{"id":15233,"date":"2023-07-11T06:03:12","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T10:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/?p=15233"},"modified":"2025-09-25T04:43:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:43:02","slug":"business-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/business-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"What is A Business Plan &#038; How To Design It?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/features\/create-business-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Business-Plan-Blog-Header.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Blog Header\" class=\"wp-image-40742\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A business plan outlines the goals of your business and how it plans to achieve them.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Real important &#8211; because without it, it&#8217;s like running a business in the dark. It&#8217;s like a roadmap that guides your company&#8217;s direction and helps everyone stay on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gone are the days when designing a business plan from scratch was a time-consuming and challenging task. Today, <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business plan templates<\/a> offer a convenient solution by providing pre-designed layouts that simplify the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this blog, I\u2019m going to break it down for you. I\u2019ll share the six things you need to know to put together a compelling, engaging business plan. Ready to get started now? Venngage&#8217;s online <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/features\/create-business-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business Plan Maker<\/a>&nbsp;lets anyone create a winning business plan quickly and easily.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/features\/create-business-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\"><b>CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN FOR FREE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Click to jump ahead:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#1\">How to format your&nbsp;business plan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#7\">Startup business plan templates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#8\">Simple business plan templates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#2\">How to write your business plan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#3\">How to design an engaging executive summary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#4\">How to use charts and graphs to present data<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#5\">How to communicate growth strategies in your business plan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#6\">How to present financial data in your business plan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1\"><strong>How to format your business plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To format your business plan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Start with a clear title page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Include an executive summary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide a company description.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conduct a market analysis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Describe your product or service offering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outline your marketing and sales strategy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Include organizational or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crowdspring.com\/blog\/types-of-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">business structure<\/a> and management information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A typical business plan is an in-depth document and covers every facet of your business (present and future). Creating a traditional business plan makes sense when you have a clear growth plan for the next three to five years, are in need of major funding, or want to attract long-term partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A professional business plan typically has the following sections:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Cover page<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Table of Contents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Executive summary<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Company description<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Market analysis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organization and management<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Service or product line<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketing and sales<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Funding request<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Financial projections<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An appendix<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A business plan can span a dozen or more pages because it presents the big picture, as complete as possible, to reassure others to invest in you. Investment can mean a few different things &#8211; usually financial, but also as partners or employees.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The sections that can take a lot of research and add to the bulk of your business plan are your market analysis, marketing and sales plans, and financial projections.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are the sections that demonstrate your business acumen, your long-term vision, and your accountability. Whereas, sections like the executive summary are meant to grab attention, inspire and get people excited about your business.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Start with a business plan template<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To get started on your business plan, save yourself some time and use a template. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most business plan templates will include things like a cover page, table of contents and the main sections you need. It will also have pre-formatted pages with placeholder text and charts that you can swap out.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/green-simple-business-plan-52509612-fc92-494c-a382-7f7510329c84\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Green-Simple-Business-Plan-Template.png\" alt=\"Green Simple Business Plan Template\" class=\"wp-image-45348\" width=\"720\" height=\"1886\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/green-business-plan-d170e94e-a0be-4fa5-a74e-7cb5d1803bc2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>USE THIS TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes time to do market research, present growth plans, put together financial projections, analyze your customer base, create competitor breakdowns&#8230;the list goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last thing you want to do is spend precious time formatting&nbsp;the resulting document.