Business Plan Template

May 7, 2025

If you’re thinking of buying or starting a new business, having a solid plan is essential. But not just any plan. You need one that acts as your roadmap, your benchmark, and your reassurance to investors or lenders.

This Business Plan Template helps you create exactly that. It is a clear, structured and comprehensive guide tailored to your business.

Ready to Plan?

To get started, simply answer the questions and fill in the relevant fields. If you’re unsure about any section, use help prompts or speak with a business coach for further guidance.

This template is a guide only. Depending on your business type or audience, you can add, remove or adapt sections as needed.

Business Plan For

{Enter your business name here}
Date: XX Month 20XX

Business Profile

Structure	Company, Partnership, Sole trader {delete where appropriate}
Established	{Enter date}
Date registered	{Enter date registered – if applicable}
Registration #	{Enter your Australian Business Number ABN}

Contact details

Contact name	{Enter your name}
TELEPHONE	{Enter your main phone number}
Mobile	{Enter your mobile phone number}
Email	{Enter your email address}
Postal address	{Enter your postal address}
Physical address	{Enter your physical address}

Online/Social media

Website	{Enter address}	BLOG	{Enter address}
LinkedIn	{Enter address}	Google+	{Enter address}
Facebook	{Enter address}	YouTube	{Enter address}
Tumbler	{Enter address}	instagram	{Enter address}
Twitter	{Enter address}	Pinterest	{Enter address}

Executive Summary
Business Background
Business Strategy
My Team
SWOT Analysis and Critical Success Factors
Market Research
Market Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Financial Plan
Marketing Strategy
Business Ownership Structure
Compliance
Assets

1. Executive Summary

Current Position:
{Enter text – outline your business’s current position, such as where it is in its life cycle. For example, start-up or growth phase.}

Growth Plan:
{Enter text – explain how you plan to increase your business’s capabilities and capacity. Why are you confident your business will keep growing?}

2. Business Background

History:
{Enter text – write down the history of your business and its track record.}

Goals:
{Enter text – state your business goals. What do you hope to achieve in the next year, 3 years, or 5 years?

Goals

Short term goals	Target date
{Enter text – outline your business’s short-term goals and their target dates.}

Long term goals	Target date
{Enter text – outline your business’s long-term goals and their target dates.}

Products or Services

{Enter text – the products or services your business will offer.}

Intellectual Property (IP)

{Enter text – any IP that needs to be protected.}

Locations and Outlets

{Enter text – write down your office and branch locations, if applicable.}

3. Business Strategy

Tactics:
{Enter text – detail the steps required and the resources you’ll need to improve your business.}

Strategic Impact:
{Enter text – any threats or opportunities on the horizon.}

E-commerce and Technology:
{Enter text – how do you use e-commerce and technology to enhance your business?}

Core Values:
{Enter text – what are the core values to your business’s long-term success?}

Credibility and Risk Reduction:
{Enter text – how will you increase credibility and reduce risk?}

4. My Team

Management Structure:
{Enter text – outline the management structure and the various roles of management.}

Current team

Name	{Enter employee’s name}
Position	{Enter text}
Qualifications	{Enter text}
Expertise	{Enter text}
Track record	{Enter text}

Name	{Enter employee’s name}
Position	{Enter text}
Qualifications	{Enter text}
Expertise	{Enter text}
Track record	{Enter text}

Name	{Enter employee’s name}
Position	{Enter text}
Qualifications	{Enter text}
Expertise	{Enter text}
Track record	{Enter text}

Retention and Recruitment Policies

{Enter text – how you’ll keep key staff and gain skilled workers.}

Mentors and Business Support

{Enter text – list any support resources your business can rely on.}

5. SWOT and Critical Success Factors

Strengths	I will maximise them by:
{Enter text}	{Enter text}
Weaknesses	I will maximise them by:
{Enter text}	{Enter text}
Opportunities	I will maximise them by:
{Enter text}	{Enter text}
Threats	I will maximise them by:
{Enter text}	{Enter text}

