les types de business plan

Waza Business

Meilleur blog de conseils pour démarrer une entreprise commerciale au Congo – Kinshasa

14 types de business plans et leurs fonctions

Vous êtes sur le point de démarrer une entreprise mais vous ne savez pas quel type de plan d’affaires rédiger  si oui, voici 14 types de business plans et leurs fonctions..

Un plan d’affaires est un document écrit formel qui contient les objectifs commerciaux, les méthodes sur la façon dont ces objectifs peuvent être atteints et le délai dans lequel ces objectifs doivent être atteints. Les plans d’affaires guident les propriétaires, la direction et les investisseurs pendant la phase de démarrage de l’entreprise, et ils guident également l’entreprise à mesure qu’elle se développe d’une étape à l’autre.

Les propriétaires d’entreprise avisés rédigent un plan d’affaires pour guider la direction et promouvoir le capital d’investissement. Les entreprises sans plan solide s’épuisent généralement rapidement ou ne réalisent pas de profit à long terme. Sans une stratégie commerciale bien planifiée, il n’est pas possible pour une entreprise d’évoluer sans heurts à travers les problèmes, et ce serait également une tâche ardue pour réussir.

Un plan d’affaires infaillible met en évidence divers aspects d’une entreprise potentielle et intègre quelques fonctionnalités essentielles telles que les objectifs commerciaux, le taux de croissance possible et de nombreuses autres caractéristiques que votre entreprise inclura et assimilera. La manière de promouvoir le capital d’investissement sera largement illustrée dans un plan d’affaires.

Il existe différents types de plans d’affaires et dans cet article, nous décrirons les différents plans d’affaires et vous expliquerons la fonction de chacun.

Plans d’affaires de démarrage

L’un des plans d’affaires les plus populaires dans le monde des affaires est le plan d’affaires de démarrage. Les plans d’affaires de démarrage contiennent une approche exhaustive pour démarrer et développer une entreprise. Il est différent de tous les autres plans d’affaires en raison de sa nature et des détails qui sont pris en considération dès la création de l’entreprise jusqu’à la phase de croissance avec la vision d’au moins cinq ans.

Avec ce plan d’affaires, les nouvelles entreprises doivent détailler les étapes à suivre pour démarrer une entreprise. Ce document comprend généralement des sections décrivant l’entreprise, le produit ou le service que l’entreprise fournira, les évaluations de marché et l’équipe de gestion prévue.

Les investisseurs potentiels auront également besoin d’une analyse financière avec des feuilles de calcul décrivant les domaines financiers, y compris, mais sans s’y limiter, les projections de revenus, de bénéfices et de flux de trésorerie. Les plans d’affaires de démarrage peuvent également être utilisés par les entreprises établies pour lancer une nouvelle gamme de produits ou pour pénétrer un tout nouveau segment d’activité sur le marché. Les conglomérats utilisent ce plan s’ils lancent une nouvelle entreprise.

Les fonctions

Il illustre l’entreprise: le plan d’affaires de démarrage explique en quoi consiste une entreprise en décrivant les produits ou services en détail et quels sont les objectifs ultimes de l’entreprise. Par exemple, votre plan peut stipuler quels sont vos objectifs de revenus pour chacune de vos trois premières années d’exploitation. Votre plan doit également indiqué pourquoi vous pensez que votre entreprise est nécessaire et quels seront vos principaux concurrents.

Aide à obtenir des financements: ce n’est un secret pour personne que les entreprises ne peuvent pas fonctionner sans capital d’exploitation pour démarrer leur cycle de production. Les entrepreneurs sont souvent obligés de contracter des prêts auprès d’institutions financières pour acheter une propriété, obtenir l’équipement ou embaucher de la main-d’œuvre. Les plans d’affaires de démarrage les aideraient à accéder rapidement au financement.

Aperçu des faiblesses possibles

Les plans d’affaires de démarrage aident les entreprises à découvrir les faiblesses de l’entreprise en question. Les hauts et les bas font partie de la vie et sans eux; nous ne ressentirions pas le besoin d’amélioration. Un plan d’affaires de démarrage vous aide à anticiper les creux et à maximiser les hauts.

Il fournit un plan d’exécution

Il est important de décrire comment votre entreprise fonctionnera et se comportera sur le marché lorsque vous traitez avec des sponsors et des investisseurs. Un plan d’affaires de démarrage expliquera vos produits et services, vos clients ciblés, les fonds nécessaires et ce qui est nécessaire pour que votre startup prospère

Plans d’affaires internes

Comme son nom l’indique, le plan d’affaires interne est destiné aux parties prenantes internes de l’entreprise. Ce type de business plan permet d’évaluer les projets spécifiques et de tenir l’équipe au courant de l’état actuel de l’entreprise.

L’entreprise à plus de chances de réussir si tout le monde dans l’équipe est entièrement d’accord, c’est pourquoi le plan d’affaires interne est nécessaire pour garder tout le monde dans l’entreprise sur la même voie. Il contient des stratégies et des moyens d’améliorer le fonctionnement actuel de l’entreprise et suggère un nouveau modèle de croissance.

Il répond aux questions relatives au fonctionnement interne de l’entreprise: l’entreprise est-elle en croissance ou en déclin? Le modèle de travail a-t-il besoin d’être changé, amélioré ou modifié? Voilà le type de questions auxquelles répondent les plans d’affaires internes. Le but premier du business plan interne n’est pas de montrer le bilan de la situation financière de l’entreprise aux parties prenantes externes mais il est de gérer l’entreprise le plus harmonieusement possible.

Il cible des équipes spécifiques pour rationaliser leurs fonctions: les plans d’affaires internes ciblent un public spécifique au sein de l’entreprise, par exemple, l’équipe marketing qui doit évaluer un projet proposé. Ce document décrira l’état actuel de l’entreprise, y compris les coûts opérationnels et la rentabilité, puis calculera si et comment l’entreprise remboursera tout capital nécessaire au projet. Les plans internes fournissent des informations sur le marketing du projet, l’embauche et les coûts technologiques.

Plans d’affaires stratégiques

Un plan d’affaires stratégique fournit une vue d’ensemble des objectifs d’une entreprise et de la manière dont elle les atteindra, en établissant un plan de base pour l’ensemble de l’entreprise. Bien que la structure d’un plan stratégique diffère d’une entreprise à l’autre, la plupart comprennent cinq éléments: la vision d’entreprise, l’énoncé de mission, la définition des facteurs critiques de succès, les stratégies pour atteindre les objectifs et un calendrier de mise en œuvre.

Un plan d’affaires stratégique amène tous les niveaux de l’entreprise dans une vue d’ensemble, incitant les employés à travailler ensemble pour créer un aboutissement réussi aux objectifs de l’entreprise. Ces types de plans ignorent généralement les données financières et les jalons plus détaillés, car ils ne sont pas importants pour l’équipe à ce stade.

Les plans d’affaires stratégiques contribuent également à créer une efficacité interne afin que vous puissiez obtenir les meilleurs résultats. Le plan d’affaires stratégique comprend également la vision d’entreprise, l’énoncé de mission, les stratégies pour atteindre les objectifs, les facteurs de succès et les calendriers de mise en œuvre.

Ils aident à l’exécution des stratégies commerciales

Les plans d’affaires stratégiques aident à décrire comment l’entreprise parviendra là où elle veut aller. Ils décrivent la stratégie que votre équipe doit mettre en œuvre pour atteindre vos objectifs, y compris vos forces, vos faiblesses et la manière dont vous allez utiliser vos opportunités.

Pour que l’entreprise reste concentrée: l’objectif principal du plan d’affaires stratégique est de tracer la voie à suivre et de répondre aux questions telles que: qu’allez-vous obtenir et comment comptez-vous vous y prendre. Ces réponses ne sont rien d’autre que la stratégie que l’équipe doit exécuter pour atteindre ses objectifs.

Plans d’affaires de faisabilité

Un plan d’affaires de faisabilité répond à deux questions principales sur une entreprise commerciale proposée: qui, le cas échéant, achètera le service ou le produit qu’une entreprise souhaite vendre, et si l’entreprise peut générer des bénéfices. Les plans d’affaires de faisabilité comprennent, mais sans s’y limiter, des sections décrivant le besoin du produit ou du service, les données démographiques cibles et le capital requis. Un plan de faisabilité se termine par des recommandations pour aller de l’avant.

Une fonction

Identifier le marché cible d’une entreprise  

Le plan d’affaires de faisabilité détermine qui achètera le service ou le produit de l’entreprise. Pour répondre à la question «pourquoi» d’une entreprise: Le plan d’affaires de faisabilité décrit le besoin d’un produit ou d’un service, y compris les données démographiques cibles et les données financières nécessaires pour démarrer l’entreprise.

Plans d’affaires des opérations

Les plans d’exploitation sont des plans internes qui se composent d’éléments liés aux opérations de l’entreprise. Un plan d’opérations, précise les marqueurs de mise en œuvre et les échéances pour l’année à venir. Le plan opérationnel décrit les responsabilités des employés. Les plans d’affaires opérationnels sont généralement très petits car ils sont réduits à un an d’informations.

Il projette l’entreprise sur une base annuelle: le plan d’affaires des opérations n’est pas fait pour dire aux investisseurs comment vous comptez réaliser un profit en cinq ans. C’est simplement là où vous vous attendez dans 365 jours. Un plan annuel peut également être un plan interne (c’est-à-dire la stratégie que vos employés ont l’intention de mettre en œuvre au cours de l’année prochaine).

Il est utilisé pour rechercher des investisseurs: le plan d’affaires des opérations peut également être utilisé pour attirer les investisseurs au tout début. Les plans d’affaires annuels sont parfaits pour les entreprises qui s’attendent à faire de grands changements dans un avenir pas si lointain. Les investisseurs adorent voir cela.

Plans d’affaires de croissance

Les plans de croissance ou les plans d’expansion sont des descriptions détaillées de la croissance proposée de l’entreprise et sont rédigés à des fins internes ou externes. Si la croissance de l’entreprise nécessite des investissements, un plan de croissance peut inclure des descriptions complètes de l’entreprise, de sa direction et de ses dirigeants. Le plan doit fournir tous les détails de l’entreprise pour satisfaire les investisseurs potentiels.

Si un plan de croissance ne nécessite pas de capital, les auteurs peuvent renoncer à des descriptions évidentes de la société, mais incluront des prévisions de ventes et de dépenses financières. Si vous recherchez un plan d’affaires hyper-ciblé, c’est celui-ci. Les plans de croissance ou d’expansion se concentrent sur un domaine spécifique de votre entreprise, comme l’ouverture d’un nouvel emplacement ou le lancement d’un certain produit.

Les plans d’affaires de croissance sont orientés vers l’intérieur et vers l’extérieur. Les plans de croissance interne sont une version allégée d’un plan d’affaires stratégique. Vous les utiliserez si la croissance ou l’expansion de votre entreprise est financée en interne, par exemple si vous lancez une nouvelle gamme de produits à partir des revenus de la dernière ligne de produits. Vous savez déjà ce que vous financez, vous n’avez donc pas besoin d’expliquer en profondeur le produit.

Pour un plan de croissance externe ou destiné aux investisseurs, vous aurez besoin d’informations différentes. Ce type de plan suppose que la banque, l’investisseur ou la personne que vous proposez ne sait pas grand-chose de votre entreprise. Vous devrez le considérer comme une startup et inclure des détails supplémentaires sur votre croissance ou votre expansion.

Aide une entreprise à attirer les investisseurs: les  plans de croissance s’adressent aux investisseurs et aux banques afin d’attirer les investissements externes. Ce plan comprend généralement tout dans un plan d’affaires standard. Vous avez besoin des données financières et des projections, de l’étude de marché et de la demande de financement.

Il aide à analyser l’entreprise sur une base annuelle: les plans de croissance sont également appelés plan d’affaires annuel et, comme son nom l’indique, le plan est à des fins annuelles. Ces types de plans d’affaires sont plus importants pour les startups. C’est parce que vous n’avez besoin que d’un an d’informations pour l’écrire.

Cela aide pendant la période de grands changements dans l’entreprise: les plans de croissance sont très utiles aux entreprises qui essaient d’apporter des changements monumentaux en peu de temps.

Le plan Lean

Les entreprises utilisent le plan d’affaires Lean pour gérer la stratégie, les tactiques, les dates, les jalons, les activités et les flux de trésorerie. Le plan Lean est plus rapide, plus facile et plus efficace qu’un plan d’affaires formel car il ne comprend pas de résumés, de descriptions et de détails de base que vous et vos partenaires ou employés connaissez déjà. Un plan Lean comprend des échéances et des jalons spécifiques, ainsi que les budgets alloués pour les respecter.

Il est utilisé pour suivre les jalons 

Le plan d’affaires allégé est plus utile si vous essayez de développer votre entreprise et que vous souhaitez l’utiliser comme un outil pour suivre vos finances et vos jalons par rapport à ce que vous avez projeté afin que vous puissiez répondre aux opportunités et réagir à défis rapidement.

Le business plan standard

Vous devrez élaborer un plan d’affaires pour un stand si vous organisez un événement de plan d’affaires, c’est ce qu’on appelle quand une entreprise a besoin de présenter un plan d’affaires à une banque, un investisseur potentiel, un fournisseur, un allié, un partenaire ou un employé.

Le plan d’affaires le plus standard commence par un résumé et comprend des sections ou des chapitres couvrant l’entreprise, le produit ou le service qu’elle vend, le marché cible, les jalons et objectifs de la stratégie et de la mise en œuvre, l’équipe de direction, les prévisions financières et l’analyse. L’ordre exact des sujets n’est pas important, mais la plupart des gens s’attendent à voir tous ces sujets traités dans le cadre du plan standard.

Considérez votre plan Lean comme une bonne première ébauche d’un plan standard. Ces projections complètes comprennent les trois projections financières essentielles (également appelées états pro-forma): résultat, bilan et flux de trésorerie. Chaque plan d’affaires standard nécessite des ventes ainsi que ces trois éléments essentiels.

Les fonctions 

Pour analyser les flux de trésorerie

Le flux de trésorerie est une partie essentielle d’un plan d’affaires standard. Les entreprises ont besoin de liquidités pour rester ouvertes. Même si une entreprise peut survivre temporairement sans bénéfices, elle a toujours besoin de liquidités pour payer ses factures. Et comme les bénéfices seuls ne garantissent pas les liquidités à la banque, les flux de trésorerie projetés sont essentiels.

De nombreux plans standard incluent également un tableau des dépenses de personnel. Certains plans standard nécessiteront des projections supplémentaires pour répondre aux besoins de l’événement de plan d’affaires spécifique.

Par exemple, les plans de recherche d’investissements extérieurs devraient inclure une discussion sur une sortie éventuelle pour les investisseurs et, bien entendu, sur l’utilisation prévue des fonds investis. Les plans prenant en charge une demande de prêt bancaire peuvent inclure des ratios projetés que la banque souhaite voir, tels que la dette sur les capitaux propres, les ratios rapides ou actuels.

Plan d’affaires d’une page

Un plan d’affaires d’une page est généralement un résumé d’une page de l’entreprise et ne comprend que les faits saillants. Ce business plan est utilisé pour offrir un aperçu très rapide d’une entreprise.

Pour fournir un résumé rapide de l’activité: Le plan d’affaires d’une page résume le marché cible, l’offre commerciale, les principaux jalons et les prévisions de ventes essentielles d’une entreprise sur une seule page. Un tel résumé peut être utile comme résumé pour les banques, les investisseurs potentiels, les vendeurs, les alliés et les employés. Un plan d’affaires d’une page peut également être appelé un argumentaire commercial.

Le Miniplan

Le miniplan est une sorte de version abrégée du business plan normal. Ce plan d’affaires est préféré par de nombreux destinataires car ils peuvent le lire, ou le télécharger rapidement pour le lire plus tard sur leur iPhone ou leur tablette. Vous incluez la plupart des mêmes ingrédients que vous le feriez dans un plan plus long, mais vous coupez les points saillants tout en racontant la même histoire.

Il fournit un aperçu rapide de l’entreprise pour les investisseurs: Le miniplan fournit un résumé rapide de l’entreprise ou de l’entreprise pour quelqu’un qui n’a peut-être pas le temps de passer par la version plus longue.

Le plan de présentation

L’avènement des présentations PowerPoint a changé la façon dont de nombreux plans, sinon la plupart, sont présentés. Et si le plan est plus court que ses prédécesseurs, il n’est pas forcément plus facile à présenter. De nombreuses personnes perdent le sommeil lors d’une présentation à venir, en particulier celle qui peut jouer un rôle essentiel dans l’avenir de leur entreprise. Mais présenter votre plan sous forme de deck peut être très puissant.

Les lecteurs d’un plan ne peuvent pas toujours capturer votre passion pour l’entreprise et ne peuvent pas non plus poser de questions lorsque vous avez terminé. Mais en 20 minutes, vous pouvez couvrir tous les points clés et raconter votre histoire du concept et de l’énoncé de mission aux prévisions financières.

Il aide à présenter l’entreprise dans un format détaillé à un public: Le plan de présentation permet de présenter l’entreprise de manière concise à un public qui écoute. En 20 minutes, vous pouvez couvrir tous les points clés et raconter l’histoire de votre organisation, du concept et de l’énoncé de mission aux prévisions financières.

Le plan de travail

Un plan de travail est un outil à utiliser pour faire fonctionner votre entreprise. Il est généralement long sur les détails mais peut être court sur la présentation. Comme avec un miniplan, vous pouvez probablement utiliser un degré d’informalité un peu plus élevé lors de la préparation d’un plan de travail. Il est là pour travailler pour votre entreprise et fournir le guide requis.

Le plan est généralement strictement destiné à un usage interne, et vous pouvez donc omettre certains éléments que vous n’avez pas besoin d’expliquer à vous-même et à votre équipe. De même, vous n’avez probablement pas besoin d’inclure une annexe avec les curriculum vitae des principaux dirigeants. Un plan de travail ne profiterait pas non plus des photos de produits.

Il fournit des lignes directrices pour la gestion quotidienne de l’entreprise: le plan de travail est comme une vieille paire de pantalons que vous portez au bureau le samedi. Il est là pour être utilisé, pas admiré. Il fournit des indications sur la façon dont les choses doivent être faites dans l’entreprise.

Le plan What-If

Lorsque vous faites face à des circonstances inhabituelles, vous avez besoin de quelque chose d’un peu différent de votre plan de travail habituel. Par exemple, vous voudrez peut-être préparer un plan d’urgence lorsque vous recherchez un financement bancaire.

Un plan d’urgence est un plan basé sur le pire scénario auquel vous pouvez imaginer la survie de votre entreprise: perte de parts de marché, forte concurrence sur les prix, défection d’un membre clé de votre équipe de direction. Un plan d’urgence peut apaiser les craintes d’un banquier ou d’un investisseur en démontrant que vous avez en effet envisagé plus qu’un scénario optimiste.

Votre entreprise envisage peut-être une acquisition, auquel cas un plan d’affaires pro forma (certains appellent cela un plan de simulation) peut vous aider à comprendre ce que vaut l’acquisition et comment elle pourrait affecter votre activité principale. Et si vous augmentiez les prix, investissiez dans la formation du personnel et réduisiez les efforts redondants ?

Une telle planification hypothétique n’a pas besoin d’être aussi formelle qu’un plan de présentation. Peut-être voulez-vous réfléchir aux chances d’une expansion majeure. Un plan de simulation peut vous aider à repérer les besoins accrus d’espace, d’équipement, de personnel et d’autres variables afin que vous puissiez prendre de bonnes décisions.

Il aide à analyser divers scénarios commerciaux, bons ou mauvais: si une entreprise souhaite effectuer des changements soudains, un plan d’affaires hypothétique est utilisé pour analyser correctement les changements afin que l’entreprise sache dans quoi elle s’embarque.

Ils fournissent un aperçu: ce plan d’affaires donne un aperçu des décisions que les entreprises prennent à chaque étape de leur existence. Ce qui distingue ces types de plans des plans de travail et de présentation, c’est qu’ils ne décrivent pas nécessairement la façon dont vous dirigerez l’entreprise. Ils ressemblent essentiellement à un addendum à votre plan d’affaires réel.

Il aide l’entreprise à prendre de bonnes décisions

Un plan «et si» aide une entreprise à envisager les changements majeurs qui affectent le cœur de l’entreprise, afin qu’elle puisse prendre de bonnes décisions. C’est le plan que vous devriez envisager avant d’envisager un plan d’expansion ou de croissance.

Plan d’activités de développement

Les plans de développement ou les plans d’extension sont des représentations de haut en bas du développement commercial proposé et ils sont composés pour afficher les objectifs internes ou externes d’une entreprise. Une politique de développement intègre les détails généraux de l’organisation, son administration et les responsabilités que le personnel se partage.

La politique doit montrer les détails de l’organisation et mettre l’accent sur les éléments nécessaires pour satisfaire les spéculateurs potentiels. Si dans le cas où le plan de développement ne nécessite aucun capital, les compositeurs du plan peuvent passer par ces représentations de l’organisation, mais incorporeront sûrement des accords liés à l’argent et des projections de coûts.

Il est utilisé dans l’analyse détaillée de l’industrie: une politique de développement incorpore les détails généraux de l’organisation, son administration et la responsabilité que le personnel partage entre eux.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

7 types of business plans every entrepreneur should know

• Amanda Bellucco Chatham
• Aug 3, 2023

What’s the difference between a small business that achieves breakthrough growth and one that fizzles quickly after launch? Oftentimes, it’s having a solid business plan.

Business plans provide you with a roadmap that will take you from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur. It will guide nearly every decision you make, from the people you hire and the products or services you offer, to the look and feel of the business website you create.

But did you know that there are many different types of business plans? Some types are best for new businesses looking to attract funding. Others help to define the way your company will operate day-to-day. You can even create a plan that prepares your business for the unexpected.

Read on to learn the seven most common types of business plans and determine which one fits your immediate needs.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a written document that defines your company’s goals and explains how you will achieve them. Putting this information down on paper brings valuable benefits. It gives you insight into your competitors, helps you develop a unique value proposition and lets you set metrics that will guide you to profitability. It’s also a necessity to obtain funding through banks or investors.

Keep in mind that a business plan isn’t a one-and-done exercise. It’s a living document that you should update regularly as your company evolves. But which type of plan is right for your business?

7 common types of business plans

Startup business plan

Feasibility business plan

One-page business plan

What-if business plan

Growth business plan

Operations business plan

Strategic business plan

01. Startup business plan

The startup business plan is a comprehensive document that will set the foundation for your company’s success. It covers all aspects of a business, including a situation analysis, detailed financial information and a strategic marketing plan.

Startup plans serve two purposes: internally, they provide a step-by-step guide that you and your team can use to start a business and generate results on day one. Externally, they prove the validity of your business concept to banks and investors, whose capital you’ll likely need to make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

Elements of a startup business plan should include the following steps:

Executive summary : Write a brief synopsis of your company’s concept, potential audience, product or services, and the amount of funding required.

Company overview: Go into detail about your company’s location and its business goals. Be sure to include your company’s mission statement , which explains the “why” behind your business idea.

Products or services: Explain exactly what your business will offer to its customers. Include detailed descriptions and pricing.

Situation analysis: Use market research to explain the competitive landscape, key demographics and the current status of your industry.

Marketing plan: Discuss the strategies you’ll use to build awareness for your business and attract new customers or clients.

Management bios: Introduce the people who will lead your company. Include bios that detail their industry-specific background.

Financial projections: Be transparent about startup costs, cash flow projections and profit expectations.

Don’t be afraid to go into too much detail—a startup business plan can often run multiple pages long. Investors will expect and appreciate your thoroughness. However, if you have a hot new product idea and need to move fast, you can consider a lean business plan. It’s a popular type of business plan in the tech industry that focuses on creating a minimum viable product first, then scaling the business from there.

02. Feasibility business plan

Let’s say you started a boat rental company five years ago. You’ve steadily grown your business. Now, you want to explore expanding your inventory by renting out jet skis, kayaks and other water sports equipment. Will it be profitable? A feasibility business plan will let you know.

Often called a decision-making plan, a feasibility business plan will help you understand the viability of offering a new product or launching into a new market. These business plans are typically internal and focus on answering two questions: Does the market exist, and will you make a profit from it? You might use a feasibility plan externally, too, if you need funding to support your new product or service.

Because you don’t need to include high-level, strategic information about your company, your feasibility business plan will be much shorter and more focused than a startup business plan. Feasibility plans typically include:

A description of the new product or service you wish to launch

A market analysis using third-party data

The target market , or your ideal customer profile

Any additional technology or personnel needs required

Required capital or funding sources

Predicted return on investment

Standards to objectively measure feasibility

A conclusion that includes recommendations on whether or not to move forward

03. One-page business plan

Imagine you’re a software developer looking to launch a tech startup around an app that you created from scratch. You’ve already written a detailed business plan, but you’re not sure if your strategy is 100% right. How can you get feedback from potential partners, customers or friends without making them slog through all 32 pages of the complete plan?

That’s where a one-page business plan comes in handy. It compresses your full business plan into a brief summary. Think of it as a cross between a business plan and an elevator pitch—an ideal format if you’re still fine-tuning your business plan. It’s also a great way to test whether investors will embrace your company, its mission or its goals.

Ideally, a one-page business plan should give someone a snapshot of your company in just a few minutes. But while brevity is important, your plan should still hit all the high points from your startup business plan. To accomplish this, structure a one-page plan similar to an outline. Consider including:

A short situation analysis that shows the need for your product or service

Your unique value proposition

Your mission statement and vision statement

Your target market

Your management team

The funding you’ll need

Financial projections

Expected results

Because a one-page plan is primarily used to gather feedback, make sure the format you choose is easy to update. That way, you can keep it fresh for new audiences.

04. What-if business plan

Pretend that you’re an accountant who started their own financial consulting business. You’re rapidly signing clients and growing your business when, 18 months into your new venture, you’re given the opportunity to buy another established firm in a nearby town. Is it a risk worth taking?

The what-if business plan will help you find an answer. It’s perfect for entrepreneurs who are looking to take big risks, such as acquiring or merging with another company, testing a new pricing model or adding an influx of new staff.

A what-if plan is additionally a great way to test out a worst-case scenario. For example, if you’re in the restaurant business, you can create a plan that explores the potential business repercussions of a public health emergency (like the COVID-19 pandemic), and then develop strategies to mitigate its effects.

You can share your what-if plan internally to prepare your leadership team and staff. You can also share it externally with bankers and partners so that they know your business is built to withstand any hard times. Include in your plan:

A detailed description of the business risk or other scenario

The impact it will have on your business

Specific actions you’ll take in a worst-case scenario

Risk management strategies you’ll employ

05. Growth business plan

Let’s say you’re operating a hair salon (see how to create a hair salon business plan ). You see an opportunity to expand your business and make it a full-fledged beauty bar by adding skin care, massage and other sought-after services. By creating a growth business plan, you’ll have a blueprint that will take you from your current state to your future state.

Sometimes called an expansion plan, a growth business plan is something like a crystal ball. It will help you see one to two years into the future. Creating a growth plan lets you see how far—and how fast—you can scale your business. It lets you know what you’ll need to get there, whether it’s funding, materials, people or property.

The audience for your growth plan will depend on your expected sources of capital. If you’re funding your expansion from within, then the audience is internal. If you need to attract the attention of outside investors, then the audience is external.

Much like a startup plan, your growth business plan should be rather comprehensive, especially if the people reviewing it aren’t familiar with your company. Include items specific to your potential new venture, including:

A brief assessment of your business’s current state

Information about your management team

A thorough analysis of the growth opportunity you’re seeking

The target audience for your new venture

The current competitive landscape

Resources you’ll need to achieve growth

Detailed financial forecasts

A funding request

Specific action steps your company will take

A timeline for completing those action steps

Another helpful thing to include in a growth business plan is a SWOT analysis . SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis will help you evaluate your performance, and that of your competitors. Including this type of in-depth review will show your investors that you’re making an objective, data-driven decision to expand your business, helping to build confidence and trust.

06. Operations business plan

You’ve always had a knack for accessories and have chosen to start your own online jewelry store. Even better, you already have your eCommerce business plan written. Now, it’s time to create a plan for how your company will implement its business model on a day-to-day basis.

An operations business plan will help you do just that. This internal-focused document will explain how your leadership team and your employees will propel your company forward. It should include specific responsibilities for each department, such as human resources, finance and marketing.