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Save time by building your business plan from an existing business plan template, and customize it with your own content.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a clean, consistent structure and clear headings, this template is the perfect starting point:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/green-business-plan-d170e94e-a0be-4fa5-a74e-7cb5d1803bc2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/template_green.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15234\" width=\"600\" height=\"2003\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/green-business-plan-d170e94e-a0be-4fa5-a74e-7cb5d1803bc2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>USE THIS TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then you\u2019re free to customize the template with helpful visual elements like charts, tables, and diagrams, that will make your <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/business-pitch-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">business pitch <\/a>impossible to resist.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Venngage business plan template is designed to help you <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/visual-communication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">communicate visually<\/a>&nbsp;and explain complex ideas easily. The right business plan template for you depends on the length and detail of your business plan, your brand and style, and the different sections you want to cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your small business doesn\u2019t have a dedicated design team, but you still need to learn how to write a business plan to present to investors&#8211;build off of a pre-designed business plan template:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"8\"><strong>Simple business plan templates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/minimalist-architecture-business-plan-84a8f5b9-f1dd-478f-830f-6cf74e0f982f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Simple-Business-Plan-Template.png\" alt=\"Simple Business Plan TemplateSimple Business Plan Template\" class=\"wp-image-45346\" width=\"720\" height=\"1418\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-22068231-fdf9-4302-8899-8f052abcf953\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-22068231-fdf9-4302-8899-8f052abcf953\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/basic-business-plan-template-2.png\" alt=\"basic business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-21135\" width=\"525\" height=\"2107\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-22068231-fdf9-4302-8899-8f052abcf953\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>There are just a handful of our business plan templates that can be customized in the Venngage editor.&nbsp;Browse more <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business plan templates,<\/a>&nbsp;choose one that&#8217;s best for you and start editing right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7\"><strong>Startup business plan templates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Structuring your <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/startup-business-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">startup business plan<\/a> involves organizing it into sections such as executive summary, company description, market analysis, product\/service offering, marketing and sales strategy, financial projections, and operational plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some business plan template examples:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/modern-business-proposal-ce159060-efde-4084-b012-59c223e76170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/business-plan-template-2.png\" alt=\"startup business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-21127\" width=\"600\" height=\"1597\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/modern-business-proposal-ce159060-efde-4084-b012-59c223e76170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Short&nbsp;Business Plan Template<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-outline-c6a76571-1c43-4b2c-a08c-67657ead4dac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/basic-business-plan-.png\" alt=\"short business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-21132\" width=\"600\" height=\"1598\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-outline-c6a76571-1c43-4b2c-a08c-67657ead4dac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Number your pages and include a table of contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A table of contents is crucial to help readers navigate your document and quickly find specific sections that are of interest to them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a good idea to include page numbers, main section headings, and section subheadings here for easy reference.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-outline-c6a76571-1c43-4b2c-a08c-67657ead4dac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_tableOfContents.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15241\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/proposals\/business-proposal-outline-c6a76571-1c43-4b2c-a08c-67657ead4dac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS PROPOSAL TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keeping these tips in mind will ensure that your business plan design feels clean and professional and doesn\u2019t distract from your content. You want your information, not your formatting, to be the focus!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2\"><strong>How to write your business plan&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are&nbsp;three tips for writing your business plan to ensure it&#8217;s easy to read, appears professional and is memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Use bulleted lists, bold text, and a clear type hierarchy for &#8216;skimmability&#8217;<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business plans need to be understandable at a glance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nav.com\/business-financing-options\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to attract funding<\/a>.&nbsp;Investors are looking for information&nbsp;that will help them understand your business quickly and without much effort.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at this snippet of the business plan template from above:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1_bullet_list.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1_bullet_list.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15235\" width=\"694\" height=\"899\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What stands out to you?