Free Business Plan Template
A business plan template is a ready-made outline of the sections lenders, investors and partners expect to see. Download ours, answer the questions in each section and you'll have a complete first draft.
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10 sectionsGuiding questions and tables
Financial plan checklistWhat lenders look for
Ten sections, in the order readers expect
Each section has guiding questions, a short table to fill in and a tip. A finished plan is usually 10 to 20 pages.
Word
Best for editing, tracked changes and sharing with an adviser.
Best for printing and filling in by hand at a workshop.
Google Docs
Best for writing together with a co-founder in real time. Makes your own copy in your Google Drive (Google account needed).
Use the template right here
Everything in the download is on this page, so you can read it first or copy it into your own document.
Jump to a section
Executive summary
A one-page overview that tells a busy reader what you do, why it will work and what you are asking for.
- What does your business sell, and to whom?
- What problem does it solve, and why now?
- What results do you expect in the first 12 months?
- How much funding do you need, and what will it pay for?
| Business in one sentence | We sell … to … so they can … |
|---|---|
| Target customer | Who buys first |
| Year-1 sales goal | Amount and currency |
| Funding request | Amount and main uses |
Tip
Write this section after everything else. Repeat only facts that appear later in the plan, so a reader who checks finds the same figures in section 9.
Company overview
The basic facts about your business and where it stands today.
| Business name and legal structure | e.g. sole trader, LLC |
|---|---|
| Location and market served | City, country, online |
| Stage | Idea, launching, operating since … |
| Mission | One sentence |
Problem, solution and products
The customer problem, how you solve it, and what exactly you sell and at what price.
- What do customers do today without you?
- What makes your solution better, cheaper or easier?
- What are your products or services and their prices?
Market analysis
Who your customers are, how many of them there are and what is changing in your market.
- Which customer segment will you serve first?
- How big is that segment where you operate?
- Which trends help or hurt you?
Competition and your advantage
The alternatives customers have, including doing nothing, and why they will choose you.
| Competitor or alternative | Name |
|---|---|
| Their strength | What they do well |
| Their weakness | Where they fall short |
| Your advantage | Why a customer switches |
Marketing and sales plan
How customers will find you and how a sale actually happens.
- Which two or three channels will you use?
- What does it cost to win one customer?
- How does a sale close: online checkout, a call, a contract?
Operations plan
What it takes to deliver your product every day: location, suppliers, equipment and key processes.
Management and team
Who runs the business, what each person is responsible for and which skills you still need to hire.
Financial plan
The numbers that show whether the plan works: what it costs to start, what you expect to sell, and when cash comes in and goes out.
- What are your start-up costs and who pays for them?
- How many sales do you expect each month, at what price?
- What are your fixed and variable costs?
- When do you break even, and how low does cash go before then?
- Which assumptions matter most if they turn out wrong?
| Start-up costs | Equipment, deposits, launch marketing … |
|---|---|
| Sales forecast | Monthly for year 1, yearly for years 2–3 |
| Profit & loss | Revenue, direct costs, expenses, net profit |
| Cash flow | Cash in, cash out, closing balance each month |
| Balance sheet | Assets, liabilities, equity at year end |
| Break-even | Sales needed per month to cover all costs |
| Key assumptions | Price, growth rate, payment terms, hiring |
Tip
Lenders read this section first. Write each assumption next to the number it drives, so a reader can see where every figure comes from.
A template holds your numbers. It can't test them.
In BznsBuilder you enter your revenue streams, costs, team, assets and financing once. It builds your Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow for up to 10 years.
- Change a price, a sales target or a hire in a what-if scenario and see the effect on profit and cash
- Get forecast suggestions while you set up
- Download your reports as PDF or Excel
7-day free trial · no credit card
Funding request and appendix
How much money you need, what it pays for, and the documents that back up your plan.
| Amount needed | Total and currency |
|---|---|
| Type of funding | Loan, equity, grant, own savings |
| Use of funds | Equipment, stock, marketing, working capital |
| Appendix checklist | Licences, quotes, CVs, contracts, detailed forecasts |
What a filled-in section looks like
An excerpt from a made-up neighbourhood bakery, to show the level of detail to aim for.
Executive summary (excerpt)
Crumb Corner is a neighbourhood bakery in a busy city neighbourhood, selling fresh bread, pastries and custom cakes to families and nearby offices. We open in March with a small shop and online pre-orders. We expect 900 orders a month by month six at an average of $35, and to break even in month five. We are asking for $84,000 to cover ovens, the shop fit-out and three months of working capital.
Monthly snapshot at month six (USD)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue (900 × 35) | 31,500 |
| Ingredients & packaging (55%) | −17,325 |
| Rent, salaries, utilities | −11,900 |
| Monthly profit before tax | 2,275 |
Break-even ≈ 756 orders a month (11,900 ÷ (35 × 45%))
Fill in the template in six steps
- Collect the factsPrices, supplier quotes, rent, salaries and any sales you already have.
- Describe your customer and marketFill in sections 3 to 5 before you write about strategy.
- Build the numbersComplete section 9 and write every assumption next to its figure.
- Write your strategyMarketing, operations and team, checked against the budget you set.
- Write the executive summary lastUse only facts and figures that appear later in the plan.
- Review it with someone elseAsk a mentor, accountant or lender what is unclear, then update it.
Want the full method?How to write a business plan
Template, AI chatbot or BznsBuilder?
All three can help. They suit different stages.
| Free template | General AI chatbot | BznsBuilder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Blank sections and questions | A draft text from your prompt | Your plan sections and a guided financial setup. You can paste in a plan you already wrote |
| Financial statements | You build them in a spreadsheet | Numbers you must check yourself | Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow built from your inputs |
| Testing changes | Edit every formula by hand | Ask again and compare answers | What-if scenarios for price, sales or costs |
| Sharing | Email the file | Copy and paste | Export as PDF, Word or Excel |
| Best for | A quick first draft or a workshop | Brainstorming wording | A plan with numbers you will present or keep using |
Business plan template questions
Is the template free? Do I need to give my email?
Which format should I choose?
How long should a business plan be?
Do I need financial projections?
Can I use this template for a bank loan or investors?
Should I use a template or business plan software?
How often should I update my business plan?
Turn your plan into a forecast
Start with the free template, then build the numbers in BznsBuilder. 7-day free trial, no credit card.
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