• Cash flow is both vital to a company and hard to follow. Cash is usually misunderstood as profits, and they are different. Profits don’t guarantee cash in the bank. Lots of profitable companies go under because of cash flow problems. It just isn’t intuitive.
• Implementation details are what make things happen. Your brilliant strategies and beautifully formatted planning documents are just theory unless you assign responsibilities, with dates and budgets, follow up with those responsible, and track results. Business plans are really about getting results and improving your company.

Can you suggest a standard outline?
If you have the main components, the order doesn’t matter that much, but here’s the outline order we suggest in Business Plan Pro software:

1. Executive Summary: Write this last. It’s just a page or two of highlights.
2. Company Description: Legal establishment, history, start-up plans, etc.
3. Product or Service: Describe what you’re selling. Focus on customer benefits.
4. Market Analysis: You need to know your market, customer needs, where they are, how to reach them, etc.
5. Strategy and Implementation: Be specific. Include management responsibilities with dates and budget.
6. Management Team: Include backgrounds of key members of the team, personnel strategy, and details.
7. Financial Plan: Include profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheet, break-even analysis, assumptions, business ratios, etc.

View a standard business plan outline

We don’t recommend developing the plan in the same order you present it as a finished document. For example, although the Executive Summary comes as the first section of a business plan, we recommend writing it after everything else is done.

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32 readers have commented on “What Is a Business Plan?”

1. Madlena said on January 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 pm:
   

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3. jennifer stewart said on January 5th, 2008 at 2:13 pm:
   

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4. Bob said on January 15th, 2008 at 10:24 am:
   

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5. Andrew said on January 16th, 2008 at 3:35 am:
   

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7. Anna Lau said on January 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am:
   

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8. Bahmohamed said on January 30th, 2008 at 12:47 am:
   

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9. Lucia Charles said on January 31st, 2008 at 4:53 am:
   

   Thanks alot for I didn’t know how to prepare a business plan but now I know.

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10. Rap-rap said on February 6th, 2008 at 5:43 pm:
    

    Thank’s

11. khan said on February 7th, 2008 at 5:00 pm:
    

    Hiya

    i found good stuff for my uni presentation on business planning…thanks very much

12. Pervez khan said on February 7th, 2008 at 5:11 pm:
    

    Hiya

    every thing seems ok but i didnt understand why we write Executive summary of business plan at last why not in start?

    regards
    P Khan
    Scotland

13. BECKY said on February 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm:
    

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15. CYNTHIA said on February 26th, 2008 at 10:38 pm:
    

    hi thanks a lot.

16. Dennis Addo said on February 27th, 2008 at 6:24 am:
    

    Business plans are very helpful in every organisation, but could you please highlight the steps

17. » BUSINESS PLANS: Business Plan Examples, Samples, Templates, Software and Tools - Blog for Freelancers and the Self-Employed said on March 18th, 2008 at 8:35 pm:
    

    […] What is a Business Plan? […]

18. IKME said on April 24th, 2008 at 2:38 pm:
    

    Wow! What a great piece of work done. It’s informative and I love it so much. Thanx a lot.

19. Shahana Hasan said on May 4th, 2008 at 2:55 am:
    

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20. DEBRA ECHOLS said on May 10th, 2008 at 5:06 pm:
    

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21. DEBRA ECHOLS said on May 10th, 2008 at 5:08 pm:
    

    I WANT TO OPENING A RESTUART CALLED SOUL FOOD.HOW CAN I,GET STARTED.

22. Francisco González said on May 25th, 2008 at 3:21 pm:
    

    I need to prepare a business plan for selling chemicals used in cleaners and detergents industries, mostly imported from USA,China or Korea.I need to prepare information to investors.

23. philip onyancha said on June 20th, 2008 at 9:58 am:
    

    This is what i really needed to start up my own business.God bless you for the wonderful job.

24. rajesh said on July 4th, 2008 at 6:04 am:
    

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25. James said on July 6th, 2008 at 10:43 am:
    

    This is wonderful! Thank you very much! I have invented (on paper) a new high-tech marketing tool. I haven’t patented it yet. I need help with that and developing a prototype. I need to know how to develop a Bplan that will give potential angel investors and mentors the information they’ll need.

26. sorrellw said on July 6th, 2008 at 7:08 pm:
    

    I recieved some good information, to start a program that will help people in need of shelter,learning to read, the small things that are needed to survive in the world that we live in. Thank you

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27. Omer Sudani said on July 27th, 2008 at 10:57 pm:
    

    Thanks alot, we hope if you can add more info, or links to enlarge our knowledge.
    My question where we have to mention the effect of external enviroment in our business plan.

28. hile said on July 29th, 2008 at 6:30 am:
    

    Thank you alot Now we see some thing visible for our bussiness plan.

29. Ronnie Bradley said on August 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm:
    

    I would like to know what a sample business plan looks like for a janitorial cleaning service.Any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated.contact me at ronniebradley@ymail.com

30. liberatus said on August 5th, 2008 at 5:35 am:
    

    Hallo.
    my nameis liberatus. i want to start the business but i don’t have funds and i need loans. now what to do? please help me
    Thanks

31. Sadia Sabrina said on August 7th, 2008 at 10:14 am:
    

    Its just so cool!
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32. Sadia Sabrina said on August 7th, 2008 at 10:20 am:
    

    Its just so cool!
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