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To me, the large green headers pop out first, making it easy to scan through the sections to find what I want to focus on.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is because there\u2019s a defined <\/span><b>type hierarchy, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">giving more visual weight to the headers over the body text. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1_typeHierarchy.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1_typeHierarchy.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15236\" width=\"713\" height=\"441\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sample type hierarchy.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, the unique selling points of this business&#8211;superior quality products, unique glass carving and brass inlays, and excellent service&#8211;jump out. Because they\u2019re presented in an<\/span><b> indented list<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they\u2019re easier to see at a glance, which will likely make them more memorable.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, I\u2019m drawn to the <\/span><b>bolded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stats&#8211;\u201ctop 30% of the industry\u201d and \u201c4 out of 5 households spent money on renovation\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key statistics like these can go a long way towards convincing your investors that you\u2019re worth their time and money. If you\u2019re going to include them within larger paragraphs, make sure they stand out by increasing their font weight.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum up: make your report skimmable. Draw attention to important takeaways with indented lists, bolded text, and a clear type hierarchy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consider using a one-column or two-column grid<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_1vs2column-01-min.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"5972\" height=\"4318\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_1vs2column-01-min.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15237\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your business plan contains only text, stick with a single-column layout that reinforces the linear flow of the document. If your business plan includes some supporting data in the form of charts and tables, use a two-column layout to juxtapose text with its corresponding data. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Maintain page margins that set text at a readable line length<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we read long passages of text, the ease at which we read depends on how the text flows on the page. Something called <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/practicaltypography.com\/line-length.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">line length<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (the number of characters in a horizontal line of text) plays a huge role in readability, and is something you should consider when formatting your business plan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To dictate line length, designers and typesetters play with the width of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/practicaltypography.com\/page-margins.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">page margins<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (the edges of a document that don\u2019t contain any text or images) with the aim of maximizing readability. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s generally accepted that the ideal line length sits somewhere between 40 and 90 characters per line.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any longer or shorter and you\u2019ll find that something feels \u201coff\u201d about your document.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_line_length.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1520\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_line_length.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15238\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/material.io\/guidelines\/style\/typography.html#typography-other-typographic-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you achieve this in your business plan?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you use a single-column layout, use nice wide margins (1 \u00bd to 2 inches) to limit your text to less than 90 characters per line.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/geometric-annual-report-a7dfbc72-7fed-485d-ac75-903ee49034e4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_line_length_1column.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15239\" width=\"612\" height=\"792\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/geometric-annual-report-a7dfbc72-7fed-485d-ac75-903ee49034e4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS REPORT TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a two-column layout, you might need to use narrower margins (possibly as little as \u00bd an inch on either side) to make sure there\u2019s enough space for at least 40 characters per line of text.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/ebooks\/magazine-ebook-fbc9f01e-1db5-42c4-8fbf-f3bccd852599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1b_line_length_2column.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15240\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/ebooks\/magazine-ebook-fbc9f01e-1db5-42c4-8fbf-f3bccd852599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS EBOOK TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last thing to remember about margins and line length&#8211;don\u2019t play around with them from page to page. Use consistent margins across your whole document.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3\"><strong>How to design an executive summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An executive summary is a snapshot of your business plan. It should be concise and hook your readers. It should reassure&nbsp;stakeholders that your business plan will be a worthwhile read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How you choose to structure your executive summary is key. You can deliver a lot of excellent information that simply gets lost in a sea of text and paragraphs. Even if someone reads through it entirely, they may have missed something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make key information stand out, use vibrant headings, incorporate visuals throughout, and break up the layout of your text.