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13 Best Companies That Offer Business Plan Writing Services

Do you want to hire a business plan writer? If YES, here are 50 best companies that offer professional business plan writing services at an affordable rate.

A business plan writing service is a team of business experts that take the ideas of an entrepreneur, combine it with their own properly conducted research and deductions, and come out with a professional, well-formatted business plan. Entrepreneurs that want the best chances at getting funding usually turn to business plan writing companies to help them craft a winning business plan.

Despite the fact that business plan writing services generally cost higher than business plan creation software or phone apps, but that does not prevent them from getting the number of clients they need because entrepreneurs are aware of the importance of the services they render.

Whether you’re building a startup from the ground up and seeking your first investment round, or you have a mature company and need a plan in place to garner new insights, having a professional to help conduct research and outline the model is imperative.

While you may have settled with your mind to hire the services of a business plan writer, but you must know that not all business plan services can offer you a professionally written work that can give you the best chances towards getting that funding. This is the reason why we have decided to bring you some of the popular and best business plan writing companies in the united states and the cost their services go for.

13 Best Companies That Offer Professional Business Plan Writing Services and How Much They Charge Clients

  • Wise Business Plans
  • Cost – $1,650

Wise Business Plans is a business plan writing service that is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company writes business plans for businesses seeking venture capital and angel investors as well as businesses interested in applying for SBA loans , E2 visas and L1 visas.

Wise Business Plans are in the business of producing high quality business plans, and their plans contain market and industry research that are drawn from a wide range of sources. Its turnaround times have been known to be above average. Wise Business Plans works with many Fortune 500 companies as well as UPS. It has also partnered with the popular business plan software LivePlan to provide a business writing service to its customers.

When working with Wise Business Plans, you can expect to find a thorough analysis of your business’s industry, including growth trends. The business plan will also look at your business’s market, which includes demographic data about current and potential customers as well as macro and microsegmentation, giving potential investors a complete idea of your business’s potential.

Cost estimates of their business plans are based on estimates for a brick-and-mortar business’s plan. At $1,650, the cost is only slightly higher than the average of $1,500. Again, the cost can vary depending on how complex the plan is. A business plan for a startup looking for venture capital can be more expensive than a plan for a business looking for an SBA loan.

  • Go Business Plans
  • Cost – $2,000 to $10,000

Based in Los Angeles, California, Go Business Plans writes business plans that serve a variety of business’s needs, ranging from SBA loans and visa applications to plans seeking venture capital funding. Go Business Plans rated well in terms of the quality of its business plans and its comprehensive feature set.

Go Business Plans are reputed to contain a thorough market and industry analysis, a complete set of financial forecasts, marketing plans as well as a competitive analysis. The company also prides itself on the quality of it plans. The writing service does not offer a separate service to review existing business plans, instead reserving that for clients that already use or have agreed to use its other services.

This means that while you can’t have Go Business Plans review your current plan without signing up for another service, if you take advantage of any other offering available from this company, you can have your business plan reviewed for an extra cost.

Depending on your business plan, this can cost between $150 and $300. Go Business Plans cost varies based on the kind of business plan you need. But generally their business plan writing service costs between $2,000 to $10,000.

  • The Plan Writers
  • Cost – $1,200 to $5,000

The Plan Writers is a Beverly Hills, California-based business plan service that offers a variety of consulting services in addition to business plan writing. Their business plans are available for businesses and entrepreneurs interested in applying for visas or SBA loans, or those looking for venture capital or angel investor financing. The Plan Writers is also experienced with helping companies go public as well as creating feasibility plans.

When you engage the services of The Plan Writers, you’ll begin the process with a free 30-minute consultation. During this consultation, you’ll discuss your business and industry with the sales rep. If you want to speak longer, you’ll need to pay $200 for another hour. This fee is added to the final cost of your business plan.

Once you’ve commissioned The Plan Writers to create a business plan for you, it usually takes between nine to 10 days to receive the first draft. After you receive your plan, you have two weeks to submit any revisions. This is shorter than other services, but The Plan Writers gets revisions done quick, usually in about one to two days.

As with all business plan services, the costs vary depending on the complexity of your plan. Those plans usually cost around $1,200 to $1,500. Plans for startups or companies seeking larger amounts of capital can cost upwards of $5,000.

  • Capital West Advisors
  • Cost – $100 to $120 per hour

Capital West Advisors is business advisor company that also provides business plan writing services. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and their mission is to provide high quality business plan writing and capital introduction services at the most competitive prices in the industry.

Capital West Advisors was launched in 2006 and since then they have been providing business planning and capital introduction services to several hundred clients across the U.S. and around the world in a wide array of industries. CWA prices its business plans based on a rate of $100 to $120 per hour at a highly efficient rate. Most firms charge $125-$200 per hour at a less efficient rate.

  • Cost – Not disclosed

OGScapital is a team of experienced experts that help entrepreneurs produces a well written business plan as well as provide other services. The company was founded by a team of 8 senior business experts in 2006. From the start, their main goal as professional business plan writers has been to support startups and medium-sized enterprises as they move to the next level, helping them achieve their objectives and become market leaders.

Their expert business plan writers have helped business owners raise debt and equity financing critical to operational startup and growth. The OGScapital team of Online business plan writers does not stop working until the client is 100% satisfied.

The company produce business plans in fields such as accounting, marketing, legal, IT, design and other business services. As of now, their team includes 60 highly experienced consultants. With their business model and offices in the US, Canada, Australia, and the uk, OGScapital is able to help entrepreneurs worldwide.

Once you contact them, you will receive your business plan with within 10-15 days. OGScapital did not disclose their charges, but they disclosed that the client would pay a 50% prepayment before the job commences, with the remaining balance paid upon completion (only when you are 100% satisfied).

  • Deutsch & Thomas
  • Cost: $425 USD

Deutsch & Thomas, Inc. is a business plan writing service that offer professional business plan preparation for startups and small businesses. Registered as Deutsch and Thomas, Inc., their experience building business plans will help you when approaching investors, bankers, and potential clients.

The company has the ability to create financial projections, management and mission statements, and expenditure estimates. Their service also includes electronic presentation preparation. All their business plans are completed within 5 to 6 business days of contact.

Deutsch & Thomas was founded in 2005 by Matthew Deutsch. The business has been in operation for over fourteen years, and was run as a partnership prior to its incorporation. Since its inception, the company has helped small and medium sized businesses raise more than $585,000,000 through plans developed by their team.

  • Pro Business Plans

Pro Business Plans is a leading group of individuals offering business plan consulting and writing services to organizations and individuals. The team is driven by passion, quality and expertise, and they aim to create an accurate road map on various topics to help customers attain achievable targets in minimal time.

Founded in 1999, Pro Business Plans works with international companies from Startups to Fortune 500 across a diverse range of industries to prepare stunning business plans, pitch decks, and investment materials. Pro Business Plans delivers investment banking quality with the attention and care of an in-house consultant.

Its business plan samples reflect its meticulous attention to detail and reflect the of their clients’ company. The financials are accurate and based on the most widely respected market research groups on the United States.

The company has assisted startups, early stage ventures, nonprofits, and existing companies to launch and expand their operation. The company did not disclose its costs.

  • Optimal Thinking
  • Cost – $5,000

Optimal thinking is a marketing and writing service that began in 1985. The company has writing specialists that consult with their clients to help them achieve the objectives of their business. With 27 years of experience, the company serves as organizations’ trusted writing and editorial department.

The optimal thinking professional business plan writers have more than 250 years of combined experience writing successful business plans. They can help you provide a professionally optimized operational plan, feasibility plan, expansion plan, annual plan, internal plan or a new product plan. But their charges can be quite hefty as it can get up to $5,000.

Optimal thinking works with companies from start-ups, small businesses and large organizations including Warner Bros., Johnson & Johnson, U.S. Treasury, National Australia Bank, Air New Zealand, Young Presidents’ Organization and Red Bull.

  • Bargain business plans
  • Cost – $1399 to $2499

Bargain Business Plan is a business plan writing service that has served over 10,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners since 2008. The company has garnered experience in nearly every industry and market available.

Bargain Business Plan writers take the time to get to know their clients, so that they can effectively develop a custom business plan which will meet their needs. Whether you’re in the conception stage of your business or expanding your brand to a new market, their team of business plan writers and consultants will work to ensure you’re in position to succeed.

This is the reason why they are always mentioned when it comes to leading business plan writing companies in the United States.

Their team of dedicated business plan writers, consultants, and financial analysts all work together to ensure that their business plans are always up to standard. Their the cost of writing business plans in the company can range anywhere from $1399 to $2499.

  • Cayenne Consulting

Cayenne has been around for a long time and is another good provider of business plan writing and consulting service in the United States. They have a good senior management team that has a lot of case experience which can be helpful to startup and growth stage companies of all kinds. They also can prepare additional investment related materials such as private placements and more.

Founder of the Cayenne Consulting, Akira Hirai, started the business in March 2001, because venture capitalists kept telling him that the business plans and financial forecasts he had prepared for his own companies were among the best they had seen.

In addition to business plan writing, the company also conducts strategy development, market research and analysis, competitor research and analysis, business plan preparation, financial analysis and forecasting, presentation materials, and developing a capital formation strategy.

This frees you up to focus on building something that investors might actually be interested in: a company in a large market with a compelling value proposition, strong competitive advantages, excellent growth potential, and a team that can make it happen.

Their team is located across the nation and have industry expertise in many high-growth markets, including green technologies, life science, software, Internet, telecommunications, and financial services. Their services can range from a few thousand dollars to several tens of thousands of dollars.

  • Newton Group Marketing
  • Cost: $1,900 – 3,900

Newton Group Marketing specializes in writing powerful and compelling proposals and business plans to obtain needed financing from major banks and investment firms.

The company collaborates with highly specialized and reputable individuals to help create exceptional quality websites, proposals and other marketing pieces. Collectively, the Newton Group Marketing team brings decades of experience and specialized expertise in their respective fields, to bring remarkable quality and bottom-line results to clients.

Although originally based in Vancouver, BC, the company teamed up with professional business plan writers in Toronto and throughout Canada, and offers marketing services sessions to multiple locations in the world. They work with most clients freelance through software such as Skype, email and phone consultation to maximize both time and efficiency for customers.

Their clients can choose from 3 different business plan packages to best meet their funding needs. All plans include Executive Summary, Complete Market Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Financials (Income Statement, Cash Flow Statements, Balance Sheet), and they are usually between 15-35 pages in length depending on plan type.

  • Cost – not disclosed

Growthink is one of the world’s leading business plan development firm. Founded in 1999, the company has helped more than 1,600 clients – including entrepreneurs, small businesses, middle-market companies, Fortune 500 corporations and non-profit organizations – develop world-class business plans. As evidence of the quality of their work, Growthink clients have raised more than $1 billion in growth capital.

Growthink does not have pre-set pricing tiers for their consulting work. Each and every Growthink business plan is 100% customized based on the client’s specific needs and objectives. As a result of their in-depth consultative business planning process, Growthink consultants typically invest 4 to 6 weeks to fully develop and finalize a business plan.

In 1999, Growthink co-founders and Dave Lavinsky and Jay Turo graduated with their MBAs from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. They conceived Growthink from their deep and abiding passion and curiosity for business. Growthink has worked with many companies and assist in not only business plans, but also business consulting in many aspects.

They also provide many other services such as business analytics, banking, products, and other services geared towards helping business owners.

  • Master Plans
  • Cost – $1,900 to $7,500

Masterplans, based in Portland, Oregon, writes business plans for SBA loans, visa applications as well as for businesses seeking venture capital or angel investors. In addition to business plan writing, Masterplans can also review your existing business plan and give you feedback and suggestions for improvement. The plans offered by this service are high quality, and rate well in terms of cost and turnaround times.

Masterplans assigns a team of experts to help with your business plan, and a manager works to organize and update you on the project as it progresses. Each expert works individually on the market analysis, financial forecasts and business narrative. By dividing the plan up, Masterplans can complete your plan faster.

It usually takes between seven to 10 days before you receive the first draft of your business plan. If you need your plan quickly, you can get a rush job for an additional fee. Business plans through Masterplans range from $1,900 to $7,500, depending on the type of plan you need.

More on Business Plan Tips

Top 7 Business Plan Writers

  • March 21, 2024

Hiring a business plan writer

Most entrepreneurs consider hiring a business plan writer the easiest way to prepare a business plan. Even though it’s one of the easiest ways, finding the right service provider for your needs can be a pain.

Need help finding top business plan writers in the U.S .? We’ll help out.

We’ve curated a list of top business plan writing and consulting firms in the United States with their reviews, key service offering details, experience, and other critical information. Let’s head straight to our list of top 7 business plan writers in the United States.

Hire From Top 7 Business Plan Writers

upmetrics business plan writers

Upmetrics Business Plan Writers

Upmetrics, primarily known for its business planning tools, offers a range of business planning services. With 5+ years of experience in the market, Upmetrics has helped over 110K entrepreneurs across 195 countries create investor-ready plans.

Our goal is to give you a plan that’s clear, practical, and ready to present to investors. With Upmetrics, you get a reliable partner focused on helping you build and grow your business.

  • Business plan writing
  • Immigration business plans
  • Financial forecasting
  • Pitch decks
  • Plan consulting
  • Business Plan Review

best business plan firms

Plan Writers

Plan Writers is a team of 8 expert business plan consultants. With 10+ years of experience in the market, they have written over 5K business plans helping clients raise over $1B in capital.

As the 2011 “Best Business Plan Writer” award winner, they can help you communicate your vision, research your industry, create a marketing plan, model a financial projection, and design amazing presentations, so you can focus on your business instead of making actionable plans.

  • Investor and bank plans
  • Business plan consulting

best business plan firms

Go Business Plans

Go Business Plans is a team of top-rated business plan writers and consultants. With 100% client satisfaction, they’ve helped clients raise over $3B in funding. Their team is committed to assisting you in producing the customized business plans required to prevail in today’s fiercely competitive business world.

From business plan advice and website building to internet marketing and debt finance, their specialists can help you with anything you need to launch or expand your firm.

  • Investor presentations
  • Business consulting
  • Business plan review

best business plan firms

Wise Business Plans

Wise Business Plans is a team of MBA business plan writers founded in 2010. With over a decade in the industry, they’ve done over 100K consultations and written over 15K plans for their clients, helping them raise over $1B in capital investment.

With a good overall rating, reputed strategic partners like SBA and IBISWorld, and 14+ years of experience, Wise Business Plans are one of the pioneers in the industry.

