One of the reasons that so many small businesses fail is that they don’t do the necessary up front work to create an accurate and realistic business plan. Creating a business plan doesn’t guarantee success, but the process of writing a plan is critical for any successful new business. It isn’t our goal to try to tell you everything you need to know about creating a business plan. Instead, our goal is to make the process easier by providing a professionally designed business plan template that you can edit easily using Word and Excel.
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for Word & Excel, Version 1.0
Update (7/22/2016): We’ve added a basic break-even analysis worksheet to the companion Excel workbook.
Description
This template provides a business plan outline with sample questions, tables, and a working table of contents. It was created for newer versions of Word and Excel (Office 2007 or later) so that you can easily change the fonts and color scheme and the file will be compatible with the mobile and web-based Word & Excel apps.
It is best to use Excel for financial statements, data tables and charts. So, we have provided a companion Excel workbook with these sample financial statements and other tables and graphs that you can copy and paste into your Word document.
The companion workbook combines many of the different spreadsheets you can find on Vertex42.com, but customized specifically for inclusion in a business plan.
Using the Business Plan Template
Editing Headings and Table of Contents
Word allows you to assign format Styles to text and paragraphs, and we’ve designed the template to use these Styles for defining headings, sub-headings, and figure captions.
If you want to add a new section so that the Table of Contents updates correctly, just add a new heading in the body of the document and assign it the Heading 1 or Heading 2 style.
To update the Table of Contents, go to the References tab and within the Table of Contents group of buttons, click on Update Table and then «Update entire table.»
Copy/Paste From Excel to Word
For simple tables, you can use Copy/Paste (Ctrl+c / Ctrl+v) to copy a table from Excel to Word. This will typically paste the data as a formatted and editable table in Word, though none of the formulas will be functional within Word (and the table will not be linked to Excel). If you don’t want the table to be editable in Word, you can «Paste as a Picture» using Paste Special or by choosing the «Picture» option when you right-click in Word to paste the table.
Important: When you paste a chart object into your business plan, make sure to «Paste as a Picture» because pasting the chart as an embedded object means that the entire spreadsheet becomes embedded in your Word document (even though what you see is only the chart).
If you want to insert a table into Word as a «Linked Object» so that when you edit Excel, the table in Word will update automatically, you may have a more difficult time preserving the formatting of the original. However, at the least the entire spreadsheet won’t be embedded within your business plan Word document.
More Related Templates
Resources for Writing a Business Plan
- Write Your Business Plan at SBA.gov — Anybody starting a business should become familiar with the SBA (small business association). SBA.gov also has an online tool for creating a business plan.
- YouTube: How to Write a Business Plan — Business Wales (3 minutes) — This video offers a quick overview and tips for the essential parts of a business plan.
- YouTube: How to Write a Business Plan — Berkeley-Haas (71 minutes) — This presentation offers both the venture capitalist and entrepreneur perspective on how to write a business plan that can successfully attract funding.
- Write Your Business Plan at Entrepreneur.com — A book written by the staff of a company that should know what they are talking about.
- Sample Business Plans at bplans.com — Finding a business plan for similar businesses in your industry is a great way to get ideas for what to include in your plan. This site is a great resource for not only finding sample plans, but also for creating a business plan online using their step-by-step approach.
Other Free Business Plan Templates
- Business Planning Template Gallery at SCORE.org — This nonprofit organization (supported by the SBA) has provided expertise and free mentorship for millions of small business owners. They also have a useful collection of templates.
- Develop Your Business Plan at business.gov.au — This Australian Government site provides a really good business plan template for Word, including a detailed guide, questions to answer, and sample financial statements.
We’ve compiled a variety of expert-approved business plan templates and samples for Microsoft Word. There are options for organizations of any size and type — from coffee shops and hair salons to professional services, and everything in between.
Included on this page, you’ll find Word business plan templates for small businesses, startup businesses, product and service businesses, and more.
Simple Business Plan Word Templates
These customizable business plan templates come professionally designed and ready to use, and are available to download in Microsoft Word format.
Simple Business Plan Template
Use this template as a basis for creating an organized and thorough business plan. Customize the built-in table of contents to suit your needs, and use the space included to detail the nature of your business, the solution to the problem you’re solving, a market analysis, key performance indicators (KPIs), financial forecasts, and more.
Download Simple Business Plan Template — Word
Simple 30-60-90 Business Plan Template
This template is ideal for developing a 90-day action plan to create and implement your business plan in manageable, 30-day chunks. Use the document to outline your main goals and deliverables, and then assign key business activities and deadlines to ensure your plan stays on track.
Download Simple 30-60-90-Day Business Plan Template
Word | Smartsheet
For more 30-60-90 business plan templates, visit our «Free 30-60-90-Day Business Plan Templates and Samples» article.
Simple Business Plan Outline Template
This template provides a standard outline for a traditional business plan, which you can use to guide your research and develop your plan. Easily modify the provided information to include information that is relevant to your business.
Download Simple Business Plan Outline Template — Word
For additional downloadable resources in a variety of formats, visit, “Simple Business Plan Templates.”
One-Page Business Plan Word Templates
These single page business plan templates in this section provide a useful way to organize ideas. Companies can use these templates to develop a pitch document for potential partners and investors.
One-Page Business Plan Template
Use this template to capture the main details of your business concept, including your product or service offering, who it benefits, how it helps your target buyer, the pricing structure, income streams, and key milestones. There’s also room at the bottom to include a SWOT analysis.
Download One-Page Business Plan Template
Word | Smartsheet
One-Page Lean Business Plan
This template utilizes a Lean approach to help you showcase the core concepts of your business idea in a scannable format. Provide a brief overview of your company and industry, the unique benefits your product or service possesses, distribution strategy, key objectives and success metrics, and a financial plan. Use the visual timeline at the bottom to display dates and milestones.
