For a more a detailed description of the business plan outline, download our PDF.

Your business plan should include:

Cover Page

Your cover page is the first thing the reader will see, so make sure it looks good. Good doesn’t mean lots of fonts or silly graphics – it means clean-looking, well-spaced and well-formatted.

Table of Contents

Confidentially Agreement (new page)

Executive Summary (new page)

This is an overview of your business that sums it up in a concise, optimistic, and compelling way.

Business Description

Product or service Description

Pricing

Value Proposition

Demonstrate that you understand that adding value in an over-crowded market is what attracts and keeps customers, has a positive impact on your pricing, and makes you stand out from the competition.

Market Analysis

Present the results of your market research to prove that there is an opportunity to be seized in the market. By being specific, you’ll illustrate expertise and generate confidence. If your market analysis is not specific, it will be a red light for investors.

Marketing Plan

Management and Business Team Structure

Financial Plan

Funding Requirements

Thank you for your consideration

This is the polite way to conclude your business plan.

Appendix

The appendix includes all of the documents and additional supporting information for the plan.

Your only tool to secure investor funding is the business plan that comes out of all this planning. It must showcase your business and has to convince investors that you have done all the planning to build a strong, successful, and sustainable business. And that you’ll be a strong, resilient, and trustworthy owner.

If you want to give your business plan the best chance – it’s time to pull out all the stops and present a professional business plan that will wow investors.

1. Formatting

Business plans should use simple and standard formatting:

• 12 point font size in a font like Times New Roman is recommended
• Bold headings in a larger font size and even a different font, such as Arial
• Standard margin size of 2.54 cm
• Pages must be numbered
• Your business name must appear on each page in the header or footer
• Leave lots of white space and make it easy to scan and read

2. Writing

• Keep it simple. Complex and long documents won’t be read. A business plan should be brief, relevant, and focused
• Allow your passion and enthusiasm to shine through
• Use short sentences and short paragraphs
• Use bullets where possible
• Cut the flab – no long and fluffy sentences, no waffling
• No slang, no jargon, no cliches

3. Ask someone to read it

Ask someone who knows about businesses to read through it with a critical eye and ensure that it covers everything it should cover, is well-written and actually wows them – as you are hoping to wow an investor.

4. Proofreading

• You simply cannot present a business plan that has spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes
• Proofread it at least three times and ask someone to also proofread it for you too

5. Presentation

To present your business plan in the best possible light, you need to put careful thought into how it’s presented. Investors do judge a book by its cover and if your business plan is presented badly, you can rest assured they will not get beyond the cover page.

• Have it bound at a printers (don’t simply hand the potential investor a sheet of loose or stapled papers)
• Make sure that your cover page is eye-catching and that your business name and logo are printed in their full colours, not black and white (unless your logo is a zebra)