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/colorful-hospitality-business-plan-19dcc14a-f6d2-4bcf-8bf1-344d2110381a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Exec-Summ-Example-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Executive Summary Business Plan Template\" class=\"wp-image-40720\" width=\"612\" height=\"792\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/colorful-hospitality-business-plan-19dcc14a-f6d2-4bcf-8bf1-344d2110381a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every investor looks for the same thing. Some will care more about who you or your executive team are, while another is interested solely in the financials of the business. Identifying each section makes it easy for readers to find exactly what they&#8217;re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also list out the key takeaways, briefly explaining them in the executive summary.&nbsp;If your reader finds everything they needed to know in the executive summary, they&#8217;ll happily move onto the rest of the business plan.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/blue-gaming-business-plan-8878ae6e-e782-494d-998d-3cc55ec549d8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Exec-Summ-Example-2.jpg\" alt=\"Executive Summary Blue Business Plan Template\" class=\"wp-image-40721\" width=\"612\" height=\"792\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/plans\/blue-gaming-business-plan-8878ae6e-e782-494d-998d-3cc55ec549d8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Use one feature color to tie your business plan together <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Color should be used with restraint in professional documents like business plans. Instead of adding color solely for aesthetic purposes, think of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/how-to-pick-colors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">color selection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as another tool to highlight information you want your reader to focus on and to tie the document together.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You shouldn\u2019t need more than a single color (ideally one of your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/brand-style-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">brand colors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to achieve this in a business plan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In business plan charts, color should be used only to clarify trends and relationships. Use color to emphasize single important data points, differentiate between real and projected values, or group related data:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/sea-level-scatterplot-59a3130d-d53d-44f8-b066-56157e96c9d7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1d_angrySeas.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15244\" width=\"638\" height=\"638\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/sea-level-scatterplot-59a3130d-d53d-44f8-b066-56157e96c9d7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS CHART TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the rest of your business plan, keep color to a minimum. At most, use it to make headers stand out or to highlight key points in long-form text, diagrams, or tables. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The nice thing about keeping document colors this simple? It\u2019s hard to mess up, and without any complex design work, it creates a sense of cohesion and unity within a document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4\"><strong>How to use charts and graphs to present your data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since your business plan should be backed by solid data, you might want to include some of that data as evidence, in the form of&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-best-charts-for-your-infographic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">charts, tables or diagrams<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Even simple visuals can communicate better than long paragraphs of text.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ll touch on some specific types of charts commonly used in business plans next, but first let\u2019s review a few general <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/chart-design\/\">chart design<\/a> tactics.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Use descriptive titles and annotations to spell out chart takeaways<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid generic headers whenever possible. Maximize your chart\u2019s value and impact by providing takeaway messages right in the title.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1_strong_titles.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1144\" height=\"618\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1_strong_titles.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15242\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stephanieevergreen.com\/strong-titles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the same vein, add direct annotations to data points or trends that support your case.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1c_annotation.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/1c_annotation.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15243\" width=\"768\" height=\"1004\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/yougov.co.uk\/news\/2017\/11\/29\/personality-more-important-looks-across-globe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Repeating key messages within a chart, in the title, annotations, and captions, may <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.worldbank.org\/opendata\/what-makes-data-visualization-memorable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">improve viewers understanding and recall of those messages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Aid understanding of market size and market share with area charts and pie charts<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A market potential analysis is a fundamental pillar of your business plan. Market size and market share are two major components of a market potential analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These numbers are typically in the millions and billions (the bigger the better, really), but most people have trouble grasping the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/grasping-giant-numbers-is-far-from-second-nature-1490952621\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meaning of such big numbers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. At a surface level we can understand that one billion is one thousand times larger than one million, but we often struggle to comprehend what that really means. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the perfect opportunity to add some visual aids to your business plan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Use bubble charts to represent market size<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/bubble\">Bubble charts<\/a> are useful for showing general proportions among numbers. Check out this one from our redesigned version of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/PitchDeckCoach\/airbnb-first-pitch-deck-editable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AirBnb\u2019s first pitch deck<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/presentations\/airbnb-pitch-deck-dc62597d-841b-4199-9680-3a2bf970268a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2044\" height=\"1148\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/2_bubbles_original.