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How to Create a Practical Crisis Management Plan [+ Templates]
Gearing up to start a small business?
Writing a business plan should be your top priority, as it’s known to set you up for success.
Research shows that entrepreneurs who write a business plan are 16% more likely to create successful businesses.
A great business plan can help you assess the feasibility of your idea, map out your strategy, spot potential roadblocks and figure out what you need to achieve your short and long-term goals. It also helps investors decide whether or not your business is a viable investment opportunity.
Business plans aren’t just for startups that need to secure funding. You can use them to assess new ideas or plans as you look to scale your small business.
Keep reading to learn how to write a winning business plan for your small business. Plus, we’ve provided customizable templates to inspire and get you started quickly.
A small business plan is a document that sets out the goals, strategies and actions necessary to launch and grow the company.
It serves as a blueprint for your startup, explaining the business concept, how it will operate, generate revenue, achieve its objectives and address potential challenges. A small business plan also includes details about the market analysis, products and services, marketing and sales strategy, operational plan and financial projections.
Additionally, business plans are crucial to getting funding or attracting new business partners for your new business. Essentially, Investors need confidence in seeing a return on their investment, and your business plan is the tool you'll use to convince them that working with you or investing in your company is a smart choice.
There are different types of business plans, and the content of your business plan depends on what you want to achieve and the stage your small business is in.
In general, business plans can be divided into two common categories: traditional or lean startup.
Traditional business plans are the most commonly used format. They provide a thorough analysis of your business and can range from 20 to 50 pages or more. This format is suitable if your company is detail-oriented, needs in-depth planning for complex operations or is seeking substantial funding from investors, lenders or financial institutions.
Lean startup business plans are concise and focus on only the most important points of the key elements of your plan. They are typically shorter and limited to one or a few pages. Lean plans may also be used to quickly pitch the business idea to potential partners, customers or investors who prefer a summary rather than a detailed document.
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Here are the key elements of a traditional business plan format:
Many lean business plans are structured using the Lean Canvas model, which is a revamp of the business model canvas and basically a one-page business plan template.
Below are the elements you’ll find in the lean business plan canvas:
Here’s a template you can use to map out your lean business plan.
Creating a business plan for your small business can feel like a puzzle—especially if you’re new to the game. Whether you’re creating a traditional, multi-paged business plan or a one-page business plan, Visme’s AI-powered business plan generator can help you create one in seconds.
If you prefer to start with pre-built templates, Visme provides an extensive array of professionally designed small business plan templates and AI-powered features to get you off the ground.
Use these 12 helpful business plan examples and the intuitive features in Visme to a business plan that ticks all the right boxes.
Launch your startup and position it for success with an attractive business plan template.
This traditional business plan has dedicated sections for objectives, marketing analysis, value proposition, business model, customer segment and social media channels.
With this plan, you can explain your business goals and how your company intends to generate revenue and stay profitable.
The captivating modern layout makes the document easy to read and absorb. This template can be fully customized with Visme—use our intuitive editor to tweak fonts, colors and data before downloading the finished plan or sharing it online with investors or partners.
Add some extra flair to your design by incorporating beautiful vector icons, shapes and graphics into your content. Visme offers an extensive selection of design assets and graphics you can tap into.
Perfect for small and growing businesses, this one-page business plan is a compact way to share your company’s vision and strategy with style and clarity.
The effectiveness of this one-pager business lies in its structure. With information arranged into two columns, it covers everything about your business at a glance.
It begins with a brief company overview, a bullet list of the marketing strategy and lead investors. Additionally, the plan provides details about key team members, accompanied by a brief recap of their experience. Financial projections are laid out in a colorful chart that transforms your data into compelling narratives.
Launching a new consultancy business or looking to expand an existing one? This service business plan is an indispensable tool for companies in this industry looking to outline their value proposition and growth potential.
It covers crucial aspects such as company overview, mission and business goals, services, market analysis, strategy and implementation plan and financial summary.
