Most entrepreneurs will probably hear the phrase “write a business plan” at least a few times while they’re trying to build their own business. Even though many experts praise the importance of a business plan, there aren’t a ton of resources that help young owners learn how to write.
However, we at Camberlion are here to do just that and provide you with some simple tips and tricks that will help you write a great business plan. In this article, we will look at the content of several real-world and hypothetical business plan examples and show you how you can use them to come up with one of your own.
Without keeping you waiting any longer, let’s get started.
Everything About Samples of Business Plans That You Need to Know
Almost all samples of business plans follow the same exact template. Instead of just showing you a bunch of pre-made samples that don’t clarify anything, we will be focusing on the individual sections that each sample business plan contains and how you can use that information when writing your own.
Each business plan has these seven sections:
- Executive summary: Where you give an overview of the company
- Company description: A more in-depth description of what your organization does
- Market analysis: Information about the market and industry you operate in
- Products and services: What you plan on bringing to the market
- Marketing plan: How you plan to promote your business to the target audience and earn profits
- Logistics and operations plan: The way your organization will run so that it functions properly
- Financial plan: Here, you show a breakdown of how much money you will need to get started and what your predictions for future profits look like
Now, let’s take a detailed look into every one of these sections.
Executive Summary
The executive summary page is where you will provide the reader with a high-level overview of what your company does. If you don’t have a ton of experience writing business plans, it’s a good idea to leave this section for last. Typically, an executive summary isn’t crazy long and contains only a few paragraphs that briefly outline what the organization is all about.
Company Description
It’s likely that the company description is something you will have a ton of use for. It’s typically used on websites, social media profile pages, and other instances where a quick outline of what your company is all about is needed. In this text, you will have to provide more details about what it is that your organization does, and you can include the following sections:
- Business structure – Is your company an LLC or corporation, or does it fall under a different business type?
- Nature of the business – What does your company do? What makes it unique?
- Industry – What industry does your business fall under?
- Background information – Give some insight into what made you start the company and what the purpose is of its products/services. Show what makes you different and try to build a connection with the reader.
- Business Objectives – What do you want to achieve? What are the future goals for the company?
- Team – Are you doing this on your own? If not, who are the other people involved in the business?
This is also the place where your mission statement has to make an appearance.
Market Analysis
In this section, you will have to provide in-depth information about your target market, industry trends, competition, and research on supply and demand. To make this task easier for you, you can do a SWOT analysis which identifies potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Along with that, you can include a competitive analysis so that you tell the readers who you’re up against and how you plan to make your business better.
Products and Services
Here, you need to describe what you plan on selling to your target audience. You have to give detailed descriptions of your products and services that include an explanation of what needs they serve and how they’re better than what’s currently offered on the market. This is where you have to convince the reader that what your company is producing will truly serve a purpose and will make people want to spend money on it.
Marketing Plan
Having a marketing plan is a must for any business. It shows how you plan on announcing your product/service to the world, and it can be a determining factor in the success or failure of your venture. There are many ways to go about explaining your marketing strategy: you can choose to talk about which channels you will use, or you can take a different approach and focus on the four Ps: price, promotion, product, and place. Regardless of which approach you choose, your marketing plan’s main goal is to explain how you will market your business to its target audience.
Operations Plan
Depending on your business’s business, this part of your business plan will have a different focus. You can choose to explain your suppliers, production flow, equipment, inventory, and shipping – if you’re offering a product. On the other hand, if you plan on selling a service, you can focus on how you will provide customer service and the process of creating the specific software you will offer.
Financial Plan
With the financial plan, you have to inform the reader about your business’s sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and all other sorts of relevant financial metrics that have to do with your company’s success. You have to dive deep and provide
- A projection for the profits
- Projected cash-flow statements and balance sheet
- Funding needs
In Conclusion
Writing a business plan is a necessity nowadays and learning how to write one is a must for any aspiring entrepreneur. A well-written business plan will serve as a roadmap for your company’s future and help you reach your goals. It’s a text that will keep you accountable and focused before and after the launch and help you create a team spirit within the organization.