When you sit down to write an operations plan, you should use your company’s overall goals as your guide. Then, consider how each area of your business will contribute to those goals. Be sure to include:

A high-level overview of your business and its goals

A clear layout of key employees, departments and reporting lines

Processes you’ll use (i.e., how you’ll source products and fulfill orders)

Facilities and equipment you’ll need to conduct business effectively

Departmental budgets required

Risk management strategies that will ensure business continuity

Compliance and legal considerations

Clear metrics for each department to achieve

Timelines to help you reach those metrics

A measurement process to keep your teams on track

07. Strategic business plan

Say you open a coffee shop, but you know that one store is just the start. Eventually, you want to open multiple locations throughout your region. A strategic business plan will serve as your guide, helping define your company’s direction and decision-making over the next three to five years.

You should use a strategic business plan to align all of your internal stakeholders and employees around your company’s mission, vision and future goals. Your strategic plan should be high-level enough to create a clear vision of future success, yet also detailed enough to ensure you reach your eventual destination.

Be sure to include:

An executive summary

A company overview

Your mission and vision statements

Market research

A SWOT analysis

Specific, measurable goals you wish to achieve

Strategies to meet those goals

Financial projections based on those goals

Timelines for goal attainment

Related Posts

What is a target market and how to define yours

21 powerful mission statement examples that stand out

How to write a business plan in 7 easy to follow steps

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Business plan : définition, étapes d'élaboration et exemple

Qu'est-ce qu'un business plan ?

Un business plan est un document dans lequel figure l'analyse détaillée de tous les aspects d'un projet. L'objectif consiste à recueillir un maximum d'informations sur l'environnement au sens large de l'entreprise à venir : cerner les attentes et les besoins des prospects, les atouts et les faiblesses des concurrents, entre autres, puis de décrire la stratégie commerciale envisagée ainsi que les moyens humains, techniques et financiers prévus.

Quelle est l'importance d'un business plan ?

Le business plan, et en particulier sa partie financière, sera analysé par les banquiers en cas de demande de financement. Les différents tableaux chiffrés qu'il contient doivent convaincre de la rentabilité du projet. Mais un business plan est aussi utile pour le porteur de projet lui-même. L'étude de marché lui permettra de prendre connaissance du marché dans lequel il va évoluer, de cibler la bonne clientèle, de déceler ses besoins et de voir s'il peut y répondre. Le plan financier, quant à lui, évaluera si la stratégie et le modèle économique choisis sont réalisables.

Quels sont les différents types de business plan ?

Le contenu d'un business plan n'est pas le même pour tout le monde. Selon l'ampleur du projet, le type d'activité, le statut juridique, les personnes à qui s'adresse ce document, celui-ci devra être rédigé différemment. Il n'existe pas à proprement parler de type de business plan. L'accent devra uniquement être mis sur certains points : l'étude de marché ou la capacité de remboursement ou encore la rentabilité. Il existe par contre plusieurs business model ou modèles économiques . Le modèle économique est inclus dans le business plan et décrit l'activité dans le détail.

Quelles sont les différentes étapes d'un business plan ?

La première étape consiste à se présenter puis à introduire brièvement son projet de façon réaliste. La seconde étape comprend une étude de marché approfondie (analyse de l'offre, de la demande...). La troisième étape va aborder la stratégie commerciale et les actions prévues. La quatrième étape traite des moyens de production et d'organisation (local, montant du loyer, matériel nécessaire, nombre de salariés...). La cinquième étape indique le statut juridique choisi. La sixième étape étudie les risques éventuels et les moyens d'y faire face. Enfin, la septième étape comprend un plan financier prévisionnel commenté.

Comment élaborer un bon business plan ?

Pour rédiger un business plan de qualité, il faut employer des phrases simples et directes, faire ressortir les points importants, argumenter en présentant des éléments concrets et vérifiables, chiffrer, utiliser des photos, des tableaux, donner des exemples, lister les risques éventuels et apporter des solutions pour chacun d'eux. En ce qui concerne les données financières, il est préférable de demander l'aide d'un expert-comptable . Quoi qu'il en soit, un business plan doit toujours être réalisé de manière cohérente afin d'être compris de tous.

Où trouver un exemple gratuit de business plan ?

De nombreux sites proposent des modèles de business plan à télécharger gratuitement puis à adapter selon l'activité de chacun. Vous y trouverez de plus une foule de conseils nécessaires à l'élaboration d'un business plan efficace. Il ne reste plus qu'à remplir soigneusement les cases avec ses informations personnelles. 

Guide de la création d'entreprise

• Société anonyme : définition, statut juridique et exemple
• Code APE : qu'est-ce que c'est et où le trouver ?
• RCS : qu'est-ce que c'est et comment s'inscrire ?
• Société civile professionnelle : comment fonctionne une SCP ?
• Numéro RNA : à quoi ça sert et où le trouver ?
• Publication d'annonce légale : quand et comment faire ?
• Société en nom collectif : caractéristiques, avantages et inconvénients
• Kbis : où faire la demande d'extrait ?
• SELARL : tout sur la société d'exercice libéral à responsabilité limitée
• Création d'entreprise : les étapes et les aides disponibles
• Entreprise individuelle : définition, avantage et charges
• Apport en capital : définition, types et comptabilisation
• Business angel : quelle est sa fonction ?
• Siret d'une association : où le trouver ?
• Comptabilisation d'une annonce légale : quel compte utiliser ?
• Attestation de parution d'annonce légale : qu'est-ce que c'est et comment l'obtenir ?
• Annonce légale : définition, prix et publication
• Nacre : montant et condtions pour le toucher
• Prêt d'honneur : bénéficiaires et demande
• SARL : statut juridique, définition et capital minimum
• Sécurité sociale des indépendants : à quel régime s'affilier ?
• EIRL : définition, avantages et inconvénients du statut

5 Types Of Business Plans (+ Customizable Templates)

Find the best form of business plan for your venture and learn to align your business plan model with a winning strategy. Grab a template to get started.

6 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What are the main types of business plans?

5 main types of business plans:

Startup business plan

One-pager business plan

Operational business plan

Feasibility business plan

Growth business plan

Aligning your strategy with the wrong type of business plan leads to failure

Crafting a sharp business plan is non-negotiable if you want your project to lift off the ground.

Yet, many miss the mark by not adapting their strategy to the appropriate type of business plan. It's like trying to open a door with the wrong key, frustrating and futile. This oversight can lead to miscommunication, disinterest from crucial stakeholders, and missed growth opportunities.

Here's where I step in, offering you a master key to unlock the true potential of effective business planning.

You'll learn about the strategic value of tailoring your plan to fit specific needs, whether you're kickstarting a venture, seeking investment, or plotting growth. Let's go.

What makes a successful business plan?

Creating a business plan that stands out involves more than just outlining your business's operations. It's about highlighting how your business differentiates itself and thrives within its industry.

Drawing inspiration from expert advice on business planning, here's an overview of the key elements that make a business plan successful. 6 key elements of a winning business plan:

Precision and structure: It's sharp, structured, and zeroes in on the business's main goals and strategies without unnecessary fluff.

Grounded objectives and forecasts: It sets attainable objectives and includes grounded financial forecasts, informed by thorough market analysis and industry insights.

Flexibility: It remains adaptable, ready to evolve alongside the business and shifting market dynamics.

Audience-specific design: It's crafted with the target audience in mind, whether that's attracting investors, securing loans, or engaging customers, ensuring it resonates and meets their expectations.

Clear communication: It communicates the business idea, market potential, and growth trajectory clearly and persuasively.

Defined action plan: It provides a clear set of steps to be undertaken to reach the business's goals, making it practical and actionable.

Internal vs. external business plan

The difference between internal and external business plans is based on their intended audience.

INTERNAL BUSINESS PLAN

EXTERNAL BUSINESS PLAN

Internal business plan

Internal documents tailored for departments such as marketing or HR emphasize recruitment statistics , succinct insights about the company, and a more focused financial outlook. These documents usually adopt a less formal tone and are often managed using document management software to ensure efficient organization and accessibility.

Purpose: Align your team and streamline operations.

Key approach: Focus on strategy, flexibility, and clear metrics.

Tip: Regularly review and update the plan, and encourage team feedback.

External business plan

External documents reach out to those outside your immediate circle, such as investors or partners. They provide a thorough overview of your company, including detailed financials, and maintain a formal tone, typically aimed at securing funding or establishing partnerships.

Purpose: Impress and persuade investors or partners.

Key approach: Ensure clarity, and professionalism, and tailor content to your audience.

Tip: Understand your audience's priorities, and seek expert feedback before finalizing.

5 types of business plans to align your strategy with

Picking the right business plan is a big deal for founders, managers, and leaders. But let's be honest, diving into the sea of options can feel overwhelming.

Whether you're chasing funding, dreaming of expanding or looking to streamline your operations, I've got you covered.

I'm talking about seizing opportunities to not just meet your goals but to exceed them. Let's dive in and align your ambitions with the perfect plan.

1) Startup business plan

Audience: External stakeholders, including investors and financial institutions.

Depth: Comprehensive and detailed.

Purpose: To outline the steps for launching a new venture and securing funding.

The startup plan is your blueprint for launching a new venture.

It's packed with everything from a punchy executive summary that grabs you with the business concept to deep dives into market trends and who you're up against.

It lays out financial forecasts with precision, giving potential backers a crystal-clear picture of where you're headed in terms of profits and what you need to get there.

This plan isn't just about pulling in funds; it's your strategic playbook for carving out a successful path forward. For newbies on the entrepreneurial scene, it's nothing short of essential.

Here’s an example of a start-up business plan:

2) One-pager business plan

Audience: External parties, such as potential investors, partners, and vendors.

Depth: High-level and succinct.

Purpose: To quickly communicate the business's value proposition and growth potential.

The one-page plan condenses the core of a business strategy into a succinct and impactful document, crafted to immediately capture the attention of potential investors, partners, and vendors.

It showcases the unique value proposition, targets the market with effective strategies, and highlights financial insights and growth potential.

This streamlined plan turns out to be a game-changer for entrepreneurs looking to share their vision and strategy in a clear, easy-to-understand way.

It quickly gets the point across and sparks interest from potential stakeholders, encouraging them to dive deeper.

Here’s an example of a one-pager business plan:

3) Operational business plan

Audience: Internal management teams and department heads.

Depth: Detailed, focusing on day-to-day operations and short-term goals.

Purpose: To streamline internal processes and enhance operational efficiency.

The operational business plan is like the company's playbook, focusing on fine-tuning every single part of your operations.

It lays out the operational goals that sync up with your big-picture strategies, breaking down the exact tasks and processes you need to nail those targets.

You've got everything mapped out, from streamlining workflows to boosting efficiency, and even who's doing what to ensure you're all pulling in the same direction.

It also covers allocating resources, from budgets to materials, ensuring every department has what it needs.

Diving into the nitty-gritty of your day-to-day, this plan is key for spotting where you can do better, ramping up productivity, and hitting your short-term goals more smoothly.

Here’s an example of an operational business plan:

4) Growth business plan

Audience: Both internal stakeholders for strategic alignment and external parties for investment or partnership opportunities.

Depth: This can vary from lean to standard, depending on the audience.

Purpose: To provide a strategic framework for business expansion.

The growth plan feels like launching into a new adventure, much like a startup plan, but for your next big leap.

It's about charting a course for new markets, beefing up your product lines, or scaling operations to new heights.

This plan packs deep dives into the business, financial forecasts that map out your journey, and a rundown of the resources you'll need to expand.

It's a guiding light for businesses aiming for sustainable growth, laying out a clear path and milestones to hit along the way.

Whether it's guiding your team internally or dazzling potential investors, the growth plan pulls everyone together, focusing efforts on shared growth targets.

It's about making sure every stakeholder is in sync, marching towards the same ambitious goals.

Here’s an example of a growth business plan:

5) Feasibility business plan

Audience: Primarily internal, though it can be external if linked to funding requests.

Depth: Focused and streamlined.

Purpose: To assess the viability of a new product or service.

A feasibility plan, or feasibility study, acts as a litmus test for proposed business expansions or new product launches.

It delves into the practicality of the idea, examining market demand, technical requirements, and financial implications.

By focusing on specific growth opportunities and analyzing them against objective standards, this plan helps decision-makers within the organization determine whether to proceed with the venture.

It's a critical step in the planning process, ensuring resources are allocated to projects with the highest potential for success.

For ventures requiring external funding, a more detailed version of this plan may be necessary to convince investors of the project's feasibility.

If you want to learn more, check out our guides on business plan:

7 Key Components of a Precise Business Plan (2024)

How to Write a Business Plan (Examples & Templates)

How to Make a Killer Business Plan Presentation (+Templates)

Create a Business Plan One-Pager (+ Proven Templates)

Don’t let poor design sabotage your business plan

Designing a business plan presentation in today's digital age goes beyond mere text on a page, it's about crafting an engaging experience that captures and retains attention.

With the shift towards digital, the presentation of your plan is as crucial as its content.

5 crucial business plan design principles:

1) Transition from static to interactive

The era of static, text-heavy presentations is behind us. Modern business plans thrive on interactivity, incorporating elements like clickable links, dynamic charts, and embedded videos.

This approach not only enriches the reader's experience but also fosters a deeper engagement with the material, making your business plan far more compelling.

Here's what a static PPT looks like compared to an interactive deck:

Static PowerPoint

Interactive Storydoc

2) Implement scroll-based design

Ditch the cumbersome PDF format for a scroll-based design that mirrors the seamless experience of browsing a modern website.

This design choice is intuitive and aligns with our habitual online content consumption, making your business plan both accessible and enjoyable to navigate.

Here's an example of scroll-based design:

3) Prioritize mobile-friendliness

In a world where mobile devices dominate, ensuring your business plan looks great on any screen is non-negotiable.

Adopting responsive design guarantees that your plan is legible and appealing across all devices, from smartphones to desktops, ensuring your message resonates clearly with every reader.

4) Move to online documents

Forget about clunky Word docs or static PDFs. The future is online documents that allow for real-time updates, easy sharing, and collaboration.

They're not only convenient for you but also for your busy investors, offering access from anywhere, at any time.

For more information, check out our comparison of the best business plan document types .

5) Master visual storytelling

Leverage the power of visuals infographics, charts, and graphs to narrate your business's story.

Visuals can simplify complex information, making your key points more digestible and engaging than text alone could ever achieve.

Here's a great example of visual storytelling:

All forms of business plan templates to get you started

Just as a captivating presentation can transform the way your message is received, a well-crafted business plan is your gateway to turning your business vision into reality.

Why settle for a dry, uninspiring document when you can create a business plan that's a dynamic blueprint for success?

Consider your business plan as a journey for your readers — investors, partners, or internal team members — keeping them engaged from the executive summary to the final appendix.

These business plan templates serve as the perfect foundation for this journey.

I am a Marketing Specialist at Storydoc, I research, analyze and write on our core topics of business presentations, sales, and fundraising. I love talking to clients about their successes and failures so I can get a rounded understanding of their world.

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6 exemples de business plans qui ont fait leurs preuves

Vous avez un projet de création d’entreprise et vous vous apprêtez à approcher des banques, investisseurs, partenaires, etc. ? Vous allez avoir besoin d’un business plan pour prouver votre rentabilité ! Un exercice fastidieux pour certains, mais qui a l’avantage de se contraindre à penser stratégie, organisation, financement, trésorerie, et développement. Une fois achevé, votre business plan vous servira de fil d’Ariane tout au long de votre activité !

Business plan d’entreprise : rappel des basiques

Qu’est-ce qu’un business plan .

Le business plan est un document essentiel pour toute entreprise dès sa création… ou plus tard ! Il consiste en un plan détaillé qui décrit la vision, la stratégie et les objectifs d’une société. À l’externe, le business plan sert à prouver aux investisseurs / banquiers, et autres partenaires que vous avez bien réalisé une étude de marché avant de concrétiser votre projet de création, et que votre business a du potentiel. En interne, il aide à prendre des décisions éclairées et réalistes, en fournissant une feuille de route claire pour le développement de l’entreprise. Le business plan sert le plus souvent à : – Clarifier la faisabilité de son projet au moment de la création de son entreprise ; – Obtenir un financement ; – Trouver un partenaire ; – Solliciter un investisseur ; – Vendre /acheter une entreprise ; – Affiner ou revoir sa stratégie d’entreprise ; Etc.

Composition d’un business plan type

Il n’y a pas de business plan idéal. C’est à vous de raconter l’histoire de votre entreprise, dans l’ordre qui vous convient le mieux pour convaincre, ou selon vos besoins. Cependant, pour être complet, un business plan comprend généralement les éléments suivants :

• Executive summary  : introduction concise présentant qui vous êtes et votre projet d’entreprise.
• Description de l’entreprise : présentation de votre entreprise, son histoire, sa structure et sa mission.
• Étude de marché : analyse du marché cible, des concurrents, et des opportunités de développement.
• Stratégie marketing : plan détaillé pour commercialiser votre produit ou service, atteindre votre public cible et vous démarquer de vos concurrents.
• Structure organisationnelle de l’entreprise : présentation de la hiérarchie, des rôles clés et de la gestion de l’entreprise.
• Produits ou services : description détaillée de ce que vous proposez et de sa proposition de valeur unique.
• Plan financier : prévisions financières (chiffre d’affaires prévisionnel), y compris les revenus, les dépenses, les flux de trésorerie et les projections à long terme.
• Analyse de risques : identification et évaluation des risques potentiels pour l’entreprise.
• Stratégie de croissance : plan pour la croissance future de l’entreprise et les opportunités d’expansion.

Si le « plan de votre business plan » est essentiel, n’oubliez pas aussi d’en soigner la forme : des slides claires, concises, sans erreur… qui reflètent vos valeurs & votre sérieux. Si vous devez le partager, veillez à le transmettre sous forme de document PDF. En bref, votre business plan doit refléter l’identité de votre projet. À lire aussi : Analyser et résumer vos PDF en un clin d’oeil avec ChatGPT

6 modèles de business plans d’entreprise

En choisissant le bon business plan et en l’adaptant à votre projet, vous maximiserez vos chances de succès. Inspirez-vous de l’un de ces modèles, et fabriquez votre propre trame pour élaborer un business plan solide qui répondra à vos objectifs !

Exemple de business plan n°1 pour un projet de création de société de conseil

1 – Expertise : quel est votre projet ? Décrivez votre domaine d’expertise spécifique dans le conseil. Mettez en avant vos compétences, votre expérience et vos avantages par rapport à vos concurrents.

2 – Segment de marché : présentez ensuite votre public cible, et décrivez les besoins et les problèmes spécifiques auxquels vous répondez. Expliquez quel plan vous comptez déployer pour atteindre ces clients et construire des relations durables avec eux.

3 – Offre de services : décrivez en détail les services que vous proposez et comment ils répondent à des besoins identifiés. Mettez l’accent sur la valeur ajoutée que vous apportez et démontrez comment vous aiderez vos clients à atteindre leurs objectifs.

4 – Modèle économique : comment allez-vous générer des revenus et combien en facturant votre offre de conseil ? Établissez un plan prévisionnel : écrivez votre structure de tarification, votre stratégie de prix et vos projections financières (trésorerie, investissement, etc.).

5 – Plan marketing et promotion : élaborez une stratégie marketing pour atteindre vos clients potentiels. Quels canaux allez-vous utiliser : médias sociaux, marketing de contenu, autres canaux de communication pertinents pour augmenter votre visibilité et établir votre crédibilité. Par exemple, installer vos locaux dans un espace de coworking afin de profiter des mises en relation au sein de la communauté, etc.).

👋 Points de vigilance à mentionner dans votre business plan : soyez conscient des fluctuations du marché, de la concurrence accrue et des évolutions technologiques qui peuvent avoir un impact sur votre projet. Restez à l’affût des nouvelles tendances dans votre domaine, et adaptez votre business plan en conséquence. À lire aussi : Bien choisir ses prestataires de service

Exemple de business plan n°2 pour un projet de création de boutique de vente en ligne

1 – Niche : identifiez votre créneau de marché spécifique et déterminez le type de produits que vous allez proposer. Faites des recherches approfondies sur votre marché cible et identifiez les tendances émergentes pour avoir un coup d’avance.

2 – Plateforme en ligne : choisissez une plateforme de e-commerce électronique adaptée à votre projet. Assurez-vous qu’elle offre une expérience utilisateur optimale, des fonctionnalités de paiement sécurisées et une intégration facile avec d’autres outils de marketing et de gestion.

3 – Stratégie de vente : décrivez votre stratégie de vente en ligne, y compris vos canaux de marketing, vos efforts de référencement/ SEO, vos campagnes publicitaires et votre présence sur les réseaux sociaux. Mettez en avant votre proposition de valeur unique pour attirer et fidéliser les clients.

4 – Gestion des stocks et logistique : votre plan d’affaires doit permettre de comprendre comment vous allez gérer vos stocks ; quel sera le traitement des commandes, la logistique des livraisons, etc. Assurez-vous d’avoir des systèmes efficaces en place pour répondre à la demande et offrir une expérience d’achat fluide.

5 – Service client : mettez l’accent sur la qualité du service client. Comment répondrez-vous rapidement aux attentes et aux nouvelles envies ? Quelles options de retour et de remboursement ? Quel suivi de votre réputation en ligne ?

👋 Points de vigilance à mentionner dans votre business plan : soyez attentif à vos concurrents en ligne, à l’évolution des préférences des consommateurs et aux problèmes de cybersécurité. Restez à jour avec les dernières tendances de l’e-commerce et adaptez si besoin votre business plan.

L'EXPÉRIENCE CLIENT : Challenges et enjeux

Vous êtes Auto-entrepreneur.e Dirigeant.e Salarié.e Étudiant.e Autre

Exemple de business plan n°3 pour une activité de dépannage/réparation/bricolage

1 – Services : identifiez les services de dépannage / réparation / entretien spécifiques que vous offrez. Mettez en avant vos compétences techniques, vos éventuelles certifications, votre expérience et votre réputation dans le domaine, la façon dont vous vous tenez informé.e des évolutions, etc.

2 – Marché local : assurez-vous que votre projet de création répond bien à un besoin. Présentez votre évaluation de la demande de vos services dans votre région et identifiez votre marché cible local. Analysez la concurrence existante sur votre activité et déterminez comment votre entreprise va se démarquer… en offrant une prestation de qualité supérieure !

3 – Infrastructure et équipement : décrivez votre infrastructure, votre local, vos équipements et vos ressources nécessaires pour fournir vos services. Assurez-vous d’avoir les outils et les installations adéquats pour répondre aux besoins de vos clients (pièces détachées en stock, délai de commande, etc.).

4 – Tarification et rentabilité : établissez un plan d’affaires détaillant une structure tarifaire compétitive et justifiée pour vos services. Faites une analyse des coûts (notamment des pièces détachées) pour déterminer vos besoins en trésorerie, le seuil de rentabilité de votre activité et établissez des projections financières réalistes.

5 – Marketing local : prévoyez un plan de marketing local pour attirer les clients de votre quartier/région : publicité ciblée dans les journaux locaux, les annuaires en ligne et les médias sociaux. Sollicitez des témoignages de clients satisfaits pour renforcer votre crédibilité et asseoir votre activité.

👋 Points de vigilance à mentionner dans votre business plan : votre entreprise doit être prête à faire face à des imprévus et à des demandes de dépannage urgentes. Assurez-vous de disposer des ressources nécessaires pour répondre rapidement aux besoins de vos clients. Tenez compte des exigences réglementaires et des normes de sécurité dans votre secteur d’activité.

Exemple de business plan n°4 pour une activité de restauration/traiteur 

1 – Analyse du marché  : présentez les tendances et les besoins de vos clients cibles qui ont fait naître votre projet. Parlez des nouvelles attentes (vegan, offre de saison, etc.). Observez la concurrence : quelles ses forces et faiblesses selon vous ?

2 – Proposition de valeur  : parlez du positionnement précis de votre entreprise par rapport aux concurrents et ce que vous avez à offrir de différents/mieux/plus malin/plus responsable, etc.

3 – Stratégie marketing  : comment allez-vous atteindre et fidéliser vos clients ? Dégustation sur les marchés, partenariats avec d’autre commerçants, distribution de votre carte dans les boîtes aux lettres, etc. ?

4 – Structure et organisation : quelle structure juridique adaptée à votre projet, choix du statut de l’entreprise, composition de l’équipe, gestion des extras… Où allez-vous héberger votre entreprise, stocker vos denrées, cuisiner ?

5 – Produits et services  : décrivez précisément les produits et services offerts (autrement dit, votre carte) par votre entreprise. Quels seront vos processus de production, approvisionnement en matières premières et gestion des fournisseurs ? Décrivez les mesures prévues pour la qualité, l’hygiène et la sécurité alimentaire.

6 – Plan financier  : présentez vos prévisions financières sur une période définie (par exemple, 3 ans). Élaborez un plan de financement avec identification des sources de financement. Estimez votre seuil de rentabilité et enfin, détaillez la façon dont vous allez gérer votre budget et votre trésorerie !

👋 Points de vigilance à mentionner dans votre business plan  : évaluez tous les risques liés à l’activité de restauration/traiteur. Les normes alimentaires, la gestion des stocks, le transport des denrées… Prévoyez un plan d’action d’entreprise pour les atténuer et les gérer. À lire aussi : Plan de continuité d’activité : pourquoi faire et comment ?

Exemple de business plan n°5 pour un projet de de conciergerie

1 – Présentation de votre activité  : définissez le concept de la conciergerie et son importance selon vous dans le contexte des usages modernes. Précisez quel sera votre cible : luxe, particuliers, touristes, B2B ?

2 – Analyse du marché  : décrivez l’état du marché de la conciergerie et de ses tendances actuelles. Identifiez les besoins des clients et leur typologie : particuliers et/ou entreprises ? Analysez la concurrence et évaluez les opportunités et les défis.

3 – Proposition de valeur : présentez votre vision de la notion de service et vos valeurs (disponibilité, créativité, adaptabilité). Puis, listez les prestations que vous imaginez proposer dans le cadre de votre activité.

4 – Modèle économique et rentabilité : quelles seront les sources de revenus et les flux de trésorerie ? Définissez le chiffre d’affaires prévisionnel, les coûts opérationnels, les marges bénéficiaires et les prévisions financières de votre entreprise.

5 – Marketing et acquisition : comment prévoyez-vous de vous faire connaître et attirer vos clients ? Évoquez l’importance d’un service irréprochable et de leur fidélisation.

6 – Structure juridique et organisation administrative de l’entreprise : présentez les rôles et responsabilités clés au sein de votre équipe. Parlez de l’importance de la spécialisation de vos intervenants et de leur formation continue pour maintenir un haut niveau de service.

👋 Points de vigilance à mentionner dans votre business plan : votre entreprise doit être assurée pour couvrir les éventuels litiges ou accidents. Anticipez des horaires de travail souples / élargis selon les besoins de vos clients (et les heures supplémentaires dans votre plan de financement).

Exemple de business plan n°6 pour un projet de reprise d’entreprise

1 – Executive summary : rédigez unesynthèse de votre business plan en première page pour présenter les points forts du projet, les écueils à éviter et les priorités d’action. 

2 – Vous : présentez-vous (ainsi que vos associés le cas échéant). Parlez de votre expérience et de votre motivation.

3 – Votre projet de reprise : détaillez les modalités de reprise et de passage de relais (rachat du fonds de commerce, rachat des titres, location – gérance, reprise seul.e ou avec des associés, montage juridique, etc.). 4 – Présentation générale de l’entreprise envisagée : historique de l’entreprise, son organisation générale, son business plan (!), sa clientèle, ses fournisseurs, etc. 5 – Produits/offre de l’entreprise : présentez les prestations fournies, leurs points forts et leurs points d’amélioration, ainsi que les perspectives de développement d’activité que vous entrevoyez. 6 – Concurrence : évoquez le secteur de l’entreprise, la concurrence, les évolutions et innovations.

7 – Projet de développement : présentez icivos projets d’amélioration : approche commerciale, communication, gestion des ressources humaines, etc. Puis les moyens nécessaires pour réaliser ces actions (moyens humains, techniques et financiers). 

8 – Dossier financier  : démontrez que votre projet de reprise est rentable à court terme ! Montrez que vous avez analysé la situation financière de l’entreprise à reprendre (bilans, chiffre d’affaires, rentabilité, compte de résultat d’exploitation, etc.). Détaillez votre dossier de financement prévisionnel et la stratégie financière envisagée. À lire aussi : Piloter une entreprise en Budget Base Zéro (BBZ)

Comment se faire accompagner pour rédiger un business plan ?

