How to Lay Out a Business Plan

Give the right impression with a well laid out business plan.

Writing a business plan is the first step in creating a successful business. A good business plan is well written and well laid out. A reader's impression of a business plan begins when he first looks at the document; before he's read a word. So it's crucial that the business plan is properly laid out, organized and aesthetically pleasing. A business plan has seven sections in the body plus the cover page, table of contents and appendix.

Things You'll Need

• Business plan
• Folder or binder

Instructions

1. Create a clean cover page. A business plan cover page is the first thing potential lenders and investors see so it should be clean, error free and easy to read. Use 12-point font on the cover page and center all information in the middle of the page. Leave a blank space between the title and author information, and again between the author information and the date.

2. Place the table of contents immediately after the cover page. The table of contents can range from one page to several pages, depending on the length of your business plan. If you have more than one page make sure they are in the correct order. The top of the first page should be titled "Table of Contents" and be centered in the middle of the page. Leave two spaces after the title and then number and list the contents at the left margin. After each item, write the page number where it can be found at the right margin on the same line.

3. Start the body of the business plan with the executive summary. Place the rest of the sections in the following order: services and products, market needs/analysis, organization and management, strategy and implementation summary, and financial plan. Begin each section on a new page, even if that means leaving white space (blank space on the page). White space is good in technical documents because it breaks up the text and makes pages easy to read. Each section should also be titled accordingly. Include subtitles within each section when necessary. Titles and subtitles should be left justified.

4. Compile graphs, charts and supporting documents in the appendix. Each item of the appendix should be on its own page. For example, an employee flow chart should be on a separate page than the employee job descriptions, even if there is room for both on the same page. Place the documents in the same order that they are referenced throughout the body of the business plan and label each document clearly.

5. Hole punch the business plan and place it in a folder or binder. Do not staple the pages together.

Tips & Warnings

• Use 12 point font, single spacing and left justification.

• Use bullets for lists.

• Break up long text into shorter paragraphs.

• Be flexible in your layout so it meets the needs of your business.

References

• Business Plan Master: Writing a Business Plan: Your Business Plan Layout; Turn heads with a bit of a punch
• The Small Business Solution: Business Plan Layout for Small Businesses

Resources

• Hurdle: The Book on Business Planning