business plan concept statement

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How to write a concept statement for your business

Want to give your new business direction right from the start? Try these helpful tips and tricks to create a concept statement to help keep things on track.

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• How to write a concept statement? Withthis template I'm going to show you how to write a powerful concept
• With thistemplate I'm going to show you in this movie how to write a powerful conceptstatement
• I also will discuss the most common mistakes
• And I'll give you apractical example
• my name is Gijs van Wulfen
• I am a global speaker on innovation, designthinking, and creativity
• Speaking to you from Crete; the island I lived
• From Georgioupolis this time
• With these practical videos I like to make YOU a betterinnovator
• Today I'm going to talk about how to write a strong concept statement.Why can I answer that question? Well, as innovation facilitator and LinkedIninfluencer, I have helped people generate more than 50,000 ideas and I help themwrite more than 750 concept statements
• so in practice we develop this greatwonderful template I'm going to show you that
• I am going to talk about fourthings
• First what is a concept statement? Second: four essential elements of a goodconcept statement
• I'm go discuss with you three common mistakes making aconcept statement
• And then I'll show you a practical example
• First of all what is aconcept statement? The concept statement is a brief introduction of

• hello Pierre this is Adams head welcome to my youtube channel the business room where dreams ideas and hopes are blended to produce a percentage of relative I'll encourage you to subscribe to this channel in order to watch my previous videos how to generate great business ideas and how to put your business ideas into reality in this episode we are going to be looking at the business concept statement and the business concept statement is the second aspect of the business process the business testing process after the business model canvas the business concept statement described the various points about the business or the business idea the product it intends to sell to the markets they market it intent for the competitive environment of which the idea or the business is located and the viability of the business the business concept statement says as a guide to the idea owner or the enterpreneur as he journeys through a successful business the first thing we are going to be looking at under the business console statement is the business description aspect and under these aspects we are going to be looking at two points the business idea and opportunity

• Reliable source to discover restaurants based on reviews, range of options to choose from, reviews to validate the choice, check the menu virtually to choose preferences e) Solution: What is the solution that you are offering and how the product addresses or solves the customer problem
• Users are majorly using google search, personal references for recommendations on the restaurants k) Core team: Core team required at the initial stage who can help you get the idea into a shape A lead developer who can convert my idea into an tech product & An experienced B2C digital marketing expert, I can manage the business and B2B partnerships front Writing this concept is the first step towards actioning your startup idea
• Initiating action with this concept note will encourage you to keep progressing & go the next steps You can also further improvise your idea & add/modify relevant elements to all the data points over a period of time, based on your thought process, feedback or suggestions received or research
• Improvements: We can add table booking, gift coupons, food ordering, order management features to the app at a later stage You need to be careful in handling the responses when you share your idea with others.

• Depending on the stage you’ve reached, you might follow it up with a second sentence about your business model: We make money by charging [customers] to get [benefit] Example : “We make companies more efficient by providing a live feed of comments and questions, so employees can find answers more quickly
• This would be a better solution because it would be easy and quick to install, it would be simple to operate, it would not require large investments in infrastructure, it would last long, and rural entrepreneurs could even earn money by selling clean water.” * 4
• Geof Moore’s Value proposition Statement For (target customer) who (statement of the need or opportunity) our (product/service name) is (product category) that (statement of benefit) For example: For non-technical marketers who struggle to find return on investment in social media
• Steve Blanks’ XYZ We help X do Y doing Z For example: We help non-technical marketers discover return on investment in social media by turning engagement metrics into revenue metrics
• Solution — Low cost, easy to deploy analytic system designed for non technical markets who need actionable metrics.

• Early in my career, when I was struggling to find an engaging approach to communication in a complex industry, my boss encouraged me to emulate the tactics of well-known brands
• So, how can you write memorable stories that capture your audience and turn them into loyal customers, regardless of your brand or industry? Check out eyewear brand Warby Parker’s mission for inspiration: Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses
• It doesn’t matter what kind of business or industry you’re in; there’s always a story to tell that involves people
• But to make them engaging and memorable, you should include some basic story elements like a conflict and turning point, or descriptive words that paint a picture
• Sometimes the best way to tell your brand’s story is through the voice of a fictional character
• Whether you sell business cards like Moo or are a utility like DC Water, be sure to use images that convey your message when telling your brand’s story
• I can’t promise that creating well-crafted brand stories will turn your company into a household name, like the brands that inspired me when I was just starting out.

• Sample(s) For non-technical marketers who struggle to find return on investment in social media our product is a web-based analytics software that translates engagement metrics into actionable revenue metrics
• Lean startup and customer development guru Steve Blank refers to the value proposition as a ‘ten-dollar phrase’ describing a company’s product or service; the ‘what are you building and selling?’ Blank suggests using the following form for creating a value proposition statement that people truly can understand
• Sample(s) We help non-technical marketers discover return on investment in social media by turning engagement metrics into revenue metrics
• Sample(s) Customer: I believe my best customers are small and medium-sized business (SMB) markets
• Eric Sink writes that your value proposition is somewhat like your marketing iceberg — the part sticking out of the water is highly visible
• According to HBS Professor Clayton Christensen, designing an innovative customer value proposition begins with genuinely understanding the customer’s jobs-to-be-done (JTBD)
• Template Why: ___________ How: ___________ What: ___________ Sample(s) Why: In everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo
• The SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer) framework by Barbara Minto, also known as The Minto Pyramid, helps you organize your ideas to write compelling business documents.

• You don’t have to add a lot of cash flows statements or numbers to the business plan, but instead, you would need to have a simple orientation plan stating how it is going to be achieved, where you want to go, and the potential and market competition for your startup
• Below are some of the questions you need to answer in a business plan
• Once you are done with the market analysis and objectives for your business, the next step is to explain your startup’s cost for the future goals of your company in the business plan
• In this section of your business plan, you are required to distinguish your venture from the competition, and persuade the readers that your company will be able to compete successfully
• Once you objectively evaluate your missions, capital needs, competition, products, services, management, and operational plans, the next step is to figure out the best marketing and sales channels
• Consider the following to include in your business plan, under the marketing section
• No matter if the business depends on the people in charge, a well-planned business plan will assist you in ensuring that the company is achieving your goals.

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How To Write a Concept Statement in 4 Steps (With Examples)

• Keep it Brief. In many instances, a concept statement of one sentence is probably a bit too short, but in most instances, a full page is likely too long. …
• Explain Your Idea Clearly. …
• Write to Your Audience. …
• Spell Out the Benefits.

A concept statement is the essence of a business plan. If you are writing a business plan, keep in mind that this statement serves as the foundation for the plan’s presentation. Never ever believe that your plan will speak for itself; it can’t. You must include a sentence that will aid the reader (the client or investors) in understanding the business plan completely.

Therefore, to define concept statements, they are brief explanations of a single, major idea. These are used to communicate to the audience the goal and focus of an organization. They are succinct summaries of goods, services, or designs that are shared with customers. Most importantly, these are explanations of how a new good or service will address a specific issue in the market.

This sentence summarizes the information in a business plan, so it must be significant. Through a clear and concise paragraph, it gives clients and investors a better understanding of the plan. Simply put, this assertion is very helpful in helping a crowd better visualize a proposed business plan. In addition, a concept statement is frequently included in the presentation made to attract customers and investors when a proposed business plan is being considered.

How to Write a Concept Statement

What are concept statements used for?

Though they all center on an idea or plan, concept statements may have various audiences and objectives. Here are some reasons you might use a concept statement:

To gain approval for new products or services

A concept statement for a new business product or service might be made by experts. They can more effectively persuade executives, investors, or other stakeholders to provide financial support by outlining this item’s key features in plain terms. These documents can also assist business executives in determining which concept is the most lucrative. For instance, a company that makes fitness trackers might develop several concept statements for new watches. After selecting watches that suit a particular target market after reviewing the statements, a board of directors may then give developers the funding they need to finish it.

To get design contracts with potential clients

To explain a creative idea to potential clients, visual design professionals like graphic designers and architects may use a concept statement. This document can help a professional stand out from the competition by showcasing their expertise to a client. For instance, if a hospital administrator contacts a number of interior designers about remodeling a treatment center, one of them may submit a design concept statement outlining the potential design elements and offering sample sketches. The administrator may look over this document to decide which expert has the necessary skill set for the position.

To attract investors for a business

Entrepreneurs who want to raise money for their startup may write a business concept statement outlining the mission, objectives, and target market of their company. This document frequently serves as a sneak peek of a larger business plan, which professionals can use to entice investors to learn more about their full idea. It could describe how this company responds to a specific market need, like a new product that helps a specific demographic. Additionally, some concept statements may forecast business expansion and projected returns.

What is a concept statement?

A concept statement is a written summary of a business idea that persuades the reader of the statement’s viability. Depending on how much information you include, these statements typically describe the ideas’ components, target audience, and benefits in one to three paragraphs. For instance, a product developer for a business involved in financial technology might create a brief concept statement for a brand-new budgeting program targeted at college students and recent graduates. It might outline the app’s main features, specify which devices can use it, and explain how creating this app might help a business meet its financial objectives.

How to write a concept statement in 4 steps

You can write your own concept statement by following these four steps:

1. Define the need

In the first few sentences of a concept statement, explain how a business, design, or project can meet a specific business need. This need may involve a number of scenarios, such as how a business might enter a new market or the reasons why a good or service can address a problem for a client. There are no photo applications on the market that can enlarge images while maintaining the quality of the image, for instance, according to the first few sentences of a concept statement for a new photography application.

2. Explain how your concept meets this need

In a full paragraph or several sentences, describe how your concept resolves a problem or creates a chance for growth. You might explain how a product or service’s key features can help users with particular needs if you’re writing a concept statement for it. A concept statement for a pet boarding facility, for instance, might outline a training course for pet owners who are unable to fit classes into their busy schedules. Instead, when composing a document for a new business, you might list potential clients and justify why particular business ventures might be profitable.

3. Provide next steps

After reading a concept statement, prompt readers to take a specific action, such as viewing a complete business plan, approving a product demonstration, or contributing money to a project. It might be beneficial to use straightforward language to explain the action you want your audience to take. For instance, if you’re writing a concept statement for an interior design contract with a bank, you might suggest that they get in touch with you to talk about more specifics. Next, you can include a link to your portfolio or your full name, email address, or phone number as your contact information.

4. Edit and proofread your concept statement

Make sure to carefully edit your concept statement to use appropriate grammar, professional language, and compelling details. An effective concept statement can persuade potential clients, managers, or investors that you comprehend their priorities and have the expertise to finish a project successfully. Reread the concept statement to see if any changes would strengthen your case. You can also use specialized software to proofread your writing for errors or ask a friend, coworker, or member of your family to read your concept statement and provide feedback on the language and structure.

Tips for writing a concept statement

You can use the following techniques to improve the impact of your concept statement:

Focus on your audience

Your target audience may be potential investors, design clients, or company leaders, each with their own priorities, depending on the type of concept statement you’re writing. You can create a persuasive document that concentrates on the most pertinent information by tailoring your statement in accordance with the situation. For instance, if you were presenting a new product line to the board of directors of a company, you might emphasize how the idea could result in new revenue streams or clientele. You can also discuss how a new good or service can assist a business in locating a fresh market.