Vous voyez de quoi il retourne, mais vous n’êtes pas à l’aise sur toutes les parties de votre futur plan d’affaires ? Vous craignez d’être incomplet, ennuyeux ou vous n’êtes pas sûr de votre modèle économique ? Faites-vous accompagner, ou faites relire votre business plan par des experts. Plusieurs solutions sont à votre disposition.

Les chambres consulaires

Les CCI (Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie), CMA (Chambre des Métiers et de l’Artisanat), etc. ont pour mission de soutenir le développement économique et les entreprises de leur bassin d’implantation. Elles disposent notamment de conseillers spécialisés dans la création ou la reprise d’entreprise : ces derniers pourront vérifier votre business plan et/ou vous guider dans son élaboration. Les chambres consulaires proposent en outre des formations (payantes) pour aider les créateurs d’entreprises à réaliser leur business plan.

Les réseaux spécialisés

Les associations de financement ou d’aide à la création et la reprise d’entreprise ont elles aussi vocation à accompagner gratuitement l’entrepreneur dans la rédaction de son business plan. Deux exemples qui mettent en relation des bénévoles chevronnés et des créateurs d’entreprise : – Le Réseau Entreprendre – Le Réseau Initiative France .

Les experts en business plan

Vous avez aussi la possibilité, pour faire votre business plan, de vous faire accompagner par un expert dédié (payant). Les experts comptables seront précieux sur la partie plan de financement et prévisionnel. Les conseils d’un coach spécialisé aideront à réaliser un business plan d’entreprise dans les règles de l’art. Un investissement qui en vaut la peine : ce document vous accompagnera tout au long de la vie de votre entreprise… en le mettant bien sûr à jour régulièrement selon l’évolution de votre activité.

Bonus : les espaces de coworking

Enfin, rejoignez un réseau de coworking pour vous soulager de toute la gestion des services généraux, bénéficier de services clés en main et bénéficier d’un soutien supplémentaire et élargir votre réseau professionnel. De tels espaces accueillent nombre de jeunes entrepreneurs qui sont, comme vous, en phase de création, mais aussi des entreprises de tous secteurs et de toutes tailles. L’occasion d’échanger sur vos problématiques et pourquoi pas, de gagner de nouveaux clients !

En conclusion, concevoir un business plan idéal pour son d’entreprise nécessite une compréhension approfondie des enjeux spécifiques de son projet. En suivant les points clés mentionnés ci-dessus, vous serez en mesure de rédiger un business model complet et convaincant ! N’oubliez pas d’adapter ensuite votre plan en fonction des évolutions du marché et des nouvelles opportunités : un tel document doit suivre l’activité de votre entreprise.

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6 Types of Business Plans

Business plans guide owners, management and investors as businesses start up and grow through stages of success. A business owner or prospective business owner writes a business plan to clarify each aspect of his business, describing the objectives that will anticipate and prepare for growth. Savvy business owners write a business plan to guide management and to promote investment capital.

Types of business plans include, but are not limited to, start-up, internal, strategic, feasibility, operations and growth plans.

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Start-Up Business Plans

New businesses should detail the steps to start the new enterprise with a start-up business plan. This document typically includes sections describing the company, the product or service your business will supply, market evaluations and your projected management team. Potential investors will also require a financial analysis with spreadsheets describing financial areas including, but not limited to, income, profit and cash flow projections.

More For You

What are the six elements of a business plan, what are the benefits of a business plan, examples of business feasibility reports, how to write a business synopsis, how to create a new business plan, internal business plans.

Internal business plans target a specific audience within the business, for example, the marketing team who need to evaluate a proposed project. This document will describe the company's current state, including operational costs and profitability, then calculate if and how the business will repay any capital needed for the project. Internal plans provide information about project marketing, hiring and tech costs. They also typically include a market analysis illustrating target demographics, market size and the market's positive effect on the company income.

Strategic Business Plans

A strategic business plan provides a high-level view of a company's goals and how it will achieve them, laying out a foundational plan for the entire company. While the structure of a strategic plan differs from company to company, most include five elements: business vision, mission statement, definition of critical success factors, strategies for achieving objectives and an implementation schedule. A strategic business plan brings all levels of the business into the big picture, inspiring employees to work together to create a successful culmination to the company's goals.

Feasibility Business Plans

A feasibility business plan answers two primary questions about a proposed business venture: who, if anyone, will purchase the service or product a company wants to sell, and if the venture can turn a profit. Feasibility business plans include, but are not limited to, sections describing the need for the product or service, target demographics and required capital. A feasibility plan ends with recommendations for going forward.

Operations Business Plans

Operations plans are internal plans that consist of elements related to company operations. An operations plan, specifies implementation markers and deadlines for the coming year. The operations plan outlines employees' responsibilities.

Growth Business Plans

Growth plans or expansion plans are in-depth descriptions of proposed growth and are written for internal or external purposes. If company growth requires investment, a growth plan may include complete descriptions of the company, its management and officers. The plan must provide all company details to satisfy potential investors. If a growth plan needs no capital, the authors may forego obvious company descriptions, but will include financial sales and expense projections.

• Entrepreneur: The 4 Types of Business Plans
• YourBusinessPal.com: Business Plan Example
• BPlans.com: Free Sample Business Plans

Alyson Paige has a master's degree in canon law and began writing professionally in 1998. Her articles specialize in culture, business and home and garden, among many other topics.

What Type of Business Plan Do You Need?

8 min. read

Updated August 1, 2024

We get this question a lot, mainly because there are so many different things labelled as business plans: strategic plans, annual plans, operational plans, feasibility plans, and, of course, what most people think of, business plans for startups seeking investment. And also, what real business owners want—lean business plans for better management.

In this article, we’re going to help you figure out which plan is the one for you.

• Start with this: Form follows function

Put all business plans into this basic principle: form follows function . What do you want your business plan to do for you? That business objective should determine what kind of a plan you need.

All businesses start with a lean plan

These are things that every business owner needs to do in order to run the business effectively. They apply to all businesses, large or small, startup or not:

• Develop and execute strategy
• Set priorities
• Allocate efforts and resources according to priorities
• Establish tasks, responsibilities, and performance expectations
• Track results and compare them to expectations
• Manage cash flow
• Budget sales and spending

So, every business is better off with a lean plan.

It’s a short, effective collection of bullet points, lists, and forecasts, covering all of the functions above:

• It starts with bullet points for strategy. This isn’t text for outsiders. It’s not explanations; it’s reminders, for the entrepreneur and her team, of the major strategy points. Strategy is focus, so it’s a reminder of the target market, the product (or service), and the business identity. Sometimes it also includes a definition of success. It’s important, but just the bullet point reminders.
• Then come tactics. Strategy is useless without tactics. These are also bullet points. They are the important decisions made regarding key points of a marketing plan, product plan, financial plan, recruitment plan … not explanations or details for outsiders, but just the main points for you and your team. Think about pricing, channels, social media, launch dates, products, services, features, and so forth.
• Third part is concrete specifics. That includes a list of assumptions, important milestones, tasks, deadlines, responsibilities, and measurable performance expectations.
• The fourth and final part is budgets. That’s sales forecast, spending budget, and cash flow.

Make this the lean plan and add a regular process of review and revision to keep it fresh. You can download a free template for a lean business plan here . Can you imagine any business that isn’t better off for having at least this kind of planning in place, even if they don’t need an elaborate business plan? I can’t.

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• Lean plan for startups:

All startups can benefit from the lean plan above plus one extra ingredient: starting costs, and starting plans.

Starting costs

Starting costs are a matter of two lists: one for starting expenses, the other for starting assets.

The first list includes expenses like legal costs, logo, initial website, fixing up a location, and similar expenses that a startup business incurs once; and in some cases the expense of running expenses, such as rent and payroll, that have to start before launch for practical reasons.

The second includes assets required at start. These are items like starting inventory, equipment, and starting cash.

Startup plan

Keep it simple like the tactics in the normal lean plan, but add some bullets and concrete specifics for tasks and timing to get a startup going. These are items like choosing the location, setting up initial branding and website,  accounts for social media, and launch events.

• A plan for the SBA, banks, investors, buyers, and partners

If you need to present a business plan to your bank or prospective investors, start with your latest revised lean business plan as the first draft. The lean plan is just for management. Dress that up to include the additional content that outsiders will want and need.

Add summaries and explanations

Add a very strong executive summary because some of your outsider target readers will read only that. Keep it short and make it fit the need. Often there’s a selling-the-idea or selling-the-potential purpose to a written plan, and in that case you make the summary include the highlights you want those readers to see to pique their interest.

Your lean plan doesn’t include details about your strategy, your company, your market, or your product. It has just summary tactics for marketing plan, product plan, financial plan, and management plan. Think of your readers—outsiders looking in—and help them understand the business. Achieve the specific goal of this dressed-up business plan.

Add formal financial projections

While the lean plan might be fine with just sales forecast, expense budget, and cash management, a business plan for a business plan event normally has to include formal financial projections that respect finance and accounting standards and include Profit and Loss, Cash Flow, and Balance Sheet. Banks will want to see projections of key ratios as well, and investors will like a Use of Funds table and sometimes a Break-even Analysis.

Stay mindful of the business purpose

We call it the business plan event—that’s the specific business need for a dressed-up plan. Form follows function here too.

A plan for investors will emphasize different elements than a plan for a bank loan. The investors want to see product-market fit; potential growth; something proprietary and protectable like technology, patents, trade secrets, or so-called secret sauce; and potential investor exit in a few years. The bank wants to see stability, credit history, collateral, and guarantees. A business broker or business buyer wants to see what can be most useful under new ownership.

Plan, pitch, and summary memo go together

Some business plan events require some special variations of your plan output. These days investors expect to see a short summary memo first. That’s a two to five page summary of your plan, a lot like your executive summary, but it stands alone. Then, if they like what they see from the summary, investors will want a pitch presentation. That’s a 20-40 minute slide presentation that backs up a verbal presentation, you with investors.

Neither summary memo nor pitch deck stand alone. They have to be summaries of your underlying plan. A pitch presentation is only really successful if it summarizes a real plan with a lot of concrete details on financials, milestones, traction, and next steps. Don’t get caught without a plan you can dig into when investors start asking more questions.

• Business plans have lots of different names

Shakespeare wrote, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” I say a plan by any other name is still a plan. Here are some common varieties and business plan vocabulary.

Most lean plans are also internal plans

An operations plan—also called an annual plan—is a type of internal plan. An operations plan includes specific implementation milestones, project deadlines, and responsibilities of team members and managers. This is the plan used for staying on track to meet your goals as a business. Planning for your goals as a business allows your company to assign priorities, focus on results, and track your progress. Your operations plan covers the inner workings of your business. It outlines the specifics of who should be doing what, and when they should be doing it.

Of course, cash flow figures prominently here as well. For example, your milestones will need to have sufficient funding for their implementation, and you’ll need to track your progress so you know how much you’re spending.

A growth or expansion plan focuses on a specific area of a business, or a subset of the business. For example, a plan for the creation of a new product is a growth plan. These plans could be internal plans or not, depending on whether they are being linked to loan applications or new investment. An expansion plan requiring new outside investment would include full company descriptions and background on the management team, just the same as a standard plan for investors would. Loan applications would require this much detail as well.

However, an internal plan used to set up the steps for growth or expansion that is funded internally could skip these descriptions. It might not be necessary to include detailed financial projections for the company overall, but it should at least include detailed forecasts of sales and expenses for the new venture or product.

What’s a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is another kind of internal plan. A strategic plan incorporates the financial information and milestones of an operations plan, but focuses more on setting company-wide priorities. As you build the strategy for your company and decide how to implement it, you will want to examine your strengths and weaknesses as a business. What does your company do well? As your company grows, you want to play to your strengths. Strategy is often a matter of selecting the right opportunities. Resources should be funneled strategically to the areas where they will provide the biggest overall benefits.

Once you have an idea of your strategy, you must have a plan for implementing it. This is where the milestones portion of the plan becomes key. To effectively execute your strategies, it’s critical to assign responsibilities and have a schedule for following through. The implementation tactics you use will actively move you in the right direction toward achieving your goals.

Resources for moving forward

Reading about the different types of business plans is a good jumping-off point to create your own business plan.

If you’re looking for more information about business plans and how to write them, you’ll find our business planning tutorials , downloadable business plan template , and sample business plan library to be helpful resources.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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Business Plan : Guide et exemples à découvrir !

Que vous soyez un créateur d’entreprise ou un porteur de projet de reprise d’entreprise, vous avez besoin d’un business plan solide. Il présente tous les aspects, allant du développement du produit ou du service, aux stratégies de marketing, stratégie commerciale, prévisions financières sans oublier la comptabilité.

Le business plan vous aide à concevoir votre modèle économique de manière précise et claire, identifiant votre marché cible et clients potentiels.

Dans cet article, vous trouverez tout ce que vous devez savoir pour élaborer votre propre business plan, en mettant en place votre plan de trésorerie et prévisionnel financier, afin de maximiser vos chances de transformer votre idée en une future entreprise. En bonus, téléchargez notre modèle de business plan gratuit pour vous accompagner dans sa réalisation.

Qu’est-ce qu’un business plan ?

Un business plan (ou plan d’affaires) est une représentation intégrale de votre projet de création d’entreprise. Il décrit en profondeur comment vous envisagez de concrétiser votre concept.

Cela englobe plusieurs éléments, tels que l’idée d’entreprise elle-même, les opportunités potentielles sur le marché, la stratégie commerciale, le plan d'action pour les premières années, ainsi que les bilan prévisionnel et compte de résultat prévisionnel.

Pourquoi est-il nécessaire de rédiger un business plan ?

Aujourd’hui, un business plan est incontournable pour obtenir des financements, que ce soit des subventions à la création d’entreprise ou des fonds provenant de programmes d’aide. Les projets d’entreprise engendrent souvent des coûts élevés qui ne peuvent pas être couverts par les seuls fonds personnels. C’est pourquoi les entrepreneurs cherchent souvent à obtenir un prêt auprès d’une banque ou d’un investisseur, qui demanderont généralement à voir un business plan afin d’avoir une vue d’ensemble de votre plan de trésorerie et de votre prévisionnel financier.

Mais un business plan n’est pas seulement crucial pour les investisseurs. Les autres partenaires commerciaux ont également besoin de confiance en votre entreprise pour envisager une collaboration. Un business plan bien rédigé peut être un atout majeur dans ce contexte.

Enfin, le business plan est également très important pour vous-même et pour votre projet de création d’entreprise. Lancer une startup avec une nouvelle idée d’entreprise implique de gérer une multitude de tâches et de responsabilités.

Avoir un business plan vous permet de garder une vue d’ensemble de tous ces aspects, vous permettant de suivre votre feuille de route initiale et de vous assurer que toutes les tâches importantes sont prises en compte. Le business plan devient alors une véritable boussole pour la création d’entreprise.

Comment élaborer un Business Plan performant ?

Si vous avez une idée d’entreprise innovante que vous êtes impatient de concrétiser, l’élaboration de votre Business Plan est la prochaine étape cruciale. Un Business Plan structuré, détaillé et convaincant est essentiel. Bien que l’organisation de votre Business Plan reste à votre discrétion, certaines structures prouvées sont à considérer.

Voici un aperçu de ce qu’un Business Plan efficace pourrait ressembler : 

Executive Summary  : Cette section cruciale, située au début de votre Business Plan, résume toutes les informations vitales en une ou deux pages. Les investisseurs examinent souvent ces premières pages pour décider de la lecture complète du document. Assurez-vous de répondre ici de manière concise et claire à toutes les questions essentielles. Notez que bien que l’ Executive Summary soit placé au début, il est rédigé en dernier.

Corps principal  : Cette section approfondit votre idée commerciale, présente l’équipe fondatrice et détaille votre plan d’implémentation . Nous y reviendrons dans un moment.

Partie financière : Cette partie, d’une importance capitale pour les investisseurs, décrit les coûts initiaux et les dépenses mensuelles, les prévisions de revenus et le montant du financement requis. Vous pouvez vous faire aider d’un expert-comptable pour sa rédaction.

Annexe  : Enfin, incluez toutes les annexes pertinentes comme des fiches techniques, des estimations de coûts, des plans de projet , et idéalement, les CV des fondateurs.

Rédiger un business plan: En quoi un logiciel de gestion de projet pourrait vous aider ?

Ainsi, Asana vous aide à orchestrer efficacement le processus de création de votre business plan, assurant un travail fluide et coordonné.

Les éléments clés à mettre dans un Business plan

Maintenant, passons en revue la structure détaillée du Business Plan et les éléments cruciaux qui devraient y figurer. 

1. Le concept commercial

Ce chapitre est dédié à une description détaillée de votre modèle économique et secteur d’activité.

Quels sont les produits ou services que vous proposez ? Quel problème résout votre offre ? Comment les clients bénéficient-ils précisément de vos produits ou services ? Quels sont vos avantages concurrentiels ?

2. Cible, Distribution et Concurrence

 Cette section de votre Business Plan aborde votre public cible, la distribution de vos produits ou services, et la concurrence.

Cible  : Décrivez votre public cible en détail. Vous pourriez, par exemple, décrire un persona typique de votre clientèle, y compris l’âge, le revenu, les hobbies, les intérêts, etc. Une analyse de marché peut être extrêmement utile ici.

Distribution  : Vous pouvez planifier votre distribution en fonction de votre public cible. Quels sont les canaux de distribution et les stratégies de marketing que vous allez utiliser ? Comment comptez-vous fidéliser vos clients à long terme ?

Concurrence  : Il est essentiel de considérer les concurrents avec lesquels vous serez en compétition. Identifiez vos concurrents majeurs et décrivez en quoi votre offre est unique ou meilleure.

3. L'équipe Fondatrice

 Dans cette section, il s’agit de faire la présentation de l’équipe fondatrice.

Quelles sont leurs qualifications et compétences clés qui les rendent capables de diriger une entreprise dans ce domaine ?

Parlez de votre motivation et pourquoi vous souhaitez créer cette entreprise et poursuivre cette idée.

4. Vision et Objectifs

En lien avec la section précédente, présentez ici la vision de votre entreprise et les objectifs que vous souhaitez atteindre. Indiquez les objectifs à court, moyen et long terme, montrant comment vous envisagez d’atteindre votre vision.

5. Organisation

Cette partie du Business Plan concerne l’organisation de l’entreprise. Précisez ici la forme juridique de votre entreprise, son nom, et répondez à d’autres questions importantes, telles que l’emplacement de votre entreprise, la constitution de l’équipe, le nombre d’employés nécessaires, etc. 

6. Analyse SWOT

Dans votre Business Plan, envisagez d’ajouter une analyse SWOT . Celle-ci vous permet d’identifier vos forces et faiblesses, ainsi que les opportunités et les menaces liées à votre idée d’entreprise.

7. La partie financière

La partie financière du Business Plan est le cœur du document : elle comprend une planification financière détaillée (avec le plan de financement initial et le plan de financement à 3 ans), une prévision de rentabilité, un plan de liquidités, des relevés de coûts, des sources de revenus, le seuil de rentabilité, etc.

Enfin, l’annexe de votre Business Plan devrait inclure toutes les informations pertinentes supplémentaires, comme les résultats d’ études de marché , les fiches techniques, et même votre CV.

Quelles sont les exigences à respecter pour un Business Plan ?

La rédaction de votre Business Plan doit être faite avec soin. Il s’agit non seulement d’un outil de guidage pour vous, mais également d’un document clé pour convaincre vos futurs financeurs.

Par conséquent, il est crucial que votre Business Plan réponde aux exigences suivantes :

Simplicité du langage  : il est particulièrement important pour les concepts d’affaires complexes d’éviter les jargons techniques et de garder un langage aussi simple et précis que possible. Votre plan doit être compréhensible même pour les investisseurs peu familiers avec votre secteur.

Structure claire  : un Business Plan doit être bien structuré et suivre une logique cohérente. Cela permet aux lecteurs d’avoir une vision globale optimale de votre idée et de son potentiel de réalisation.

Réalisme  : en ce qui concerne des éléments tels que le potentiel de marché et les prévisions de chiffre d’affaires, il est primordial de rester réaliste. Une projection de revenus trop ambitieuse peut s’avérer risquée et avoir des conséquences négatives.

Mettre en avant les bénéfices clients  : le principal objectif est de démontrer que votre concept d’entreprise offre des avantages significatifs pour le client. Simplement imiter des idées existantes ne vous garantira pas une réussite ou une singularité à long terme. Un bon Business Plan souligne clairement ce qui vous rend unique et vous différencie de la concurrence.

Erreurs courantes

Tous les Business Plans ne se concrétisent pas. De même, ils ne réussissent pas tous à convaincre les bailleurs de fonds de croire en votre idée et de fournir les fonds nécessaires.

C’est pourquoi il est impératif d’éviter les erreurs suivantes :

Révisions insuffisantes : vos plans et vos chiffres prévisionnels évolueront à mesure que vous avancerez dans vos recherches. N’hésitez pas à retravailler certaines parties de votre Business Plan en incluant les besoins de financement à court et à moyen terme.

Manque d’études de marché  : les études de marché sont essentielles car elles permettent de recueillir des retours préliminaires sur la réception de votre idée par les clients, sur vos concurrents et sur ce qui vous distingue. Si ces éléments sont absents ou insuffisamment décrits dans votre Business Plan, cela risque de refroidir les bailleurs de fonds.

Les avantages pour le client ne sont pas mis en avan t : votre Business Plan ne doit pas se limiter à parler de vos produits et de leurs caractéristiques. Ce qui importe, c’est comment les clients perçoivent ces caractéristiques. Il est donc nécessaire de ne pas être trop centré sur le produit, mais plutôt sur le client.

Les fondateurs ne sont pas mis en lumière  : il est également essentiel de mettre en avant l’équipe de fondateurs, ou vous-même en tant que fondateur. Une idée n’est rien sans l’équipe qui va la concrétiser. De nombreux bailleurs de fonds investissent parce qu’ils sont convaincus par la vision et la motivation des fondateurs. N’oubliez pas d’évoquer également les partenaires potentiels dans cette partie qui doit être rédigée avec soin.

Bénéficiez de notre modèle gratuit de Business Plan

Un Business Plan bien structuré est la fondation solide dont chaque entreprise a besoin pour se lancer avec succès. Il vous donne une feuille de route pour votre projet, tout en mettant en lumière les forces uniques de votre concept d’affaires face à la concurrence. De plus, un Business Plan solide est votre meilleur allié pour convaincre les investisseurs de soutenir votre vision.

C’est pourquoi nous mettons à votre disposition un exemple de Business Plan gratuit . Conçu pour vous aider à structurer vos idées, ce modèle vous offre un cadre clair et facile à suivre pour définir vos objectifs et tracer votre chemin vers le succès.

Alors, ne laissez pas votre vision se perdre dans les détails - adoptez notre modèle de Business Plan et prenez un envol sûr vers la réussite de votre entreprise.

Ressources associées

5 astuces pour établir des valeurs d’entreprise qui reflètent votre culture, 15 exemples inclus

Comment faire une analyse avec les 5 forces de Porter?

8 étapes pour concevoir un plan marketing solide avec outils et exemples

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The 4 Types of Business Plans Learn which of these four business plan formats best fits your needs.

By Teresa Ciulla Dec 4, 2014

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In their book Write Your Business Plan , the staff of Entrepreneur Media offer an in-depth understanding of what's essential to any business plan, what's appropriate for your venture, and what it takes to ensure success. In this edited excerpt, the authors describe four different types of plans you could write and what you'd use each one for.

Business plans can be divided roughly into four distinct types. There are very short plans, or miniplans, presentation plans or decks, working plans, and what-if plans. They each require very different amounts of labor and not always with proportionately different results. That is to say, a more elaborate plan isn't guaranteed to be superior to an abbreviated one. Success depends on various factors and whether the right plan is used in the right setting. For example, a new hire may not want to read the same, elaborate version of your plan that might be important to a potential investor.

The Miniplan

The miniplan is preferred by many recipients because they can read it or download it quickly to read later on their iPhone or tablet. You include most of the same ingredients that you would in a longer plan, but you cut to the highlights while telling the same story. For a small-business venture, it's typically all that you need. For a more complex business, you may need the longer version.

The Presentation Plan

The advent of PowerPoint presentations changed the way many, if not most, plans are presented. And while the plan is shorter than its predecessors, it's not necessarily easier to present. Many people lose sleep over an upcoming presentation, especially one that can play a vital role in the future of their business. But presenting your plan as a deck can be very powerful. Readers of a plan can't always capture your passion for the business nor can they ask questions when you finish. But in 20 minutes, you can cover all the key points and tell your story from concept and mission statement through financial forecasts.

Remember to keep your graphics uncluttered and to make comments to accentuate your ideas rather than simply reading what's in front of your audience.

While a presentation plan is concise, don't be fooled: It takes plenty of planning. The pertinent questions who, what, where, why, when and how all need to be answered.

The Working Plan

A working plan is a tool to be used to operate your business. It has to be long on detail but may be short on presentation. As with a miniplan, you can probably can afford a somewhat higher degree of candor and informality when preparing a working plan. In a plan you intend to present to a bank loan committee, you might describe a rival as "competing primarily on a price basis." In a working plan, your comment about the same competitor might be "When is Jones ever going to stop this insane price-cutting?"

A plan intended strictly for internal use may also omit some elements that you need not explain to yourself. Likewise, you probably don't need to include an appendix with resumes of key executives. Nor would a working plan especially benefit from product photos.

Internal policy considerations may guide the decision about whether to include or exclude certain information in a working plan. Many entrepreneurs are sensitive about employees knowing the precise salary the owner takes home from the business. To the extent such information can be left out of a working plan without compromising its utility, you can feel free to protect your privacy.

This document is like an old pair of khakis you wear to the office on Saturdays or that one ancient delivery truck that never seems to break down. It's there to be used, not admired.

The What-If Plan

When you face unusual circumstances, you need a variant on the working plan. For example, you might want to prepare a contingency plan when you're seeking bank financing. A contingency plan is a plan based on the worst-case scenario that you can imagine your business surviving—loss of market share, heavy price competition, defection of a key member of your management team. A contingency plan can soothe the fears of a banker or investor by demonstrating that you have indeed considered more than a rosy scenario.

Your business may be considering an acquisition, in which case a pro forma business plan (some call this a what-if plan) can help you understand what the acquisition is worth and how it might affect your core business. What if you raise prices, invest in staff training and reduce duplicative efforts? Such what-if planning doesn't have to be as formal as a presentation plan. Perhaps you want to mull over the chances of a major expansion. A what-if plan can help you spot the increased needs for space, equipment, personnel and other variables so you can make good decisions.

What sets these kinds of plans apart from the working and presentation plans is that they aren't necessarily describing how you'll run the business. They're essentially more like an addendum to your actual business plan. If you decide to acquire that competitor or grow dramatically, you'll want to incorporate some of the thinking already invested in these special purpose plans into your primary business plan.

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Types of Business Plans That Make the Difference

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In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, a well-crafted business plan can be the difference between success and failure. Whether you’re launching a new startup, seeking investment for growth, or charting the course for an established business, having a clear roadmap and strategy is essential. However, not all business plans are created equal. Different types of business plans serve different purposes and audiences, each with its unique structure, content, and focus. In this article, we’ll explore the types of business plans that make the difference and how they can help entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

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• Traditional Business Plan

The traditional business plan is perhaps the most familiar and comprehensive type of business plan. It serves as a comprehensive blueprint for your venture, outlining your business concept, market opportunity, competitive analysis, marketing strategy, operations plan, financial projections, and more. Traditional business plans are typically used for internal planning purposes, as well as for presenting to investors, lenders, and other stakeholders.

A traditional business plan provides a holistic view of your business, covering all aspects of its operations and strategy. It helps you define your vision, set clear objectives, and develop a roadmap for achieving success. By conducting thorough research and analysis, you can identify opportunities, assess risks, and refine your business model to maximize growth and profitability. Traditional business plans are ideal for startups and early-stage companies looking to secure funding, attract partners, or formalize their strategy for growth.

• Lean Startup Plan

The lean startup plan is a streamlined and agile approach to business planning, popularized by Eric Ries in his book “The Lean Startup.” Unlike traditional business plans, which can be lengthy and detailed, lean startup plans focus on the essentials, emphasizing experimentation, iteration, and rapid prototyping.

