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Stuck with a blank doc to write your business plan from scratch?
We get it—It’s confusing, a bit stressful, and hard to know if you’re doing it right.
But don’t worry; you’re not alone. Even experienced business plan writers often feel the same and need a little inspiration when starting from scratch.
That’s where these business plan examples come in handy!
They can be incredibly helpful if it’s your first time writing a business plan and you’re not sure what to include or how to draft a plan that actually makes sense.
So, explore our library of sample business plans and get one that suits your business best. But first…
Why you should refer a business plan example?
Referring to a business plan example can guide you in creating your own business plan and make the entire process a lot easier. Here’s why checking out an example is a smart move:
Get a clear structure
Clearly shows you how to organize your plan, including all the sections—from your business idea to your financial plan. So, you can fill in details without guessing what to put where.
Easily understand language and tone
Offers a clear picture of how successful business plans are written and helps you balance a professional tone with simple, straightforward language.
Spot common mistakes to avoid
Shows you the common mistakes people make—like overestimating sales or vague market analysis. This way, you can avoid making them in your plan.
Build confidence
Looking at well-written examples can boost your confidence and show you that you’re on the right track. It’s much simpler to write your plan when you have a clear idea of what works.
As you explore these industry-specific examples, you’ll slowly get a clear idea of what your complete business plan should look like—as an inspiration. Plus, they can save you a ton of time and effort by showing you what investors expect to see in your plan.
Now, without further ado; let’s move to better understand what the sample business plan format is all about.
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Sample business plan format
A well-structured business plan format makes it easier to present your unique business ideas, specific goals, and strategies clearly and professionally.
Here’s a look at the standard business plan format to consider while writing a comprehensive plan.
- Executive Summary: A quick snapshot of your entire business plan with key highlights.
- Company Overview: A detailed description of your small business, including its fundamental facts and future goals.
- Market Analysis: Valuable insights into your industry, target market, key competitors, and growth potential.
- Products and Services: Description of what your business intends to offer and why it matters.
- Sales and Marketing Strategies: Online and offline strategies you will use to attract and retain customers.
- Operations Plan: Day-to-day business processes and procedures to ensure smooth operations.
- Management Team: Introduction to key people behind your business and their expertise.
- Financial Plan: An in-depth breakdown of your financial projections and financing needs.
- Appendix(only if necessary): Supplementary documents that support your business plan.
That’s the basic outline. Now, let’s get into the details of each section, step-by-step, with some helpful tips.
1. Executive Summary
| Purpose | To capture readers’ attention and engage them. |
| What to include | ✔️ Your business concept ✔️ Vision statement ✔️ Market opportunity ✔️ Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) ✔️ Promotional tactics ✔️ Financial projections outlook |
An executive summary is a quick, high-level overview of your entire business plan, highlighting every essential aspect of your business.
Though it’s an introductory part, it’s typically written after all the key sections are ready. Doing so will let you effectively summarize everything you’ll discuss in your plan.
Think of your plan summary as an elevator pitch that clearly presents your business idea to potential investors and makes a great first impression.
If it doesn’t spark interest or hook them, they probably won’t read the rest of your plan. So, keep it short and succinct (ideally just 1 or 2 pages) but impactful enough to grab their attention.
2. Company Overview
| Purpose | To detail what your business does and why it matters. |
| What to include | ✔️ Type of business model ✔️ Location and legal structure ✔️ Mission statement ✔️ Background history ✔️ Milestones achieved (if any) ✔️ Future goals or key objectives |
The next section is a detailed description of your business, including its concept, problems you intend to solve, core values, and what makes you different from others.
Since you will provide a brief company description in the executive summary, this section will expand on it—providing an in-depth understanding of your business.
Make sure you show some passion while drafting your company overview. This will help potential lenders really get what drives your business at its core.