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15245\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/presentations\/airbnb-pitch-deck-dc62597d-841b-4199-9680-3a2bf970268a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS PITCH DECK TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without having to think about the absolute values of these very large numbers, we can quickly see how they relate to one another. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While bubble charts are good for making quick, general comparisons, they\u2019re less useful when it comes to precise measurements. To help readers make slightly more accurate judgements of proportion:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Use pie or donut charts to represent market share and market composition<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pie and donut charts are the industry standard for showing market share and market composition, since they\u2019re the most widely understood method for representing part-to-whole relationships. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The way Uber breaks down their market with a simple donut chart makes their biggest segment (a key takeaway) really stand out, while the subtler differences between the smaller segments are still evident.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/presentations\/uber-pitch-deck-b618f1f7-a1b9-4389-a1c2-c61a916cb690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2044\" height=\"1150\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/2_pie.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15246\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/presentations\/uber-pitch-deck-b618f1f7-a1b9-4389-a1c2-c61a916cb690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS PITCH DECK TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you present a market analysis, use pie charts, donut charts, or bubble charts to aid the reader understanding proportions and part-to-whole relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Use histograms and bar charts to represent demographic distributions in market segmentation summaries<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another part of analyzing market potential is about identifying and understanding target customers. This means <a href=\"https:\/\/www.custify.com\/blog\/saas-customer-segmentation-guide-csm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">segmenting customers<\/a> by geography, interests, demographics\u2026really anything that might affect purchasing behaviour.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two standard metrics that most businesses include in a market segmentation summary are customer age and gender. These data are easily summarized in a histogram, with bars that represent age group distribution.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/market-segmentation-10d0a025-1bc1-44ee-8ecf-c03bdb5771ec\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1270\" height=\"1050\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/3_histogram.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15247\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/market-segmentation-10d0a025-1bc1-44ee-8ecf-c03bdb5771ec\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS CHART<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bar charts can then be used to contrast the key behaviors and lifestyle choices of the top consumer segments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates?preview=f7ca76aa-161c-438d-b57e-7bd2cf19e151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/3_bar.png\" alt=\"business plan template\" class=\"wp-image-15248\" width=\"638\" height=\"825\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates?preview=f7ca76aa-161c-438d-b57e-7bd2cf19e151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS MARKET SEGMENTATION REPORT<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Histograms and bar charts are standard features of a market segmentation summary. Use them together to identify and present information about top customer segments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Outline major milestones with a Gantt chart<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stakeholders&nbsp;will want to see that you have a concrete plan in place to help you reach your revenue goals. When formulating your goals, use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluleadz.com\/blog\/top-3-smart-goal-examples\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SMART principle<\/a> to provide&nbsp;your stakeholders with a very clear vision of how you intend to achieve them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/gantt-chart-example\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gantt chart<\/a> (a sort of modified bar chart) to outline the major milestones and phases of your business strategy. Try to include a multi-year plan, broken down by quarter and by project or department.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/5_gantt.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1191\" height=\"781\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/5_gantt.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15252\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/2012e.igem.org\/wiki\/index.php\/Team:Alberta-North-RBI_E\/MilestonesBus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>You can <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/features\/gantt-chart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create your own Gantt chart<\/a> with Venngage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5\"><strong>How to&nbsp;communicate growth strategies in your business plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter how impressive your product line or services, your business won&#8217;t just magically grow. You concrete marketing and sales plans&nbsp;in place, and <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/communicate-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">effectively communicate strategies<\/a> to your stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by acknowledging your target market &#8211; who are you going after? This is what your marketing and sales efforts will revolve around after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Demonstrate an understanding of the competitor landscape. You will always have direct or indirect competition, and showing how your planning accounts for it is key. Then you can talk about actual plans and strategies you wish to implement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Present&nbsp;your target audience with persona guides<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A product may great on its own. But its value is determined when there is a clear and obvious market for it. You can point out shortcomings of your competition, but you also need to show that your target audience exists and how you&#8217;re serving them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A persona guide provides a great deal of context to readers of your business plan. It&#8217;s the best way for them to understand who cares about your product or service, how it aligns with their lifestyle and needs, and why your marketing and sales tactics will work.