A lean startup plan typically consists of a one-page document or a concise slide deck that outlines the key elements of your business model, including your value proposition, target market, revenue streams, cost structure, and metrics for success. It encourages entrepreneurs to test their assumptions, validate market demand, and iterate on their product or service based on customer feedback and real-world data.

The lean startup approach is well-suited for early-stage startups and entrepreneurs operating in fast-paced, uncertain environments. By adopting a lean mindset, you can minimize risk, conserve resources, and maximize flexibility, allowing you to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and pivot your business model as needed.

A pitch deck is a concise presentation that provides an overview of your business concept, value proposition, market opportunity, and growth strategy. Pitch decks are typically used for pitching to investors, venture capitalists, and potential partners in a formal setting, such as a pitch competition, investor meeting, or networking event.

Pitch decks are highly visual and narrative-driven, with each slide focusing on a specific aspect of your business and conveying key information in a clear and compelling manner. A well-designed pitch deck should grab the audience’s attention, generate excitement about your venture, and inspire confidence in your ability to execute on your vision.

Pitch decks are ideal for startups and entrepreneurs seeking to raise funding or secure partnerships. By distilling your business concept into a concise and persuasive presentation, you can capture the interest of investors and stakeholders and compel them to take action.

• Operational Business Plan

An operational business plan focuses on the day-to-day operations of your business, detailing how you will execute on your strategy and deliver value to customers. Unlike traditional business plans, which are forward-looking and strategic, operational business plans are more tactical and execution-oriented, focusing on practical considerations such as staffing, supply chain management, production processes, and customer service.

Operational business plans are used internally to guide decision-making, allocate resources, and ensure the smooth functioning of your business on a day-to-day basis. They provide a roadmap for managing key operational functions and addressing operational challenges as they arise.

Operational business plans are essential for established businesses and entrepreneurs looking to scale their operations or optimize their processes. By aligning your day-to-day activities with your strategic objectives, you can improve efficiency, minimize waste, and enhance the overall performance of your business.

Learn more: Plan the Launch & Growth of Your Business with Expert Business Plan Writers

In conclusion, different types of business plans serve different purposes and audiences, each with its unique structure, content, and focus. Whether you’re launching a new startup, seeking investment for growth, or managing an established business, having a clear roadmap and strategy is essential for success. By choosing the right type of business plan for your venture and tailoring it to your specific goals and audience, you can articulate your vision, attract funding, and execute on your strategy with confidence and clarity.

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7 types de business models à prendre en compte pour votre entreprise

Trouvez le business model qui vous convient. Que vous choisissiez le modèle détaillant, abonnement ou entreprise affiliée, voici ce que vous devez savoir.

Lors de la réflexion sur la façon de démarrer une entreprise , la première étape consiste presque toujours à trouver le bon produit ou service. Cependant, cette première inspiration n'est que le début d'un processus extrêmement long.

Même si vous savez comment créer une idée commerciale , vos efforts échoueront en cas de planification et d'exécution inappropriées. Vous devez monétiser votre produit ou service, définir comment le vendre à vos clients et trouver la meilleure méthode pour vous assurer une croissance et une amélioration continues.

Un business model vous aide à atteindre tous ces objectifs afin que vous puissiez passer du brainstorming au développement d'une entreprise rentable. Bien que l'échelle puisse être différente, le processus est le même qu'il s'agisse d'une petite, d'une moyenne ou d'une grande entreprise.

La bonne nouvelle, c'est qu'il existe plusieurs systèmes établis et que vous disposez donc d'un grand nombre d'exemples de business models sur lesquels fonder votre entreprise. Cela peut également être un inconvénient, car vous devez faire le meilleur choix pour monétiser votre idée. Avec ce large choix d'options, vous pourriez facilement prendre la mauvaise décision et manquer des opportunités de croissance.

Voici un aperçu des différents types de business models afin que vous disposiez des renseignements nécessaires pour faire des choix éclairés sur le business model et les stratégies de croissance de votre entreprise.

Qu'est-ce qu'un business model ?

En termes simples, un business model décrit la méthode utilisée par votre entreprise pour gagner de l'argent.

Les business models réussis comportent généralement 5 composants.

• Un produit ou service.
• Vous devez ensuite planifier la manière de produire votre produit ou service. Par conséquent, vous devez également réfléchir à sa conception, sa production ou aux processus, aux documents et à la main-d'œuvre nécessaires, ainsi qu'aux caractéristiques qui rendront votre offre unique.
• Vous devez également décider comment le produit ou le service sera livré au client. Cette étape comprend les plans marketing, les ventes, la distribution ou la livraison.
• Votre business model doit également inclure des plans sur la manière de couvrir les dépenses et des détails sur le coût de l'activité.
• Enfin, vous devez planifier la manière dont vous allez générer un profit. Cette étape comprend les modalités de paiement de la part du client et le montant que vous comptez gagner sur la vente de chaque produit ou service.

Ce plan complet peut vous aider à créer votre propre entreprise et à la faire passer d'une bonne idée à une activité rentable.

Pourquoi les business models sont-ils importants ?

Un business model réussi vous fournit un cadre sur lequel construire votre entreprise.

Il vous aidera à définir votre marché cible, à planifier les coûts, à ajuster vos processus commerciaux et à faire des projections financières. Dans la plupart des cas, les investisseurs ne seront pas disposés à vous fournir des capitaux si vous ne disposez pas d'un business model bien défini.

Le bon cadre peut également laisser de la place à l'innovation en matière de business model. Vous pouvez créer des flux de revenus supplémentaires ou proposer des services alternatifs si vous avez un business model initial robuste.

Cela dit, les types de business models peuvent être très différents et vous devez donc en comprendre tous les détails avant de commencer la planification.

Types de business models

Les business models fournissent une feuille de route entre votre idée initiale de produit ou de service et vos bénéfices. Que vous cherchiez à créer un nouveau business model ou à mettre à jour l'existant, suivre un cadre établi constitue un guide précieux.

Voici les exemples de business models les plus courants.

Business model Détaillant

Le modèle Détaillant est le style d'activité le plus courant. Dans ce modèle, le consommateur interagit avec le détaillant et achète des articles directement auprès de lui, en ligne ou dans un magasin physique. Les détaillants achètent généralement leurs produits à des grossistes et les revendent en réalisant une marge.

Des exemples de cette activité vont des boutiques de vêtements et d'alimentation aux grands magasins, en passant par les concessionnaires automobiles et les sites d'e-commerce.

Ce business model est l'un des plus simples à comprendre et à mettre en œuvre. Cependant, c'est également celui qui fait l'objet de la plus grande concurrence. Vous risquez d'être confronté à un grand nombre d'entreprises vendant des produits similaires. Vous devrez être compétitif en termes de prix, de qualité ou encore d' identité de marque .

Business model Fabrication

Le modèle Fabrication implique la production de marchandises à partir de matières premières ou d'ingrédients. Ce modèle peut impliquer des articles fabriqués à la main ou des marchandises produites en masse sur une chaîne de montage.

Ces entreprises ont besoin d'accéder à des matières premières et à des compétences, à des équipements ou à de la main-d'œuvre pour fabriquer suffisamment de marchandises pour être rentables. Les fabricants comptent généralement sur des grossistes et des distributeurs pour vendre leurs produits.

Business model Abonnement

Le modèle Abonnement est très populaire bien qu'il ait longtemps été utilisé pour des publications telles que des magazines et des journaux.

Les entreprises d'abonnement fournissent un produit ou un service continu aux utilisateurs finaux moyennant un prix fixe. L'abonnement peut être quotidien, hebdomadaire, mensuel ou annuel.

Les entreprises numériques comme Netflix et Spotify utilisent ce business model, tout comme les fournisseurs de logiciels et d'applications ainsi que les fournisseurs de services en ligne. L'avantage de ce type de modèle est que vous pouvez obtenir des flux de revenus continus sans avoir à répéter les ventes.

Modèle Produit en tant que service (PaaS)

Le modèle Produit en tant que service (Product-as-a-Service, PaaS), également connu sous le nom de systèmes de service produit, combine des services avec un produit que le consommateur a déjà acheté.

Un bon exemple de ce business model est un détaillant automobile qui propose une adhésion annuelle à un service d'entretien pour l'achat d'une voiture. L'avantage principal est de garantir un revenu durable tout en améliorant l'expérience client. Ce business model peut offrir des sources de revenus supplémentaires aux détaillants.

Modèle Franchise

Le modèle Franchise est un autre type de cadre commercial populaire. De nombreuses marques célèbres sont des franchises, notamment KFC, Dominoes, Jimmy John's, Ace Hardware et 7-Eleven.

Dans ce modèle, vous développez un plan pour une entreprise prospère et le vendez à des investisseurs ou franchisés. Ils dirigent ensuite l'entreprise dans le respect de l' identité de marque de la franchise .

En un sens, ils achètent la marque et le plan et dirigent l'entreprise. L'avantage, pour les dirigeants d'entreprise, est qu'ils n'ont pas à se soucier des opérations quotidiennes. Dans le même temps, les franchisés bénéficient d'un plan de réussite, ce qui les expose à moins de risques que s'ils possédaient leur propre entreprise.

Modèle Affiliation

Le modèle Affiliation est celui d'une entreprise qui s'appuie sur des éditeurs tiers pour commercialiser et vendre son produit ou service.

Les affiliés sont chargés de stimuler les ventes. Ils perçoivent une rémunération, généralement sous forme de commission (pourcentage du total des ventes), de la part du vendeur ou du prestataire de service. Avec l'affiliation, une entreprise peut bénéficier d'une portée étendue et décrocher des clients sur des marchés qu'elle ne serait autrement pas en mesure de pénétrer. L'entreprise fournit généralement des supports marketing gratuits aux affiliés afin qu'ils affichent l'identité de marque appropriée lors de leurs actions marketing.

Modèle Indépendant

Les travailleurs indépendants fournissent des services à des entreprises ou organisations. Ils travaillent généralement sur une base contractuelle.

Bien qu'il soit possible d'opérer en tant que travailleur indépendant, vous pouvez également apprendre à faire évoluer une entreprise indépendante . Vous pouvez faire appel à d'autres travailleurs indépendants ou sous-traitants pour qu'ils travaillent sur vos contrats. Avec une entreprise à grande échelle, vous pouvez accepter davantage de contrats que vous ne pouvez gérer seul et partager le chiffre d'affaires entre vous et vos sous-traitants.

L'attrait de ce type d'entreprise réside dans le faible montant de ses frais généraux. Vous n'avez pas à embaucher vos sous-traitants. Il vous suffit de les payer après que le client vous a payé.

Concevoir votre business model

Les exemples de business models sont très différents, mais vous pouvez suivre les mêmes étapes pour concevoir votre plan et l'adapter aux besoins uniques de votre entreprise.

• Commencez par définir votre produit ou service, le besoin des consommateurs auquel il répond et les personnes pour lesquelles il présente un avantage.
• Une fois que vous avez une idée de qui utilisera votre produit ou service, vous pouvez définir votre marché cible, faire des recherches sur la manière dont il achète et vous renseigner sur la façon dont d'autres entreprises de votre secteur d'activité commercialisent et vendent à ces clients.
• Trouvez des business models qui pourraient potentiellement fonctionner avec votre entreprise. Il se peut qu'il n'y ait pas qu'une seule option.
• Créez des prototypes pour chaque business model possible que vous choisissez. Vous pourrez ensuite voir les problèmes potentiels et les obstacles rencontrés avec chaque plan et trouver le modèle qui répond le mieux à vos besoins.

Vous devez également créer un business plan approprié. Qu'est-ce qu'un business plan ? Il détaille comment structurer votre entreprise et comment le business model doit fonctionner pour atteindre le niveau de réussite souhaité.

Mailchimp propose des ressources pour vous aider à apprendre à rédiger un business plan .

Choisir le bon business model

Lorsque vous concevez votre business model, vous devez également définir des objectifs et dresser la liste des indicateurs clés de performance (ICP) qui montreront si votre entreprise est sur la voie de la réussite. Le business model que vous choisissez vous offrira le chemin le plus direct vers ces références.

Le meilleur business model vous aidera également à établir des relations solides avec vos clients en leur ouvrant le chemin le plus facile vers votre produit ou service. Dans la plupart des cas, la meilleure stratégie consiste à trouver un business model qui permette à vos clients d'accéder facilement à vos produits.

Enfin, lorsque vous regardez vos prototypes de modèles, vous devez réfléchir à ceux qui offrent des qualités spécifiques. Il s'agit notamment de l'évolutivité, des bénéfices, des coûts d'exploitation faibles ou prévisibles et de la capacité à apporter des changements si quelque chose ne fonctionne pas.

Les bons outils pour mettre en œuvre vos business plans

Mailchimp propose une variété d'outils pour vous aider à démarrer votre propre entreprise. Nos produits d'e-mail marketing, de conception Web et autres peuvent vous être utiles pour choisir comment démarrer votre entreprise en ligne .

Quel que soit le business model retenu, Mailchimp vous propose des ressources pour vous aider à vous développer, gérer votre entreprise pour améliorer votre avantage concurrentiel et planifier vos futures campagnes.

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The Different Types of Business Plans

Free Business Plan Template

• June 29, 2023

Different situations call for different business plans.

Whether you want to acquire funds, analyze market risks, introduce a new product, or simply need a roadmap for business operations— a specifically tailored business plan is essential for different business purposes.

Identifying the type of business plan you require is quintessential so that you create a document fit for your business needs.

In this blog post, we will introduce you to the 7 different types of business plans and help you understand which suits your business needs the best.

Ready to get started? Let’s dive right in.

Types of business plans

Businesses in different business situations call for different business plans.

To understand different types of business plans, we will categorize them based on audience, scope, and purpose to instill better clarity in your minds.

Let us understand these in detail to help you choose your ideal business plan.

Based on audience

Business plans are broadly categorized into two types based on the type of audience they cater to.

1. Internal business plans

As the name suggests, an internal business plan is solely for the people inside the company. These can be specific to certain departments such as marketing, HR, production, etc.

Internal business plans focus primarily on the company’s goals, operations, finances, and personnel and define the strategies to achieve their goals.

2. External business plans

On the contrary, external business plans are intended for people outside the company, such as investors, banks, partners, etc.

These plans usually contain detailed information about the company’s background, finances, market share, and business strategies.

Based on scope

Similarly, business plans are classified into two types based on their size and the depth of information they encompass.

1. Standard business plan

A standard plan or traditional business plan is a professional document offering a comprehensive understanding of your business idea. It serves as a step-by-step guide to launching your business and offers a roadmap to operate it efficiently.

A standard plan follows a structured format and usually includes components such as

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Products and services
• Marketing and sales plan
• Operations plan
• Financial plan
• Funding demand

Most entrepreneurs follow this structure to write a business plan and add depth to the sections that hold significant value to them.

Best for: Startups and businesses that require a detailed roadmap or operate in highly volatile markets. These plans are also used for getting funding approvals.

2. Lean business plans

A lean plan, also known as a startup business plan, is a condensed version of the standard business plan including highlights and summaries of all its sections.

Such plans empower entrepreneurs to kickstart their business endeavors with a minimum viable product and build it gradually by gathering real market feedback.

Lean business plans are crafted with brevity and outline your strategies, revenue model, tactics, and timeline.

• Strategies: How will you reach your goals
• Tactics: What are the KPIs to evaluate your performance
• Revenue model: How will you make money
• Timeline: Who will accomplish the tasks

Drafting such plans is not only easier, it is considered to be more efficient compared to a standard plan.

Best for: Entrepreneurs who want to quickly launch their business in a hot-moving market.

Based on purpose

Every business plan tends to solve a specific purpose. Let’s understand 7 different types of business plans based on different purposes.

1. One-page business plan

One-page business plans offer a snapshot of your entire business idea in one page. Such plans follow the same structure as traditional plans, however, they are much more concise and crisp.

One-page plans are simplified versions of detailed business plans and can be placed together in less than 10 minutes.

They are quite useful when you want to convey essential information in a brief document without missing out on important points.

Best for: One-page business plan is best suited for startups and small businesses that require rapid adjustments and quick implementation.

2. Growth business plan

A growth business plan combines the crispness of one-page business plans and the detailing of financial forecasts to enable prompt decision-making.

Such plans are quite handy when you want to upscale or grow your business without writing a full-fledged detailed business plan.

Businesses can compare their forecasts with the actuals, identify the discrepancies in the current strategy, and adjust it to ensure maximum growth when they have a clear demonstration of financials.

To prepare your growth business plan, outline the target market, business strategies, and a business model as you do in your one-page plans. And additionally, also include detailed financial projections for sales, cash flow, and revenue to help individuals make data-driven decisions.

Best for: A growth plan is best for businesses entering new markets, launching new products, scaling operations, or practicing a growth planning process.

3. Strategic business plan

Strategic business plans highlight your strategic objectives, define your business strategies, and outline a roadmap to take you there. It covers the nitty-gritty about your company’s goals, mission objectives, and long-term vision.

Such plans are extremely efficient in communicating your goals to internal teams and stakeholders, while ensuring everyone is on the same page as you.

Best for: Businesses and startups planning long-term growth and nonprofits aiming to increase their impact.

4. Feasibility business plan

A feasibility business plan is specifically designed to test the viability of a new product or business expansion in a new market. As opposed to a detailed business plan, such plans focus on two primary matters:

• Determining the existence of a market
• Determining the profits of the initiative

This type of business plan usually excludes all the other sections included in usual business plans. Instead, it concentrates mainly on the scope of a new initiative, its profitability, market analysis, competition, and associated financial implications.

It is mostly crafted for internal management and ends with recommendations on whether the decision to enter a new market or introduce a new product or service is viable or not.

Best for: Established businesses and early-stage startups to assess the viability of a specific product, market, or business idea before allocating significant resources.

5. Operational business plan

Operational plans are specific documents outlining processes and procedures of day-to-day business activities. Such plans focus on operational aspects of the business such as logistics, inventory, supply chain, production, and resource allocation.

A well-mapped operational plan serves as a guidebook for internal team and management. It streamlines the workflow, establishes SOPs, and offers a clear understanding of who will perform what tasks and what resources will be required.

There is no strict format outlining the contents of such a plan. The plan just needs to be clear, communicative, and viable enough to implement practically.

Best for: Established businesses to manage operations and resource allocation and startups to establish standard clear processes.

6. Nonprofit business plan

Nonprofit business plans are suited for businesses that operate for a charitable or social cause. Such plans are quite similar to traditional plans, however, they include an additional section where you explain the impact your non-profit organization will make in society.

Like a traditional plan, you will highlight the business concept, outline the market research, set the business goals, determine your business and promotional strategies, and demonstrate your team.

Additionally, you will include a section demonstrating the financial sustainability of the nonprofit venture. This is essential to attract donors, grants, and investors for your nonprofit business.

Best for: Nonprofit startups planning to secure funding and grants from financial institutions.

7. What-If business plan

What-if business plans are contingency plans used to draft strategies for the worst-case scenarios. This plan is usually less formal unless a funding request is included.

Such planning allows you to test and study the impact of different hypothetical situations related to the market, environment, competition, and legal regulations on your business.

Best for: Businesses in highly volatile markets and companies practicing crisis management. Also suited when considering mergers, price hikes, or undertaking any major business decision.

And those are some of the many different types of business plans you can have for your business. Wondering which one your business needs? Let us make your choice easier.

Choosing the right type of business plan

Here are the 2 criteria that will help in determining the right plan for your business.

The first step to choosing a business plan is to understand the purpose and objective of writing a business plan. For instance, your objective could be to acquire funds, guide an internal team, create a strategic roadmap, expand into a new geographic market, or prepare for contingencies.

Align your objective with the purpose of specific business plans and see which one suits you the best.

2. Scope of business

The scope and complexity of your business play a crucial role in determining the type of business plan you require. Take into account factors like products and service offerings, the scale of the business, and the business complexity to make a choice.

Even the stage of your business, depending on whether it is a startup or an established business, will influence this decision.

Start preparing your business plan with Upmetrics

You now have a proper understanding of the different types of business. If you’re not sure which one to pick, let us help you.

Our business planning software helps create stellar business plans and saves you the pain of writing one from scratch.

You can either choose a business plan sample and follow its step-by-step instructions to prepare your functional and actionable business plan.

Don’t have enough time to write the entire thing from scratch? Go ahead with our AI business plan generator ; it will quickly generate the entire plan for you..

Simply enter your business details, answer a few questions, and see your plan coming together in front of your eyes in less than 15 minutes.

Build your Business Plan Faster

with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 8 most common sections of a business plan.

The 8 common components of a successful business plan include

• Management team

Which type of business plan is right for me?

The answer entirely depends upon what you want to achieve with your business plan. Apart from that the scope, nature, and complexity of your business will determine the type of business plan you need.

Do I need a business plan to start a business?

A business plan is highly recommended before you kickstart your business endeavor. It builds a solid foundation for your business idea and offers a roadmap to achieve your strategic and business objectives. A well-drafted business proposal increases the chances of your business venture succeeding.

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

Reach Your Goals with Accurate Planning

Comment créer un business plan

Par Scott McDowell

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Un business plan constitue une étape utile pour créer une feuille de route lorsque vous démarrez ou développez votre activité. Ce guide expliquera l'intérêt d'avoir un business plan et fournira un processus détaillé, étape par étape, pour vous aider à en créer un.

Le business plan est plus qu'une simple vue d'ensemble théorique. Il s'agit d'une ressource pratique et exploitable qui oriente votre entreprise au fur et à mesure de sa croissance.

Qu'est-ce qu'un plan de développement ?

Dans sa forme la plus simple, un business plan est un document officiel qui décrit vos objectifs, votre stratégie et votre calendrier de rentabilité. Il regroupe des informations de base en un seul endroit : votre mission , votre structure organisationnelle, vos offres de produits, vos projections financières, etc.

Un bon business plan permet de :

Clarifier votre vision et votre stratégie

Guider la croissance et vous aider à rester sur la bonne voie

Fournir un cadre pour prendre des décisions éclairées concernant votre entreprise

En fin de compte, un business plan vous aide à rester concentré sur vos objectifs et démontre que vous disposez d'une stratégie de croissance viable. 

Pourquoi créer un business plan ?

Même si vous n’en avez pas besoin pour le moment, un plan d’affaires peut vous aider à clarifier vos objectifs et à définir les étapes à suivre pour augmenter vos revenus et élargir votre clientèle, le but étant de continuer à faire un travail qui vous plaît. Un plan d’affaires solide peut vous permettre de maintenir le cap et vous fournir un point de référence pour mesurer vos progrès. Sans compter que vous aurez probablement besoin d’un plan d’affaires complet si vous souhaitez attirer des investisseurs extérieurs .

Comment élaborer un business plan

Avant de commencer à élaborer votre business plan, il convient de réfléchir et d'effectuer des recherches qui vous permettront d'en connaître les détails. 

1. Évaluez votre idée d'entreprise

Prenez le temps d'évaluer votre nouvelle entreprise. Cette étape vous aidera à définir votre mission et votre vision de l'entreprise et à déterminer ce qui la rend unique. 

Posez les questions suivantes et répondez-y :

Quel problème mon entreprise résout-elle ?

Existe-t-il une demande pour mon produit ou service ?

Quels sont les pièges et les risques potentiels ?

2. Réaliser une étude de marché

L'étude de marché consiste à recueillir des informations sur votre secteur d'activité, votre public cible et vos concurrents afin de comprendre votre marché et d'identifier les lacunes et les opportunités de vente. Cela vous permet d'examiner de plus près votre position par rapport à des entreprises similaires et de voir comment vous pouvez vous différencier.

Analyse du secteur : examinez les tendances du secteur, le potentiel de croissance et la taille du marché.

Marché cible : identifiez vos clients, leurs caractéristiques démographiques, leurs préférences et leur comportement d'achat.

Analyse de la concurrence : analysez les forces et les faiblesses de vos concurrents, leur positionnement sur le marché et leurs stratégies.

Lire notre guide sur les études d'audience

3. Apprenez à connaître votre public

Une bonne compréhension de votre public cible vous aidera à déterminer comment vous adresser à lui de manière efficace, comment commercialiser votre marque auprès de lui et quels sont ses besoins spécifiques.

Une fois que vous connaissez votre marché cible, penchez-vous sur ses besoins. Posez-vous la question suivante :

Comment résoudre un problème ou répondre à un besoin de ce public ?

Quelles sont ses priorités ?

Comment l'atteindre en ligne ou en personne ?

Quel type de message ou de comportement est susceptible de gagner sa confiance ou sa loyauté ?

La création d'un persona client ou d'acheteur , une version fictive de votre client idéal, peut être un moyen utile de résumer ces informations. 

Les éléments d'un business plan

Un business plan formel comprend plusieurs parties, notamment des détails sur votre entreprise, sa structure, ses plans de marketing, ses finances et ses produits. Les éléments dont vous avez besoin pour votre propre business plan dépendent de son objectif. Si vous envisagez de le présenter à un partenaire ou à un investisseur potentiel, vous avez probablement besoin de la plupart des éléments. Si le business plan est destiné à vous aider à enregistrer vos objectifs et vos plans, vous pouvez supprimer les sections qui ne vous semblent pas pertinentes.

Le résumé est la première section de votre business plan, mais vous devriez probablement le rédiger en dernier. Il s'agit d'un résumé détaillé en un ou deux paragraphes de l'ensemble de votre plan. N'oubliez pas que le résumé est la première chose que l'on verra, il doit donc être concis et engageant.

Ce que votre résumé doit inclure :

Nom d'entreprise : le nom de votre entreprise et toute marque pertinente

Énoncé de mission : une brève description de l'objectif et des valeurs fondamentales de votre entreprise

Produits/services : un résumé des produits ou services que vous proposez

Opportunité de marché : un aperçu des besoins du marché auxquels vous répondez

Points forts financiers : principales projections financières, y compris les recettes et les bénéfices attendus

Exemple : dans le cas d'une ligne de vêtements écologiques, le résumé pourrait mettre en évidence la demande croissante de mode durable, les modèles uniques proposés et le chiffre d'affaires prévisionnel de la première année, qui s'élève à 100 000 dollars.

« Notre ligne de vêtements écologiques, GreenDress, a pour vocation de proposer des alternatives de mode élégantes et durables. Dans le but de réduire les déchets de mode, nos produits sont fabriqués à partir de matériaux biologiques et recyclés. Pour répondre à la demande croissante des consommateurs pour des options respectueuses de l'environnement, nous visons à conquérir une part significative du marché de la mode durable, en projetant un chiffre d'affaires de100 000 dollars pour la première année avec une marge bénéficiaire de 20 %. »

Essayez le Générateur de noms d'entreprise Squarespace

Description de l’entreprise

Fournissez un aperçu complet de votre entreprise, y compris sa structure, son histoire et le problème qu’elle résout. C'est similaire à la section À propos que vous pourriez écrire pour la biographie de votre site Web .

Ce que la description de votre entreprise doit inclure :

Structure de l'entreprise : décrivez la structure juridique de votre entreprise (par exemple, entreprise individuelle, société de personnes, SARL ).

Historique : fournissez un bref historique de votre entreprise, le cas échéant.

Besoins du marché : expliquez le problème que votre entreprise résout et pourquoi il existe une demande.

Exemple : « GreenDress est une SARL fondée en 2023 par Joan Campion, styliste et créatrice de mode ayant plus de 10 ans d'expérience dans le domaine de la fabrication durable. Notre mission est de proposer des vêtements tendance et écologiques pour femmes qui minimisent l'impact environnemental. Avec la prise de conscience croissante de l'empreinte écologique de la mode, il existe une demande croissante pour une mode durable. »

Analyse du marché

Réaliser une analyse de marché pour vous aider à comprendre votre secteur d'activité, la taille du marché et les concurrents. Cela vous permet, à vous et aux autres, de comprendre où vous vous situez par rapport à vos concurrents, à qui s'adresse votre marque et ce qui vous rend unique.

Ce que votre analyse de marché doit inclure :

Aperçu du secteur : résumez le paysage et les tendances du secteur.

Marché cible : définissez votre marché cible, y compris sa démographie, sa localisation et son comportement d'achat.

Analyse concurrentielle : identifiez vos principaux concurrents et analysez leurs forces et leurs faiblesses.