This template is sure to make a memorable impression on potential investors, partners and customers, leaving no doubt about the strength and viability of your retail business startup.
Communicate financial data in an eye-catching way with the help of tables, charts, widgets and other data visualization types. Even if your data is domiciled in Excel or Google Sheets, you can connect and import data into your table or chart in live data into your Visme project.
Investors and lenders require a solid business plan to understand the potential and viability of your business before committing funds. This modern template has everything you need to convince them.
It clearly articulates important business elements such as your company's mission and vision, objectives, products and services, SWOT analysis and marketing strategy. Plus, there are pages dedicated to competitor analysis and financial forecasts.
Customize this engineering business plan template to match your business idea by adjusting the colors to fit your brand or industry and inserting your own logo, fonts and colors throughout. Swap photos with your own or choose premium, high-quality stock photos that represent your business from Visme’s stock photo library.
Featuring a sleek layout and minimalist design, this modern tech-inspired template showcases your company's competitive edge in the tech market.
It effectively presents your innovative technology solutions and the advantages of your services, making it easy for potential investors, clients and partners to understand your business at first glance.
What’s more, you can seamlessly infuse your brand identity with Visme’s Brand Design Tool. Just input your URL and the tool will extract your brand assets—logo, color and fonts—and save them to your brand kit. That way, you can apply your branding with a single click and get a set of branded templates crafted specially for you.
If you’re in the real estate business, this small business plan is your strategic framework for running and growing your business.
With its trendy layout and thoughtful attention to detail, this template provides all the essential elements required for an effective business plan. It shares an overview of your business, along with valuable insights into your objectives, marketing plan, financial forecast and market conditions.
Keep your team aligned with your business objectives and vision for the future by working collaboratively to get their feedback on design and content with Visme’s collaboration tool. Set up permissions for team members to edit, comment and even provide illustrations in real-time or at their own pace.
The best part? With Visme, team collaboration is on a whole new level. You can assign the entire plan or different parts for team members to work on, add notes for context, add or reply in comments, set deadlines and track progress using our workflow feature.
Here’s a video showing how this feature works in real-time.
Running a cafe, restaurant or food business? This graphic-rich business plan template embodies the perfect blend of aesthetic appeal and strategic clarity. It’s designed to captivate investors and stakeholders while effectively outlining your vision, operational plan and financial projections.
The accent colors and modern fonts seamlessly blend with these breathtaking photos to ensure the plan is not only engaging but captures the essence of your brand's identity and vision.
Not sure how to get premium images that reflect the essence and appeal of your business? Transform your ideas into stunning photos with Visme’s AI-powered image generator. With a text prompt, you can generate unique visuals in different styles—3D graphics, paintings, photos, pencil drawings, icons, abstract art and more.
Whether sharing your start-up’s vision with potential partners, mapping out your strategy or pitching to potential investors, this business plan template is your ally. It gives you a creative head start so you won’t spend hours staring at a blank page, wondering where to start.
With this start-up one pager template, you can present your business concept, market analysis, product offerings, marketing strategy and initial financial projections on a single page. The striking contrast between the dark text and the gray background makes the content pop.
The bold headers and subheadings organize your information while making it easier for readers to find what's most important to them.
Swap out the content with information about your business and industry. And if you need help with content ideas or are facing writer’s block, AI Writer can give you a boost. Besides generating text, you can use it as a proofreading tool or adjust the context and tone of your plan. Experiment with different prompts as often as you want until you’re satisfied with the result.
Starting a small business can be overwhelming. You've got to handle finances, attract customers, figure out regulations and ensure everything runs smoothly, all while staying true to your vision and rolling with the market's punches.
This photography business plan template is designed to help you crystallize your ideas and guide you through the process of goal-setting, securing funding, growing your customer base and efficiently managing your operations.
Furthermore, this business plan template has breathtaking graphics, accent colors and design elements that perfectly represent your business and its mission. It will ensure that you are fully equipped for the journey ahead.
