A Standard Business Plan Outline

by Tim Berry

http://articles.bplans.com/writing-a-business-plan/A-Standard-Business-Plan-Outline

What information needs to be in your business plan? What is the order of information
that will make the most sense to lenders and investors? You can answer these questions
with the business plan outlines provided below.

What are the standard elements of a business plan? If you do need a standard business
plan to seek funding — as opposed to a plan-as-you-go approach for running your
business, which I describe below — there are predictable contents of a standard business
plan outline.

For example, a business plan normally starts with an Executive Summary, which should
be concise and interesting. People almost always expect to see sections covering the
Company, the Market, the Product, the Management Team, Strategy, Implementation, and
Financial Analysis. The precise business plan format can vary.

Is the order important? If you have the main components, the order doesn’t matter that
much, but here’s the sequence I suggest for a business plan. I have provided two outlines,
one simple and the other more detailed.

Simple business plan outline

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 budgets. Make sure you can track results.
6. Web Plan Summary: For e-commerce, include discussion of website,
development costs, operations, sales and marketing strategies.
7. Management Team: Describe the organization and the key management team
members.
8. Financial Analysis: Make sure to include at the very least your projected Profit
and Loss and Cash Flow tables.

Build your plan, then organize it. I don’t recommend developing the plan in the same
order you present it as a finished document. For example, although the Executive
Summary obviously comes as the first section of a business plan, I recommend writing it
after everything else is done. It will appear first, but you write it last.
Cover Page
The Cover Page should include the following:
plan name

company name

company address

company phone and

fax

email address

revision number or copy number

Legal Page
Confidentiality Agreement
The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided by
_______________ in this business plan is confidential; therefore, reader agrees not
to disc lose it without the express written permission of _______________.

It is acknowledged by reader that information to be furnished in this business plan is

in all respects confidential in nature, other than information which is in the public
domain through other means and that any disclosure or use of same by reader, may
cause serious harm or damage to _______________.

Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to _______________.

___________________
Signature
___________________
Name (typed or printed)
___________________
Date
This is a business plan. It does not imply an offering of securities.
Table of Contents
Page 1
1.0 Executive Summary
................................................................................................................................1
2.0 Company Summary
................................................................................................................................1
2.1 Start-up
Summary.........................................................................................................................1
Table: Start-up
...........................................................................................................................1
3.0 Services
.................................................................................................................................................1
4.0 Market Analysis Summary
.......................................................................................................................2
Table: Market Analysis
...............................................................................................................2
5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary
...................................................................................................2
5.1 Sales Forecast
..............................................................................................................................2
Table: Sales Forecast
................................................................................................................2
5.2 Milestones
....................................................................................................................................3
Table: Milestones
.......................................................................................................................3
6.0 Management Summary
...........................................................................................................................3
7.0 Financial Plan
........................................................................................................................................3
7.1 Start-up Funding
...........................................................................................................................4
Table: Start-up Funding
.............................................................................................................4
7.2 Projected Profit and Loss
..............................................................................................................5
Table: Profit and Loss
................................................................................................................5
7.3 Want more help?
...........................................................................................................................5
Your Plan Title Here
Page 1
1.0 Executive Summary
This is a summary of the key points of your business plan, as outlined in the
following chapters.

2.0 Company Summary

Describe your company, who you are, where you operate.

2.1 Start-up Summary

Summarizes your Start-up table numbers, both expenses and assets. These oc cur
before you are open for business.

Table: Start-up
Start-up
Requirements
Start-up Expenses
Expense 1 $0
Expense 2 $0
Expense 3 $0
Expense 4 $0
Expense 5 $0
Expense 6 $0
Total Start-up Expenses $0
Start-up Assets
Cash Required $0
Start-up Inventory $0
Other Current Assets $0
Long-term Assets $0
Total Assets $0
Total Requirements $0

3.0 Services
Describes the products and/or services you offer, how they are provided and by
whom, and
plans for future service offerings.

Your Plan Title Here

Page 2

4.0 Market Analysis Summary

Describes the different groups of target customers included in your market analysis
and explain why you are selec ting these as targets.

Table: Market Analysis

Market Analysis
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Potential Customers Growth CAGR
Segment Name 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0.00%
Segment Name 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0.00%
Segment Name 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0.00%
Total 0.00% 0 0 0 0 0 0.00%
5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary
Summarizes the organizational strategy for target marketing, sales and marketing
activities, and product/service development.

5.1 Sales Forecast

This topic explains the Sales Forecast table.
Table: Sales Forecast
Sales Forecast
FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011
Sales
Row 1 $0 $0 $0
Row 2 $0 $0 $0
Row 3 $0 $0 $0
Total Sales $0 $0 $0
Direct Cost of Sales FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011
Row 1 $0 $0 $0
Row 2 $0 $0 $0
Row 3 $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales $0 $0 $0

Your Plan Title Here

Page 3

5.2 Milestones
Describes the milestones (measurable ac tivities) laid out in the Milestones table.
Table: Milestones
Milestones
Milestone Start Date End Date Budget Manager Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Name me 11/11/2008 12/11/2008 $0 ABC Department
Totals $0

6.0 Management Summary

Describes the management and personnel structure of the company, including any
gaps that
need to be filled.

7.0 Financial Plan

Summarizes the financial aspec ts of your business plan.

Your Plan Title Here

Page 4

7.1 Start-up Funding

Explains where your funding will come from, in what form (as investments and/or
loans), and how
this funding will cover the start-up requirements outlined in the Start-up table.

Table: Start-up Funding

Start-up Funding
Start-up Expenses to Fund $0
Start-up Assets to Fund $0
Total Funding Required $0
Assets
Non-cash Assets from Start-up $0
Cash Requirements from Start-up $0
Additional Cash Raised $0
Cash Balance on Starting Date $0
Total Assets $0
Liabilities and Capital
Liabilities
Current Borrowing $0
Long-term Liabilities $0
Accounts Payable (Outstanding Bills) $0
Other Current Liabilities (interest-free) $0
Total Liabilities $0
Capital
Planned Investment
Owner $0
Investor $0
Additional Investment Requirement $0
Total Planned Investment $0
Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses) $0
Total Capital $0
Total Capital and Liabilities $0
Total Funding $0

Your Plan Title Here

Page 5

7.2 Projected Profit and Loss

Explains the important points of your Profit and Loss projec tions, such as percentage
increase
in sales and profits, your gross margins, and key budget items.

Table: Profit and Loss

Pro Forma Profit and Loss
FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011
Sales $0 $0 $0
Direct Cost of Sales $0 $0 $0
Other Costs of Sales $0 $0 $0
Total Cost of Sales $0 $0 $0
Gross Margin $0 $0 $0
Gross Margin % 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Expenses
Payroll $0 $0 $0
Expense 2 $0 $0 $0
Depreciation $0 $0 $0
Rent $0 $0 $0
Utilities $0 $0 $0
Insurance $0 $0 $0
Payroll Taxes $0 $0 $0
Other $0 $0 $0
Total Operating Expenses $0 $0 $0
Profit Before Interest and Taxes $0 $0 $0
EBITDA $0 $0 $0
Interest Expense $0 $0 $0
Taxes Incurred $0 $0 $0
Net Profit $0 $0 $0
Net Profit/Sales 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

7.3 Want more help?

Business Plan Pro contains full instructions and examples for every topic, Excel-
compatible
formulas and linked data between tables for a financially correc t plan, automatic
full-color
charts, and more, in a format favored by banks and the Small Business
Administration (SBA).