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Detailed Business Plan Template for Small Business
Get a fill-in-the-blank business plan template designed to impress lenders and investors.
Or use LivePlan's guided business plan builder.
Available formats:
Downloads: 988,566
Our free template includes:
Detailed instructions
More than just a template, you’ll learn how to write a winning business plan.
SBA-lender approved format
Your plan will be in the format lenders and investors expect.
Fill-in-the-blanks simplicity
You don’t need to be an expert, this template makes business planning easy.
Expert tips & tricks
Get the most out of your business plan - sent straight to your inbox!
All 100% free. We're here to help you succeed in business, no strings attached.
Why you need a business plan template
Writing a business plan can seem like a big task, especially if you’re starting a business for the first time and don’t have a financial background. After all, business plans have changed over the years, and what lenders and investors expect now is different than it was even just 10 years ago.
But using a free business plan template will help you:
Develop a strategy for success Reduce the risk of starting a business Explore new business ideas Attract investors and get funding
Learn more about how you can get value out of your business plan and click the link above to download your free template.
What is included in this free business plan template?
This downloadable business plan template includes definitions, guidance, and examples for every business plan component needed to start, fund, and grow your business. Here are the sections covered in this download.
Executive summary
The brief summary of your business plan introduces everyone to your business, the problem you solve, and what you’re asking from your readers. It’s the first chapter of your business plan and the last thing you write once you have the details from your full plan.
Company Purpose / Mission Statement: Briefly describe the business purpose or mission. Problem We Solve: Summarize the market need or problem addressed. Our Solution: Describe the product or service offered. Target Market: Identify the primary customer base. Team: Outline key team members. Financial Summary: Provide a brief overview of financial goals. *Optional Sections: Traction: Highlight initial sales or milestones. Funding Needed: Specify capital requirements if seeking funding.
Problem & solution
More than a simple description of your products and services – here you define the problem you’re solving and the value you provide. It’s also your chance to showcase any initial traction that shows you’re on the right track.
Problem Worth Solving: Detailed description of the customer problem. Our Solution: Detailed description of the product or service. *Optional Sections: Traction: Evidence of market interest, such as sales or contracts. Intellectual Property/Patents: Outline any relevant IP or patents. Regulatory Requirements: Details on necessary government approvals. Future Products and Services: Potential future offerings.
Market analysis and target market
A detailed assessment of the market you intend to enter, including the size and value of the market, potential customer segments, and their buying patterns.
Market Size & Segments: Define the size and characteristics of your target market. *Optional Sections: Market Trends: Consumer behavior and financial trends. Market Growth: Potential market size changes. Industry Analysis: Describe industry changes or trends. Key Customers: Identify any major customers. Future Markets: Potential market opportunities and strategy.
Competition
Show that you know who your competitors are, what advantages you have, and how you’re positioning your business to be competitive.
Current Alternatives: Identify competitors in the market. Our Advantages: Describe strategic advantages over competitors. *Barriers to Entry (Optional): Discuss any barriers preventing new competition.
Marketing & sales
Describe how you’ll reach and sell to potential customers with a detailed sales plan and chosen marketing channels.
Market Positioning: Define where your product or service fits in the market. Marketing Plan: Outline the strategy for reaching your target market. Sales Plan: Explain the sales strategy. *Optional Sections: Unique Value Proposition: What makes your offering unique. Pricing Strategy: Pricing compared to market alternatives. Distribution: How your product/service will reach customers. SWOT Analysis: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Operations
What makes your business run? Outline the day-to-day workflows and what needs to be set up for your business to deliver a product or service.
Location & Facilities: Describe physical locations and facilities. Technology: Key technology crucial for the business. Equipment & Tools: Special equipment or tools required. *Optional Sections: Sourcing and Fulfillment: Description of sourcing and supply chain. Partners and Resources: Key partners and their contributions.
Milestones & metrics
Set goals for your business that include the dates and people responsible for accomplishing them. This is what you’ll use to manage responsibilities, track growth, and execute your larger strategy.
Milestones: Specific goals and objectives with a timeline. Key Metrics: Performance indicators to gauge business health.
Company overview and team
Provide a brief rundown of the legal and structural components of your company, including your history, current team, and gaps you need to fill.
Organizational Structure: Overview of the legal structure. Company History and Ownership: Brief history and ownership details. Management Team: Key team members and their qualifications. Management Team Gaps: Key positions needed for success.
Financial plan
Create well-structured and accurate financial statements to help you pitch to investors, land funding, and achieve long-term success. All without the help of a financial advisor or a degree in accounting.
Projected Profit and Loss: Expected revenue, costs, and profitability. Projected Cash Flow: Cash inflows, outflows, and overall position. Projected Balance Sheet: Expected assets, liabilities, and equity balances. Use of Funds: Allocation of funds if raising capital. Exit Strategy: Plan for eventual business exit.
Appendix
While not required, this last section of your business plan is a great place to drop in additional documents that support and strengthen the rest of your plan.
How do you write a simple business plan?
If you’re exploring a business idea and don’t plan to pursue funding, then you actually don’t need to write a traditional business plan. Instead, opt for a one-page plan, which is far easier to create but just as effective.
To write a simple one-page business plan, follow the same core sections as a traditional plan. But instead of lengthy paragraphs and multiple pages covering each area of your business, stick with single sentences and bulleted lists.
If a one-page plan sounds like a better option, download our free simple one-page business plan template to get started.
Skip the hassle of Word and Excel Business Plan Templates
You could write your business plan with Word and Excel, but you'll end up spending countless extra hours figuring out how to get an impressive–looking document.
Instead, choose a plan builder like LivePlan. No formatting or messing around with financial formulas, just an impressive looking business plan built to wow lenders and investors.
