business plan sheets template

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Business plan template

If you’re looking for a way to start your business off on the right foot, a business plan template can help you establish the foundation for your strategy. Get started in a few clicks with Asana’s free business plan template.

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INTEGRATED FEATURES

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You’re pumped—you just thought of the greatest business idea ever. You want to get started, but you don’t have a plan laid out. You need a loan to get your idea off the ground, and the bank wants to see an in-depth business plan. We’re here to help.

What is a business plan template?

A business plan template is a framework that helps you solidify your ideas in an organized format. Our free business plan template walks you through how to create a new business from scratch, or re-imagine your existing business in a new market.

What components are included in a business plan template?

Our business plan template covers what an organization wants to achieve within three to five years. By using our template, you’ll have a place to capture all of the major information you need in order to complete your business plan. That includes:

Company description : Information like your executive summary , your company’s mission statement and vision, and your founder’s bio. 

Product and services: A high-level overview of what your company provides, including core products or services. This may also include how your product is developed, any potential screenshots or prototypes of your product, and pricing plans.

Marketing plan: How you plan to bring your product into market at a high level. You can add information like a SWOT analysis , target market research, and brand positioning in this section.

Financial plan: Important financial information such as balance sheets, a break-even analysis, and your cash flow projections. 

Management and organization information: Information on your company’s founders, executive team, and the board of directors.

How to use our free business plan template

Using Asana’s free business plan template is simple. Start by creating a new project with our free template. From there, add relevant information for your specific business plan in the sections provided in our template. If there’s more information you want to include in your business plan, you’re free to add sections, custom fields, or additional tasks to make this template fit your needs.

Integrated features

Goals . Goals in Asana directly connect to the work you’re doing to hit them, making it easy for team members to see what they’re working towards. More often than not, our goals live separate from the work that goes into achieving them. By connecting your team and company goals to the work that supports them, team members have real-time insight and clarity into how their work directly contributes to your team—and company—success. As a result, team members can make better decisions. If necessary, they can identify the projects that support the company’s strategy and prioritize work that delivers measurable results. 

Reporting . Reporting in Asana translates project data into visual charts and digestible graphs. By reporting on work where work lives, you can reduce duplicative work and cut down on unnecessary app switching. And, because all of your team’s work is already in Asana, you can pull data from any project or team to get an accurate picture of what’s happening in one place.

Milestones . Milestones represent important project checkpoints. By setting milestones throughout your project, you can let your team members and project stakeholders know how you’re pacing towards your goal. Use milestones as a chance to celebrate the little wins on the path towards the big project goal. 

Project Overview . Project Overview is your one-stop-shop for all important project context. Give your team a bird’s-eye view of the what, why, and how of your project work. Add a project description to set the tone for how you’ll work together in Asana. Then, share any important resources and context—like meeting details, communication channels, and project briefs—in one place.

Microsoft Teams . With the Microsoft Teams + Asana integration, you can search for and share the information you need without leaving Teams. Easily connect your Teams conversations to actionable items in Asana. Plus, create, assign, and view tasks during a Teams Meeting without needing to switch to your browser.

Slack . Turn ideas, work requests, and action items from Slack into trackable tasks and comments in Asana. Go from quick questions and action items to tasks with assignees and due dates. Easily capture work so requests and to-dos don’t get lost in Slack. 

Google Workplace . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Google Workplace file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane. Easily attach any My Drive file with just a few clicks.

Gmail . With the Asana for Gmail integration, you can create Asana tasks directly from your Gmail inbox. Any tasks you create from Gmail will automatically include the context from your email, so you never miss a beat. Need to refer to an Asana task while composing an email? Instead of opening Asana, use the Asana for Gmail add-on to simply search for that task directly from your Gmail inbox. 

How do I create a business plan template? .css-i4fobf{-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 200ms ease-in-out;transition:transform 200ms ease-in-out;-webkit-transform:rotateZ(0);-moz-transform:rotateZ(0);-ms-transform:rotateZ(0);transform:rotateZ(0);}

Instead of taking the time to create a business plan from scratch, start the process off with Asana’s free template.To further customize your template, add evergreen information about your specific business, such as your business model, company name, address, mission statement, value proposition, or target audience. Adding these details to your template lets you avoid documenting this information from scratch every time you create a new business plan.

What components should I include in a business plan template?

