and approved by the appropriate clerk’s office . 

Cleaning Business License in Indiana

Cleaning Business License in Iowa

• Secretary of State : Conduct a business name search and form an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. Sole proprietors and general partnerships don’t need to do this.
• Iowa Dept. of Revenue : It looks like you’ll need a withholding number if you have employees. You’ll also need to file estimated taxes.
• County Recorders : Each county requires cleaners to get a business license and DBA. Look up your Iowa Dept. of Revenue recorder .

Cleaning Business License in Kansas

• Secretary of State : If you want a trademark, LLC, or Corporation, use the SOS site. You can also search for the business name on it.
• Kansas Department Of Revenue : If you have employees, you need to register for payroll tax withholding.
• Cities or County Governments : There may be requirements at the county level, but the closest thing I was able to find to a county clerk's office was the election office .

Cleaning Business License in Kentucky

Cleaning Business License in Louisiana

Cleaning Business License in Maine

• Maine Taxes : You’ll deal with local offices for tax requirements. You’ll find them in the link below. You can also use the Department of Revenue to file online.
• Cities or County Governments : You’ll register a DBA by going to the clerk's office and filing a notarized form. Find local government offices in Maine .

[/su_table]

Cleaning Business License in Maryland

• Gaithersburg

Cleaning Business License in Massachusetts

• Secretary of State : You’ll need to get an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site if you chose to become one. If not, you don’t need to apply at the SOS office.
• Massachusetts Tax Connect : You’ll need to register with them to pay payroll taxes or corporate taxes. Sole proprietorships and general partners may need to file estimated taxes as well.
• Cities or County Governments : Get a DBA and any local licenses or permits for your town. Look up your location’s county clerk . It’s important to note that a married couple does not count as a sole proprietorship. This is to protect both owners in the case of divorce.

Cleaning Business License in Michigan

• Secretary of State : You can acquire an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Michigan Treasury Online : Register for a tax ID.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need additional documents. Look up your location’s county clerk .

Cleaning Business License in Minnesota

• Secretary of State : Business licenses run about $50 for a DBA to $220 for a corporation. 
• Minnesota Department of Revenue : Make sure to register and pay the proper taxes. Here’s a list of services that are taxable . You’ll want to itemize all estimates or charge tax on the total.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need additional documents, but only Maple specifically requires them for cleaners. Look up your location’s county clerk .

Cleaning Business License in Mississippi

• Secretary of State : This is where you’ll get a DBA, LLC, or Corporation. You can also get a trademark on the SOS site. 
• Mississippi Department of Revenue : You’ll need to pay sales tax and withholding taxes in some scenarios. Refer to their FAQ to see what pieces apply to you.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need additional documents.

Cleaning Business License in Missouri

• Secretary of State : LLCs and fictitious names are filed online, others you have to do via mail or by going to an office. (Fortunately, they are working on implementing a better tool.)
• Missouri Department of Revenue : Depending on how your business is structured, you may need to pay business taxes.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need additional documents. MoSourceLink (private or public partnership for increasing entrepreneurship) provides a list of county clerks.

Cleaning Business License in Montana

• Secretary of State : Get your Assumed Name, LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Montana Department of Revenue : Corporate income taxes, withholding taxes, and estimated personal taxes may need to be filed here.

Cleaning Business License in Nebraska

Cleaning Business License in Nevada

Cleaning Business License in New Hampshire

Cleaning Business License in New Jersey

• Secretary of State : You’ll need to get an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site if you decide you want liability protection. 
• Department of Revenue and Enterprise Service : All businesses need to register with DORES.
• Cities or County Governments : You may need to get a business license and register your name at the county clerk .

Cleaning Business License in New Mexico

• New Mexico Secretary of State : Check Trade Names, and get an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Taxation & Revenue Department : File to pay sales tax, paycheck withholdings, and estimated income tax.

Cleaning Business License in New York

How to Get a Cleaning License in North Carolina

• Secretary of State : Check trade names and form an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• NC Department of Revenue : You only need to register with the DOR if you have employees, sell products, or are incorporated.
• Cities or County Governments : You’ll need to get your Assumed Name at the Register of Deeds Office. Find your local Register . Don’t forget to ask them if they require a business license for cleaning businesses.

Cleaning Business License in North Dakota

• Secretary of State : You’ll need to get a DBA, LLC, or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Taxpayer Access Point : If you pay tax on supplies, you don’t need to register for a sales tax license, if you don’t pay tax on them you do. You might want to check out ND labor requirements too.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need a business license from the County Recorder. Look up your location’s Recorder office .

Cleaning Business License in Ohio

• Secretary of State : You’ll need to get either a Trade Name or a Fictitious Name. Alternatively, you can get an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Department of Taxation : Sales and Use tax is required, plus a Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) after you reach $150K annual revenue. Learn more about the CAT .
• County Auditors : You’ll need to get a Vendor’s License from the county auditor of each county in which you operate. This is how the state taxes go to the right county. Make sure to ask if you need anything else while you talk to them.

Cleaning Business License in Oklahoma

• Secretary of State : Get your Trade Name, LLC, or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• OK Taxpayer Access Point : Payroll and estimated taxes will need to be paid here.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may require cleaners to get licenses. Look up your county clerk . 

Cleaning Business License in Oregon

• Secretary of State : You’ll need to get an Assumed Business Name (ABN) and Business License (if you get ABN). Alternatively, you can also get an LLC or Corporation on the SOS site. 
• Oregon Business Registry : Apply for a Business Identification Number before hiring employees. You can also use this to file the SOS applications.
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may have additional requirements for cleaners. Look up your county clerk .

Cleaning Business License in Pennsylvania

• Department of State : You can apply online or use paper forms for fictitious names, LLC, or Corporation applications on the DOS site. 
• Sales, Use, and Hotel Occupancy Tax
• Public Transportation Assistance Fund Taxes and Fees
• Vehicle Rental Tax
• Cities or County Governments : Each city or county may need additional documents. These are the cities where other licensing requirements are needed:

Cleaning Business License in Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Business Assistant : The state offers this one-stop portal for information, forms, and links you’ll need to set up your business legally. 
• Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns : Find contact information for all 39 city and town clerks in Rhode Island.

Cleaning Business License in South Carolina

• Department of Revenue Portal (MyDORWAY) : Businesses in South Carolina do not need to pay sales tax, but they may need to pay Business Personal Property Tax (BPP) which you can register for and learn more about on MyDORWAY. 
• South Carolina County Offices : Here are resources to find the county clerk with whom you should register your business name. This process is free for most counties, though nine of them issue paid licenses. The links and approximate costs for those counties:
• Beaufort County - $35 to $65 depending on business class
• Charleston County - $64 base fee
• Dorchester County - Fees vary depending on sales and business class
• Horry County - $50 base fee
• Jasper County - $20 to $50 depending on business class
• Marion County - Fees vary depending on sales and business class
• Orangeburg County - $25 base fee
• Richland County - Fees vary depending on sales and business class
• Sumter County - Fees vary depending on sales and business class
• South Carolina Municipal Directory : Resource to learn the licensing requirements for your city. Many cities in South Carolina require licenses, including the seven below:

Cleaning Business License in South Dakota

• List of Counties : Find the contact information for your Register of Deeds to register your business name.
• South Dakota Department of Revenue : House cleaning services are taxable in South Dakota, so you’ll need to register for a sales tax license with the state. On the plus side, the state has no personal income or self-employment income tax. 

