Initial Business Plan

That’s why we put together a free business plan template to help you get started.

Get the template It’s tempting to dive right into execution when you’re excited about a new business or side project, but taking the time to write a business plan and get your thoughts on paper allows you to do a number of beneficial things: A business plan can be as informal or formal as your situation calls for, but even if you’re a fan of the back-of-the-napkin approach to planning, there are some key benefits to starting your plan from an existing outline or template.

Instead, to help build a complete and effective plan, lean on time-tested structures created by entrepreneurs who have come before you.

Business planning is often used to secure funding, but plenty of business owners find writing a plan valuable, even if they never work with an investor.

This template is designed to ensure you’re thinking through all of the important facets of starting a new business or growing an existing one.

It’s intended to help future small business owners consider the full scope of running a business, and identify functional areas they may not have considered or where they may need to level up their skills as they grow.

If you’re looking for a structured way to lay out your thoughts and ideas, and to share those ideas with people who can have a big impact on your success, a business plan is an excellent starting point.

Here’s what a couple of entrepreneurs said when we asked them how useful writing a business plan was for their business.

Download the business plan example Although even the best-crafted plan may not survive its first contact with reality, the act of planning is still invaluable for your business.

To make sure your efforts are focused on the highest-value parts of planning, like clarifying your goals, setting a strategy, and understanding the market and competitive landscape, lean on a business plan template to handle the structure and format for you.