Free Business Plan Template PDF

Written By: Dave Lavinsky

Dave Lavinsky is the Co-Founder and President of Growthink, a premier business

advisory ﬁrm. With over 25 years of experience in business planning, capital raising, and

new venture development, Dave has signiﬁcantly impacted entrepreneurs and small

business owners worldwide. He has assisted over one million clients in creating

comprehensive business plans that drive growth and success.

Growthink’s business plan template is a comprehensive guide to help entrepreneurs and

business owners create a professional and effective plan for their companies.

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST:

NOTE: The following template is the FREE version of Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan

Template. Much of the information from the paid version, including the integrated

ﬁnancial graphs and charts, has been removed from this version. To upgrade to the full,

paid version of Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template, please go to

https://businessplantemplate.growthink.com/.

The real version of Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template is much more than a

ﬁll-in-the-blanks template. The template professionally guides you step-by-step so you

can quickly, easily, and expertly complete your business plan. Among many other

features, it includes professional covers and layouts.

Perhaps most importantly, it includes complete ﬁnancial projections. You simply enter

some numbers (for example the # of products/services you expect to sell and the price),

and Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template automatically builds your 5-year

Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement. This service alone would

cost thousands of dollars if you hired an accountant to complete it for you.

[Company Logo]

(if applicable)

[Company Name]

BUSINESS PLAN

[Current Month], [Year]

[Name]

[Title]

[Company Name]

[Address 1]

[Address 2]

[City, State Zip]

Tel: [ ]

Fax: [ ]

Email: [ ]

Website: [ ]

CONFIDENTIAL

No offering is made or intended by this document. Any offering of interests in [Company Name] will be

made only in compliance with Federal and State securities laws.

This document includes conﬁdential and proprietary information of and regarding [Company Name]. This

document is provided for informational purposes only. You may not use this document except for

informational purposes, and you may not reproduce this document in whole or in part, or divulge any of its

contents without the prior written consent of [Company Name]. By accepting this document, you agree to be

bound by these restrictions and limitations.

Table of Contents

(Right-click anywhere on this table and select Update Field after you have completed the plan)

Free Business Plan Template PDF................................................................................1

I. Executive Summary........................................................................................................2

II. Company Overview....................................................................................................... 3

Company Proﬁle.......................................................................................................... 3

Company Vision/Mission Statement......................................................................... 3

Past Accomplishments...............................................................................................3

III. Industry Analysis.......................................................................................................... 4

Market Need.................................................................................................................4

Market Fundamentals................................................................................................. 4

Unique Qualiﬁcations.................................................................................................. 4

IV. Customer Analysis....................................................................................................... 5

Customer Needs..........................................................................................................5

Target Customer Proﬁle.............................................................................................. 5

V. Competitive Analysis.................................................................................................... 6

Direct Competitors...................................................................................................... 6

Indirect Competitors....................................................................................................6

Competitive Advantage...............................................................................................6

VI. Marketing Plan............................................................................................................. 7

Products and Services................................................................................................ 7

Branding and Promotions Plan...................................................................................7

Distribution Plan.......................................................................................................... 7

VII. Operations Plan...........................................................................................................8

Key Operational Processes......................................................................................... 8

Business Milestones................................................................................................... 8

VIII. Management Team....................................................................................................9

Management Team Members.................................................................................... 9

Management Team Gaps............................................................................................9

Board Members........................................................................................................... 9

IX. Financial Plan.............................................................................................................10

Revenue Model.......................................................................................................... 10

Financial Highlights...................................................................................................10

Funding Requirements/Use of Funds...................................................................... 10

Exit Strategy (or Repayment Strategy)..................................................................... 10

X. Appendix............................................................................................................................11

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 1

I. Executive Summary

The Executive Summary should include a summary of the other sections of your

business plan, highlighting the key points and your business goals. This section should

be concise yet compelling, as it will likely be the ﬁrst part of your business plan that

potential investors or partners read.

Key Questions to Answer:

● What does your business do?

● What market need does your business solve?

● What are 4-7 reasons why your business will be successful?