  • Business licensing
  • Business credit
  • Business formations

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Cayenne Consulting

Cayenne Consulting is one of the most trusted and longest-serving business plan consulting firms. They can serve as an impartial partner to help you save time by assisting with tasks like developing a strategy, conducting market and competitive research, creating a plan, creating presentation materials, and creating a capital formation strategy.

With more than two decades in business plan consulting, they’ve helped clients raise over $4.3B in capital investment.

  • Business plan preparation
  • Pitch deck design
  • Financial forecasts
  • Business plan makeovers
  • Business valuations

best business plan firms

Pro Business Plans

Pro Business Plans is a team of professional business plan writers and consultants. They have helped 1,000+ businesses to raise $4+ billion across 30+ countries. Their team has expertise in providing strategic advisory to grow businesses from a certain level.

  • Strategic advisory
  • Pitch deck designing
  • Feasibility studies
  • Legal services

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Bargain Business Plans

Bargain Business Plan is a team of MBA business plan writers, financial analysts, and consultants dedicated to helping you with business and financial planning. Their team of consultants and writers strives to guarantee you’re in a position to succeed, whether you’re starting a new business or bringing your brand to a new market.

The company established in 2008 has worked in 900+ industries with 500+ business partners, helping thousands of entrepreneurs build their business plans.

  • Pitch deck creation
  • Custom logo
  • Non-profit & immigration business plans

Where do I Find Freelance Business Plan Writers?

Many platforms are available where you can find freelancers and on such platforms only you will find top business plan writers, such as

You will find a variety of business plan writers on Upwork as it is one of the best-known freelance marketplaces. You can hire one of the top business plan writers after knowing their fees, expertise, business plan samples, etc.

2. Freelancer

Freelancer is also the place where you can find freelance business plan writers. You can post a project there, request proposals, and go through the ratings of the writers & their portfolios.

You can select an expert plan writer on Fiverr depending on your niche. Browse through different profiles and pricing structures and then pitch directly.

4. Referrals and recommendations

You can also seek suggestions and referrals from coworkers, contacts in the sector, or business advisers who might know of independent business plan writers with the required knowledge and abilities.

How much will it cost to hire a business plan writer?

The cost of hiring a business plan writer can depend on various factors like experience, expertise, the field and complexity of the business plan, etc.

However, some writers charge per hour and some charge per project for writing the business plan. We have listed some average costs of writing a business plan as follows:

  • Basic business plan – $500 to $2500
  • Comprehensive business plan – $2500 to $10,000
  • Industry-specific business plan – $5000 to $20,000
  • Hourly basis – $20 to $50

These costs are based on the current average charges of various freelance business plan writers.

 Need help writing business plan and getting funded?

Get a free business planning consultation

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Choosing the Right Business Plan Writer

Since you’re going to spend so much on business plan writing services, it’s crucial to consider a few factors like the range of services they provide, the method you use, and how much they charge.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right business plan writer:

1. Writing services and previous work

If considering hiring a writer or consulting firm, consider asking for examples of their previous work. When reviewing the sample, make sure the writing is clear and concise and that the document is free of any significant errors or typos.

Since investors will primarily focus on the executive summary and financial model, be sure to give them a careful reading.

2. Price is not everything

Do not, however, make the error of judging a plan writer just on the price they offer; instead, search around for your plan to grasp the pricing possibilities accessible.

While it is safe to assume that the least expensive option will produce a product and service of lower quality, the opposite is not always true, i.e., that the most expensive option will produce a product and service of the highest quality.

3. Be clear if you want business plan writing or editing

A plan lays out a company’s strategy and how it will operate over the next five to ten years. The document outlines the company’s current situation as well as the objectives it plans to aim to meet on an operational and financial level.

The document is very personal to the business owner. However, the writer won’t be able to read the business owner’s mind.

A business plan writer can easily offer an objective look at the company, highlighting areas someone close to the company may miss.

The owner must first choose whether he prefers a writer to draft the plan or an editor to polish it after the owner has prepared a draft.

4. Understand their process

It is necessary to understand the procedure of the writer or business consultant before you hire them. Each contractor has their procedure, for instance, some might give you a questionnaire to fill & some will have an interview round to learn more about your business.

Therefore, it is essential to understand the process and to know how will they communicate more with you for business information.

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Business Plan Writer

Hiring a business plan writer has its pros and cons, here is why you should or shouldn’t hire a business plan writer:

  • Writing business plans is their area of expertise, so they can provide insightful advice based on their extensive experience.
  • Working with a writer gives you more time to concentrate on other areas of your company.
  • You may leave a lasting impression on lenders or investors by writing a strong business plan.
  • Working with a business plan writer can be pricey, particularly for new or tiny companies.
  • Working with a writer entails a certain amount of control surrendering over the writing process and final output.
  • Sometimes, business plan writers might not fully understand the vision & goals of your business.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Business Plan Writer

Business plan writing is something you do for your business on your terms, so if you think you are ready to hire a business plan writer, then answer these questions to make your decision more firm.

  • Who will write your business plan?
  • How will you share all the information with your writer?
  • Will the writer do thorough market research before writing the plan?
  • How many revisions will they do?
  • In which format will be the plan delivered?

If you want to write your business plan by yourself, then with the help of a business plan software & its step-by-step guidance you can.

In conclusion, hiring a business plan writer might be a wise investment if you’re looking to construct a professional business plan that can help you get finance, draw investors, or direct your business strategy.

Still confused about choosing the right business plan writing service provider? Consider hiring Upmetrics’ plan writing services. 

With years of industry expertise, successful clientele, and positive customer reviews, Upmetrics is one of the most trusted service providers. Get on a free consultation call to learn more about business planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is a business plan writer.

Business plan writers are specialists who help owners or entrepreneurs create thorough and efficient business plans by conducting market research, competitive research preparing financial projections, & analyzing other business operations.

They build a business plan that is specifically suited to the needs and objectives of the particular business using the current information.

Why is a business plan important?

A business plan is the most critical business document that outlines your business goals, strategies for achieving them, and potential challenges you may encounter. Having a detailed business plan is crucial for securing funding, leading your business to growth, and ensuring your strategies are inclined toward success.

What are the key elements of a comprehensive business plan?

Some of the key elements of a comprehensive business plan include:

  • Executive Summary —A brief overview of the entire business plan
  • Business Overview —Includes details like name, business type, location, history, legal structure, etc.
  • Market Analysis —Includes target market, competitive analysis, market trends, etc.
  • Products & Services —Details about your products and services, a product description, pricing, etc.
  • Sales & Marketing Strategies —A detailed description of your sales and marketing strategies
  • Operations Plan —Includes operational process, staffing & hiring of your company, and more.
  • Management Team —Includes all the key executives and managers of your firm.
  • Financial Plan —financial forecasting for the first few years of your company.
  • Appendix – Other details important to your business plan, such as the resumes of important employees, marketing materials, etc.

Why should you hire business plan writers?

Writing a comprehensive business plan requires business knowledge, market analysis, financial planning experience, and writing skills. If you’re writing a business plan and don’t have enough time to spend working on it, you should consider hiring a writer.

It can save you time, provide expert insights and market analysis, ensure financial projections are realistic, and craft a professional document that improves your chances of securing funding or investment.

Can I write a business plan myself?

Yes, you can surely write your business plan yourself. You can easily create an investment-ready business plan using an AI business plan generator like Upmetrics. It has all the features required to draft a detailed plan.

  • Highest Rated

Best Business Plan Consulting Providers

Business plan consulting providers help businesses write, edit, and refine their business plans. Businesses are typically assigned a team or sole consultant to guide them and collaborate during the writing process.

This service helps businesses save time and ensures business plans are written in the best possible quality. Business plan consultants may utilize corporate performance management (CPM) software to aid in the business planning process.

To qualify for inclusion in the Business Plan Consulting Services category, a service provider must:

  • United States (2)
  • Australia (1)
  • United Kingdom (1)
  • G2 Score Information Checkmark
  • Satisfaction

Service Provider

Pro Business Plans helps make its clients successful through the preparation of quality investor materials including business plans, pitch decks, and financial models. It engages with clients througho

  • Information Technology and Services
  • 76% Small-Business
  • 24% Mid-Market

OGScapital is a leading busines plan wiring company. We create the business plan for fundraising and growth.

  • 88% Small-Business
  • 8% Mid-Market

Growthink

Growthink helps executives and entrepreneurs become more successful. Growthink's mission is to help executives and entrepreneurs grow their businesses so they can create jobs, offer customers better p

  • 89% Small-Business
  • 11% Mid-Market

Optimus Business Plans is an industry leader in business plan development. We write your business plan from scratch in order to utilize the uniqueness of your business to the fullest extent. Many comp

  • 60% Small-Business
  • 20% Enterprise
  • 20% Mid-Market

Synvest Capital is a leading business plan consulting company. Over the last decade, we have helped more than 2,000 entrepreneurs achieve their business goals. Our business plans have helped raise an

  • 80% Small-Business

Management consultancy focused on business and financial modeling.

  • 50% Small-Business
  • 33% Mid-Market
  • 17% Enterprise

Centric Consulting is a business consulting and technology solutions firm that delivers innovative and balanced solutions

  • Overview Expand/Collapse Overview
  • 47% Enterprise
  • 35% Small-Business
  • 18% Mid-Market
  • Software Expertise Expand/Collapse Software Expertise

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement

  • Pros and Cons Expand/Collapse Pros and Cons

Based in Phoenix, Ariz., Seeker Solution is a boutique business management and consulting firm. We specialize in company growth acceleration and help you achieve goals, develop leaders, manage money,

At our core, we specialize in empowering entrepreneurs and business owners to scale their ventures exceptionally by dismantling barriers to funding. Services include: Business Plans, Financial Proje

  • Business Plans
  • Strategic Advisory
  • Pitch Deck Creation

Provides IBM Cognos Planning Analytics (TM1) and IBM Cognos Business Analytics (BI) consulting, training, and solution services.

  • 100% Enterprise

Established in 2001, Cayenne Consulting is the leading provider of business plans, pitch decks, and financial forecasts for startups across a wide range of industries, including software, hardware, te

  • 100% Small-Business

Corporate Renaissance Group Consulting is a consulting firm that specializing in enterprise resource planning, corporate performance management, business intelligence, financial and costing principles

PRODUCTS AND SYSTEMS THAT GO WAY BEYOND BROADCASTING

Michael Silver & Company is a firm that provides a range of services, including accounting and audit, tax preparation, consulting & planning, management consulting, business valuations, intern

  • 100% Mid-Market

Growthink

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We help our clients define dreams, raise capital & execute.

How we serve you.

Since 1999, Growthink has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and executives plan for, execute upon, and achieve transformative success.

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Business Plan Consulting

Over the past 25 years, Growthink has created business plans for thousands of clients who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.

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Investment Banking

Growthink Capital, our wholly owned FINRA / SIPC broker-dealer investment bank – raises capital and executes upon business sale, merger, and acquisition transactions for emerging and middle market companies.

We are proud to have helped thousands of clients big and small achieve their goals.

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Featured Services

Growthink has served as a business plan consultant to thousands of clients, from startups and small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, who have subsequently achieved significant growth and success

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Since 1999, Growthink clients have raised billions of dollars in debt and equity financing.

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We provide M&A advisory services to private companies seeking to sell at the highest possible price in the shortest possible tim

See how we’ve helped ambitious clients achieve extraordinary results.

Client success stories.

I was very impressed with how quickly Growthink grasped our unique industry and business.

In a short period of time, they completed research, a beautiful pitch deck and financial projections that we used in our Series A round, which closed successfully.

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I worked with the team at Growthink to accelerate the development of the original Integreon business plan.

They are a sharp, creative, and results-focused group. I recommend them highly to companies of all sizes looking to turbo-charge the development of their strategic business plans and their businesses.

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We really appreciated working with you! The team you assembled, the quality of your work and the process you took us through really helped us in our thinking. It wasn’t just the meetings and reports you created, but also the structured process that forced us to really think through our target customers, our marketing process, our onboarding process, what technology we must deliver and when – all of that was super helpful.

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V Starr Interiors

I loved working with Growthink.

The staff are passionate about their work and committed to what they do in a way that can only be achieved when you love what you do. They helped keep us on track to achieve our planning goals.

I am looking forward to continued success working with everyone from Growthink in the future.

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I absolutely loved working with Growthink!

They listened to our objectives and truly understood what our mission was prior to beginning our project. They hit all their milestones on-time and on-point. They ultimately delivered a very valuable tool that will have tremendous use to us in our growth plan.

I highly recommend Antonio and the Growthink team.

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Growthink provided ZeroChaos with very thorough market research on the Human Capital Management Space.

Their team was very responsive and helped us with a business plan that expedited our quest for additional growth capital.

Growthink’s focus and persistence has been very valuable as our management team works to grow our revenue stream.

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Jay has over 25 years of experience in starting, building, advising and investing in high growth firms. Jay has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and earned a Bachelor’s degree with Distinction and with Departmental Honors from Stanford University.

Dave Lavinsky

Dave Lavinsky

Dave is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of business planning, capital raising, and new venture development, and author of the world’s #1  business plan template .  Over the past decade, Dave has guest lectured at top universities and has published hundreds of articles on entrepreneurship, business planning and capital-raising.  

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Expert business plan writers.

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Plan the Launch & Growth of Your Business

We are the largest and best rated business plan company in the United States. We specialize in providing high-quality, comprehensive and beautifully designed business plans at a competitive price point. Our business plans can be used for strategic planning, internal planning, investor fundraising and bank funding. We are the best in the business. Don’t settle for anything less! 

  • Business.com's #1 Business Plan Company (2016-2022)
  • Trusted by 12,000+ Clients within 150 Industries
  • Five-Star Rating Across All Review Platforms

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Increase Your Chances of Raising Capital

You have only one chance to make that crucial first impression with investors and lenders. A detailed and well-drafted business plan is the key to making your path to funding shorter and simpler. Our business plans writers and consultants handle everything for you so that you are completely prepared for your investor, bank, or grant meeting.

  • Suitable for Lenders, Angel Investors & VC/PE
  • $3+ Billion in Debt & Capital Raised over 10 Years
  • Proven to Increase Funding Odds by 5x

Get Your Free Business Plan Writing Proposal

What you'll get:.