Download One-Page Lean Business Plan Template — Word
One-Page 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template
A 30-60-90-day template is useful for developing an actionable plan. Simply add your main goals and the activities required to achieve them in 30-day increments. Update the status of each goal regularly to ensure your plan stays on track.
Download One-Page 30-60-90 Day Business Plan Template
Word | Smartsheet
For additional single page plans, along with an example of a business plan, visit «One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide.»
Small Business Plan Word Templates
These customizable business plan templates are especially useful for small businesses to develop a roadmap for structuring, operating, and growing their organization.
Small Business Plan Template
This comprehensive business plan template is ideal for small businesses that want to thoroughly document key goals and the associated activities. Add essential information to each section to keep your plan clear and concise — and pay special attention to the financial section and provide details that will validate your plan.
Download Small Business Plan Template — Word
Fill-In-the-Blank Small Business Plan Template
This fill-in-the-blank template is useful for small business owners that need some guidance adding details to the various elements of their business plan. Each section of this standard business plan comes with pre-filled content that you can expand on and customize to reflect the specific needs and details of your business.
Download Fill-In-the-Blank Small Business Plan Template — Word
Additional Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan templates can be found here.
One-Page Small Business Plan Template
Small businesses can use this template to articulate business ideas in a succinct, easily digestible manner. There is space to include a business overview, key team members, a market analysis, marketing and sales plans, objectives and success metrics, and a financial plan.
Download One-Page Business Plan for Small Business — Word
Startup Business Plan Word Templates
These business plan templates are ideal for entrepreneurs to assess the viability of their idea and gain buy-in from prospective investors and stakeholders.
Startup Business Plan Template
Use this startup business plan template to create a strong and detailed roadmap of your concept and related goals. The template includes space for an executive summary, business description, summary of product or service offerings, pricing structure, marketing strategy, competitive analysis, startup expenses, funding sources, and more to ensure you have a thorough plan in place.
Download Startup Business Plan Template
Word | Smartsheet
Sample 30-60-90-Day Business Plan for Startup
This 30-60-90-day business plan template is versatile, and can be used to develop an actionable plan for virtually any business activity. This sample contains pre-filled information to help you explain the organization’s main goals and deliverables, as well as to assign key tasks, ownership, and deadlines.
Download Sample 30-60-90 Day Business Plan for Startup Template
Word | Smartsheet
For additional resources to create your plan, visit “Free Startup Business Plan Templates and Examples.”
Product and Service Business Plan Word Templates
These business plan templates are designed for a product or service-focused business to use to develop a workplan that articulates its vision and objectives.
Business Plan Template for Professional Services
Entrepreneurs offering professional services can use this document to outline the main goals and objectives associated with their business, as well as how they plan to achieve them. This template comes with a built-in table of contents and includes all the components of a traditional business plan, including the company background, market and industry analysis, competitive analysis, service offering details, promotional plan, sales forecasts, financial statements, and more.
Download Business Plan Template for Professional Services — Word
One-Page Business Plan for Service Business
This business plan template is ideal for a service-type business owner who needs a basic plan to jot down core business concepts. This single-page template has room to include the business mission and vision, service provided, target market, competitive advantage, marketing and sales plan, and key objectives. There is also a visual timeline of milestones included at the bottom of the template for tracking progress.
Download One-Page Business Plan Template for Service Business — Word
One-Page Business Plan for a Product Business
Use this one-page business plan to outline the key details related to your product-focused idea. Articulate the purpose and vision of your business, the problem your product solves, potential customers, how you will get your product to buyers, pricing strategy, main objectives, and success metrics. The timeline of milestones at the bottom of the template automatically creates a visual display of noteworthy activities.
Download One-Page Business Plan for Product Business — Word
Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Word Templates
Use these pre-filled business plan templates as a basis to build a thorough plan that keeps your strategy aligned with sales, promotional, and financial objectives.
Simple Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan
This fill-in-the-blank template features a traditional business plan layout, and includes pre-filled content in each section. Outline the key components of a well-rounded business plan, and add a company overview, market analysis, marketing and sales plan, operations plan, financial statements, supporting documentation, and more.
Download Simple Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Template — Word
Lean Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan
This Lean business plan has all the necessary parts to articulate your business vision and strategy. Add information about the problem you aim to solve, your product or service offering, unique value proposition, target customers, cost structure, revenue streams, and a timeline of milestones.
Download Fill-In-the-Blank Lean Business Plan Template — Word
For additional resources, visit «Free Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Templates.»
For more free, downloadable templates for all aspects of your business, take a look at “Free Business Templates for Organizations of All Sizes.”
Empower Your Teams to Implement Your Business Plan with Smartsheet
Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change.
The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.
When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.
Plan Templates
Do you want to start your small business, startup, or offer professional creative services? With our business plan template, you can create the best multi or one-page proposal featuring a layout for several businesses and organizations. Our simple business plan samples feature a restaurant, real estate, retail, and marketing companies. Likewise, you can also grab a PDF Template for specific entities such as daycare and nonprofit organizations. You can produce the best business plan for your upcoming brand, product, or service with your financial details and business studies. Start by downloading the perfect format and content template today.
