Profit forecast
Expected sales less costs over a period. State assumptions for volume, price and expenses.
Business plans • practical guide
Write a plan that helps you decide.
Start with one clear page. Expand it as evidence grows or a lender, partner or investor asks for more detail.
Your plan, step by step
Eight questions worth answering.
Business summary
What will you sell, to whom, and why will they choose it? Write this after the other sections.
Customer and demand
Describe your customer, their problem, existing alternatives and evidence from interviews or a small trial. Separate evidence from assumptions.
Offer and pricing
Describe the product or service, selling price, variable cost and contribution per sale. Explain what makes your offer useful.
Sales and marketing
Where will customers find you? Choose one affordable channel to test. Set a measurable target, budget and review date.
Operations and people
Describe suppliers, equipment, location, delivery, quality checks, responsibilities and permissions still to verify.
Financial plan
List startup costs, funding sources, recurring costs and expected sales. Prepare monthly cash receipts, payments and opening/closing balances. State currencies and all conversion assumptions.
Risks and alternatives
Test slower sales, higher costs, delayed payments and supplier disruption. Decide what you would cut, change or postpone. Include fraud checks.
Milestones and funding request
Set the next three actions with owners and dates. If requesting finance, state the amount, intended use, evidence and repayment assumptions. A plan does not guarantee funding.
Keep the numbers connected
Profit, cash and funding tell different stories.
Cash-flow forecast
Opening cash + cash received − cash paid = closing cash. Include equipment, loans and owner withdrawals as appropriate; label them separately.
Funding gap
Identify when planned payments exceed available cash. Explain how you would reduce the gap or seek appropriate finance, including its cost and repayment obligations.
Example • hypothetical
A campus printing idea, in one paragraph.
“We will test a morning printing service for students near one campus. During a two-week trial, we will record jobs sold, turnaround time and repeat customers. Our illustrative price is USD 2 per job, with USD 0.80 variable cost. We will verify equipment capacity, location permissions and full overheads before expanding. If demand is too low, we will revise the offer before committing to a longer rental.”
This is an example of testable assumptions, not evidence that this business is viable.
Free editable worksheet
Turn the questions into your own plan.
Download the plain-text template and open it in a text editor or word processor. It includes a cash-flow table, assumptions log and launch checklist. Complete it on your own device; the website does not collect your answers.
Download the business-plan template ↓ Open the cash-flow plannerBefore sharing with a funder, check their specific requirements, verify your figures and remove confidential information they do not need. Seek qualified legal or tax input where relevant.
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