Infuse animation and interactive elements like pop-ups, hover effects, links and animated icons, illustrations and special effects to keep your readers glued to your plan. For example, you can link each section to a larger document that provides more context.
If you’re starting a small business in the fashion industry, this masterpiece is what you need to secure investor buy-in. It shows potential investors that you've covered all bases and carefully considered every aspect of the business — from your value proposition to the market analysis to the direct and indirect competition.
This gorgeous fashion business plan template provides a comprehensive and immersive experience that truly captures the essence and allure of your brand. The stunning fashion-themed photos, cohesive color schemes and modern typography authentically reflect your vision for the fashion industry.
Replace these images with yours, and if they need editing, use Visme’s AI Edit Tools. With a click, you can unblur and upscale small or too blurry images, erase and replace objects in images to create different scenes and remove unwanted backgrounds with one click.
Impress potential retail investors with this one-page retail business plan proposal template. This exquisite layout is designed to showcase your venture's key points in a way that commands attention.
This small business plan example highlights key points about your company, including your target audience, product offerings, revenue and cost projections. With a clean, organized and fascinating layout, you can be sure it will grab your audience's attention.
You can customize it with your logo and photos to make a powerful statement about your brand. Plus, there are plenty of design elements to choose from to make it even more captivating.
If you’re pitching to multiple investors, use Dynamic Fields to easily customize this template in minutes. Create custom fields like headline, name and address that can be modified with a click.
Creating a daycare business plan is critical in turning your childcare mission into a successful reality.
This small business plan example can help you articulate your unique approach to childcare, the age groups you plan to cater to, the services you will offer and the values that will guide your business. In addition to the market research and competitive analysis, it outlines the operational and marketing strategies for your small business.
Make this plan even more captivating with Visme's exclusive vector icons and shapes. From vibrant multicolor designs to sleek isometric and outline graphics, our collection has everything you need to add a personalized touch to your content in no time.
You can download your business plan in multiple formats, including PDF, PNG, JPG or PPTX. Alternatively, you can share it with stakeholders using an online URL or generate HTML code to embed it on your webpage.
With Visme analytics, you can track the number of people who have read your plan, how long they’ve spent on each section, the date of visit and the IP address from which they viewed it.
We've already discussed what you should include in a small business plan.
Now, let's briefly take a look at who writes the business plan and then explore how to write a business plan step by step, with examples you can learn from.
The executive summary is the first thing potential investors will read.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or part of the management team tasked with writing a business plan—It’s also your best chance to get time-crunched investors and lenders excited about your business concept.
Try to keep it as brief as possible—no more than one page with three to four paragraphs. It’s best to write it last as it is a high-level summary of your business mission statement, a brief description of the products or services your business offers and a broad summary of your financial growth plans.
Before you dive into the rest of your plan, you need to share detailed information about your business idea.
Start by providing detailed information about your company's structure, business model, brand values, goals and objectives, mission and vision. Dive into the real-world problems your business is on a mission to solve. Then, get specific and outline the types of customers, organizations or businesses that your company aims to serve.
Next, showcase your products or services and how they bring value to your customers. Illustrate the journey of your offerings from creation to delivery. Share your strategies for safeguarding your intellectual property through copyrights or patents. If you're leading the charge in research and development, explain the details and what you hope to achieve.
Share details about your industry and the competitive edges that set your business apart. Do you have experts on your team? Have you secured the ideal location for your business? This section is a great place to showcase your strengths and what sets your business apart from competitors.
Investors will readily invest in market-driven companies. Your company's market, sales and profit potential matter more to investors and make a more compelling case than its technical features.
To win over investors, you'll need to show a thorough understanding of your industry and target market. In your research, estimate the target audience or market size for your products, industry trends, customer behavior and buying habits.
This is where you include details of the competitive landscape. So before you write this section, do competitive research to find out what other businesses are doing, what their strengths and weaknesses are and how you stack up against them.