- 1451+ Plan Templates in Word
- 1032+ Sample Plan Templates
Business Plan Template
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Sample Business Plan Template
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Small Business Plan Template
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Sample Business Plan Outline Template
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Business Sales Plan Template
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Business Plan Template for Online Start-Up
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Car Sales Business Plan Template
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YouTube Creative Business Plan Template
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Professional Business Plan Template
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One Page Business Plan Template
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Restaurant Business Plan Template
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Startup Business Plan Template
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Business Continuity Plan Template
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Business Development Plan Template
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Business Action Plan Template
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Sales Business Plan Template
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Travel Business Plan Template
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> Business Continuity Plan
A Business Continuity Plan is a necessary tool for those who would love to expand an already established business. You can use Word, Excel, or PSD free to download templates and write what your business would like to do and what exactly it would like to achieve. This is the only tool, which will show whether you have what it take to fulfill these set business goals. (12+ Business Continuity Plan Template)
> Restaurant Business Plan
A restaurant business sounds like a great one to take part in. With an assured market share and guarantee to make a great profit, you cannot help but pick a pen and start writing that Restaurant Business Plan to get started. There are free Word, Excel as well as PDF templates that can inspire you and help you get the plan done within the least time possible. (9+ Restaurant Business Plan Template)
> Sales Business Plan
A Marketing Plan needs to be accurate and reflect potential economic benefits and reasons to start the business. It is not just about putting words or ideas in Excel, Word, or PDF files. It is about making sure that those plans are professional, up to date, and legit enough to help you start a business on the right note. (6+ Sales Business Plan Template)
> Business Plan Outline
A Plan Outline is the only tool that can help you to assess the liabilities of those ideas that you have in mind. Do not just put any word on the Excel or PDF template you have downloaded online. The best thing would be to take time to refine those great ideas and see their viabilities, even before you start making the actual copy of the plan. (10+ Business Plan Outline Template)
> Simple Business Plan Proposal
A Simple Business Plan is always easy to understand. Every word used to write the plan is non-ambiguous. The writer of the document utilizes PDF, Excel files to organize their thoughts professionally, taking to account what matters, and leaving out what is not necessary. You also should do the same. (6+ Simple Business Plan Template)
> Marketing Business Plan
A Marketing Business Plan will help you get financial support from various moneylenders. The plan must therefore be accurate, clearly detailing the essence, the steps, and all the necessary activities that will be involved in the marketing process. You can download and use free Word, PDF, or Excel templates to create your business plan. (8+ Marketing Business Plan Template)
> Real Estate Business Plan
If real estate is a good choice for you, the best you can do it to prepare a good Real Estate Business Plan. Use Word, Excel or PDF Business Plan Templates to describe the nature of the business, the target market and most importantly your financial plans and goals. Make sure the information provided is accurate. (10+ Real Estate Business Plan Template)
> One Page Business Plan
A One-Page Business Plan can help you assess your ideas, see if they are viable, and take you from the stage of just thinking about the ideas to a reasoned stage where you have a reasonable plan and call to action. You can download PDF, Word, or Excel sample plans online for examples and inspiration. (8+ One Page Business Plan Template)
> Small Business Plan
The only way to know the strategies that the business you intend to start will employ in running the business is to have a Small Business Plan. You can download and use free PDF, Word, or Excel templates to create the best business strategies on paper, the kind that will help you avoid obstacles and maintain your business position for a long time. (12+ Small Business Plan Template)
> Strategic Business Plan
A strategic Business Plan requires a lot of concentration to prepare. It is not just about putting words on PDF or Excel files. It is about taking time to make sure that the business plan in question will be able to do what the writer hopes it will achieve. It is not about putting those ideas down. It is going to be more about refining them and assessing their likelihood of effectiveness. (8+ Strategic Business Plan Template)
> SPA & Salon Business Plan
I know people who have started salon and spa businesses and they are doing great. The secret is that they did not just put words on those Word, PDF, or Excel Free templates downloaded online. Instead, they used the business plan template as the basic tool to help them structure their business plan the best way possible. Download your template today and start planning your business. (10+ SPA & Salon Business Plan Template)
> Hotel Business Plan
Want some financing to start a hotel business! You will need a hotel business plan, written either in word, pdf or in excel format. The Restaurant Business Plan is also going to be a decision-making tool, which will help you make the right business decisions as well as guarantee business progress and continuity. (9+ Hotel Business Plan Template)
> Travel Business Plan
Financial supporters are not the main target of your Travel Business Plan, and they shouldn’t be in the first place if you got a good source of money for the startup. The word, excel, or pdf business plan should help you know how you are going to get started with the business, the finances as well as the management. (8+ Travel Business Plan Template)
> Microsoft Business Plan Template
The main thing you need to know about Microsoft Word Business Plan Templates is that they are available free for download. You never have to struggle with Word or Excel on your computer to produce your PDF files. Simply use the free downloads available online to create a business plan. (7+ Microsoft Business Plan Template)
> 30 60 90 Day Business Plan
A business plan is necessary even where employees are involved. This is where the 30 60 90 day business plan comes in. The samples available in word, pdf, and excel format are good ones and you can use them as sources of inspiration to get your writing the best. Also, you can download a template to help you write the plan. (6+ 30 60 90 Day Business Plan Template)
> Catering Business Plan
The beauty of downloading a free Catering Business Plan Template is that you never have to spend time creating an outline on your own from the ground up. You can get the best in Word, PDF, or Excel format and use them to write the restaurant business plan for free. (9+ Catering Business Plan Template)
> Coffee Shop Business Plan
A coffee shop can be a great startup especially if you have an already available, a well-defined and interactive target market. A word, excel or PDF business plan, written only by you the business owner will help you step the right foot forward to getting started with and continuing the business. (10+ Coffee Shop Business Plan Template)
> Trucking Business Plan