3. Market Analysis
| Purpose | To showcase you understand your market inside out. |
| What to include | ✔️ Market size and growth potential ✔️ Target customer details ✔️ Competitor research ✔️ Recent industry trends ✔️ Regulatory environment |
Market analysis is a detailed assessment of the industry and the specific market niche in which your business intends to operate.
With thorough analysis, you can get valuable insights into the market gap your business can fill, your potential customers, emerging trends, as well as how your business fits in the competitive landscape.
This will help you showcase to potential investors or stakeholders that you have done your homework and build a solid strategy to position yourself effectively.
If required, use real data and credible sources to support your market research details and claims.
4. Products And Services
| Purpose | To describe what you offer and how it helps customers. |
| What to include | ✔️ Product or service Description ✔️ Benefits and unique features ✔️ Pricing strategy ✔️ Intellectual property (if any) ✔️ Future expansion |
The product and services section isn’t all about listing what you sell (i.e., products or services). But it’s also about explaining how they solve real problems for your customers.
So, this section is your chance to show investors and readers that your business isn’t just another option but a solution that people actually need.
Here are a few key questions to answer while planning your products and services section:
👉 What exactly are you planning to sell?
👉 Who’ll benefit the most from what you offer?
👉 How do you set prices for your offerings?
👉 Why should they choose you over competitors?
If you have any patents, trademarks, or unique features, describe them as well.
5. Sales And Marketing Strategies
| Purpose | To outline how you’ll reach and keep customers. |
| What to include | ✔️ Target audience and brand positioning ✔️ Marketing channels and distribution ✔️ Retention strategies ✔️ Sales and marketing goals ✔️ Sales performance measurement |
Your sales and marketing strategy outlines how you’ll get the word out of your small business and reach your target audience.
This will help you streamline your marketing efforts and promote your business offerings effectively while tracking your marketing budget and maximizing return on investment (ROI).
Further, a well-thought-out marketing plan allows you to create impactful marketing campaigns to drive more sales and build a loyal customer base.
In short, think of your sales and marketing plan as a roadmap to how you’re going to attract customers and keep them coming back.
6. Operations Plan
| Purpose | To explain how your business will run smoothly. |
| What to include | ✔️ Key operational processes ✔️ Supply chain and inventory management ✔️ Quality control measures ✔️ Staffing requirements and training ✔️ Tools and equipment used |
The operations plan section is where you outline your daily, weekly, or monthly business processes or activities centered on your goals described in the previous sections of your plan.
This will let you create a clear, practical strategy for running your business smoothly—from production and resource management to delivery. Even the great ideas need a strong plan to make it happen.
Here, you should keep in mind that your logistics and operations plan won’t be static but a living document. So, adjust or update it over time.
7. Management Team
| Purpose | To show you have the right team in place. |
| What to include | ✔️ Business owner/founders ✔️ Key team members ✔️ Organization structure ✔️ Compensation plan ✔️ Advisory board members (if any) |
As the name indicates, this section introduces the key players—the founders, CEOs, managers, and anyone else crucial to your business’s ultimate success.
So, the management team section is your chance to weigh authority and help investors be confident about your business idea and vision.
Make sure you include each team member’s educational background, skills, industry experience, or past achievements that make your team a winning one and turn your business plan into reality.
8. Financial Plan
| Purpose | To demonstrate your financial projections for the first 3-5 years. |
| What to include | ✔️ Revenue streams and operating expenses ✔️ Profit and loss statement (Income statement) ✔️ Cash flow statement ✔️ Balance sheet ✔️ Break-even analysis ✔️ Financing needs and the use of funds |
Money keeps businesses moving forward. That’s why the financial plan is such a big deal—it’s where you detail your business’s financial information and how it will reach its financial goals.
This section is all about the hard facts and numbers that show investors how you’ll earn, spend, and make profits when it comes to convincing them to invest money.
While creating a financial plan, use simple, visually appealing charts or graphs to show your numbers—investors should be able to understand your financial plan at a glance.
