Your Business Plan truly is the first step toward success or failure. It only makes sense to take advantage of any tools that can help you write as thorough a plan as possible. Here are some free and low-cost websites and applications that can make the planning process easier.
The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan - After a few questions, this one-page questionnaire promises to summarize everything a business will need to know when they are getting started. Based on The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
BizGym - Fill in the blanks and get ready to pitch that new genius business idea. This online business planner can be completed online section by section. It tracks your progress, and lets the plan be shared when it is completed.
BizPlanBuilder -This software solution has several industry-specific templates you can review and then edit to create a plan that reflects your business needs. While you can create a start-up business plan, this program devotes special attention to financials.
Bplans.com - Writing a plan for a new business doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel. Bplans.com has a library of sample business plans representing nearly every industry.
Build Your Business Plan - Offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), this site provides a step-by-step guide to help you get started. You can use your completed plan to discuss next steps with a mentor or counselor from an SBA resource partner such as SCORE, a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or a Women's Business Center (WBC). Complete each section of SBA's Business Plan Tool at your own pace.
Business Plan Template - We offer a free business plan template to help you determine your goals and the best way to reach them.
Enloop - An online business plan writing and financial forecasting app to create and manage your business plans. You even get a free business plan score to help take your plan from good to great.
Free-Plan and Biz-Plan - A Word-based template that contains a detailed structure for writing a business plan with sample text, typical tables and charts. Use the final version internally or externally.
Small Biz Cyber Planner - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in collaboration with other government agencies and industry leaders, created this tool that will help you create a customized planning guide to protect your business from cybersecurity threats.
The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Citizens State Bank and its affiliates, and Citizens State Bank is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of any information contained in this article or items hyperlinked within. This is for informational purposes and is no way intended to provide legal advice.