You can download word, pdf, and or excel Trucking Business Plan Template and use it to prepare your business plan. Templates are great time savers. They will help you have peace of mind preparing your Trucking Business Plan, making it easier for you to concentrate on the core part of the preparation. (7+ Trucking Plan Business Template)
> Bakery Business Plan
The bakery business is good, but there is no way you are going to set up a business account with the bank or get funding for the business if you do not have a good Bakery Business Plan Written. This is why there is free Word, Excel, and PDF Business Plan Templates to help you write the plan with ease. The templates are free for download. (10+ Bakery Business Plan Template)
> Farm Business Plan
A one-page business plan is good enough if you want to write a simple Farm Business Plan. Go straight to the point when writing the plan. Write carefully, and no beating around the bush. Download Excel, PDF, or word samples online, see how the owners have written them, and use them as a source of knowledge and inspiration. (13+ Farm Business Plan Template)
> Startup Business Plan
You need to remember that a good presentation is highly essential when writing your business plan. This means you need to spend a lot of time formulating your Startup Business Plan so that it is accurate, and perfectly in line with what you intend to start. You can download sample plans in word, pdf, or excel format and use them as sources of inspiration to learn how to write your own. (10+ Startup Business Plan Template)
> Retail Business Plan
Whether you are writing in word, using PDF files, or prefer excel to make your Retail Business Plan, you need to make sure that the business plan in question is interesting to read. Go straight to the point. Never mention anything that is not necessary, as it could be too boring to the users getting them to lose in the end. (7+ Retail Business Plan Template)
> Non-Profit Business Plan
Before you use Word or Excel to write a Non-Profit Business Plan, remind yourself that it should be a legit one. This means that the plan must be honest and realistic. If you are writing a plan with goals that aren’t achievable, then it only means you are doing it wrong and you could remain on the losing end. (8+ Non-Profit Business Plan Template)
> Business Plan Template for Mac
Gone are the times when there were no options to download templates online. Today you can get the best Business Plan Template for Mac in word, PDF or excel format and use it for your business planning. The templates are available free for download and will make your planning easier from the word go. (8+ Business Plan Template for Mac)
> Business Plan Action Template
Driving consumer action is not going to be an easy thing, to say the least. However, if you have the best Business Action Plan in place, you can be sure you will get people out there involved with your products. Download a Business Plan Action Template in Word, Excel, or PDF today for free and get started with setting up your plan. (6+ Business Action Plan Template)
> Cafe Business Plan
A café business plan is a written word, excel, or pdf document that highlights the steps that you will take to establish and run the business. Usually, one must write this document before they can start a business, as it acts as the most comprehensive business tool that will help you make major business decisions as you go along. (11+ Cafe Business Plan Template)
> Car Wash Business Plan
A car wash Business Plan should not be hard to write at all. After all, there are free word, pdf, and excel templates that you can download for free from the internet and use to write the business plan. The purpose of these templates is to make the work of getting your business plan done easier from start to finish. (10+ Car Wash Business Plan Template)
> Construction Business Plan
Those who have the best Construction Business Plan understand that accuracy is key. You cannot start a business in this industry if your plans, your market target, your finances are not realistic. You can be sure that if you are going to put a bunch of words on word, excel, or pdf files without thinking about what you want to achieve, then it is highly likely that you are not ready for business, to say the least. (8+ Construction Business Plan Template)
> Bar Business Plan
Seen people take a bottle too often in your state! Well, it is time to start some bar business. You must have a comprehensive plan to get started, and a good template can help you get that Bar Business Plan ready sooner than later. Download in word, excel, or pdf files and get started making a good plan that will help you step the right foot forward. (10+ Bar Business Plan Template)
> Daycare Business Plan
You will need to have a comprehensive daycare business plan if you want to get started with the business on the right note. With hundreds of word, excel and pdf templates available online free for download, getting started with writing the plan should be an easy thing. (9+ Daycare Business Plan Template)
> Business Plan Maker
Whether yours is going to be a small business or a bigger one, drawing its plan is a necessary task to do for the sake of the market, finance, sales as well as market and business legality. There are good word, pdf, and excel templates that you can download online for free and use to get the business plan ready. Get yours today and reduce the number of hours you would otherwise have spent on this project. (11+ Top Business Plan Maker)
> Boutique Business Plan
The main objective of creating a word, pdf, or excel Boutique Business Plan is to bring together the best ideas you have for the business and assess their viability before swinging into action to implement them. Grab an example sample online, see how the writer has structured them and use that as an inspiring example to create your own. (8+ Boutique Business Plan Template)
> Photography Business Plan
People doing well in the photography business are not those who have a lot of money in the bank. They simply took advantage of excel, pdf, and word Photography Business Plan Template and wrote a good business plan that gradually got them to the success stage. You also need such a business if you hope to do well in a photography business of your own. (7+ Photography Business Plan Template)
> Interior Design Layout Business Plan
I have often heard the most successful interior designers say that the best businesspersons are the ones that create a good interior design Business Plan. Yes, Putting the right words on that word, excel or PDF business plan template is the only way to get you starting and maintaining a successful business. (6+ Interior Design Business Plan Template)
> Gym Business Plan
Gym Business is a good one and of course a highly demanding venture. You need a good Gym Business Plan if you want to start a gym business. Your plan, written either in word, excel, or PDF business plan template must be accurate, on point, and focus only on what you know and believe is necessary. Once you have a good plan in place, it should be easy to get started with the business, and even put in place a continuation plan in the future. (10+ Gym Business Plan Template)
> Financial Executive Summary Business Plan
The use of Financial Business Plan templates has become quite common these days. You may not even know it but these free-to-download words, excel, and pdf tools are helpful as they help you get your business plan ready within the least time possible. The templates are free to download and of course, free to use. (8+Financial Business Plan Template)
More in Plan Templates
| Farm Business Plan Template – 13+ Free Word, Excel, PDF Format … | Strategic Business Plan Template – 8+ Free Word, Excel, PDF … |
| Business Plan Template – 108+ Free Word, Excel, PDF Format … | Business Plan Templates -33+ Examples in Word Free & Premium … |
| Catering Business Plan Template – 9+ Free Word, Excel, PDF … | Simple Business Plan Template – 6+ Free Word, Excel, PDF Format … |
| Bar Business Plan Template – 10+ Free Word, Excel, PDF Format … | Free Business Plan Templates — Word, PDF Documents Download … |
Are you writing a business plan for a brand new startup? Or updating an old business plan for an established brand? Then this collection of MS Word business plan templates will definitely come in handy.
The key to making an effective business plan brochure that wins over investors and inspires employees is to use a modern and attractive design.