9. Appendix
| Purpose | To provide extra or additional information |
| What to include | ✔️ Charts, graphs, or product images ✔️ Resumes of key team members ✔️ Legal documents or permits ✔️ Detailed financial statements ✔️ Market research data |
An Appendix isn’t mandatory for every business plan, but it can add value and support your document.
This might include supplementary documents or additional information that doesn’t naturally fit into your plan but can be worth including.
The primary goal of this Appendix section is to back up your claims without cluttering the core parts of your plan.
Now that we’ve discussed all the key sections of a business plan, it’s time to learn more about how to use an example business plan while writing your own.
Pro-tip
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How to use an example of a business plan to write your own?
Having real-life business plan examples from your industry can make writing your own plan a lot less stressful. With a clear structure to follow, they even help you see what to include in your plan, how to organize your ideas, and the kind of tone to use.
So, let’s dive in and see how to use these examples effectively to write a business plan that works.
1. Choose a relevant business plan example
We have hundreds of business plan examples, so you can easily find one that fits just right for your business needs.
Once you’ve explored and made a choice, ensure it covers all the essential sections you need and the structure matches your industry standards.
2. Use it as a guide to take inspiration
Every startup and small business is different in its own way, so it’s not a good idea to just copy and paste the sample plan. It won’t really help you since your business has its unique needs and goals.
You can use this example as a guide and gain valuable insights into what each section should include and what kind of visuals can be used.
3. Adjust or customize the plan structure
After that, go through the business plan structure carefully—understand what sections it involves and check out if they’re all relevant to your business.
This way, you’ll get an idea of the adjustments you need to make. Like adding the sections (i.e., missing in the sample) specific to your business and removing the irrelevant ones.
4. Do your market research
Before you start filling in the details in the exported template, make sure you have gathered key information about your industry, target audience, and competitors.
The research will help you write stronger sections for market analysis, competitive analysis, as well as sales and marketing strategy.
5. Focus on the financial projections
Next, focus on your financial forecasts and reports to complete the financial section.
Take a closer look at what kind of data the example includes—like budget, revenue streams, startup costs, income statement, balance sheet, funding requirement, cash flow projections, and more.
Analyze how these financial data are presented and the types of charts or graphs used so you can structure your own financial section more effectively.
Moreover, it’s essential to understand the industry-specific financial aspects to build a realistic financial plan.
6. Craft the first draft of your plan
With all your information ready, it’s time to start drafting your plan. Note how each business plan section is written in the example and similarly rewrite in your own words.
Keep it simple and clear—no need to use jargon words or long sentences. Don’t forget to make sure the tone and details match your business requirements. Finally, you’ve got your first draft ready.
7. Review and edit your plan
Now, go over your entire business plan, preferably after taking a break for a few hours or a day, so you can spot mistakes and areas for improvement with a fresh perspective.
You can even ask a mentor or someone you trust to look it over. This will allow you to rectify any grammatical mistakes, typos, missing items (if any), or other micro details that you might have missed.
Download a free sample business plan template
Ready to write your business plan from scratch, but not sure where to start? No worries; we’ve got you covered! Download our free business plan template to get started now.
This investment-ready template is specifically designed for startup founders and small business owners like you. With step-by-step instructions and real-life examples, this sample plan helps you create comprehensive plans that cover all the details and win investors.
Business plan types: choose the suitable template
Not all businesses are the same; different situations call for different types of plans.
Choosing the right one depends on your business-specific goals, who’s going to read it, and how much detail you need to include.
Here are some common types of business plans to help you choose the most suitable one for your business:
1. Traditional business plan
This is the most detailed type of business plan entrepreneurs have been using for years. It generally covers everything, from your business idea and target market to financial projections and funding needs.
It’s designed to give investors a complete picture of your business, so they can feel more confident about investing their money.
Best for: Businesses seeking funding from investors or bank loans.
Length: 20–50 pages
2. One-page business plan
As its name suggests, a one-page business plan is considered a concise version of a standard business plan, summarizing the key essentials on a single page. It’s quick to read and easy to update.