SWOT Summary

Chosen Strategy
{Enter text – choose a strategic direction for your business. For example, S–O: Exploit your internal strengths to maximise your external opportunities.}

Critical Success Factors
{Enter text – the critical factors for your business to achieve success.}

6. Market Research

Primary Market Research
{Enter text – for example, a survey, questionnaire, interview, or focus group that you’ve carried out.}

Secondary Market Research
{Enter text – for example, gathering relevant demographic information from Statistics.}

7. Market Analysis

Market Opportunity
{Enter text – the opportunity you’ve found in the marketplace and the potential revenue available.}

Market Structure
{Enter text – where your business fits into the marketplace and supply chain structure.}

Market Size and Outlook
{Enter text – describe the market including the potential value of it and the number of consumers. Back this up with evidence.}

Future Markets

Local

Market Structure
{Enter text – how your business fits in the local market structure.}

Size and Outlook
{Enter text – potential for growth and the current outlook in your local market.}

National

Market Structure
{Enter text – your business’s position in the national market.}

Size and Outlook
{Enter text – the market size and expected trends in the national market.}

International

Market Structure
{Enter text – how your business fits in the international market structure.}

Size and Outlook
{Enter text – your business’s international market outlook and size potential.}

Target Market

Target Market Description
{Enter text – describe the size and potential value of the market your business will be targeting, within the overall market.}

Factors Influencing Purchasing Habits
{Enter text – list the factors that influence your target market’s purchasing habits. For example, trends, pricing, social influence, customer preferences, etc.}

How Your Business Will Meet the Market’s Requirements
{Enter text – how will your products or services respond to market conditions? Consider the challenges or needs of your target market and how you will address them effectively.}

8. Competitor Analysis

Main Competitor
{Enter name of competitor}

{Enter text – provide a brief overview of the competitor's offerings, market positioning, and key strengths.}

Strengths

Weaknesses

{Enter text – identify your main competitor’s strengths. For example, swift and flexible customer service, efficient processes or experienced staff.}

{Enter text – note your main competitor’s weaknesses. For example, poor customer service, inefficient processes or poor product quality.}

Strategy

{Enter text – how will you combat their strengths and target their weaknesses?
Consider how your business can differentiate itself from competitors. Focus on your unique value propositions, customer experience, pricing, or other factors that set you apart. Think about ways you can leverage their weaknesses to your advantage, such as offering a better product, more efficient service, or a more personalized approach.

Second key competitor {Enter name}

Strengths

Weaknesses

{Enter text}

Strategy

{Enter text}

9. Financial Plan

Start-up Costs

{Enter text – summarise the start-up costs of your business.}
Outline the necessary expenditures to launch your business, including equipment, inventory, legal fees, marketing costs, and any other initial expenses. Ensure to include a breakdown of each cost and how it contributes to getting the business off the ground.

Funding

{Enter text – detail your sources of funding.}
Provide details on how you plan to fund your business. This could include personal savings, loans, investor funding, or grants. Also, mention any external sources of capital you plan to use and the structure of these investments (e.g., equity or debt financing).

Break-even Date

{Enter date here}
The break-even date is when your business is expected to cover all its costs with the income it generates. This is a critical milestone in determining when you’ll start to make a profit. To calculate the break-even point, use your fixed costs and variable costs to determine the sales needed to cover them.

Profit and Loss Forecast

{Enter text – outline your expected revenue, expenses, and profit for the first 1-3 years of operation.}
Include projections for your business's income and expenses over a specific period, typically 1 to 3 years. This should include expected sales revenue, cost of goods sold (COGS), operating expenses (like rent, wages, utilities), and anticipated profit margins. Make sure the forecast is realistic and backed by data where possible.