Exemple : « L’industrie de la mode durable connaît une croissance annuelle de 10 %. Notre marché cible est composé de consommateurs soucieux de l'environnement âgés de 18à35 qui attachent de l'importance à la durabilité et à un design unique. Parmi les concurrents figurent des marques établies comme Patagonia, des marques indépendantes de mode durable et des start-up s'adressant directement aux consommateurs comme Everlane. GreenDress se distingue en proposant des options plus abordables et avant-gardistes. »

Organisation et gestion

Mettez en valeur l'expérience et l'expertise des membres de votre équipe. Si vous créez un business plan à des fins de planification, vous pouvez probablement ignorer cette section, à moins que cela ne soit utile pour esquisser la structure de votre équipe.

Ce qu’il faut inclure dans votre section sur l’organisation et la gestion :

Structure organisationnelle : incluez un organigramme et donnez un aperçu en une ou deux phrases de la structure organisationnelle de votre entreprise. 

Équipe de direction : présentez les membres de l'équipe, leurs rôles et leurs expériences pertinentes.

Conseillers : mentionnez tous les conseillers ou membres du conseil d'administration.

Exemple : «  GreenDress est dirigée par la PDG Joan Campion, qui possède plus de dix ans d'expérience dans le design de mode durable. Notre équipe comprend Carlos Silver, directeur des opérations, qui a une formation en gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement, et Emily Deschutes, directrice financière, experte en planification financière pour les startups. Nous avons également un conseil consultatif composé de vétérans du secteur et d'experts en développement durable. »

Produits ou services

Décrivez vos produits et expliquez ce qui les rend uniques. Rédiger cette description peut vous aider à clarifier la façon dont vous parlez de vos produits et le processus de création et de vente de ces derniers.

Ce qu’il faut inclure dans la section des produits ou services :

Description : fournissez des descriptions détaillées de vos produits ou services.

Avantages : mettez en avant les principaux avantages pour vos clients et les arguments de vente uniques de vos produits.

Cycle de vie : décrivez le cycle de vie de vos produits ou services, y compris les plans de développement et d'avenir.

Exemple : « Notre gamme de produits comprend des robes, des jeans, des t-shirts et des vestes en coton biologique fabriqués à partir de matériaux recyclés et réutilisés. Chaque article est conçu dans un souci de style et de durabilité. Nos vêtements sont durables, élégants et écologiques. Ils attirent les consommateurs qui souhaitent réduire leur impact environnemental sans pour autant sacrifier la mode. »

Stratégie marketing et commerciale

Comment allez-vous attirer et fidéliser des clients ? Incluez des informations sur vos canaux marketing préférés, vos tactiques de vente et vos plans de fidélisation de la clientèle.

Ce qu’il faut inclure dans la section stratégie marketing et commerciale :

Canaux marketing : décrivez les canaux que vous utiliserez pour atteindre votre marché cible (par exemple : réseaux sociaux , marketing par e-mail , influenceurs).

Stratégie de vente : expliquez votre processus et vos tactiques de vente.

Fidélisation de la clientèle : expliquez comment vous comptez fidéliser vos clients et les encourager à les fidéliser.

Exemple : «  Nous nous appuierons sur les plateformes de réseaux sociaux, les fashionistas et les éco-influenceurs pour promouvoir notre marque. Notre stratégie de vente inclut un site de commerce électronique et des boutiques éphémères dans des quartiers animés. Nous mettrons en place un programme de fidélisation de la clientèle, proposerons des remises aux acheteurs réguliers et mettrons régulièrement à jour notre gamme de produits afin de fidéliser nos clients et de préserver la fraîcheur et l'attrait de notre marque. »

Lisez notre guide pour créer une stratégie de marketing

Plan financier

Présentez une vue d'ensemble des projections financières de votre entreprise. Vous devrez peut-être vous adresser à un expert financier ou demander à un ami qui connaît les aspects financiers de la création d'une entreprise. 

Ce qu’il faut inclure dans la section du plan financier :

Modèle de revenus : expliquez comment votre entreprise va gagner de l'argent.

Conditions de financement : détaillez les financements dont vous avez besoin pour démarrer ou développer votre entreprise.

Projections financières : fournissez les comptes de résultats, les flux de trésorerie et les bilans prévisionnels pour les prochaines 3 à 5 années.

Exemple : «  Notre modèle de revenus est basé sur les ventes directes aux consommateurs via notre site web et des boutiques éphémères. Nous recherchons50,000 dollars de financement de démarrage pour couvrir les coûts de production initiaux et les dépenses de marketing. Le chiffre d'affaires prévu pour la première année est de100 000 dollars, avec une marge bénéficiaire nette de 20 %. »

Incluez toute information supplémentaire à l'appui de votre business plan dans une annexe. Réfléchissez aux autres questions que votre public pourrait se poser. Si ce business plan est pour vous, réfléchissez à la documentation commerciale qu'il serait utile de conserver dans votre plan pour pouvoir vous y référer facilement.

L'annexe peut inclure des éléments tels que :

CV : CV ou biographie détaillés de l'équipe de direction.

Photos des produits : images de haute qualité de vos produits .

Documentation légale : tous les documents juridiques pertinents, tels que des brevets ou des marques.

Création d'un business plan simple pour démarrer

En fonction du stade et des objectifs de votre entreprise, vous n'aurez peut-être besoin que d'un business plan simplifié et tronqué. Concentrez-vous sur l'essentiel et ne vous attardez pas trop dans les détails. Au lieu d'inclure tout ce qui est indiqué ci-dessus, commencez par les sections suivantes :

Projections financières

Un business plan plus court peut être tout ce dont vous avez besoin pour faire décoller votre entreprise. Il vous fournira un cadre suffisant pour transformer l'idée que vous avez en tête en une entreprise réelle et viable.

4 conseils pour rédiger un bon business plan

Quelques bonnes pratiques s'appliquent, quelle que soit la longueur de votre business plan ou son destinataire. Un bon business plan est clair, réaliste et repose sur des recherches.

Utilisez un langage clair et direct. Évitez le jargon et les termes trop techniques, utilisez des phrases et des paragraphes courts, et soyez précise et directe.

Étayez vos affirmations avec des données et des recherches. Utilisez des sources crédibles pour les données de marché, fournissez des références et citez vos sources, et utilisez des tableaux ou des graphiques pour illustrer les données et les rendre plus faciles à regarder.

Fixer des objectifs réalisables et atteignables.  Basez vos projections sur des hypothèses réalistes et ne soyez pas trop optimiste, envisagez les défis et les risques potentiels et la manière dont vous comptez y faire face, et soyez en mesure d'expliquer vos projections.

Demandez l'avis de vos amis, de mentors et de conseillers. Partagez votre plan avec une personne de confiance, idéalement plus expérimentée que vous, et utilisez ses commentaires pour affiner et améliorer votre plan.

L'élaboration d'un business plan bien structuré est une étape fondamentale pour démarrer une nouvelle entreprise ou une activité secondaire. Vous pouvez commencer par un plan simple ou en élaborer un plus robuste, selon vos besoins. Le processus peut sembler intimidant, mais grâce à un plan clair et détaillé, vous serez prête à mener votre entreprise vers le succès.

Publié le 01 août 2024

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Home » Business Plan Tips

14 Types of Business Plans and Their Functions

Are you about starting a business but you don’t know what kind of business plan to write? If YES, here are 14 types of business plans and their functions.

A business plan is a formal written document that contains business goals, the methods on how these goals can be attained, and the time frame within which these goals need to be achieved. Business plans guide owners, management and investors during the start off stage of the business, and it equally guides the business as it grows from one stage to the other.

Savvy business owners write a business plan to guide management and to promote investment capital. Businesses without a solid plan typically burn out fast or fail to turn a profit in the long run. Without a well-planned business strategy, it is not possible for a business to scale through problems smoothly, and it would equally be an uphill task to achieve success.

A foolproof business plan highlights varying aspects of a potential business and integrates few essential features like business objectives, possible growth rate and many other characteristics that your business will include and assimilate. How to promote investment capital will be illustrated broadly in a business plan.

There are various kinds of business plans and in this article we will outline the various business plans and tell you the function of each.

• Start-Up Business Plans

One of the very popular business plans in the world of business is the startup business plan. The startup business plans contain an exhaustive approach for starting and growing a business. It is different from all other business plans because of its nature and the details that are taken into consideration right from the inception of the business till the growth stage along with the vision of at least five years.

With this business plan, new businesses need to detail the steps they need to take while starting a business. This document typically includes sections describing the company, the product or service the business will supply, market evaluations and the intended projected management team.

Potential investors will also require a financial analysis with spreadsheets describing financial areas including, but not limited to, income, profit and cash flow projections. Startup business plans can equally be used by established companies to launch a new product line or to enter an entirely new business segment in the market . Conglomerates use this plan if they are launching a new business.

• It xrays the Business:  The startup business plan explains what a business is all about by describing the products or services in detail and what the ultimate goals of the business are. For example, your plan may stipulate what your revenue goals are for each of your first three years of operation. Your plan should also indicate why you believe there is a need for your business and who your main competitors will be.
• Helps in securing funding: It’s no secret that businesses can’t function without any operating capital to kick-start their production cycle. Entrepreneurs are often required to take loans from financial institutions to purchase property, get the equipment or hire manpower. Startup business plans would help them access funding speedily.
• Outlines Possible Weaknesses:   Startup business plans helps businesses to find out the weaknesses of the business in question. Highs and lows are a part of life and without them; we wouldn’t feel the need for improvement. A startup business plan helps you preempt the lows and maximize the highs.
• It provides an execution plan: Describing how your business will function and perform in the market is important when dealing with sponsors and investors. A startup business plan will explain your products and services, your targeted customers, the required funds and what’s necessary for your startup to thrive
• Internal Business Plans

As the name suggests the internal business plan is for internal stakeholders of the business. This type of business plan helps to evaluate projects which are specific and they keep the team up to speed about the current status of the company.

The company has more chances of success if everyone in the team is entirely on board, that is why the internal business plan is needed to keep everyone in the company on the same lane. It contains strategies and ways to improve the current business working and suggests a new pattern for growth.

• It answers questions pertaining to the internal workings of the company: Is the company growing or declining? Does the working pattern need change, improvement or modification? These are the type of questions which internal business plans answer. The primary purpose of the internal business plan is not to show the balance sheet of the financial position of the company to the external stakeholders but it is to run the business as smoothly as possible.
• It targets specific teams to streamline their functions: Internal business plans target a specific audience within the business, for example, the marketing team who need to evaluate a proposed project. This document will describe the company’s current state, including operational costs and profitability, then calculate if and how the business will repay any capital needed for the project. Internal plans provide information about project marketing, hiring and tech costs.
• Strategic Business Plans

A strategic business plan provides a high-level view of a company’s goals and how it will achieve them, laying out a foundational plan for the entire company. While the structure of a strategic plan differs from company to company, most include five elements: business vision, mission statement, definition of critical success factors, strategies for achieving objectives and an implementation schedule.

A strategic business plan brings all levels of the business into the big picture, inspiring employees to work together to create a successful culmination to the company’s goals. These types of plans typically skip the more detailed financial data and milestones because they are not important to the team at this point.

Strategic business plans also help to create internal efficiency so you can get the best results. The strategic business plan also comprises business vision, mission statement, strategies for achieving objectives, success factors and implementation schedules.

• They help in the execution of business strategies: Strategic business plans help to outline how the company will get to where it wants to go. They outline the strategy your team must carry out to achieve your goals, including your strengths, weaknesses and how you’re going to utilize your opportunities.
• To keep the company focused: The primary purpose of the strategic business plan is to carve the way to go ahead and answer the questions like What are you going to get and How do you intend to go about it. These answers are nothing but the strategy that the team must execute in order to achieve their targets.
• Feasibility Business Plans

A feasibility business plan answers two primary questions about a proposed business venture: who, if anyone, will purchase the service or product a company wants to sell, and if the venture can turn a profit. Feasibility business plans include, but are not limited to, sections describing the need for the product or service, target demographics and required capital. A feasibility plan ends with recommendations for going forward.

• Identify the target market of a business:  The feasibility business plan determines who will purchase the service or product of the company.
• To answer the ‘why’ question of a company: The feasibility business plan describes the need for a product or service including the target demographics and the financials required to start the business.
• Operations Business Plans

Operations plans are internal plans that consist of elements related to company operations. An operations plan, specifies implementation markers and deadlines for the coming year. The operations plan outlines employees’ responsibilities. Operational business plans are typically very small because they are cut down to a year’s worth of information.

• It projects the business on a yearly basis: The operations business plan isn’t made to tell investors how you intend on turning a profit in the span of five years. It’s simply where you expect to be in 365 days. An annual plan can also be an internal plan (i.e., the strategy your employees intend to enact over the next year).
• It is used to scout for investors: The operations business plan can also be used to attract investors at the very beginning. Annual business plans are perfect for companies that expect to make big changes in the not-so-distant future. Investors love to see this.
• Growth Business Plans

Growth plans or expansion plans are in-depth descriptions of proposed business growth and are written for internal or external purposes. If company’s growth requires investment, a growth plan may include complete descriptions of the company, its management and officers. The plan must provide all company details to satisfy potential investors.

If a growth plan needs no capital, the authors may forego obvious company descriptions, but will include financial sales and expense projections. If you’re looking for a hyper-focused business plan, this is it. Growth or expansion plans focus on a specific area within your business, like opening a new location or launching a certain product.

Growth business plans are internal and external facing. Internal growth plans are a lean version of a strategic business plan. You’ll use them if your company’s growth or expansion is being funded internally, such as if you’re launching a new product line from the last product line’s revenue. You already know what you’re funding, so you don’t need to deeply explain the product.

For an external or investor-facing growth plan, you’re going to need some different information. This type of plan assumes that the bank, investor or individual you’re pitching doesn’t know much about your business at all. You’ll need to look at it like you’re a startup and include additional details about your growth or expansion.

• Helps a company attract investors:  Growth plans are aimed at investors and banks so as to attract external investment. This plan usually include everything in a standard business plan. You need the financial data and projections, the market research and the funding request.
• It helps to analyse the business on a yearly basis: Growth plans are also termed as Annual Business plan and as the name suggests, the plan is for annual purposes. These types of business plans are more important to startups. This is because you only need a years’ worth of information to write it.
• It helps during the time of big changes in company: Growth plans are very helpful to companies that are trying to make monumental changes in a short time.
• The Lean Plan

Businesses use the Lean business plan to manage strategy, tactics, dates, milestones, activities, and cash flow. The Lean Plan is faster, easier, and more efficient than a formal business plan because it doesn’t include summaries, descriptions, and background details that you and your partners or employees already know. A Lean Plan includes specific deadlines and milestones, and the budgets allotted for meeting them.

• It is used to track milestones:  The lean business plan is most useful if you’re trying to grow your business and want to use it as a tool to track your financials and milestones against what you projected so you can respond to opportunity and react to challenges quickly.
• The standard business plan

You’ll need to put together a stand business plan if you have a business plan event, which is what it is called when a business needs to present a business plan to a bank, prospective investor, vendor, ally, partner, or employee.

The most standard business plan starts with an executive summary and includes sections or chapters covering the company, the product or service it sells, the target market, strategy and implementation milestones and goals, management team, and financial forecasting, and analysis. The exact order of topics is not important, but most people expect to see all of these topics covered as part of the standard plan.

Think of your Lean Plan as a good first draft of a standard plan. Those complete projections include the three essential financial projections (also called pro-forma statements): profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow. Every standard business plan needs sales plus these three essentials.

• To analyze cash flow:  The cash flow is an essential part of a standard business plan. Businesses need cash to stay open. Even if a business can survive temporarily without profits, it still needs the cash to pay its bills. And since profits alone don’t guarantee cash in the bank, projected cash flow is essential.

Many standard plans also include a table for personnel spending. Some standard plans will need additional projections to meet the needs of the specific business plan event.

For example, plans for seeking outside investment should include a discussion of an eventual exit for investors, and of course the planned use of the invested funds. Plans supporting a bank loan application might include projected ratios the bank wants to see, such as debt to equity, quick, or current ratios.

• One-page business plan

A one-page business plan is typically a one-page summary of the business, and it includes highlights only. This business plan is used to offer a very quick overview of a business.

• To provide a quick business summary: The one-page business plan summarizes the target market , business offering, main milestones, and essential sales forecast of a business in a single page. Such a summary can be useful as a summary for banks, potential investors, vendors, allies, and employees. A one-page business plan can also be called a business pitch.
• The Miniplan

The miniplan is a sort of abridged version of the normal business plan. This business plan is preferred by many recipients because they can read it, or download it quickly to read later on their iPhone or tablet. You include most of the same ingredients that you would in a longer plan, but you cut to the highlights while telling the same story.

• It provides a quick overview of the business for investors:  The miniplan provides a quick summary of the business or company for someone who may not have the time to go through the longer version.
• The Presentation Plan

The advent of PowerPoint presentations changed the way many, if not most, plans are presented. And while the plan is shorter than its predecessors, it’s not necessarily easier to present. Many people lose sleep over an upcoming presentation, especially one that can play a vital role in the future of their business. But presenting your plan as a deck can be very powerful.

Readers of a plan can’t always capture your passion for the business nor can they ask questions when you finish. But in 20 minutes, you can cover all the key points and tell your story from concept and mission statement through financial forecasts.

• It helps to present the company in a detailed format to an audience: The presentation plan helps to present the company in a concise to a listening audience. In 20 minutes, you can cover all the key points and tell the story of your organisation from concept and mission statement through to financial forecasts.
• The Working Plan

A working plan is a tool to be used to operate your business. It is usually long on detail but may be short on presentation. As with a miniplan, you can probably use a somewhat higher degree of informality when preparing a working plan. It is there to work for your company and provide the required guide.

The plan is usually intended strictly for internal use, and so you can omit some elements that you need not explain to yourself and your team. Likewise, you probably don’t need to include an appendix with resumes of key executives. Nor would a working plan especially benefit from product photos.

• It provides guidelines for the day to day running of the business: The working plan is like an old pair of slacks you wear to the office on Saturdays. It’s there to be used, not admired. It provides pointers on how things are to be done in the company.
• The What-If Plan

When you face unusual circumstances, you need something a bit different from your usual working plan. For example, you might want to prepare a contingency plan when you’re seeking bank financing.

A contingency plan is a plan based on the worst-case scenario that you can imagine your business surviving—loss of market share, heavy price competition, defection of a key member of your management team. A contingency plan can soothe the fears of a banker or investor by demonstrating that you have indeed considered more than a rosy scenario.

Your business may be considering an acquisition, in which case a pro forma business plan (some call this a what-if plan) can help you understand what the acquisition is worth and how it might affect your core business. What if you raise prices, invest in staff training and reduce duplicative efforts?

Such what-if planning doesn’t have to be as formal as a presentation plan. Perhaps you want to mull over the chances of a major expansion. A what-if plan can help you spot the increased needs for space, equipment, personnel and other variables so you can make good decisions.

• It helps in analyzing various business scenarios, good or bad: If a company wants to make sudden changes, a what-if business plan is used to analyse the changes properly so the company knows what it is getting itself into.
• They provide insight: This business plan provides insight into the decisions companies makes at every point in their existence. What sets these kinds of plans apart from the working and presentation plans is that they aren’t necessarily describing how you’ll run the business. They’re essentially more like an addendum to your actual business plan.
• It helps the company make good decisions: A “what if” plan helps a company consider major changes that affect the core of the business, so they can make good decisions. It’s the plan you should consider before you consider any expansion or growth plan.

14. Development Business Plan

Development plans or extension plans are top to bottom depictions of proposed business development and they are composed to display inward or outside purposes of a business. A development policy incorporates overall details of the organization, its administration and responsibility the personnel share among themselves.

The policy must show the organization detail and emphasize the elements required to fulfill potential speculators. If in case the development plan requires no capital, the plan composers may pass by those organization portrayals, but will surely incorporate money related deals and cost projections.

• It is used in detailed industry analysis: A development policy incorporates overall details of the organization, its administration and responsibility the personnel share among themselves.

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How to Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (+ Template and Examples)

Every successful business has one thing in common, a good and well-executed business plan. A business plan is more than a document, it is a complete guide that outlines the goals your business wants to achieve, including its financial goals . It helps you analyze results, make strategic decisions, show your business operations and growth.

If you want to start a business or already have one and need to pitch it to investors for funding, writing a good business plan improves your chances of attracting financiers. As a startup, if you want to secure loans from financial institutions, part of the requirements involve submitting your business plan.

Writing a business plan does not have to be a complicated or time-consuming process. In this article, you will learn the step-by-step process for writing a successful business plan.

You will also learn what you need a business plan for, tips and strategies for writing a convincing business plan, business plan examples and templates that will save you tons of time, and the alternatives to the traditional business plan.

Let’s get started.

What Do You Need A Business Plan For?

Businesses create business plans for different purposes such as to secure funds, monitor business growth, measure your marketing strategies, and measure your business success.

1. Secure Funds

One of the primary reasons for writing a business plan is to secure funds, either from financial institutions/agencies or investors.

For you to effectively acquire funds, your business plan must contain the key elements of your business plan . For example, your business plan should include your growth plans, goals you want to achieve, and milestones you have recorded.

A business plan can also attract new business partners that are willing to contribute financially and intellectually. If you are writing a business plan to a bank, your project must show your traction , that is, the proof that you can pay back any loan borrowed.

Also, if you are writing to an investor, your plan must contain evidence that you can effectively utilize the funds you want them to invest in your business. Here, you are using your business plan to persuade a group or an individual that your business is a source of a good investment.

2. Monitor Business Growth

A business plan can help you track cash flows in your business. It steers your business to greater heights. A business plan capable of tracking business growth should contain:

• The business goals
• Methods to achieve the goals
• Time-frame for attaining those goals

A good business plan should guide you through every step in achieving your goals. It can also track the allocation of assets to every aspect of the business. You can tell when you are spending more than you should on a project.

You can compare a business plan to a written GPS. It helps you manage your business and hints at the right time to expand your business.

3. Measure Business Success

A business plan can help you measure your business success rate. Some small-scale businesses are thriving better than more prominent companies because of their track record of success.

Right from the onset of your business operation, set goals and work towards them. Write a plan to guide you through your procedures. Use your plan to measure how much you have achieved and how much is left to attain.

You can also weigh your success by monitoring the position of your brand relative to competitors. On the other hand, a business plan can also show you why you have not achieved a goal. It can tell if you have elapsed the time frame you set to attain a goal.

4. Document Your Marketing Strategies

You can use a business plan to document your marketing plans. Every business should have an effective marketing plan.

Competition mandates every business owner to go the extraordinary mile to remain relevant in the market. Your business plan should contain your marketing strategies that work. You can measure the success rate of your marketing plans.

In your business plan, your marketing strategy must answer the questions:

• How do you want to reach your target audience?
• How do you plan to retain your customers?
• What is/are your pricing plans?
• What is your budget for marketing?

How to Write a Business Plan Step-by-Step

1. create your executive summary.

The executive summary is a snapshot of your business or a high-level overview of your business purposes and plans . Although the executive summary is the first section in your business plan, most people write it last. The length of the executive summary is not more than two pages.

Generally, there are nine sections in a business plan, the executive summary should condense essential ideas from the other eight sections.

A good executive summary should do the following:

• A Snapshot of Growth Potential. Briefly inform the reader about your company and why it will be successful)
• Contain your Mission Statement which explains what the main objective or focus of your business is.
• Product Description and Differentiation. Brief description of your products or services and why it is different from other solutions in the market.
• The Team. Basic information about your company’s leadership team and employees
• Business Concept. A solid description of what your business does.
• Target Market. The customers you plan to sell to.
• Marketing Strategy. Your plans on reaching and selling to your customers
• Current Financial State. Brief information about what revenue your business currently generates.
• Projected Financial State. Brief information about what you foresee your business revenue to be in the future.

The executive summary is the make-or-break section of your business plan. If your summary cannot in less than two pages cannot clearly describe how your business will solve a particular problem of your target audience and make a profit, your business plan is set on a faulty foundation.

Avoid using the executive summary to hype your business, instead, focus on helping the reader understand the what and how of your plan.

View the executive summary as an opportunity to introduce your vision for your company. You know your executive summary is powerful when it can answer these key questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• What sector or industry are you in?
• What are your products and services?
• What is the future of your industry?
• Is your company scaleable?
• Who are the owners and leaders of your company? What are their backgrounds and experience levels?
• What is the motivation for starting your company?
• What are the next steps?

Writing the executive summary last although it is the most important section of your business plan is an excellent idea. The reason why is because it is a high-level overview of your business plan. It is the section that determines whether potential investors and lenders will read further or not.

The executive summary can be a stand-alone document that covers everything in your business plan. It is not uncommon for investors to request only the executive summary when evaluating your business. If the information in the executive summary impresses them, they will ask for the complete business plan.

If you are writing your business plan for your planning purposes, you do not need to write the executive summary.

2. Add Your Company Overview

The company overview or description is the next section in your business plan after the executive summary. It describes what your business does.

Adding your company overview can be tricky especially when your business is still in the planning stages. Existing businesses can easily summarize their current operations but may encounter difficulties trying to explain what they plan to become.

Your company overview should contain the following:

• What products and services you will provide
• Geographical markets and locations your company have a presence
• What you need to run your business
• Who your target audience or customers are
• Who will service your customers
• Your company’s purpose, mission, and vision
• Information about your company’s founders
• Who the founders are
• Notable achievements of your company so far

When creating a company overview, you have to focus on three basics: identifying your industry, identifying your customer, and explaining the problem you solve.

If you are stuck when creating your company overview, try to answer some of these questions that pertain to you.

• Who are you targeting? (The answer is not everyone)
• What pain point does your product or service solve for your customers that they will be willing to spend money on resolving?
• How does your product or service overcome that pain point?
• Where is the location of your business?
• What products, equipment, and services do you need to run your business?
• How is your company’s product or service different from your competition in the eyes of your customers?
• How many employees do you need and what skills do you require them to have?

After answering some or all of these questions, you will get more than enough information you need to write your company overview or description section. When writing this section, describe what your company does for your customers.

The company description or overview section contains three elements: mission statement, history, and objectives.

• Mission Statement

The mission statement refers to the reason why your business or company is existing. It goes beyond what you do or sell, it is about the ‘why’. A good mission statement should be emotional and inspirational.

Your mission statement should follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid). For example, Shopify’s mission statement is “Make commerce better for everyone.”

When describing your company’s history, make it simple and avoid the temptation of tying it to a defensive narrative. Write it in the manner you would a profile. Your company’s history should include the following information:

• Founding Date
• Major Milestones
• Location(s)
• Flagship Products or Services
• Number of Employees
• Executive Leadership Roles

When you fill in this information, you use it to write one or two paragraphs about your company’s history.

Business Objectives

Your business objective must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.) Failure to clearly identify your business objectives does not inspire confidence and makes it hard for your team members to work towards a common purpose.

3. Perform Market and Competitive Analyses to Proof a Big Enough Business Opportunity

The third step in writing a business plan is the market and competitive analysis section. Every business, no matter the size, needs to perform comprehensive market and competitive analyses before it enters into a market.

Performing market and competitive analyses are critical for the success of your business. It helps you avoid entering the right market with the wrong product, or vice versa. Anyone reading your business plans, especially financiers and financial institutions will want to see proof that there is a big enough business opportunity you are targeting.

This section is where you describe the market and industry you want to operate in and show the big opportunities in the market that your business can leverage to make a profit. If you noticed any unique trends when doing your research, show them in this section.

Market analysis alone is not enough, you have to add competitive analysis to strengthen this section. There are already businesses in the industry or market, how do you plan to take a share of the market from them?

You have to clearly illustrate the competitive landscape in your business plan. Are there areas your competitors are doing well? Are there areas where they are not doing so well? Show it.

Make it clear in this section why you are moving into the industry and what weaknesses are present there that you plan to explain. How are your competitors going to react to your market entry? How do you plan to get customers? Do you plan on taking your competitors' competitors, tap into other sources for customers, or both?

Illustrate the competitive landscape as well. What are your competitors doing well and not so well?

Answering these questions and thoughts will aid your market and competitive analysis of the opportunities in your space. Depending on how sophisticated your industry is, or the expectations of your financiers, you may need to carry out a more comprehensive market and competitive analysis to prove that big business opportunity.

Instead of looking at the market and competitive analyses as one entity, separating them will make the research even more comprehensive.

Market Analysis

Market analysis, boarding speaking, refers to research a business carried out on its industry, market, and competitors. It helps businesses gain a good understanding of their target market and the outlook of their industry. Before starting a company, it is vital to carry out market research to find out if the market is viable.