Business plan templates typically contain five main sections: a company description, products and services, a marketing plan, basic management and organization information, and your current financial plan.

How long should my business plan be?

Short answer—as long as you need it to be. The long answer is that your business plan should have the answers to specific questions on how your business is run, from the perspective of an investor. The goal of a business plan is to highlight your business strategy for the next three to five years. This means any important operational, financial, and strategic information should be included. 

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Business Plan Templates in Google Docs and Word

Choose the best business plan templates in google docs, google slides, google sheets, and other formats. we provide you with startup, botanical business, coffee shop business plan forms, and more. find your blank in white or dark colors and with trendy designs.

Amazing Startup Business Plan

Dark Modern Business Plan

Trendy Business Plan

Black and White Business Plan

Modern Blue Business Plan

Fabulous Startup Business Plan

Yearly Business Plan

Great Modern Business Plan

White Modern Business Plan

Pink Business Plan

Elegant Business Plan

Elegant Green Botanical Business Plan

Futuristic Yellow Startup Business Plan

Bright Business Plan

Nature Business Plan

Business Startup Costs

Business Plan for Startup

Professional Marketing Business Plan

Yellow Circle Business Plan

Professional Business Startup Costs

Stylish Business Plan

Coffee Business Plan

Easy Business Plan with Timeline

Aroma Mocha Cafe Business Plan

Simple Business Plan

Glamping Business Plan

Black Contemporary Business Plan

Green Business Plan Rubric

Flowers Shop Business Plan

Basic Business Plan

Economic Windmills Business Plan

Exclusive Startup Business Plan

Gray Accent Business Plan

Black Start Up Business Plan

One-List Coffee Business Plan

Partners Platform Business Plan

Pastel Modern Business Plan

Coffee Shop Business Plan

One-Page IT Company Business Plan

Orange Market Business Plan

Blue Corporate Business Plan

Financial Business Plan

Beauty Salon Business Plan

Gradient Business Plan

Green Business Plan

Simple Colorful Business Plan

Black Effective Business Plan 2023

Modeling Agency Business Plan

Do you need to pick the right editable business plan template? Our options have an exceptional design yet comprehensible concept. Keep in mind that you can edit and customize these samples using Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. You can find options for any startup idea on our website. Our samples are 100% unique. Designers are creating free business plan templates from scratch.

Business plans on the website draw attention immediately. They have a memorable design that is easy to remember. You can edit, adjust, download, and publish our templates for free. No hidden fees, no additional payments.

There are 50+ business plan templates now, and you can opt for other categories of free templates. Our website has hundreds of designer options to offer. Just saying, keep that in mind.

Customize and print our free and ready-to-use layouts using Google Docs. It doesn’t require much time or effort. The majority of users say that they can edit the template unaided in just a few minutes. We are analyzing your feedback and making new templates with outstanding designs. Feel free to give us any feedback or recommendations.

Each of our unique spreadsheets is editable, customizable, and completely free. Therefore, we do not expect to get anything in return. If you like our free business plans, subscribe to our social media and stay tuned for the latest updates.

Business plans template FAQs

Powerful business plan templates

Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

Put your ideas to work with simple templates for every business plan

Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

How to Write a Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated May 7, 2024

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

• The basics of business planning

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that planning helps you: 

• Raise money
• Grow strategically
• Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After completing your plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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• What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

Your executive summary should include:

• A summary of the problem you are solving
• A description of your product or service
• An overview of your target market
• A brief description of your team
• A summary of your financials
• Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

This is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

The operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

• Supply chain management
• Manufacturing processes
• Equipment and technology
• Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

• A description of each task
• The proposed due date
• Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

• Website launch date
• Store or office opening date
• First significant sales
• Break even date
• Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

• Conversion rates
• Customer acquisition costs
• Profit per customer
• Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

Last, but certainly not least, is your financial plan chapter. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

• Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
• Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
• Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
• Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
• Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

• Company logo
• Business name
• Value proposition (optional)
• Business plan title
• Completion and/or update date
• Address and contact information
• Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI for your business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

• Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information to include in a business plan is sometimes not quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

There are plenty of great options available (we’ve rounded up our 8 favorites to streamline your search).

