The Ultimate Guide to Business Plan Writing

Starting a small business can be the biggest and most worrisome undertaking a person will ever face. Crafting a professional and well-written business plan is the first step to ensuring that a small business will get off the ground.

Collectively, the resources we've compiled have everything you need to get off to a great start. If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, you won't want to miss these insider tips, samples, software recommendations, and other valuable internet resources. There's even a list of competitions available for the chance to win extra start-up money. So, take a deep breath and read on to take the stress out of writing a business plan.

How-To - Samples - Software - Competitions - Blogs & Articles - Online Classes - Just for Laughs

How-To

• Business Planning Tutorials from Bplans.com offer a more visual approach to learning about creating a business plan. These videos hosted by Tim Berry cover several different aspects of writing a business plan.
• Entrepreneur.com includes business building tips and a thorough guide to writing the best possible business plan. Don't miss their archive of hundreds of business plan samples divided into categories based on business type.
• Free Business Planning Courses are offered through Business.gov. Each course is about 30 minutes long and allows interested learners to cover the basics of business plan writing. The courses include audio instruction.
• MasterCard Business Planning provides small business owners with a 32-page booklet detailing the ins and the outs of creating an effective small business plan. The site also includes other resources for entrepreneurs.
• Microsoft's How-to Write a Business Plan is a quick and easy-to-follow guide breaks down the key parts of a business plan. It also includes links to other small business help from Microsoft. Because Bill Gates must have known what he was doing, right?
• Moot Corps's Fundable Business Plans this comprehensive guide to writing a business plan that will help your business secure the money it needs comes from one of the most successful business plan competitions in the country. The guide is presented in a step-by-step, easy to follow method.
• My Own Business discusses not only how to write a business plan, but also why it is important for young entrepreneurs to prepare the best business plan possible. Video explanations are also included for most of the steps involved.
• Startup Nation features lots of great information about starting a business and writing a business plan. Most of the steps include links to book excerpts to help readers get a better understanding of what they should be doing and why.
• The University of Colorado Leed School of Business offers straightforward tips on business plan preperation, including formatting and style choices for writing a stand-out business plan.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration offers the federal government's official guide to writing a business plan. But this government funded project covers more than just the basics of starting a business, be sure to check out the unique online workshop to help businesses get started as well.
• The U.S. Center for Veterans Enterprise provides straightforward pamphlet on writing a business plan that can initiates veterans and non-vets alike into the business world and gives indication of what to expect when putting together a business plan. Quick and to the point, this document also includes some handy traps to avoid when writing.

Samples

• Bplans.com is an oft-referenced site that features hundreds of professionally made business plans. It also includes insider blogs and business task walk-throughs.
• Business Know How is enormous list of sample business plans should be enough to keep eager learners busy for weeks. Analyze business plans for everything from a horse reseller to a yoga clinic.
• Bullet Proof Biz Plans is for the serious business plan writer only! Some business plans only cover a page or two of information, but this sample dives in-depth into the writing process. Each section, there are 11 in all, includes a brief summary with the option to view a complete breakdown featuring graphs and charts.
• The Carnegie Library has scowered the web to put together an enormous Business Plan Index organized by business type. No business idea is too outlandish with varied topics including "Emu Ranch" and "Used Book Store."
• Mini Plan hosts one of the largest business plan sample sites on the web. They feature plans from almost every industry, complete with accompanying graphs and charts. Users can also create a "miniplan" and start testing their business against real world data.
• MoreBussines.com offers several business plans with focuses on industries like manufacturing, entertainment and personal fitness. Read through these plans to get a good idea of what a professional business plan looks like.
• Score.org Template Gallery has a template to match your business, no matter what industry you're in or looking to get into. The template gallery contains templates for non-profits, start-ups and established businesses.
• Simple Biz Planning offers a fill in the blanks template that can help novice planners get an idea of what a well-written business plan should look like.
• Virtual Restaurant is a sample business plan aimed at restaurateurs. However, this helpful sample could be instructive for any person interested in starting a business.
• University of Kentucky Top 20 Business Plan is a professionally assembled plan that was actually submitted when the University set strategic goals for growth in 2005. This plan was not designed as a teaching tool, but business plan writers can learn from it and check their own work against the work of a professional.