No one wants to read through a 100-page brochure that looks like a VCR manual from the 1960s. Today, people prefer cleaner brochure layouts with proper paragraph formatting that offer a much smoother reading experience.
Designing such modern business plan documents is not that difficult. In fact, you can easily create them using Word templates.
In this post, we showcase high-quality business plan templates for Word that have been designed by professionals. They feature modern designs and clean layouts that are perfect for all kinds of startups, businesses, and corporate companies. Have a look.
Education Business Plan Word Template
This Word template is designed for making business plan documents related to educational brands and businesses. However, you can easily customize the design to make business plans for various other industries. The template includes 20 unique page layouts with modern designs.
Business Plan & Proposal Template for Word
You can use this Word template to make both business proposals and business plans. It has a very flexible page design that you can change to make brochures for startups, agencies, and other businesses. There are 20 pages in this template in A4 size.
Bold Business Plan Word Template
If you want to make a bold business plan with a high-end luxury feel, this Word template will come in handy. It features a dark color theme that will fit in nicely with luxury brands, hotels, corporate agencies, and more. The template has 56 different page layouts. It comes in Word, Apple Pages, and InDesign formats.
Big Business Plan Brochure Template for Word
Get started with this Word template to make business plan documents with clean and minimal design. It includes 28 unique pages with easily editable layouts. You can change its colors, fonts, and images with ease. The template is available in multiple formats, including Word, InDesign, Affinity Publisher, and more.
Free Simple Business Plan Word Template
While this free business plan template only has 4 page layouts and a simple design, it’s more than enough for making a basic business plan document for a small business. It comes in Word and Apple Pages formats.
Multipurpose Business Brochure Word Template
This brochure template features multipurpose page layouts. This means you can edit and customize each page to make many different types of documents, including business plans and proposals. It has 20 unique pages in A4 size.
Creative Business Plan Template for Word
This is a massive business plan template that comes with more than 60 different page layouts to choose from. It’s especially suitable for agencies and startups for making a high-quality business plan document. The template is available in Word and InDesign formats.
Company Proposal & Business Plan Word Template
Whether you want to make a business plan or a proposal document, this Word template can handle both. It features a modern and professional layout for making documents for corporate businesses. The template includes 20 pages in A4 size.
Education School Plan Template for Word
You can use this Word template to make a stylish business plan or educational plan for a school. The template has fully customizable paragraph styles, editable colors, fonts, images, and much more. It has 20 page custom layouts.
Free Agency Business Plan Word Template
This free business plan template includes 5 page layouts with very simple and basic designs. You can use it to make business plan documents for advertising and design agencies. It’s available in Apple Pages format too.
Modern Business Plan Template for Word
A business plan document is about presenting your goals, missions, and vision for the company in an appealing way. Having a great-looking design is a must for achieving that task. This Word template will help you create such a business plan document. It includes 20 different page layouts with modern designs. And you can edit it using either MS Word or InDesign.
Clean Business Plan Microsoft Word Template
If you want to make sure your business plan looks more professional, a clean and minimal design is the best choice for your brochure. With this template, you can design a clean and professional-looking business plan to showcase your business goals. It includes 16 page layouts with fully customizable designs. You can also choose from 3 different color schemes to design your document.
Simple Business Plan Template for Word
This Word business plan template uses a very simple design. It doesn’t have too many design elements, images, or lots of colors. Instead, the design puts more focus on the contents of the document. This approach makes it a great template for designing a highly effective business plan for many different types of businesses. It includes 12 page layouts as well.
Business Plan Brochure Template for Word
If you want to make an impressive and attractive business plan brochure for a big company or a corporate brand, this Word template will come in handy. It features 48 different page layouts with modern and stylish designs. The template is available in both MS Word and InDesign formats. And, as a bonus, you also get letterhead and business card templates.
One Page Business Plan Template for Word
Sometimes a simple one-page document is more than enough to highlight the key points of a business plan. This template is ideal for making such brochures. The template comes with 4 page layouts but you can easily customize it to create one-page or even multi-page documents.
Professional Services Free Business Plan Word Template
This free business plan template for Word comes directly from the official MS Office templates directory. It’s free to download and features page layouts with modern designs. It’s ideal for creating a business plan for small agencies.
Free Word Business Plan Template for Freelancers
Another free Word business plan template from the Office directory. This template is designed with freelancers and agencies that specialize in home-based professional services. It includes a fully editable layout as well.
Editable Business Plan Template for Word
Every Word template should give you the freedom to edit, customize, and do anything you want with the design. This template lets you do all that and more. It features a fully editable layout that you can customize to your preference. The template also includes 40 page layouts that come in A4 and US Letter sizes.
Minimal Business Plan Word Template
Looking for a clean, simple, and minimalist business plan template? Then this Word template is made just for you. It has a very light and simple layout that allows you to showcase all elements of your business plan in a professional way. The template includes 32 page layouts and it’s available in Word and InDesign formats.
Startup Business Plan Word Template
This Word business plan template is designed specifically for startups and agencies. It features a set of modern page layouts, 20 custom page designs to be exact. You can also customize each page layout by changing colors and fonts. It comes in US Letter and A4 sizes as well.
4-Page Business Plan Template for Word
You can create a powerful four-page business plan using this Word template. It features an effective page design that is ideal for creating a summary of your business plan. The template is fully customizable and it’s available in Word, IDML, and INDD formats.
One Page Simple Business Plan Word Template
This simple and minimal business plan template is perfect for making a one-page brochure or even a two-page document. The template comes with 2 page layouts that you can use to create a simple double-sided one-page business plan. Or you can print them separately too. It’s very basic but quite effective at the same time.
Free Simple Business Plan Template for Word
A free business plan template that you can edit and customize in Word. This template has a very basic and blank design that you can use however you like. You can make this template your own by adding a few design elements as well.