Use creative details

Concept statements, rather than providing technical details like impending deadlines, can help your audience visualize the finished product. You could highlight important details, describe how a new product looks, give examples of customers’ reactions, or appeal to your audience’s emotions to help them visualize a concept and its advantages. For instance, a concept statement for a new food delivery service might highlight the convenience of the service, highlight the menu items’ unique ingredients, and describe how it might appeal to working parents or professionals with busy schedules.

It may be beneficial to create a clear, compelling concept statement because they can encourage investors to begin a more in-depth discussion about a business idea. With this strategy, your audience will be able to scan a document quickly while still comprehending the essence and guiding principles of a concept. Consider using active verbs and vivid adjectives to make your concept statement concise. This design, with its monochromatic color blocking and cool blue tones, imparts a sense of serenity to your clients and associates, as stated in an example concept statement for an interior design contract with a law firm.

Examples of concept statements

To aid you in writing your own concept statements, consider the following examples:

Interior design example

Bright hues and strong geometric shapes are used in Brentwood Interior Design Studios’ design concept for the Children’s Medical Center of Northeast Georgia’s Cancer Wing to appeal to a variety of age groups. By coordinating design elements with the already-existing skylights, we hope to maximize the amount of natural light in the Cancer Wing lobby. The design incorporates interactive design elements into the walls and floors using cutting-edge technology, giving patients, family members, and staff a stimulating experience. Our objective is to create a space that stimulates children’s imaginations as they undergo treatment.

Product example

Since college students and young professionals are NewLife Fintech Applications’ primary target market and have different investment habits from their parents and grandparents, they might benefit from a budgeting app designed specifically for them. Our development team has developed a brand-new application concept called NewLife For You. This new program offers budgeting guidance, credit counseling, and educational modules to instill responsible spending practices in young professionals. By developing this product, we can draw in this new market segment for NewLIfe Fintech Applications and gain lifelong customers.

What is a good concept statement?

A basic concept statement typically gives a description of the company, clarifies the issue, pinpoints the target audience, suggests how the solution will be provided, and outlines the goals and objectives.

What is concept statement and when it is written?

A concept statement is the essence of a business plan. If you are writing a business plan, keep in mind that this statement serves as the foundation for the plan’s presentation. Never ever believe that your plan will speak for itself; it can’t.

How do you write a product concept statement?

• The title page. …
• Introduction and statement of the problem. …
• Value of the study. …
• A preliminary literature review. …
• State the research goals or objectives. …
• Write down all the research questions. …
• The research hypothesis. …
• State the methodology you intend to use.

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How to Write a Concept Statement

When you need to clearly and succinctly explain an idea for a business, product, design or program – or for anything else that doesn't yet exist – then you need a concept statement. A concept statement can range from one sentence to one page in length, but no longer than that. It must be strong enough to hold its audience's attention – while explaining what your idea is, why it's important, who its customers will be – and how they'll benefit from it, all without sounding too much like a sales pitch.

Keep it Brief

In many instances, a concept statement of one sentence is probably a bit too short, but in most instances, a full page is likely too long. After all, you're writing a statement, not an essay. A good goal is to try to make each point in one or two sentences - at most. Your concept statement should make four points:

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• What the idea is.
• Why the idea is important.
• Who its customers are.
• How customers benefit.

With one to two sentences for each point, you'll have between four and eight sentences. That's approximately two short paragraphs.

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What is a creative strategy statement, product positioning and differentiation strategy, the objectives of a sales letter, what is a business plan outline, 8 characteristics of business communication, explain your idea clearly.

Your opening sentences should get to the point of explaining what your idea, plan or product is, and you don't need need to write it as a complete sentence. So instead of writing, "This chair is a...." you can write, "A chair that ..." So, for example:

"An office chair that rocks and spins – with replaceable seat cushions in soft, medium and firm – will save your company money!"

For your second point, explain why this product idea is important or how it differs from others on the market. For example:

"When a seat wears out, you can order replacement cushions. Or, when you hire a new employee, he can raise or lower the seat to suit his preference, instead of buying an entirely new chair."

Write to Your Audience

Concept statements are used at the beginning of a business process, or – in this instance – at the beginning of a project, or of the design process. You could be writing to potential investors, or whoever controls the finances in your company, hoping that the representatives in question will approve the concept. Or, perhaps you're writing to a customer who has solicited ideas for new designs.

While you are writing your concept statement, keep your audience in mind. For example, your concept statement is for a customer looking for unusual new chair designs to manufacture and sell. You could write:

"Other chairs on the market may rock or spin or you can raise the seat to stool height. But no other design includes all of these options, including cushion choices and replacement cushions – in one chair."

Spell Out the Benefits

You may think the benefits are understood by what you've already said about the concept. A chair that can be used many different ways and has replacement cushions will obviously last longer than conventional office chairs. Office managers and business owners won't need to take time ordering chairs every time someone new is hired or to take the time replacing chairs that have seats that show wear and tear.

Don't assume that your audience understands the benefits, as they may be aware of one benefit but not the others. Spelling out the benefits in a written concept statement reassures readers that they know all the benefits. For example:

"The ability to replace seats will save you money, because you won't need to replace the chair as often. Three types of cushions – as well cushions that offer a variety of uses – enable office managers to buy the same chair for the entire office, providing a consistent, unified look – and it keeps employees happy."

Pull it All Together

To draw the eye to each point, consider adding subheads such as "Concept," "How This Chair Differs" and "Benefits." Then, read your concept statement from beginning to end, to make sure that it flows evenly and that your points are easily understood. Make edits where needed. Don't be concerned if your final version differs from your original, as long as you're making it better.

• Simplicable: 3 Examples of a Concept Statement
• Home Design 2016: Concept Statement Interior Design
• Marketing91: What are Concept Statements? How to Write a Concept Statement?

Barbara Bean-Mellinger is an award-winning writer in the Washington, DC area. She writes nationally for newspapers, magazines and websites on topics including careers, education, women, marketing, advertising and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

In business as in life, you should always crawl before you walk and walk before you run. And so it goes when developing the idea for your new startup.

In the early stages of your business’s development, you’ll hear from plenty of experts and prognosticators who will emphasize the need to create a sound, air-tight business plan. While it’s true that a business plan is an important tool for defining your strategy, detailing deliverables for stakeholders, and developing cashflow forecasts for investors, it’s important to first crystallize the idea behind the business by putting together a Business Concept Statement.

What is a Business Concept Statement?

Think of your Business Concept Statement as a tool that distills your voluminous business plan into a handy one- or two-page document. Not only does it lay the groundwork for the business plan to come, it also refines your idea, outlines the consumer problem it aims to solve, and discusses how the idea will fit into the overall market. It’s a snackable snapshot you can share with investors, lenders, and/or future partners.

What Should a Business Concept Statement Include?

While brevity is the hallmark of a solid Business Concepts Statement, it should still encompass some key elements and provide a thoughtful analysis of your idea, a glimpse of the existing market, and a value proposition that distinguishes you from the rest of the market.

• A Brief Description of the Business Concept . This doesn’t have to be more than a sentence or two that captures the essence of your product or service.
• The Market Need. Identify the void in the marketplace that your business idea is going to fill. This could be a problem your product or service will solve, an emerging market your product will help to define, or the absence of a product or service that people don’t even know they need.
• Your Solution . This is a more in-depth discussion of how your business idea is going to fill the void, solve the problem, or create a new market. It’s also your chance to discuss why your product or service is the answer and, more specifically, why YOU are the perfect person to bring the idea to market.
• Your Proposed Business Model . This is a critical component for every stakeholder involved because this is the element of the Business Concept Statement that details how you are going to make money. You’ll want to discuss how you’re going to charge for your product or service, the business processes you plan to implement, and the resources you’ll need to make it a success.
• Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). Explain how your product or service is different from others in the marketplace. Identify why someone would want to buy your product instead of one that’s already on the market. Your UVP is your differentiator—the reason your business will exist. Will it be your unparalleled customer service? A new technology? A higher-quality product? Better price points? Faster delivery? Or a combination of those things? Even something as simple as more attractive packaging can make all the difference for many consumers.
• A Succinct Competitive Analysis. To be absolutely sure your new business idea will fill a hole in the market, you’ll need to look at your potential competition . Who else is currently providing products or services to your prospective customers? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Examine the competition’s annual revenue (or estimate it if you have to) and identify their market share. This will help you determine both the size of the market and its potential for disruption, innovation, or new products or services.
• A Quick Overview of Your Marketing Plan. How you market your business will be critical to its success. In some cases, your marketing plan may actually be your UVP. Establish buyer personas, develop a target audience, and assess and prioritize your ideal marketing verticals. Then, discuss how you plan to promote your business idea in a way that’s different from your competitors.

Once you’ve finished developing your Business Concept Statement, you’ll have a useful tool to pursue business partners, investors, lenders, advisors, mentors, peers, and even future employees.

One important endnote: make sure your Business Concept Statement isn’t a sales pitch! Stakeholders aren’t looking for catchy slogans, guarantees, or pushy sales copy. They want to see a well-thought-out business idea that’s supported by an actionable analysis of the existing market.

If you’re thinking about bringing a new business idea to market, but aren’t sure where to start, reach out to a SCORE mentor , who can help guide you through the process of developing a compelling Business Concept Statement.

Business Plan Template for a Startup Business To increase your odds of a successful business startup, download this step-by-step business plan template you can use to plan for your new business.

Identifying Your Core Value Proposition A core value proposition is the value that customers get from doing business with you. It's not your product or service. It’s the overall essence that makes your business stand out from the competition. This eguide can help you determine your company's core value proposition.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

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

In this blog...

How to Develop a Business Concept

Last Updated on 2024-09-18

Is there a secret recipe to a successful business concept? Short answer, there’s none. But there are ways to create a foundational concept that transforms your idea into a profitable business.

There’s always that ‘aha!’ moment before the next up-and-coming business is born. Indeed, everyone seems to have an idea for a successful startup. However, only a few would dare to make it happen.

If you’re ready to mobilize this dream, first you need to decide what business it would be. Developing a business concept is an important step to express your entire plan in writing. A business concept statement provides a roadmap for your startup once you’re ready to assemble all the resources for your new startup.

What is a Business Concept?

That’s the million-dollar question for which we have an answer. Essentially, a business concept is a brief description of an idea behind the existence of a business. It describes key consumer problems it seeks to solve, articulates how the idea applies to a market and provides a clear direction when processing a business plan .

We all know that business plans are quite extensive; it’ll take a long time to read the entire document. Since most of its readers are busy people like entrepreneurs and investors, it’s unreasonable to read the whole business plan only to find out that the content doesn’t meet the readers’ expectations in the end.

Hence, it’s practical to hit the right balance. You need a document that’s short as a note but still informational as a business plan. This is why you need a compelling business concept statement along with the proposal.

Additionally, a business concept serves as an overview to potential business partners or investors. It provides them with enough information on whether or not they should continue with the proposed plan. Thus, your concept statement should hook your audience’s attention as well as justifies the investors’ decisions

What to include in a Business Concept Statement?

While a business concept statement needs to be short, it should still include key elements of your business. These includes:

A short description of the business

Explain what your business is about and the reason for starting this endeavor. You may also include features that make your company stand out from its competitors. It should be no more than 1-2 sentences long.

Market need

Are there any gaps in the market that your business idea can fill? Identify these market problems that your product or service will solve. You can also pinpoint the lack of products (services) that consumers don’t know they need.

Core products or services

Elaborate more about the product or service that your company is or will be offering. Similarly, discuss why your offerings are the solution and why you are the right company to deliver that idea to the market.