Software

• Atlas Business Solutions's Ultimate Business Planner 5 takes the challenges out of writing a business plan. This software streamlines the process to allow entrepreneurs more time to focus on the task at hand.
• Palo Alto Software's Business Plan Pro is designed to help businessmen and women get a jump start on getting their business off the ground. Business Plan Pro includes samples and expert guidance to help write the perfect business plan.
• PlanWare has a well written business plan guide that includes links to a range of tools available for business planning, including free tools that can be downloaded immediately. Don't let the outdated site design fool you - there's valuable material here.

Competitions

• Harvard's Business Plan Competition has been fostering innovation among young entrepreneurs since 1997. Many of the winners have gone on to successfully implement their businesses after the competition. First prize winners receive $25,000 in cash and an additional amount in services.
• The Mass Challenge gives young businesses a chance to meet with some of the craftiest and most successful minds in the investing world. Contestants from around the globe compete for more than $1 million in prizes.
• The Moot Corp Competition attracts businessmen and women across the country come together to pitch their business ideas at this "Super Bowl of business plan competitions."
• The Clean Tech Open is a green business competition that collects ideas from the best scientists and business people on the planet. Teams are given the chance to work with a mentor to hone their proposal for a chance at more than $250,000 in prizes.
• The Minnesota Cup allows businesses ranging from little more than roughly sketched ideas to companies seeking capital to expand their market to compete for over $100,000 dollars in prizes.
• Winning Women Program is a competition aimed at accelerating the growth of women-owned businesses. Competition winners will receive free training from business expert Ernst & Young.

Blogs & Articles

• Business Plan Blog provides a wealth of information relative to anyone interested in learning more about the specifics of writing a business plan. Categories include "About the Business Plan" and "Using Census Data in your Business Plan."
• Business Plan Don'ts is a must-read before starting your business plan. Avoiding these mistakes in the beginning will prevent having to make big and costly changes down the road.
• Business Plan Mistakes covers some of the biggest mistakes a person can make with their business plans, citing high profile companies that have failed and succeeded.
• Critical Business Plan Mistakes cites a survey of almost 250 venture capital firms that outlines the most critical mistakes one can make on a business plan.
• Do's and Don'ts of Business Plan Writing is another important read for those thinking of writing a business plan. This helpful list, presented by the University of Arkansas, includes a few no-brainers that can easily be overlooked and some more specific tips that one may not think of.
• Mr. Biz Plan mingles family life, business plan writing, and the ever-changing entrepreneurial market into an personal and entertaining read.
• Preliminary Business Plan Steps details the important steps that need to be accomplished before undertaking a business plan. This is a potentially huge timesaver.
• The Right Brain Business Plan seeks to move the business plan away from the boring list style into a more visual and appeal "right brain" style. Entries include tips and success stories of other right brainers.
• Top 10 Business Plan Mistakes this article from Business Week lays out the top 10 mistakes people make when writing a business plan. As a bonus, the article also details how to avoid making these mistakes!
• When to Hire a Writer is a short article, but it gets to the point and attempts to answer the important question: "Should I hire a professional business plan writer?" This is another must-read for anyone considering writing a business plan.

Online Classes

• Rutgers University's Basics of Business Plan Writing offers an online introduction to business plan writing. The course teaches clear and concise writing, and each student will have the chance to communicate one-on-one with the professor.
• Northern Virginia Community College's Creating a Successful Business Plan allows online students to study how to craft a business plan that stands out from the rest. Each class covers 24 hours of material.
• Stevens Institute of Technology's Foundations of Business Plan Writing covers all of the basics of writing a business plan with a focus on international and web based businesses. Students show their knowledge through weekly writing assignments.
• Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College's Writing a Business Plan for Your Small Business provides online learning students the opportunity to learn from several outstanding examples of business plans before going on craft their own.

Just for Laughs

• Business Plan Fail