The market analysis section is a key part of the business plan. It is the section where you identify who your best clients or customers are. You cannot omit this section, without it your business plan is incomplete.

A good market analysis will tell your readers how you fit into the existing market and what makes you stand out. This section requires in-depth research, it will probably be the most time-consuming part of the business plan to write.

• Market Research

To create a compelling market analysis that will win over investors and financial institutions, you have to carry out thorough market research . Your market research should be targeted at your primary target market for your products or services. Here is what you want to find out about your target market.

• Your target market’s needs or pain points
• The existing solutions for their pain points
• Geographic Location
• Demographics

The purpose of carrying out a marketing analysis is to get all the information you need to show that you have a solid and thorough understanding of your target audience.

Only after you have fully understood the people you plan to sell your products or services to, can you evaluate correctly if your target market will be interested in your products or services.

You can easily convince interested parties to invest in your business if you can show them you thoroughly understand the market and show them that there is a market for your products or services.

How to Quantify Your Target Market

One of the goals of your marketing research is to understand who your ideal customers are and their purchasing power. To quantify your target market, you have to determine the following:

• Your Potential Customers: They are the people you plan to target. For example, if you sell accounting software for small businesses , then anyone who runs an enterprise or large business is unlikely to be your customers. Also, individuals who do not have a business will most likely not be interested in your product.
• Total Households: If you are selling household products such as heating and air conditioning systems, determining the number of total households is more important than finding out the total population in the area you want to sell to. The logic is simple, people buy the product but it is the household that uses it.
• Median Income: You need to know the median income of your target market. If you target a market that cannot afford to buy your products and services, your business will not last long.
• Income by Demographics: If your potential customers belong to a certain age group or gender, determining income levels by demographics is necessary. For example, if you sell men's clothes, your target audience is men.

What Does a Good Market Analysis Entail?

Your business does not exist on its own, it can only flourish within an industry and alongside competitors. Market analysis takes into consideration your industry, target market, and competitors. Understanding these three entities will drastically improve your company’s chances of success.

You can view your market analysis as an examination of the market you want to break into and an education on the emerging trends and themes in that market. Good market analyses include the following:

• Industry Description. You find out about the history of your industry, the current and future market size, and who the largest players/companies are in your industry.
• Overview of Target Market. You research your target market and its characteristics. Who are you targeting? Note, it cannot be everyone, it has to be a specific group. You also have to find out all information possible about your customers that can help you understand how and why they make buying decisions.
• Size of Target Market: You need to know the size of your target market, how frequently they buy, and the expected quantity they buy so you do not risk overproducing and having lots of bad inventory. Researching the size of your target market will help you determine if it is big enough for sustained business or not.
• Growth Potential: Before picking a target market, you want to be sure there are lots of potential for future growth. You want to avoid going for an industry that is declining slowly or rapidly with almost zero growth potential.
• Market Share Potential: Does your business stand a good chance of taking a good share of the market?
• Market Pricing and Promotional Strategies: Your market analysis should give you an idea of the price point you can expect to charge for your products and services. Researching your target market will also give you ideas of pricing strategies you can implement to break into the market or to enjoy maximum profits.
• Potential Barriers to Entry: One of the biggest benefits of conducting market analysis is that it shows you every potential barrier to entry your business will likely encounter. It is a good idea to discuss potential barriers to entry such as changing technology. It informs readers of your business plan that you understand the market.
• Research on Competitors: You need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and how you can exploit them for the benefit of your business. Find patterns and trends among your competitors that make them successful, discover what works and what doesn’t, and see what you can do better.

The market analysis section is not just for talking about your target market, industry, and competitors. You also have to explain how your company can fill the hole you have identified in the market.

Here are some questions you can answer that can help you position your product or service in a positive light to your readers.

• Is your product or service of superior quality?
• What additional features do you offer that your competitors do not offer?
• Are you targeting a ‘new’ market?

Basically, your market analysis should include an analysis of what already exists in the market and an explanation of how your company fits into the market.

Competitive Analysis

In the competitive analysis section, y ou have to understand who your direct and indirect competitions are, and how successful they are in the marketplace. It is the section where you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, the advantage(s) they possess in the market and show the unique features or qualities that make you different from your competitors.

Many businesses do market analysis and competitive analysis together. However, to fully understand what the competitive analysis entails, it is essential to separate it from the market analysis.

Competitive analysis for your business can also include analysis on how to overcome barriers to entry in your target market.

The primary goal of conducting a competitive analysis is to distinguish your business from your competitors. A strong competitive analysis is essential if you want to convince potential funding sources to invest in your business. You have to show potential investors and lenders that your business has what it takes to compete in the marketplace successfully.

Competitive analysis will s how you what the strengths of your competition are and what they are doing to maintain that advantage.

When doing your competitive research, you first have to identify your competitor and then get all the information you can about them. The idea of spending time to identify your competitor and learn everything about them may seem daunting but it is well worth it.

Find answers to the following questions after you have identified who your competitors are.

• What are your successful competitors doing?
• Why is what they are doing working?
• Can your business do it better?
• What are the weaknesses of your successful competitors?
• What are they not doing well?
• Can your business turn its weaknesses into strengths?
• How good is your competitors’ customer service?
• Where do your competitors invest in advertising?
• What sales and pricing strategies are they using?
• What marketing strategies are they using?
• What kind of press coverage do they get?
• What are their customers saying about your competitors (both the positive and negative)?

If your competitors have a website, it is a good idea to visit their websites for more competitors’ research. Check their “About Us” page for more information.

If you are presenting your business plan to investors, you need to clearly distinguish yourself from your competitors. Investors can easily tell when you have not properly researched your competitors.

Take time to think about what unique qualities or features set you apart from your competitors. If you do not have any direct competition offering your product to the market, it does not mean you leave out the competitor analysis section blank. Instead research on other companies that are providing a similar product, or whose product is solving the problem your product solves.

The next step is to create a table listing the top competitors you want to include in your business plan. Ensure you list your business as the last and on the right. What you just created is known as the competitor analysis table.

Direct vs Indirect Competition

You cannot know if your product or service will be a fit for your target market if you have not understood your business and the competitive landscape.

There is no market you want to target where you will not encounter competition, even if your product is innovative. Including competitive analysis in your business plan is essential.

If you are entering an established market, you need to explain how you plan to differentiate your products from the available options in the market. Also, include a list of few companies that you view as your direct competitors The competition you face in an established market is your direct competition.

In situations where you are entering a market with no direct competition, it does not mean there is no competition there. Consider your indirect competition that offers substitutes for the products or services you offer.

For example, if you sell an innovative SaaS product, let us say a project management software , a company offering time management software is your indirect competition.

There is an easy way to find out who your indirect competitors are in the absence of no direct competitors. You simply have to research how your potential customers are solving the problems that your product or service seeks to solve. That is your direct competition.

Factors that Differentiate Your Business from the Competition

There are three main factors that any business can use to differentiate itself from its competition. They are cost leadership, product differentiation, and market segmentation.

1. Cost Leadership

A strategy you can impose to maximize your profits and gain an edge over your competitors. It involves offering lower prices than what the majority of your competitors are offering.

A common practice among businesses looking to enter into a market where there are dominant players is to use free trials or pricing to attract as many customers as possible to their offer.

2. Product Differentiation

Your product or service should have a unique selling proposition (USP) that your competitors do not have or do not stress in their marketing.

Part of the marketing strategy should involve making your products unique and different from your competitors. It does not have to be different from your competitors, it can be the addition to a feature or benefit that your competitors do not currently have.

3. Market Segmentation

As a new business seeking to break into an industry, you will gain more success from focusing on a specific niche or target market, and not the whole industry.

If your competitors are focused on a general need or target market, you can differentiate yourself from them by having a small and hyper-targeted audience. For example, if your competitors are selling men’s clothes in their online stores , you can sell hoodies for men.

4. Define Your Business and Management Structure

The next step in your business plan is your business and management structure. It is the section where you describe the legal structure of your business and the team running it.

Your business is only as good as the management team that runs it, while the management team can only strive when there is a proper business and management structure in place.

If your company is a sole proprietor or a limited liability company (LLC), a general or limited partnership, or a C or an S corporation, state it clearly in this section.

Use an organizational chart to show the management structure in your business. Clearly show who is in charge of what area in your company. It is where you show how each key manager or team leader’s unique experience can contribute immensely to the success of your company. You can also opt to add the resumes and CVs of the key players in your company.

The business and management structure section should show who the owner is, and other owners of the businesses (if the business has other owners). For businesses or companies with multiple owners, include the percent ownership of the various owners and clearly show the extent of each others’ involvement in the company.

Investors want to know who is behind the company and the team running it to determine if it has the right management to achieve its set goals.

Management Team

The management team section is where you show that you have the right team in place to successfully execute the business operations and ideas. Take time to create the management structure for your business. Think about all the important roles and responsibilities that you need managers for to grow your business.

Include brief bios of each key team member and ensure you highlight only the relevant information that is needed. If your team members have background industry experience or have held top positions for other companies and achieved success while filling that role, highlight it in this section.

A common mistake that many startups make is assigning C-level titles such as (CMO and CEO) to everyone on their team. It is unrealistic for a small business to have those titles. While it may look good on paper for the ego of your team members, it can prevent investors from investing in your business.

Instead of building an unrealistic management structure that does not fit your business reality, it is best to allow business titles to grow as the business grows. Starting everyone at the top leaves no room for future change or growth, which is bad for productivity.

Your management team does not have to be complete before you start writing your business plan. You can have a complete business plan even when there are managerial positions that are empty and need filling.

If you have management gaps in your team, simply show the gaps and indicate you are searching for the right candidates for the role(s). Investors do not expect you to have a full management team when you are just starting your business.

Key Questions to Answer When Structuring Your Management Team

• Who are the key leaders?
• What experiences, skills, and educational backgrounds do you expect your key leaders to have?
• Do your key leaders have industry experience?
• What positions will they fill and what duties will they perform in those positions?
• What level of authority do the key leaders have and what are their responsibilities?
• What is the salary for the various management positions that will attract the ideal candidates?

Additional Tips for Writing the Management Structure Section

1. Avoid Adding ‘Ghost’ Names to Your Management Team

There is always that temptation to include a ‘ghost’ name to your management team to attract and influence investors to invest in your business. Although the presence of these celebrity management team members may attract the attention of investors, it can cause your business to lose any credibility if you get found out.

Seasoned investors will investigate further the members of your management team before committing fully to your business If they find out that the celebrity name used does not play any actual role in your business, they will not invest and may write you off as dishonest.

2. Focus on Credentials But Pay Extra Attention to the Roles

Investors want to know the experience that your key team members have to determine if they can successfully reach the company’s growth and financial goals.

While it is an excellent boost for your key management team to have the right credentials, you also want to pay extra attention to the roles they will play in your company.

Organizational Chart

Adding an organizational chart in this section of your business plan is not necessary, you can do it in your business plan’s appendix.

If you are exploring funding options, it is not uncommon to get asked for your organizational chart. The function of an organizational chart goes beyond raising money, you can also use it as a useful planning tool for your business.

An organizational chart can help you identify how best to structure your management team for maximum productivity and point you towards key roles you need to fill in the future.

You can use the organizational chart to show your company’s internal management structure such as the roles and responsibilities of your management team, and relationships that exist between them.

5. Describe Your Product and Service Offering

In your business plan, you have to describe what you sell or the service you plan to offer. It is the next step after defining your business and management structure. The products and services section is where you sell the benefits of your business.

Here you have to explain how your product or service will benefit your customers and describe your product lifecycle. It is also the section where you write down your plans for intellectual property like patent filings and copyrighting.

The research and development that you are undertaking for your product or service need to be explained in detail in this section. However, do not get too technical, sell the general idea and its benefits.

If you have any diagrams or intricate designs of your product or service, do not include them in the products and services section. Instead, leave them for the addendum page. Also, if you are leaving out diagrams or designs for the addendum, ensure you add this phrase “For more detail, visit the addendum Page #.”

Your product and service section in your business plan should include the following:

• A detailed explanation that clearly shows how your product or service works.
• The pricing model for your product or service.
• Your business’ sales and distribution strategy.
• The ideal customers that want your product or service.
• The benefits of your products and services.
• Reason(s) why your product or service is a better alternative to what your competitors are currently offering in the market.
• Plans for filling the orders you receive
• If you have current or pending patents, copyrights, and trademarks for your product or service, you can also discuss them in this section.

What to Focus On When Describing the Benefits, Lifecycle, and Production Process of Your Products or Services

In the products and services section, you have to distill the benefits, lifecycle, and production process of your products and services.

When describing the benefits of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Unique features
• Translating the unique features into benefits
• The emotional, psychological, and practical payoffs to attract customers
• Intellectual property rights or any patents

When describing the product life cycle of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Upsells, cross-sells, and down-sells
• Time between purchases
• Plans for research and development.

When describing the production process for your products or services, you need to think about the following:

• The creation of new or existing products and services.
• The sources for the raw materials or components you need for production.
• Assembling the products
• Maintaining quality control
• Supply-chain logistics (receiving the raw materials and delivering the finished products)
• The day-to-day management of the production processes, bookkeeping, and inventory.

Tips for Writing the Products or Services Section of Your Business Plan

1. Avoid Technical Descriptions and Industry Buzzwords

The products and services section of your business plan should clearly describe the products and services that your company provides. However, it is not a section to include technical jargons that anyone outside your industry will not understand.

A good practice is to remove highly detailed or technical descriptions in favor of simple terms. Industry buzzwords are not necessary, if there are simpler terms you can use, then use them. If you plan to use your business plan to source funds, making the product or service section so technical will do you no favors.

2. Describe How Your Products or Services Differ from Your Competitors

When potential investors look at your business plan, they want to know how the products and services you are offering differ from that of your competition. Differentiating your products or services from your competition in a way that makes your solution more attractive is critical.

If you are going the innovative path and there is no market currently for your product or service, you need to describe in this section why the market needs your product or service.

For example, overnight delivery was a niche business that only a few companies were participating in. Federal Express (FedEx) had to show in its business plan that there was a large opportunity for that service and they justified why the market needed that service.

3. Long or Short Products or Services Section

Should your products or services section be short? Does the long products or services section attract more investors?

There are no straightforward answers to these questions. Whether your products or services section should be long or relatively short depends on the nature of your business.

If your business is product-focused, then automatically you need to use more space to describe the details of your products. However, if the product your business sells is a commodity item that relies on competitive pricing or other pricing strategies, you do not have to use up so much space to provide significant details about the product.

Likewise, if you are selling a commodity that is available in numerous outlets, then you do not have to spend time on writing a long products or services section.

The key to the success of your business is most likely the effectiveness of your marketing strategies compared to your competitors. Use more space to address that section.

If you are creating a new product or service that the market does not know about, your products or services section can be lengthy. The reason why is because you need to explain everything about the product or service such as the nature of the product, its use case, and values.

A short products or services section for an innovative product or service will not give the readers enough information to properly evaluate your business.

4. Describe Your Relationships with Vendors or Suppliers

Your business will rely on vendors or suppliers to supply raw materials or the components needed to make your products. In your products and services section, describe your relationships with your vendors and suppliers fully.

Avoid the mistake of relying on only one supplier or vendor. If that supplier or vendor fails to supply or goes out of business, you can easily face supply problems and struggle to meet your demands. Plan to set up multiple vendor or supplier relationships for better business stability.

5. Your Primary Goal Is to Convince Your Readers

The primary goal of your business plan is to convince your readers that your business is viable and to create a guide for your business to follow. It applies to the products and services section.

When drafting this section, think like the reader. See your reader as someone who has no idea about your products and services. You are using the products and services section to provide the needed information to help your reader understand your products and services. As a result, you have to be clear and to the point.

While you want to educate your readers about your products or services, you also do not want to bore them with lots of technical details. Show your products and services and not your fancy choice of words.

Your products and services section should provide the answer to the “what” question for your business. You and your management team may run the business, but it is your products and services that are the lifeblood of the business.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing your Products and Services Section

Answering these questions can help you write your products and services section quickly and in a way that will appeal to your readers.

• Are your products existing on the market or are they still in the development stage?
• What is your timeline for adding new products and services to the market?
• What are the positives that make your products and services different from your competitors?
• Do your products and services have any competitive advantage that your competitors’ products and services do not currently have?
• Do your products or services have any competitive disadvantages that you need to overcome to compete with your competitors? If your answer is yes, state how you plan to overcome them,
• How much does it cost to produce your products or services? How much do you plan to sell it for?
• What is the price for your products and services compared to your competitors? Is pricing an issue?
• What are your operating costs and will it be low enough for you to compete with your competitors and still take home a reasonable profit margin?
• What is your plan for acquiring your products? Are you involved in the production of your products or services?
• Are you the manufacturer and produce all the components you need to create your products? Do you assemble your products by using components supplied by other manufacturers? Do you purchase your products directly from suppliers or wholesalers?
• Do you have a steady supply of products that you need to start your business? (If your business is yet to kick-off)
• How do you plan to distribute your products or services to the market?

You can also hint at the marketing or promotion plans you have for your products or services such as how you plan to build awareness or retain customers. The next section is where you can go fully into details about your business’s marketing and sales plan.

6. Show and Explain Your Marketing and Sales Plan

Providing great products and services is wonderful, but it means nothing if you do not have a marketing and sales plan to inform your customers about them. Your marketing and sales plan is critical to the success of your business.

The sales and marketing section is where you show and offer a detailed explanation of your marketing and sales plan and how you plan to execute it. It covers your pricing plan, proposed advertising and promotion activities, activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success, and the benefits of your products and services.

There are several ways you can approach your marketing and sales strategy. Ideally, your marketing and sales strategy has to fit the unique needs of your business.

In this section, you describe how the plans your business has for attracting and retaining customers, and the exact process for making a sale happen. It is essential to thoroughly describe your complete marketing and sales plans because you are still going to reference this section when you are making financial projections for your business.

Outline Your Business’ Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The sales and marketing section is where you outline your business’s unique selling proposition (USP). When you are developing your unique selling proposition, think about the strongest reasons why people should buy from you over your competition. That reason(s) is most likely a good fit to serve as your unique selling proposition (USP).

Target Market and Target Audience

Plans on how to get your products or services to your target market and how to get your target audience to buy them go into this section. You also highlight the strengths of your business here, particularly what sets them apart from your competition.

Before you start writing your marketing and sales plan, you need to have properly defined your target audience and fleshed out your buyer persona. If you do not first understand the individual you are marketing to, your marketing and sales plan will lack any substance and easily fall.

Creating a Smart Marketing and Sales Plan

Marketing your products and services is an investment that requires you to spend money. Like any other investment, you have to generate a good return on investment (ROI) to justify using that marketing and sales plan. Good marketing and sales plans bring in high sales and profits to your company.

Avoid spending money on unproductive marketing channels. Do your research and find out the best marketing and sales plan that works best for your company.

Your marketing and sales plan can be broken into different parts: your positioning statement, pricing, promotion, packaging, advertising, public relations, content marketing, social media, and strategic alliances.

Your Positioning Statement

Your positioning statement is the first part of your marketing and sales plan. It refers to the way you present your company to your customers.

Are you the premium solution, the low-price solution, or are you the intermediary between the two extremes in the market? What do you offer that your competitors do not that can give you leverage in the market?

Before you start writing your positioning statement, you need to spend some time evaluating the current market conditions. Here are some questions that can help you to evaluate the market

• What are the unique features or benefits that you offer that your competitors lack?
• What are your customers’ primary needs and wants?
• Why should a customer choose you over your competition? How do you plan to differentiate yourself from the competition?
• How does your company’s solution compare with other solutions in the market?

After answering these questions, then you can start writing your positioning statement. Your positioning statement does not have to be in-depth or too long.

All you need to explain with your positioning statement are two focus areas. The first is the position of your company within the competitive landscape. The other focus area is the core value proposition that sets your company apart from other alternatives that your ideal customer might consider.

Here is a simple template you can use to develop a positioning statement.

For [description of target market] who [need of target market], [product or service] [how it meets the need]. Unlike [top competition], it [most essential distinguishing feature].

For example, let’s create the positioning statement for fictional accounting software and QuickBooks alternative , TBooks.

“For small business owners who need accounting services, TBooks is an accounting software that helps small businesses handle their small business bookkeeping basics quickly and easily. Unlike Wave, TBooks gives small businesses access to live sessions with top accountants.”

You can edit this positioning statement sample and fill it with your business details.

After writing your positioning statement, the next step is the pricing of your offerings. The overall positioning strategy you set in your positioning statement will often determine how you price your products or services.

Pricing is a powerful tool that sends a strong message to your customers. Failure to get your pricing strategy right can make or mar your business. If you are targeting a low-income audience, setting a premium price can result in low sales.

You can use pricing to communicate your positioning to your customers. For example, if you are offering a product at a premium price, you are sending a message to your customers that the product belongs to the premium category.

Basic Rules to Follow When Pricing Your Offering

Setting a price for your offering involves more than just putting a price tag on it. Deciding on the right pricing for your offering requires following some basic rules. They include covering your costs, primary and secondary profit center pricing, and matching the market rate.

• Covering Your Costs: The price you set for your products or service should be more than it costs you to produce and deliver them. Every business has the same goal, to make a profit. Depending on the strategy you want to use, there are exceptions to this rule. However, the vast majority of businesses follow this rule.
• Primary and Secondary Profit Center Pricing: When a company sets its price above the cost of production, it is making that product its primary profit center. A company can also decide not to make its initial price its primary profit center by selling below or at even with its production cost. It rather depends on the support product or even maintenance that is associated with the initial purchase to make its profit. The initial price thus became its secondary profit center.
• Matching the Market Rate: A good rule to follow when pricing your products or services is to match your pricing with consumer demand and expectations. If you price your products or services beyond the price your customer perceives as the ideal price range, you may end up with no customers. Pricing your products too low below what your customer perceives as the ideal price range may lead to them undervaluing your offering.

Pricing Strategy

Your pricing strategy influences the price of your offering. There are several pricing strategies available for you to choose from when examining the right pricing strategy for your business. They include cost-plus pricing, market-based pricing, value pricing, and more.

• Cost-plus Pricing: This strategy is one of the simplest and oldest pricing strategies. Here you consider the cost of producing a unit of your product and then add a profit to it to arrive at your market price. It is an effective pricing strategy for manufacturers because it helps them cover their initial costs. Another name for the cost-plus pricing strategy is the markup pricing strategy.
• Market-based Pricing: This pricing strategy analyses the market including competitors’ pricing and then sets a price based on what the market is expecting. With this pricing strategy, you can either set your price at the low-end or high-end of the market.
• Value Pricing: This pricing strategy involves setting a price based on the value you are providing to your customer. When adopting a value-based pricing strategy, you have to set a price that your customers are willing to pay. Service-based businesses such as small business insurance providers , luxury goods sellers, and the fashion industry use this pricing strategy.

After carefully sorting out your positioning statement and pricing, the next item to look at is your promotional strategy. Your promotional strategy explains how you plan on communicating with your customers and prospects.

As a business, you must measure all your costs, including the cost of your promotions. You also want to measure how much sales your promotions bring for your business to determine its usefulness. Promotional strategies or programs that do not lead to profit need to be removed.

There are different types of promotional strategies you can adopt for your business, they include advertising, public relations, and content marketing.

Advertising

Your business plan should include your advertising plan which can be found in the marketing and sales plan section. You need to include an overview of your advertising plans such as the areas you plan to spend money on to advertise your business and offers.

Ensure that you make it clear in this section if your business will be advertising online or using the more traditional offline media, or the combination of both online and offline media. You can also include the advertising medium you want to use to raise awareness about your business and offers.

Some common online advertising mediums you can use include social media ads, landing pages, sales pages, SEO, Pay-Per-Click, emails, Google Ads, and others. Some common traditional and offline advertising mediums include word of mouth, radios, direct mail, televisions, flyers, billboards, posters, and others.

A key component of your advertising strategy is how you plan to measure the effectiveness and success of your advertising campaign. There is no point in sticking with an advertising plan or medium that does not produce results for your business in the long run.

Public Relations

A great way to reach your customers is to get the media to cover your business or product. Publicity, especially good ones, should be a part of your marketing and sales plan. In this section, show your plans for getting prominent reviews of your product from reputable publications and sources.

Your business needs that exposure to grow. If public relations is a crucial part of your promotional strategy, provide details about your public relations plan here.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a popular promotional strategy used by businesses to inform and attract their customers. It is about teaching and educating your prospects on various topics of interest in your niche, it does not just involve informing them about the benefits and features of the products and services you have,

Businesses publish content usually for free where they provide useful information, tips, and advice so that their target market can be made aware of the importance of their products and services. Content marketing strategies seek to nurture prospects into buyers over time by simply providing value.

Your company can create a blog where it will be publishing content for its target market. You will need to use the best website builder such as Wix and Squarespace and the best web hosting services such as Bluehost, Hostinger, and other Bluehost alternatives to create a functional blog or website.

If content marketing is a crucial part of your promotional strategy (as it should be), detail your plans under promotions.

Including high-quality images of the packaging of your product in your business plan is a lovely idea. You can add the images of the packaging of that product in the marketing and sales plan section. If you are not selling a product, then you do not need to include any worry about the physical packaging of your product.

When organizing the packaging section of your business plan, you can answer the following questions to make maximum use of this section.

• Is your choice of packaging consistent with your positioning strategy?
• What key value proposition does your packaging communicate? (It should reflect the key value proposition of your business)
• How does your packaging compare to that of your competitors?

Social Media

Your 21st-century business needs to have a good social media presence. Not having one is leaving out opportunities for growth and reaching out to your prospect.

You do not have to join the thousands of social media platforms out there. What you need to do is join the ones that your customers are active on and be active there.

Businesses use social media to provide information about their products such as promotions, discounts, the benefits of their products, and content on their blogs.

Social media is also a platform for engaging with your customers and getting feedback about your products or services. Make no mistake, more and more of your prospects are using social media channels to find more information about companies.

You need to consider the social media channels you want to prioritize your business (prioritize the ones your customers are active in) and your branding plans in this section.

Strategic Alliances

If your company plans to work closely with other companies as part of your sales and marketing plan, include it in this section. Prove details about those partnerships in your business plan if you have already established them.

Strategic alliances can be beneficial for all parties involved including your company. Working closely with another company in the form of a partnership can provide access to a different target market segment for your company.

The company you are partnering with may also gain access to your target market or simply offer a new product or service (that of your company) to its customers.

Mutually beneficial partnerships can cover the weaknesses of one company with the strength of another. You should consider strategic alliances with companies that sell complimentary products to yours. For example, if you provide printers, you can partner with a company that produces ink since the customers that buy printers from you will also need inks for printing.

Steps Involved in Creating a Marketing and Sales Plan

1. Focus on Your Target Market

Identify who your customers are, the market you want to target. Then determine the best ways to get your products or services to your potential customers.

2. Evaluate Your Competition

One of the goals of having a marketing plan is to distinguish yourself from your competition. You cannot stand out from them without first knowing them in and out.

You can know your competitors by gathering information about their products, pricing, service, and advertising campaigns.

These questions can help you know your competition.

• What makes your competition successful?
• What are their weaknesses?
• What are customers saying about your competition?

3. Consider Your Brand

Customers' perception of your brand has a strong impact on your sales. Your marketing and sales plan should seek to bolster the image of your brand. Before you start marketing your business, think about the message you want to pass across about your business and your products and services.

4. Focus on Benefits

The majority of your customers do not view your product in terms of features, what they want to know is the benefits and solutions your product offers. Think about the problems your product solves and the benefits it delivers, and use it to create the right sales and marketing message.

Your marketing plan should focus on what you want your customer to get instead of what you provide. Identify those benefits in your marketing and sales plan.

5. Focus on Differentiation

Your marketing and sales plan should look for a unique angle they can take that differentiates your business from the competition, even if the products offered are similar. Some good areas of differentiation you can use are your benefits, pricing, and features.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing Your Marketing and Sales Plan

• What is your company’s budget for sales and marketing campaigns?
• What key metrics will you use to determine if your marketing plans are successful?
• What are your alternatives if your initial marketing efforts do not succeed?
• Who are the sales representatives you need to promote your products or services?
• What are the marketing and sales channels you plan to use? How do you plan to get your products in front of your ideal customers?
• Where will you sell your products?