Cleaning Business License in Tennessee

• Tennessee Taxpayer Access Point (TNTAP) : This is a portal to register for Tennessee’s gross receipts tax. 
• List of County Clerks : Here you will find contact information for every county clerk in Tennessee. There is a $15 fee to register for each new business. There are two types of business licenses for general partners and sole proprietors:
• Minimal Business Activity License : For businesses with gross annual receipts between $3,000 and $10,000.
• Standard Business License : For businesses with gross annual receipts of more than $10,000 that are not exempt from the state business tax. 

Cleaning Business License in Texas

• WebFile eSystems Portal : This is a Sales Tax Permit registration portal for the state of Texas. House cleaning services are taxed in Texas.
• County Clerk Listing : Here you will find a full listing of the contact information for each county clerk in Texas. 

Cleaning Business License in Utah

• OneStop Business Registration System : In Utah, the same portal is used to register for a license and with the state’s tax department. The cost of the license ranges between $25 and $55 and must be renewed every year. 

Cleaning Business License in Vermont

• myVTax : This is a portal to register with the Vermont Department of Taxes. Residential house cleaning is not taxable in Vermont, so you will not need to collect sales tax. Sole proprietors pay tax on business income through their individual tax return.
• Cities in Vermont : House cleaning businesses do not require a license in any of Vermont’s major cities, including Burlington and Montpelier. That said, it is still a smart idea to find your town or county clerk and contact them to verify exactly what steps you should follow to conduct your business legally.

Cleaning Business License in Virginia

• Business One Stop (BOS) : This is an online portal with all the resources you’ll need to create and run a business in Virginia. There is a one-time registration fee of around $20 to use the service.
• Virginia Department of Taxation : Residential house cleaning services are not taxable in Virginia, so you won’t need to collect and send sales taxes. However, you will need to pay taxes on business income and should register for a tax account using the link above before starting your business. You will also need to pay self-employment income taxes using form 760ES. You can find more information through the link above or by calling (804) 367-8031.

Cleaning Business License in Washington

• Business Licensing Service : This portal provides a list of the federal, state, and city licenses your business will need, along with contact information for each and the forms required to apply for your Washington State Business License. You’ll have around a $90 fee the first time you open a business, with a $10 fee to renew each year. 
• My DOR Secure Access Washington (SAW) : Register your business here to obtain a Unified Business Identifier (UBI) and receive instructions on how to file taxes. House cleaning services are taxable in the state of Washington, so you must collect and send sales tax to the Department of Revenue. However, there is no personal income tax in Washington, and you do not need to file self-employment income taxes with the state.
• Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax : The B&O tax is applied to the gross sales or income of businesses that run in Washington. Returns may be filed monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on your total income and type of business. You can get more information by calling (360) 705-6705.

Cleaning Business License in West Virginia

• WV One Stop Business Portal : You can register your business using this online portal. In addition, the New Business Startup Wizard on the site provides contact information for the state, city, and county agencies you’ll need to contact before you start doing business. A business registration certificate costs about $30, and the cost of other permits and licenses varies. 
• Sales Tax in West Virginia : Residential house cleaning services are taxable, and house cleaning businesses must collect and send sales taxes to the West Virginia State Tax Department. You can register to do so through the WV One Stop Business Portal.
• Cities in West Virginia : At least five cities in West Virginia have additional licensing requirements. Click the link for your city below to find out more:

Cleaning Business License in Wisconsin

• Taxes in Wisconsin : Residential house cleaning services are not taxable in Wisconsin, so cleaning businesses don’t need to collect and send sales tax. However, you will need to register with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue .
• Self-Employment Income Taxes : Both sole proprietors and general partners must pay estimated self-employment income tax on form 1-ES. Find out more information through the Wisconsin Department of Revenue on their website or by calling (608) 266-2486.

Cleaning Business License in Wyoming

• Taxes in Wyoming : Residential cleaning services are not taxable in Wyoming, so cleaning businesses do not have to collect or send sales taxes to the Department of Revenue. Wyoming also has no personal income tax or self-employment income tax.
• State Partnership Tax : General partnerships that file a Federal form 1065 may need to file a state return. You can find out more information about Wyoming’s tax requirements by calling (307) 777-5200.

Cleaning Business License in Washington, D.C.

• Basic Business License (BBL) : Issued by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ Business Licensing Division, this license is required before you start any activities with your business. They start around $95 for a Basic Business License ($200 for a General Business License) and last for two years.
• Washington, D.C. Taxes : Cleaning services are taxable in D.C., and you must collect and send sales tax to the Office of Tax and Revenue. The exception is if the business has a gross income of $12,000 or lower, or if more than 80% of the gross income comes from personal services performed by the owner.

What’s Next?

• Create a housecleaning pricing guide
• Obtain general liability insurance
• Advertise to find potential customers

nice work https://binarychemist.com/

My Name is PRETTY NGOMANE. A south African female. Aspiring to do farming. And finding a home away from home for the differently abled persons in their daily needs.

Become a business owner in less than 90 days

Start your 10-day free trial of the UpFlip Academy and learn how to start your own business from scratch.

Get business advice straight to your   Inbox 

The 7 Best Business Plan Examples (2024)

As an aspiring entrepreneur gearing up to start your own business , you likely know the importance of drafting a business plan. However, you might not be entirely sure where to begin or what specific details to include. That’s where examining business plan examples can be beneficial. Sample business plans serve as real-world templates to help you craft your own plan with confidence. They also provide insight into the key sections that make up a business plan, as well as demonstrate how to structure and present your ideas effectively.

Start selling online now with Shopify

Example business plan

To understand how to write a business plan, let’s study an example structured using a seven-part template. Here’s a quick overview of those parts:

• Executive summary: A quick overview of your business and the contents of your business plan.
• Company description: More info about your company, its goals and mission, and why you started it in the first place.
• Market analysis: Research about the market and industry your business will operate in, including a competitive analysis about the companies you’ll be up against.
• Products and services: A detailed description of what you’ll be selling to your customers.
• Marketing plan: A strategic outline of how you plan to market and promote your business before, during, and after your company launches into the market.
• Logistics and operations plan: An explanation of the systems, processes, and tools that are needed to run your business in the background.
• Financial plan: A map of your short-term (and even long-term) financial goals and the costs to run the business. If you’re looking for funding, this is the place to discuss your request and needs.

7 business plan examples (section by section)

In this section, you’ll find hypothetical and real-world examples of each aspect of a business plan to show you how the whole thing comes together. 

• Executive summary

Your executive summary offers a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. You’ll want to include a brief description of your company, market research, competitor analysis, and financial information. 

