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Free Business Plan Template

Guest post by: Zeeman Haus

Article Overview: An alternative to writing a business plan from scratch or using another business plan as an example is to use a free business plan template. These are nice, but do have a few drawbacks as well. One of the pluses to these is the ease with which one can fill a template out versus having to “free write” a plan from beginning to end. Having a template will keep you organized and keep your plan indexed in such a way that one does not have to worry about having a section in the wrong place, or some of the less critical, but notable sections looked over, misplaced or forgotten about. So for ease of organization the free business plan template has the thumbs up.

Free Business Plan Template



An alternative to writing a business plan from scratch or using another business plan as an example is to use a free business plan template. These are nice, but do have a few drawbacks as well.

One of the pluses to these is the ease with which one can fill a template out versus having to “free write” a plan from beginning to end. Having a template will keep you organized and keep your plan indexed in such a way that one does not have to worry about having a section in the wrong place, or some of the less critical, but notable sections looked over, misplaced or forgotten about. So for ease of organization the free business plan template has the thumbs up.

Another great thing about a free business plan template is that it will also make sure you have everything you need- maybe. Comparing the template’s sections to a known, good business plan or business plan example is often a good idea. This “sanity check” will help to ensure that the template you chose has everything you need. While it is doubtful that a template will leave off a major section, some of the minor, industry specific sections might be skipped over in the template. Having these in your business plan is important, if not imperative. This might seem like splitting hairs a bit, but your business plan is the single most important document for establish your success early on.

The downside to a free business plan template is the lack of customization. As mentioned before, there could be sections that need to be expanded on such as specialized manufacturing techniques, market segment trends that are specific to your niche or even psychographic profiles that are too often overlooked when they can readily be applied to your specific plan. Being aware of this does not take away from the value of a free business plan template however. If anything, a template will save you quite a bit of time, one just has to realize that the template is not the be-all/end-all and that outside of the template, some tweaking might be needed.

One of the things I preach on a daily basis is outsourcing. How does this apply? Most people who use a template do so because they do not feel their writing skills are up to par and would rather plug information into a box and let the chips fall where they may. The problem is that a template will not necessarily take care of this challenge for you. While a business plan can be dry reading to some, it still must flow and be easy to read. Hiring someone to polish your finished work or co-opting someone who is a good writer to edit and help you smooth out the wrinkles, could be a good proposition. Make sure if you outsource the polishing that you get a non0disclosure statement signed to help protect your investment and that the individual is trustworthy.

A free business plan template is a very good thing and a great start for anyone wishing to write a business plan. Just remember that this is your investment and your baby you are working with and put in the time to groom the finished product into the best it can be.

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Article Tags: business plan template, free business plan, free business plan template, writing a business plan
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