Target market

In here, mention who are your product’s target consumers are. Be specific and present data backed by credible market research findings.

Business model

This is an important element in the business concept since it outlines how the company will make money. Your business model answers the question, ‘ How do you charge customers for your product or service?’   

Unique Value Proposition

What makes your product (service) different from those already in the marketplace? Point out why consumers should consider buying your offerings from that of the competitors. Is it more affordable? Do you offer same-day delivery? Or do you offer better quality products? These are examples of things to consider when writing your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) .   

Competitive Analysis

Identify your potential competitors. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Also, include the annual revenue and market share. It gives the readers an idea about the size of the market and its growth potential.

Related Video: Tips for Achieving Business Goals

This concludes your business concept statement. Touch on the goals of the company in a particular timeframe. These can be short and long-term goals.

Please note that a concept statement is not a sales pitch. So, don’t make any unverified claims or write it like a catchy sales copy. This helps stakeholders gauge if your business idea is reasonable based on the analysis of the market.

7 Tips to Develop the Best Business Concept

• Observe your surroundings – Are there any products or services that are not available right now? Or perhaps what’s currently available doesn’t live up to the things it claims to offer. This is a great opportunity for you to build a better product.
• Check out trends – See if there are any changes in lifestyle or market needs. Tune in to what’s happening on the Internet, TV, or newspaper. For example, more people today are choosing veganism as a lifestyle. This heightens the demand for vegan or plant-based products.
• Nostalgia – Was there a product or service that you liked in the past that is no longer offered in your area? Maybe you want to relive that. Ask around and see if other people share your sentiment.  
• Bring new life – Is there a way to modernize common services such as home appliances repair and pet grooming? Find out how you can transform routine services into something better.
• Gaps in operations – More companies choose to let go of some of their business operations to save time and cost. If you can find a way to close this gap, it can be a potential business waiting to happen. As an example, our founders here at Full Scale saw that new American startups can’t find top-notch developers in the country. So, they built Full Scale, an offshore development company that answers the growing demand for quick and affordable software services.
• Create a new demand – As industries grow, the core needs of the market often gets ignored. Revive or create a new demand that answers an existing need.
• Hobbies and Interests – Yes, your hobbies can also be a great inspiration for starting a business. Is there a clear demand for which your hobbies or expertise can answer?

Related Video: Business Analysis Tips and Tricks

A Business Concept that Works

When starting a business, there are several nuts and bolts you need to consider. Critical of them all is a business concept. It’s a pillar that crystalizes your idea into a money-making machine.

Position your business concept in a way that answers a key need in the market today, and in the years to come. By following the tips shared in this article, you can assess your strengths in providing optimal value for your customers.

In this way, it saves you more time and money and minimizes any missteps in your journey. So, have you already thought about what your business concept will be? How can your idea extend to providing answers or solutions to customers’ problems?

If you’re not sure how your business idea will turn out in the market, you can count on startup gurus, Matt DeCoursey and Matt Watson, to pave the way for you. They are experts in all things startup—from conception to launch.

Best of all, they are the geniuses behind Full Scale , Kansas City’s unrivaled choice for quick and top-quality software development services. From software engineers, web developers, to marketing specialists, we got you covered.

Interested? Get your FREE consultation today.

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How to Write a Business Plan for a Small Business

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated September 2, 2024

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

• The basics of writing a business plan

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that writing a business plan helps you: 

• Raise money
• Grow strategically
• Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your business plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After writing your business plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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• What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

Your executive summary should include:

• A summary of the problem you are solving
• A description of your product or service
• An overview of your target market
• A brief description of your team
• A summary of your financials
• Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

When writing a business plan, the produces and services section is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

When writing a business plan, the operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

• Supply chain management
• Manufacturing processes
• Equipment and technology
• Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

• A description of each task
• The proposed due date
• Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

• Website launch date
• Store or office opening date
• First significant sales
• Break even date
• Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

• Conversion rates
• Customer acquisition costs
• Profit per customer
• Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

The last section of your business plan is your financial plan and forecasts. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

• Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
• Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
• Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
• Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
• Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

• Company logo
• Business name
• Value proposition (optional)
• Business plan title
• Completion and/or update date
• Address and contact information
• Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI to write a business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

• Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information to include in a business plan is sometimes not quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

There are plenty of great options available (we’ve rounded up our 8 favorites to streamline your search).

But, if you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template , you can get one right now; download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

• Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
• Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
• Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
• Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
• Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

• Did you meet your sales goals?
• Is spending following your budget?
• Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of writing a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Writing a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of writing a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

• Write a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services.
• Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
• Outline your organizational structure and management team.
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
• Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

• 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
• Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
• Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
• Failing to establish a sound business model.
• Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

• How will your business make money?
• Is there a need for your product or service?
• Who are your customers?
• How are you different from the competition?
• How will you reach your customers?
• How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan: The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

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

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Use AI to help write your plan
• Common planning mistakes
• Manage with your business plan

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

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

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

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

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

What Is a Business Plan?

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

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

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

Get a Business Idea

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conduct Market Analysis

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

Product and Service Demand

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

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

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

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

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

Identify Demographics of Target Market

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

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

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

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

How to Write a Business Plan

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

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

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

SWOT Analysis

• Competitor Data
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing Expenses Strategy 

Pricing Strategy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mike told us,

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

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

It consists of three basic parts:

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

Example of an informal executive summary 

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

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

What should I include in an executive summary for investors?

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

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

Successful business plan examples

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

Here’s the interview with the owner of Urbanity:

When to write an executive summary?

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

What mistakes do people make when writing an executive summary?

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

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

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

How to Write a Business Plan Step 4. Company Description

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

• Mission statement
• Philosophy and vision
• Company goals

Target market

• Legal structure

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

Mission Statement

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

Company Philosophy and Vision

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

What makes your company different?

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

Examples of core values

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

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

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

What is a vision statement?

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

Example vision statements

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

A world without Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia.

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

Business Goals

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

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

How far in advance should a business plan?

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

Example of great business goals

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

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

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

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

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

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

Industry resources

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

• Trade Associations
• Federal Reserve
• Bureau of Labor Statistics

Legal Structure

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

• Sole proprietorships
• Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

Partnerships

Corporations.

• Franchises.

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

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

Sole Proprietorship

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

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

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions to answer about your products and services

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SWOT Examples

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

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

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

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

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

Include Competitor Data in Your Business Plan

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

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

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

Marketing Strategy

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

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

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

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

Advertising Strategy

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some common pricing strategies are:

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

HubSpot has a great calculator and blog on pricing strategies.

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

Distribution Plan

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

Supply Chain Examples

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

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

Examples of Supply Chains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quality Control

• Legal environment

Let’s look at each for some insight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Legal Environment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Write a Business Plan Step 8. Financial Statements 

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

Provide All Financial Income from an Existing Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

Financial Projections For A Startup Business Plan

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

Mike gave the following advice in his interview:

Financial Forecasting Mistakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ways to get funding for a small business

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

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

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

How funding will be used

When asking for business financing make sure to include:

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

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

How to Write a Business Plan Resources

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

• Sample plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

Updated: June 28, 2024

Published: August 04, 2020

Years ago, I had an idea to launch a line of region-specific board games. I knew there was a market for games that celebrated local culture and heritage. I was so excited about the concept and couldn't wait to get started.

But my idea never took off. Why? Because I didn‘t have a plan. I lacked direction, missed opportunities, and ultimately, the venture never got off the ground.

And that’s exactly why a business plan is important. It cements your vision, gives you clarity, and outlines your next step.

In this post, I‘ll explain what a business plan is, the reasons why you’d need one, identify different types of business plans, and what you should include in yours.

Table of Contents

What is a business plan?

What is a business plan used for.

• Business Plan Template [Download Now]

Purposes of a Business Plan

What does a business plan need to include, types of business plans.

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A business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a company's goals, strategies, and financial projections. It provides a detailed description of the business, including its products or services, target market, competitive landscape, and marketing and sales strategies. The plan also includes a financial section that forecasts revenue, expenses, and cash flow, as well as a funding request if the business is seeking investment.

The business plan is an undeniably critical component to getting any company off the ground. It's key to securing financing, documenting your business model, outlining your financial projections, and turning that nugget of a business idea into a reality.

The purpose of a business plan is three-fold: It summarizes the organization’s strategy in order to execute it long term, secures financing from investors, and helps forecast future business demands.

Business Plan Template [ Download Now ]

Working on your business plan? Try using our Business Plan Template . Pre-filled with the sections a great business plan needs, the template will give aspiring entrepreneurs a feel for what a business plan is, what should be in it, and how it can be used to establish and grow a business from the ground up.

In an era where 48% of businesses survive half a decade on, having a clear, defined, and well-thought-out business plan is a crucial first step for setting up a business for long-term success.

Here’s why I think a business plan is important:

1. Securing Financing From Investors

Since its contents revolve around how businesses succeed, break-even, and turn a profit, a business plan is used as a tool for sourcing capital. This document is an entrepreneur's way of showing potential investors or lenders how their capital will be put to work and how it will help the business thrive.

I’ve seen that all banks, investors, and venture capital firms will want to see a business plan before handing over their money. Therefore, these investors need to know if — and when — they‘ll be making their money back (and then some).

Additionally, they’ll want to read about the process and strategy for how the business will reach those financial goals, which is where the context provided by sales, marketing, and operations plans come into play.

2. Documenting a Company's Strategy and Goals

I think a business plan should leave no stone unturned.

Business plans can span dozens or even hundreds of pages, affording their drafters the opportunity to explain what a business' goals are and how the business will achieve them.

To show potential investors that they've addressed every question and thought through every possible scenario, entrepreneurs should thoroughly explain their marketing, sales, and operations strategies — from acquiring a physical location for the business to explaining a tactical approach for marketing penetration.

These explanations should ultimately lead to a business' break-even point supported by a sales forecast and financial projections, with the business plan writer being able to speak to the why behind anything outlined in the plan.

3. Legitimizing a Business Idea

I’ve seen that everyone‘s got a great idea for a company — until they put pen to paper and realize that it’s not exactly feasible.

A business plan is an aspiring entrepreneur's way to prove that a business idea is actually worth pursuing.

As entrepreneurs document their go-to-market process, capital needs, and expected return on investment, entrepreneurs likely come across a few hiccups that will make them second guess their strategies and metrics — and that's exactly what the business plan is for.

It ensures you have everything in order before bringing their business idea to the world and reassures the readers that whoever wrote the plan is serious about the idea, having put hours into thinking of the business idea, fleshing out growth tactics, and calculating financial projections.

4. Getting an A in Your Business Class

Speaking from personal experience, there‘s a chance you’re here to get business plan ideas for your Business 101 class project.

If that's the case, might I suggest checking out this post on How to Write a Business Plan , which provides a section-by-section guide on creating your plan?

5. Identifying Potential Problems

Business plans act as early warning systems that identify potential problems before they escalate into major obstacles.

How? When you conduct thorough market research, analyze competitor strategies, and evaluate financial projections, your plan pinpoints vulnerabilities and risks. This allows you to develop contingency plans and risk mitigation strategies.

This helps you prevent costly mistakes and shows investors and lenders you’re well-prepared and have considered various scenarios.

6. Attracts and Retains Talent

A well-articulated plan outlines your company's vision, mission, and values, showcasing a clear direction and purpose. People who want meaningful work that aligns with their ambitions will love this.

Also, it shows the company's potential for growth and stability. This instills confidence in employees and assures them of a secure future and opportunities for career advancement.

