Business Plan Template, Outline, & 10+ Designs to Download

You know you need a perfect business plan. That’s why you’re here.

The problem? Creating a business plan feels like a daunting task. There are so many things to take into consideration, and so many things that can slip your mind.

The solution? Those battle-tested business plan templates you can download with a single click, fill out easily, and have a clear blueprint for your business activities.

If you want to create the business plan yourself and only need a template outline with all the necessary information, see one right below. Want to download a well-designed, fill-in-the-blanks document and not worry about the layout? Scroll down to see our gallery of business plan templates.

Business plan template outline

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits all formula for writing business plans. You’ll need to make some adjustments to focus on the aspects that matter the most to your business. But—

There are common elements all good business plans feature. Here’s the list:

Executive Summary

The goal of this section is to give readers a basic understanding of how your business works and get them excited enough to want to read the rest of your plan. The key to writing an executive summary for a business plan is to write it last. Once you’ve written all other sections, pick the most important bits and pieces and summarize them. Your executive summary should never be longer than 2 full pages.

For more information about writing successful executive summaries, see our 101 guide: How to Write an Executive Summary

Company Overview

Describe what your company does, what problem it solves, and why your products or services are important and called for. Include basic information on your mission statement, vision, goals, and values. Finish with a quick rundown of your target market and the industry in general. If it’s crucial to the way your company functions, add basic info about the legal structure.

Products & Services

Here’s the part where you explain what it is exactly that you sell. When it’s a physical product, provide some details on how it’s manufactured or obtained and what your key suppliers are. Detail the problem your product or service solves, explain your unique selling proposition, list the key features and your competitive advantages.

Marketing Plan

Start by explaining your acquisition and retention strategies, add information on how the sales will actually happen and provide an overview of your sales funnel. Then, add more technical details such as the overall market analysis, the SWOT analysis of your product, overview of competitors, your pricing strategy, marketing channels, and expenses.

Operational Plan

This is the most technical part of a business plan template. It’s where you describe, in essence, all the important details about your company’s day-to-day operations: where you’re located, how you deliver your products or services, who you're employing (or planning to employ), what the legal status of your business entity is, and so on.

Management & Organization

A brief description of your company’s structure, the people in charge, your advisors and all the key departments. Include bios of the founders and people in higher management positions. If you’re running a larger business, it’s a good idea to add an organizational chart in this section.

Financial Projections

The main goal of this section is to convey a sense of financial stability and realistic growth expectations. Describe the projected financials for the next five years, based on the income forecast and expenses. If you’re an established business owner, add income and cash flow statements for the most recent three years, too.

Funding Requirements

A key part in any startup business plan template. Explain how much funding you need to realize your goals and what exactly you’re planning to spend the money on. Be specific about the timeline and your desired contractual terms. Also, be clear about what kind of funding you’re seeking: loan or equity.

Appendices

A place to include all attachments that were relevant to the previous sections: any legal documents, product photos, list of assets, founders’ resumes, and any studies you might have cited.

If you need a very detailed template for your business plan, you can download one for free from Score at this link. It’s not the most user-friendly document, but it has all the instructions and placeholders you might need for a successful BP (and, again, it’s free).

And if you’d like to add some extra flair to your business plan, pick a professionally-designed business plan template from our gallery below.