Free One-Page Business Plan Template for Word
This is a free one-page business plan template that has a minimal layout for making a straightforward business plan brochure. It includes multiple sections for detailing different aspects of your business plan.
Marketing & Sales Plan Word Template
Marketing and sales plans are also part of a business plan, especially for marketing agencies. With this Word template, you can design an effective sales plan for your business. The template features 32 different page layouts in A4 size. It comes in Word and InDesign versions as well.
Real Estate Business Plan Template for Word
This Word template features a very clean and visual-centric design that’s ideal for making business plans for real estate and rental property businesses. There are more than 30 unique page layouts in this template with easily editable designs. You can change colors, fonts, and paragraphs however you like to fit your brand.
Basic Microsoft Word Business Plan Template
If you want to make a simple and basic business plan for a small company, this Word template is for you. It features a minimal layout with a basic design for making a small brochure. You can use 4 different page layouts to create your business plan. And it’s fully customizable too.
Simple Word Business Plan Template
This business plan template also features a simple design. It’s ideal for startups, agencies, and even small businesses for making a business plan to motivate employees and even set goals for your future. The template includes 4 page designs in A4 size.
Creative Business Plan Template for Word
A creative business plan Word template that comes with more than 50 different page designs. With this template, you can make all kinds of business plan brochures for various types of brands. The template also includes editable colors, paragraphs, objects, free fonts, and so much more.
Business Project Plan Template for Word
A simple business plan template for small brands. This template includes 3 unique page layouts for crafting a basic business plan. It’s ideal even for solopreneurs and freelancers for creating a strategy for your business. It comes in A4 size.
Free Healthcare Business Plan Word Template
This free business plan template is made with businesses and companies in the healthcare industry. It features a clean design with several page layouts you can use to craft an effective business plan.
Free Editable Business Plan Template for Word
Another blank and basic business plan Word template you can download for free. This template has very simple page layouts but they are ideal for creating an effective business plan brochure for small businesses.
Be sure to check out our best Word templates collection for more design inspiration.
Do you need help writing your business plan? Wise Business Plans have created over 45 free business plan templates for nearly all industries to assist you in writing your business plan. There are also tips on how to write your business plan and answers to key sample questions.
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A business plan able you to plan well for your business and increases the chances of a business’s financial success. It helps you stay on course. A business plan template helps you create your business plan.
A template comes with a proper business plan structure. Your odds of securing funding for your business are higher with a business plan created with the help of a professional business plan template.
A business plan template will help you to:
Business Plan Templates By Business Category
Why Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan gives detailed information about your business goals, your strategy for achieving those goals, and how much time you will take in the process.
Creating a business plan will help you in the following ways:
- Understand your target market and a strategy to reach your target audience
- Detect any mistake in your business idea and attend to it before opening your business
- You may find new opportunities and more effective ways of conducting business
- You will think hard about your competition and refine your idea
- You will spot challenges better and you will face those challenges well-prepared
- Your business plan tells your employees, investors, and partners that you are determined to your business idea
- You will calculate your business’s breakeven point and profitability and you will know how much capital you need to reach the breakeven point
Are You Looking for a Customized Business Plan Template?
Why Should You Start with a Business Plan Template?
A business plan is a lengthy and fairly detailed document. It starts with a summary of your business and goes on to explain your products and services, and your financial, production, & operational plan.
Stay on Track with Template
A business template helps you stay on track and follow the accepted practices of business plan writing. If you lose the business plan structure, the potential lenders or investors may think you are an amateur.
Easy & Effective
Most business plan templates, like ours, come with some explanation about every section. When you are filling in the data, you can use the short descriptions with each section to fill in the data correctly. A well-structured and well-written business plan makes you stand out before lenders and investors.
Beginner Friendly
If you are not already a pro at writing a business plan, it is better to use a template. A standard business plan has more or less 9 sections and many subsections in a certain order. Messing up the order or missing detail will make your business plan incoherent.
Traditional Business Plan vs Lean Business Plan
When we search for a free business plan template, we usually see a traditional business plan.
Traditional Business Plan
- Long and detailed document
- Sections and subsections for every detail
- Discusses your goals and strategy to achieve those goals at length
- Investors and lenders will require this business plan to consider your business idea
Lean Business Plan
- Short and concise version of a business plan
- Only 1-2 sentence introduction to each business plan section
- Introduce your goals and strategy with only a statement
- Expandable, you can turn it into a full-length business plan
- Mostly used by lean startups & small businesses who won’t need any funding
- Potential lenders and investor may request more detail
What Does This Business Plan Template Achieve?
Our free business plan template is to help you create a business plan easily. We have business plan templates in Word and PDF formats for both traditional business plans and lean business plans.
With the help of this free business plan template, you will be able to create a comprehensive business plan within a few hours.
We have also included a section on how you can convince potential investors and venture capitalists to invest in your business idea. We believe that a business plan should help you win investment for your business.
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How to Use This Free Business Plan Template?
Free: Business Plan Examples
Do you need help creating a business plan? Check out these six free, proven business plan examples from different industries to help you write your own.
How our business plan template helps you write a world-class business plan?
When you have a business plan template, writing a business plan is fairly easy. You will just need to commit to the task for a few hours if you have the necessary data already.
Writing a business plan may take more time if you are starting with a clean slate, i.e. the idea just came into your mind and you started writing a business plan.
There are nine sections to a traditional business plan.
- Executive Summary
- Company Description
- Market Analysis
- Organization and Management
- Service or Product Line
- Marketing and Sales
- Funding Request
- Financial Projections
- Appendix
It is not important to stick to the exact business plan outline; you can move the sections as you deem necessary. However, it is recommended to keep all nine sections of the business plan template.
Executive Summary
Introduce your company briefly and tell why your business idea will be a success. Your executive summary is essentially a short version of your business plan.
Try to make the executive summary a stand-alone document as many investors and lenders will evaluate your business idea solely on that. If they like your executive summary, they will ask for a complete business plan or pitch.