When you show growth potential and highlight a positive work culture, your business plan becomes a magnet for top talent.

7. Provides a Roadmap

A business plan provides a detailed roadmap for your company's future. It outlines your objectives, strategies, and the specific actions you need to achieve your goals.

When you define your path forward, a business plan helps you stay focused and on track, even when you face challenges or distractions. It’s a great reference tool that allows you to make smart decisions that align with your overall vision.

This way, having a comprehensive roadmap in the form of a business plan provides direction and clarity at every stage of your business journey.

8. Serves as a Marketing Tool

A business plan is not only an internal guide but also serves as a powerful marketing tool. Your business plan can showcase your company‘s strengths, unique value proposition, and growth potential when you’re looking for investors, partnerships, or new clients.

It provides a professional and polished overview of your business, which shows your commitment and strategic thinking to potential stakeholders.

Your business plan helps you attract the right people by clearly articulating your target market, competitive advantages, and financial projections. In summary, it acts as a persuasive sales pitch.

• Business Plan Subtitle
• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• The Business Opportunity
• Competitive Analysis
• Target Market
• Marketing Plan
• Financial Summary
• Funding Requirements

1. Business Plan Subtitle

Every great business plan starts with a captivating title and subtitle. You’ll want to make it clear that the document is, in fact, a business plan, but the subtitle can help tell the story of your business in just a short sentence.

2. Executive Summary

Although this is the last part of the business plan that you’ll write, it’s the first section (and maybe the only section) that stakeholders will read.

The executive summary of a business plan sets the stage for the rest of the document. It includes your company’s mission or vision statement, value proposition, and long-term goals.

3. Company Description

This brief part of your business plan will detail your business name, years in operation, key offerings, and positioning statement.

You might even add core values or a short history of the company. The company description’s role in a business plan is to introduce your business to the reader in a compelling and concise way.

4. The Business Opportunity

The business opportunity should convince investors that your organization meets the needs of the market in a way that no other company can.

This section explains the specific problem your business solves within the marketplace and how it solves them. It will include your value proposition as well as some high-level information about your target market.

5. Competitive Analysis

Just about every industry has more than one player in the market. Even if your business owns the majority of the market share in your industry or your business concept is the first of its kind, you still have competition.

In the competitive analysis section, you’ll take an objective look at the industry landscape to determine where your business fits. A SWOT analysis is an organized way to format this section.

6. Target Market

Who are the core customers of your business and why? The target market portion of your business plan outlines this in detail. The target market should explain the demographics, psychographics, behavioristics, and geographics of the ideal customer.

7. Marketing Plan

Marketing is expansive, and it’ll be tempting to cover every type of marketing possible, but a brief overview of how you’ll market your unique value proposition to your target audience, followed by a tactical plan, will suffice.

Think broadly and narrow down from there: Will you focus on a slow-and-steady play where you make an upfront investment in organic customer acquisition? Or will you generate lots of quick customers using a pay-to-play advertising strategy?

This kind of information should guide the marketing plan section of your business plan.

8. Financial Summary

Money doesn’t grow on trees. Even the most digital, sustainable businesses have expenses. Outlining a financial summary of where your business is currently and where you’d like it to be in the future will substantiate this section.

Consider including any monetary information that will give potential investors a glimpse into the financial health of your business. Assets, liabilities, expenses, debt, investments, revenue, and more are all useful additions here.

So, you’ve outlined some great goals, the business opportunity is valid, and the industry is ready for what you have to offer. Who’s responsible for turning all this high-level talk into results?

The “team” section of your business plan answers that question by providing an overview of the roles responsible for each goal.

Don’t worry if you don’t have every team member on board yet. Knowing what roles to hire for is helpful as you seek funding from investors.

10. Funding Requirements

Remember that one of the goals of a business plan is to secure funding from investors, so you’ll need to include funding requirements you’d like them to fulfill.

Considering that global funding fell 61% from 2021 to 2023 , it’s very important to be clear in this section. Include the amount your business needs, for what reasons, and for how long.

• Startup Business Plan
• Feasibility Business Plan
• Internal Business Plan
• Strategic Business Plan
• Business Acquisition Plan
• Business Repositioning Plan
• Expansion or Growth Business Plan

There’s no one size fits all business plan as there are several types of businesses in the market today. From startups with just one founder to historic household names that need to stay competitive, every type of business needs a business plan that’s tailored to its needs. Below are a few of the most common types of business plans.

For even more examples, check out these sample business plans to help you write your own .

1. Startup Business Plan

As one of the most common types of business plans, a startup business plan is for new business ideas. This plan lays the foundation for the eventual success of a business.

I think the biggest challenge with the startup business plan is that it's written completely from scratch. Startup business plans often reference existing industry data. They also explain unique business strategies and go-to-market plans.

Because startup business plans expand on an original idea, the contents will vary by the top priority goals.

For example, say a startup is looking for funding. If capital is a priority, this business plan might focus more on financial projections than marketing or company culture.

Eric Heckstall , the founder and CEO of EDH Signature Inc ., which offers premier grooming products, also suggests keeping your startup business plan short.

“The traditional business plan can be 40+ pages, which is too large of a document to really be useful, can be difficult for staff to understand, and have to dig for information which most people won’t do,” Heckstall says.

Conversely, a one-to-two-page business plan improves clarity and focus. Heckstall says this format “is easy to use on a day-to-day basis, teams as well as potential investors can understand the purpose and direction of the company, and can easily be incorporated into team meetings.”

2. Feasibility Business Plan

This type of business plan focuses on a single essential aspect of the business — the product or service. It may be part of a startup business plan or a standalone plan for an existing organization. This comprehensive plan may include:

• A detailed product description.
• Market analysis.
• Technology needs.
• Production needs.
• Financial sources.
• Production operations.

Startups can fail because of a lack of market need and mistimed products. Plus, nearly half of entrepreneurs , founders, CEOs, and COOs report that price sensitivity and evolving market conditions are the number one prospect and customer challenges they face right now.

Some businesses will complete a feasibility study to explore ideas and narrow product plans to the best choice. They conduct these studies before completing the feasibility business plan. Then, the feasibility plan centers on that one product or service.

Zach Dannett , co-founder at rug company Tumble highlights how some business owners take a very idealistic approach too. And forget barriers to entry like regulatory issues in the process.

He adds how considering this aspect in their business plan helped.

Before launching the team, Dannett first took time to understand regulatory requirements in our industry, checking to make sure we needed to secure any certifications or licenses.

Then, “we reviewed financial requirements, which would cover initial investments, operational costs, and potential expenses. We then conducted thorough market research to understand our market, how saturated this market is, and identify major competitors with significant market share,” Dannett says

3. Internal Business Plan

Internal business plans help leaders communicate company goals, strategy, and performance. This helps the business align and work toward objectives more effectively.

Besides the typical elements in a startup business plan, an internal business plan may also include:

• Department-specific budgets.
• Target demographic analysis.
• Market size and share of voice analysis.
• Action plans.
• Sustainability plans.

Most external-facing business plans focus on raising capital and support for a business. But, an internal business plan helps keep the business mission consistent in the face of change.

You can also reduce your workload by using a free business template that helps you get a headstart on what to include.

4. Strategic Business Plan

Strategic business plans focus on long-term objectives for your business. They usually cover the first three to five years of operations. This is different from the typical startup business plan which focuses on the first one to three years. The audience for this plan is also primarily internal stakeholders.

These types of business plans may include:

• Relevant data and analysis.
• Assessments of company resources.
• Vision and mission statements.

It's important to remember that, while many businesses create a strategic plan before launching, some business owners just jump in.

David Sides , marketing specialist at The Gori Law , highlights how it’s important not to create this plan in isolation and involve key stakeholders from across the organization in the planning process.

“We make a point of bringing together attorneys, paralegals, and support staff to discuss our long-term goals and how we can work together to achieve them. This not only helps ensure buy-in and alignment, but it also allows you to tap into a wider range of perspectives and ideas,” Sides says.

This way, the strategic business plan can add value by outlining how your business plans to reach specific goals and considering a holistic perspective from the most important stakeholders. This type of planning can also help a business anticipate future challenges.

5. Business Acquisition Plan

Investors use business plans to acquire existing businesses, too — not just new businesses.

I recommend including costs, schedules, or management requirements. This data will come from an acquisition strategy.

A business plan for an existing company will explain:

• How an acquisition will change its operating model.
• What will stay the same under new ownership.
• Why things will change or stay the same.
• Acquisition planning documentation.
• Timelines for acquisition.

Ilia Tretiakov , owner and lead strategist, at So Good Digital , a marketing agency suggests adding a Day Zero Plan. This is a thorough plan outlining the steps you will take the moment the acquisition is completed.

It consists of stakeholder communication plans, critical system integration, quick operational adjustments, and cultural alignment initiatives.

Here’s why Ilia believes it’s important.

“A Day Zero Plan establishes the framework for the integration process and guarantees a seamless transition. This comprehensive strategy goes above and beyond the typical post-acquisition integration plan, taking care of urgent issues and laying the groundwork for long-term success,” Tretiakov says,

Apart from this, I believe the business plan should speak to the current state of the business and why it's up for sale.

For example, if someone is purchasing a failing business, the business plan should explain why the business is being purchased. It should also include:

• What the new owner will do to turn the business around.
• Historic business metrics.
• Sales projections after the acquisition.
• Justification for those projections.

6. Business Repositioning Plan

When a business wants to avoid acquisition, reposition its brand, or try something new, CEOs or owners will develop a business repositioning plan.

This plan will:

• Acknowledge the current state of the company.
• State a vision for the future of the company.
• Explain why the business needs to reposition itself.
• Outline a process for how the company will adjust.

Companies planning for a business reposition often do so — proactively or retroactively — due to a shift in market trends and customer needs.

For example, shoe brand AllBirds plans to refocus its brand on core customers and shift its go-to-market strategy. These decisions are a reaction to lackluster sales following product changes and other missteps.

7. Expansion or Growth Business Plan

When your business is ready to expand, a growth business plan creates a useful structure for reaching specific targets.

For example, a successful business expanding into another location can use a growth business plan. This is because it may also mean the business needs to focus on a new target market or generate more capital.

This type of plan usually covers the next year or two of growth. It often references current sales, revenue, and successes. It may also include:

• SWOT analysis.
• Growth opportunity studies.
• Financial goals and plans.
• Marketing plans.
• Capability planning.

These types of business plans will vary by business, but they can help you quickly rally around new priorities to drive growth.

Getting Started With Your Business Plan

At the end of the day, a business plan is simply an explanation of a business idea and why it will be successful. The more detail and thought you put into it, the more successful your plan — and the business it outlines — will be.

I personally recommend using the feasibility business plan template. It helps me assess the viability of my business idea before diving in head-first.

By completing a feasibility plan, I feel more confident and prepared to tackle the full business plan. Plus, it saves me time and effort in the long run by ensuring I'm pursuing an idea with real potential.

When writing your business plan, you’ll benefit from extensive research, feedback from your team or board of directors, and a solid template to organize your thoughts. If you need one of these, download HubSpot's Free Business Plan Template below to get started.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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More From Forbes

How to turn an idea into a startup: begin with a business concept statement.

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Guest post written by

Alana Muller, president, Kauffman FastTrac ®

For entrepreneurs, it is often easier to come up with a variety of ideas for new businesses and more difficult to actually implement those concepts. A business concept is a bridge between an idea and a business plan. It focuses one’s thinking so that the entrepreneur can identify the specifics of his/her proposed venture. Converting an idea into a business concept requires thinking about how the product or service will be sold and who will buy it, the benefits of the product or service, how it is differentiated from similar ones, and methods of delivery.

