How To Create A Simple Business Plan

A business plan is not only helpful in starting your own business, but it can also help you keep your business going! Most importantly, even if you already have a business, creating a business plan will give you some tips and tricks for running it more efficiently.

Business plans are very specific documents that contain lots of information about your company. This info includes what products or services your business offers, how your business operates, and what steps you will take to promote your business.

There are three major parts to any good business plan: an introduction, market analysis, and business model. The introduction should tell who your business helps, why your business works, and what step you will be taking next. The market analysis looks at the current competition in your field and what could potentially hurt your business as well as what may bolster it. And then the business model outlines all the ways your business will make money.

This article will go into detail on each part of the business plan.

Establish your company's structure

how to create a simple business plan

The next step in creating a business plan is establishing your company’s structure! This includes who will be involved with running the business, how many people there will be, what position each person holds, etc.

It can also include defining whether or not you want an employee relationship (versus owner-employee). There are several different types of employment relationships, so it depends on your goals and expectations for the business.

Making changes to these structures can have significant impacts on the success of your business, so do think about this early on. For example, if someone else was going to run the business after you, they would need access to important documents and information.

You don’t want your competitors knowing all of your secrets, so make sure that isn’t the case by defining appropriate levels of confidentiality at the beginning. Make sure to keep your plans private until everything is ready as well.

Write your marketing plan

how to create a simple business plan

Now that you have determined what products or services your business offers, and where you will advertise for your business, it is time to write an advertising campaign or promotional piece. This article has some tips about how to begin writing your business’s advertisement or promotion.

First, make sure your audience receives important information from you by giving them clear messages and statements. Use direct, simple language to convey these messages clearly.

Second, use appropriate vocabulary when describing your product or service. If you overuse slang words, then those go out the window. Pick effective terms instead.

Third, be concise but elaborate enough to prove your point. The reader does not want to read too much without getting anything valuable from the text.

Fourth, try to emphasize the positive aspects of your product or service. People are going to look at your advertisements and articles for proof that your company works so they can choose to do business with you.

Develop your financial plan

how to create a simple business plan

The next step in creating a business is developing your financial plan. This includes figuring out how much money you have, what kind of income or revenue you expect to get, and where you want to invest that money.

It also means determining how much cash you have left over at the end of each month or week!

You will need this leftover money for things such as bills, savings, investments, and/or debt repayment. Re-evaluating your budget at this stage can help identify any unnecessary spending habits or areas you’re paying too much for.

General tips: When re-designing your budget, don’t make changes rashly. Take your time to evaluate whether these changes are needed before making them.

Remember, being able to stick to a budget is a skill — so work on it until you have mastered it.

Prepare your product list

how to create a simple business plan

Now that you have determined what type of business you want to start, you will need to prepare for it by determining what products or services you can produce to fulfill that goal.

You will also need to determine if there are already marketable items you could use as a springboard to create more products. For example, if you wanted to begin making fashion clothing, you could look at all of the shirts in our materialistic world and try to make one better than the other. If you cannot, then you may not be able to offer much beyond “good” clothes.

Don’t worry about being perfect! All great entrepreneurs were sometimes too nervous before launching their businesses. What matters is that you believe in yourself and your product and that you communicate constantly with people who will help you grow.

Do market research

A business plan is not intended to be an in-depth look at what you want to do with your life, it is a summary of your business idea that includes how much money you need for startup costs and potential revenues.

Market research is one of the most important parts of creating a business plan. You will want to make sure that you have done adequate research into whether there are already ways to offer similar services or products.

You can also check out current trends in the marketplace to see if there’s a demand for your product or service.

By doing thorough research, you’ll know if your concept has solid groundwork and if others are offering like yours, you’ll be able to determine if there’s enough of a gap in the market for you to exploit.

Prepare your company's budget

how to create a simple business plan

Before you can create a business plan, you will need to know what resources your organization has access to. This includes financial resources like money for rent or buying equipment, as well as non-financial resources such as office space that you may be sharing with another company.

It is very important to have an understanding of how much money you have before you begin creating your business plan. If you do not, then you could potentially overextend yourself financially by including too many expenses in your plan!

You should also make sure that you understand the costs associated with your current position so that you are able to evaluate whether or not this changes due to the introduction of new responsibilities within the business plan.

In addition to these two components, you will want to determine if there are any external factors that would affect the success of your business. These might include potential competitors, market conditions, or other ways to reach your goal.

Submit your plan to the IRS

how to create a simple business plan

After you have completed and organized your business plan, it is time to submit it to the IRS for review. Before doing so, make sure that everything in the plan conforms to federal tax law!

If you are planning to run your business as an LLC or corporation, then you will need to include this information in the body of the business plan.

For individuals who want to start their own business, there are many free resources available online and at local libraries. Many universities also offer free startup services and materials. By and large, anything beyond $500 can be funded through various business loan programs or crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo.

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to create a simple business plan. If you had success writing your business plan, leave a comment and let us know what tools helped you get started.

Update your website

how to create a simple business plan

After you have determined what business you want to start, your next step should be updating your own website or creating one if you don’t already have one!

If you currently do not have your own site, that is no longer an excuse as many people now have free web hosting where you can create a new account and run your business from there.

This way you could still use yours as a platform to grow your business later.

Your website should contain information about who you are as a person and business owner, the products and services you offer, and a contact page with email, phone numbers, and address info.

You can also put up pictures of yourself and your family, your dog, or whatever else makes you feel good about yourself and your life at this moment in time.

About The Author

Tiara Ogabang
Tiara Joan Ogabang is a talented content writer and marketing expert, currently working for the innovative company juice.ai. With a passion for writing and a keen eye for detail, Tiara has quickly become an integral part of the team, helping to drive engagement and build brand awareness through her creative and engaging content.
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