There’s hardly any difference between creating a business plan structure and successfully organizing your wardrobe.
You have no idea where to start, what to keep, and what to dump—and even after days, you’ve made no progress at all.
Thankfully for business plans, you can create a basic business plan outline—that can save you hours of this brainstorming session. In the outline, you’ll find the complete structure that should be present in your business plan—from the executive summary to the appendix, all in a logical sequence.
It's okay if you’re doing this for the first time—we’re here to help. Let's start by defining the term—shall we?
What is a Business Plan Outline?
A business plan outline is a structured framework that gives you a brief overview of what each section of your business plan should cover.
It works as a guideline as to how to present your vision, strategy, and goals clearly and effectively.
Though it may sound similar to a business plan template, a business plan outline is more detailed in terms of content to clearly demonstrate how the business will operate, grow, and thrive.
How to create a business plan outline
Follow this simple guide to create an outline for your business plan:
1. Executive summary
An executive summary is the first section in any business plan that gives an overview of your whole business idea in short.
Here, you’ll find all the primary business details, the mission statement, the problems your business plans to solve, your objectives, your competitive advantage, and a brief idea about your business finances and funding requests.
Since the executive summary summarizes the business plan, write its outline last, when you know what’s going on in the plan and what’s not.
Executive summary outline
Mission statement
A brief description of what you do, and why you’re doing it (purpose).
Problem & solution
The problem you’re going to solve very briefly and the solution you’re offering. Express the existing demand for your solution.
Target market
The target customer base who are willing to pay for your product & service and specify using demographics, market size, customer needs, and your product/service positioning details.
Financial summary
A brief overview of the company’s current financial position and its future financial projections—including, growth, revenue, profit margins, and ROI.
Required funding
The exact amount of funding you need and give a brief explanation of how you will be using it going forward.
2. Company overview
Right after the executive section comes the company overview. It contains all the primary information about your company and demonstrates how it is different from your competitors.
It includes the basic company description, its history, value proposition, physical location, objectives, milestones, and the business’s legal structure.
Company overview outline
Business overview
Basic business details such as business name, physical location or postal address, founder, and problem it solves.
Business structure
The entity your business comes in—such as LLC, sole proprietorship, corporation, or partnership.
Company history
A brief description of why and how the business was started, or the problems or market gaps that encouraged the foundation.
Legal considerations
A short description of the industry regulations and compliance details that might make a difference for your potential investors.
Business objectives
Your vision for the business—how you’re planning to scale and when it’s going to happen.
3. Product & service
This section provides in-depth details about the products and services your business offers to address the market problems and bring in revenue.
Here, talk about the problem you’re going to solve with your products and services, the pricing strategy for that, and how it stands up against your competitors.
Product & service outline
Product description
All the products and services you offer along with their respective details along with the business's unique selling proposition.
Pricing strategy
The pricing for each product and service along with pricing analysis to ensure your prices align with business objectives, market conditions, and customer expectations.
Product comparison
Product comparison against your competitors—both direct and indirect to draw comparisons and list the similarities and differences.
Sales literature
Informational & promotional materials to clarify how you’ll be marketing and selling your products.
Order management plan
Description of the whole order management plan followed in your company—starting with when an order is placed till the after-sale service.
Delivery requirements
The resources you need for the delivery of your services and products—it can be any equipment, software, or vehicles. Include a cost breakdown (if possible) as this will give more clarity to your potential investors.
Trademarks/patents
All the documents you have related to your products and services such as seller permits, trademarks, patents, and other licenses.
4. Market analysis
The market analysis section section presents a compilation of your target market research and highlights your business’s advantages over your competitors.
Here, you’ll have to include details about your ideal and potential customers, information about the industry, your market share, and the potential entry barriers.
Market analysis outline
Target audience
An ideal audience in the target market whose behavioral patterns and purchasing habits align with your business.
Industry overview
An overview of your business's growth rate, its industry size, and its market share to show whether your industry’s graph is moving upwards or downwards.
Market needs
Specific gaps in the market that your product/service will be addressing.
Market entry barriers
Potential risks that can come your way when you enter your specific market, and for each problem, mention how you’ll overcome them.
5. Competitive analysis
Right after market analysis comes the competitor analysis section which provides a detailed explanation of your business’s current position in the market against your competitors.
It helps you gain insights into the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and evaluates potential threats and opportunities relative to your own.
Competitive analysis outline
Competitor overview
A brief description of your direct and indirect competitors—like what they offer, the product type they sell, their demographics, market position, and more.
SWOT analysis
An analysis based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—so that you can differentiate between your and your competitor’s businesses and show the scopes of improvement to your potential investors.
Market gap analysis
The market gaps that your competitors couldn’t fill and opportunities available for your business to address them.
6. Sales and marketing plan
The sales and marketing plan section outlines your business strategy’s short-term & long-term goals and the initiatives you’ll take to achieve them.
This comprehensive plan will give a clear roadmap to your potential investors—showing how you will reach your target audience as well as promote and sell your products/services.