In this free business plan template, the executive summary is three paragraphs and occupies nearly half the page:

• Company description

You might go more in-depth with your company description and include the following sections:

• Nature of the business. Mention the general category of business you fall under. Are you a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of your products?
• Background information. Talk about your past experiences and skills, and how you’ve combined them to fill in the market. 
• Business structure. This section outlines how you registered your company —as a corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC, or other business type.
• Industry. Which business sector do you operate in? The answer might be technology, merchandising, or another industry.
• Team. Whether you’re the sole full-time employee of your business or you have contractors to support your daily workflow, this is your chance to put them under the spotlight.

You can also repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page, Instagram page, or other properties that ask for a boilerplate description of your business. Hair extensions brand Luxy Hair has a blurb on it’s About page that could easily be repurposed as a company description for its business plan. 

• Market analysis

Market analysis comprises research on product supply and demand, your target market, the competitive landscape, and industry trends. You might do a SWOT analysis to learn where you stand and identify market gaps that you could exploit to establish your footing. Here’s an example of a SWOT analysis for a hypothetical ecommerce business: 

You’ll also want to run a competitive analysis as part of the market analysis component of your business plan. This will show you who you’re up against and give you ideas on how to gain an edge over the competition. 

• Products and services

This part of your business plan describes your product or service, how it will be priced, and the ways it will compete against similar offerings in the market. Don’t go into too much detail here—a few lines are enough to introduce your item to the reader.

• Marketing plan

Potential investors will want to know how you’ll get the word out about your business. So it’s essential to build a marketing plan that highlights the promotion and customer acquisition strategies you’re planning to adopt. 

Most marketing plans focus on the four Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. However, it’s easier when you break it down by the different marketing channels . Mention how you intend to promote your business using blogs, email, social media, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

Here’s an example of a hypothetical marketing plan for a real estate website:

Logistics and operations

This section of your business plan provides information about your production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory.

Financial plan

The financial plan (a.k.a. financial statement) offers a breakdown of your sales, revenue, expenses, profit, and other financial metrics. You’ll want to include all the numbers and concrete data to project your current and projected financial state.

In this business plan example, the financial statement for ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy includes forecasted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then goes deeper into the financials, citing:

• Funding needs
• Project cash-flow statement
• Project profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet

You can use Shopify’s financial plan template to create your own income statement, cash-flow statement, and balance sheet. 

Types of business plans (and what to write for each)

A one-page business plan is a pared down version of a standard business plan that’s easy for potential investors and partners to understand. You’ll want to include all of these sections, but make sure they’re abbreviated and summarized:

• Logistics and operations plan
• Financials 

A startup business plan is meant to secure outside funding for a new business. Typically, there’s a big focus on the financials, as well as other sections that help determine the viability of your business idea—market analysis, for example. Shopify has a great business plan template for startups that include all the below points:

• Market research: in depth
• Financials: in depth

Internal 

Your internal business plan acts as the enforcer of your company’s vision. It reminds your team of the long-term objective and keeps them strategically aligned toward the same goal. Be sure to include:

• Market research

Feasibility 

A feasibility business plan is essentially a feasibility study that helps you evaluate whether your product or idea is worthy of a full business plan. Include the following sections:

A strategic (or growth) business plan lays out your long-term vision and goals. This means your predictions stretch further into the future, and you aim for greater growth and revenue. While crafting this document, you use all the parts of a usual business plan but add more to each one:

• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Market analysis: detailed analysis
• Marketing plan: detailed strategy
• Logistics and operations plan: detailed plan
• Financials: detailed projections

Free business plan templates

Now that you’re familiar with what’s included and how to format a business plan, let’s go over a few templates you can fill out or draw inspiration from.

Bplans’ free business plan template

Bplans’ free business plan template focuses a lot on the financial side of running a business. It has many pages just for your financial plan and statements. Once you fill it out, you’ll see exactly where your business stands financially and what you need to do to keep it on track or make it better.

PandaDoc’s free business plan template

PandaDoc’s free business plan template is detailed and guides you through every section, so you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Filling it out, you’ll grasp the ins and outs of your business and how each part fits together. It’s also handy because it connects to PandaDoc’s e-signature for easy signing, ideal for businesses with partners or a board.

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template helps you map out the essentials of your business, like partnerships, core activities, and what makes you different. It’s a collaborative tool for you and your team to learn how everything in your business is linked.

Better business planning equals better business outcomes

Building a business plan is key to establishing a clear direction and strategy for your venture. With a solid plan in hand, you’ll know what steps to take for achieving each of your business goals. Kickstart your business planning and set yourself up for success with a defined roadmap—utilizing the sample business plans above to inform your approach.

Business plan FAQ

What are the 3 main points of a business plan.

• Concept. Explain what your business does and the main idea behind it. This is where you tell people what you plan to achieve with your business.
• Contents. Explain what you’re selling or offering. Point out who you’re selling to and who else is selling something similar. This part concerns your products or services, who will buy them, and who you’re up against.
• Cash flow. Explain how money will move in and out of your business. Discuss the money you need to start and keep the business going, the costs of running your business, and how much money you expect to make.

How do I write a simple business plan?

To create a simple business plan, start with an executive summary that details your business vision and objectives. Follow this with a concise description of your company’s structure, your market analysis, and information about your products or services. Conclude your plan with financial projections that outline your expected revenue, expenses, and profitability.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The optimal format for a business plan arranges your plan in a clear and structured way, helping potential investors get a quick grasp of what your business is about and what you aim to achieve. Always start with a summary of your plan and finish with the financial details or any extra information at the end.

Want to learn more?

• Question: Are You a Business Owner or an Entrepreneur?
• Bootstrapping a Business: 10 Tips to Help You Succeed
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: 20 Ways to Think Like an Entrepreneur
• 101+ Best Small Business Software Programs 

Oberlo uses cookies to provide necessary site functionality and improve your experience. By using our website, you agree to our privacy policy.

• What is a Business Plan
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Mission Statement
• Marketing Section
• Operating Plan
• Management & Staffing Section
• Financial Section
• Business Plan Tips
• Income Statement
• Balance Sheet
• Cash Flow Statement
• Break-even Analysis
• Ratio Analysis
• Sensitivity Analysis
• Notes to Financials
• Financial Budgets
• Forecasting Cash Flow
• Break-Even Analysis
• Operation Issues
• Marketing Issues
• Licenses, Permits, Inspections & Taxes
• Management/Staffing
• Financial Issues

Main Menu Items

Home Writing a Business Plan Financial Statements Forecasting Statements Business Checklist

What to include on the Title Page of a Business Plan

• Email a Friend

The Title Page of Your Business Plan

The title page of your business plan is the first page a banker or investor sees. As a result, it should be structured neatly and appeal to your intended audience. The title page generally includes the following items;

• Name of your business or proposed name of your business.
• Logo of the business (if any).
• The month and year in which the business plan was issued.
• Name, address, and telephone number of the entrepreneur or Chief Executive Officer (I.E. the person responsible for the business).
• Name of the Business plan developer - ( if you are the entrepreneur and prepared the business plan yourself, exclude this part from the title page).
• It is also a good idea to include on your title page a confidential and proprietary statement.
• Disclaimer of securities (if required).