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/yellow-user-persona-guide-cd1192cd-eccb-4a4b-8c9f-d4ac1e39be21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/persona-guide-1.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Persona Guide Template\" class=\"wp-image-40727\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/yellow-user-persona-guide-cd1192cd-eccb-4a4b-8c9f-d4ac1e39be21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS PERSONA GUIDE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>A persona guide needs to be detailed, and share an intimate understanding of your target audience. The more you can divulge, the more reassuring your research and overall business plan will be.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/energy-consumption-user-persona-guide-623fdac1-3080-4c07-b47b-aeeac6d78654\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/persona-guide-2.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Detailed Persona Guide Template \" class=\"wp-image-40728\" width=\"612\" height=\"1103\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/energy-consumption-user-persona-guide-623fdac1-3080-4c07-b47b-aeeac6d78654\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS DETAILED PERSONA GUIDE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you don&#8217;t have a substantial customer base, you can still create an ideal persona guide to show who you&#8217;re pursuing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/purple-persona-guide-report-36854129-bf9f-4849-a345-37a17c68abfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/persona-guide-3.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Ideal Persona Guide Template\" class=\"wp-image-40729\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/purple-persona-guide-report-36854129-bf9f-4849-a345-37a17c68abfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS IDEAL PERSONA GUIDE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Highlight competitors and differentiate yourself with a SWOT analysis<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every business plan should include an analysis of the competitive landscape&#8211;an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of competitive businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In terms of visuals, this competitive analysis is typically summarized in a <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/swot-analysis-templates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SWOT analysis matrix<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/diagrams\/company-swot-analysis-5a5b20f4-d1e6-4216-9dfd-71f5ec96cbf2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Company-swot-analysis-template.png\" alt=\"Business Plan SWOT Analysis Template\" class=\"wp-image-40718\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/diagrams\/company-swot-analysis-5a5b20f4-d1e6-4216-9dfd-71f5ec96cbf2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS SWOT ANALYSIS TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also present the SWOT analysis as a table or a list. The layout is up to you, but you want to focus on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to your competition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/diagrams\/blue-competitor-swot-analysis-9a497ec3-1929-471e-9ef1-6fa977d35a5e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/competitor-SWOT-analysis-template.png\" alt=\"Business Plan SWOT analysis Table Template\" class=\"wp-image-40719\" width=\"792\" height=\"612\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/diagrams\/blue-competitor-swot-analysis-9a497ec3-1929-471e-9ef1-6fa977d35a5e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS SWOT ANALYSIS TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the SWOT&nbsp;analysis framework&nbsp;provides valuable insights, it\u2019s not&nbsp;the entire reflection of your competitive landscape. For example, it doesn\u2019t make it easy to see at a glance the&nbsp;qualities that differentiate your business from your competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To highlight those offerings that set you apart from your competitors, a comparison matrix is more effective. Take a look at these two templates:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/infographics\/marketing-competitor-comparison-8ee5e3d4-b53f-4bda-9080-f22b3aba5c0c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Competitor-Comparison.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Competitor Comparison Template\" class=\"wp-image-40731\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/infographics\/marketing-competitor-comparison-8ee5e3d4-b53f-4bda-9080-f22b3aba5c0c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS COMPETITOR COMPARISON CHART TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/presentations\/investor-pitch-deck-8b9b2af8-8788-4206-85c8-62a1d646d3c1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2046\" height=\"1154\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/6_compareMatrix.png\" alt=\"business plan templates\" class=\"wp-image-15254\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/presentations\/investor-pitch-deck-8b9b2af8-8788-4206-85c8-62a1d646d3c1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>With a direct competitor comparison, it&#8217;s easy to present the key differentiators between the existing options for a product or service, and your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alternatively, a \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/it-glossary\/magic-quadrant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Magic Quadrant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d can be useful when you\u2019re focused on comparing across two main metrics (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">key differentiators<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">):<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/6_magicQuadrant.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1194\" height=\"964\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/6_magicQuadrant.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15255\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.appsterhq.com\/blog\/app-idea-investor-pitch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, in a competitive market, there are going to be a lot of players who compete directly or indirectly with you.&nbsp; A breakdown of them all may not be necessary. Instead, you can point visually to the space that you will address, that has been so far ignored up to now. