A Simple Business Plan

Then take the crucial components of each section and use them to create an engaging executive summary that draws the reader into the rest of your business plan.

Get Your Business Ready for 2018 If you are planning to start a new business in 2018, now is the perfect time to begin working on your business plan.

For instance, helps companies stay compliant with critical business filings, so you can focus on what you do best without having to worry about whether you remembered to file a necessary report with the government.

Step 5: Write a Marketing Plan Your marketing plan provides a more detailed look at your products and services, the market into which you are launching, and how you plan to promote your business among prospective customers.

Try it free for 60 days and then expand your one-page plan into a full business plan using the same process plus over 500 sample plans for inspiration. A business plan takes all the key considerations of your business, from your 1-sentence pitch to your revenue model, and puts it in a single neat document.

Whether you’re a new, established or evolving business, everyone needs to have these answers prepared and reevaluated over time. Even though your business plan is something you’ll reconsider constantly (such as, when competitors come and go), it’s not always necessary to put it down on paper.Given all these benefits, it’s no surprise that having a business plan is how the best entrepreneurs create a strategy for their business and stay organized as it grows.They also know that with a plan, they are less likely to run into serious problems as they operate their business, and more likely to be able resolve the problems that do arise. To help you along the way, we’ve broken the process down into 8 simple steps. This is a brainstorming phase, so be creative, not critical.Here, you get to introduce readers to your company with a brief overview. This will also help your readers understand what to expect when they work with you—will the experience be marked by certainty or frustration?Also, you can split this section into two subsections, an operations section and a management section: If you discover expertise gaps in your team, you can also fill them in through outsourcing, vendors, and partnerships.If you want a fast and easy way to make a business plan, check out Live Plan.It walks you step-by-step through building a one-page business plan using prompts, definitions, and video and text tutorials.Here’s all the common ways entrepreneurs write business plans today: Regardless of the medium you choose, or whether you’re writing a one-page or full-length business plan, there’s 9 key components all business plans include.While all of these should be considered, you may emphasize, skip, or move around some sections depending on your particular situation: The first part of your business plan is a brief summary of your business: Start it off with your 1-sentence pitch.This is a bite-sized description of your business that explains your unique approach AND leaves the reader’s mouth watering.Here’s an example from a winner of Geek Wire’s 2012 one-sentence pitch competition: The rest of your executive summary should briefly explain your company’s story and introduce your specific products/services/locations.