EXAMPLES OF THE TITLE PAGE:

J&B Incorporated Scholarship Information Services The Internet Company The XYZ Company

Sign up for the newsletter!

FREE Marketing Guide

© Copyright 2009 - Business Plan Hut - All Rights Reserved

  About - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Disclaimer - Sitemap - Login - Admin

Simple Business Plan Templates

By Joe Weller | April 2, 2020

• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn

Link copied

In this article, we’ve compiled a variety of simple business plan templates, all of which are free to download in PDF, Word, and Excel formats.

On this page, you’ll find a one-page business plan template , a simple business plan for startups , a small-business plan template , a business plan outline , and more. We also include a business plan sample and the main components of a business plan to help get you started.

Simple Business Plan Template

Download Simple Business Plan Template

This simple business plan template lays out each element of a traditional business plan to assist you as you build your own, and it provides space to add financing information for startups seeking funding. You can use and customize this simple business plan template to fit the needs for organizations of any size.

One-Page Business Plan Template

Download One-Page Business Plan Template

Excel | Word | PDF  | Smartsheet

Use this one-page business plan to document your key ideas in an organized manner. The template can help you create a high-level view of your business plan, and it provides easy scannability for stakeholders. You can use this one-page plan as a reference to build a more detailed blueprint for your business. 

For additional single page plans, take a look at " One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide ."

Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Download Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Use this fill-in-the-blank business plan template to guide you as you build your business plan. Each section comes pre-filled with sample content, with space to add customized verbiage relevant to your product or service.

For additional free, downloadable resources, visit " Free Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Templates ."

Simple Business Plan for Startup

‌ Download Startup Business Plan Template — Word

This business plan template is designed with a startup business in mind and contains the essential elements needed to convey key product or service details to investors and stakeholders. Keep all your information organized with this template, which provides space to include an executive summary, a company overview, competitive analysis, a marketing strategy, financial data, and more. For additional resources, visit " Free Startup Business Plan Templates and Examples ."

Simple Small-Business Plan Template

Download Simple Small-Business Plan Template

This template walks you through each component of a small-business plan, including the company background, the introduction of the management team, market analysis, product or service offerings, a financial plan, and more. This template also comes with a built-in table of contents to keep your plan in order, and it can be customized to fit your requirements.

Lean Business Plan Template

Download Lean Business Plan Template

This lean business plan template is a stripped-down version of a traditional business plan that provides only the most essential aspects. Briefly outline your company and industry overview, along with the problem you are solving, as well as your unique value proposition, target market, and key performance metrics. There is also room to list out a timeline of key activities.

Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Download Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Word  | PDF

Use this simple business plan outline as a basis to create your own business plan. This template contains 11 sections, including a title page and a table of contents, which details what each section should cover in a traditional business plan. Simplify or expand this outline to create the foundation for a business plan that fits your business needs.

Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Download Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Excel | Smartsheet

This template doubles as a project plan and timeline to track progress as you develop your business plan. This business planning template enables you to break down your work into phases and provides room to add key tasks and dates for each activity. Easily fill in the cells according to the start and end dates to create a visual timeline, as well as to ensure your plan stays on track.

Simple Business Plan Rubric Template

Download Simple Business Plan Rubric

Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet

Once you complete your business plan, use this business plan rubric template to assess and score each component of your plan. This rubric helps you identify elements of your plan that meet or exceed requirements and pinpoint areas where you need to improve or further elaborate. This template is an invaluable tool to ensure your business plan clearly defines your goals, objectives, and plan of action in order to gain buy-in from potential investors, stakeholders, and partners.

Basic Business Plan Sample

Download Basic Business Plan Sample

This business plan sample serves as an example of a basic business plan that contains all the traditional components. The sample provides a model of what a business plan might look like for a fictional food truck business. Reference this sample as you develop your own business plan.

For additional resources to help support your business planning efforts, check out “ Free Strategic Planning Templates .”

Main Components of a Business Plan

The elements you include in your business plan will depend on your product or service offerings, as well as the size and needs of your business. 

Below are the components of a standard business plan and details you should include in each section:

• Company name and contact information
• Website address
• The name of the company or individual viewing the presentation
• Table of Contents
• Company background and purpose
• Mission and vision statement
• Management team introduction
• Core product and service offerings
• Target customers and segments
• Marketing plan
• Competitive analysis
• Unique value proposition
• Financial plan (and requirements, if applicable)
• Business and industry overview
• Historical timeline of your business
• Offerings and the problem they solve
• Current alternatives
• Competitive advantage
• Market size
• Target market segment(s)
• Projected volume and value of sales compared to competitors
• Differentiation from competitors
• Pricing strategy
• Marketing channels
• Promotional plan
• Distribution methods
• Legal structure of your business
• Names of founders, owners, advisors, etc.
• Management team’s roles, relevant experience, and compensation plan
• Staffing requirements and training plans
• Physical location(s) of your business
• Additional physical requirements (e.g., warehouse, specialized equipment, facilities, etc.)
• Production workflow
• Raw materials and sourcing methods
• Projected income statement
• Projected cash flow statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Break-even analysis
• Charts and graphs
• Market research and competitive analysis
• Information about your industry
• Information about your offerings
• Samples of marketing materials
• Other supporting materials

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the thought of putting together a business plan. Below, you’ll find top tips to help simplify the process as you develop your own plan. 

• Use a business plan template (you can choose from the variety above), or refer to the previous section to create a standard outline for your plan.
• Modify your outline to reflect the requirements of your specific business. If you use a standard business plan outline, remove sections that aren’t relevant to you or aren’t necessary to run your business.
• Gather all the information you currently have about your business first, and then use that information to fill out each section in your plan outline.
• Use your resources and conduct additional research to fill in the remaining gaps. (Note: It isn’t necessary to fill out your plan in order, but the executive summary needs to be completed last, as it summarizes the key points in your plan.)
• Ensure your plan clearly communicates the relationship between your marketing, sales, and financial objectives.
• Provide details in your plan that illustrate your strategic plan of action, looking forward three to five years.
• Revisit your plan regularly as strategies and objectives evolve.
• What product or service are we offering?
• Who is the product or service for?
• What problem does our product or service offering solve?
• How will we get the product or service to our target customers?
• Why is our product or service better than the alternatives?
• How can we outperform our competitors?
• What is our unique value proposition?
• When will things get done, and who is responsible for doing them?
• If you need to obtain funding, how will you use the funding?
• When are payments due, and when do payments come in?
• What is the ultimate purpose of your business?
• When do you expect to be profitable?

To identify which type of business plan you should write, and for more helpful tips, take a look at our guide to writing a simple business plan .

Benefits of Using a Business Plan Template

Creating a business plan can be very time-consuming, especially if you aren’t sure where to begin. Finding the right template for your business needs can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. 

Using a business plan template — instead of creating your plan from scratch — can benefit you in the following ways:

• Enables you to immediately write down your thoughts and ideas in an organized manner
• Provides structure to help outline your plan
• Saves time and valuable resources
• Helps ensure you don’t miss essential details

Limitations of a Business Plan Template

A business plan template can be convenient, but it has its drawbacks — especially if you use a template that doesn’t fit the specific needs of your business.