  • Business Plan Content Advice
  • Market Research Advice
  • Business Plan Review
  • Our Business Plan Process
  • Custom Marketing Advice
  • Custom Funding Advice
  • Why We Are The Best Choice
  • What We Charge

Experienced Business Plan Experts & Advisors at Your Service

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Our Proven Engagement Process

Interviews with management team, conduct strategic market research, develop financial projections, business plan documentation, draft review call, editing process & final delivery, expect the absolute best, experienced consultants.

We partner you with a team of senior consultants who have helped entrepreneurs in over 100 industries. No salespeople, junior analysts, or outsourced vendors.

Strategic Advisory Process

We don’t just document your ideas onto paper. As your consultants, we brainstorm, research, and recommend the best strategies to launch and grow your business.

Fully Customized. No Templates.

No templates or long questionnaires. We work with you to strategize your business and build a customized plan to represent your unique vision.

Cost Effective & Results Driven

We understand that time is money. We guarantee the highest quality work at the most competitive price, handling all business plan writing and research so you have more time to focus on launching and growing your business.

Over $1 Billion in Funding Raised

We understand the requirements of financial institutions, angel investors, and institutional capital partners. Our clients also get access to our investor and bank network, that we have built over multiple years.

Growth Strategy Implementation

The business plan is just step one in our process. We can help you through every stage of growth. Including creating a website, generating leads, implementing effective marketing campaigns, bookkeeping, and a lot more.

Market Research Access

We have access to more than 15 reputable market research databases at our disposal, including IBISWorld, Euromonitor, Hoovers, Mintel, Statista, Freedonia, Frost & Sullivan, Forrester, and First Research.

Best Quality, Competitive Pricing

We offer professionally developed business plans at competitive prices. We provide the highest quality business plans in the industry at rates that are half of the price that some of our competitors charge.

Award Winning Service

Guaranteed to exceed your lender & investor's expectations.

Our business plans have helped over 5,000+ companies across 150 industries acquire over $3 Billion in debt and equity funding. We build well-researched, comprehensive business plans that provide you with the highest probability of approval. 

Includes your company’s general ownership, incorporation information, operational timelines, and key hiring needs.

Our Clients Are Our #1 Priority

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What You'll Get In Your Free Proposal

  • Business Plan Review​

Get Started with America’s Best Rated Business Plan Writing Service.

Schedule your consultation and see why thousands of small business owners trust Go Business Plans with their business planning.

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Maximize your chances of getting funded

Our business plan writers develop plans that can help you win funding.

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What you can expect working with our Team:

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Business planning pros

You’ll work with a professional plan writer who will build a custom business plan for your unique industry

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The #1 planning tool

Get free access to LivePlan software, which makes it easier to share and update your plan

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A winning format

Our unique business plan format has helped over 1 million businesses

Expert business plan writers for any type of business

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Business plans for startups

  • Establish milestones to achieve success.
  • Outline accurate startup costs.
  • Fully establish the vision for your business.

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Pitching to investors

  • Plans are formatted to meet lenders' expectations.
  • Ensures your projected financials are realistic.
  • Be prepared with a strong plan to back up your pitch.

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Retail, eCommerce, restaurants and other popular industries

  • Plan writers with experience and expertise in your industry.
  • Insights into what details are vital to succeed in your industry.
  • Develop a strong value proposition to stand out from the competition.

What makes our business plan writing services different?

Our business plan format has helped companies raise millions.

Our writers use a business plan structure that has been tested and refined over the past 20 years. So when you hire a LivePlan business plan writer, you'll be maximizing your chances of securing a loan or investment.

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Business plan writers trusted by top business schools across the U.S.

Since 1988, Palo Alto Software—the creator of LivePlan—has helped over a million entrepreneurs achieve success. Our business plan structure is even taught at top universities, such as Princeton and Rice.

Get matched with a business plan writer who knows your industry

Our business plan writers are experienced professionals who have written hundreds of business plans. That means there will most likely be someone on our team who has experience in your specific industry.

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The best decision I could have made to launch my business in the right direction. I definitely recommend these services to entrepreneurs and future small business owners.

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Maximize your chances of securing funding

Hire a LivePlan business plan writer today

How the process works:

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Research and discovery

We first gain an in-depth understanding of your business. Then, we begin market research and examine your growth drivers.

Plan Writing

Once our research is complete, we'll write the body of your business plan and provide you with a draft to review.

Financial modeling

We'll turn your financial assumptions into forecasts that include everything lenders and investors need to see.

Design and review

You'll get a polished business plan with a design that matches your brand from our business plan writers. You can then print the plan or share it online with a unique and private link.

Thanks for your interest in business plan writing services offered by LivePlan.

At this time, we are only accepting requests from the united states and canada..

My plan writer was responsive, and understood my vision from our first communication. I now have a living document that I can use and manipulate as needed going forward.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Business plan writing services and consulting for hire, will you review my plan and make changes.

Our review-only service just includes feedback, but if you decide you'd like to engage in our full professional business plan writing services after participating in a review, we'll give you a discount.

What if I already started writing my plan?

If you have a partially completed plan, we can work with that. In fact, it helps the plan writing process go faster because we'll have to ask fewer questions, but you'll want to choose the full business plan writing service.

Do you do market research? What does that include?

Yes, we do market research. We have access to industry reports for most industries and our business plan writers will use them to lend more credibility to your plan and validate the assumptions we are making in your financials.

What is included with the full business plan writing service?

When it's all said and done, you'll have a full, lender or investor ready business plan, a one page pitch, and a free year of LivePlan so you can make changes to your plan as well as use our cash flow and business management tools to stay on track.

Can you guarantee that my business will get funded?

There are a lot of factors that go into the decision making process for lending that are beyond our control, like your personal credit. What we can say is that it is very difficult to get funding without a solid business plan and we make solid plans with our professional business plan writing services.

Will you share my information?

We take your privacy very seriously and will not share your information.

How long will it take to finish my plan? / Do you offer an expedited service?

The average business plan completes in 3-6 weeks, depending on your responsiveness to your writer and our work load. We offer expedited business plan writing services if you are in a rush.

Yes, we can deliver an expedited plan in as little as two weeks for an additional $1,000.

Does my business plan include financials?

What formats do you deliver in.

We deliver in PDF format, Word and we also give you access to edit your plan in a free LivePlan account.

How many pages is the average business plan?

We subscribe to the lean business planning method so we try to keep your plan short and to the point. Depending on the complexity of your business, your finished plan can end up being anywhere from 25-50 pages.

Pricing and Options

How much does this business plan writing service cost.

The cost of our full professional business plan writing services can vary depending on your needs. Book a call with us to request a quote. We also offer a lower cost business plan review service and a forecasting service.

Do you offer a la carte services?

We offer a review service (feedback only, no edits), forecast only service or full business plan writing service. If you have a partially completed plan, we can work with that, but you'll want to choose the full professional business plan writing service.

Do you offer a review service?

Yes. One of our business planning experts can review your plan and financials line by line and give you critical and constructive feedback to help improve your plan and increase your confidence when it comes time to deliver.

Do you offer an expedited business plan writing service?

What if i don't like my plan.

You'll have the opportunity to review and leave feedback after each draft. We recommend taking the time to be thorough and thoughtful in your feedback as that is your chance to help mold your plan into something that really resonates with you.

Expert Business Plan Writers and Consultants

Who writes my business plan.

You will be paired with one dedicated individual from our small team of highly trained and experienced business planning professionals. Each one is a uniquely qualified business planning expert who can translate your ideas into a business plan that will appeal to your audience.

Is my business plan writer an expert in my industry?

Our business plan writers are experts specifically in business plan writing. We've worked with every industry imaginable so the likelihood that they have some familiarity with your industry is high, but if you are looking for a business consultant this may not be a good fit.

What kind of background will my business plan writer have? Are they outsourced from other countries? Have they been writing business plans for very long?

We are a small team of well educated business planning experts. Each writer's background varies but they all have financial or business education as well as years, small business management or consulting and business plan writing experience. They are all well vetted and really good at what they do, which is write plans that help you get funded.

Small Business Definitions

What is a business plan.

In its simplest form, a business plan is a guide —a roadmap for your business that outlines goals and details how you plan to achieve those goals. At its heart, a business plan is just a plan for how your business is going to work, and how you're going to make it succeed.

What is in a business plan?

To write a detailed business plan you need to include the following sections:

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally only one to two pages. Most people write it last, though.

The opportunity section answers these questions: What are you actually selling and how are you solving a problem (or "need") for your market? Who is your target market and competition?

In the execution chapter of your business plan, you'll answer the question: how are you going to take your opportunity and turn it into a business? This section will cover your marketing and sales plan, operations, and your milestones and metrics for success.

Investors look for great teams in addition to great ideas. Use the company and management chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire. You will also provide a quick overview of your legal structure, location, and history if you're already up and running.

Your business plan isn't complete without a financial forecast . We'll tell you what to include in your financial plan, but you'll definitely want to start with a sales forecast, cash flow statement, income statement (also called profit and loss), and your balance sheet.

If you need more space for product images or additional information, use the appendix for those details.

Why is a business plan important?

There are many reasons why it is important to have a business plan . A business plan is essential if you're seeking a loan or investment, can help you make big spending decisions with confidence and is a solid foundation for ongoing strategic planning and prioritization.

What is a business plan writer/consultant?

A business plan writer/consultant is a business and financial expert who can help guide you through the process of creating a business plan and do much of the labor involved in creating it. They will work with you to understand your business model, do market research, create financial projections and offer guidance as all of those pieces are brought together in a full business plan document.

How to pick a business plan writer/consultant?

Picking a business plan writer or business plan consultant is an important decision — you'll want to find someone dedicated to your success, with experience in your industry or field and that is in it for the long haul.

Why should you pay someone to write your business plan?

You don't have time. Starting a business is time consuming. Oftentimes people have to juggle a regular 9-5 job while working on starting their business. That doesn't leave a lot of time for a big writing project. Hiring a professional business plan writer can help you give you time to focus on the tasks that are critical to getting your business off the ground.

You want to make sure it is done right, the first time. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Hiring a professional to write your business plan for you can give you the peace of mind that your plan is the best it can be when you present it to potential lenders or investors.

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Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Business Plan Writers

Toptal is a marketplace for top professional Business Plan Writers. Top companies and startups hire Business Plan Writing freelancers from Toptal for their mission-critical projects.

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Hire Freelance Business Plan Writers

Stephen Kelly, Top Business Plan Writing Professional.

Stephen Kelly

With 20 years of experience working with family offices, institutional and entrepreneurial private equity funds, and consulting Big Four accounting firms, Stephen brings unique insights into the variety of investor mindsets. He freelances to help startups and established investors determine ideal investment, asset management, and fundraising strategies. As a senior executive, he has advised on multi-billion mergers, equity raises exceeding $2 billion, and transactions totaling over $5 billion.

Tanya Dymytrashchuk, Experienced Business Plan Writing Professional.

Tanya Dymytrashchuk

Tanya is a finance expert serving investors and entrepreneurs in M&A, fundraising, buy and build, growth strategies, creating financial transparency, and defining business optimization potentials. She's executed €50 million in debt, equity, and M&A transactions in PE/VC and headed finance at a shared mobility startup, preparing the company for the financing round. Tanya enjoys freelancing due to the opportunities to create value and get to know exciting people and businesses.

Nick Fookes, Freelance Business Plan Writing Expert.

Nick Fookes

Nick is a CFA with a 28-year track record spanning 40+ countries in M&A, finance, strategy, and policy. He's supported executive decisions in 60 high-stake projects, including M&A transactions ($46 billion), radio-spectrum auctions and trades ($3.5 billion), public policy advocacy, government contract bids (worth $1 billion), go-to-market strategies, and raises for small caps and tech startups. Independent since 2001, Nick has enjoyed working in diverse markets, sectors, and cultures.

Dhruv Tandan, Senior Business Plan Writing Consultant.

Dhruv Tandan

Dhruv has worked on successful finance and consulting projects worth over $1 billion, focusing on tech, energy, and life science companies across the US, Asia, and Africa. He currently serves as a fractional CFO for multiple startups, is a partner at AND Business Consulting, and has more than 15 years of experience in FP&A, fundraising, startup consulting, M&A, and project finance. With an MBA in finance, Dhruv enjoys the exposure and sheer variety of assignments that come with freelancing.

David Fulep, Independent Business Plan Writing Expert.

David Fulep

David is an M&A expert who has worked with the owners of 100+ businesses to raise capital, exit their investments at premium valuations, or execute successful acquisitions and IPOs. With 15+ years of experience, including six years at PwC, he has worked in many industries and extensively in the TMT and renewable energy sectors. David joined Toptal to advise clients on complex M&A and capital-raising transactions across the world.

Sandeep Mathur, Top Business Plan Writing Freelancer.

Sandeep Mathur

Sandeep has analyzed 1,000+ corporates and closed debt, equity, and M&A transactions of over $15 billion as a finance professional. After working for 20+ years in top-tier banks like Barclays, HSBC, and Standard Chartered, he now advises growth companies, leveraging his expertise in modeling, fundamental analysis valuation, and fundraising. As a seasoned problem solver, Sandeep has worked as a fractional CFO for startups, advised on early-stage funding rounds, and designed pricing models.

Julio C. Ortiz, Freelance Business Plan Writing Specialist.

Julio C. Ortiz

Julio has diversified experience as a finance VP for multinationals based in the US and Latin America in the financing, pharmaceutical, luxury goods, and personal care sectors and distribution channels, such as retail, wholesale, and travel retail. Julio's expertise includes financial planning and modeling, investment banking, commercial real estate, fundraising, business plan development, logistics, company valuation, and strategic and visionary leadership based on innovation and creativity.

Carlo Palmieri, Independent Business Plan Writing Expert.

Carlo Palmieri

A Wharton MBA graduate, Carlo has led transactions on $10 billion worth of LBO and growth capital deals. He's worked in investment banking, M&A (Deutsche Bank), management consulting (Bain & Company, Oliver Wyman), and corporate development (Lehman Brothers). Carlo leverages his skills in corporate finance, business strategy, and international business development to help companies scale and deliver value for their investors.

Wen Hu, Senior Business Plan Writing Consultant.

Wen helped a French multimillion-euro food startup build its equity story and manage potential acquirers (Danone). She has project experience with private equity funds, venture capital, and industrial groups in France, Belgium, China, Africa, and the US. She is skilled in financial analysis and modeling, investor deck, and market research. Wen freelances to help advise startups and corporates on business strategy, investor relations, and fundraising projects.