Best for: Small businesses that need a simple, straightforward plan.
Length: 1 page
3. Lean business plan
A lean business plan is the simpler and more focused version of a standard business plan that is longer than a one-page plan.
It highlights the key points—like your business idea, target market, main financials, and how you plan to grow—without all the extra details or long descriptions.
Best for: Internal use or businesses that don’t need funding.
Length: 1-5 pages
4. Startup business plan
A startup business plan is designed for new businesses trying to get off the ground. It covers your business idea, target market, marketing strategies, and funding needs.
It also includes a pitch to attract investors and a break-even analysis to show when your business will start making money. This type of plan often proves that your business idea isn’t only great but a profitable one.
Best for: New businesses seeking funding.
Length: 15–30 pages
5. Internal business plan
An internal business plan is a strategic document designed for the internal management team and employees to stay on the same page and focus on the common goal.
It’s usually shorter and less formal but still covers key areas like day-to-day operations, marketing tactics, growth strategies, financial goals, and team responsibilities.
Best for: Internal teams to stay organized and aligned on goals.
Length: 5-15 pages
6. Strategic business plan
A strategic business plan mainly focuses on the long-term goals and strategies to reach them. It’s not only about what your business is today but where you want it to go in the next 3 to 5 years.
This business plan type covers your mission statement, vision, future goals, as well as how you’ll grow and compete in the market.
Best for: Established businesses looking to expand.
Length: 10-25 pages
Start writing your business plan
There’s no denying—writing a business plan that grabs investor’s attention needs some serious work. It’s definitely no stroll in the park.
But if you want to stay ahead in the competitive marketplace, you’ve got to take that first step; no way around it.
So, what are you waiting for? Think about what your business does and why it matters to your customers. Then, pick a template from our library that fits your needs and start planning.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I write my own business plan?
Follow these steps to write your business plan:
- Get a template that best suits your business needs
- Make a business plan outline
- Draft a detailed company description
- Conduct thorough market research
- Describe your product and services
- Outline sales and marketing strategies
- Create a logistics and operations plan
- Introduce your management team
- Project realistic financials
- Complete your plan executive summary
- Add supporting documents in the Appendix
Where can I find business plan examples?
You can easily get real-life business plan examples on reputable websites like Upmetrics, Bizplanr, LivePlan, SCORE, and the SBA (Small Business Administration). They provide free templates as well as industry-specific samples to cater to diverse business needs.
What is a business plan template?
A business plan template is usually a pre-formatted document that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs (like you) outline their unique business ideas, goals, and strategies. It covers sections like Executive Summary, Market Analysis, Marketing Plan, Management Team, Financial Plan, and more.
What are the 3Cs of a business plan?
Concept, contents, and cashflow are the 3Cs of a business plan that can be defined as follows:
- Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business, summarizing what you plan to accomplish with this very business.
- Contents: Your content should reflect your concept, product and services, target market, and competition.
- Cashflow: Your cash flow section must detail your cash in-and-out flows, including capital investment, operations costs, and revenue projections.
Why is it beneficial to use a sample business plan as a guide?
Let’s face it—writing a 40-50-page business plan from scratch can be too intimidating; you may soon give up and won’t even finish it.
Instead, using a sample business plan as a guide can help you understand its structure, gain inspiration and ideas for content, plan marketing strategies, and project financials. In short, using business template examples is the best way to write a business plan.
When should you not follow a business plan example?
We’ve always been saying this, using an example of a business plan is the best way to write one. However, it’s also critical to understand when not to follow a template. Here’s when:
- The format does not align with your business model or industry.
- Include outdated templates and information.
- Offer poorly written content.
- Include misleading and poorly done financials.
- There’s a lack of expertise.
Are these examples suited for business plan beginners?
Absolutely. In fact, most of these examples are beginner-friendly, keeping common issues faced by beginners while drafting a plan in mind to serve them best. So, if you are a new or an established business with no planning experience, you have to check out these templates.
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