You may want to include samples of marketing materials you plan to use such as print ads, website descriptions, and social media ads. While it is not compulsory to include these samples, it can help you better communicate your marketing and sales plan and objectives.

The purpose of the marketing and sales section is to answer this question “How will you reach your customers?” If you cannot convincingly provide an answer to this question, you need to rework your marketing and sales section.

7. Clearly Show Your Funding Request

If you are writing your business plan to ask for funding from investors or financial institutions, the funding request section is where you will outline your funding requirements. The funding request section should answer the question ‘How much money will your business need in the near future (3 to 5 years)?’

A good funding request section will clearly outline and explain the amount of funding your business needs over the next five years. You need to know the amount of money your business needs to make an accurate funding request.

Also, when writing your funding request, provide details of how the funds will be used over the period. Specify if you want to use the funds to buy raw materials or machinery, pay salaries, pay for advertisements, and cover specific bills such as rent and electricity.

In addition to explaining what you want to use the funds requested for, you need to clearly state the projected return on investment (ROI) . Investors and creditors want to know if your business can generate profit for them if they put funds into it.

Ensure you do not inflate the figures and stay as realistic as possible. Investors and financial institutions you are seeking funds from will do their research before investing money in your business.

If you are not sure of an exact number to request from, you can use some range of numbers as rough estimates. Add a best-case scenario and a work-case scenario to your funding request. Also, include a description of your strategic future financial plans such as selling your business or paying off debts.

Funding Request: Debt or Equity?

When making your funding request, specify the type of funding you want. Do you want debt or equity? Draw out the terms that will be applicable for the funding, and the length of time the funding request will cover.

Case for Equity

If your new business has not yet started generating profits, you are most likely preparing to sell equity in your business to raise capital at the early stage. Equity here refers to ownership. In this case, you are selling a portion of your company to raise capital.

Although this method of raising capital for your business does not put your business in debt, keep in mind that an equity owner may expect to play a key role in company decisions even if he does not hold a major stake in the company.

Most equity sales for startups are usually private transactions . If you are making a funding request by offering equity in exchange for funding, let the investor know that they will be paid a dividend (a share of the company’s profit). Also, let the investor know the process for selling their equity in your business.

Case for Debt

You may decide not to offer equity in exchange for funds, instead, you make a funding request with the promise to pay back the money borrowed at the agreed time frame.

When making a funding request with an agreement to pay back, note that you will have to repay your creditors both the principal amount borrowed and the interest on it. Financial institutions offer this type of funding for businesses.

Large companies combine both equity and debt in their capital structure. When drafting your business plan, decide if you want to offer both or one over the other.

Before you sell equity in exchange for funding in your business, consider if you are willing to accept not being in total control of your business. Also, before you seek loans in your funding request section, ensure that the terms of repayment are favorable.

You should set a clear timeline in your funding request so that potential investors and creditors can know what you are expecting. Some investors and creditors may agree to your funding request and then delay payment for longer than 30 days, meanwhile, your business needs an immediate cash injection to operate efficiently.

Additional Tips for Writing the Funding Request Section of your Business Plan

The funding request section is not necessary for every business, it is only needed by businesses who plan to use their business plan to secure funding.

If you are adding the funding request section to your business plan, provide an itemized summary of how you plan to use the funds requested. Hiring a lawyer, accountant, or other professionals may be necessary for the proper development of this section.

You should also gather and use financial statements that add credibility and support to your funding requests. Ensure that the financial statements you use should include your projected financial data such as projected cash flows, forecast statements, and expenditure budgets.

If you are an existing business, include all historical financial statements such as cash flow statements, balance sheets and income statements .

Provide monthly and quarterly financial statements for a year. If your business has records that date back beyond the one-year mark, add the yearly statements of those years. These documents are for the appendix section of your business plan.

8. Detail Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projections

If you used the funding request section in your business plan, supplement it with a financial plan, metrics, and projections. This section paints a picture of the past performance of your business and then goes ahead to make an informed projection about its future.

The goal of this section is to convince readers that your business is going to be a financial success. It outlines your business plan to generate enough profit to repay the loan (with interest if applicable) and to generate a decent return on investment for investors.

If you have an existing business already in operation, use this section to demonstrate stability through finance. This section should include your cash flow statements, balance sheets, and income statements covering the last three to five years. If your business has some acceptable collateral that you can use to acquire loans, list it in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

Apart from current financial statements, this section should also contain a prospective financial outlook that spans the next five years. Include forecasted income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and capital expenditure budget.

If your business is new and is not yet generating profit, use clear and realistic projections to show the potentials of your business.

When drafting this section, research industry norms and the performance of comparable businesses. Your financial projections should cover at least five years. State the logic behind your financial projections. Remember you can always make adjustments to this section as the variables change.

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section create a baseline which your business can either exceed or fail to reach. If your business fails to reach your projections in this section, you need to understand why it failed.

Investors and loan managers spend a lot of time going through the financial plan, metrics, and projection section compared to other parts of the business plan. Ensure you spend time creating credible financial analyses for your business in this section.

Many entrepreneurs find this section daunting to write. You do not need a business degree to create a solid financial forecast for your business. Business finances, especially for startups, are not as complicated as they seem. There are several online tools and templates that make writing this section so much easier.

Use Graphs and Charts

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section is a great place to use graphs and charts to tell the financial story of your business. Charts and images make it easier to communicate your finances.

Accuracy in this section is key, ensure you carefully analyze your past financial statements properly before making financial projects.

Address the Risk Factors and Show Realistic Financial Projections

Keep your financial plan, metrics, and projection realistic. It is okay to be optimistic in your financial projection, however, you have to justify it.

You should also address the various risk factors associated with your business in this section. Investors want to know the potential risks involved, show them. You should also show your plans for mitigating those risks.

What You Should In The Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection Section of Your Business Plan

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section of your business plan should have monthly sales and revenue forecasts for the first year. It should also include annual projections that cover 3 to 5 years.

A three-year projection is a basic requirement to have in your business plan. However, some investors may request a five-year forecast.

Your business plan should include the following financial statements: sales forecast, personnel plan, income statement, income statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, and an exit strategy.

1. Sales Forecast

Sales forecast refers to your projections about the number of sales your business is going to record over the next few years. It is typically broken into several rows, with each row assigned to a core product or service that your business is offering.

One common mistake people make in their business plan is to break down the sales forecast section into long details. A sales forecast should forecast the high-level details.

For example, if you are forecasting sales for a payroll software provider, you could break down your forecast into target market segments or subscription categories.

Your sales forecast section should also have a corresponding row for each sales row to cover the direct cost or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). The objective of these rows is to show the expenses that your business incurs in making and delivering your product or service.

Note that your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) should only cover those direct costs incurred when making your products. Other indirect expenses such as insurance, salaries, payroll tax, and rent should not be included.

For example, the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for a restaurant is the cost of ingredients while for a consulting company it will be the cost of paper and other presentation materials.

2. Personnel Plan

The personnel plan section is where you provide details about the payment plan for your employees. For a small business, you can easily list every position in your company and how much you plan to pay in the personnel plan.

However, for larger businesses, you have to break the personnel plan into functional groups such as sales and marketing.

The personnel plan will also include the cost of an employee beyond salary, commonly referred to as the employee burden. These costs include insurance, payroll taxes , and other essential costs incurred monthly as a result of having employees on your payroll.

3. Income Statement

The income statement section shows if your business is making a profit or taking a loss. Another name for the income statement is the profit and loss (P&L). It takes data from your sales forecast and personnel plan and adds other ongoing expenses you incur while running your business.

Every business plan should have an income statement. It subtracts your business expenses from its earnings to show if your business is generating profit or incurring losses.

The income statement has the following items: sales, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), gross margin, operating expenses, total operating expenses, operating income , total expenses, and net profit.

• Sales refer to the revenue your business generates from selling its products or services. Other names for sales are income or revenue.
• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) refers to the total cost of selling your products. Other names for COGS are direct costs or cost of sales. Manufacturing businesses use the Costs of Goods Manufactured (COGM) .
• Gross Margin is the figure you get when you subtract your COGS from your sales. In your income statement, you can express it as a percentage of total sales (Gross margin / Sales = Gross Margin Percent).
• Operating Expenses refer to all the expenses you incur from running your business. It exempts the COGS because it stands alone as a core part of your income statement. You also have to exclude taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Your operating expenses include salaries, marketing expenses, research and development (R&D) expenses, and other expenses.
• Total Operating Expenses refers to the sum of all your operating expenses including those exemptions named above under operating expenses.
• Operating Income refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is simply known as the acronym EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Calculating your operating income is simple, all you need to do is to subtract your COGS and total operating expenses from your sales.
• Total Expenses refer to the sum of your operating expenses and your business’ interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
• Net profit shows whether your business has made a profit or taken a loss during a given timeframe.

4. Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement tracks the money you have in the bank at any given point. It is often confused with the income statement or the profit and loss statement. They are both different types of financial statements. The income statement calculates your profits and losses while the cash flow statement shows you how much you have in the bank.

5. Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a financial statement that provides an overview of the financial health of your business. It contains information about the assets and liabilities of your company, and owner’s or shareholders’ equity.

You can get the net worth of your company by subtracting your company’s liabilities from its assets.

6. Exit Strategy

The exit strategy refers to a probable plan for selling your business either to the public in an IPO or to another company. It is the last thing you include in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

You can choose to omit the exit strategy from your business plan if you plan to maintain full ownership of your business and do not plan on seeking angel investment or virtual capitalist (VC) funding.

Investors may want to know what your exit plan is. They invest in your business to get a good return on investment.

Your exit strategy does not have to include long and boring details. Ensure you identify some interested parties who may be interested in buying the company if it becomes a success.

Key Questions to Answer with Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection

Your financial plan, metrics, and projection section helps investors, creditors, or your internal managers to understand what your expenses are, the amount of cash you need, and what it takes to make your company profitable. It also shows what you will be doing with any funding.

You do not need to show actual financial data if you do not have one. Adding forecasts and projections to your financial statements is added proof that your strategy is feasible and shows investors you have planned properly.

Here are some key questions to answer to help you develop this section.

• What is your sales forecast for the next year?
• When will your company achieve a positive cash flow?
• What are the core expenses you need to operate?
• How much money do you need upfront to operate or grow your company?
• How will you use the loans or investments?

9. Add an Appendix to Your Business Plan

Adding an appendix to your business plan is optional. It is a useful place to put any charts, tables, legal notes, definitions, permits, résumés, and other critical information that do not fit into other sections of your business plan.

The appendix section is where you would want to include details of a patent or patent-pending if you have one. You can always add illustrations or images of your products here. It is the last section of your business plan.

When writing your business plan, there are details you cut short or remove to prevent the entire section from becoming too lengthy. There are also details you want to include in the business plan but are not a good fit for any of the previous sections. You can add that additional information to the appendix section.

Businesses also use the appendix section to include supporting documents or other materials specially requested by investors or lenders.

You can include just about any information that supports the assumptions and statements you made in the business plan under the appendix. It is the one place in the business plan where unrelated data and information can coexist amicably.

If your appendix section is lengthy, try organizing it by adding a table of contents at the beginning of the appendix section. It is also advisable to group similar information to make it easier for the reader to access them.

A well-organized appendix section makes it easier to share your information clearly and concisely. Add footnotes throughout the rest of the business plan or make references in the plan to the documents in the appendix.

The appendix section is usually only necessary if you are seeking funding from investors or lenders, or hoping to attract partners.

People reading business plans do not want to spend time going through a heap of backup information, numbers, and charts. Keep these documents or information in the Appendix section in case the reader wants to dig deeper.

Common Items to Include in the Appendix Section of Your Business Plan

The appendix section includes documents that supplement or support the information or claims given in other sections of the business plans. Common items you can include in the appendix section include:

• Additional data about the process of manufacturing or creation
• Additional description of products or services such as product schematics
• Additional financial documents or projections
• Articles of incorporation and status
• Backup for market research or competitive analysis
• Bank statements
• Business registries
• Client testimonials (if your business is already running)
• Copies of insurances
• Credit histories (personal or/and business)
• Deeds and permits
• Equipment leases
• Examples of marketing and advertising collateral
• Industry associations and memberships
• Images of product
• Intellectual property
• Key customer contracts
• Legal documents and other contracts
• Letters of reference
• Links to references
• Market research data
• Organizational charts
• Photographs of potential facilities
• Professional licenses pertaining to your legal structure or type of business
• Purchase orders
• Resumes of the founder(s) and key managers
• State and federal identification numbers or codes
• Trademarks or patents’ registrations

Avoid using the appendix section as a place to dump any document or information you feel like adding. Only add documents or information that you support or increase the credibility of your business plan.

Tips and Strategies for Writing a Convincing Business Plan

To achieve a perfect business plan, you need to consider some key tips and strategies. These tips will raise the efficiency of your business plan above average.

1. Know Your Audience

When writing a business plan, you need to know your audience . Business owners write business plans for different reasons. Your business plan has to be specific. For example, you can write business plans to potential investors, banks, and even fellow board members of the company.

The audience you are writing to determines the structure of the business plan. As a business owner, you have to know your audience. Not everyone will be your audience. Knowing your audience will help you to narrow the scope of your business plan.

Consider what your audience wants to see in your projects, the likely questions they might ask, and what interests them.

• A business plan used to address a company's board members will center on its employment schemes, internal affairs, projects, stakeholders, etc.
• A business plan for financial institutions will talk about the size of your market and the chances for you to pay back any loans you demand.
• A business plan for investors will show proof that you can return the investment capital within a specific time. In addition, it discusses your financial projections, tractions, and market size.

2. Get Inspiration from People

Writing a business plan from scratch as an entrepreneur can be daunting. That is why you need the right inspiration to push you to write one. You can gain inspiration from the successful business plans of other businesses. Look at their business plans, the style they use, the structure of the project, etc.

To make your business plan easier to create, search companies related to your business to get an exact copy of what you need to create an effective business plan. You can also make references while citing examples in your business plans.

When drafting your business plan, get as much help from others as you possibly can. By getting inspiration from people, you can create something better than what they have.

3. Avoid Being Over Optimistic

Many business owners make use of strong adjectives to qualify their content. One of the big mistakes entrepreneurs make when preparing a business plan is promising too much.

The use of superlatives and over-optimistic claims can prepare the audience for more than you can offer. In the end, you disappoint the confidence they have in you.

In most cases, the best option is to be realistic with your claims and statistics. Most of the investors can sense a bit of incompetency from the overuse of superlatives. As a new entrepreneur, do not be tempted to over-promise to get the interests of investors.

The concept of entrepreneurship centers on risks, nothing is certain when you make future analyses. What separates the best is the ability to do careful research and work towards achieving that, not promising more than you can achieve.

To make an excellent first impression as an entrepreneur, replace superlatives with compelling data-driven content. In this way, you are more specific than someone promising a huge ROI from an investment.

4. Keep it Simple and Short

When writing business plans, ensure you keep them simple throughout. Irrespective of the purpose of the business plan, your goal is to convince the audience.

One way to achieve this goal is to make them understand your proposal. Therefore, it would be best if you avoid the use of complex grammar to express yourself. It would be a huge turn-off if the people you want to convince are not familiar with your use of words.

Another thing to note is the length of your business plan. It would be best if you made it as brief as possible.

You hardly see investors or agencies that read through an extremely long document. In that case, if your first few pages can’t convince them, then you have lost it. The more pages you write, the higher the chances of you derailing from the essential contents.

To ensure your business plan has a high conversion rate, you need to dispose of every unnecessary information. For example, if you have a strategy that you are not sure of, it would be best to leave it out of the plan.

5. Make an Outline and Follow Through

A perfect business plan must have touched every part needed to convince the audience. Business owners get easily tempted to concentrate more on their products than on other sections. Doing this can be detrimental to the efficiency of the business plan.

For example, imagine you talking about a product but omitting or providing very little information about the target audience. You will leave your clients confused.

To ensure that your business plan communicates your full business model to readers, you have to input all the necessary information in it. One of the best ways to achieve this is to design a structure and stick to it.

This structure is what guides you throughout the writing. To make your work easier, you can assign an estimated word count or page limit to every section to avoid making it too bulky for easy reading. As a guide, the necessary things your business plan must contain are:

• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Product or service description
• Target audience
• Market size
• Competition analysis
• Financial projections

Some specific businesses can include some other essential sections, but these are the key sections that must be in every business plan.

6. Ask a Professional to Proofread

When writing a business plan, you must tie all loose ends to get a perfect result. When you are done with writing, call a professional to go through the document for you. You are bound to make mistakes, and the way to correct them is to get external help.

You should get a professional in your field who can relate to every section of your business plan. It would be easier for the professional to notice the inner flaws in the document than an editor with no knowledge of your business.

In addition to getting a professional to proofread, get an editor to proofread and edit your document. The editor will help you identify grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and inappropriate writing styles.

Writing a business plan can be daunting, but you can surmount that obstacle and get the best out of it with these tips.

Business Plan Examples and Templates That’ll Save You Tons of Time

1. hubspot's one-page business plan.

The one-page business plan template by HubSpot is the perfect guide for businesses of any size, irrespective of their business strategy. Although the template is condensed into a page, your final business plan should not be a page long! The template is designed to ask helpful questions that can help you develop your business plan.

Hubspot’s one-page business plan template is divided into nine fields:

• Business opportunity
• Company description
• Industry analysis
• Target market
• Implementation timeline
• Marketing plan
• Financial summary
• Funding required

2. Bplan’s Free Business Plan Template

Bplans' free business plan template is investor-approved. It is a rich template used by prestigious educational institutions such as Babson College and Princeton University to teach entrepreneurs how to create a business plan.

The template has six sections: the executive summary, opportunity, execution, company, financial plan, and appendix. There is a step-by-step guide for writing every little detail in the business plan. Follow the instructions each step of the way and you will create a business plan that impresses investors or lenders easily.

3. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

HubSpot’s downloadable business plan template is a more comprehensive option compared to the one-page business template by HubSpot. This free and downloadable business plan template is designed for entrepreneurs.

The template is a comprehensive guide and checklist for business owners just starting their businesses. It tells you everything you need to fill in each section of the business plan and how to do it.

There are nine sections in this business plan template: an executive summary, company and business description, product and services line, market analysis, marketing plan, sales plan, legal notes, financial considerations, and appendix.

4. Business Plan by My Own Business Institute

My Own Business Institute (MOBI) which is a part of Santa Clara University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers a free business plan template. You can either copy the free business template from the link provided above or download it as a Word document.

The comprehensive template consists of a whopping 15 sections.

• The Business Profile
• The Vision and the People
• Home-Based Business and Freelance Business Opportunities
• Organization
• Licenses and Permits
• Business Insurance
• Communication Tools
• Acquisitions
• Location and Leasing
• Accounting and Cash Flow
• Opening and Marketing
• Managing Employees
• Expanding and Handling Problems

There are lots of helpful tips on how to fill each section in the free business plan template by MOBI.

5. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs build successful companies. This business plan template for startups by Score is available for free download. The business plan template asks a whooping 150 generic questions that help entrepreneurs from different fields to set up the perfect business plan.

The business plan template for startups contains clear instructions and worksheets, all you have to do is answer the questions and fill the worksheets.

There are nine sections in the business plan template: executive summary, company description, products and services, marketing plan, operational plan, management and organization, startup expenses and capitalization, financial plan, and appendices.

The ‘refining the plan’ resource contains instructions that help you modify your business plan to suit your specific needs, industry, and target audience. After you have completed Score’s business plan template, you can work with a SCORE mentor for expert advice in business planning.

6. Minimalist Architecture Business Plan Template by Venngage

The minimalist architecture business plan template is a simple template by Venngage that you can customize to suit your business needs .

There are five sections in the template: an executive summary, statement of problem, approach and methodology, qualifications, and schedule and benchmark. The business plan template has instructions that guide users on what to fill in each section.

7. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two free business plan templates, filled with practical real-life examples that you can model to create your business plan. Both free business plan templates are written by fictional business owners: Rebecca who owns a consulting firm, and Andrew who owns a toy company.

There are five sections in the two SBA’s free business plan templates.

• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Service Line
• Marketing and Sales

8. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan

The one-page business plan by the $100 startup is a simple business plan template for entrepreneurs who do not want to create a long and complicated plan . You can include more details in the appendices for funders who want more information beyond what you can put in the one-page business plan.

There are five sections in the one-page business plan such as overview, ka-ching, hustling, success, and obstacles or challenges or open questions. You can answer all the questions using one or two sentences.

9. PandaDoc’s Free Business Plan Template

The free business plan template by PandaDoc is a comprehensive 15-page document that describes the information you should include in every section.

There are 11 sections in PandaDoc’s free business plan template.

• Executive summary
• Business description
• Products and services
• Operations plan
• Management organization
• Financial plan
• Conclusion / Call to action
• Confidentiality statement

You have to sign up for its 14-day free trial to access the template. You will find different business plan templates on PandaDoc once you sign up (including templates for general businesses and specific businesses such as bakeries, startups, restaurants, salons, hotels, and coffee shops)

PandaDoc allows you to customize its business plan templates to fit the needs of your business. After editing the template, you can send it to interested parties and track opens and views through PandaDoc.

10. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

InvoiceBerry is a U.K based online invoicing and tracking platform that offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats for freelancers and small businesses.

Before you can download the free business plan template, it will ask you to give it your email address. After you complete the little task, it will send the download link to your inbox for you to download. It also provides a business plan checklist in .xlsx file format that ensures you add the right information to the business plan.

Alternatives to the Traditional Business Plan

A business plan is very important in mapping out how one expects their business to grow over a set number of years, particularly when they need external investment in their business. However, many investors do not have the time to watch you present your business plan. It is a long and boring read.

Luckily, there are three alternatives to the traditional business plan (the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck). These alternatives are less laborious and easier and quicker to present to investors.

Business Model Canvas (BMC)

The business model canvas is a business tool used to present all the important components of setting up a business, such as customers, route to market, value proposition, and finance in a single sheet. It provides a very focused blueprint that defines your business initially which you can later expand on if needed.

The sheet is divided mainly into company, industry, and consumer models that are interconnected in how they find problems and proffer solutions.

Segments of the Business Model Canvas

The business model canvas was developed by founder Alexander Osterwalder to answer important business questions. It contains nine segments.

• Key Partners: Who will be occupying important executive positions in your business? What do they bring to the table? Will there be a third party involved with the company?
• Key Activities: What important activities will production entail? What activities will be carried out to ensure the smooth running of the company?
• The Product’s Value Propositions: What does your product do? How will it be different from other products?
• Customer Segments: What demography of consumers are you targeting? What are the habits of these consumers? Who are the MVPs of your target consumers?
• Customer Relationships: How will the team support and work with its customer base? How do you intend to build and maintain trust with the customer?
• Key Resources: What type of personnel and tools will be needed? What size of the budget will they need access to?
• Channels: How do you plan to create awareness of your products? How do you intend to transport your product to the customer?
• Cost Structure: What is the estimated cost of production? How much will distribution cost?
• Revenue Streams: For what value are customers willing to pay? How do they prefer to pay for the product? Are there any external revenues attached apart from the main source? How do the revenue streams contribute to the overall revenue?

Lean Canvas

The lean canvas is a problem-oriented alternative to the standard business model canvas. It was proposed by Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Stack as a development of the business model generation. It uses a more problem-focused approach and it majorly targets entrepreneurs and startup businesses.

Lean Canvas uses the same 9 blocks concept as the business model canvas, however, they have been modified slightly to suit the needs and purpose of a small startup. The key partners, key activities, customer relationships, and key resources are replaced by new segments which are:

• Problem: Simple and straightforward number of problems you have identified, ideally three.
• Solution: The solutions to each problem.
• Unfair Advantage: Something you possess that can't be easily bought or replicated.
• Key Metrics: Important numbers that will tell how your business is doing.

Startup Pitch Deck

While the business model canvas compresses into a factual sheet, startup pitch decks expand flamboyantly.

Pitch decks, through slides, convey your business plan, often through graphs and images used to emphasize estimations and observations in your presentation. Entrepreneurs often use pitch decks to fully convince their target audience of their plans before discussing funding arrangements.

Considering the likelihood of it being used in a small time frame, a good startup pitch deck should ideally contain 20 slides or less to have enough time to answer questions from the audience.

Unlike the standard and lean business model canvases, a pitch deck doesn't have a set template on how to present your business plan but there are still important components to it. These components often mirror those of the business model canvas except that they are in slide form and contain more details.

Using Airbnb (one of the most successful start-ups in recent history) for reference, the important components of a good slide are listed below.

• Cover/Introduction Slide: Here, you should include your company's name and mission statement. Your mission statement should be a very catchy tagline. Also, include personal information and contact details to provide an easy link for potential investors.
• Problem Slide: This slide requires you to create a connection with the audience or the investor that you are pitching. For example in their pitch, Airbnb summarized the most important problems it would solve in three brief points – pricing of hotels, disconnection from city culture, and connection problems for local bookings.
• Solution Slide: This slide includes your core value proposition. List simple and direct solutions to the problems you have mentioned
• Customer Analysis: Here you will provide information on the customers you will be offering your service to. The identity of your customers plays an important part in fundraising as well as the long-run viability of the business.
• Market Validation: Use competitive analysis to show numbers that prove the presence of a market for your product, industry behavior in the present and the long run, as well as the percentage of the market you aim to attract. It shows that you understand your competitors and customers and convinces investors of the opportunities presented in the market.
• Business Model: Your business model is the hook of your presentation. It may vary in complexity but it should generally include a pricing system informed by your market analysis. The goal of the slide is to confirm your business model is easy to implement.
• Marketing Strategy: This slide should summarize a few customer acquisition methods that you plan to use to grow the business.
• Competitive Advantage: What this slide will do is provide information on what will set you apart and make you a more attractive option to customers. It could be the possession of technology that is not widely known in the market.
• Team Slide: Here you will give a brief description of your team. Include your key management personnel here and their specific roles in the company. Include their educational background, job history, and skillsets. Also, talk about their accomplishments in their careers so far to build investors' confidence in members of your team.
• Traction Slide: This validates the company’s business model by showing growth through early sales and support. The slide aims to reduce any lingering fears in potential investors by showing realistic periodic milestones and profit margins. It can include current sales, growth, valuable customers, pre-orders, or data from surveys outlining current consumer interest.
• Funding Slide: This slide is popularly referred to as ‘the ask'. Here you will include important details like how much is needed to get your business off the ground and how the funding will be spent to help the company reach its goals.
• Appendix Slides: Your pitch deck appendix should always be included alongside a standard pitch presentation. It consists of additional slides you could not show in the pitch deck but you need to complement your presentation.

It is important to support your calculations with pictorial renditions. Infographics, such as pie charts or bar graphs, will be more effective in presenting the information than just listing numbers. For example, a six-month graph that shows rising profit margins will easily look more impressive than merely writing it.

Lastly, since a pitch deck is primarily used to secure meetings and you may be sharing your pitch with several investors, it is advisable to keep a separate public version that doesn't include financials. Only disclose the one with projections once you have secured a link with an investor.

Advantages of the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck over the Traditional Business Plan

• Time-Saving: Writing a detailed traditional business plan could take weeks or months. On the other hand, all three alternatives can be done in a few days or even one night of brainstorming if you have a comprehensive understanding of your business.
• Easier to Understand: Since the information presented is almost entirely factual, it puts focus on what is most important in running the business. They cut away the excess pages of fillers in a traditional business plan and allow investors to see what is driving the business and what is getting in the way.
• Easy to Update: Businesses typically present their business plans to many potential investors before they secure funding. What this means is that you may regularly have to amend your presentation to update statistics or adjust to audience-specific needs. For a traditional business plan, this could mean rewriting a whole section of your plan. For the three alternatives, updating is much easier because they are not voluminous.
• Guide for a More In-depth Business Plan: All three alternatives have the added benefit of being able to double as a sketch of your business plan if the need to create one arises in the future.

Business Plan FAQ

Business plans are important for any entrepreneur who is looking for a framework to run their company over some time or seeking external support. Although they are essential for new businesses, every company should ideally have a business plan to track their growth from time to time.  They can be used by startups seeking investments or loans to convey their business ideas or an employee to convince his boss of the feasibility of starting a new project. They can also be used by companies seeking to recruit high-profile employee targets into key positions or trying to secure partnerships with other firms.