	First year	Second year	Third year
Estimated sales	${Enter}	${Enter}	${Enter}
Estimated costs	${Enter}	${Enter}	${Enter}
Estimated profit/loss	${Enter}	${Enter}	${Enter}

Cash Flow Forecast

{Enter text – summarise your cash flow forecasts for the next three to five years, before attaching a detailed forecast to your business plan for the upcoming year.}
A cash flow forecast is an essential tool for tracking the money moving in and out of your business. Provide a summary of your expected cash flow for the next 3-5 years, focusing on income from sales and any other expected inflows, alongside your outgoings for operating costs. Be sure to include seasonal variations, and make adjustments based on growth expectations.

10. Marketing Strategy

Launch Budget

${Enter amount – your budget should be part of the start-up costs mentioned in the finance section above, and reflect the total cost of your launch marketing tactics.}
Detail the budget allocated for your initial marketing efforts, including advertising, promotions, digital marketing, public relations, and any launch-specific campaigns. This should be part of your overall business plan, directly connected to the business’s financial projections.

Marketing Budget

${Enter amount – the budget for your ongoing marketing strategy should use tactics that are financially sustainable within your forecast cash flow.}
Set aside funds for the continued marketing efforts of your business. This budget should be aligned with your financial plan and should cover all the necessary channels to build and maintain awareness, drive customer acquisition, and promote growth. Include strategies such as content marketing, paid ads, SEO, and social media.

11. Business Ownership Structure

For companies – delete if necessary

Directors
{Enter text – list the company’s directors.}
Provide the names and roles of the company’s directors, outlining their key responsibilities and any relevant experience or expertise they bring to the company.

Other Shareholders
{Enter text – note down the shareholders.}
Identify the shareholders of your company, including their percentage of ownership and any special rights attached to their shares, if applicable.

12. Compliance

Legal and Regulatory Considerations

Sole Trader
If you’re a sole trader, ensure you have completed the following:

Applied for an Australian Business Number (ABN), if applicable
Registered your business name, if applicable
Registered for GST, if applicable
Registered for PAYG withholding, if applicable
Registered your domain name if conducting business online
Trademarked your business name and brand, if necessary
Applied for any required licenses and permits

Partnership
If you are operating as a partnership, complete the following:

Applied for an Australian Business Number (ABN)
Registered your business name
Applied for a Tax File Number (TFN)
Registered for GST
Registered for PAYG withholding, if applicable
Registered your domain name if conducting business online
Trademarked your business name and brand, if applicable
Applied for any required licenses and permits

Company
For a company, ensure the following steps have been completed:

Applied for an Australian Company Number (ACN)
Applied for an Australian Business Number (ABN)
Registered your company name
Applied for a Tax File Number (TFN)
Registered for GST
Registered for PAYG withholding
Registered your domain name if doing business online
Applied for any patents or trademarks, if applicable
Applied for required licenses and permits

Insurance
{Enter text – lay out your business insurance arrangements to show you’re mitigating the risks to your business’s continuity.}
This should include details on any business insurance policies you hold, such as liability insurance, property insurance, worker’s compensation, or any other relevant coverage to protect your business and assets.

13. Assets

Business Premises

{Enter text – do you lease or own? Outline your premises situation here.}
Describe your business premises, noting whether you lease or own the property. If you lease, include the lease terms and any relevant details regarding your location or facilities. If you own the premises, mention any associated costs and its value as a business asset.

IT Requirements and Solutions

Requirements:

Detail the IT systems and infrastructure your business requires, including hardware, software, and network services. For example, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, inventory management software, or any e-commerce platforms you plan to use.
Consider the scalability of your IT solutions as your business grows.
If applicable, mention specific technology or tools (e.g., cloud services, security systems).

Solutions:

Mention any IT solutions you plan to implement for security, efficiency, and growth. This could include outsourced IT support or in-house IT teams.
Address any challenges you might face in terms of data protection, security, or the need for specialized human resources.
Highlight any cybersecurity measures, like firewalls, encryption, or data backup protocols.

Equipment Requirements and Solutions