Below are some limitations of using a business plan template:

• Each business is unique and needs a business plan that reflects that. A template may not fit your needs.
• A template may restrict collaboration with other team members on different aspects of the plan’s development (sales, marketing, and accounting teams).
• Multiple files containing different versions of the plan may be stored in more than one place.
• You still have to manually create charts and graphs to add to the plan to support your strategy.
• Updates to the plan, spreadsheets, and supporting documents have to be made in multiple places (all documents may not update in real time as changes are made).

Improve Your Business Plan with Real-Time Work Management in Smartsheet

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

24 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

Published: February 06, 2024

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, 'e9d2eacb-6b01-423a-bf7a-19d42ba77eaa', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"});

As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

But what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing. I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Business Plan Format

Business plan types, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ask any successful sports coach how they win so many games, and they’ll tell you they have a unique plan for every single game. To me, the same logic applies to business.

If you want to build a thriving company that can pull ahead of the competition, you need to prepare for battle before breaking into a market.

Business plans guide you along the rocky journey of growing a company. And if your business plan is compelling enough, it can also convince investors to give you funding.

With so much at stake, I’m sure you’re wondering where to begin.

Free Business Plan Template

The essential document for starting a business -- custom built for your needs.

• Outline your idea.
• Pitch to investors.
• Secure funding.
• Get to work!

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Fill out the form to get your free template.

First, you’ll want to nail down your formatting. Most business plans include the following sections.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. 

Why? Essentially, it's the overview or introduction, written in a way to grab readers' attention and guide them through the rest of the business plan. This is important, because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary:

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front, and this is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up those business goals? Check out HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set goals that matter — I’d highly recommend it

Products and Services

To piggyback off of the company description, be sure to incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive — just another chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business.

In addition to the items above, I recommend including some information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here too.:

Keep in mind you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. So, keep the executive summary clear and brief, and only include the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template:

This executive summary is so good to me because it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Image Source

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

• Start with a strong introduction of your company, showcase your mission and impact, and outline the products and services you provide.
• Clearly define a problem, and explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
• Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
• Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
• Customize your summary to your audience. For example, emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists.

Check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary for more guidance.

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market.

The main question I’d ask myself here is this: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

More specifically, here’s what I’d include in this section:

• The size of the market
• Current or potential market share
• Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
• Where the gap is
• What caused the gap
• How you intend to fill it

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, and SOM analysis and perform market research on your industry.

You may also benefit from creating a SWOT analysis to get some of the insights for this section.

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

• Focus on demand and potential for growth.
• Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
• Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
• Refer to reliable sources.
• Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you'll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are.

After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you'll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover:

• Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing
• Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle
• Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points
• The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan below shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are.

It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location, which shows useful experience in this specific industry. 

This can help build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

• Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
• Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
• Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
• Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
• Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
• Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience?

If your immediate answer is "everyone," you'll need to dig deeper. Here are some questions I’d ask myself here:

• 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?

I’d also recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear on why you're targeting them.

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

• Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
• Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience , then show why your product is a useful solution.
• Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
• Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
• Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
• Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you'll discuss how you'll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I’d suggest including information:

• Your 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

I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler.

In my opinion, it really works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

Tips for Writing Your Marketing Strategy

• Include a section about how you believe your brand vision will appeal to customers.
• Add the budget and resources you'll need to put your plan in place.
• Outline strategies for specific marketing segments.
• Connect strategies to earlier sections like target audience and competitive analysis.
• Review how your marketing strategy will scale with the growth of your business.
• Cover a range of channels and tactics to highlight your ability to adapt your plan in the face of change.

6. Key Features and Benefits

At some point in your business plan, you'll need to 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.

Key Features and Benefits Business Plan Example

In my opinion, the example below does a great job outlining products and services for this business, along with why these qualities will attract the audience.

Tips for Writing Your Key Features and Benefits

• Emphasize why and how your product or service offers value to customers.
• Use metrics and testimonials to support the ideas in this section.
• Talk about how your products and services have the potential to scale.
• Think about including a product roadmap.
• Focus on customer needs, and how the features and benefits you are sharing meet those needs.
• Offer proof of concept for your ideas, like case studies or pilot program feedback.
• Proofread this section carefully, and remove any jargon or complex language.

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, here’s what I’d might outline in this section:

• 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?

Pricing and Revenue Business Plan Example

I like how this business plan example begins with an overview of the business revenue model, then shows proposed pricing for key products.

Tips for Writing Your Pricing and Revenue Section

• Get specific about your pricing strategy. Specifically, how you connect that strategy to customer needs and product value.
• If you are asking a premium price, share unique features or innovations that justify that price point.
• Show how you plan to communicate pricing to customers.
• Create an overview of every revenue stream for your business and how each stream adds to your business model as a whole.
• Share plans to develop new revenue streams in the future.
• Show how and whether pricing will vary by customer segment and how pricing aligns with marketing strategies.
• Restate your value proposition and explain how it aligns with your revenue model.

8. Financials

To me, this section is particularly informative for investors and leadership teams to figure out funding strategies, investment opportunities, and more.

 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 give 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 I’d include in this section.

Financials Business Plan Example

This balance sheet is a great example of level of detail you’ll need to include in the financials section of your business plan.

Tips for Writing Your Financials Section

• Growth potential is important in this section too. Using your data, create a forecast of financial performance in the next three to five years.
• Include any data that supports your projections to assure investors of the credibility of your proposal.
• Add a break-even analysis to show that your business plan is financially practical. This information can also help you pivot quickly as your business grows.
• Consider adding a section that reviews potential risks and how sensitive your plan is to changes in the market.
• Triple-check all financial information in your plan for accuracy.
• Show how any proposed funding needs align with your plans for growth.

As you create your business plan, keep in mind that each of these sections will be formatted differently. Some may be in paragraph format, while others could be charts or graphs.

The formats above apply to most types of business plans. That said, the format and structure of your plan will vary by your goals for that plan. 

So, I’ve added a quick review of different business plan types. For a more detailed overview, check out this post .

1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas.

If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration .

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business's product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

Another business plan that's often for sharing internally is a strategic business plan. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company's acquisition or repositioning strategy.

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

Now that you know what's included and how to format a business plan, let's review some of my favorite 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 give 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 I 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

We also created a business plan template for entrepreneurs.

The template is designed as a guide and checklist for starting your own business. You’ll learn what to include in each section of your business plan and how to do it.

There’s also a list for you to check off when you finish each section of your business plan.

Strong game plans help coaches win games and help businesses rocket to the top of their industries. So if you dedicate the time and effort required to write a workable and convincing business plan, you’ll boost your chances of success and even dominance in your market.

This business plan kit is essential for the budding entrepreneur who needs a more extensive document to share with investors and other stakeholders.

It not only includes sections for your executive summary, product line, market analysis, marketing plan, and sales plan, but it also offers hands-on guidance for filling out those sections.