A good executive summary will include:
- An overview of your business idea
- Product or Service detail
- Information about the target market
- Information about your team
- Financial Plan
- Operations Plan
- Funding requirement
Write an executive summary after completing your business plan. Since it is a summary of your business plan, you will be able to write it better at the end.
Free: Executive Summary Examples
Download the free business plan executive summary examples to make writing one easy for you!
Company Description
The company overview section of a business plan is the place to talk about your company’s strengths.
You can talk about the competitive advantage your company has in the market. Discuss how your company will solve a specific problem and what organizations, consumers, or customers it will serve.
Market Analysis
Your market analysis includes how you are positioned in the market, who your potential customers are and how they will benefit from your product or service. You will make a good point if you are precise and your analysis is based on data and reality.
Talk about your market dynamics like what are trends in your target market and how it is changing over time. This will help you understand the long-term outlook of your business.
Organization and Management
Give information about your organization and structure and key people in it. You will need to give details of the legal structure of your company. Is your company an LLC, partnership firm, sole proprietorship, or corporation?
Include your organizational chart in it to help investors and lenders understand your company. Show how each team member adds to the success of your business idea. If you can include resumes of your key people, that would be great.
Pro Tips: Learn how to write a management team section in business plan.
Service or Product Line
Explain the product or service in your business plan you are going to offer. Talk about the benefits of your product. If you have plans for intellectual property like TradeMarks, copyrights, or patents, discuss that here.
If you have a research and development plan for your product or service, tell your readers about that in this section.
Marketing and Sales
Marketing and sales are dynamic. You can only lay out the first marketing plan to bring in initial sales.
Talk about how a sale will happen. How you will attract the customers and how you will maximize customer lifetime value. Marketing and sales are directly linked to your financial forecast, make sure both align
Pro Tips: Learn how to write a sales and marketing plan in a business plan.
Funding Request
Outline how much funding will you need for the next five years and where you will use it.
Try to be specific here. When you are asking for funding, make sure you tell about:
- How much funding will you need in the next five years
- Where you will spend this money (like will you buy machinery, equipment, pay salaries, do marketing, etc)
- Talk about the terms you will offer like equity or debt
- How you will pay your debts
Bonus Tip: Explore the 14 common funding sources for your small business.
Sales and Financial Projection
Financial project is one of the business plan sections that will be most pondered upon. Financial projections make the case for your business’s financial success.
The financial projections will include a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. If you are already running a business, you can include current financial statements. You will include forecast financial statements for your business if you are just starting.
Make 5 years financial projections. Make the financial projections and forecast financial statements for the first year with even shorter intervals like quarterly or biannually.
Try to keep your financial projections close to reality.
Pro Tips: Learn how to create a financial plan in a business plan.
Appendix
The appendix is the place to enter information that you could not enter elsewhere.
Include any missing data chart, terms definition, legal notes, or tables here. Marketing material, key employees’ resumes, permits, leases, and market study data will also be added to the appendix.
Bonus Tip: Learn what to include in a business plan appendix when writing a business plan.
Are You Looking for a Customized Business Plan Template?
What is a lean business plan and how to write one?
A lean business plan is a concise business plan that outlines and gives a straightforward management plan. A lean business plan is made for internal use but it can be expanded into a lengthy, traditional business plan.
A lean business plan is also called a lean start-up business plan, startup business plan, lean startup format business plan, or lean canvas business plan.
How to write a Lean Business Plan?
Writing a lean business plan is fairly easy. Since it is a short, one-page business plan and you are making it for yourself or your business partners, you do not need to include lengthy details.
A lean business plan will have a one or two-sentence introduction to each section. For example, the executive summary in a lean business plan may only talk about your target customer and how you are a good fit for them.
A variation of a lean business plan is a lean canvas business plan. The difference between a lean business plan and lean canvas business is that the lean canvas business plan is visually appealing. A lean canvas business plan deconstructs your startup business plan and makes it easy to understand.
We have included a lean startup business plan template in PDF and Google Docs. You can download our free lean business plan template below.
Need help writing your business plan?
How to win investments and capital with your business plan?
The ultimate goal of your business plan is to win you the investment and resources.
Any business plan template will do the job for you when your only goal is to understand your business and how you will run it. This may be the case when you are all in all of your business.
You are starting a business with a plan to expand and scale. Any business idea worth scaling will need more money and other resources than you may have. You will need to pitch your idea to venture capitalists and investors. For that, your business plan must address them and answer their questions.
Here are Five checks you can implement to make your business plan more investor-friendly and win investments with a business plan.
Focus on the Market
Investors are interested in knowing if your business idea will be a good fit for the market. After all, there are listening to your pitch in the hopes of a good investment opportunity.
Think hard about how your business idea is market-driven and what is the market size, sales, and profit potential of your product or service. This will help your potential investors assess your idea’s chances of success.
Show user Benefit
Your business plan should show the user’s benefit. It should emphasize how the user will benefit from it and how soon the product will pay for itself in terms of reduced costs or added benefits. The quicker the product pays for itself, the higher the chances for its success. Also, investors will be interested in such a business idea.
Explore Market’s Interest
You will need to demonstrate the user benefit. You can do that by showing satisfied customers. The representative customers for your product prove the market worth of your business idea.
If there are no users for your product or service at the moment, you can give it at a discount or even for free to some potential customers and obtain written feedback. It will show if your product/service is market-ready.
Document your Claims
When documenting your claims, you will have to face tough questions. Some assumptions about your business may not stand firm.
Your claims must be data-backed. For example, if you are aiming your product or service at small or medium businesses, your target market is not all the 17 million small-medium businesses registered. Your actual market will depend on the specifics of your product/ business details and the size of the market may be smaller than you think.
When investors read your claims and they can right away dismantle that claim, your chances of getting funding or investment may diminish. Construct your claims based on proven data and make sure you can defend them.
