Business Planning Templates: 3 Steps to Get Started

A business planning template can be an invaluable tool for beginners or entrepreneurs working in an unfamiliar field of business. Using a custom template for your division can link to significant work and formatting that you need to do. The following three steps will help you get the most out of your template and you can learn to pitch to investors using our pitch deck template & guide

Read the full template

First, read through the entire business plan template to understand the guidelines that you can use. Read sample text and financial reports as well as any comments and instructions from creators to help you. Reading the template will give you an idea of what the final product will feel like and what kind of work you will need to do to take your plan to this level.

Adjust finances

Before writing anything, work on your finances to align them with your plan. Enter your initial costs (after researching them), cost of goods sold, operating costs, and estimated sales. A template financial model should help by automatically updating the plan financial statements based on changes to this main engine. Make sure the financial results (returns, return on investment, and cash available) are appropriate for your business before moving on to the next step.

Adjust the plan

Then adjust the plan text, starting with the company overview, to the end of the plan and ending with a summary. Since summaries come from different parts of the plan, it is best to write to the last. Make sure that the language you speak belongs entirely to you.

Use the sample text from the business plan template only as a guide for the tone and type of content you should use. Read through the instructions on the template to make sure you meet the purpose of each section as you type