Preparing a written concept statement helps unearth critical components of a venture and begins research into key factors that may be more thoroughly addressed in a business plan. As the business idea takes form as a concept statement, the entrepreneur can evaluate the business more effectively for potential challenges and pitfalls.

A clear business concept also enables the founder to succinctly describe the precise nature of the business to suppliers, customers, lenders, and resource team members; an important skill for entrepreneurial success. For example, it is not sufficient to say “I want to start a management consulting company.” This tells the listener little. Instead, one might say,

“I plan to start a management consulting company that provides strategic planning services to mid-sized businesses in the Southeast.  Each consulting team, tailored to meet the unique needs of the client, will provide assessment and planning services to help clients improve efficiency and institute processes for innovation and change, resulting in cost reductions and sales increases.”

This version tells the listener much more than the first statement and helps the potential client visualize the business and its offerings.

When describing his/her business idea, the entrepreneur should answer the following questions:

a. What is my product/service?

b. What does my product/service do?

c. How is it different or better than other products/services?

d. Who will buy the product/service?

e. Why will they buy the product/service?

f. How will the product/service be promoted and sold/offered?

g. Who are my competitors?

Often the business concept statement changes during feasibility testing and business planning as the founder learns more about the market and potential profitability of the business. Eventually, however, the entrepreneur should be able to accurately, clearly and succinctly describe the essence of the business to others in two or three sentences.  In some cases, a single sentence may do.

Once the business concept statement is clearly defined, the more detailed work of business planning and implementation may begin.

About Kauffman FastTrac®

Kauffman FastTrac is the leading provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources, and network to start and grow successful businesses.  Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation , the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. For more information about Kauffman FastTrac, visit www.fasttrac.org and follow the organization on Twitter at @fasttrac, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kauffmanfasttrac and connect on LinkedIn at www.fasttrac.org/linkedin .

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How to Write a Business Plan "Concept and Value Proposition" Section

A key component of your business plan is your business concept and value proposition, which is the clear articulation of why customers should choose your solution over that of your competitors.

This section of the plan for developing your business concept and positioning your value proposition follows the executive summary and company history , so readers should already have a general idea of what your company does, who it's for, and what your long-term goals are for the business.

The business concept comprises your vision of the company, explaining the value your product or service will bring to the customer, why you are especially qualified to offer it, as well describing your offering's uniqueness and growth potential  within your industry.

This section enables you, as well as interested parties and potential investors, to research and analyze the concept for feasibility, both from a market and financial perspective. Keep in mind that everything in your business plan must relate back to the value and benefits your product or service provides to your target customers.

The Feasibility Test

Think of a feasibility test as a reality check for your business idea. The goal of conducting a feasibility test is to prove to yourself and your team or investors the probability of your product or service being successful within your industry.

A feasibility test should be as low-cost as possible and should revolve around creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or simple proof of concept, which communicates the most simple, basic value propositions of your future product or service.

According to Entrepreneurship For Dummies, by Kathleen Allen, a feasibility test weighs the validity of your business concept by examining four main points:

• The product your firm will offer.
• The customer you will target.
• Your value proposition.
• How you will get the product to its intended users.

By this stage in your business plan, you should have a firm grasp on what product or service you intend to offer, as well as who you believe will be your primary customer. The final item requires weighing various distribution channels, but, again, should be answerable with a little legwork.

The Value Proposition

Your value proposition is what makes customers choose you instead of the competition. It's part marketing, part operations, and part strategy; your value proposition is the foundation of your competitive advantage.

On a subconscious level, customers will compare the value proposition of your company against those of your competitors when deciding where to take their business. With that in mind, here are a few things to remember when writing your value proposition:

• Keep it short and uncluttered. Your value proposition explains why customers should buy from you. If you can't sum it up in 10 words or less, chances are you won't be able to execute it, either.
• Be precise. Your customers have specific needs; your value proposition should offer targeted solutions
• It is about your customer, not you. Your value proposition should discuss only what matters to your customers and the value you can bring to them.
• Value comes in numerous forms. Money, time, convenience and superior service are a few of the ways you can help deliver value to your customers.

Distribution Strategy

After you've validated your business idea with a small group of paying customers, the last part of the business concept is to determine how you will deliver your product to your customers at scale. Taking a manual approach to reaching your first customers is necessary, but won't work as you grow your business. Are you going to sell directly to consumers? Through strategic partnerships? Retail distributors?

Consider these several factors when planning the distribution strategy for your business:

• Will you set up a brick-and-mortar shop or office, sell online, or both?
• What unique obstacles exist for your company in these two different channels?
• If your company sells a product, will you have the space to keep enough inventory on hand, or will customers have to agree to waiting periods?
• Can you strike exclusive deals with any particular distributor or retailer? Do your competitors have any such deals that hinder your operation?

Vision is important if your business is going to grow. The more focus your business concept has in terms of clear solutions for a like-minded niche group of people, the greater the likelihood that you'll attract the best investors and customers.

Marketing91

What Are Concept Statements? How To Write A Concept Statement?

June 12, 2023 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Marketing

A concept statement is the essence of a business plan. If you are writing a business plan , know that this statement lays the groundwork for the plan for when you present it. Never at one point assume that the plan can speak for itself, it can’t. You need to include a statement that will help the audience (client/investors) to get a comprehensive understanding of the business plan.

So, to define concept statements; they are short statements that explain one big idea /ideas. These are statements used to convey a business’ purpose and focus to the audience. They are short descriptions of products, services or designs communicated to customers. Most importantly, these are descriptions used to explain how a new product or service will solve a particular problem in the market .

How important is this statement in a business plan? It helps sum up the contents of a business plan. It provides clients and investors with a better understanding of the plan through a concise and straightforward paragraph. Simply put, this statement is quite useful in providing an audience with a better visualization of a proposed business plan. Moreover, a concept statement is often part of the presentation used to woo clients and investors when seeking approval for a proposed business plan.

Table of Contents

The key elements of business plan concept statements

As seen above, these statements are beneficial for any business plan presentation. They not only help explain the aim and focus of the business, but they also help provide a better understanding of what is intended to be done and how it is to be done. In this regard, an effective statement has to highlight the following key elements;

• The business description : This element explains what the business is all about. The descriptions briefly highlight the role of the business in the market. It also explains the distinct features of the business and operation policy.
• The product or service you will be offering : This should explain what product or service the business offers. Again, you have to explain what distinguishes your product/service from those that already exist in the market.
• Target market : What is your target market? How did you settle on that particular market group ? When describing this, you need to mention who exactly is your product or service aimed for and how you intend to reach this particular market (market strategy ).
• Your goals and objectives : These include both long-term and short-term goals. Your audience needs to know what your immediate and future plans are as a business. You also need to provide a timeframe for when these goals are to be achieved.

Tips on how to write a concept statement that will surely impress

If you are not a creative, you may think that writing a business plan concept statement is the most difficult thing ever. Well, it isn’t easy per se, but with the right guidelines and ideas, you can come up with a pretty impressive statement.

Here are a few tips to help you.

1) Provide a thorough description of the business

Concept statements are meant to explain big things simply, one that targeted audiences can easily and quickly comprehend. Owing to this, you need to ensure that your write-up meets all of this requirements. In one sentence, describe the business, its purpose, focus and fundamental concept.

Remember that this statement is a précis of the whole business plan, but will ensure that the audience can use it as a reference point, rather than having to pick through the entire document.  So make it short and clear.

2) Define the problem

When seeking to start a business, one has to have done a thorough research on various opportunities that he/she can venture in. In this regard, they must have identified a gap in the market that their product/service can fill. This gap is the problem that customers are experiencing and need a solution to. Concept statements about this are what should be used to acknowledge and suggest solutions to these problems.

Therefore in your statement, briefly state the problem and how the intended product or service will solve this issue.

3)Assure that this product/service will truly address this problem

Consumers in general love guarantees, as this is what builds their trust and loyalty in a product/service. In your statement, you will want to assure them that the intended product/service will solve their problem.

Every market has competition , which means that there are other competing businesses offering similar goods and services as you plan to do. As a new entrant, you have to convince customers that your product is distinct from all other existing ones. As a result, you need to tell your audience what sets your products apart from all other existing ones.

4) Support your claim above

Promises that seem empty do not augur well with investors let alone customers. If you want the approval of investors, you will have to convince them enough to want to invest in your business. One way to do this is to prove that you are truly committed to ensuring that your product/service meet the market demands and expectations just as you will have stated above.

Additional tips on making Concept Statements :

• Ensure that your statement doesn’t sound like a selling pitch. Investors do not want to feel pushed, they need to be convinced and the best way to do this to avoid tones, words, and statements that will appear as if you are selling yourself. Just be succinct.
• Keep it short, simple, precise. Avoid using overly long sentences. A few descriptive statements can help drive the point home. Lengthily statements, on the other hand, can dilute the effectiveness of a concept statement so avoid them.
• Be specific. Remember that this is more of a summary of your business plan. You do not want your audience to get bored listening or reading paragraphs upon paragraphs without getting the point. Like I said, avoid making broad statements, be specific rather. For example, when defining the business, do not just say…a processing company . Instead, say… a processing company that specializes in baking ingredients- this is more specific
• Avoid using first person narration when writing the statement – this can be interpreted as being egocentric. If you want to woo clients/ investors, make the statement more about them and less about you.

Liked this post? Check out the complete series on Product Management

Related posts:

• What is a Brand Statement? and 5 Brand Statement Examples
• What is a Vision Statement? 10 Examples to write your own
• What is a Research Statement and How to Write it
• Brand Positioning: Definition, Statement and Strategy
• What is the Sales Organizational Structure? Types & How to Write One
• Sales Copy: What it is and How to Write Effective Sales Copy
• What are Product Specifications and How to write it?
• What is a Value Proposition? And How to Write it (with 15 Examples)
• Dissertation – Definition, Types, Structure and Tips on How to write it
• What Is a Marketing Plan? Types and How to Write One

About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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12 Key Elements of a Business Plan (Top Components Explained)

Starting and running a successful business requires proper planning and execution of effective business tactics and strategies .

You need to prepare many essential business documents when starting a business for maximum success; the business plan is one such document.

When creating a business, you want to achieve business objectives and financial goals like productivity, profitability, and business growth. You need an effective business plan to help you get to your desired business destination.

Even if you are already running a business, the proper understanding and review of the key elements of a business plan help you navigate potential crises and obstacles.

This article will teach you why the business document is at the core of any successful business and its key elements you can not avoid.

Let’s get started.

Why Are Business Plans Important?

Business plans are practical steps or guidelines that usually outline what companies need to do to reach their goals. They are essential documents for any business wanting to grow and thrive in a highly-competitive business environment .

1. Proves Your Business Viability

A business plan gives companies an idea of how viable they are and what actions they need to take to grow and reach their financial targets. With a well-written and clearly defined business plan, your business is better positioned to meet its goals.

2. Guides You Throughout the Business Cycle

A business plan is not just important at the start of a business. As a business owner, you must draw up a business plan to remain relevant throughout the business cycle .

During the starting phase of your business, a business plan helps bring your ideas into reality. A solid business plan can secure funding from lenders and investors.

After successfully setting up your business, the next phase is management. Your business plan still has a role to play in this phase, as it assists in communicating your business vision to employees and external partners.

