Formatting a business plan is only a complicated affair if you have an enormous document with sub-sections upon sub-sections and/or lengthy appendices that switch between portrait and landscape view. In general, the business plan's contents are not difficult to set down on paper section-by-section, and working through the document to make sure the formatting is intact at the end should be a simple matter of checking through each header in Microsoft Word with the page view feature turned on, under the Review tab. Most business plans adhere at least generally to the following layout for major sections:
• Executive Summary
• Product and Service Description
• Market Analysis
• Marketing Overview
• Management Team
• Financial Projections
• Appendix
There are some important subsections of course, like the competitive comparison, market needs, and industry analysis underneath the market part, but in general these are the key components. You can add in elements like an exit strategy, a proposed use of funds, or an investor proposition, but depending on your audience it might be feasible to present the entire business plan with no more than this information released to the reader. Make sure that the financial model covers all of the elements that are important to an investor or lender, and for the final formatting, double-check that sub-headers are coded differently from major section intros so that the division is visible on the page. Need help formatting a draft you've written, or simply have questions about what to include? Call MasterPlans today! 877-453-2011