Bertrand Deleuse, Freelance Business Plan Writing Professional.

Bertrand Deleuse

Bertrand is a 25-year finance veteran with a true 360 experience, honed as an investment banker, venture advisor, project developer, CFO, and expert witness consultant in international arbitrations. He has advised and partnered on over 100 transactions and investment initiatives totaling over $16 billion. Bertrand is a seasoned problem solver and decision-maker with expert facilitation skills. Bertrand advises on M&A, corporate development, venture growth, project development, and financing.

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98% of Toptal clients choose to hire our talent after a risk-free trial.

Toptal's screening and matching process ensures exceptional talent are matched to your precise needs.

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Our clients frequently pair these additional services with our freelance Business Plan Writers.

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Talk to one of our industry experts, work with hand-selected talent, the right fit, guaranteed, find experts with related skills.

Access a vast pool of skilled finance experts in our talent network and hire the top 3% within just 48 hours.

How quickly can you hire with Toptal?

Typically, you can hire a Business Plan Writer with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or Managed Delivery , timelines may vary. Our talent matchers are highly skilled in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network.

Once you select your Business Plan Writer, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.

How do I hire a Business Plan Writer?

To hire the right Business Plan Writer, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect Business Plan Writers for your project.

How are Toptal Business Plan Writers different?

At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our Business Plan Writers to ensure we only match you with the highest caliber of talent. Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut.

In addition to screening for industry-leading expertise, we also assess candidates’ language and interpersonal skills to ensure that you have a smooth working relationship.

When you hire with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched Business Plan Writers ready to help you achieve your goals.

Can you hire Business Plan Writers on an hourly basis or for project-based tasks?

You can hire Business Plan Writers on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the entire project from end-to-end with our Managed Delivery offering. Whether you hire an expert for a full- or part-time position, you’ll have the control and flexibility to scale your team up or down as your needs evolve. Our Business Plan Writers can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.

What is the no-risk trial period for Toptal Business Plan Writers?

We make sure that each engagement between you and your Business Plan Writer begins with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to confirm the engagement will be successful. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, we’ll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you’d like. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.

Tap Into World-Class Talent

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All of our talent are seasoned experts who ramp up quickly, readily contribute as core team members, and work with you to minimize onboarding time.

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We have a knack for matching you with the right fit. Start working with your new hire on a no-risk trial period, paying only if satisfied.

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Hire talent within 48 hours and scale your team up or down as needed, no strings attached.

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We handle all aspects of billing, payments, and NDA’s. Let us take care of the overhead while you focus on building great products.

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Choose the engagement type that suits your needs — hourly, part-time, or full-time — with the ability to change anytime.

Expert Talent Matching

Focus on your project and enjoy support from your dedicated account executive and expert talent matcher.

Featured Toptal Business Plan Writing Publications

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Creating a Narrative from Numbers

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The Undeniable Importance of a Business Plan

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Building the Next Big Thing: A Guide to Business Idea Development

Top Business Plan Writers Are in High Demand.

How to Write a Business Plan for a Small Business

Determined female African-American entrepreneur scaling a mountain while wearing a large backpack. Represents the journey to starting and growing a business and needi

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated September 2, 2024

Download Now: Free Business Plan Template →

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

  • The basics of writing a business plan

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that writing a business plan helps you: 

  • Raise money
  • Grow strategically
  • Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your business plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After writing your business plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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  • What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

Your executive summary should include:

  • A summary of the problem you are solving
  • A description of your product or service
  • An overview of your target market
  • A brief description of your team
  • A summary of your financials
  • Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

When writing a business plan, the produces and services section is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

When writing a business plan, the operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

  • Supply chain management
  • Manufacturing processes
  • Equipment and technology
  • Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

  • A description of each task
  • The proposed due date
  • Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

  • Website launch date
  • Store or office opening date
  • First significant sales
  • Break even date
  • Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

  • Conversion rates
  • Customer acquisition costs
  • Profit per customer
  • Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

  • Sole proprietor
  • Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

The last section of your business plan is your financial plan and forecasts. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

  • Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
  • Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
  • Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
  • Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
  • Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

  • Company logo
  • Business name
  • Value proposition (optional)
  • Business plan title
  • Completion and/or update date
  • Address and contact information
  • Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI to write a business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

  • Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information to include in a business plan is sometimes not quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

There are plenty of great options available (we’ve rounded up our 8 favorites to streamline your search).

But, if you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template , you can get one right now; download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

  • Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
  • Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
  • Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
  • Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
  • Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

  • Did you meet your sales goals?
  • Is spending following your budget?
  • Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of writing a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Writing a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of writing a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

  • Write a brief executive summary
  • Describe your products and services.
  • Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
  • Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
  • Outline your organizational structure and management team.
  • Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
  • Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

  • 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
  • Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
  • Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
  • Failing to establish a sound business model.
  • Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

  • How will your business make money?
  • Is there a need for your product or service?
  • Who are your customers?
  • How are you different from the competition?
  • How will you reach your customers?
  • How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan: The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

Business model canvas: The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

Content Author: Noah Parsons

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Check out LivePlan

Table of Contents

  • Use AI to help write your plan
  • Common planning mistakes
  • Manage with your business plan

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Top Business Plan Writers — Best Ranked Firms 2024

Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott

Last Updated: 7/29/2024

Are you planning on starting or expanding a company and need investment? Investors are likely to request a business plan.

As more companies work to get capital, the importance of having a quality business plan continues to rise from startups to mature companies, investors will want to be informed.

We’ve compiled a list of the top business plan writers based on a review of their quality, credentials, and expertise. (See Below for Complete Methodology)

Here are the Top 5 Business Plan Writers in 2024

1. pro business plans.

Located: Globally | Phone Number: (646) 866–7619

Pro Business Plans, founded in 2012, is a leader in the space of professional business plan writing. They have a team of expert writers, researchers, and financial analysts to put together professional plans for business funding and strategic planning. They are useful to those seeking a high end custom business plan or pitch deck for investors or business strategy that goes beyond what AI can provide.

Specialty: Business Plan Writing, Financial Modeling, Market Research

Ranking Assessment

  • Pros: Diverse team working on a single project saves time from having to manage multiple people. They also have in-house tools to work more efficiently.
  • Cons: They can be on the expensive side compared to working with a freelancer and typically work remotely.
  • Average Score: 9.5/10

Reasoning: (Price: $1,550 + ) (Business Plan Quality: Investor Grade) (Market Research: They have their own tool to assist with market research that uses first-party sources combined with AI) (Team Credentials: They have a specialized team that works with the latest tools to ensure consistency and quality.)

Customer Sentiment

Many reviews praise this business plan writer for its customized approach to business planning, suggesting its ability to understand the needs of each client citing the use of in-depth market analysis and research, insightful business plan writing process, process improvement, and quality design.

Many reviewers comment on the company’s level of professionalism, and detail oriented deliverables, some reviews also point out their expertise in financial modeling. However, other reviewers cite concerns around occasional delays in responses or feedback, some minor drafting errors, some expressed a desire for a broader range of services. Overall, the company is perceived strongly positive by customers. (Source: G2 )

2. Growthink

Located in: Los Angeles | Tel: (800) 506–5728

With many years of experience, Growthink has worked with many companies and assists not only assisting with new business but also with business consulting in many aspects.

They are best for mid-size to enterprise companies seeking to raise substantial amounts of capital through sophisticated investors or with complex business planning needs.

Specialty: Business Plans, Business Consulting, Analytics, Investment Banking

  • Pros: They also provide many other services such as business analytics, banking, products, and other services geared towards helping business owners.
  • Cons: The complex engagements may not be necessary for smaller business or startups when smaller and more efficient firms exist.
  • Average Score: 8.5/10

Reasoning: (Price: Starts at $8,000) (Plan Quality: Enterprise) (Market Research: They claim to have access to both paid reports and proprietary methodologies) (Team Credentials: They claim to have a very diverse team of professionals in-house with a range of experience level comparable to a boutique investment bank.) (Source: Growthink)

Customer Sentiment (Sources: G2 )

Many reviewers on G2 praised the Growthink professionalism and highlighted the extensive research supporting its deliverables, providing solid foundations as a diverse business plan writer.

However, some reviewers cited some criticism for insufficient market research, which was particularly cited for plans based overseas, and less than satisfactory customer service (although most negative comments were related to their templates not as a business plan writer). Despite these comments around their products specifically, there are many clients who found their tools effective for creating detailed a detailed business growth plan.

3. Master Plans

Located in: Portland | Tel: (503)226–4400

Before Master Plans was acquired, it was a leader in the business plan writing service space. Post-acquisition customers are claiming it is not quite as focused, but still, a top-notch provider that is recommended for those particularly also seeking franchise support and related services.

Master Plans is best for early stage companies and small business owners seeking small bank loans, personal credit, immigration visas, or money from friends and family.

Specialty: Immigration Business Plans, Investor Business Plans, Franchise

  • Pros: Many reviews city the firm’s personalized engagement style and proprietary planning methodologies.
  • Cons: The outcomes are pricy compared to what is received, especially compared to smaller and more focused agencies.

Reasoning: (Price: Starts at $4,000) (Business Plan Quality: Bank Ready) (Market Research: They claim to have access to IBIS World research, a premium research provider, and their own patented methodologies) (Team Credentials: While their diverse in-house team seems to lack substantial experience in consulting or corporate finance, they are qualified to handle small business financial planning) (Source: Master Plans)

Although the reviews on Master Plans were limited, causing us to explore other platforms, the reviews analyzed suggested the company is highly regarded for its ability to turn high level ideas into a solid business model and plan, in particular reviews cite the company’s ‘comprehensive data-gathering process’ that in the case of the reviews secured investor meetings.

Reviews cite the firm’s personalized engagement style, providing a detail oriented bespoke business plan to each client. However, some reviews did cite what seemed to be isolated cases of customer service concerns and complaints. (Sources: Clutch , Yelp )

5 Minute Break: Do you want to learn how investor business plans are structured? Review this slide show:

4. Cayenne Consulting

Located in: San Clemente

Cayenne has been around for a long time and is another solid provider of business plan writing and consulting services. They have a good senior management team that has a lot of case experience which can be helpful to startup and growth-stage companies of all kinds.

They also can prepare additional investment-related materials such as private placements and more. This is useful for small business owners seeking a more consulting and advisory driven business plan writer able to develop financial projections and act more as a strategic advisory for business research and expansion.

Specialty: Business Plan Preparation, Pitch Deck, Financial Forecasting, Franchises, Turnaround Consulting

  • Pros: Diverse senior management with a broad set of expertise locally and in subjects with their outsourced expert model.
  • Cons: Most of the management consultants are freelancers and there is not a clear in-house advisory team.
  • Average Score: 7 .5/10

Reasoning: (Price: Starts at $6,000) (Business Plan Quality: Consulting Firm) (Market Research: They have a broad network of consultants who likely have knowledge of local markets or niche industries) (Team Credentials: Although their team is not in-house like many firms, they do have an impressive network of consultants nationally who can act as your company’s own business consultant or plan writer.) (Source: Cayanne Consulting)

Cayenne also had limited reviews, with most of them on Google My Business, these did not factor into our analysis without a reviewer verification process. The firm’s reviews suggested mixed feedback, with many citing its focused approach as the best business plan writers and knowledge in creating customized plans.

However, some clients report a lack of satisfaction with some aspects of their customer service, particularly citing consistency in pricing, empathy, communication skills, and other aspects of their business practices. Despite these few negative reviews, the company overall has a solid reputation as professional business plan writers. (Sources: Yelp )

5. UpWork (Freelancer Platform )

Sometimes you cannot always afford a top agency to assist with the plan and would prefer to work with a freelancer.

While we cannot recommend any specific freelancer, there are many websites, UpWork being the most recognized which feature many freelancers that can assist with the plan. This may be the best option for those that cannot afford agency fees. However, there are a variety of other freelance options available.

UpWork is best for early stage companies and small business owners seeking to hire a sole business plan writer and take a more active role or have knowledge about the expected product quality.

  • Pros: Wide range of freelancers with diverse experience and budgets from around the world.
  • Cons: Finding a single business plan writer rather than a group of specialists able to deliver at the same qualtiy is limited.
  • Average Score: 5/10

Reasoning: (Price: Varies) (Business Plan Quality: Varies) (Market Research: Each business plan writer likely has access to their own market research but typically they have their own methodology) (Team Credentials: This varies significant by each business plan writer with some occasionally having impressive corporate experience and others lacking basic qualifications.) (Source: UpWork)

The customer sentiment analysis was done on Upwork as a whole since many business plan writers exist on their platform each with varying reviews. Reviews suggest mixed experiences with positive aspects such as ease of finding qualified contractors offering a diverse range of people with a variety of filtering options.

Although many were freelancers, some reviews cited concerns such as account suspensions, challenges with fund transfers, and poor customer service. The increasing costs of the platform were also cited among both freelancers and companies. While platforms such as UpWork can be useful for sourcing experienced business planning professionals, companies may encounter challenges related to management. (Sources: Trustpilot)

Ranking Methodology

We ranked each business plan writer using several key dimensions including: price, business plan format, business plan quality, reputation, market research, client feedback, and team credentials:

  • Price: The average fee of the business plan writer on an hourly and project basis with lower end firms ranging from $50–60 per hour and the highest tier upwards of $200–300 per hour.
  • Business Plan Quality: An analysis of sample business plans provided by the business plan writer reviewed on the basis the quality of writing, analysis, and financial projections. For this, we had a team member experienced in business analysis to review each sample provided.
  • Market Research: Review of access to market research reports, research methodologies and other assets that facilitated the collection for reliable industry and competitor data.
  • Team Credentials: The structure of team members and qualifications of the business plan writer, in the case of freelance services, this was determined on the average qualifications of the candidate pool.
  • Customer Sentiment: While this is not a heavily weighted factor in the score for each business plan writer, we included a section called ‘strengths and weaknesses’ which uses AI to provide a summary of the sentiment of their reviews across G2, Trustpilot, Clutch, and other review platforms that require reviewer verification.

Bonus: Video Review

Commonly asked questions, what are the key components of a strong business plan.