Business plans often vary depending on your target audience, the scope, and the goals for the plan. Startup plans are the most common among the different types of business plans.  A start-up plan is used by a new business to present all the necessary information to help get the business up and running. They are usually used by entrepreneurs who are seeking funding from investors or bank loans. The established company alternative to a start-up plan is a feasibility plan. A feasibility plan is often used by an established company looking for new business opportunities. They are used to show the upsides of creating a new product for a consumer base. Because the audience is usually company people, it requires less company analysis. The third type of business plan is the lean business plan. A lean business plan is a brief, straight-to-the-point breakdown of your ideas and analysis for your business. It does not contain details of your proposal and can be written on one page. Finally, you have the what-if plan. As it implies, a what-if plan is a preparation for the worst-case scenario. You must always be prepared for the possibility of your original plan being rejected. A good what-if plan will serve as a good plan B to the original.

A good business plan has 10 key components. They include an executive plan, product analysis, desired customer base, company analysis, industry analysis, marketing strategy, sales strategy, financial projection, funding, and appendix. Executive Plan Your business should begin with your executive plan. An executive plan will provide early insight into what you are planning to achieve with your business. It should include your mission statement and highlight some of the important points which you will explain later. Product Analysis The next component of your business plan is your product analysis. A key part of this section is explaining the type of item or service you are going to offer as well as the market problems your product will solve. Desired Consumer Base Your product analysis should be supplemented with a detailed breakdown of your desired consumer base. Investors are always interested in knowing the economic power of your market as well as potential MVP customers. Company Analysis The next component of your business plan is your company analysis. Here, you explain how you want to run your business. It will include your operational strategy, an insight into the workforce needed to keep the company running, and important executive positions. It will also provide a calculation of expected operational costs.  Industry Analysis A good business plan should also contain well laid out industry analysis. It is important to convince potential investors you know the companies you will be competing with, as well as your plans to gain an edge on the competition. Marketing Strategy Your business plan should also include your marketing strategy. This is how you intend to spread awareness of your product. It should include a detailed explanation of the company brand as well as your advertising methods. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy comes after the market strategy. Here you give an overview of your company's pricing strategy and how you aim to maximize profits. You can also explain how your prices will adapt to market behaviors. Financial Projection The financial projection is the next component of your business plan. It explains your company's expected running cost and revenue earned during the tenure of the business plan. Financial projection gives a clear idea of how your company will develop in the future. Funding The next component of your business plan is funding. You have to detail how much external investment you need to get your business idea off the ground here. Appendix The last component of your plan is the appendix. This is where you put licenses, graphs, or key information that does not fit in any of the other components.

The business model canvas is a business management tool used to quickly define your business idea and model. It is often used when investors need you to pitch your business idea during a brief window.

A pitch deck is similar to a business model canvas except that it makes use of slides in its presentation. A pitch is not primarily used to secure funding, rather its main purpose is to entice potential investors by selling a very optimistic outlook on the business.

Business plan competitions help you evaluate the strength of your business plan. By participating in business plan competitions, you are improving your experience. The experience provides you with a degree of validation while practicing important skills. The main motivation for entering into the competitions is often to secure funding by finishing in podium positions. There is also the chance that you may catch the eye of a casual observer outside of the competition. These competitions also provide good networking opportunities. You could meet mentors who will take a keen interest in guiding you in your business journey. You also have the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs whose ideas can complement yours.

Exlore Further

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• 13 Sources of Business Finance For Companies & Sole Traders
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This insights and his love for researching SaaS products enables him to provide in-depth, fact-based software reviews to enable software buyers make better decisions.

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Business plan : exemples, modèles et techniques (2023)

Vous êtes à la recherche d’un exemple de business plan ? Cet article va vous aider à bâtir votre business plan à partir d’un modèle, d’un plan structuré, et d’exemples. Afin de vous permettre d’élaborer un business plan solide et convaincant, nous vous donnerons des conseils à adopter quelque soit la taille de votre entreprise et son secteur d’activité : compréhension des objectifs et des cibles de votre business plan, taille et format, et exemples de business plan à télécharger en pdf et en ligne.

1. Pourquoi et comment rédiger un business plan convaincant pour votre entreprise ? Business plan exemple

Le business plan est une étape obligée si vous créez une entreprise, d’autant plus si vous êtes à la recherche d’un financement (prêt bancaire notamment.) Le premier conseil que nous pouvons vous donner est de ne pas percevoir cette étape comme une contrainte, mais comme une opportunité de structurer votre projet d’entreprise, et de minimiser les risques.

Qu'est-ce qu'un business plan efficace ?

Le business plan est un document qui présente la stratégie globale de l’entreprise dans le cadre d’un projet de création ou de reprise d’une entreprise. Il s’agit d’un outil qui présente de façon structurée un projet d’entreprise, sa pertinence et son attractivité sur un marché économique, mais également ses perspectives d’évolution.

Pourquoi faire un business plan ?

Le business plan répond à des objectifs cruciaux, en premier lieu celui de convaincre. C’est donc une “arme de séduction” indispensable auprès des partenaires éventuels qui vont s’engager à soutenir votre projet d’entreprise .   

Obtenir un financement (banques, institutions…)

Trouver des partenaires (associés, partenaires commerciaux, distributeurs…)

Solliciter des investisseurs (business angels…)

Vendre une entreprise… 

Le “retour sur investissement” de votre business plan ne s’arrête pas là, il vous sera utile tout au long de l’évolution de votre entreprise pour travailler dans le détail sur votre stratégie d’entreprise, sur les risques et les opportunités, et donc sur la maîtrise de vos facteurs de réussite sur le long terme

affiner votre stratégie d’entreprise et valider la viabilité de votre projet

définir le modèle économique de votre entreprise et sa rentabilité

maîtriser votre marché, vos concurrents et vos cibles , et donc votre positionnement

diagnostiquer les lacunes à combler 

définir un plan d’action avec des étapes concrètes

évaluer les besoins en ressources : budget, temps, travail… 

Les points les plus importants pour faire un business plan efficace

• Adapter votre business plan en fonction de votre cible (banque, associé, distributeur…)
• Mettre en avant votre valeur ajoutée, celle de votre entreprise (positionnement, valeurs et engagements…), celle de votre produit ou service
• Valoriser votre équipe ainsi que vos parcours et compétences  
• Être synthétique et pédagogue (notamment lorsqu’il s’agit de présenter des données chiffrées)
• Être réaliste et ne pas omettre les difficultés éventuelles pour montrer votre capacité à anticiper les freins et les risques
• Soigner particulièrement l’étude de marché et le modèle économique, les deux clés majeures pour convaincre vos interlocuteurs
• Soigner également la partie Marketing et communication, notamment si votre projet est digital ou inclut une partie digitale et/ou e-commerce. La force de vente d’une entreprise et sa notoriété se jouent en grande partie en ligne via son site internet, son référencement naturel , ses réseaux sociaux etc…

2. Quelle taille et format donner à votre business plan ? Modèles gratuits de business plan

Une fois lancé, il vous faudra savoir vous arrêter. Un business plan trop long, trop détaillé et qui se perd en phrases longues et abstraites noiera l’attention de votre interlocuteur au lieu de le captiver et le convaincre : soyez donc concis. Idéalement, donc, un business plan ne doit pas excéder 20 pages, avec 1 page dédiée au début du document à une synthèse de votre document. Allez à l’essentiel et ne soyez pas trop technique, pensez à la personnalité de votre interlocuteur et mettez-vous à sa place en adoptant des phrases simples et pédagogiques.

Ainsi, si vous intégrez des données et des graphiques, fournissez des explications. Enfin, faites vous relire par des tiers, afin d’éviter les fautes de syntaxe et d’orthographe.

Quant au choix des formats et de la mise en place, vous pouvez utiliser des modèles de business plan dans Canva, le logiciel de création graphique gratuit. 

Business Plan exemple et modèle vierge à compléter et télécharger sur Canva :

• Business plan exemple Canva 1
• Business plan exemple Canva 2
• Business plan exemple Canva 3
• Business plan exemple Canva 4     

2. Business plan exemple et modèle à adapter à votre entreprise

Business plan exemple.

Pour construire dès maintenant votre propre business plan, nous vous conseillons de télécharger des exemples et modèles de Business plan conçus par des experts de l’e-commerce, ainsi que par des institutions et organismes officiels dédiés à l’accompagnement des entreprises tels que la CCI et la BPI.  

Modèle de business plan conçu par Shopify : 

Ce modèle de business plan gratuit vous servira de guide tout au long de la conception de votre business plan. De précieux conseils concrets vous seront donnés pour chaque étape de votre business plan.

Voici les sections de ce modèle de business plan :

• Résumé opérationnel
• Présentation de l’entreprise
• Étude de marché
• Produits et services
• Plan marketing
• Plan logistique et opérationnel
• Plan financier

Ce modèle gratuit de business plan vous sera envoyé en PDF sur votre adresse e-mail.

Business plan exemple conçu par la BPI :

La BPI (Banque Publique d'Investissement) accompagne les entreprises et les porteurs de projets d’entreprise en France. Organisme de référence, la BPI aide les entreprises à toute étape, et pour de nombreuses démarches, notamment pour l’élaboration d’un business plan. La BPI vous fournit donc un modèle de business à télécharger en pdf gratuitement . Cet exemple de business plan en pdf pourra vous servir de guide et de modèle tout au long de la rédaction de votre document.

Voici le plan de cet exemple de business plan :

• Vous et votre équipe
• Votre projet
• Votre produit et son marché 
• Votre chiffre d'affaires 
• Votre emplacement (cas du commerce de proximité) 
• Votre stratégie
• Vos moyens commerciaux 
• Vos moyens de production
• Moyens en locaux, matériel 
• Moyens en éléments incorporels et humains
• Les fournisseurs et les sous-traitants
• Votre dossier financier 
• Le compte de résultat prévisionnel 
• Le besoin en fonds de roulement (BFR)
• Le plan de financement initial
• Le plan de trésorerie 
• Le plan de financement à trois ans
• Rentabilité - Point mort 

La BPI vous offre également u n exemple de business plan (modèle vierge à télécharger) , qu’il vous faudra compléter par vous-même, un point de référence à ne pas négliger quand on a le syndrome de la page blanche !     

Enfin, sachez que tout créateur d’entreprise peut être accompagné gratuitement par la CCI (Chambre de commerce et d’industrie). La CCI a, entre autres, mis en place le CCI Business Builder, une plateforme d’aide à la construction de projets d’entreprise , qui intègre notamment un éditeur de business plan qui vous guide “pas à pas avec un prévisionnel avancé.”

3. Comment adapter un modèle de business plan à votre projet d’entreprise ?

Une fois que vous aurez téléchargé un modèle de business plan, ou que vous aurez complété un exemple de business plan, il vous faudra prendre soin d’adapter ce modèle à votre propre entreprise.

Voici quelques points importants à prendre en compte pour que votre business plan soit pertinent :

• Répondre à un objectif précis : obtenir un prêt bancaire, ou des financements, trouver un associé ou un partenaire commercial…
• S’adresser à une cible bien identifiée : une banque, un business angel, un associé potentiel, un distributeur…
• Adapter vos arguments en conséquence
• Fournir des données chiffrées concernant les ventes, votre chiffre d’affaires prévisionnel, vos charges… Le compte de résultat prévisionnel, le bilan prévisionnel, le budget de trésorerie ou le plan de financement, sont autant de tableaux financiers que vous trouverez dans les exemples et modèles de business plan mais qu’il vous faudra personnaliser. Si vous n‘avez pas d’expérience dans le domaine, nous vous conseillons de vous faire aider par un expert comptable.
• Fournir des données chiffrées concernant le marché sur lequel vous vous positionnez, et donc sur vos concurrents et vos cibles. Pour vous aider, vous pouvez vous aider de sites spécialisés dans les statistiques tels que Statista , les tendances de recherche sur les moteurs de recherche avec Google Trends , les statistiques délivrées par les réseaux sociaux tels que Meta Business Suite. Votre collecte d’informations se fera par la lecture d’articles, vous serez par exemple intéressé par nos chiffres e-commerce France 2023 , ou encore nos 10 statistiques Shopping en ligne à connaître en 2023.

Vous êtes désormais paré pour faire votre business plan à partir de modèles et exemples à télécharger, à condition de le personnaliser un maximum en faisant un travail d’adaptation et d’anticipation. Déterminez bien vos objectifs et votre cible en amont, soyez synthétique et mettez en avant votre plus-value en instruisant des données chiffrées et documentées, et soyez pédagogue. Votre objectif est d’attiser la curiosité et de convaincre.  

Vous souhaitez en savoir plus ?

• Comment rédiger un business plan?
• Créer son entreprise : les 12 étapes pour lancer son business
• Commerce en ligne : statistiques Monde et France
• 10 chiffres réseaux sociaux à retenir  (infographie)

How To Write A Business Plan (2024 Guide)

Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 11:59am

Table of Contents

Brainstorm an executive summary, create a company description, brainstorm your business goals, describe your services or products, conduct market research, create financial plans, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Every business starts with a vision, which is distilled and communicated through a business plan. In addition to your high-level hopes and dreams, a strong business plan outlines short-term and long-term goals, budget and whatever else you might need to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to write a business plan that you can stick to and help guide your operations as you get started.

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Drafting the Summary

An executive summary is an extremely important first step in your business. You have to be able to put the basic facts of your business in an elevator pitch-style sentence to grab investors’ attention and keep their interest. This should communicate your business’s name, what the products or services you’re selling are and what marketplace you’re entering.

Ask for Help

When drafting the executive summary, you should have a few different options. Enlist a few thought partners to review your executive summary possibilities to determine which one is best.

After you have the executive summary in place, you can work on the company description, which contains more specific information. In the description, you’ll need to include your business’s registered name , your business address and any key employees involved in the business. 

The business description should also include the structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship , limited liability company (LLC) , partnership or corporation. This is the time to specify how much of an ownership stake everyone has in the company. Finally, include a section that outlines the history of the company and how it has evolved over time.

Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work toward.

Numbers-based Goals

Goals can cover a variety of sections of your business. Financial and profit goals are a given for when you’re establishing your business, but there are other goals to take into account as well with regard to brand awareness and growth. For example, you might want to hit a certain number of followers across social channels or raise your engagement rates.

Another goal could be to attract new investors or find grants if you’re a nonprofit business. If you’re looking to grow, you’ll want to set revenue targets to make that happen as well.

Intangible Goals

Goals unrelated to traceable numbers are important as well. These can include seeing your business’s advertisement reach the general public or receiving a terrific client review. These goals are important for the direction you take your business and the direction you want it to go in the future.

The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you’re offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit in the current market or are providing something necessary or entirely new. If you have any patents or trademarks, this is where you can include those too.

If you have any visual aids, they should be included here as well. This would also be a good place to include pricing strategy and explain your materials.

This is the part of the business plan where you can explain your expertise and different approach in greater depth. Show how what you’re offering is vital to the market and fills an important gap.

You can also situate your business in your industry and compare it to other ones and how you have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Other than financial goals, you want to have a budget and set your planned weekly, monthly and annual spending. There are several different costs to consider, such as operational costs.

Business Operations Costs

Rent for your business is the first big cost to factor into your budget. If your business is remote, the cost that replaces rent will be the software that maintains your virtual operations.

Marketing and sales costs should be next on your list. Devoting money to making sure people know about your business is as important as making sure it functions.

Other Costs

Although you can’t anticipate disasters, there are likely to be unanticipated costs that come up at some point in your business’s existence. It’s important to factor these possible costs into your financial plans so you’re not caught totally unaware.

Business plans are important for businesses of all sizes so that you can define where your business is and where you want it to go. Growing your business requires a vision, and giving yourself a roadmap in the form of a business plan will set you up for success.

How do I write a simple business plan?

When you’re working on a business plan, make sure you have as much information as possible so that you can simplify it to the most relevant information. A simple business plan still needs all of the parts included in this article, but you can be very clear and direct.

What are some common mistakes in a business plan?

The most common mistakes in a business plan are common writing issues like grammar errors or misspellings. It’s important to be clear in your sentence structure and proofread your business plan before sending it to any investors or partners.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Julia is a writer in New York and started covering tech and business during the pandemic. She also covers books and the publishing industry.

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9 Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Own (2024)

Need support creating your business plan? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration and guidance.

Any aspiring entrepreneur researching how to start a business will likely be advised to write a business plan. But few resources provide business plan examples to really guide you through writing one of your own.

Here are some real-world and illustrative business plan examples to help you craft your business plan .

Business plan format: 9 examples

The business plan examples in this article follow this template:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Products and services
• Marketing plan
• Logistics and operations plan
• Financial plan
• Customer segmentation

1. Executive summary

Your executive summary is a page that gives a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. While it appears at the beginning, it’s easiest to write this section last, as there are details further in the report you’ll need to include here.

In this free business plan template , the executive summary is four paragraphs and takes a little over half a page. It clearly and efficiently communicates what the business does and what it plans to do, including its business model and target customers.

2. Company description

You might repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page , social media profile pages, or other properties that require a boilerplate description of your small business.

Soap brand ORRIS has a blurb on its About page that could easily be repurposed for the company description section of its business plan.

You can also go more in-depth with your company overview and include the following sections, like in this business plan example for Paw Print Post:

Business structure

This section outlines how you registered your business —as an LLC , sole proprietorship, corporation, or other business type : “Paw Print Post will operate as a sole proprietorship run by the owner, Jane Matthews.”

Nature of the business

“Paw Print Post sells unique, one-of-a-kind digitally printed cards that are customized with a pet’s unique paw prints.”

“Paw Print Post operates primarily in the pet industry and sells goods that could also be categorized as part of the greeting card industry.”

Background information

“Jane Matthews, the founder of Paw Print Post, has a long history in the pet industry and working with animals, and was recently trained as a graphic designer. She’s combining those two loves to capture a niche in the market: unique greeting cards customized with a pet’s paw prints, without needing to resort to the traditional (and messy) options of casting your pet’s prints in plaster or using pet-safe ink to have them stamp their ’signature.’”

Business objectives

“Jane will have Paw Print Post ready to launch at the Big Important Pet Expo in Toronto to get the word out among industry players and consumers alike. After two years in business, Jane aims to drive $150,000 in annual revenue from the sale of Paw Print Post’s signature greeting cards and to have expanded into two new product categories.”

“Jane Matthews is the sole full-time employee of Paw Print Post but hires contractors as needed to support her workflow and fill gaps in her skill set. Notably, Paw Print Post has a standing contract for five hours a week of virtual assistant support with Virtual Assistants Pro.”

Your mission statement may also make an appearance here. Passionfruit shares its mission statement on its company website, and it would also work well in its example business plan.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis consists of research about supply and demand , your target demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. You might run a SWOT analysis and include that in your business plan. 

Here’s an example SWOT analysis for an online tailored-shirt business:

You’ll also want to do a competitive analysis as part of the market research component of your business plan. This will tell you which businesses you’re up against and give you ideas on how to differentiate your brand. A broad competitive analysis might include:

• Target customers
• Unique value proposition , or what sets the products apart
• Sales pitch
• Price points for products
• Shipping policy

4. Products and services

This section of your business plan describes your offerings—which products and services do you sell to your customers? Here’s an example for Paw Print Post that explains its line of custom greeting cards, along with details on what makes its products unique.

5. Marketing plan

It’s always a good idea to develop a marketing plan before you launch your business. Your marketing plan shows how you’ll get the word out about your business, and it’s an essential component of your business plan as well.

The Paw Print Post focuses on four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place. However, you can take a different approach with your marketing plan. Maybe you can pull from your existing marketing strategy , or maybe you break it down by the different marketing channels. Whatever approach you take, your marketing plan should describe how you intend to promote your business and offerings to potential customers.

6. Logistics and operations plan

The Paw Print Post example considered suppliers, production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory. This includes any raw materials needed to produce the products.

7. Financial plan

The financial plan provides a breakdown of sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and other relevant financial metrics related to funding and profiting from your business.

Ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy’s financial plan breaks down predicted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then dives deeper into the financials to include:

• Funding needs
• Projected profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Projected cash-flow statement

You can use a financial plan spreadsheet to build your own financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement.

8. Customer segmentation

Customer segmentation means dividing your target market into groups based on specific characteristics. These characteristics can be demographics, psychographics, behavior, or geography. Your business plan will provide detailed information on each segment, like its size and growth potential, so you can show why they are valuable to your business. 

Airsign , an eco-friendly vacuum cleaner company, faced the challenge of building a sustainable business model in the competitive home appliance market. They identified three key customer personas to target:

• Design-oriented urban dwellers
• Millennials moving to suburbs
• Older consumers seeking high-quality appliances

The company utilized Shopify’s customer segmentation tools to gain insights and take action to target them. Airsign created targeted segments for specific marketing initiatives.

Put your customer data to work with Shopify’s customer segmentation

Shopify’s built-in segmentation tools help you discover insights about your customers, build segments as targeted as your marketing plans with filters based on your customers’ demographic and behavioral data, and drive sales with timely and personalized emails.

9. Appendix

The appendix provides in-depth data, research, or documentation that supports the claims and projections made in the main business plan. It includes things like market research, finance, résumés, product specs, and legal documents. 

Readers can access detailed info in the appendix, but the main plan stays focused and easy to read. Here’s an example from a fictional clothing brand called Bloom:

Appendix: Bloom Business Plan

Types of business plans, and what to include for each

This lean business plan is meant to be high level and easy to understand at a glance. You’ll want to include all of the same sections in one-page business plan, but make sure they’re truncated and summarized:

• Executive summary: truncated
• Market analysis: summarized
• Products and services: summarized
• Marketing plan: summarized
• Logistics and operations plan: summarized
• Financials: summarized

A startup business plan is for a new business. Typically, these plans are developed and shared to secure funding . As such, there’s a bigger focus on the financials, as well as on other sections that determine viability of your business idea—market research, for example:

• Market analysis: in-depth
• Financials: in-depth

Your internal business plan is meant to keep your team on the same page and aligned toward the same goal:

A strategic, or growth, business plan is a big-picture, long-term look at your business. As such, the forecasts tend to look further into the future, and growth and revenue goals may be higher. Essentially, you want to use all the sections you would in a normal business plan and build upon each:

• Market analysis: comprehensive outlook
• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Marketing plan: comprehensive outlook
• Logistics and operations plan: comprehensive outlook
• Financials: comprehensive outlook

Feasibility

Your feasibility business plan is sort of a pre-business plan—many refer to it as simply a feasibility study. This plan essentially lays the groundwork and validates that it’s worth the effort to make a full business plan for your idea. As such, it’s mostly centered around research:

Nonprofit business plans are used to attract donors, grants, and partnerships. They focus on what their mission is, how they measure success, and how they get funded. You’ll want to include the following sections in addition to a traditional business plan:

• Organization description
• Need statement
• Programs and services
• Fundraising plan
• Partnerships and collaborations
• Impact measurement

Set yourself up for success as a business owner

Building a good business plan serves as a roadmap you can use for your ecommerce business at launch and as you reach each of your business goals. Business plans create accountability for entrepreneurs and synergy among teams, regardless of your business model .

Kickstart your ecommerce business and set yourself up for success with an intentional business planning process—and with the sample business plans above to guide your own path.

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Business plan examples FAQ

How do i write a simple business plan.

To write a simple business plan, begin with an executive summary that outlines your business and your plans. Follow this with sections detailing your company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product or service, marketing and sales strategy, and financial projections. Each section should be concise and clearly illustrate your strategies and goals.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The best business plan format presents your plan in a clear, organized manner, making it easier for potential investors to understand your business model and goals. Always begin with the executive summary and end with financial information or appendices for any additional data.

What are the 4 key elements of a business plan?

• Executive summary: A concise overview of the company’s mission, goals, target audience, and financial objectives.
• Business description: A description of the company’s purpose, operations, products and services, target markets, and competitive landscape.
• Market analysis: An analysis of the industry, market trends, potential customers, and competitors.
• Financial plan: A detailed description of the company’s financial forecasts and strategies.

What are the 3 main points of a business plan?

• Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business and provide an overall summary of what you intend to accomplish.
• Contents: Your content should include details about the products and services you provide, your target market, and your competition.
• Cash flow: Your cash flow section should include information about your expected cash inflows and outflows, such as capital investments, operating costs, and revenue projections.

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La structure du business plan

Le business plan est le document de travail de base de tout créateur ou repreneur d’entreprise. Le business plan doit être établi avec beaucoup de sérieux compte tenu des nombreux objectifs auxquels il répond.

Un point très important consiste à structurer votre business plan correctement, ce qui permet d’avoir une démarche cohérente dans son établissement et d’aborder tous les points essentiels du projet.

N’oubliez pas que les autres lecteurs de votre business plan n’ont pas la même connaissance que vous du projet, la compréhension de ce dernier est donc plus délicate. Un business plan bien structuré est donc primordial.

En conséquence,  Le Coin des Entrepreneurs  vous propose une structure type de business plan possible, qui doit toutefois être ajusté en fonction de votre projet.

Pour commencer, il convient de présenter rapidement le projet en introduction et d’élaborer le sommaire de votre business plan.

Le sommaire du business plan peut être articulé autour des 3 parties suivantes :

• 1ère partie : la présentation du projet, du marché et de la stratégie,
• 2ème partie : la présentation du porteur de projet, de l’équipe et de la structure,
• 3ème partie : les prévisions financières.

Nous donnerons plus de détails ci-dessous sur chacunes de ces parties du business plan.

1 ère partie : projet, marché et stratégie

Dans cette première partie du business plan, l’objectif est de présenter votre projet, donc l’offre que vous envisagez de proposer, le marché que vous souhaitez « attaquer » et la stratégie adoptée.

La structure de cette première partie peut se présenter de la manière suivante :

• Présentation du projet et de votre offre : il convient d’être clair et d’expliquer précisemment le ou les produit(s) ou service(s) que vous envisagez de proposer (fonctionnalités, technologies employées, avantages, prix, marché visé…).
• Analyse du marché sur lequel vous souhaitez vous positionner : étude de l’offre et de la demande, analyse de la concurrence, tendances, perspectives… Vous pouvez pour cela vous appuyer sur une étude de marché .
• Présentation de votre stratégie pour lancer votre projet : il convient d’aborder ici la stratégie commerciale , le marketing, la communication, les sources d’approvisionnements, les moyens, le déroulement de la production, le calendrier de mise en place…

A l’issue de cette première étape, le lecteur du business plan doit connaitre ce que vous souhaitez proposer, le marché visé et comment vous allez faire pour lancer votre projet.

2 ème partie : le porteur de projet et la structure

La seconde partie du business plan porte sur le porteur de projet, éventuellement l’équipe consacrée à sa réalisation et sur le cadre juridique du projet.

La structure de cette partie peut se présenter ainsi :

• Présentation du porteur de projet : carrière, expérience, compétences… cela doit permettre aux lecteurs de juger si vous avez la capacité de gérer le projet.
• Explications sur les motivations qui conduisent à lancer le projet : pourquoi vous lancez-vous dans ce projet ?
• Eventuellement, présentation de l’équipe de direction ou des acteurs majeurs liés au projet : il s’agit de présenter les éventuelles autres personnes importantes qui vont participer.
• Présentation de la forme juridique de l’entreprise et de la composition de son capital .

A l’issue de cette seconde partie, le lecteur du business plan doit être en mesure de savoir si vous êtes en mesure de gérer le projet et éventuellement bien entourer, si vous avez de bonnes raisons de vous lancer et comment vous envisagez de démarrer le projet juridiquement.

3 ème partie : le prévisionnel

Enfin, la dernière partie du business plan est consacrée aux prévisions financières.

Le prévisionnel financier doit au moins contenir les états suivants :

• un compte de résultat prévisionnel,
• un bilan prévisionnel,
• un budget prévisionnel de trésorerie mensuel,
• un tableau de financement ,
• un tableau des investissements,
• le calcul du besoin en fonds de roulement,
• et le calcul du seuil de rentabilité .

Conseil : il est important de commenter ses différents tableaux financiers, d’apporter des explications et de faire des liens avec les deux autres parties.

A l’issue de cette dernière partie, le lecteur du business plan doit être en mesure de savoir si votre projet est rentable, solide et cohérent financièrement.

À lire également sur le business plan  :

• L’étude de marché
• Les objectifs du business plan
• Business plan : les erreurs à éviter

1 commentaire sur “La structure du business plan”

Bonjour, Je lis avec intérêt votre article sur la structure du Business plan. Ce document est incontournable dans le dossier de demande de financement. Mais, il est très mal connu et par conséquent mal élaboré par certains porteurs de projets. Je trouve que l’article a valeur pédagogique. Merci

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