Many enthusiastic entrepreneurs forget to lay the groundwork for their business and head straight to the action. But how can you expect to succeed without a proper business plan?
\r\nThe extent to which you plan for the growth of your company determines how well you can grow and how insulated you'll be from threats and competitive pressures in the future. Companies with a plan are less likely to fall victim to common startup problems like a lack of cash flow and low employee productivity. The right plan helps ensure you can successfully grow your business.
\r\nHere you will learn the following:
\r\nBusiness plans are documents that outline the scope and strategy of a new or existing business. Essentially, they are blueprints that provide a step-by-step account of your business's goals and how you plan to achieve them.
\r\nThere are 10 key elements of a business plan:
\r\nThere are multiple benefits of creating a business plan. These are the key ones.
\r\nCreating your business plan forces you to really understand your market. In researching your industry, customers and competition, you will fully diagnose your marketplace. Ideally, this market research will alert you to trends and opportunities you can target that competitors are ignoring.
\r\nA business plan is a vital tool to attract funding from investors or lenders. Both investors and lenders want to see a well-reasoned business plan. Such a plan gives your company credibility and allows the investor to gauge their potential return on investment.
\r\nWhen creating your plan, you'll identify milestones and financial goals and objectives for your company. With proper business planning, you gain a guide to help you track the progress of the business. Revisit your business plan monthly, or at least annually, to track your progress and/or modify your plan.
\r\nThe right business plan can get employees, partners, advisors or others to join your company. If you can present an inspiring vision in your plan, the sky is the limit to what you can achieve.
\r\nHere are some tips for creating a great business plan:
\r\nMost entrepreneurs and business owners create plans in order to raise funding. Upon completion of business plans, the three most common funding sources are banks, angel investors and venture capital firms.
\r\nBanks provide loans, which the entrepreneur must pay back with interest. Conversely, angel investors and venture capital firms are equity investors. They provide money in return for shares in your company. This has a big cash flow benefit in that you need to pay back neither the interest nor the principal. If and when you sell your company, though, a percentage of the proceeds will go to the investor and not you.
\r\nBanks are simple to find. In most cases, you should approach banks located within a few miles of your company. Banks will judge your business plan with an eye for whether you will be able to repay the loan's interest and principal.
\r\nAngel investors are much harder to identify than banks. While some angel investors work together in networks (which are easy to find), most angels are successful individuals who don't tell the world they are angel investors. Rather, they are doctors, lawyers, executives, business owners and others who have the means to invest in private companies occasionally. To find them, network with lawyers, accountants and other professionals. Angel investors typically invest within 50 miles of their homes, so, once again, think local here. Individual angel investors commonly write checks between $25,000 and $100,000. If you are looking to raise more funding than that, you will need to find multiple angel investors.
\r\nVenture capital firms are easy to find online, but they are the most difficult source of capital to obtain. This is because they receive so many business plans and thus are highly selective. In fact, when you read about how selective universities like Stanford or Harvard are, they pale in comparison to venture capital firms, which fund well under 1% of the companies they see.
\r\nVenture capital firms want to see the potential for your company to earn them up to a tenfold return. That means that if they give you $5 million, they want to see the ability for you to grow to a $100 million company (and if you sold at that amount, they could receive $50 million and the remaining $50 million would go to you). In most cases, venture capital firms don't write checks for less than $2 million. They also want to see business traction, such as existing customers. So, in most cases, companies raise angel funding first, achieve traction, and then raise funding from venture capital firms.
\r\nWhether you seek funding from banks, angel investors or venture capital firms, you will submit your business plan. If the recipient denies your request for funding, solicit their feedback as to why. If you constantly hear the same reply, modify your strategy and/or business plan to adhere to the wants of these investors.
\r\nA compelling business plan can help you raise the growth capital you need and put you on the right track to build a highly successful company. Whether you're a startup or established company, create or revisit your business plan today.