A complete business planning solution
| Features |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Step-by-step instructions | | |
| 550+ real-world business plan examples | | |
| AI business plan generator | | |
| Flexible outline | | |
| Built-in financial formulas | | |
| Integrates with QuickBooks and Xero | | |
| Industry comparison data | | |
| Automatic charts and graphs | | |
| Secure online sharing | | |
| Pitch inforgraphic | | |
| Financial performance tracking | | |
| Ten design themes | | |
| Special offers and discounts ($300 value) | | |
Don’t take our word for it, here’s why customers love LivePlan
“I learned more about running my small business from a week of focused work in [LivePlan] than I have from any other single source. It has fundamentally changed the way I view my business ventures.”
Matthew H
Capterra Review
“Using LivePlan is easy and there is so much assistance available. There are examples, templates, and videos explaining what to write. [...]. It does the math for you. It creates graphs and charts. It is amazing.”
Shawnnell B
G2 Review
“LivePlan was a great help to design, work out, plan and strategically organize and think about all the ideas that go into developing a new project and business plan [...] Think about it like a coach guiding you through the process.”
Alvaro F
Shopper Approved Review
“I've been using LivePlan with Xero for a few months now and love it. It's given me visibility about how we're doing against Forecast like I've never had before...”
Rob Mackley
Xero App Store Review
“Before LivePlan, my team and I had no idea where or how to start [...] It helped us focus on and build every single area of our business strategy and recognize that some aspects of the company needed to be adjusted before we could launch.”
Ifeanyi K
Capterra Review
“LivePlan has eased my business planning processes and have provided me with easy access to credit from both banks and investors alike.”
Bashir T
Shopper Approved Review
“All businesses require solutions and tools [...] for control of expenses, spreadsheets were always the first option, but since the arrival of LivePlan, all work is easier and more automated.”
Maggie L
Trust Radius Review
“I didn't have a business plan and using LivePlan helped give me an easy tool to build a strong business plan for myself and clients. My clients have gone on to enhance their plans and grow their businesses.”
Gabriella B
G2 Review
“LivePlan made us feel confident and secure in our numbers and gave us a clear view of our past, present and future!”
Angela A
Capterra Review
“LivePlan provides the balance between stating your vision, the framework to support it, and the numbers.”
Mike R
Shopper Approved Review
“I learned more about running my small business from a week of focused work in [LivePlan] than I have from any other single source. It has fundamentally changed the way I view my business ventures.”
Matthew H
Capterra Review
“Using LivePlan is easy and there is so much assistance available. There are examples, templates, and videos explaining what to write. [...]. It does the math for you. It creates graphs and charts. It is amazing.”
Shawnnell B
G2 Review
“LivePlan was a great help to design, work out, plan and strategically organize and think about all the ideas that go into developing a new project and business plan [...] Think about it like a coach guiding you through the process.”
Alvaro F
Shopper Approved Review
“I've been using LivePlan with Xero for a few months now and love it. It's given me visibility about how we're doing against Forecast like I've never had before...”
Rob Mackley
Xero App Store Review
“Before LivePlan, my team and I had no idea where or how to start [...] It helped us focus on and build every single area of our business strategy and recognize that some aspects of the company needed to be adjusted before we could launch.”
Ifeanyi K
Capterra Review
“LivePlan has eased my business planning processes and have provided me with easy access to credit from both banks and investors alike.”
Bashir T
Shopper Approved Review
“All businesses require solutions and tools [...] for control of expenses, spreadsheets were always the first option, but since the arrival of LivePlan, all work is easier and more automated.”
Maggie L
Trust Radius Review
“I didn't have a business plan and using LivePlan helped give me an easy tool to build a strong business plan for myself and clients. My clients have gone on to enhance their plans and grow their businesses.”
Gabriella B
G2 Review
“LivePlan made us feel confident and secure in our numbers and gave us a clear view of our past, present and future!”
Angela A
Capterra Review
“LivePlan provides the balance between stating your vision, the framework to support it, and the numbers.”
Mike R
Shopper Approved Review
Frequently asked questions
Our free template is available to download in many common file formats including Google Docs, Microsoft Word (docx), or as a free business plan PDF.
This is a printable template—whether you download it as a pdf or word document, or access it via Google Docs. The business plan template is pre-formatted and structured to fit lender and investor standards, but can be edited and adjusted to suite your needs before printing.
Just be aware that any changes may unintentionally break the template, so make sure to review before printing.
The steps to write a business plan include:
Defining the opportunity: Explain the problem your business solves, the solution you offer, your target market, and the competitive landscape.
Describing how you'll execute: Outline your marketing and sales strategies, operational plan, milestones, and success metrics.
Adding company details: Provide information about your business structure, ownership, and team.
Creating a financial plan and forecasts: Include detailed financial statements, forecasts, and funding requirements.
Adding supplementary info to your appendix: Add any additional information, such as resumes, permits, and other relevant documents.
Summarizing your plan: While it may be first, do your executive summary last. In it, you'll briefly summarize your business, highlighting key points such as mission, product/service, and basic financial information.
For additional information, check out our full step-by-step guide to write a business plan in as little as 30-minutes.
Writing a business plan can be easy if you use the right tools, understand your business, and come in prepared to write your business plan.
Using a template or dedicated business plan builder can make writing a business plan easier. Additionally, if you focus on just getting your information down quickly, with the expectation that you'll revisit and revise your plan, you can speed up and simplify the process.
Yes, you can hire a professional business plan writer to write your business plan for you. Working with a professional can be especially useful if you're still struggling to write your business plan even when using a template. Just be prepared to talk about your business, provide the appropriate details, and review the finished plan to be sure it actually reflects your business.
If you want to learn more about the process, go ahead and schedule a consultation with a LivePlan-approved professional business plan writer.
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