Essentially, your business plan needs to be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the needs of your business.

3. Helps You Make Better Business Decisions

As a business owner, you are involved in an endless decision-making cycle. Your business plan helps you find answers to your most crucial business decisions.

A robust business plan helps you settle your major business components before you launch your product, such as your marketing and sales strategy and competitive advantage.

4. Eliminates Big Mistakes

Many small businesses fail within their first five years for several reasons: lack of financing, stiff competition, low market need, inadequate teams, and inefficient pricing strategy.

Creating an effective plan helps you eliminate these big mistakes that lead to businesses' decline. Every business plan element is crucial for helping you avoid potential mistakes before they happen.

5. Secures Financing and Attracts Top Talents

Having an effective plan increases your chances of securing business loans. One of the essential requirements many lenders ask for to grant your loan request is your business plan.

A business plan helps investors feel confident that your business can attract a significant return on investments ( ROI ).

You can attract and retain top-quality talents with a clear business plan. It inspires your employees and keeps them aligned to achieve your strategic business goals.

Key Elements of Business Plan

Starting and running a successful business requires well-laid actions and supporting documents that better position a company to achieve its business goals and maximize success.

A business plan is a written document with relevant information detailing business objectives and how it intends to achieve its goals.

With an effective business plan, investors, lenders, and potential partners understand your organizational structure and goals, usually around profitability, productivity, and growth.

Every successful business plan is made up of key components that help solidify the efficacy of the business plan in delivering on what it was created to do.

Here are some of the components of an effective business plan.

1. Executive Summary

One of the key elements of a business plan is the executive summary. Write the executive summary as part of the concluding topics in the business plan. Creating an executive summary with all the facts and information available is easier.

In the overall business plan document, the executive summary should be at the forefront of the business plan. It helps set the tone for readers on what to expect from the business plan.

A well-written executive summary includes all vital information about the organization's operations, making it easy for a reader to understand.

The key points that need to be acted upon are highlighted in the executive summary. They should be well spelled out to make decisions easy for the management team.

A good and compelling executive summary points out a company's mission statement and a brief description of its products and services.

An executive summary summarizes a business's expected value proposition to distinct customer segments. It highlights the other key elements to be discussed during the rest of the business plan.

Including your prior experiences as an entrepreneur is a good idea in drawing up an executive summary for your business. A brief but detailed explanation of why you decided to start the business in the first place is essential.

Adding your company's mission statement in your executive summary cannot be overemphasized. It creates a culture that defines how employees and all individuals associated with your company abide when carrying out its related processes and operations.

Your executive summary should be brief and detailed to catch readers' attention and encourage them to learn more about your company.

Components of an Executive Summary

Here are some of the information that makes up an executive summary:

• The name and location of your company
• Products and services offered by your company
• Mission and vision statements
• Success factors of your business plan

2. Business Description

Your business description needs to be exciting and captivating as it is the formal introduction a reader gets about your company.

What your company aims to provide, its products and services, goals and objectives, target audience , and potential customers it plans to serve need to be highlighted in your business description.

A company description helps point out notable qualities that make your company stand out from other businesses in the industry. It details its unique strengths and the competitive advantages that give it an edge to succeed over its direct and indirect competitors.

Spell out how your business aims to deliver on the particular needs and wants of identified customers in your company description, as well as the particular industry and target market of the particular focus of the company.

Include trends and significant competitors within your particular industry in your company description. Your business description should contain what sets your company apart from other businesses and provides it with the needed competitive advantage.

In essence, if there is any area in your business plan where you need to brag about your business, your company description provides that unique opportunity as readers look to get a high-level overview.

Components of a Business Description

Your business description needs to contain these categories of information.

• Business location
• The legal structure of your business
• Summary of your business’s short and long-term goals

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section should be solely based on analytical research as it details trends particular to the market you want to penetrate.

Graphs, spreadsheets, and histograms are handy data and statistical tools you need to utilize in your market analysis. They make it easy to understand the relationship between your current ideas and the future goals you have for the business.

All details about the target customers you plan to sell products or services should be in the market analysis section. It helps readers with a helpful overview of the market.

In your market analysis, you provide the needed data and statistics about industry and market share, the identified strengths in your company description, and compare them against other businesses in the same industry.

The market analysis section aims to define your target audience and estimate how your product or service would fare with these identified audiences.

Market analysis helps visualize a target market by researching and identifying the primary target audience of your company and detailing steps and plans based on your audience location.

Obtaining this information through market research is essential as it helps shape how your business achieves its short-term and long-term goals.

Market Analysis Factors

Here are some of the factors to be included in your market analysis.

• The geographical location of your target market
• Needs of your target market and how your products and services can meet those needs
• Demographics of your target audience

Components of the Market Analysis Section

Here is some of the information to be included in your market analysis.

• Industry description and statistics
• Demographics and profile of target customers
• Marketing data for your products and services
• Detailed evaluation of your competitors

4. Marketing Plan

A marketing plan defines how your business aims to reach its target customers, generate sales leads, and, ultimately, make sales.

Promotion is at the center of any successful marketing plan. It is a series of steps to pitch a product or service to a larger audience to generate engagement. Note that the marketing strategy for a business should not be stagnant and must evolve depending on its outcome.

Include the budgetary requirement for successfully implementing your marketing plan in this section to make it easy for readers to measure your marketing plan's impact in terms of numbers.

The information to include in your marketing plan includes marketing and promotion strategies, pricing plans and strategies , and sales proposals. You need to include how you intend to get customers to return and make repeat purchases in your business plan.

5. Sales Strategy

Sales strategy defines how you intend to get your product or service to your target customers and works hand in hand with your business marketing strategy.

Your sales strategy approach should not be complex. Break it down into simple and understandable steps to promote your product or service to target customers.

Apart from the steps to promote your product or service, define the budget you need to implement your sales strategies and the number of sales reps needed to help the business assist in direct sales.

Your sales strategy should be specific on what you need and how you intend to deliver on your sales targets, where numbers are reflected to make it easier for readers to understand and relate better.

6. Competitive Analysis

Providing transparent and honest information, even with direct and indirect competitors, defines a good business plan. Provide the reader with a clear picture of your rank against major competitors.

Identifying your competitors' weaknesses and strengths is useful in drawing up a market analysis. It is one information investors look out for when assessing business plans.

The competitive analysis section clearly defines the notable differences between your company and your competitors as measured against their strengths and weaknesses.

This section should define the following:

• Your competitors' identified advantages in the market
• How do you plan to set up your company to challenge your competitors’ advantage and gain grounds from them?
• The standout qualities that distinguish you from other companies
• Potential bottlenecks you have identified that have plagued competitors in the same industry and how you intend to overcome these bottlenecks

In your business plan, you need to prove your industry knowledge to anyone who reads your business plan. The competitive analysis section is designed for that purpose.

7. Management and Organization

Management and organization are key components of a business plan. They define its structure and how it is positioned to run.

Whether you intend to run a sole proprietorship, general or limited partnership, or corporation, the legal structure of your business needs to be clearly defined in your business plan.

Use an organizational chart that illustrates the hierarchy of operations of your company and spells out separate departments and their roles and functions in this business plan section.

The management and organization section includes profiles of advisors, board of directors, and executive team members and their roles and responsibilities in guaranteeing the company's success.

Apparent factors that influence your company's corporate culture, such as human resources requirements and legal structure, should be well defined in the management and organization section.

Defining the business's chain of command if you are not a sole proprietor is necessary. It leaves room for little or no confusion about who is in charge or responsible during business operations.

This section provides relevant information on how the management team intends to help employees maximize their strengths and address their identified weaknesses to help all quarters improve for the business's success.

8. Products and Services

This business plan section describes what a company has to offer regarding products and services to the maximum benefit and satisfaction of its target market.

Boldly spell out pending patents or copyright products and intellectual property in this section alongside costs, expected sales revenue, research and development, and competitors' advantage as an overview.

At this stage of your business plan, the reader needs to know what your business plans to produce and sell and the benefits these products offer in meeting customers' needs.

The supply network of your business product, production costs, and how you intend to sell the products are crucial components of the products and services section.

Investors are always keen on this information to help them reach a balanced assessment of if investing in your business is risky or offer benefits to them.

You need to create a link in this section on how your products or services are designed to meet the market's needs and how you intend to keep those customers and carve out a market share for your company.

Repeat purchases are the backing that a successful business relies on and measure how much customers are into what your company is offering.

This section is more like an expansion of the executive summary section. You need to analyze each product or service under the business.

9. Operating Plan

An operations plan describes how you plan to carry out your business operations and processes.

The operating plan for your business should include:

• Information about how your company plans to carry out its operations.
• The base location from which your company intends to operate.
• The number of employees to be utilized and other information about your company's operations.
• Key business processes.

This section should highlight how your organization is set up to run. You can also introduce your company's management team in this section, alongside their skills, roles, and responsibilities in the company.

The best way to introduce the company team is by drawing up an organizational chart that effectively maps out an organization's rank and chain of command.

What should be spelled out to readers when they come across this business plan section is how the business plans to operate day-in and day-out successfully.

10. Financial Projections and Assumptions

Bringing your great business ideas into reality is why business plans are important. They help create a sustainable and viable business.

The financial section of your business plan offers significant value. A business uses a financial plan to solve all its financial concerns, which usually involves startup costs, labor expenses, financial projections, and funding and investor pitches.

All key assumptions about the business finances need to be listed alongside the business financial projection, and changes to be made on the assumptions side until it balances with the projection for the business.

The financial plan should also include how the business plans to generate income and the capital expenditure budgets that tend to eat into the budget to arrive at an accurate cash flow projection for the business.

Base your financial goals and expectations on extensive market research backed with relevant financial statements for the relevant period.

Examples of financial statements you can include in the financial projections and assumptions section of your business plan include:

• Projected income statements
• Cash flow statements
• Balance sheets
• Income statements

Revealing the financial goals and potentials of the business is what the financial projection and assumption section of your business plan is all about. It needs to be purely based on facts that can be measurable and attainable.

11. Request For Funding

The request for funding section focuses on the amount of money needed to set up your business and underlying plans for raising the money required. This section includes plans for utilizing the funds for your business's operational and manufacturing processes.

When seeking funding, a reasonable timeline is required alongside it. If the need arises for additional funding to complete other business-related projects, you are not left scampering and desperate for funds.

If you do not have the funds to start up your business, then you should devote a whole section of your business plan to explaining the amount of money you need and how you plan to utilize every penny of the funds. You need to explain it in detail for a future funding request.

When an investor picks up your business plan to analyze it, with all your plans for the funds well spelled out, they are motivated to invest as they have gotten a backing guarantee from your funding request section.

Include timelines and plans for how you intend to repay the loans received in your funding request section. This addition keeps investors assured that they could recoup their investment in the business.

12. Exhibits and Appendices

Exhibits and appendices comprise the final section of your business plan and contain all supporting documents for other sections of the business plan.

Some of the documents that comprise the exhibits and appendices section includes:

• Legal documents
• Licenses and permits
• Credit histories
• Customer lists

The choice of what additional document to include in your business plan to support your statements depends mainly on the intended audience of your business plan. Hence, it is better to play it safe and not leave anything out when drawing up the appendix and exhibit section.

Supporting documentation is particularly helpful when you need funding or support for your business. This section provides investors with a clearer understanding of the research that backs the claims made in your business plan.

There are key points to include in the appendix and exhibits section of your business plan.