Marketing & sales outline
Sales strategy
A brief description of your sales plan—like what you want to achieve in sales and strategies you’ll use to reach your specific goals.
Distribution channels
Different types of distribution channels (physical or digital) you’ll use to ensure your product/services reach its ideal customers.
Marketing strategy
An overview of how you plan to attract and retain customers longer along with the marketing channels you want to use, why you want to use them, and how your business will benefit from that activity.
7. Operating plan
The operating plan section offers insight into your day-to-day operations and proves your capability to run the business.
In the operating plan, you should mention every detail about running your business—from business processes to equipment you use, hiring plans, and company policies.
Operating plan outline
Business premises
A brief description of your business premises—the manufacturing unit, or if you have a separate packaging unit to show whether your location supports efficient operations, and aligns with your business goals.
Equipment & technologies
All the equipment, technologies, and tools you’ll need to run the business along with their costs, agreements, and sourcing plans.
Hiring plans
A detailed explanation of your hiring structure with provided roles & responsibilities, staffing costs, and training needs.
SOP
The detailed process of production, retail, supply chain, and inventory unique to your company.
8. Milestones
The milestones & metric section is important for your business to keep its goals and growth on track.
This section will give an idea about what you want to achieve when it’s due, what resources are needed to achieve it, and who are the stakeholders responsible for that milestone.
There are various types of milestones you can set for your business, it’s not fixed—whatever milestones you set, follow this format:
Milestone outline
Milestone name
Name of the milestone you want to achieve—it can be a product milestone, a sales and marketing milestone, etc.
Due date
The date when the milestone is due—it helps you and the team to prioritize tasks and track their progress.
Budget
The resources allotted to reach the milestone within the given due date.
Person responsible
The individual responsible for completing all the sub-tasks required to reach the particular milestone.
9. Financial plan
The financial plan section covers every detail of your business finances—from financial documents to financial projections and even your funding requirement & usage details.
The key components of a financial plan are—an income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet. These financial statements will help you create accurate predictions for the future.
Financial plan outline
Investment plan
Your final funding requirements and also a brief description of how you’ll put it to use.
Projected income statement
Your gross profit and net income (profit & loss) after a product is sold in the market along with its profitability ratios.
Projected cash flow statement
The cash flow projections reflect your business’s cash position.
Projected balance sheet
The estimated forecast of your business’ assets, liabilities, and equity in the future.
Financial forecasts
Tables and charts to forecast revenue and sales and predict your future assumptions for a given time.
Exit strategy
A detailed exit strategy with a complete plan of action to help you wrap up or transition your business with maximum returns.
10. Appendix
The business plan appendix is the last section of your plan that contains all the supplementary documents and information your investors need to verify your claims.
In a traditional business plan, these documents can be marketing materials, credit histories, tax returns, resumes, NDAs, leases, contracts, market analysis in more detail, and more.
Appendix outline
Financial documents
Detailed financial statements like income statements, balance sheets, cash flow projections, sales forecasts, break-even analysis, etc.
Legal documents
Proof of regulatory approvals, attorney details, compliance certificates, and legal advisors’ contact details.
Sales and marketing materials
All the testing results, product MVP, pictures, 3D models, user guides for sales and brochures, websites, and flyers for your marketing plan.
Patent documents
Any intellectual property such as copyrights, trademarks, licenses, and patents.
References and bibliography
The list of sources for any third-party information added to your business plan.
Start to write your business plan today!
We hope this business plan outline example was helpful. All you need to do is, sit and fill in all the information according to the outline to write a business plan effectively. If you’re looking for inspiration, you can check out our business plan examples to create outlines as well.
This way, you’ll have more time to organize your data, do in-depth research, and revise your narrative to ensure every piece of information aligns with your overall strategy.
But if this feels like a lot to do or you have a time crunch, automate it with our AI business plan generator. Just answer a couple of questions regarding your business, and get your business plan ready in a jiffy!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main components of a business plan outline?
These are the key components you’ll find in any sample business plan outline:
- Executive summary
- Company overview
- Product & service details
- Market analysis
- Competitive analysis
- Marketing & sales strategy
- Operational plan
- Milestones
- Financial plan
- Appendix
Can I create a business plan outline on my own?
Yes, you can. Either follow the steps we mentioned and create it manually, or use an AI tool to generate your business plan.
How detailed should each section of a business plan outline be?
Keep each section short, crisp, and skimmable because your potential investors are busy and don’t have the time to read so much.
What should I avoid when creating a business plan outline?
Here are the common mistakes you should avoid:
- Avoid adding too much detail since it’s only an outline.
- Even though it’s an outline, do a thorough market research.
- Don’t neglect risk analysis as it might jeopardize your business’s operational stability.
Can I use the same outline for all types of businesses?
No, every business is unique. They belong to different industries, focus on different target markets, and have different goals. If you follow the same business plan outline template for all, it might result in overlooked opportunities and unmitigated risks.
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