3. LiveFlow’s Financial Planning Template with built-in automation

This free template from LiveFlow aims to make it easy for businesses to create a financial plan and track their progress on a monthly basis.

The P&L Budget versus Actual format allows users to track their revenue, cost of sales, operating expenses, operating profit margin, net profit, and more.

The summary dashboard aggregates all of the data put into the financial plan sheet and will automatically update when changes are made.

Instead of wasting hours manually importing your data to your spreadsheet, LiveFlow can also help you to automatically connect your accounting and banking data directly to your spreadsheet, so your numbers are always up-to-date.

With the dashboard, you can view your runway, cash balance, burn rate, gross margins, and other metrics. Having a simple way to track everything in one place will make it easier to complete the financials section of your business plan.

This is a fantastic template to track performance and alignment internally and to create a dependable process for documenting financial information across the business. It’s highly versatile and beginner-friendly.

It’s especially useful if you don’t have an accountant on the team. (I always recommend you do, but for new businesses, having one might not be possible.)

4. ThoughtCo’s Sample Business Plan

One of the more financially oriented sample business plans in this list, BPlan’s free business plan template dedicates many of its pages to your business’s financial plan and financial statements.

After filling this business plan out, your company will truly understand its financial health and the steps you need to take to maintain or improve it.

I absolutely love this business plan template because of its ease-of-use and hands-on instructions (in addition to its finance-centric components). If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing an entire business plan, consider using this template to help you with the process.

6. Harvard Business Review’s "How to Write a Winning Business Plan"

Most sample business plans teach you what to include in your business plan, but this Harvard Business Review article will take your business plan to the next level — it teaches you the why and how behind writing a business plan.

With the guidance of Stanley Rich and Richard Gumpert, co-authors of " Business Plans That Win: Lessons From the MIT Enterprise Forum ", you'll learn how to write a convincing business plan that emphasizes the market demand for your product or service.

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know writing a business plan is one of the most challenging first steps to starting a business.

Fortunately, with HubSpot's comprehensive guide to starting a business, you'll learn how to map out all the details by understanding what to include in your business plan and why it’s important to include them. The guide also fleshes out an entire sample business plan for you.

If you need further guidance on starting a business, HubSpot's guide can teach you how to make your business legal, choose and register your business name, and fund your business. It will also give small business tax information and includes marketing, sales, and service tips.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of starting a business, in addition to writing your business plan, with a high level of exactitude and detail. So if you’re in the midst of starting your business, this is an excellent guide for you.

It also offers other resources you might need, such as market analysis templates.

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.

Once you fill it out, you’ll fully understand your business’ nitty-gritty details and how all of its moving parts should work together to contribute to its success.

This template has two things I love: comprehensiveness and in-depth instructions. Plus, it’s synced with PandaDoc’s e-signature software so that you and other stakeholders can sign it with ease. For that reason, I especially love it for those starting a business with a partner or with a board of directors.

9. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers several free business plan templates that can be used to inspire your own plan.

Before you get started, you can decide what type of business plan you need — a traditional or lean start-up plan.

Then, you can review the format for both of those plans and view examples of what they might look like.

We love both of the SBA’s templates because of their versatility. You can choose between two options and use the existing content in the templates to flesh out your own plan. Plus, if needed, you can get a free business counselor to help you along the way.

I’ve compiled some completed business plan samples to help you get an idea of how to customize a plan for your business.

I chose different types of business plan ideas to expand your imagination. Some are extensive, while others are fairly simple.

Let’s take a look.

1. LiveFlow

One of the major business expenses is marketing. How you handle your marketing reflects your company’s revenue.

I 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.

"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 .

When it came to including marketing strategy in 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. 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

Sometimes all you need is a solid mission statement and core values to guide you on how to go about everything. You do this by creating a business plan revolving around how to fulfill your statement best.

For example, Patagonia is an eco-friendly company, so their plan discusses how to make the best environmentally friendly products without causing harm.

A good mission statement  should not only resonate with consumers but should also serve as a core value compass for employees as well.

Patagonia has one of the most compelling mission statements I’ve seen:

"Together, let’s prioritise purpose over profit and protect this wondrous planet, our only home."

It reels you in from the start, and the environmentally friendly theme continues throughout the rest of the statement.

This mission goes on to explain that they are out to "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to protect nature."

Their mission statement is compelling and detailed, with each section outlining how they will accomplish their goal.

4. Vesta Home Automation

This executive summary for a smart home device startup is part of a business plan created by students at Mount Royal University .

While it lacks some of the sleek visuals of the templates above, its executive summary does a great job of demonstrating how invested they are in the business.

Right away, they mention they’ve invested $200,000 into the company already, which shows investors they have skin in the game and aren’t just looking for someone else to foot the bill.

This is the kind of business plan you need when applying for business funds. It clearly illustrates the expected future of the company and how the business has been coming along over the years.

5. NALB Creative Center

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.

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.

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 .

6. Curriculum Companion Suites (CSS)

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 essential to front-load your company’s mission if it explains your "Why?" and this example does just that. 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.

7. Culina Sample Business Plan

Culina's sample business plan is an excellent example of how to lay out your business plan so that it flows naturally, engages readers, and provides the critical information investors and stakeholders need. 

You can use this template as a guide while you're gathering important information for your own business plan. You'll have a better understanding of the data and research you need to do since Culina’s plan outlines these details so flawlessly for inspiration.

8. Plum Sample Business Plan

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

How to Write a Powerful Executive Summary [+4 Top Examples]

What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

Maximizing Your Social Media Strategy: The Top Aggregator Tools to Use

The Content Aggregator Guide for 2023

7 Gantt Chart Examples You'll Want to Copy [+ 5 Steps to Make One]

The 8 Best Free Flowchart Templates [+ Examples]

16 Best Screen Recorders to Use for Collaboration

The 25 Best Google Chrome Extensions for SEO

Professional Invoice Design: 28 Samples & Templates to Inspire You

Customers’ Top HubSpot Integrations to Streamline Your Business in 2022

2 Essential Templates For Starting Your Business

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Small Business Resources is now the Center for Business Empowerment.

Suggested Keywords

Center for Business Empowerment

How to write an effective business plan in 11 steps (with workbook)

February 02, 2023 | 14 minute read

Writing a business plan is a powerful way to position your small business for success as you set out to meet your goals. Landmark studies suggest that business founders who write one are 16% more likely to build viable businesses than those who don’t and that entrepreneurs focused on high growth are 7% more likely to have written a business plan. 1 Even better, other research shows that owners who complete business plans are twice as likely to grow their business successfully or obtain capital compared with those who don’t. 2

The best time to write a business plan is typically after you have vetted and researched your business idea. (See How to start a business in 15 steps. ) If conditions change later, you can rewrite the plan, much like how your GPS reroutes you if there is traffic ahead. When you update your plan regularly, everyone on your team, including outside stakeholders such as investors, will know where you are headed.

What is a business plan?

Typically 15-20 pages long, a business plan is a document that explains what your business does, what you want to achieve in the business and the strategy you plan to use to get there. It details the opportunities you are going after, what resources you will need to achieve your goals and how you will define success.

Why are business plans important?