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To do that, a prioritization chart can be used. By plotting competing businesses on a prioritization chart, you highlight experiences existing competitors focus on, and where your business falls.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/6_magic-1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1328\" height=\"808\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/6_magic-1.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15257\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.selfstir.com\/competitive-analysis-report-team-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Use roadmaps to present your marketing and sales plans<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">To explain any long-term marketing or sales plan, you want visuals. It&#8217;s easier to break down strategies you&#8217;ll be deploying every month or each quarter, when you can actually show what you&#8217;re talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Keep in mind, those reading your business plan may not be marketers or sales executives. Being able to lay out your approach in a way that&#8217;s organized, shows how much thought you&#8217;ve given to your growth strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You can design a simple roadmap that points to what you&#8217;ll be doing throughout the year. The more detailed you can get, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/roadmaps\/process-flow-marketing-roadmap-51a48214-07c2-4b2f-b35b-7e0979b3b489\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/marketing-roadmap-template.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Marketing roadmap Template\" class=\"wp-image-40723\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/roadmaps\/process-flow-marketing-roadmap-51a48214-07c2-4b2f-b35b-7e0979b3b489\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS MARKETING ROADMAP TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You can also present your <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/product-roadmap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">product roadmap<\/a>, with your <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/marketing-roadmap\/\">marketing roadmap<\/a> how the business will be growing overall.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/roadmaps\/simple-product-roadmap-044a3516-2798-45b9-a010-996e327895c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Product-Roadmap-Template-1.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Product Roadmap Template\" class=\"wp-image-40732\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/roadmaps\/simple-product-roadmap-044a3516-2798-45b9-a010-996e327895c3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS PRODUCT ROADMAP TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You don&#8217;t need to use a traditional roadmap layout, either. Experiment with different formats as you may find one easier to work with than another.&nbsp;As long as the time period for different strategies is clear, your roadmap will be easy to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/roadmaps\/company-software-marketing-roadmap-1d3be862-f472-4398-a0db-c905719789c8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1056\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/marketing-roadmap-template-2.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Marketing Roadmap Template \" class=\"wp-image-40722\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/roadmaps\/company-software-marketing-roadmap-1d3be862-f472-4398-a0db-c905719789c8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>GET THIS MARKETING ROADMAP TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"6\"><strong>How to present financial data in your business plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Presenting financial data isn&#8217;t easy. You have to crunch a lot of&nbsp;numbers&nbsp;before you can share projections&nbsp;with confidence. You&#8217;ll also need to explain how you arrived at the numbers and prepare for your answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding how to organize your information is key to walking potential investors and other stakeholders through your projections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Use organizational flow charts and summary tables for budget breakdowns and financial summaries<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/upmetrics.co\/blog\/write-financial-section-startup-business-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">financials section of your business plan<\/a> will get a lot of attention from stakeholders. Simple bar charts and pie charts won\u2019t suffice, as they can\u2019t present financial data in very much detail.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your business has already been operating for some time,&nbsp;stakeholders will expect a detailed report of revenues and expenses. Tables are usually the best choice for this kind of financial summary, as they provide an unbiased view of the numbers and allow stakeholders to look up specific values.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates?preview=45f4fe99-6531-415d-8203-f6025a6dfceb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/4_quarterly.png\" alt=\"business plan templates\" class=\"wp-image-15249\" width=\"612\" height=\"792\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates?preview=45f4fe99-6531-415d-8203-f6025a6dfceb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS REPORT<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re interested in highlighting a particular trend, however, you may want to include a line chart featuring a smaller snapshot of your financial data:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/green-line-chart-0875dcaa-b415-471a-84fb-7baea23a5699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/4_yoy.png\" alt=\"business plan templates\" class=\"wp-image-15250\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/green-line-chart-0875dcaa-b415-471a-84fb-7baea23a5699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS CHART<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oberlo.com\/blog\/how-to-start-a-business\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">starting your business<\/a> and you don\u2019t have any detailed revenue data, you can still provide useful information about your budget. Outline higher-level budget allocation with an organizational <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/flow-chart-template\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">flow chart<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/financial-budgeting-9df7ba94-a2b1-4e15-800d-04a2b1e26f0f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2018\/04\/4_flow_chart.png\" alt=\"business plan\" class=\"wp-image-15251\" width=\"703\" height=\"750\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/reports\/financial-budgeting-9df7ba94-a2b1-4e15-800d-04a2b1e26f0f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\">GET THIS TEMPLATE<\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Use line or bar graphs to visualize financial trends<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use different types of graphs to also show how your business has performed thus far.