The first step for writing a business plan is to have one. It is smart to start with a simple concept, defining what your business is and what it aims to accomplish. Most people are wrong when thinking they need to write all details, even in the first draft.
The truth is, you do not need to be so detail-oriented – just to have an original idea. It means you need to see a bigger picture and what is the goal of that plan.
For everything, besides that, you can use the help of different tools for writing a business plan. Let us introduce you to a few tools that will be useful to bring life to your business.
1. SCORE
The Score is a nationwide network supported by mentors, of which most are volunteers. They are dedicated to helping small businesses improve their strategy. Besides, the team is always there for you to get all your questions answered. The quickest way to get these answers is through the program of mentorship.
However, they offer The Startup roadmap as a guide to successfully start a business and, Business plan template for the startup business. Thus, by downloading this template, you will make the process of writing easier and more manageable because the template will lead you step-by-step through it.
The template is free to download and includes easy-to-follow guidelines for completing each section of the business plan, questions to think about every aspect, and fillable worksheet/s for important sections. When you finish filling up this template, you will have a business plan to show your SCORE mentor.
Other sections that are included in this template are:
- Executive Summary
- Company Description
- Products and Services
- Marketing Plan
- Operational Plan
- Management and Organization
- Startup Expenses and Capitalization
- Financial Plan
- Appendices
The template is useful as an introduction to more complex processes regarding the development of the business plan. Besides, Score offers programs such as Score of all, Small business resilience, Learning center, or opportunity to join the virtual conference.
2. Enloop
This is an online business plan template software that offers a 7-day free trial. Monthly or annual pricing is extremely affordable, too. If you are looking for more in-depth analysis, financial plans, and other statistics, then Enloop is the right choice.
Enloop provides many useful features. With this software, you are able to invite your team, accountant, or business partners to share, view, and edit your plan. Also, it offers currency formatting for 100+ currency symbols, together with performance scores measured in real-time.
The noteworthy features of Enloop are analysis of financial ratios and automatically generated financial reports. This tool analyzes 16 critical financial ratios to predict your business performance when it comes to analyzing. You are able to get pre-created, bank-ready financial reports. These are forecast reports, and they are very useful in your business plan by saving you from tedious report writing time. Concerning saving you precious time, Enloop allows automated text writing that comes in the form of customized text you can edit.
However, even though financial forecasting within business plans is hard, Enloop makes them easy. It is a very user-friendly tool with an easy-to-follow interface. Further, it automatically syncs your financial data into your text for updates without extra effort every time you change your financials.
3. Bplans
It is not surprising why we add this tool in the article. Bplans give an uncomplicated idea of what a traditional business plan should look like. Simplified, a business plan is a roadmap – guideline for your business to grow. Soon, if you are looking for a much (over 500) example business plan, this is the right tool for you.
It comes with small business tools and many more resources and guides. Bplans offers free planning resources such as free sample business plans, a one-page plan template, or a great opportunity – template for a complete business plan.
The most interesting fact is that all those templates are free to download. Their site has a user-friendly interface with all details and links explained.
4. LivePlan
They said if you think through every aspect of your business – you are twice as likely to succeed. For what it is worth, LivePlan helps you think. This platform works for every type of business – no matter what stage. It helps when it comes to funding existing plans, but helps you to create a successful startup, too.
It provides users with many powerful features such as business planning, one-page plan, step-by-step guidance, +500 sample plans, automatic financials, lender-ready themes, and financial performance tracking.
The unique and notable feature is the one that offers lender-ready themes. This ensures you are completely ready and confident when giving the presentation to lenders and investors because you want your presentation to stand out.
LivePlan is very affordable since it comes with standard and premium programs with the opportunity to get your money back within a 60-day guarantee.