如何写一个商业计划,为什么你需要一个吗

Key takeaways

• Business planshelp your team get more strategic and proactive about working toward your goals
• Traditionalbusiness plansare highly detailed and necessary for getting outside funding
• Leanstartupbusiness planshelp you get into action faster, while still reflecting on the most crucial topics of your business

Running a business isn’t always easy. However,business planningcan help light up your path to success and reduce the number of surprises lurking ahead. Learning how to write abusiness plancan guide your team to act smarter, maximize your growth potential, and open up new funding opportunities. Learn more about why you need abusiness planand how to create the right one that best suits your needs.

Why arebusiness plansimportant?

Abusiness planserves as aroadmapfor your company’s future—and paving that path for growth is often the best way to survive (and thrive).

The dismal truth is that only50% of businesses survive their first five yearsand only 40% of existingsmall businessesmake a profit. But having a five-yearbusiness plancan help you beat the statistics. A well-researched plan gives your team some foresight on the essential actions and milestones for reaching your goals. If you’re not hitting milestones, you’ll have an idea of where adjustments need to be made.

Business planspush your team to think strategically and proactively, so you’re not simply responding to trends in your market or what your competitors are doing. You’ll have a clear picture of your niche,sales andmarketingstrategy, and other crucial factors to help you stay ahead.

If you’re seeking outside funding from investors orlenders, or looking to partner with localbusiness ownersor suppliers, abusiness planis a must. These people will want to know they’re working with a company that has a clear, long-term vision—especially if you’re anew businesswith few or nofinancial statements(likebalance sheetsandcash flow statements) to prove your success. Learning how to write abusiness plancan help you prove you’re here to stay.

How to write abusiness plan

So how do you actually write abusiness plan? There are a number of methods, but most companies stick to one of two types ofbusiness plans: a leanstartupplan or a traditional plan.

Leanstartupbusiness plan

You don’t necessarily have to learn how to write abusiness planthe traditional way if your main goal is to get your company up and going fast. If you’re not seeking funding and your company isn’t complex, a leanstartupplan may be perfect for you. For example, if you’re opening a small coffee shop or getting started as ageneral contractorwith no employees, this could be the best option.

Most companies that choose this route usethisbusiness modelcanvasto break down their plan visually into nine key aspects ofbusiness development. It focuses on the must-knows of yourbusiness planning, so you can start selling quickly and focus your time on other important tasks, like developingnew productsor engaging withpotential customers.

Here’s what each section of thebusiness modelcanvas means:

• Key partnerships:The other businesses—including suppliers, contractors, and manufacturers—that you’ll partner with to operate.
• Key activities:What you’re doing on a day-to-day basis to serve your customers, such as making sales calls or doing consultations.
• Key resources:Your most important assets. This includes the employees, technologies, patents, and more that you put into action each week.
• Value proposition:What you uniquely do for yourtarget market. This explains why yourpotential customerswill care.
• Customer relationships:What your relationships with your customers will look like, including how personal they will be (in-person or virtual) and if you want to focus more on long-term or short-term relationships.
• Customer segments:The people who are included in yourtarget audience, segmented by theirdemographics, interests, and more.
• Channels:The specific channels you’ll use to engage with leads and customers, such as email or direct mail.
• Cost structure:Whether you’ll be cost-driven (decreasing expenses as much as possible) or value-driven (providing the greatest value for customers) and what major costs you’ll encounter, including rent, salaries, and inventory.
• Revenue streams:How you’llprice your productsor services and how thatpricingwill impact your net profits.

Traditionalbusiness plan

While the traditional business plan takes a significant amount of effort (they are incredibly thorough compared to the lean startup plan), it’s an excellent way to gain highly detailed insight into yourown business. The average suggested length is30–50 pages long, and this comprehensive document will ensure that yourteam membershave a strong point of reference when making any business decisions.

Thistype of business planis essential if you’re seeking funding from bankers,venture capitalists, angel investors, and more. Since their money is on the line, they want comprehensive details about yourbusiness planningso they can get a sense of yourviability.

Here’s what a traditionalbusiness plan templateincludes.

1.Executive summary

This smallsection of your business planis like a first impression. It affects whether your audience continues reading or not—which means it can make or break your outside funding opportunities.

Anexecutive summaryshould be an engaging, one-page snippet that gives readers a compelling introduction to your company and why yourbusiness ideahas the potential to succeed. It should include a basicoverview of your business, the products or services you offer, what yourfinancial projectionslook like, and yourmission statement.

While your executive summary appears at the beginning of your business plan, write this summary last, after you’ve already conducted all your research. There’s no need to get too deep into the nitty-gritty with yourexecutive summary—that’s for the rest of theplan.

2.Company description

This section goes into detail about what your company does. In your company description, you want to highlight the problems yourtarget marketfaces and how your product or service offers a solution. Explain what gives you acompetitive advantage, whether it’s your product quality, experience, or something else. Hone in on what makes your business unique, valuable, and exciting.

3. Business and management structure

Whether it’s your employees orpotential investorslooking at yourbusiness plan, your readers will want to see how organized and competent your company is. Use this section to clarify who owns your business, including all stakeholders, and who’s on yourmanagement team. Create a visualorganizational charton a platform likeMicrosoft OfficeorCanvato make things easier for your readers.

You’ll also want to explain your company’slegal structure(LLC, C corporation, etc.)—which affects how your company is taxed and what you’re legally responsible for—since this can affect your funding opportunities. For example, banks and investors are less likely to work with soleproprietorships, in part because they’re seen as high-risk.

4. Products or services

在本节中,你的商业计划,你可以支持vide a more thorough explanation of your individual products or services. Instead of offering surface-level information about what you do, dive deeper into the details. For example, if you have anauto repair business, you may include separate subsections about your body repair, glass repair, and diagnostic services.

This is also a great place to mention anyintellectual propertyyou hold, like copyrights and trademarks.

5.Marketing plan

When you writebusiness plansusing the traditional method, you’ll need to formulate a strongmarketing strategyto show which actions you’re taking to make sales. Determine where you’ll successfully reach yourtarget market. Consider whatsocial mediachannels you will use. Decide if you’ll interact with leads and clients via text message, over the phone, or through yourYelp Business Page, and if you’ll run ads on search engines or traditional print channels.

You’ll also want to research and include details about your industry outlook and competition. Demonstrate that you’re aware of trends, opportunities, and challenges—as well as how to overcome those challenges through your strategy—by including a strongmarket analysis.

6. Financial analysis

Finally, you need to talk about numbers in your business plan. To show your ability to maintain long-termfinancial health, it’s crucial to provide a positive (and realistic) picture of your future growth. Include details about your projected sales, expenses, and profits. Take time to do this analysis, consulting with a professional if needed, so you and your readers can understand your full growth potential.

If you’ve been in business for at least a quarter or two, include anyfinancial statementsyou have to back up your claims.

It’s time to build asuccessful business plan

When you understand how to write abusiness plan, you’ll be better equipped to achieveprofitabilityandcustomer loyalty, so you can grow in the long-term. Yourtemplatemay look different depending on your business needs and goals, but no matter whichtype of business planyou choose, you’ll be creating a guide that allows for better decision-making and focus within your team. The next step: Consider morebusiness growth strategiesthat you can implement.