The answer to this question depends on what the business plan is being used for. In some cases, a simple overview is sufficient, but in cases for more sophisticated and mature companies, it may be recommended to develop business plans that cover more detail. However, here is a general overview of the sections the typical business plan writer includes:

  • Company Description: A high level analysis of your company including its history (if existing) and the problem and solution if provides (if a new startup business). This gives investors or prospective partners a quick snapshot touching on all major points in your business plan to quickly get them up to speed and provide context.
  • Market Research: This covers the external market of your business plan including your competition, the growth and key trends in your industry, as well as your target customers. Together, this provides a grounded foundation in your business plan.
  • Future Strategy: The future goals and how you intend to implement them is covered in sections of your business plan related to objectives, and your strategy for the next several quarters or year. Some business plan writers choose to provide substantial detail and granularity here while others are more high level.
  • Financial Projections: The financial statements in a business plan are typically supported by a separate financial model and include the key financial statements including a Profit & Loss, Cash Flow Statement, and Balance Sheet. Typically, business plan writers include the next twelve-months (monthly or quarterly) and five years (annually) of financial projections.

How often should a business plan be updated?

Most business plan writers recommend updating your plan at least once a year if you are using it for the purposes of competitive analysis and strategy. The reason for this is it allows you to compare your prior performance to your expectations and compare the results. SCORE an organization that provides access to free consultants to assist with your business plan, also recommends this.

We also surveyed thirty small business owners in the United States to understand how frequently they updated their business plan. According to the findings, 30% updated their plan once per year and 10% updated it monthly.

What are the common mistakes to avoid in a business plan?

We interviewed several business plan writers to better understand the challenges they cited in their analysis, here are the most common cited during our investigation:

  • Conducting poor research: It is advisable that companies conduct extensive an detailed market analysis when preparing their business plan and the sources having reliability is crucial. One business plan writer stated that “ research is key to providing a solid foundation on which to frame your strategy. ”
  • Lack of detailed analysis: It is common that a business plan we may come across does not have a detailed understanding of the feasibility of their strategy and therefore is very limited in our ability to analyze it, said SBA loan underwriter Charlie Mangal.
  • Limited financial projections: According to several consultants, the key to solid business planning is rooted in a detailed financial model. Typically expert business plan writers will include a custom built model with assumptions explaining their reasoning included with the model and typically get fairly granular. The SBA often wants to see detailed operating expenses in the financial plan so they know the borrower has a good understanding of their expenses.
  • Too much emphasis on design: Many business plans are too focused on design and lack the same energy put into the business plan writing or financials. Many investors and lenders are more concerned about the quality of reach, reliability of the analysis, and analytical nature of the plan rather than the design alone.
  • Too verbose: While some lenders may ask for a comprehensive business plan, many will be fine with only an executive summary and financial plan, says loan consultant Janice Polder. It is advisable that companies be concise yet make sure they cover all the major errors needed in the plan for their appropriate use case.

Can I use AI to design my business plan?

A recent development in the space of business planning is using AI to assist in design. New tools are entering the market such as Adobe Firefly and Google Duet are just a few resources to help with design.

While these tools have potential it can still help to work with a traditional designer to avoid coming across as too much as a template unless you are pitching for more basic things like a bank loan or smaller amount of money.

Should I use ChatGPT to write my business plan?

While using generative AI applications like ChatGPT or an AI business plan generator software such as ProAI can save you some time and money one should exercise caution when relying too heavily on it.

Primarily because these models often provide incorrect information to users and those without substantial expertise would not know how to detect this information. While these generative models do have a lot of potential, they are likely too early to fully replace a professional business plan writer at this time but may help to provide some guidance.

How much will it cost to hire a business plan writer?

There’s no fixed cost for a professional to write a solid business plan, it depends on several factors such as the qualifications of the team, complexity of the whole business concept, stage, and type of capital you are raising. Generally, custom business plan writing services charge anywhere between $2,500 — 8,000 but plans can easily run upwards of $25,000.

Of course, there are always freelancers available to do it cheaper, but this can be risky and time-consuming, as there is usually not a project manager or structure in place that would be at an established firm or agency. Due to the current economic climate, many of these companies are also offering special discounts on an ad-hoc basis.

How long does it take to develop a business plan?

This really varies depending on the type of business plan being created and previous clients but most agencies will get you a draft or partially completed plan within 2–4 weeks, after which you would collaborate on that draft to completion with the average engagement wrapping up within 4- 8 weeks. Every project is unique, and it often depends on how engaged you are having an in depth understanding and as an end client in providing feedback.

The typical business planning process

There is a structure that most business plan writers follow, we can’t say that every company’s lean business planning method falls under this process, but it can help you to get a general idea of what to expect:

  • Interview / Materials Gathering: During this period, you may have an in-person or Zoom meeting for the business plan writers to gather all pertinent information for your business including historical financials, understanding of your concept, business strategy, management bios, and more. The amount of information your business will have ranges depending on the stage and business size.
  • Research: At the research stage, the business plan consultant you hire will be involved with researching the industry, competitors, market sector financials, and more that is most closely aligned with your business and will help them not only outline your strengths in the market but also more effectively form the next marketing strategy to plan ultimately inform your potential investors through your business plan.
  • Drafting / Creation: The business plan drafting and creation process takes anywhere between 5- 7 days and is the longest period of time spent actually preparing the business plan and making the financial model based on the information gathered so far. This may be the period in which the company is least responsive as it works to deliver the draft quickly.
  • Review / Modifications: Once the business plan draft is complete, the business plan writer will typically deliver a draft to you and/or your business for review. They will also answer any questions you have on it and take a grace period, usually ~ 30 days to make any changes that you require. If you are needing to expedite the plan, the expert business plan writers can usually accommodate you with this.

What things should I look for when hiring a company?

When hiring a business plan writing service, we usually recommend considering a few key points that will help you screen out who is best, we’ve listed them in order of importance.

Team Qualifications

You really want someone to write your professional business plan that has experience working for a big company doing exactly what you are hiring them to, so if you’re looking to raise money, make sure the team has worked an investment group or investment bank.

Previous Experience

Ideally, the business plan firm you hire will have experience writing business plans for your specific industry and similar situations ( E.g. foreign expansion ), this is a pretty important consideration.

Work Product

It’s always important to review their business plan samples and see what format or layout they follow. Is it outdated? Does it provide too much “fluff” and is poorly constructed? Does it contain grammatical or financial errors? These are things that ultimately need to be sifted out.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -

This guide is part of a broader series on startup consulting and was based on the business plan consultant rankings from G2 , a company that ranks service providers in the United States, and other ranking sites .

Andrew Scott

Written by Andrew Scott

Managing Editor @ ProTribune

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  • Best Business Plan Software

10 Best Business Plan Software In 2024

Amy Nichol Smith

Updated: May 3, 2024, 5:15pm

Writing a business plan not only helps you stay on track as you start a new business but it can also help you secure funding. You can create one from scratch with a simple template, but business plan software often has features to make it easier, more nuanced and overall better. It could even make the difference between bringing investors on board and going it alone. So, Forbes Advisor found the best business plan software that has the features you need at an affordable price.

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The Best Business Plan Software of 2024

Forbes advisor ratings, methodology, how to choose a business plan software, benefits of business plan software, frequently asked questions (faqs), next up in business.

Featured Partners

From $8 monthly per user

Zoom, LinkedIn, Adobe, Salesforce and more

monday.com

On monday.com's Website

Yes, for unlimited members

$7 per month

Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more

ClickUp

On ClickUp's Website

$9.80 per user per month

Salesforce, Adobe, Miro, Netsuite, Quickbooks, SAP

Wrike

On Wrike's Website

Yes, for one user and two editors

$9 per user per month

Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, Zapier and more

Smartsheet

On Smartsheet's Website

  • Wrike: Best overall
  • Smartsheet: Best for goal management
  • LivePlan: Best for financial forecasting
  • Aha!: Best for roadmapping
  • Bizplan: Best for beginners
  • IdeaBuddy: Best for ideation
  • iPlanner: Best for no-frills business planning
  • Enloop: Best for automatic business plan creation
  • AchieveIt: Best for consultant groups
  • Business Sorter: Best for teams

Best Overall

Wrike

Starting price

Free; $9.80 per user

Team messaging

Roadmapping

Wrike is a project management (PM) tool that works well as business plan software because it gives you tools to help you gather and compare your data. Wrike makes it easy to start your business plan with its collaboration tools, business plan templates , drag-and-drop interface and goal management features. Another benefit of using Wrike to build your plan is that you see your ideas and goals from multiple views: Gantt chart, calendar or board views.

There are a few reasons why it’s a good idea to use Wrike for your business plan. First, you can map out exactly what your business goals are in a project, invite teammates to collaborate and message business partners to discuss everything. Plus, you can export your data when you’re ready to put all the details into a presentation to hand over to potential investors.

Wrike offers a free plan that’s good for putting your vision down in task and project form, but you may want to upgrade to a paid plan to invite collaborators, get custom workflows and add more views and automations. Paid plan pricing ranges from $9.80 per user, per month, to $24.80 per user, per month, both billed annually.

Learn more: Read our full Wrike review .

Who should use it:

Wrike makes it easy for any new business owner to create a business plan and collaborate with others on the financial and operational goals. Plus, it provides value after you finalize your business plan because it’s a good pick for a PM tool.

  • Roadmapping ability
  • Multiple views (Gantt, calendar and board)
  • Business plan templates included
  • Goal management via projects and tasks
  • Free plan available
  • Affordable plans
  • No pitching tools
  • No financial tools

Best for Goal Management

Smartsheet

$7 per user, per month

(billed annually)

(added cost)

Using PM software like Smartsheet is a good idea for starting a business plan because it includes all the tools you need to collaborate and plan across multiple teams or stakeholders. It’s especially good for real-time goal management. Get your ideas in place, go over market and competitive research from other teammates and finalize everything together.

Smartsheet won’t help you write your business plan, but it does give you a place to compile all the data and then you can use one of its free business plan templates. As you figure out your milestones, you can invite an unlimited number of viewers to see how it’s going. The only downsides are that Smartsheet doesn’t have a native messaging app (you’ll have to use an integration), only commenting allowed and there’s no free plan.

Paid plans from Smartsheet cost $7 per user, per month, or $25 per user, per month (billed annually for both). The low-priced Pro plan limits you to 10 editors, but the Business plan allows unlimited editors (but it also has a three-user minimum).

Learn more: Read our full Smartsheet review .

Smartsheet lets you make changes in real time, so it’s a good option for those who are just starting to piece together a plan and looking for a way to manage ideas and goals before finalizing a business plan.

  • Discounts for nonprofits available
  • Automations on every plan
  • Popular integrations allowed on low-tier plan
  • 30-day free trial
  • No free plan
  • Only 10 viewers allowed on low-tier plan
  • Three-user minimum on Business plan

Best for Financial Forecasting

LivePlan

$15 per month

One of the strongest cases for using LivePlan to create your business plan is its financial forecasting. It isn’t just a single feature, rather it’s a tool that lets you turn your balance sheet and cash flow statements into charts, graphs and what-if situations to help you show possible investors the best- and worst-case scenarios for your business.

There are two plans available: Standard or Premium (there is no free plan). The low-priced plan, which costs $15 per month (billed annually), doesn’t limit your contributors or guests and includes instructions to help you complete a business plan. It even includes the financial forecasting features and more than 500 sample plans to get you started.

The Premium plan costs $30 per month (billed annually), but it’s full-featured. You get a milestone planner and industry benchmark data, which can save you research time. Another timesaver: At this plan level, you can integrate QuickBooks or Xero to add your financial data seamlessly.

LivePlan is business plan software that includes prompts and accounting software integrations, making it great for new business owners that want easy financial forecasting.

  • Unlimited guests and contributors
  • Export finished business plan as PowerPoint presentation
  • Includes step-by-step instructions with prompts
  • 35-day money-back guarantee
  • No free trial

Best for Roadmapping

Aha!

$59 per user, per month

Every business plan starts with strategy and Aha! makes it easier to map out what you plan to do to get from point A to point Z. Aha! is primarily roadmapping software that product teams use to plan features, products or bug fixes. Any business in any industry can use it to shape ideas and strategy into plans and milestones.

Much like product development, business plans have phases and Aha! is ideal for the first few phases of business planning. Although you won’t find a scorecard feature with Aha! Roadmaps, you can score and prioritize your business vision and goals. Finally, you can present your plan to viewers (stakeholders) before you create your official business plan and secure funding.

There are three plans from which you can choose: Premium at $59 per user, per month; Enterprise at $99 per user, per month; and Enterprise+ at $149 per user, per month, all billed annually. The only reasons to upgrade to either Enterprise plan is if you want to add on automation, development tools and custom worksheets and tables.

Aha! Roadmaps is a great tool to help you strategize and get your ideas for your business in one place. You can use the presentation feature to share your business’s roadmap on your way to creating your finalized business plan.

  • User-friendly interface
  • Ability to score and prioritize ideas
  • Share roadmaps with others
  • Expensive for business plan creation
  • Has a bit of a learning curve

Best for Beginners

Bizplan

$20.75 per month

Bizplan is specifically for business plan creation. It offers a guided walkthrough of each section you need for a complete business plan to use for funding or pitching to partners. Plug in the information, from your mission and goals to financial forecasts, and Bizplan will do the math and create the visual charts you need to get your point across.

Bizplan is very easy to use because it includes prompts and questions that take away the manual effort of figuring out what you need, so you can simply focus on providing the answers. When you’re satisfied you included all the data needed, you can invite stakeholders and consultants to look it over and add comments for approval or change requests. A unique feature of Bizplan is it gives you access to Fundable, a crowdfunding platform, on which you can share your business plan to try to generate funding.

Monthly pricing costs $29, but you can opt for annual pricing that averages to $20.75 per month. If you expect to need business plan software for much longer than a year, there’s a lifetime access option for $349 flat. All plans come with all features and access, including business courses, business planning tools and a route to investors.

If it’s your first time creating a business plan, Bizplan is a great choice to help guide you through all the sections you need to include in your plan for potential investors and partners.

  • Monthly, annual and lifetime plans
  • Unlimited business plans
  • Unlimited collaborators
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Modular, drag-and-drop interface
  • Online business courses
  • Access to Fundable
  • Financial forecasting
  • No roadmapping tools
  • Lack of customization
  • Only integrates with Xero

Best for Ideation

IdeaBuddy

Free; $6 per month

IdeaBuddy is a basic business plan tool that lets you start for free, which is great for beginners who aren’t quite ready to create a plan. The idea plan feature is great because it lets you lay out your business plan on one page, giving you an overview. There are built-in sticky notes for brainstorming and custom templates to start you off with a bit of a guide (or just create your own).