• The management team and other stakeholders resume
• Marketing research
• Permits and relevant legal documents
• Financial documents

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Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

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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Concept Statement

What is a concept statement.

A concept statement is a brief summary of the contents of a company’s business plan . It lays the groundwork for the plan when it is being presented to an audience, whether a client, customer or an investor. As it includes all of the main points and scope of the business, the concept statement is intended to help give the audience a better understanding of what the overall business plan entails.

What is included in a concept statement?

A concept statement typically provides clients, customers or investors with a better understanding of the business plan they are about to hear or read. The key information is contained in a succinct and straightforward paragraph. It may include the following:

A short description of the business, including its products and/or services

The defined problem in the market that the business will attempt to address - and how

The target market

An outline of business goals and objectives

Why is a concept statement important?

A concept statement is a crucial part of starting a business . By providing an audience with a clearer visualization of a proposed plan, they may be more open to investing in, partnering with or doing business with the company. As the statements usually include brief descriptions of products, services or designs communicated to customers, they not only help explain the aim and focus of the business, but they also help provide a better understanding of what is intended to be done and how it is to be done.

You may also be interested in:

Business Plan Business Proposal Executive Summary Mission Statement

What should an effective concept statement highlight?

An effective concept statement should highlight the following main elements of your company’s overall business plan:

Business description: This element briefly describes what your company is all about, the features that differentiate it from its competitors, its operation policy, and its role in the market.

Core product or service: This part explains what product or service your company offers. It’s important to emphasize here what sets your product or service apart from others that currently exist in the market.

Target market: This element defines your company’s target market and how you decided on this particular market segment. It’s important to include the exact type of customer or client your product or service is aimed at and how you plan to reach this particular demographic.

Main goals & objectives: This is the conclusion of your concept statement. It should describe your company’s short-term and long-term goals and the timeline for when you aim to achieve these goals. It is important to inform your audience about your company’s current and future goals.

How long should a concept statement be?

The ideal length for a concept statement can vary depending on the specific context, the complexity of the concept and the preferences of the audience or stakeholders. In general however a concept statement should be concise and to the point. Typically, it should be no more than 1 - 2 pages in length.

Here are some guidelines to consider when determining the length of a concept statement.

Clarity and brevity: The primary goal of a concept statement is to provide a clear and concise overview of the idea or concept. It should convey the essential information without unnecessary details or complexity.

Audience expectations: Consider the expectations of your audience. If the concept statement is meant for busy executives or investors, keeping it brief and focused is crucial. They may not have the time or inclination to read a lengthy document.

Succinct key components : A concept statement typically includes key components like the problem or opportunity, the proposed solution, the target audience, objectives, and benefits. The content should address these components succinctly.

Quick engagement: A well-written concept statement should engage the reader's interest quickly. It should spark curiosity and encourage further discussion or exploration.

Links to supplementary materials : If there are additional details or supporting documents, you can provide links or references to these materials rather than including everything in the concept statement.

Use of visual aids: Consider using visuals like charts, diagrams, or graphics to supplement and clarify the text. Visuals can convey information efficiently.

Editing: Be prepared to edit and revise the concept statement to ensure that it conveys the core message in the most straightforward manner. Eliminate any redundant or irrelevant information.

The length of a concept statement should strike a balance between providing enough information to convey the concept's essence and maintaining brevity and clarity. It should be concise, focused and easy to digest in order to do its job of gaining support for a proposal, plan or idea.

How to write a concept statement

Writing a concept statement is an essential step in outlining a business idea, project or proposal. A well-crafted concept statement should be clear and concise. With this in mind we've put together a step-by-step guide on how to write a concept statement.

01. Start with a clear title or heading

Begin your concept statement with a clear and attention-grabbing title or heading that summarizes the central idea or project.

For example: SmartCity: Enhancing Urban Living Through Sustainable Technology

02. Plan your introduction

Then think about a brief introductory paragraph that explains the purpose of your concept statement. State what the concept is and why it's important. This should provide context for the reader as well.

For example: Welcome to 'Project GreenTech,' a forward-thinking initiative designed to revolutionize the way we approach environmental sustainability in urban areas. In a world facing increasing environmental challenges, our concept seeks to harness innovative technology and community-driven solutions to create a cleaner, greener, and more livable future. With a focus on renewable energy, waste reduction, and community engagement, Project GreenTech aims to be a beacon of hope for our planet and a model for sustainable urban development.

03. Clearly define the issue your statement plans to solve

Describe the problem or opportunity that your concept addresses. Then provide a concise explanation of what challenges or needs it aims to resolve or leverage. This should be very specific and clear in order to convey the message most effectively.

04. Set out your proposed solution

Explain your proposed solution to the problem you've explained above. Describe the core idea, product, service or project that you intend to implement.

05. Identify your target audience

Identify and describe the target audience or stakeholders for your concept. Who will benefit from or be impacted by your idea? Be as specific as possible.

06. Outline the objectives and benefits

Outline the specific objectives or goals of your concept. What do you hope to achieve? Additionally, highlight the benefits or value that the concept offers to the target audience or stakeholders.

07. Explain your unique selling proposition

Lay out what sets your concept apart from others in the same space. What is the unique selling point (USP) or value proposition that makes your concept special or superior?

08. Include your implementation plan, where relevant

If applicable, briefly mention how you plan to implement the concept. This can include the timeline, key milestones or a general strategy.

09. Write your conclusion

Finish by concluding your concept statement by summarizing the key points and reiterating the importance of the concept.

10. Review and edit your statement

After writing the initial draft, review and edit your concept statement for clarity, conciseness and accuracy. Ensure that the language is straightforward and free from jargon. If appropriate or impactful, consider using visuals such as diagrams, charts, or images to support and clarify the written content.

11. Gather feedback

Share the concept statement with colleagues, advisors, or other relevant individuals to gather feedback and suggestions for improvement.

12. Finalize and format your statement

Once you've incorporated feedback and are satisfied with the content, finalize the concept statement. Make sure you're happy with the final format which should be clear but professional.

Related Term

Business Plan

Business Proposal

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Business Plan Example and Template

Learn how to create a business plan

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a document that contains the operational and financial plan of a business, and details how its objectives will be achieved. It serves as a road map for the business and can be used when pitching investors or financial institutions for debt or equity financing .

A business plan should follow a standard format and contain all the important business plan elements. Typically, it should present whatever information an investor or financial institution expects to see before providing financing to a business.

Contents of a Business Plan

A business plan should be structured in a way that it contains all the important information that investors are looking for. Here are the main sections of a business plan:

1. Title Page

The title page captures the legal information of the business, which includes the registered business name, physical address, phone number, email address, date, and the company logo.

2. Executive Summary

The executive summary is the most important section because it is the first section that investors and bankers see when they open the business plan. It provides a summary of the entire business plan. It should be written last to ensure that you don’t leave any details out. It must be short and to the point, and it should capture the reader’s attention. The executive summary should not exceed two pages.

3. Industry Overview

The industry overview section provides information about the specific industry that the business operates in. Some of the information provided in this section includes major competitors, industry trends, and estimated revenues. It also shows the company’s position in the industry and how it will compete in the market against other major players.

4. Market Analysis and Competition

The market analysis section details the target market for the company’s product offerings. This section confirms that the company understands the market and that it has already analyzed the existing market to determine that there is adequate demand to support its proposed business model.

Market analysis includes information about the target market’s demographics , geographical location, consumer behavior, and market needs. The company can present numbers and sources to give an overview of the target market size.

A business can choose to consolidate the market analysis and competition analysis into one section or present them as two separate sections.

5. Sales and Marketing Plan

The sales and marketing plan details how the company plans to sell its products to the target market. It attempts to present the business’s unique selling proposition and the channels it will use to sell its goods and services. It details the company’s advertising and promotion activities, pricing strategy, sales and distribution methods, and after-sales support.

6. Management Plan

The management plan provides an outline of the company’s legal structure, its management team, and internal and external human resource requirements. It should list the number of employees that will be needed and the remuneration to be paid to each of the employees.

Any external professionals, such as lawyers, valuers, architects, and consultants, that the company will need should also be included. If the company intends to use the business plan to source funding from investors, it should list the members of the executive team, as well as the members of the advisory board.

7. Operating Plan

The operating plan provides an overview of the company’s physical requirements, such as office space, machinery, labor, supplies, and inventory . For a business that requires custom warehouses and specialized equipment, the operating plan will be more detailed, as compared to, say, a home-based consulting business. If the business plan is for a manufacturing company, it will include information on raw material requirements and the supply chain.

8. Financial Plan

The financial plan is an important section that will often determine whether the business will obtain required financing from financial institutions, investors, or venture capitalists. It should demonstrate that the proposed business is viable and will return enough revenues to be able to meet its financial obligations. Some of the information contained in the financial plan includes a projected income statement , balance sheet, and cash flow.

9. Appendices and Exhibits

The appendices and exhibits part is the last section of a business plan. It includes any additional information that banks and investors may be interested in or that adds credibility to the business. Some of the information that may be included in the appendices section includes office/building plans, detailed market research , products/services offering information, marketing brochures, and credit histories of the promoters.

Business Plan Template

Here is a basic template that any business can use when developing its business plan:

Section 1: Executive Summary

• Present the company’s mission.
• Describe the company’s product and/or service offerings.
• Give a summary of the target market and its demographics.
• Summarize the industry competition and how the company will capture a share of the available market.
• Give a summary of the operational plan, such as inventory, office and labor, and equipment requirements.

Section 2: Industry Overview

• Describe the company’s position in the industry.
• Describe the existing competition and the major players in the industry.
• Provide information about the industry that the business will operate in, estimated revenues, industry trends, government influences, as well as the demographics of the target market.

Section 3: Market Analysis and Competition

• Define your target market, their needs, and their geographical location.
• Describe the size of the market, the units of the company’s products that potential customers may buy, and the market changes that may occur due to overall economic changes.
• Give an overview of the estimated sales volume vis-à-vis what competitors sell.
• Give a plan on how the company plans to combat the existing competition to gain and retain market share.

Section 4: Sales and Marketing Plan

• Describe the products that the company will offer for sale and its unique selling proposition.
• List the different advertising platforms that the business will use to get its message to customers.
• Describe how the business plans to price its products in a way that allows it to make a profit.
• Give details on how the company’s products will be distributed to the target market and the shipping method.

Section 5: Management Plan

• Describe the organizational structure of the company.
• List the owners of the company and their ownership percentages.
• List the key executives, their roles, and remuneration.
• List any internal and external professionals that the company plans to hire, and how they will be compensated.
• Include a list of the members of the advisory board, if available.

Section 6: Operating Plan

• Describe the location of the business, including office and warehouse requirements.
• Describe the labor requirement of the company. Outline the number of staff that the company needs, their roles, skills training needed, and employee tenures (full-time or part-time).
• Describe the manufacturing process, and the time it will take to produce one unit of a product.
• Describe the equipment and machinery requirements, and if the company will lease or purchase equipment and machinery, and the related costs that the company estimates it will incur.
• Provide a list of raw material requirements, how they will be sourced, and the main suppliers that will supply the required inputs.

Section 7: Financial Plan

• Describe the financial projections of the company, by including the projected income statement, projected cash flow statement, and the balance sheet projection.

Section 8: Appendices and Exhibits

• Quotes of building and machinery leases
• Proposed office and warehouse plan
• Market research and a summary of the target market
• Credit information of the owners
• List of product and/or services

Related Readings

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Business Plans. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following CFI resources will be helpful:

• Corporate Structure
• Three Financial Statements
• Business Model Canvas Examples
• See all management & strategy resources
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What Is a Business Plan?