● How much capital, if any, are you seeking for your business?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 2

II. Company Overview

The Company Overview section should provide a brief history and description of your

company, as well as any current or future partnerships or alliances. This section should

also include a mission statement and an overview of your unique selling proposition

(USP).

Company Proﬁle

● Where are you located?

● When were you formed?

● What is your legal entity form?

Company Vision/Mission Statement

● What goals is your company trying to achieve?

Past Accomplishments

● What successes has your company already achieved?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 3

III. Industry Analysis

For the Industry Analysis section, you will need to conduct market research and present

an overview of the market in which your business operates. This includes identifying

your target market, analyzing current trends and potential challenges, and examining

competitors.

Market Need

● What customer need(s) are you fulﬁlling?

Market Fundamentals

Market/Industry Overview

● In what market(s) do you compete?

Market/Industry Trends

● What are the key market trend(s) and how does that affect you?

Relevant Market Size

● How large is your relevant market (the # of customers who can

realistically buy from you)?

Unique Qualiﬁcations

● What qualiﬁcations make your business uniquely qualiﬁed to succeed)?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 4

IV. Customer Analysis

The Customer Analysis section will include a detailed description of your target

customers, including demographic information, needs, buying behavior, and purchasing

preferences. This section should also highlight the potential growth and retention

strategies for acquiring and retaining customers.

Customer Needs

● What are the key needs of your target customers?

Target Customer Proﬁle

● Who are your target customers? Give a detailed demographic proﬁle.

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 5

V. Competitive Analysis

The Competitive Analysis section will provide a detailed overview of your competitors,

including their strengths and weaknesses. This section should also highlight how your

company differentiates itself from the competition.

Direct Competitors

● Who are your direct competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Indirect Competitors

● Who are your indirect competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Competitive Advantage

● What are your competitive advantages? Are these sustainable (can competitors

emulate them)?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 6

VI. Marketing Plan

In the Marketing Plan section, you will outline your strategies for promoting and selling

your products or services. This includes identifying target markets, pricing strategies,

distribution channels, and promotional tactics.

Products and Services

● What are your products and/or services?

Branding and Promotions Plan

● What is your desired brand positioning? How do you plan to promote your

company’s products and/or services?

Distribution Plan

● How will you sell your products and/or services to customers? Directly? Through

partners/distributors? Etc.

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 7

VII. Operations Plan

The Operations Plan should include details about your day-to-day operations, including

location and facilities, equipment and technology needed, and staﬃng requirements.

This section should also outline your production processes and any necessary inventory

management systems.

Key Operational Processes

● What are the key operational processes that your organization needs to

accomplish on a daily basis to achieve success?

Business Milestones

● What milestones will you need to accomplish over the next 1-3 years in order to

achieve success?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 8

VIII. Management Team

The Management Team section of the business plan must prove why the key company

personnel are “eminently qualiﬁed” to execute the business model.

Management Team Members

● Who are the key members of your management team?

Management Team Gaps

● Who do you still need to hire?

Board Members

● Do you have a Board? If so, who is it comprised of?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 9

IX. Financial Plan

The Financial Plan will include ﬁnancial projections for your business, including income

statements, balance sheets, and cash ﬂow statements. This section should also

highlight any assumptions made in creating the ﬁnancial projections.

Revenue Model

● In what ways do you generate revenues?

Financial Highlights

Key Assumptions

● What key assumptions govern your ﬁnancial projections?

Financial Projections

● What are your topline 5-year ﬁnancial projections?

Go to https://businessplantemplate.growthink.com/ for the paid template

that automatically generates your 5-year ﬁnancial projections

Funding Requirements/Use of Funds

● How much money do you need to start and/or run your business? What are the

primary uses of these funds?

Exit Strategy (or Repayment Strategy)

● How will equity investors be paid? How will debt investors be paid?

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 10

X. Appendix

The Appendix is used to support the rest of the business plan.

Include the following (if applicable) in the Appendix:

● Projected Income Statements, Balance Sheets and Cash Flow Statements

● Technology: Technical drawings, patent information, etc.

● Product/Service Details

● Partnership and/or Customer Letters

● Expanded Competitor Reviews

● Customer Lists

[Company Name] Business Plan Page 11

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[Company Name] Business Plan Page 12