Summary: Having a strong business plan can lead to plenty of opportunities. If you are planning to start a business, here is how to write the best one.

An idea can only give birth to a business, but an excellent business plan ensures that it grows into a successful one. An idea is often what garners attention from the investors however a business plan is definitely what is required to get financial support from them.

What exactly is a business plan?

A business plan is a written document defining your vision, goals, and objectives of starting a startup business. It outlines the goals, direction, team, finances, and future planning of your venture. It is created for investors, in a bid to raise capital, or used as an internal document to align with teams and provide direction.

It also exhibits financial documentation, and an overview of your business strategies and marketing strategy which requires extensive market research, and competitor analysis.

Why is it crucial?

Writing down a business plan provides a structure to your startup idea. It also gives you a blueprint of how your business will be operated. A business plan is also necessary to get support for your vision and to communicate it. It also helps you benchmark and checks your progress as the company grows.

So how your business plan should look like?

Your business plan should be crisp, clear, and concise, free from any naïve goals and visions. It should include key tactics, key strategy points, tasks, metrics, important milestones, and essential projections such as expenses, sales, and cash flow.

A business plan for a startup business can be 10 pages or less, depending on the nature of your idea and how complicated or simple it is. Your business plan can be written as a document or designed as a slideshow, or a PowerPoint presentation. Depending on the investors, it may be beneficial to create both versions.

Here are five tips that will help you to write a winning business plan:

1. Steer Clear from Gray Area

When writing a business plan, always be as concise as possible. Remove any filler language as despite sounding nice, it gets you nowhere and wastes space. Keep it short, clear, and simple because no investor would want to read a long business plan. Get to the point quickly.

2. Determine Your Purpose

One piece of advice that the best business coach of India Dr. Vivek Bindra gives is that entrepreneurs must focus on what they are going to do. For instance, they must answer ‘why’, and ‘how’, as it answers various crucial points like what makes employees get up every morning, and what are the values of a business.

Being an entrepreneur, you must take the time to identify and articulate your business`s core values and purpose. This will give direction to your business for all the decision-making processes.

3. Build Your Vision

The key to business success is having a clear vision of what you want to accomplish as an organization. But before you decide to pen down your idea and conception to write your business plan, you should come up with three to five key strategies that will help you to achieve that vision.

Another thing that is vital when writing down a business plan is the mission statement. The mission statement defines why you are doing a certain thing and what drives you to do it. It should begin with why you are in this specific business. Once, you fully understand the why then you need to define ‘what’ you are going to do, and ‘how’ you will achieve it.

The final part of the mission statement should be the ‘who’ your target customer is and how you are going to treat them. If you have any confusion and questions regarding the business plan, you can attend our free Masterclass on Bada Business Community App to know from the experts.

4. Be Realistic

Be honest with yourself in your business plan, which is why it is important to consider challenges and opportunities.

5. Be Creative

When writing down a business plan include a creative element in your business plan to stand out and grab someone`s attention. You can inspiration from various templates, but do not forget to give your personal touch to it. Do something out-of-the-box.

If you need help to write a business plan, you can take expert guidance in our Masterclass. You can also take our exclusive problem solving courses.