Another great feature of IdeaBuddy is the whiteboard, which lets you drag and drop various elements, draw on it and collaborate with others to come up with your perfect business idea. That feature is locked behind the highest tier, so you’ll have to pay $22 per month (billed annually) to use it. However, that plan also gives you up to 10 collaborators and 10 ideas.

Other plans are more limiting: The free plan is for a solopreneur who has a single idea to work on and the Dreamer plan is $6 per month while the Founder plan is $12 per month, both billed annually. The Dreamer plan is also limited to one idea, but you get one collaborator while the Founder plan gives you up to three ideas and three collaborators. Plus, you’ll get access to the paid plans to export and share your plan with viewers.

IdeaBuddy is just what it sounds like: It’s best for ideation. You can create a full-fledged business plan, but this program is best suited for the very beginning stages of business creation.

  • Free forever plan
  • Affordable paid plans
  • Monthly and annual billing options
  • Easy to use
  • Export to Word, Excel or as PDF
  • Flexible whiteboard feature
  • May be too basic for some users
  • Doesn’t offer much guidance

Best for No-Frills Business Planning

iPlanner

$55 for one year

Business plan software doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective, and iPlanner certainly fits that bill. It’s been around since 2007 and it doesn’t appear to have updated its look or functions. The browser-based business planning software gives you a place to build out your business model and a business plan.

There are two different software options from iPlanner: Strategy Designer and Startup Framework. The Strategy Designer costs $59 for three plans, but it’s a one-time fee for the year. Choose it if you want a more condensed and no-frills kind of business plan. You can export it to Word or as a PDF.

The iPlanner Startup Framework is $55 per year, which gives you one plan to create. It’s similar to the Designer version, but you can create a business model, separate financials and build a team with various roles (view only, project owner or consultant).

iPlanner is best for those who have created a business plan before and don’t need hand-holding or fancy features.

  • Business modeling option
  • Samples on site for demoing
  • Export to Word or as PDF
  • No free plan or trial
  • Not a lot of guidance
  • Outdated interface

Best for Automatic Business Plan Creation

Enloop

$11 per month

Enloop is a unique business plan app that generates a business plan for you based on information you provide. You can edit the text Enloop writes for you to make it more specific or change numbers in your financial forecasts as you see fit. Enloop offers a scorecard that updates as you change things, finish sections and make your business plan overall better.

Then Enloop compares your financial forecasts to industry standards, so you don’t have to do the research. The software shows you up to 16 ratios, such as sales, inventory and payables and then shows you what the average is for your industry as it compares to your financials. Enloop then gives you either a pass or fail so that you can modify your plan before you put anything into play.

Although Enloop doesn’t offer a free plan, there is a free trial for one week so you can see if it’s right for you. The Detailed plan costs $11 per month while the Performance plan is $24 per month, both billed annually. The biggest difference between the two plans is how many financial ratios Enloop analyzes: The Detailed plan only gets three ratios and Performance plan gets 16.

Enloop is best for those who have some experience creating business plans, not necessarily for those who are starting from scratch as there are no brainstorming or strategizing tools included. Use Enloop to create business plans quickly.

  • Three business plans for each tier
  • Generates a business plan automatically
  • Compares your financials to industry standards
  • Seven-day free trial available
  • Scorecards indicate odds of success
  • No messaging team members through app
  • Not meant for strategizing

Best for Consultant Groups

AchieveIt

$80 per, user per month

Not everyone wants to go it alone when creating business plans and consultants are often hired for industry expertise and business plan creation. AchieveIt offers generous plans that won’t limit the number of plans and projects you can create, so you can work on multiple business plans at one time.

Specifically, AchieveIt is planning software meant for medium to large teams to work on projects simultaneously. For business planning, it’s a great option for those strategizing and analyzing a variety of data points with multiple people—all of AchieveIt’s plans have a minimum requirement of 20 users.

Plans are pricey, especially when you consider the user minimum. Core, the lowest-priced plan, costs $80 per user, per month, and Plus is $90 per user, per month, both billed annually. So, it’s going to cost $1,600 per month, at least, which puts this software out of reach for most small businesses.

AchieveIt is a good choice for large businesses that need planning software and for business plan purposes, it makes most sense for established consultant groups.

  • Unlimited plans and projects
  • Collaboration tools
  • Goal management
  • 20-user minimum
  • Pricier than most competitors
  • Integrations at added cost

Best for Teams

Business sorter.

Business Sorter

$10 per month

When you’re ready to craft your business plan, it can help immensely to have business planning software like Business Sorter. The cloud-based app makes it easy for you to start a plan and kicks off your business planning with a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Then, you can follow a guide to build your plan with each section divided by areas. After which, you can choose cards to help steer you toward the right objectives and goals for your business.

You won’t find roadmapping tools in Business Sorter, but the card system keeps you on track (and even gives you goals you may not have considered). As you prioritize goals, you’ll find steps you need to take that guide you to completing your business plan. Every plan allows multiple users, so you can collaborate on what takes precedence.

Plans start at $10 per month, billed annually, and allows you to have three users on board. For 10 users, the Medium plan costs $30 per month, billed annually, and if you need 30 users, the Large Team plan will run you $80 per month, billed annually. It’s one of the most affordable business planning apps for teams.

Although Business Sorter doesn’t offer a messaging tool, it’s still one of the best options for teams. You don’t have to pay per person, but you can add multiple people to the account to work on creating business plans.

  • Easy-to-use business plan templates
  • Free trial available
  • Card system helps guide your goal setting
  • Create up to 40 business plans
  • Plans limit user count
  • No messaging in app
  • Very limited integrations

Forbes Advisor carefully considered a variety of software to choose the right business planning apps for this ranking. We compared features, ease of use, costs and collaboration. We ranked each company based on these factors using a 5-star rating system. The highest possible score is 5 out of 5 stars.

Here are the details of the factors we considered:

  • Features: We looked at general and unique features of each app and gave more credit to software that provides better functionality for business planning.
  • Cost: Regardless of your business size, cost is an important factor to consider when you’re adding new software to your tech stack. We awarded a higher score to those that offer free trials, free plans and affordable options.
  • Ease of use: Programs that have a steep learning curve aren’t likely to be adopted by you or your team, so we chose software that’s user-friendly. Drag-and-drop interfaces or guidance through features and tools are helpful for any team.
  • Customer reviews: An important factor for any software is how the general public views the program. We considered other ratings and studied the pros and cons listed by other users of the software to help us with our ranking.

Technically, you don’t need business plan software, but using it can make the entire experience easier and you’ll have better odds of creating a solid plan. You don’t even have to choose software made specifically for business planning—project management software is great for roadmapping and goal management. Aside from looking for software that includes financial forecasting, you’ll want collaboration tools, a user-friendly interface, affordable plans and ways to brainstorm or roadmap for your business idea.

One of the most important sections of any business plan is the financials. If you haven’t already done the research and calculations, look for a business plan app that automatically calculates these numbers for you.

Collaboration is also key if you’re working with a partner, team or consultants. At the very least, look for software that lets you invite viewers to see the work you’re doing, but the best business plan software lets users leave comments or work on a plan in real time simultaneously.

Ease of use is nearly as important as pricing. You’ll need software you and your team will use without spending too much downtime learning how to use it. It also makes no sense to choose a cost-prohibitive tool for creating a business plan—most of the software Forbes Advisor suggests is appropriate for small business budgets.

Finally, depending on the stage you’re in of business planning, you may want a tool that offers features that make it easy for you to create a roadmap for your business. If you’re in the early stages, these tools can help with brainstorming, prioritizing goals and managing your goals before you finalize your actual business plan.

Most business plan software helps guide you through the creation of a business plan with prompts, suggestions or tips. So, using business plan software is especially helpful for new business owners who don’t know all the sections to include to increase the odds of getting funding or luring a partner to join your operation.

Business plan software can also automate some processes, such as calculations of financials or comparisons of those finances with industry standards. Some business planning apps give you whiteboards or editable cards you can use for brainstorming. Other features may include scorecards to let you know if you’re on the right track or roadmapping tools to give you an overview of your business plan.

The biggest benefit of business plan software is that it helps you organize and prioritize all of your goals so you can more easily analyze and then compile the data you need to create your business plan. After that, you can create your plan from scratch or if you’re using business planning software made specifically for crafting plans, you can piece it all together and then export it as a PDF or to Microsoft Word.

Which business plan software is the best?

Forbes Advisor suggests Wrike, Smartsheet or LivePlan to help you write your business plan. Depending on the stage you’re in of business planning, one tool or another may be better for you.

How do I create my own business plan?

There are several steps you should follow to create a good business plan, but there are different types of plans you can create. Every business plan starts with a strong executive summary and includes your business goals and financial forecasting. Follow a guide on how to create a business plan to ensure you include all the sections needed.

What are the different types of business plans?

There are many types of business plans you can create and the one that makes the most sense for you depends on your situation. A standard business plan is meant for when you need to present to investors or a bank for financial help. A lean plan doesn’t include all the summaries and background information a standard plan does, so it’s more suitable for established business owners. There are also one-page business plans that are more like pitches. You may also run across operational, tactical, strategic and contingency business plans. We created a simple business plan template that you can use to get started when launching a side gig or small business.

Is business plan software secure?

As  with most types of software, the best business plan software programs offer many levels of security. When choosing this type of software, you want to look for security features that include multifactor authentication (MFA), intrusion detection, the monitoring of user activities, documentation that shows frequent security updates and patches, data encryption and privacy protection.

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Amy Nichol Smith

Amy Nichol Smith spent more than 20 years working as a journalist for TV and newspapers before transitioning to software and hardware product reviews for consumers and small businesses. She has been featured in publications such as L.A. Times, Tom's Guide, Investopedia and various newspapers across the U.S.

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best business plan firms

The 7 Best Business Plan Examples (2024)

As an aspiring entrepreneur gearing up to start your own business , you likely know the importance of drafting a business plan. However, you might not be entirely sure where to begin or what specific details to include. That’s where examining business plan examples can be beneficial. Sample business plans serve as real-world templates to help you craft your own plan with confidence. They also provide insight into the key sections that make up a business plan, as well as demonstrate how to structure and present your ideas effectively.

Example business plan

To understand how to write a business plan, let’s study an example structured using a seven-part template. Here’s a quick overview of those parts:

  • Executive summary: A quick overview of your business and the contents of your business plan.
  • Company description: More info about your company, its goals and mission, and why you started it in the first place.
  • Market analysis: Research about the market and industry your business will operate in, including a competitive analysis about the companies you’ll be up against.
  • Products and services: A detailed description of what you’ll be selling to your customers.
  • Marketing plan: A strategic outline of how you plan to market and promote your business before, during, and after your company launches into the market.
  • Logistics and operations plan: An explanation of the systems, processes, and tools that are needed to run your business in the background.
  • Financial plan: A map of your short-term (and even long-term) financial goals and the costs to run the business. If you’re looking for funding, this is the place to discuss your request and needs.

7 business plan examples (section by section)

In this section, you’ll find hypothetical and real-world examples of each aspect of a business plan to show you how the whole thing comes together. 

  • Executive summary

Your executive summary offers a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. You’ll want to include a brief description of your company, market research, competitor analysis, and financial information. 

In this free business plan template, the executive summary is three paragraphs and occupies nearly half the page:

  • Company description

You might go more in-depth with your company description and include the following sections:

  • Nature of the business. Mention the general category of business you fall under. Are you a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of your products?
  • Background information. Talk about your past experiences and skills, and how you’ve combined them to fill in the market. 
  • Business structure. This section outlines how you registered your company —as a corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC, or other business type.
  • Industry. Which business sector do you operate in? The answer might be technology, merchandising, or another industry.
  • Team. Whether you’re the sole full-time employee of your business or you have contractors to support your daily workflow, this is your chance to put them under the spotlight.

You can also repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page, Instagram page, or other properties that ask for a boilerplate description of your business. Hair extensions brand Luxy Hair has a blurb on it’s About page that could easily be repurposed as a company description for its business plan. 

company description business plan

  • Market analysis

Market analysis comprises research on product supply and demand, your target market, the competitive landscape, and industry trends. You might do a SWOT analysis to learn where you stand and identify market gaps that you could exploit to establish your footing. Here’s an example of a SWOT analysis for a hypothetical ecommerce business: 

marketing swot example

You’ll also want to run a competitive analysis as part of the market analysis component of your business plan. This will show you who you’re up against and give you ideas on how to gain an edge over the competition. 

  • Products and services

This part of your business plan describes your product or service, how it will be priced, and the ways it will compete against similar offerings in the market. Don’t go into too much detail here—a few lines are enough to introduce your item to the reader.

  • Marketing plan

Potential investors will want to know how you’ll get the word out about your business. So it’s essential to build a marketing plan that highlights the promotion and customer acquisition strategies you’re planning to adopt. 

Most marketing plans focus on the four Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. However, it’s easier when you break it down by the different marketing channels . Mention how you intend to promote your business using blogs, email, social media, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

Here’s an example of a hypothetical marketing plan for a real estate website:

marketing section template for business plan

Logistics and operations

This section of your business plan provides information about your production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory.

Financial plan

The financial plan (a.k.a. financial statement) offers a breakdown of your sales, revenue, expenses, profit, and other financial metrics. You’ll want to include all the numbers and concrete data to project your current and projected financial state.

In this business plan example, the financial statement for ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy includes forecasted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

financial plan example

It then goes deeper into the financials, citing:

  • Funding needs
  • Project cash-flow statement
  • Project profit-and-loss statement
  • Projected balance sheet

You can use Shopify’s financial plan template to create your own income statement, cash-flow statement, and balance sheet. 

Types of business plans (and what to write for each)

A one-page business plan is a pared down version of a standard business plan that’s easy for potential investors and partners to understand. You’ll want to include all of these sections, but make sure they’re abbreviated and summarized:

  • Logistics and operations plan
  • Financials 

A startup business plan is meant to secure outside funding for a new business. Typically, there’s a big focus on the financials, as well as other sections that help determine the viability of your business idea—market analysis, for example. Shopify has a great business plan template for startups that include all the below points:

  • Market research: in depth
  • Financials: in depth

Your internal business plan acts as the enforcer of your company’s vision. It reminds your team of the long-term objective and keeps them strategically aligned toward the same goal. Be sure to include:

  • Market research

Feasibility 

A feasibility business plan is essentially a feasibility study that helps you evaluate whether your product or idea is worthy of a full business plan. Include the following sections:

A strategic (or growth) business plan lays out your long-term vision and goals. This means your predictions stretch further into the future, and you aim for greater growth and revenue. While crafting this document, you use all the parts of a usual business plan but add more to each one:

  • Products and services: for launch and expansion
  • Market analysis: detailed analysis
  • Marketing plan: detailed strategy
  • Logistics and operations plan: detailed plan
  • Financials: detailed projections

Free business plan templates

Now that you’re familiar with what’s included and how to format a business plan, let’s go over a few templates you can fill out or draw inspiration from.