Business plans help you think through barriers and discover opportunities you may have recognized subconsciously but have not yet articulated. A business plan can also help you to attract potential lenders, investors and partners by providing them with evidence that your business has all of the ingredients necessary for success.

What questions should a business plan answer?

Your business plan should explain how your business will grow and succeed. A great plan will provide detailed answers to questions that a banker or investor will have before putting money into the business, such as:

• What products or services do you provide?
• Who is your target customer?
• What are the benefits of your product and service for customers?
• How much will you charge?
• What is the size of the market?
• What are your marketing plans?
• How much competition does the business face in penetrating that market?
• How much experience does the management team have in running businesses like it?
• How do you plan to measure success?
• What do you expect the business’s revenue, costs and profit to be for the first few years?
• How much will it cost to achieve the goals stated in the business plan?
• What is the long-term growth potential of the business? Is the business scalable?
• How will you enable investors to reap the rewards of backing the business? Do you plan to sell the business to a bigger company eventually or take it public as your “exit strategy”?

How to write a business plan in 11 steps

This step-by-step outline will make it easier to write an effective business plan, even if you’re managing the day-to-day demands of starting a new business. Creating a table of contents that lists key sections of the plan with page numbers will make it easy for readers to flip to the sections that interest them most.

• Use our editable workbook to capture notes and organize your thoughts as you review these critical steps. Note: To avoid losing your work, please remember to save this PDF to your desktop before you begin.

1. Executive summary

The executive summary is your opportunity to make a great first impression on investors and bankers. It should be just as engaging as the enthusiastic elevator pitch you might give if you bumped into a potential backer in an elevator.

In three to five paragraphs, you’ll want to explain what your business does, why it will succeed and where it will be in five years. The executive summary should include short descriptions of the following:

• Business concept. What will your business do?
• Goals and vision. What do you expect the business to achieve, both financially and for other key stakeholders, such as the community?
• Product or service. What does your product or service do — and how is it different from those of competitors?
• Target market. Who do you expect to buy your product or service?
• Marketing strategy. How will you tell people about your product or service?
• Current revenue and profits. If your business is pre-revenue, offer sales projections.
• Projected revenue and profits. Provide a realistic look at the next year, as well as the next three years, ideally.
• Financial resources needed. How much money do you need to borrow or raise to fund your plan?
• Management team. Who are the company’s leaders and what relevant experience will they contribute?

2. Business overview

Here is where you provide a brief history of the business and describe the product(s) or service(s) it offers. Make sure you describe the problem you are attempting to solve, for whom you will solve it (your customers) and how you will solve it. Be sure to describe your business model (such as direct-to-consumer sales through an online store) so readers can envision how you will make sales. Also mention your business structure (such as a sole proprietorship , general partnership, limited partnership or corporation) and why it is advantageous for the business. And be sure to provide context on the state of your industry and where your business will fit into it.

3. Business goals and vision

Explain what you hope to achieve in the business (your vision) as well as its mission and value proposition. Most founders judge success by the size to which they grow the business using measures such as revenue or number of employees. Your goals may not be solely financial. You may also wish to provide jobs or solve a societal problem. If that’s the case, mention those goals as well.

If you are seeking outside funding, explain why you need the money, how you will put it to work to grow the business and how you expect to achieve the goals you have set for the business. Also explain your exit strategy—that is, how you would enable investors to cash out, whether that means selling the business or taking it public.

4. Management and organization

Many investors say they bet on the team behind a business more than the business idea, trusting that talented and experienced people will be capable of bringing sound business concepts to life. With that in mind, make sure to provide short bios of the key members of your management team (including yourself) that emphasize the relevant experience each individual brings, along with their special talents and industry recognition. Many business plans include headshots of the management team with the bios.

Also describe more about how your organization will be structured. Your company may be a sole proprietorship, a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation in one or more states.

If you will need to hire people for specific roles, this is the place to mention those plans. And if you will rely on outside consultants for certain roles — such as an outsourced CFO — be sure to make a note of it here. Outside backers want to know if you’ve anticipated the staffing you need.

5. Service or product line

A business will only succeed if it sells something people want or need to buy. As you describe the products or services you will offer, make sure to explain what benefits they will provide to your target customers, how they will differ from competing offerings and what the buying cycle will likely be so it is clear that you can actually sell what you are offering. If you have plans to protect your intellectual property through a copyright or patent filing, be sure to mention that. Also explain any research and development work that is underway to show investors the potential for additional revenue streams.

6. Market/industry analysis

Anyone interested in providing financial backing to your business will want to know how big your company can potentially grow so they have an idea of what kind of returns they can expect. In this section, you’ll be able to convey that by explaining to whom you will be selling and how much opportunity there is to reach them. Key details to include are market size; a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis ; a competitive analysis; and customer segmentation. Make it clear how you developed any projections you’ve made by citing interviews or research.

Also describe the current state of the industry. Where is there room for improvement? Are most companies using antiquated processes and technology? If your business is a local one, what is the market in your area like? Do most of the restaurants where you plan to open your café serve mediocre food? What will you do better?

In this section, also list competitors, including their names, websites and social media handles. Describe each source of competition and how your business will address it.

7. Sales and marketing

Explain how you will spread the word to potential customers about what you sell. Will you be using paid online search advertising, social media promotions, traditional direct mail, print advertising in local publications, sponsorship of a local radio or TV show, your own YouTube content or some other method entirely? List all of the methods you will use.

Make sure readers know exactly what the path to a sale will be and why that approach will resonate with customers in your ideal target markets as well as existing customer segments. If you have already begun using the methods you’ve outlined, include data on the results so readers know whether they have been effective.

8. Financials

In a new business, you may not have any past financial data or financial statements to include, but that doesn’t mean you have nothing to share. Preparing a budget and financial plan will help show investors or bankers that you have developed a clear understanding of the financial aspects of running your business. (The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has prepared a guide you can use; SCORE , a nonprofit organization that partners with the SBA, offers a financial projections template to help you look ahead.) For an existing business, you will want to include income statements, profit and loss statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets, ideally going back three years.

Make a list of the specific steps you plan to take to achieve the financial results you have outlined. The steps are generally the most detailed for the first year, given that you may need to revise your plan later as you gather feedback from the marketplace.

Include interactive spreadsheets that contain a detailed financial analysis showing how much it costs your business to produce the goods and services you provide, the profits you will generate, any planned investments and the taxes you will pay. See our startup costs calculator to get started.

9. Financial projections

Creating a detailed sales forecast can help you get outside backers excited about supporting you. A sales forecast is typically a table or simple line graph that shows the projected sales of the company over time with monthly or quarterly details for the next 12 months and a broader projection as much as five years into the future. If you haven’t yet launched the company, turn to your market research to develop estimates. For more information, see “ How to create a sales forecast for your small business. ”

10. Funding request

If you are seeking outside financing such as a loan or equity investment, your potential backers will want to know how much money you need and how you will spend it. Describe the amount you are trying to raise, how you arrived at that number and what type of funding you are seeking (such as debt, equity or a combination of both). If you are contributing some of your own funds, it is worth noting this, as it shows that you have skin in the game.