A SWOT analysis is a good framework for competitive analysis. Plus, you can gather information from competitors’ marketing and sales collateral, industry experts, trade publications, research reports, Google Trends, government publications and academic journals.
Your marketing plan should explain how you’ll attract and persuade your ideal customers to buy your products or services. It’s also important to describe how you will build customer loyalty to encourage repeat business.
Here are things you should explain in detail:
Be sure to include specifics about your sales and distribution plans, including your pricing strategy and the cost of selling each item. This is a great place to explain your sales process, including how you will generate leads, manage customer relationships and close sales.
Next on your business plan checklist is the funding requirements. How much do you need over the next five years, and how will you use it? Provide a detailed description of how you’ll use these funds, including equipment, inventory, staffing, marketing and operational costs.
Also, share information about your burn rate—the amount of money your business needs in a certain period to cover all expenses. Investors look out for companies with low burn rates because they are more likely to become profitable and yield positive ROI.
The next important item to cover is your funding strategy. Are you leaning towards debt or equity? Explain the repayment terms, duration and potential return on investment. Remember to share your future financial and business strategies, such as debt repayment, succession plans and potential business exits.
Strengthen your funding request with detailed financial projections. You want to convince readers that your business is stable and poised for financial success.
If your business is already up and running, present income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements from the last three to five years. In addition, specify any assets that could be used as collateral for a loan.
Share prospective financial predictions for the next five years, including forecasted cash flow statements, forecasted income statements, balance sheets and capital expenditure budgets. In the first year, be even more specific and use quarterly - or even monthly - projections.
Use charts, graphs and widgets to visualize financial data and tell your business's financial story. Visme offers 50+ data visualization tools to help you translate your numbers into beautiful visuals that are easy to grasp.
The executive summary is the first thing that appears in a business plan. It provides an overview of the business plan and highlights the key points in other sections.
Yes, you can definitely write a business plan yourself. While it may seem daunting, there are plenty of resources and templates available online to guide you through the process.
The cost of a small business plan can vary depending on the complexity of the plan, the industry and whether you hire a professional to help you. On average, a professionally written business plan can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
If you choose to create your own business plan, the cost will mainly be your time and effort. Tools like Visme can be helpful in creating professional business plans in a fraction of the time and cost.
The time it takes to write a business plan can vary widely depending on the complexity of the business, the amount of research required and the level of detail you want to include.
Typically, a simple business plan might take around 20-40 hours to complete, while a more comprehensive and detailed plan could take 100 hours or more.
The simplest type of business plan is a one-page business plan. It’s a concise document that outlines the core elements of your business, such as your mission statement, target market, key objectives and strategies. It’s a great way to quickly convey your business idea and strategy in an abridged manner.
A traditional business plan should be around 10 to 20 pages in length.
However, the exact length may vary depending on the specific nature and complexity of the business. You’ll want to ensure you include enough information to get your business concept and goals across while keeping it short and easy to read.
A business plan lays out the goals, strategies and operational and financial details of a new or existing business.
On the other hand, a strategic plan is used only by established companies looking to set a clear direction and roadmap for long-term success. This plan includes high-level strategies, long-term goals and the actions needed to achieve them.
A business plan is a comprehensive document that provides detailed information about a company’s operations, market analysis and financial projections. It serves as a roadmap for the business and is often used to secure funding or attract potential business partners.
On the other hand, a pitch deck is a concise and engaging presentation that highlights the key aspects of a business in a compelling way. The pitch deck is designed to capture the attention of potential investors and stakeholders and generate interest in the business.
Whether you’re starting your business or scaling growth, business plans offer immense value. They can help map out clear next steps for your business or uncover gaps in your business before they stunt your growth.
Even if you’re looking to pitch to investors—a winning business plan can get them excited about investing in your business. This article has covered everything you need to craft your own business plan.
Now it’s time to make it count. Visme provides an extensive range of customizable templates, advanced tools and AI-powered features to help you create business plans and other visual content that stands out.
Create your business plan in seconds with Visme’s AI business plan generator.
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