Guide · Starting a business

    Business Plan Template for New Founders

    A free 14-section outline, a fully filled-in example, and section-by-section guidance you can use to write your first business plan in about two weeks.

    Download the outline (.md)Download the filled example (.md)

    Downloads

    Both files are lightweight Markdown documents. Open them in any text editor, Google Docs, Notion, or Word and edit directly.

    Blank outline

    A 14-section template with prompts under every heading. Start here.

    Download outline (.md)

    Filled-in example

    Brightleaf Tea Co., a fictional MENA specialty tea brand raising USD 75,000. Illustrative only.

    Download example (.md)

    Why new founders need a plan

    A business plan is not a formality. It is the cheapest way to test whether your idea makes sense before you spend money, hire people, or take on debt. Writing forces you to answer questions you have been avoiding: who exactly is the customer, what does one sale actually cost, and how many sales do you need to break even.

    You will also need a plan for almost any formal funding source, from bank loans and microfinance to incubator programs and government grants. A tight, evidence-backed plan signals that you understand your business and can be trusted with money.

    The 14 sections

    The outline follows the structure used by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Kauffman Foundation, and most incubators globally. Below is what to write in each section and the trap to avoid.

    #SectionWhat to writeCommon trap
    1Executive SummaryOne paragraph on the business, the problem, the solution, current traction, and (if raising) the ask.Writing it first. Draft the whole plan, then compress it into 250 words.
    2Company OverviewLegal name, structure, founding date, mission, and vision.Skipping legal structure. Reviewers check that you know whether you are a sole prop, LLC, FOP, or C-corp.
    3Problem & CustomerThe problem in the customer's own words, who feels it most, and the evidence you have gathered.Describing the solution before the problem. Reviewers want the pain point first.
    4Solution / ProductWhat you sell, how the customer uses it in three steps, and current status.Listing features. Focus on the outcome the customer gets.
    5MarketTAM, SAM, and SOM with bottom-up math and at least two cited sources.The classic "1% of a huge market" claim. Show a realistic 3-year target.
    6CompetitionDirect and indirect competitors, plus your defensible advantage.Saying "we have no competition." Reviewers stop reading. Do-nothing is a competitor.
    7Business ModelRevenue streams, unit economics, CAC, LTV, and payment terms.Confusing gross margin with net margin. Show COGS explicitly.
    8Go-to-Market PlanIdeal customer profile, ranked channels, and a 90-day launch plan.Listing every channel. Choose two, execute deeply, and expand later.
    9OperationsLocation, suppliers, workflow, and compliance.Ignoring licensing and insurance. Grant reviewers check.
    10Team & AdvisorsFounders, hires, advisors, and roles you cannot fill yet.Padding with "advisors" who have not agreed. Only list confirmed people.
    11Financial Projections3-year projections with monthly detail for year 1 and clear assumptions.Hockey-stick growth with no channel plan. Tie every revenue line to a channel.
    12Funding AskAmount, instrument, use of funds, and milestones unlocked.Asking for a round number without linking it to milestones.
    13Risks & MitigationsTop 5 risks, what you are doing about them, and kill criteria.Writing "we have no risks." Everyone has risks. Reviewers want to see maturity.
    14AppendixResumes, detailed financials, LOIs, and legal documents.Front-loading the plan with appendix material. Keep it in the back.

    Filled-in example: Brightleaf Tea Co.

    Fictional company, plausible numbers. Use as a shape reference, not as market data for your own business.

    Executive summary

    Brightleaf Tea Co. is a small-batch loose-leaf tea brand based in Amman, Jordan, sourcing directly from smallholder farms in Sri Lanka and Kenya. We sell premium single-origin teas online and through 12 specialty cafes in the MENA region. We are raising USD 75,000 in a grant-plus-loan blend to expand into three new cities and launch a subscription club, targeting USD 320,000 in year-2 revenue and a 42% gross margin.

    Problem & customer

    34 cafe owners and 62 consumers interviewed. 78% could not name the origin of the tea they drank most often. 61% said they would pay 15-20% more for verified single-origin tea. Target customer: urban professionals aged 28-45 in Amman, Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh who already spend USD 20+ per month on coffee or tea at specialty cafes.

    Market sizing

    • TAM: MENA specialty tea and coffee retail, USD 4.1B (Euromonitor, 2024)
    • SAM: Loose-leaf and specialty tea in urban GCC + Levant, ~USD 210M
    • SOM: 0.3% of SAM in 3 years = USD 630,000 annual revenue

    3-year financials

    Line (USD)Y1 (2025)Y2 (2026)Y3 (2027)
    Revenue92,000320,000610,000
    COGS55,200185,600335,500
    Gross margin40%42%45%
    OpEx48,000108,000190,000
    Net income(11,200)26,40084,500

    The full example, including funding ask, risks, and appendix, is in the downloadable file. Download the filled example.

    The 7-step writing process

    1. Download the outline and save a working copy.
    2. Interview 10 potential customers before writing sections 3-5.
    3. Draft each section in bullets. Do not write prose yet.
    4. Size the market bottom-up with at least two cited sources.
    5. Build a 12-month cash flow model in a spreadsheet. State every assumption.
    6. Review with two mentors: one supportive, one skeptical operator.
    7. Write the executive summary last, in under 250 words.

    Related resources

    Frequently asked questions

    Business plan template FAQs

    For most first-time founders, 6-10 pages is enough. Investors and grant reviewers rarely read past page 10. A tight plan with clear numbers and one page of financial projections outperforms a 40-page document that hides the key decisions.

    Every plan needs an executive summary, problem and customer definition, solution or product description, market size, competition, business model, go-to-market plan, team, financial projections, and (if raising) a funding ask. Everything else is an appendix.

    Yes for most formal funders. Banks and development finance institutions almost always require a written plan with 2-3 year projections. Grant programs like Oasis500, Microfund for Women, eRobota, or the SBA microloan program typically ask for a plan of 5-15 pages plus a cash flow model.

    You can start with primary research: 10-20 customer interviews, waitlist signups, or pre-orders. Then triangulate with public sources such as the World Bank, national statistics offices, industry associations, and the CIA World Factbook. Cite every number you use. Reviewers trust plans that show the math.

    Review the plan quarterly and rewrite it fully once a year. Treat it as a living document that reflects what you have learned. Version-control it so you can see how your assumptions have shifted over time.

    A pitch deck is a 10-15 slide visual summary designed to open conversations with investors. A business plan is a written document that supports diligence: it includes assumptions, sources, and detailed financials. You usually need both.

    Yes. Even at the idea stage, sketch a 12-month monthly forecast and a simple 3-year annual outlook. Show the assumptions behind each number (units, price, conversion rate, cost per unit). Investors care about the logic of your model, not the certainty of your first-year revenue.

    Overstating market size without a bottom-up calculation, ignoring competition or listing only weak competitors, hiding customer acquisition cost, projecting revenue with no channel plan behind it, and burying the funding ask on page 30. Fix these five and you will already be ahead of most first drafts.

    Start from a template. It ensures you cover the standard sections a reader expects and lets you focus your energy on the analysis, not the structure. Our downloadable outline follows the format used by SBA, Kauffman Foundation, and most incubators.

    Keep learning

    Keep going

    Deepen your plan with our companion guides.

    Donate