Bplans’ free business plan template

best business plan firms

Bplans’ free business plan template focuses a lot on the financial side of running a business. It has many pages just for your financial plan and statements. Once you fill it out, you’ll see exactly where your business stands financially and what you need to do to keep it on track or make it better.

PandaDoc’s free business plan template

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PandaDoc’s free business plan template is detailed and guides you through every section, so you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Filling it out, you’ll grasp the ins and outs of your business and how each part fits together. It’s also handy because it connects to PandaDoc’s e-signature for easy signing, ideal for businesses with partners or a board.

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template

Miro

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template helps you map out the essentials of your business, like partnerships, core activities, and what makes you different. It’s a collaborative tool for you and your team to learn how everything in your business is linked.

Better business planning equals better business outcomes

Building a business plan is key to establishing a clear direction and strategy for your venture. With a solid plan in hand, you’ll know what steps to take for achieving each of your business goals. Kickstart your business planning and set yourself up for success with a defined roadmap—utilizing the sample business plans above to inform your approach.

Business plan FAQ

What are the 3 main points of a business plan.

  • Concept. Explain what your business does and the main idea behind it. This is where you tell people what you plan to achieve with your business.
  • Contents. Explain what you’re selling or offering. Point out who you’re selling to and who else is selling something similar. This part concerns your products or services, who will buy them, and who you’re up against.
  • Cash flow. Explain how money will move in and out of your business. Discuss the money you need to start and keep the business going, the costs of running your business, and how much money you expect to make.

How do I write a simple business plan?

To create a simple business plan, start with an executive summary that details your business vision and objectives. Follow this with a concise description of your company’s structure, your market analysis, and information about your products or services. Conclude your plan with financial projections that outline your expected revenue, expenses, and profitability.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The optimal format for a business plan arranges your plan in a clear and structured way, helping potential investors get a quick grasp of what your business is about and what you aim to achieve. Always start with a summary of your plan and finish with the financial details or any extra information at the end.

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9 Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Own (2024)

Need support creating your business plan? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration and guidance.

a stock of books on purple background representing business plan examples

Any aspiring entrepreneur researching how to start a business will likely be advised to write a business plan. But few resources provide business plan examples to really guide you through writing one of your own.

Here are some real-world and illustrative business plan examples to help you craft your business plan .

Business plan format: 9 examples

The business plan examples in this article follow this template:

  • Executive summary
  • Company description
  • Market analysis
  • Products and services
  • Marketing plan
  • Logistics and operations plan
  • Financial plan
  • Customer segmentation

1. Executive summary

Your executive summary is a page that gives a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. While it appears at the beginning, it’s easiest to write this section last, as there are details further in the report you’ll need to include here.

In this free business plan template , the executive summary is four paragraphs and takes a little over half a page. It clearly and efficiently communicates what the business does and what it plans to do, including its business model and target customers.

Executive summary for Paw Print Post detailing the business model and target customers.

2. Company description

You might repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page , social media profile pages, or other properties that require a boilerplate description of your small business.

Soap brand ORRIS has a blurb on its About page that could easily be repurposed for the company description section of its business plan.

ORRIS homepage promoting cleaner ingredients for skincare with a detailed description.

You can also go more in-depth with your company overview and include the following sections, like in this business plan example for Paw Print Post:

Business structure

This section outlines how you registered your business —as an LLC , sole proprietorship, corporation, or other business type : “Paw Print Post will operate as a sole proprietorship run by the owner, Jane Matthews.”

Nature of the business

“Paw Print Post sells unique, one-of-a-kind digitally printed cards that are customized with a pet’s unique paw prints.”

“Paw Print Post operates primarily in the pet industry and sells goods that could also be categorized as part of the greeting card industry.”

Background information

“Jane Matthews, the founder of Paw Print Post, has a long history in the pet industry and working with animals, and was recently trained as a graphic designer. She’s combining those two loves to capture a niche in the market: unique greeting cards customized with a pet’s paw prints, without needing to resort to the traditional (and messy) options of casting your pet’s prints in plaster or using pet-safe ink to have them stamp their ’signature.’”

Business objectives

“Jane will have Paw Print Post ready to launch at the Big Important Pet Expo in Toronto to get the word out among industry players and consumers alike. After two years in business, Jane aims to drive $150,000 in annual revenue from the sale of Paw Print Post’s signature greeting cards and to have expanded into two new product categories.”

“Jane Matthews is the sole full-time employee of Paw Print Post but hires contractors as needed to support her workflow and fill gaps in her skill set. Notably, Paw Print Post has a standing contract for five hours a week of virtual assistant support with Virtual Assistants Pro.”

Your mission statement may also make an appearance here. Passionfruit shares its mission statement on its company website, and it would also work well in its example business plan.

Passionfruit About page with a person in a "Forever Queer" t-shirt.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis consists of research about supply and demand , your target demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. You might run a SWOT analysis and include that in your business plan. 

Here’s an example SWOT analysis for an online tailored-shirt business:

SWOT analysis chart with strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

You’ll also want to do a competitive analysis as part of the market research component of your business plan. This will tell you which businesses you’re up against and give you ideas on how to differentiate your brand. A broad competitive analysis might include:

  • Target customers
  • Unique value proposition , or what sets the products apart
  • Sales pitch
  • Price points for products
  • Shipping policy

4. Products and services

This section of your business plan describes your offerings—which products and services do you sell to your customers? Here’s an example for Paw Print Post that explains its line of custom greeting cards, along with details on what makes its products unique.

Products and services section of Paw Print Post showing customized greeting cards with paw prints.

5. Marketing plan

It’s always a good idea to develop a marketing plan before you launch your business. Your marketing plan shows how you’ll get the word out about your business, and it’s an essential component of your business plan as well.

Business plan sample showing marketing plan for Paw Print Post.

The Paw Print Post focuses on four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place. However, you can take a different approach with your marketing plan. Maybe you can pull from your existing marketing strategy , or maybe you break it down by the different marketing channels. Whatever approach you take, your marketing plan should describe how you intend to promote your business and offerings to potential customers.

6. Logistics and operations plan

The Paw Print Post example considered suppliers, production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory. This includes any raw materials needed to produce the products.

Business plan example with a logistics and operations plan for Paw Print Post.

7. Financial plan

The financial plan provides a breakdown of sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and other relevant financial metrics related to funding and profiting from your business.

Ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy’s financial plan breaks down predicted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

Bar chart illustrating monthly expenses and direct costs for a business from January to December.

It then dives deeper into the financials to include:

  • Funding needs
  • Projected profit-and-loss statement
  • Projected balance sheet
  • Projected cash-flow statement

You can use a financial plan spreadsheet to build your own financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement.

Income statement template created by Shopify with sales, cost of sales, gross margin, and expenses.

8. Customer segmentation

Customer segmentation means dividing your target market into groups based on specific characteristics. These characteristics can be demographics, psychographics, behavior, or geography. Your business plan will provide detailed information on each segment, like its size and growth potential, so you can show why they are valuable to your business. 

Airsign , an eco-friendly vacuum cleaner company, faced the challenge of building a sustainable business model in the competitive home appliance market. They identified three key customer personas to target:

  • Design-oriented urban dwellers
  • Millennials moving to suburbs
  • Older consumers seeking high-quality appliances

The company utilized Shopify’s customer segmentation tools to gain insights and take action to target them. Airsign created targeted segments for specific marketing initiatives.

Put your customer data to work with Shopify’s customer segmentation

Shopify’s built-in segmentation tools help you discover insights about your customers, build segments as targeted as your marketing plans with filters based on your customers’ demographic and behavioral data, and drive sales with timely and personalized emails.

9. Appendix

The appendix provides in-depth data, research, or documentation that supports the claims and projections made in the main business plan. It includes things like market research, finance, résumés, product specs, and legal documents. 

Readers can access detailed info in the appendix, but the main plan stays focused and easy to read. Here’s an example from a fictional clothing brand called Bloom:

Appendix: Bloom Business Plan

Types of business plans, and what to include for each

This lean business plan is meant to be high level and easy to understand at a glance. You’ll want to include all of the same sections in one-page business plan, but make sure they’re truncated and summarized:

  • Executive summary: truncated
  • Market analysis: summarized
  • Products and services: summarized
  • Marketing plan: summarized
  • Logistics and operations plan: summarized
  • Financials: summarized

A startup business plan is for a new business. Typically, these plans are developed and shared to secure funding . As such, there’s a bigger focus on the financials, as well as on other sections that determine viability of your business idea—market research, for example:

  • Market analysis: in-depth
  • Financials: in-depth

Your internal business plan is meant to keep your team on the same page and aligned toward the same goal:

A strategic, or growth, business plan is a big-picture, long-term look at your business. As such, the forecasts tend to look further into the future, and growth and revenue goals may be higher. Essentially, you want to use all the sections you would in a normal business plan and build upon each:

  • Market analysis: comprehensive outlook
  • Products and services: for launch and expansion
  • Marketing plan: comprehensive outlook
  • Logistics and operations plan: comprehensive outlook
  • Financials: comprehensive outlook

Feasibility

Your feasibility business plan is sort of a pre-business plan—many refer to it as simply a feasibility study. This plan essentially lays the groundwork and validates that it’s worth the effort to make a full business plan for your idea. As such, it’s mostly centered around research:

Nonprofit business plans are used to attract donors, grants, and partnerships. They focus on what their mission is, how they measure success, and how they get funded. You’ll want to include the following sections in addition to a traditional business plan:

  • Organization description
  • Need statement
  • Programs and services
  • Fundraising plan
  • Partnerships and collaborations
  • Impact measurement

Set yourself up for success as a business owner

Building a good business plan serves as a roadmap you can use for your ecommerce business at launch and as you reach each of your business goals. Business plans create accountability for entrepreneurs and synergy among teams, regardless of your business model .

Kickstart your ecommerce business and set yourself up for success with an intentional business planning process—and with the sample business plans above to guide your own path.

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Business plan examples FAQ

How do i write a simple business plan.

To write a simple business plan, begin with an executive summary that outlines your business and your plans. Follow this with sections detailing your company description, market analysis, organization and management structure, product or service, marketing and sales strategy, and financial projections. Each section should be concise and clearly illustrate your strategies and goals.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The best business plan format presents your plan in a clear, organized manner, making it easier for potential investors to understand your business model and goals. Always begin with the executive summary and end with financial information or appendices for any additional data.

What are the 4 key elements of a business plan?

  • Executive summary: A concise overview of the company’s mission, goals, target audience, and financial objectives.
  • Business description: A description of the company’s purpose, operations, products and services, target markets, and competitive landscape.
  • Market analysis: An analysis of the industry, market trends, potential customers, and competitors.
  • Financial plan: A detailed description of the company’s financial forecasts and strategies.

What are the 3 main points of a business plan?

  • Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business and provide an overall summary of what you intend to accomplish.
  • Contents: Your content should include details about the products and services you provide, your target market, and your competition.
  • Cash flow: Your cash flow section should include information about your expected cash inflows and outflows, such as capital investments, operating costs, and revenue projections.

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18 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

Clifford Chi

Published: July 01, 2024

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

sample business plans and examples

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As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

So what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing? I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Business Plan Types

Business plan format, sample business plan: section by section, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ultimately, the format of your business plan will vary based on your goals for that plan. I’ve added this quick review of different business plan types that achieve differing goals.

For a more detailed exploration of business plan types, you can check out this post .

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1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas. If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration .

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business's product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

A strategic business plan is another business plan that's often shared internally. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company's acquisition or repositioning strategy.

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

I’m going to focus on a startup business plan that needs to be detailed and research-backed as well as compelling enough to convince investors to offer funding. In my experience, the most comprehensive and convincing business plans contain the following sections.

Executive Summary

This all-important introduction to your business plan sets the tone and includes the company description as well as what you will be exchanging for money — whether that’s product lines, services, or product-service hybrids.

Market Opportunity

Information about gaps in your industry’s market and how you plan to fill them, focused on demand and potential for growth.

Competitive Landscape Analysis

An overview of your competitors that includes consideration of their strengths and how you’ll manage them, their weaknesses and how you’ll capitalize on them, and how you can differentiate your offerings in the industry.

Target Audience

Descriptions of your ideal customers, their various problems that you can solve, and your customer acquisition strategy.

Marketing Strategy

This section details how you will market your brand to achieve specific goals, the channels and tactics you’ll utilize to reach those goals, and the metrics you’ll be using to measure your progress.

Key Features and Benefits

This is where you’ll use plain language to emphasize the value of your product/service, how it solves the problems of your target audiences, and how you’ll scale up over time.

Pricing and Revenue

This section describes your pricing strategy and plans for building revenue streams that fit your audiences while achieving your business goals.

This is the final section, communicating with investors that your business idea is worth investing in via profit/loss statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets to prove viability.

Okay, so now that we have a format established, I’ll give you more specific details about each section along with examples. Truthfully, I wish I’d had this resource to help me flesh out those first business plans long ago.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. It is essentially an overview of and introduction to your entire project.

Write this in such a way that it grabs your readers' attention and guides them through the rest of the business plan. This is important because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary: your company description and your products and services.

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front. This is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up your business goals? I’d recommend HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set meaningful goals that matter most for your business.

Products and Services

Here, you will incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive, as it is just a chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business. I recommend including snippets of information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here as well.

Keep in mind that you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. The executive summary should be clear and brief, only including the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template . What makes this executive summary good is that it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Our Mission

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels offers gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position.

The Company and Management

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten-free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, MA, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her bagel shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

  • Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications, Ltd.
  • Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP.

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment with opportunities for open mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the North Shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling point. Additionally, our market research [see Section 3] has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

Example 2 :

Marianne and Keith Bean have been involved with the food industry for several years. They opened their first restaurant in Antlers, Oklahoma in 1981, and their second in Hugo in 1988. Although praised for the quality of many of the items on their menu, they have attained a special notoriety for their desserts. After years of requests for their flavored whipped cream toppings, they have decided to pursue marketing these products separately from the restaurants.

