woman taking inventory with clipboard and preview of one-page business plan template

Free Download

Lean Business Plan Template

An alternative to the Business Model Canvas, our Lean Business Plan Template makes it easy to test out new ideas by quickly sketching out a one-page business plan.

Download Now

Or plan with expert guidance in LivePlan. Save 50% today

Available formats:

Word Icon Google Icon PDF Icon

Downloads: 175,354

Why create a lean business plan?

speedometer icon indicating speed

It’s fast

Build your first Lean Plan in less than 20 minutes. Compared to writing a detailed business plan, that’s a huge time savings.

checkmark icon

It’s simple

Anyone can create a Lean Business Plan. Unlike the Business Model Canvas, you won’t need any special business knowledge.

Export Icon

It's shareable

A Lean Plan fits on a single page so it’s easy to share and get feedback from business partners, friends, and family.

Trophy icon indicating impressiveness

It's impressive

Investors don’t have time to read detailed plans. A Lean Plan will quickly grab their attention.

Money-Back Guarantee

All 100% free. We're here to help you succeed in business, no strings attached.

2 great ways to build your lean plan:

grey template icon

Our free template:

Get a blank template and instructions for how to build your lean plan.

Download now
liveplan avatar logo

LivePlan software:

Confidently build your plan with step-by-step guidance, AI-powered suggestions, and expert support.

Save 50% today

What you'll get:

What you'll get:

Free Template

LivePlan

A Blank Template + Instructions
Lean Plan Builder
AI-Powered Suggestions
Lender-Ready Financial Statements
Industry Benchmark Data
550+ Sample Business Plans
Expert 1-1 Human Support
Educational Webinars

Lean business plan FAQ

A lean business plan is a business plan that focuses in on the key details of your business, fits on one-page, and can be created in under 20 minutes.

Your lean business plan can be used to quickly get your business idea onto paper, to quickly present your business concept to lenders or investors, or to simply get feedback on the key points of your business. Because a lean plan can be created quickly, its easy to adjust and refine as your business grows and evolves. We call this process of continually adjusting your lean plan - lean planning !

A lean plan will help you quickly develop your business strategy in a fraction of the time it will take you to write a complete business plan . Use your Lean Plan to experiment with different ideas and figure out your perfect business strategy.

(1) Strategy: What you’re going to do (2) Tactics: How you’re going to do it (3) Business model: How you’re going to make money (4) Schedule: Who is doing what and when. You can dive into more detail on what to include in each section here.

Just download the template from this page and start to fill it out - we'd recommend you print it. If you print it, use a pen and pencil or Post-It notes to add your ideas. Create multiple versions as you experiment with different business strategies, marketing and sales plans, and business models. When you’re done with your Lean Business Plan, your next step is to find out if your idea is actually any good. We’ve put together . Start there, and when you’re ready for more detail, check out our article on “demand validation” that walks you through the details of figuring out if potential customers will be willing to buy your product or service. You can do all of this with your Lean Business Plan, without having to spend a bunch of money. It’s the best way to get your business started with the least amount of risk possible.