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_f221c644e9a4b56f730c75a921a022fc","lastModified":"2020-01-12T19:00:00.000Z","published":"2020-01-12T19:00:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"The right business plan is often the difference between a company that stagnates and one that achieves great heights.","template":"v1","title":"Everything You Want to Know About Business Planning","type":"article","author":{"avatar":null,"bio":"I am the president and co-founder of Growthink. Over the past 20 years, Growthink has helped over 500,000 entrepreneurs and business owners start, grow and exit their companies with an emphasis on business planning and capital raising. \r\n\r\nI have guest lectured on business planning at top universities, personally written over 250 business plans, developed best-selling business plan templates and software, and have written numerous articles for Forbes, Entrepreneur magazine and other top news outlets. \r\n\r\nI am also the author of Start At The End: How Companies Can Grow Bigger and Faster By Reversing Their Business Plan, published by Wiley in 2012.\r\n\r\nI have an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.","name":"Dave Lavinsky","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"","linkedin":"http://www.linkedin.com/in/davelavinsky","twitter":"https://twitter.com/davelavinsky","website":"http://growthink.com/"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"New BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/9efe1af0a654c7f0c64792a786405a6db8eb7.jpg","profile":{"company":"Growthink, Inc.","jobTitle":"President","website":"http://growthink.com/"}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Business Basics","slug":"business-basics"},"sub":{"name":"Starting a Business","slug":"starting-a-business"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"Learn the keys to creating a winning business plan and the top sources of funding for your plan.","title":"Guide to Business Planning - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[{"id":"what-are-business-plans","title":"What are business plans?"},{"id":"benefits-of-creating-a-business-plan","title":"Benefits of creating a business plan"},{"id":"tips-to-create-the-most-compelling-business-plans","title":"Tips to create the most compelling business plans"},{"id":"how-to-use-your-business-plan-to-raise-funding","title":"How to use your business plan to raise funding"}],"json":[{"component":"p","children":["Many enthusiastic entrepreneurs forget to lay the groundwork for their business and head straight to the action. But how can you expect to succeed without a proper ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.growthink.com/products/business-plan-template","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["business plan"]},"?"]},{"component":"p","children":["The extent to which you plan for the growth of your company determines how well you can grow and how insulated you'll be from threats and competitive pressures in the future. Companies with a plan are less likely to fall victim to common startup problems like a lack of cash flow and low employee productivity. The right plan helps ensure you can successfully grow your business."]},{"component":"p","children":["Here you will learn the following:"]},{"component":"ul","children":[{"component":"li","children":["What business plans really are"]},{"component":"li","children":["What to include in your business plan"]},{"component":"li","children":["The four benefits of creating a business plan"]},{"component":"li","children":["Tips to create a compelling business plan"]},{"component":"li","children":["How to use your business plan to raise funding"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"what-are-business-plans"},"children":["What are business plans?"]},{"component":"p","children":["Business plans are documents that outline the scope and strategy of a new or existing business. Essentially, they are blueprints that provide a step-by-step account of your business's goals and how you plan to achieve them."]},{"component":"p","children":["There are 10 key elements of a business plan:"]},{"component":"ol","children":[{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Executive summary"]}," – This section gives a brief overview of the entire business plan.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Company overview "]},"– Here, management explains the genesis of the company with information such as where the company was incorporated and milestones achieved to date.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Industry analysis "]},"– In this section, you give an overview of the industry or market in which you compete. Answer questions such as the size of the market and trends that affect it or might in the future.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Customer analysis "]},"– The customer analysis section of your plan details your target customers. It identifies how many target customers you have and their psychographic and demographic profiles.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Competitor analysis"]}," – This section of your plan identifies your direct and indirect competitors. It explains their strengths and weaknesses and documents the areas in which you have ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/articles/5-ways-to-beat-competition/"},"children":["competitive advantage"]},".",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Marketing plan"]}," – Here, you lay out your company's marketing and promotions strategy. You should also include a list of the key products or services that your company sells or intends to sell.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Operations strategy"]}," – Here, you will state your short- and long-term goals and your key milestones en route to achieving them.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Financials"]}," – This section forecasts your company's income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements for the next five years.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Management team"]}," – In this section, you will provide the bios of the founder(s) and key employees.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Appendix"]}," – Finally, you will include any additional information that supports the rest of your business plan, such as customer lists, store designs or employee agreements."]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"benefits-of-creating-a-business-plan"},"children":["Benefits of creating a business plan"]},{"component":"p","children":["There are multiple benefits of creating a business plan. These are the key ones."]