Free resources for business planning
The Internet contains a wealth of free resources to help you create your business plan. Here is a quick tour of good places to get started on the planning process:
Free SBA business planning course
Business planning guru Tim Berry recorded this online business plan course on behalf of the U.S. Small Business Administration to help entrepreneurs and small businesses better understand how to create a business plan.
Sample business plans
Bplans.com offers over 100 complete business plan examples, covering all sorts of company types. This is a subset of the 500+ sample business plans included in our popular business plan software.
Small Business Development Centers
In the United States, SBDCs are funded in part by the SBA and also work with local colleges and some other funding agencies. Every state has at least one SBDC, and most states have offices in several cities. Find an SBDC near you
SCORE
SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education. SCORE's network of 10,500 retired and working entrepreneurs and executives provide free business counseling and advice as a public service to all types of businesses, in all stages of development. Find a SCORE office near you
Business planning videos
Bplans.com also offers a collection of planning videos, including an eight-part series by Tim Berry on how to develop your business plan. You can find more videos on our YouTube channel.
Free business planning book
Tim Berry's classic book Hurdle: The Book on Business Plans is now freely available in its entirety at www.hurdlebook.com. His latest book, The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan, is available for sale on Amazon and elsewhere.
Planning, Startups, Stories blog
Tim Berry blog regularly on Planning, Startups, Stories, a popular daily blog about business planning, startups, and entrepreneurship. He also writes the Business Planning Demystified column for AllBusiness.com and the Up and Running blog for Entrepreneur Magazine.