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can share results over the course of a year with a line graph. This is effective to show an overall set of trends and growth rates.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/dark-line-chart-681d8d5b-53b5-44d8-939a-9d913c23765b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Product-sales-chart.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Sales Chart Template\" class=\"wp-image-40724\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/dark-line-chart-681d8d5b-53b5-44d8-939a-9d913c23765b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS CHART TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also compare previous years to highlight how your business has grown.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your audience should be able to draw conclusions from your data within seconds. If there is simply too much information, or it\u2019s hard to find important information, they will lose interest.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/dark-circle-corporate-bar-chart-dbd95d6a-63c4-4e04-96b2-055448a47bfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"816\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/venngage-wordpress.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sales-bar-graph-template.png\" alt=\"Business Plan Revenue Projection Template\" class=\"wp-image-40726\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<center><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/charts\/dark-circle-corporate-bar-chart-dbd95d6a-63c4-4e04-96b2-055448a47bfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><button class=\"btn-cta\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-boxshadow=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage=\"\" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor=\"\"><b>CREATE THIS CHART TEMPLATE<\/b><\/button><\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking for a business plan software to help save time and reduce errors? Pick from one of these <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/best-business-plan-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7 best business plan software<\/a> to get started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>A quick summary&nbsp;<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A business plan is the one key document that every young business needs to present their vision to potential investors and other stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The quality of a business plan can make or break a young business Here&#8217;s a quick recap of what we covered for you to keep in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>How to format your&nbsp;business plan<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Get started with a template<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use a table of contents and numbered pages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How to write your business plan<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Use lists, bold headings and aim for skimmability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider using a one-column or two-column<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintain page margins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How to design an engaging executive summary<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Use headings to identify the most important information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use one thematic color palette for your design<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How to use charts and graphs to present data<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Use descriptive titles and annotations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use area and pie charts to explain market size and market share<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use pie\/donut charts to visualize marketing share and market composition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use bar charts and histograms to capture demographics data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highlight major milestones with a gantt chart<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How to communicate growth strategies in your business plan<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify your target audience using persona guides<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Differentiate yourself with a SWOT analysis\/competitor chart<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use roadmaps to visualize your marketing and sales plans<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How to present financial data in your business plan<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Use flow charts and summary tables for financial breakdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use line or bar graphs for financial trends and projection<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can always reference this post as you work on your business plan. I\u2019ve also included additional blog posts you can reference for specific areas of your business plan. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More Resources for business planning and growth:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/growth-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growth Strategy Checklist: Plan Your Business Goals With These 5 Templates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/marketing-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What is a Marketing Plan &amp; How to Create One [with Examples]<\/a>        <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/communicate-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Communicate Strategy To Your Team Effectively<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/business-report-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">50+ Essential Business Report Examples with Templates<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/consulting-proposal-template\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A business plan outlines the goals of your business and how it plans to achieve them. Real important &#8211; because without it, it&#8217;s like running a business in the dark. It&#8217;s like a roadmap that guides your company&#8217;s direction and helps everyone stay on track. Gone are the days when designing a business plan from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":40742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[188,610,611],"tags":[215,260],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A compelling business plan template is essential to every new and growing business. 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