},{"component":"h3","children":["1. Understanding your market"]},{"component":"p","children":["Creating your business plan forces you to really understand your market. In researching your industry, customers and competition, you will fully diagnose your marketplace. Ideally, this ",{"component":"Link","props":{"href":"https://www.business.com/articles/effective-market-research-strategies/"},"children":["market research"]}," will alert you to trends and opportunities you can target that competitors are ignoring."]},{"component":"h3","children":["2. Attracting funding"]},{"component":"p","children":["A business plan is a vital tool to attract funding from investors or lenders. Both investors and lenders want to see a well-reasoned business plan. Such a plan gives your company credibility and allows the investor to gauge their potential return on investment."]},{"component":"h3","children":["3. Tracking your business's progress"]},{"component":"p","children":["When creating your plan, you'll identify milestones and financial goals and objectives for your company. With proper business planning, you gain a guide to help you track the progress of the business. Revisit your business plan monthly, or at least annually, to track your progress and/or modify your plan."]},{"component":"h3","children":["4. Attracting others to your cause"]},{"component":"p","children":["The right business plan can get employees, partners, advisors or others to join your company. If you can present an inspiring vision in your plan, the sky is the limit to what you can achieve."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"tips-to-create-the-most-compelling-business-plans"},"children":["Tips to create the most compelling business plans"]},{"component":"p","children":["Here are some tips for creating a great business plan:"]},{"component":"ul","children":[{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Don't skimp on the research."]}," Researching your industry, customers and competitors can make you a true expert on your market. The insight you gain can enable you to become a prominent player in your space.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Create realistic financials."]}," The right financial model will allow you to test different assumptions. For example, you can see the implications of growing at 10% versus a 20% rate. Try to root your assumptions in reality as much as possible. For example, if no company has ever grown to $1 billion in revenues within one year, don't claim that you'll be the first.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Document your milestones."]}," I prefer setting quarterly milestones for the first year and then annual milestones for the next four years. Milestones can be hitting sales goals, launching new products or locations, hiring key employees, etc.",{"component":"br"}," "]},{"component":"li","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Don't try to answer every imaginable question in your business plan."]}," Your business plan should be 15 to 20 pages in length and answer most questions. But before writing you a check, investors and lenders will want to meet with you. During those meetings, you'll have the opportunity to answer any additional questions they have."]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"how-to-use-your-business-plan-to-raise-funding"},"children":["How to use your business plan to raise funding"]},{"component":"p","children":["Most entrepreneurs and business owners create plans in order to raise funding. Upon completion of business plans, the three most common funding sources are banks, angel investors and venture capital firms."]},{"component":"h3","children":["Banks"]},{"component":"p","children":["Banks provide loans, which the entrepreneur must pay back with interest. Conversely, angel investors and venture capital firms are equity investors. They provide money in return for shares in your company. This has a big cash flow benefit in that you need to pay back neither the interest nor the principal. If and when you sell your company, though, a percentage of the proceeds will go to the investor and not you."]},{"component":"p","children":["Banks are simple to find. In most cases, you should approach banks located within a few miles of your company. Banks will judge your business plan with an eye for whether you will be able to repay the loan's interest and principal."]},{"component":"h3","children":["Angel investors"]},{"component":"p","children":["Angel investors are much harder to identify than banks. While some angel investors work together in networks (which are easy to find), most angels are successful individuals who don't tell the world they are angel investors. Rather, they are doctors, lawyers, executives, business owners and others who have the means to invest in private companies occasionally. To find them, network with lawyers, accountants and other professionals. Angel investors typically invest within 50 miles of their homes, so, once again, think local here. Individual angel investors commonly write checks between $25,000 and $100,000. If you are looking to raise more funding than that, you will need to find multiple angel investors."]},{"component":"h3","children":["Venture capital firms"]},{"component":"p","children":["Venture capital firms are easy to find online, but they are the most difficult source of capital to obtain. This is because they receive so many business plans and thus are highly selective. In fact, when you read about how selective universities like Stanford or Harvard are, they pale in comparison to venture capital firms, which fund well under 1% of the companies they see."]},{"component":"p","children":["Venture capital firms want to see the potential for your company to earn them up to a tenfold return. That means that if they give you $5 million, they want to see the ability for you to grow to a $100 million company (and if you sold at that amount, they could receive $50 million and the remaining $50 million would go to you). In most cases, venture capital firms don't write checks for less than $2 million. They also want to see business traction, such as existing customers. So, in most cases, companies raise angel funding first, achieve traction, and then raise funding from venture capital firms."]},{"component":"p","children":["Whether you seek funding from banks, angel investors or venture capital firms, you will submit your business plan. If the recipient denies your request for funding, solicit their feedback as to why. If you constantly hear the same reply, modify your strategy and/or business plan to adhere to the wants of these investors."]},{"component":"p","children":["A compelling business plan can help you raise the growth capital you need and put you on the right track to build a highly successful company. Whether you're a startup or established company, create or revisit your business plan today."]