Marianne and Keith Bean have developed several recipes for flavored whipped cream topping. They include chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon almond, and strawberry. These flavored dessert toppings have been used in the setting of their two restaurants over the past 18 years, and have been produced in large quantities. The estimated shelf life of the product is 21 days at refrigeration temperatures and up to six months when frozen. The Beans intend to market this product in its frozen state in 8 and 12-ounce plastic tubs. They also intend to have the products available in six ounce pressurized cans. Special attention has been given to developing an attractive label that will stress the gourmet/specialty nature of the products.

Distribution of Fancy's Foods Whipped Dream product will begin in the local southeastern Oklahoma area. The Beans have an established name and reputation in this area, and product introduction should encounter little resistance.

Financial analyses show that the company will have both a positive cash flow and profit in the first year. The expected return on equity in the first year is 10.88%

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

  • Start with a strong introduction of your company that showcases your mission and impact, then outline the products and services you provide.
  • Clearly define a problem, explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
  • Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
  • Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
  • Customize your summary to your audience. For example, you might emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists, whereas you might emphasize community benefits and minimal environmental impact for progressive nonprofits.

For more guidance, check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary .

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market. Ask and answer: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, SOM analysis , a SWOT analysis , and perform market research on your industry to get some insights for this section. More specifically, here’s what I’d include.

  • The size of the market
  • Current or potential market share
  • Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
  • Where the gap is
  • What caused the gap
  • How you intend to fill it

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Example: The market for Doggie Pause is all of the dog owners in the metropolitan area and surrounding areas of the city. We believe that this is going to be 2/3 of the population, and we have a goal of gaining a 50% market share. We have a target of a 20% yearly profit increase as the business continues.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

  • Focus on demand and potential for growth.
  • Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
  • Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
  • Refer to reliable sources.
  • Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape Analysis

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you‘ll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are. After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you’ll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover the following:

  • Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing.
  • Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle.
  • Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points.
  • The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers.

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are. It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location. This demonstrates useful experience in the industry, helping to build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Competitive Environment

Currently, there are four primary competitors in the Greater Omaha Area: Pinot’s Palette Lakeside (franchise partner), Village Canvas and Cabernet, The Corky Canvas, and Twisted Vine Collective. The first three competitors are in Omaha and the fourth is located in Papillion.

Despite the competition, all locations have both public and private events. Each location has a few sold-out painting events each month. The Omaha locations are in new, popular retail locations, while the existing Papillion location is in a downtown business district.

There is an opportunity to take advantage of the environment and open a studio in a well-traveled or growing area. Pinot’s Palette La Vista will differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a premium experience in a high-growth, influential location.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

  • Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
  • Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
  • Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
  • Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
  • Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
  • Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience? I’d recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear about why you're targeting them. Here are some questions I’d ask myself:

  • What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
  • What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
  • Why are your offerings valuable to them?

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

The Audience

Recognize that audiences are often already aware of important issues. Outreach materials should:

  • Emphasize a pollution-prevention practice
  • Tell audience a little about how to prevent pollution
  • Tell audience where they can obtain information about prevention.

Message Content

  • Focus the content for outreach materials on cost savings, such as when and where pollution prevention is as cheap as or cheaper than traditional techniques. Include facts and figures.
  • Emphasize how easy it is to do the right thing and the impacts of not engaging in pollution prevention.
  • Stress benefits such as efficiency or better relations with government, for businesses not primarily concerned with public image.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

  • Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
  • Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience , then show why your product is a useful solution.
  • Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
  • Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
  • Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
  • Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you‘ll discuss how you’ll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier. I’d suggest including these details:

  • Your brand positioning vision and how you'll cultivate it.
  • The goal targets you aim to achieve.
  • The metrics you'll use to measure success.
  • The channels and distribution tactics you'll use.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler. In my opinion, it works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

Screenshot of sample marketing plan

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

Screenshot of business startup kit download page from hubspot

The Best AI Tools for Ecommerce & How They'll Boost Your Business

18 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

23 of My Favorite Free Marketing Newsletters

The 8 Best Free Flowchart Templates [+ Examples]

The 8 Best Free Flowchart Templates [+ Examples]

What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

7 Gantt Chart Examples You'll Want to Copy [+ 5 Steps to Make One]

7 Gantt Chart Examples You'll Want to Copy [+ 5 Steps to Make One]

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How to Write an Executive Summary Execs Can't Ignore [+ 5 Top Examples]

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20 Free & Paid Small Business Tools for Any Budget

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The Content Aggregator Guide for 2024

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2 Essential Templates For Starting Your Business

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Firm Accused in $300M Ponzi Scheme Sought Investors at MLB Games

Step up to the plate and invest in the big leagues.

That was the pitch Drive Planning, a financial consulting firm in Georgia, made at Tampa Bay Rays games, urging Major League Baseball fans at Tropicana Field to "keep more, make more and live more" when investing their cash.

Russell Todd Burkhalter, the company's founder and CEO, posted on social media that the advertising spots had provided precious exposure for an investment plan that promised returns of 10 percent within three months—and which was bringing in more than $1 million a day at one point.

Now, the Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Burkhalter, 52, of orchestrating a $300 million Ponzi scheme. He has denied the allegations and is cooperating with the SEC, his attorneys told Newsweek . No criminal charges have been filed.

todd burkhalter book 2

With investors sitting on piles of capital and looking for more than they can get from the safest investments, schemes promising outsize returns, including Ponzi schemes, have been proliferating—creating a growing challenge to regulators more than 15 years after the arrest of Bernie Madoff on charges of defrauding investors out of more than $64 billion.

The number of Ponzi schemes uncovered by U.S. regulators reached a seven-year high in 2023, according to a website that tracks them. The 66 scams tallied by PonziTracker.com represented a 13 percent increase from 2022 and was almost double 2021's total of 34.

"Ponzi schemes are able to proliferate during years where the financial markets perform well not only because of the typically lower volatility but also because the investing public is more apt to believe claims of consistent returns," said Jordan Maglich, an attorney in Florida and the founder of PonziTracker.com.

"We've come a long ways since Madoff in terms of investor awareness and education, but the fact remains that we cannot regulate the Ponzi scheme out of existence because we just don't have the manpower to staff our regulatory bodies at the levels you'd need—if that was even possible," he continued.

Ponzi schemes need a constant increase in new investment to give the impression that they are generating returns, and they can even pay off early investors.

todd burkhalter book

Drive Planning went hard to find new investors, including buying adverts at the 25,000-seat stadium of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, in May and June.

Burkhalter, of St. Petersburg, is an entrepreneur and self-published author who also proudly championed his sponsorship of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, most recently in April at Anderson Speedway in Indiana.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing declined to respond to requests for comment on their relationships with Drive Planning and Burkhalter.

In April, at a Four Seasons hotel in Kapolei, Hawaii, Burkhalter spoke of a strong future for the company.

"We're thrilled about the exciting opportunities ahead for Drive and our expanding reach," he posted on Facebook . "Committed to helping more and more individuals, we're staying true to our promise: Keep More, Make More and Live More."

burkhalter yacht

The SEC alleged last month that Burkhalter, who founded Drive Planning in 2015, spearheaded the scheme from September 2020 through June, affecting more than 2,000 investors across the country and overseas. About 20 percent of $336 million invested with the company through May came from retirement accounts, the agency alleged.

A federal judge has appointed a receiver and ordered Drive Planning's assets to be frozen as SEC officials continue probing the alleged four-year fraud based out of Alpharetta, Georgia.

Burkhalter, who outlined his keys to wealth management in 2020's "Bullet Proof Your Finances: Confidence in Creating Financial Security," sold unregistered securities as real estate acceleration loans and promised returns of 10 percent within three months, SEC investigators alleged.

Investors paid at least $20,000 for their piece of the "bridge loan opportunity." The alleged deception encouraged clients to tap into saving accounts and retirement funds and even to open new lines of credit, according to the SEC's complaint.

"As of early May 2024, the scheme was receiving applications for over a million dollars every day, driven by an organization of more than 100 sales agents," the 39-page filing said.

Employees who were "trained falsely" told investors that Drive Planning pooled their funds and loaned the money to real estate developers for profitable joint ventures, the SEC complaint said. The agency added that the company instead operated in "classic Ponzi fashion," using money from new investors to pay the purported returns to existing clients.

Burkhalter allegedly used the ill-gotten gains to buy a $3.1 million yacht and a $2 million condo in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He also spent at least $4.6 million to charter private jets and luxury car services, as well as more than $300,000 on clothing, jewelry and beauty treatments, the complaint alleged.

Investigators said Burkhalter also misappropriated investor funds to buy a ranch in Mineral Bluff, Georgia—where he built a barn that serves as an event space—and a clothing business in Blue Ridge.

"Mr. Burkhalter denies the allegations contained in the SEC's complaint and looks forward to quickly resolving this matter," attorneys Aaron Danzig and Kara Silverman said in a statement to Newsweek .

The SEC complaint also named Jacqueline Burkhalter, who was married to the Drive Planning CEO during the alleged Ponzi scheme—though she filed for divorce in 2023. The filing alleged that the CEO used at least $6.6 million in company funds to buy real estate in the couple's name. Jacqueline Burkhalter received at least $1,232,300 in additional cash transfers from Drive Planning and another $2,122,018 in transfers from the Burkhalter Ranch, the filing said. Jacqueline Burkhalter did not reply to messages seeking comment.

No criminal charges have been filed against the Drive Planning founder, but an investigation by the FBI is ongoing. Though based in Georgia, Drive Planning also operated offices in St. Petersburg and Fishers, Indiana.

Many of the potential victims came from the greater Atlanta metro area. "Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law," an FBI website seeking investor information said. "Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim."

A class-action lawsuit filed this month by two women from Indiana and New Jersey alleged that Gerardo Lorenzo Linarducci, an Indiana-based broker employed by Drive Planning, recommended the firm, leading to losses of $112,000 and $50,000, respectively. Amanda Clark, Linarducci's attorney, did not return messages seeking comment.

The attorneys leading the class-action lawsuit, Ross Good and Jeff Sonn, said Drive Planning investors began contacting him in June after being told all payments were suspended pending an SEC review. Dozens of potential victims have since been identified, including one man who said he lost $1.3 million. The SEC started looking into Drive Planning as early as February, but it's unclear who tipped off regulators, Good said.

"We have more plaintiffs already," Good told Newsweek . "We only filed with two because these were very clean and easy."

Available bank records show Drive Planning raised $372 million from investors and repaid them $154.9 million between September 2020 and June, making it the largest scheme thus far in 2024, Good added.

"We look forward to presenting multiple cases to recover money for the victims of this Ponzi scheme," Good and Sonn told Newsweek in a statement.

According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, Burkhalter's alleged scam was one of nine new Ponzi schemes uncovered in August.

The SEC has filed cases to stop Ponzi schemes as small as $2 million, while others have ballooned into billions.

Drive Planning was a "classic Ponzi scheme" that used new investors' funds to pay existing clients, said Nekia Hackworth Jones, the director of the SEC's Atlanta office.

"Investors should be vigilant when they encounter aggressive sellers who make over-the-top sales pitches and promise high rates of guaranteed returns," Jones said in a statement on August 14, one day after the SEC obtained a preliminary injunction against the company.

The SEC's Division of Enforcement oversees probes into possible securities law violations, such as the scheme Burkhalter is accused of coordinating. The agency, which files hundreds of civil lawsuits annually to recoup swindled investors, coordinates with federal and state authorities to file criminal charges if applicable.

An SEC spokesperson declined to elaborate on Burkhalter beyond the agency's filing when contacted by Newsweek on Friday.

SEC records showed Burkhalter last served as a registered investment adviser in Georgia in 2014. He has been licensed as an insurance agent in the state since 1997, according to the agency's complaint.

Several Drive Planning employees declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek .

One financial strategist in Ohio who worked as an independent consultant for Drive Planning told Newsweek , "It's a really difficult time."

Update 9/11/24, 9:58 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional details.

fairness meter

Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair.

Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter.

About the writer

Joshua Rhett Miller is a Newsweek chief investigative reporter based in New York. His areas of focus include U.S. politics, immigration and society, as well as crime, education and technology. In 2024, Joshua joined Newsweek following roles at the New York Post, FoxNews.com and Fox News Channel, where he worked as an associate producer for "Shepard Smith Reporting." He also has extensive experience covering national and international breaking news, including terror attacks, COVID-related topics and live reports from the United States-Mexico border. The graduate of Pennsylvania State University can be reached at [email protected].

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Ayushman Bharat scheme: How your parents, in-laws over 70 years can avail for this new insurance plan

All seniors are eligible to receive an added top-up coverage of up to rs 5 lakh annually for themselves under the expanded plan. this additional coverage is exclusive to seniors in this age group and does not require them to share it with younger family members below the age of 70 years.

Basudha Das

  • Updated Sep 12, 2024, 4:35 PM IST

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Iconic firm Campbell Soup set to drop soup from name

best business plan firms

Top executives at the 155-year old Campbell Soup Company plan to change the iconic firm's name to The Campbell's Company.

Chief executive Mark Clouse said the move aims to better reflect Campbell's growing product line, which currently also includes sauces, snacks and beverages.

Investors are set to vote on the name change at the company's annual meeting in November.

While canned soup remains a key part of the Campbell's business, the company has sought to adapt to a changing market by acquiring other businesses such as Rao’s sauces maker, Sovos Brands.

“We will always love soup, and we’ll never take our eye off of this critical business,” Mr Clouse said during the company's investor day. “But today, we’re so much more than soup.”

In addition to its most famous line of products, Campbell's portfolio includes other offerings such as Goldfish crackers, Cape Cod crisps, V8 beverages, Prego sauces.

Mr Clouse said Campbell will only need its soup sales to remain stable for the company to meet its financial targets.

Other executives noted, however, that soup sales are set to benefit from an aging population in the US, as older people are more likely to eat soup.

Campbell was the first company to sell canned soup more than a century ago.

The product served as inspiration for one of American artist Andy Warhol's most iconic pop art works.

The company estimates its net sales will rise between 9% and 11% in its 2025 fiscal year.

Campbell's leaders expect its Goldfish crackers to be a key driver of growth and to ultimately become its largest brand by 2027.

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    Products and services description. When writing a business plan, the produces and services section is where you describe exactly what you're selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers.

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Wrike 5.0 Free; $9.80 per user, per month Yes Yes On Wrike's Website
Smartsheet 5.0 $7 per user, per month (billed annually) Yes (added cost) Yes On Smartsheet's Website
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