Address Investors’ Concerns
Investors attend to your business plan with a certain mindset. We have briefly discussed investors’ chief concerns here.
Investors want to know how soon they will start getting a return on their investment. They want to know what and when they can cash out their investment. Mostly, venture capitalists and investors make money when a business goes public or is sold to another company. You can tell the investors about cashing out in your financial projections section.
Make reasonable projections about your business. You may be carried away by your naive optimism when writing your business plan but the investors will not. The profitability and growth projections should not deviate much from the norm. Unless it is an altogether new invention, your business idea may not reshape the entire industry.
If your product or service is still in the development phase, consider launching and testing it before going to the investors. If a segment of your target industry uses it, you will be better able to assess the success of your product or service.
You will need to pay the price for the investment in terms of a share in the company ownership. Investors’ expected compound return rate can vary between 35% to 60% over 5 years and they may demand a share in the company accordingly. With good business ideas and strong management teams, the profit expectations are better and investors may settle for less. However, for immature ventures, the investors may demand a more significant share to ensure their desired return.
Free vs Paid Business Plan Template
WiseBusinessPlans offers free as well as paid business plan templates. Both templates come with their advantages and disadvantages.
If your business is cash-strapped, a free business plan may serve you better. Although you will face some challenges, you can create a functional business plan with a free template too.
Free Business Plan Template
WiseBusinessPlans offer free business plan templates, business plan samples, business plan writing guides and tutorials. You can learn and develop a top-notch business plan with the help of our free resources.
Free business plans templates are suitable for people who don’t need any loans or investments.
Free business plan templates are created in a way that everyone can use them. Mostly, they have a set pattern and even if you put unique data, you may not get a perfect, investor-ready business plan.
Another drawback of a free business plan template is the pre-filled, sometimes dummy, data in the template. If you are not careful, you may forget to replace this data with actual data about your business.
Paid Business Plan Template
A paid business plan, or template, is your way to go when you need funding for your startup.
Getting a paid business plan template comes with advantages like customized data and good graphics.
When your business idea is backed by real data, you are more likely to convince lenders and investors to give you funding.
A good business plan writing service may be expensive but its comparative cost is little if you get funding.
Interested in getting a paid business plan template? Explore these options.
WiseBusinessPlans
WiseBusinessPlans offer professional, paid business plan templates. You can hire our MBA business plan writers and consultants or buy an investor-ready business plan template.
LivPlan
LivPlan is a business plan-making software. It gives you step-by-step instructions. It also helps with creating financial statements, financial forecasting, and KPIs. The price starts at $15 per month.
BizPlan
BizPlan is similar to LivPlan. It is cloud-hosted and gives you a walk-through experience of creating a business plan. The annual plan costs $20.75 per month.
GoSmallBiz
GoSmallBiz is another business plan software with the added advantage of tutorials and how-to videos. You can learn as you go and make a business plan fit for securing investments or loans. The price starts at $15 per month.
Enloop
If you only need help with your financial plan section in a business plan, Enloop may be a great choice for you. Enloop generates detailed financial forecasts for your business idea. Monthly price starts at $11 per month.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a business plan template?
A business plan helps you prepare for launching your business. It gives you a clear plan and roadmap to achieve your goals.
A business plan is a very important document. It introduces your business to your potential investors, shareholders, and lenders. A business plan also helps you apply for credits and loans by effectively presenting your business.
Attracting investment and getting loans at the start of your business can be tough. When you have an excellent business plan, you can convince then investors and lenders of your potential and secure their support.
A business plan does not only talk about goals and promises. The more accurate and factual your business plan is, the more reliable it will appear. With dedicated effort, you can convince anyone that your business’s financial success is only a matter of time. Our free business plan template will help you achieve that.
What should be my business plan length?
Your business plan length will vary as per your unique needs.
For small businesses that solve a problem for a small market segment and they do not need a lot of funding, a short business plan may work fine. In the case of a traditional business plan, the length may be anywhere between 15-20 pages.
For medium and large businesses or businesses that can potentially serve a large market segment and their growth prospects are good, they will need a business plan that fully explains their business idea. A typical business plan length for such business can be anywhere between 30-50 pages.
For startup businesses, a one page lean startup business plan will cover everything in 1-2 pages.
Who needs a business plan?
Anyone starting a business, looking to secure funding for expansion of their business, or understanding the business thoroughly will need a business plan.
A business plan prepares you for making your business idea a financial success. It can help you spot any weaknesses and unidentified opportunities.
Even if you are not going to ask for funding or investment for your business, writing a business plan will up your chances for success by 30%.
(2 Burke, A., Fraser, S., & Greene, F. J. (2010). The multiple effects of business planning on new venture performance. Journal of Management Studies, 47(3), 391-415.)
What is the best business plan template?
The best business plan template is the one that serves your needs well.
A traditional business plan template is good for convincing investors and securing funding; a lean startup business plan is good for understanding a business idea quickly and taking action fast.
Should I hire someone to write my business plan for me?
Generally speaking, hiring a business plan writer may not be the best idea. Writing your business plan is an opportunity for you to understand your business plan in greater depth. A business plan writer may be able to get all things right and make a complete business plan but your understanding of your business idea will not increase.
Also, writing a business plan is easier than ever with the help of a free business plan template. Our business plan template guides every step of the process. You will only need to gather information and write it down.
Should I use business planning software?
The chief advantage of business planning software is that it makes the business plan writing process more interactive. The experience is similar to filling out a PDF business plan template with the same outcomes.
who can write my business plan?
An award-winning business plan is written by professional writers. We have MBA-qualified business plan writers at Wise Business Plans.
Download our ultimate Business Plan Template
We will show you some real-world business plan examples so you may know how to write your own, especially if you are seeking a bank loan or an outside investment and need to use SBA-approved formatting.