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":null,"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/5e1/b6d1d5a215e3b708b456f/1500-0-","caption":"Rawpixel / Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[{"title":"SBA Loan Default: A Complete Guide for 2020 and Beyond","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/sba-loan-default-guide/","slug":"sba-loan-default-guide","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5dc/047af7b437483068b4572/1500-0-","dek":"Here's comprehensive guide to all your questions about SBA loan default, forgiveness and the SBA Offer In Compromise.","lastModified":"2019-11-04T15:00:00Z","published":"2019-11-04T15:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Start an On-Demand Business With Small Capital","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/start-on-demand-business-with-small-capital/","slug":"start-on-demand-business-with-small-capital","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f3/d4fd19c658ac7128b4567/1500-0-","dek":"The on-demand service business has proven to be the most prospering vertical in 2020, even during a pandemic. Learn how to start your own with a small amount of capital.","lastModified":"2020-08-21T20:55:00Z","published":"2020-08-21T20:55:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"SBA Loan Default? 5 Ways to Turn Your Business Around","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/sba-loan-default-solutions/","slug":"sba-loan-default-solutions","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d4/ef6457b43749c4a8b456a/1500-0-","dek":"Check out these ideas to turn around your business if it's struggling with your SBA loan payments and facing default.","lastModified":"2019-08-11T16:00:00Z","published":"2019-08-11T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Ace Your Next Investor Briefing","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/ace-investor-briefing/","slug":"ace-investor-briefing","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e0/13ebc9c658af1458b456e/1500-0-","dek":"When trying to secure funding, you need to showcase your business to investors in the best possible light.","lastModified":"2019-12-31T13:00:00Z","published":"2019-12-31T13:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"The Ultimate Guide on How to Get a Business Loan.","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/how-to-get-a-business-loan-ultimate-guide/","slug":"how-to-get-a-business-loan-ultimate-guide","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5ec/7c0717b43747e708b4581/1500-0-","dek":"When it comes to securing funding for your business, you have a lot of choices. How do you know which one is right for you? This ultimate guide on how to get a business loan will help you choose.","lastModified":"2020-05-22T12:20:00Z","published":"2020-05-22T12:20:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Investment Control at the Technical Stage of a Startup","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/qa-tech-startup-investment/","slug":"qa-tech-startup-investment","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5dd/e88fe9c658aba048b4569/1500-0-","dek":"Software development is often tricky and requires professional monitoring. That`s where the team of QA engineers adds value.","lastModified":"2019-12-01T22:00:00Z","published":"2019-12-01T22:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Ways to Fund Your Startup Without Losing Equity","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/fund-startup-without-losing-equity/","slug":"fund-startup-without-losing-equity","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d7/2cd7d9c658acb288b457f/1500-0-","dek":"Startup business owners need operating capital. But many of their options involve selling a slice of their business. It doesn't have to be this way.\nStartup entrepreneurs can retain all of their businesses with five separate kinds of financing.","lastModified":"2019-09-09T16:00:00Z","published":"2019-09-09T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"4 Tips to Help You Secure Funding from International Investors","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/international-business-funding-tips/","slug":"international-business-funding-tips","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d2/4f7de5a215ecb778b4596/1500-0-","dek":"International investors present a big opportunity for startups in need of capital.","lastModified":"2018-08-13T13:40:00Z","published":"2018-08-13T13:40:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Choose the Best Business Loan","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/how-to-choose-a-business-loan/","slug":"how-to-choose-a-business-loan","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5db/c5c175a215e47798b456f/1500-0-","dek":"Small businesses have a lot of funding options, but choose wisely.","lastModified":"2020-02-04T14:25:00Z","published":"2020-02-04T14:25:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Know an Investor Is Offering You a Good Deal","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/what-is-a-good-investment-deal/","slug":"what-is-a-good-investment-deal","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e2/8a9419c658ab70c8b4570/1500-0-","dek":"Finding a business investor is tough. But once you do, how can you be sure you're really getting a good investment deal?","lastModified":"2020-01-24T13:15:00Z","published":"2020-01-24T13:15:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Will Work for Funding: 7 Ways to Finance Your First Small Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/7-ways-to-finance-your-first-small-business/","slug":"7-ways-to-finance-your-first-small-business","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/finance.jpg","dek":"When it comes to financing your new business, today's options are virtually limitless. But which one is right for you?","lastModified":"2015-10-14T14:00:00Z","published":"2015-10-14T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Best Practices to Follow Before Applying for a Small Business Loan","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/sba-loan-application-best-practices/","slug":"sba-loan-application-best-practices","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d9/51e397b437431358b4594/1500-0-","dek":"These practices will help you quickly and successfully find the best loan for your small business.","lastModified":"2019-10-04T16:00:00Z","published":"2019-10-04T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false}],"relatedReviews":[{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5db752e25a215e277d8b4588/Invoicing_AndreyPopov_BDC.png","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-collections-agency-services/","title":"The Best Collection Agency Services of 2021","dek":"We've reviewed the best collection agency services for 2021. 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