11. Appendix

This should include any information and supporting documents that will help investors and bankers gain a greater understanding of the potential of your business. Depending on your industry, you might include local permits, licenses, deeds and other legal documents; professional certifications and licenses; media clips; information on patents and other intellectual property; key customer contracts and purchase orders; and other relevant documents.

Some business owners find it helpful to develop a list of key concepts, such as the names of the company’s products and industry terms. This can be helpful if you do business in an industry that may not be familiar to the readers of the business plan.

Tips for creating an effective business plan

Use clear, simple language. It’ll be easier to win people over if your plan is easy to read. Steer clear of industry jargon, and if you must use any phrases the average adult won’t know, be sure to define them.

Emphasize what makes your business unique. Investors and bankers want to know how you will solve a problem or gap in the marketplace differently from anyone else. Make sure you’re conveying your differentiating factors.

Nail the details. An ideal business plan will be detailed and accurate. Make sure that any financial projections you make are realistic and grounded in solid market research. (If you need help in making your calculations, you can get free advice at SCORE.) Seasoned bankers and investors will quickly spot numbers that are overly optimistic.

Take time to polish it. Your final version of the plan should be neat and professional with an attractive layout and copy that has been carefully proofread.

Include professional photos. High-quality shots of your product or place of business can help make it clear why your business stands out.

Updating an existing business plan

Some business owners in rapidly growing businesses update their business plan quarterly. Others do so every six months or every year. When you update your plan make sure you consider these three things:

• Are your goals still current? As you’ve tested your concept, your goals may have changed. The plan should reflect this.
• Have you revised any strategies in response to feedback from the marketplace? You may have found that your offerings resonated with a different customer segment than you expected or that your advertising plan didn’t work and you need to try a different approach. Given that investors will want to see a marketing and advertising plan that works, keeping this section current will ensure you are always ready to meet with one who shows interest.
• Have your staffing needs changed? If you set ambitious goals, you may need help from team members or outside consultants you did not anticipate when you first started the business. Take stock now so you can plan accordingly.

Final thoughts

Most business owners don’t follow their business plans exactly. But writing one will get you off to a much better start than simply opening your doors and hoping for the best, and it will be easier to analyze any aspects of your business that aren’t working later so you can course-correct. Ultimately, it may be one of the best investments you can make in the future of your business.

Business plan FAQs

What are common mistakes when writing a business plan.

The biggest mistake you can make when writing a business plan is creating one before the idea has been properly researched and tested. Not every idea is meant to become a business. Other common mistakes include:

• Not describing your management team in a way that is appealing to investors. Simply cutting and pasting someone’s professional bio into the management section won’t do the trick. You’ll want to highlight the credentials of each team member in a way that is relevant to this business.
• Failing to include financial projections — or including overly optimistic ones. Investors look at a lot of business plans and can tell quickly whether your numbers are accurate or pie in the sky. Have a good small business accountant review your numbers to make sure they are realistic.
• Lack of a clear exit strategy for investors. Investors may want the option to cash out eventually and would want to know how they can go about doing that.
• Slapdash presentation. Make sure to fact-check any industry statistics you cite and that any charts, graphs or images are carefully prepared and easy to read.

What are the different types of business plans?

There are a variety of styles of business plans. Here are three major types:

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. Typically, each section will be described in bullet points or in a chart format rather than in the narrative style of an executive summary. It can be helpful as a summary document to give to investors — or for internal use. Another variation on the one-page theme is the business model canvas .

Lean plan. This methodology for creating a business plan is ideal for a business that is evolving quickly. It is designed in a way that makes it easy to update on a regular basis. Lean business plans are usually about one page long. The SBA has provided an example of what this type of plan includes on its website.

Is the business plan for a nonprofit different from the plan for other business types?

Many elements of a business plan for a nonprofit are similar to those of a for-profit business. However, because the goal of a nonprofit is achieving its mission — rather than turning a profit — the business plan should emphasize its specific goals on that front and how it will achieve them. Many nonprofits set key performance indicators (KPIs) — numbers that they track to show they are moving the needle on their goals.

Nonprofits will generally emphasize their fundraising strategies in their business plans rather than sales strategies. The funds they raise are the lifeblood of the programs they run.

What is the difference between a business plan, a strategic plan and a marketing plan?

A strategic plan is different from the type of business plan you’ve read about here in that it emphasizes the long-term goals of the business and how your business will achieve them over the long run. A strong business plan can function as both a business plan and a strategic plan.

A marketing plan is different from a business plan in that it is focused on four main areas of the business: product (what you are selling and how you will differentiate it), price (how much your products or services will cost and why), promotion (how you will get your ideal customer to notice and buy what you are selling) and place (where you will sell your products). A thorough business plan may cover these topics, doing double duty as both a business plan and a marketing plan.

Explore more

Editable business plan workbook

Starting a new business

1 . Francis J. Green and Christian Hopp. “Research: Writing a Business Plan Makes Your Startup More Likely to Succeed.” HBR. July 14, 2017. Available online at https://hbr.org/2017/07/research-writing-a-business-plan-makes-your-startup-more-likely-to-succeed.

2 . CorpNet, “The Startup Business Plan: Why It’s Important and How You Can Create One,” June 29, 2022.

Important Disclosures and Information

Bank of America, Merrill, their affiliates and advisors do not provide legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult your own legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions. Any informational materials provided are for your discussion or review purposes only. The content on the Center for Business Empowerment (including, without limitations, third party and any Bank of America content) is provided “as is” and carries no express or implied warranties, or promise or guaranty of success. Bank of America does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, completeness, usefulness, non-infringement of intellectual property rights, or quality of any content, regardless of who originates that content, and disclaims the same to the extent allowable by law. All third party trademarks, service marks, trade names and logos referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. Bank of America does not deliver and is not responsible for the products, services or performance of any third party.

Not all materials on the Center for Business Empowerment will be available in Spanish.

Certain links may direct you away from Bank of America to unaffiliated sites. Bank of America has not been involved in the preparation of the content supplied at unaffiliated sites and does not guarantee or assume any responsibility for their content. When you visit these sites, you are agreeing to all of their terms of use, including their privacy and security policies.

Credit cards, credit lines and loans are subject to credit approval and creditworthiness. Some restrictions may apply.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S" or “Merrill") makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp."). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser,  Member SIPC , and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks, Members FDIC, and wholly owned subsidiaries of BofA Corp.

“Bank of America” and “BofA Securities” are the marketing names used by the Global Banking and Global Markets division of Bank of America Corporation. Lending, derivatives, other commercial banking activities, and trading in certain financial instruments are performed globally by banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Trading in securities and financial instruments, and strategic advisory, and other investment banking activities, are performed globally by investment banking affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“Investment Banking Affiliates”), including, in the United States, BofA Securities, Inc., which is a registered broker-dealer and Member of  SIPC , and, in other jurisdictions, by locally registered entities. BofA Securities, Inc. is a registered futures commission merchant with the CFTC and a member of the NFA.

Investment products: