Business plan template for small business

One of the biggest mistakes that potential business owners make is to write down their business plan and think that it is right the first time. The key to any successful writing is to write it more than once.

So write down a "rough draft" as it was called in school and then read over it again and again. Have other business professionals and associates read it over again and again. Each reading will bring ways to improve it and make it perfect. If you think your first draft was perfect, then you aren't going to very far.

Here are some of the sections that should be in every business plan layout. You can add others as you like, and if for some reason a section doesn't apply to you then you can remove it. But don't take short cuts and leave out important parts just to save time or make it shorter.

 Cover page. This is where you display the business logo and name. You might also include a catchy slogan or phrase. When looked at the cover page should clearly state the company name, a short description if the name isn't clear, it should be labeled "Business Plan", a date signifying when the plan was finished, and contact information for you or anyone else you are going into business with.
 Table of contents. A table of contents in any book is to help the reader navigate through to where they want to be. Don't forget to label it so they know that it is the table of contents, the name of each section (exactly like they will find it later in the book), and a corresponding page number to locate each section. If this section grows larger than two pages, something needs to be scaled back.
 Executive summary. This is a brief synopsis of your entire business plan. Try not to make this an introduction, this is not the intentions. The idea is to be brief but complete, get in what you need and not what you don't. This can be used on its own to find potential funding. Send out just the executive summary and if there is interest then give them an entire business plan.
 Industry and market analysis. This section should educate your reader, assuming that they know nothing about your business opportunities. You should tell them all about the large market as well as the local market. There should be descriptions of the industry and how you are going to stand out. Don't forget to look at trends and opportunities that might not be obvious.
 Overview. Let them know what you will be selling, what structure you will use, owners of the company, and a list of short and long term goals. This is also where you should put in what funding is needed. This should be a very short section.
 Description of products or services. Readers should find out what the product is, how it works, and why there is a demand for it. Don't forget to state the benefits of what you will be offering. Don't use jargon that needs to be clarified, just use simple terms. If you find a chart or graph that is informative, they might help break up the monotony. Make it fun and easy to read, you want the readers to finish the whole section.
 Staffing and management. For those that you already have hired, spend some time talking about their qualifications and background. Also make a list of the employees that you will be looking for and have a job description for each. Tell them why your people are going to make your business a success.
 Have all of your plans listed out in different sections: marketing plan, operations plan, and financial plan. These should all be detailed with plans and goals for each.
 Appendix. You should have somewhere that they can reference for if you didn't cover something clearly enough. It should have things that were too much for the plan but some readers might want to see, such as resumes, marketing literature, and maps of the location.

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