How to Write a Business Plan 101
This guide to writing a business plan will outline the most important parts and what should be included in an effective plan.
A business plan is a written description of your business's future, a document that tells what you plan to do and how you plan to do it. If you jot down a paragraph on the back of an envelope describing your business strategy, you've written a plan, or at least the germ of one.
Business plans are inherently strategic. You start here, today, with certain resources and abilities. And you want to get to there, a point in the future (usually three to five years out), at which time your business will have a different set of resources and abilities as well as greater profitability and increased assets. Your plan shows how you will get from here to there.
Cyber Monday Subscription Sale - Unlock this subscriber exclusive article and more for 50% off.
Access all Entrepreneur content with no ads, unlock discounts, and get exclusive advice only available to our subscribers. Plus, our magazine delivered straight to your door.
Get 50% off an annual subscription today. Just use code SAVE50 at checkout.
Entrepreneur Editors' Picks
-
Online Scams Are More Sophisticated Than Ever. Here's How to Shop Safely on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, According to a Cyber Intelligence Expert.
-
This Guy Saved Barbie From Cultural Extinction. He Did It by Asking One Big Question.
-
The Top 5 Hot Franchise Categories for 2023, According to One Industry Expert
-
Why Can't We Resist Black Friday and Cyber Monday? A Behavioral Economist Explains the Psychological Forces That Make Sales Irresistible.
-
I Couldn't Sleep. I Obsessed Over My Failures. Then I Found the Weirdest Cure.
-
This Pitch Scored a $250,000 Investment — But It Almost Didn't Happen
-
Employees Were Demanded to Go Home. Here's How We Invite Them to Come Back.