Understanding business plans, how to write a business plan, common elements of a business plan, the bottom line, business plan: what it is, what's included, and how to write one.

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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A business plan is a document that outlines a company's goals and the strategies to achieve them. It's valuable for both startups and established companies. For startups, a well-crafted business plan is crucial for attracting potential lenders and investors. Established businesses use business plans to stay on track and aligned with their growth objectives. This article will explain the key components of an effective business plan and guidance on how to write one.

Key Takeaways

• A business plan is a document detailing a company's business activities and strategies for achieving its goals.
• Startup companies use business plans to launch their venture and to attract outside investors.
• For established companies, a business plan helps keep the executive team focused on short- and long-term objectives.
• There's no single required format for a business plan, but certain key elements are essential for most companies.

Investopedia / Ryan Oakley

Any new business should have a business plan in place before beginning operations. Banks and venture capital firms often want to see a business plan before considering making a loan or providing capital to new businesses.

Even if a company doesn't need additional funding, having a business plan helps it stay focused on its goals. Research from the University of Oregon shows that businesses with a plan are significantly more likely to secure funding than those without one. Moreover, companies with a business plan grow 30% faster than those that don't plan. According to a Harvard Business Review article, entrepreneurs who write formal plans are 16% more likely to achieve viability than those who don't.

A business plan should ideally be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect achieved goals or changes in direction. An established business moving in a new direction might even create an entirely new plan.

There are numerous benefits to creating (and sticking to) a well-conceived business plan. It allows for careful consideration of ideas before significant investment, highlights potential obstacles to success, and provides a tool for seeking objective feedback from trusted outsiders. A business plan may also help ensure that a company’s executive team remains aligned on strategic action items and priorities.

While business plans vary widely, even among competitors in the same industry, they often share basic elements detailed below.

A well-crafted business plan is essential for attracting investors and guiding a company's strategic growth. It should address market needs and investor requirements and provide clear financial projections.

While there are any number of templates that you can use to write a business plan, it's best to try to avoid producing a generic-looking one. Let your plan reflect the unique personality of your business.

Many business plans use some combination of the sections below, with varying levels of detail, depending on the company.

The length of a business plan can vary greatly from business to business. Regardless, gathering the basic information into a 15- to 25-page document is best. Any additional crucial elements, such as patent applications, can be referenced in the main document and included as appendices.

Common elements in many business plans include:

• Executive summary : This section introduces the company and includes its mission statement along with relevant information about the company's leadership, employees, operations, and locations.
• Products and services : Describe the products and services the company offers or plans to introduce. Include details on pricing, product lifespan, and unique consumer benefits. Mention production and manufacturing processes, relevant patents , proprietary technology , and research and development (R&D) information.
• Market analysis : Explain the current state of the industry and the competition. Detail where the company fits in, the types of customers it plans to target, and how it plans to capture market share from competitors.
• Marketing strategy : Outline the company's plans to attract and retain customers, including anticipated advertising and marketing campaigns. Describe the distribution channels that will be used to deliver products or services to consumers.
• Financial plans and projections : Established businesses should include financial statements, balance sheets, and other relevant financial information. New businesses should provide financial targets and estimates for the first few years. This section may also include any funding requests.

Investors want to see a clear exit strategy, expected returns, and a timeline for cashing out. It's likely a good idea to provide five-year profitability forecasts and realistic financial estimates.

2 Types of Business Plans

Business plans can vary in format, often categorized into traditional and lean startup plans. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) , the traditional business plan is the more common of the two.

• Traditional business plans : These are detailed and lengthy, requiring more effort to create but offering comprehensive information that can be persuasive to potential investors.
• Lean startup business plans : These are concise, sometimes just one page, and focus on key elements. While they save time, companies should be ready to provide additional details if requested by investors or lenders.

Why Do Business Plans Fail?

A business plan isn't a surefire recipe for success. The plan may have been unrealistic in its assumptions and projections. Markets and the economy might change in ways that couldn't have been foreseen. A competitor might introduce a revolutionary new product or service. All this calls for building flexibility into your plan, so you can pivot to a new course if needed.

How Often Should a Business Plan Be Updated?

How frequently a business plan needs to be revised will depend on its nature. Updating your business plan is crucial due to changes in external factors (market trends, competition, and regulations) and internal developments (like employee growth and new products). While a well-established business might want to review its plan once a year and make changes if necessary, a new or fast-growing business in a fiercely competitive market might want to revise it more often, such as quarterly.

What Does a Lean Startup Business Plan Include?

The lean startup business plan is ideal for quickly explaining a business, especially for new companies that don't have much information yet. Key sections may include a value proposition , major activities and advantages, resources (staff, intellectual property, and capital), partnerships, customer segments, and revenue sources.

A well-crafted business plan is crucial for any company, whether it's a startup looking for investment or an established business wanting to stay on course. It outlines goals and strategies, boosting a company's chances of securing funding and achieving growth.

As your business and the market change, update your business plan regularly. This keeps it relevant and aligned with your current goals and conditions. Think of your business plan as a living document that evolves with your company, not something carved in stone.

University of Oregon Department of Economics. " Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Business Planning Using Palo Alto's Business Plan Pro ." Eason Ding & Tim Hursey.

Bplans. " Do You Need a Business Plan? Scientific Research Says Yes ."

Harvard Business Review. " Research: Writing a Business Plan Makes Your Startup More Likely to Succeed ."

Harvard Business Review. " How to Write a Winning Business Plan ."

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Write Your Business Plan ."

SCORE. " When and Why Should You Review Your Business Plan? "

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Concept Statement

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Business plans are extensive and require a longer time to read. Considering that the expected readers of these documents are busy people or entrepreneurs to be specific, it would be extremely impractical to read the whole business plan and only to discover its poor content at its 50th page. Thus, it would be very significant to provide a document that is as brief as a note but also as informative as the whole business plan itself. In other words, you might need to include a compelling concept statement with your proposal. Read through to learn more.

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Since any business plan cannot be easily comprehended by the potential investors, it would be a very bright idea to include a concept statement which exactly provides a concrete solution to this problem. Just like a cash flow statement , you also need to be as clear and as precise as possible. Let us then discuss what a concept statement is and how essential it is in business, but before that, why not take a peek on these numerous samples that we have gathered for you to rely on.

Simple Product Concept Statement

Size: 98 KB

Business Plan Concept Statement

Size: 65 KB

Entrepreneurship Concept Statement Guidelines

Size: 36 KB

Basic Concept Statement

Size: 27 KB

What Is a Concept Statement

A concept statement is a brief description of a proposed idea that addresses a certain problem. However, in the entrepreneurial sense, a concept statement is a component of a business plan that asserts and condenses the plan, design or idea of a particular undertaking.

Consequently, it is a short narrative of the whole business plan that is presented either graphically or textually and is presented to a client or business partner for investment or agreement. It provides prospective investors with adequate details to agree on whether they should or should not proceed with the proposed plan.  Thus, a business concept statement is indeed critical since it catches the interest of your audience as well as giving the basis for your investor’s verdict.

Though a concept statement needs to be as short as possible which can range from a single sentence to a page, it should include all of the key elements of the business. These key elements include:

1. Description of the business

In this element, you need to state what your business is all about as well as your company’s plan in entering the said endeavor. You might also include the unique features or characteristics of your company that make you different and outstanding in comparison to your competitors. Also, prove to your audience that your business makes sense and is not just a need but also a loss.

2. Your core product

In this section, you need to discuss the product or service that your company is offering as well as those that your company is still planning to offer. Just like your business description, you also need to show why and how it varies from your existing competitors’ products or service.

3. Target market

In addition, remember to include your intended market or the target consumers of your mentioned product. It should be very specific and carefully considered. You can also present data from extensive market researches and findings of the target market selection.

4. Your goals

This serves as the conclusion of your concept statement. At the end of your concept statement, you must mention the goals and the objectives of your company within a specific time frame. This could be classified as short-term or long-term.

How to Write a Design Concept Statement

Writing a concept statement is the same way as writing a mission statement . You need to create a layout on how to present your ideas. Here are the steps on how to write a design concept statement.

1. Provide a brief introduction.

Write at least two to three sentences explaining the objective of your design. Make it brief and use simple language. You may also see the  statement of purpose examples .

2. Identify the problem.

Lay down the specific problems you need to address and how your company can help in achieving that goal .

3. Provide a solution.

Once the problem is identified, state the unique ideas of your design and how it can create a big impact.

Interior Architecture Concept Statement

Design Concept Statement

Size: 66 KB

Financial Accounting Concept Statement

Size: 100 KB

Project Concept Statement

Size: 153 KB

North Star Convenience Concept Statement

Size: 107 KB

Why Every Startup Needs Business Concept Statement

When you are starting a business and you are looking to attract more clients to fund you or make an investment, you need to present your business plan in a way they can understand it. That is the main point of why statements are needed in every business.

A business concept statement allows you to verbally express and lay out your ideas and plans in the most elementary way. It provides a concrete and firm grasp of what you want to accomplish and how investors can benefit from it. You may also like statement analysis examples .

Guidelines in Making a Concept Statement

Just like writing any other statements formats like a  statement in pdf , a  statement in word , there are some guidelines you need to follow to come up with an effective concept statement.

1. Be firm with your statements.

Investors often look at how they could trust a business statement and how they could gain from it. Your concept statement should provide firm statements on how you are planning your business to become.

2. Offer specific answers.

Providing general solutions to problems do not sell to investors. You need to be specific with your resolutions.

3. Sell the benefits.

Investors are always after what they can get out of their money. Make sure to offer concrete benefits investors are expecting from your business. You may also check out bank statement examples .

Urban Design Business Concept Statement

Interior Design Concept Statement

Agency Project Business Concept Statement

Size: 105 KB

Business Concept Plan Statement

Size: 124 KB

Cafe Business Concept Statement

What Is a Product Concept Statement

Taking it into its most comprehensible sense, a product concept statement shows how the business owners and the design team perceive a new product or service. This briefly provides the product or service description, its purpose, and considers the demographic information of the target market. Product concept statements also distinguish the problems or issues that product can fix or address.

Furthermore, product concept statements are an essential component of a business plan and products and services development plan in established companies. It is important since it gives the whole design team with a comprehensible guideline of their objective in their production. Moreover, it also leads other departments such as the sales and marketing with a plan of what measurements should they do after the product has already been crafted and devised and is now to be released to the market.

These documents are usually used as an internal document such as in a business plan; however, it is not always the case. In fact, these are also utilized by some companies to attract the interest of investors and other potential manufacturing partners. Product concept statements are not needed to be long, as much as it functions effectively, any length that is appropriate can do.

To give you a more comprehensible overview of what a product concept statement is, you may refer to these samples:

Shower Door Product Concept Statement

Size: 29 KB

Minimalist Product Concept Statement

Size: 395 KB

System and Product Concept Statement

Size: 196 KB

Project Designing Service Concept Statement

Usability Engineering Product Concept Statement

Size: 39 KB

Concept Statement Outline Worksheet

Size: 294 KB

Concept Statement Example

Size: 659 KB

Concept Statement in PDF

Size: 14 KB

Sample Concept Statement

Size: 752 KB

Landscape Design Concept Statement

Water Conservation Concept Statement

Size: 81 KB

Business Concept Statement

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