But, if you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template , you can get one right now; download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

• Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
• Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
• Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
• Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
• Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

• Did you meet your sales goals?
• Is spending following your budget?
• Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

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How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Having a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

• Write a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services.
• Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
• Outline your organizational structure and management team.
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
• Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

• 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
• Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
• Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
• Failing to establish a sound business model.
• Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

• How will your business make money?
• Is there a need for your product or service?
• Who are your customers?
• How are you different from the competition?
• How will you reach your customers?
• How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan: The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

Business model canvas: The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Use AI to help write your plan
• Common planning mistakes
• Manage with your business plan
• Templates and examples

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21 of the Best Free Google Sheets Templates for 2024

Published: March 07, 2024

Google Sheets templates help you create better spreadsheets while saving you valuable time. And it’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I love a good formula to keep manual math to a minimum (and, therefore, data as accurate as possible).

So, what do Google Sheets templates do? Short of reading minds, a template knows what you need and offers it with minimal manual input, giving you the ability to focus on more important things — like analyzing and translating the data itself.

In this post, I’m touching on the most important templates you’ll need to efficiently use Google Sheets for business — including templates for project management, reporting, people management, and customer tracking.

You’ll explore:

Why should you use Google Sheets templates for business?

How to find templates in google sheets.

• Helpful Google Sheets Templates

Let’s get started.

Google Sheets templates are valuable business tools that can be used by teams of any size. Whether you’re a business just starting out or an established enterprise firm, using Google Sheets templates is highly beneficial.

Even if not a primary business tool, they can supplement other tools. For instance, you might use a free CRM to track customer information, then use a Google Sheets invoice template to quickly create invoices for each customer.

Let’s explore the top benefits of using Google Sheets templates for business.

Google Sheets templates are free to use.

Google Sheets templates are free and cover a wide variety of needs without forcing anyone to spend big bucks on a subscription to Excel or other platforms. When you sign up for a Google Workspace account, you get immediate access to these templates.

Google Sheets templates make collaboration easy.

What I love about Google Workspace and Google Sheets templates, in particular, is how they allow your team to collaborate seamlessly and easily. By clicking the “Share” button at the top right-hand corner of a document, you can give team members access to the file.

1. Google’s Built-In Template Gallery

On your browser, go to Google Sheets . Click Template Gallery at the top right. Explore the templates to find the right one for you.

10 Free Google Sheets Templates

10 Google Sheets templates for your marketing, sales, and customer service needs.

• Budget templates
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One of the most common ways to use spreadsheets is as a tool for bookkeeping and invoicing. Here are some of my favorite ready-to-go templates that save you time and make it easy to:

• Invoice clients.
• Maintain an annual business budget.
• Generate financial statements.
• Create expense reports.
• Generate purchase reports.

Best of all? You don’t have to create or choose any formulas that will help you calculate this data.

1. Invoices

If you’re a freelancer or work for a small business, this invoice template simplifies the process of using invoices to bill clients for services.

It provides space for all the necessary information and looks more professional than a plain spreadsheet. Plus, the template is customizable, so you can create a theme that aligns well with your brand image.

Click here to use this template.

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Access our collection of user-friendly templates for business planning, finance, sales, marketing, and management, designed to assist you in developing strategies for either launching a new business venture or expanding an existing one.

You can use the templates below as a starting point to create your startup business plan or map out how you will expand your existing business. Then meet with a  SCORE mentor to get expert business planning advice and feedback on your business plan.

If writing a full business plan seems overwhelming, start with a one-page Business Model Canvas. Developed by Founder and CEO of Strategyzer, Alexander Osterwalder, it can be used to easily document your business concept.

Download this template to fill out the nine squares focusing on the different building blocks of any business:

• Value Proposition
• Customer Segments
• Customer Relationships
• Key Activities
• Key Resources
• Key Partners
• Cost Structure
• Revenue Streams

For help completing the Business Model Canvas Template, contact a SCORE business mentor for guidance

From creating a startup budget to managing cash flow for a growing business, keeping tabs on your business’s finances is essential to success. The templates below will help you monitor and manage your business’s financial situation, create financial projections and seek financing to start or grow your business.

This interactive calculator allows you to provide inputs and see a full estimated repayment schedule to plan your capital needs and cash flow.

A 12-month profit and loss projection, also known as an income statement or statement of earnings, provides a detailed overview of your financial performance over a one-year period. This projection helps you anticipate future financial outcomes by estimating monthly income and expenses, which facilitates informed decision-making and strategic planning. 

If you’re trying to get a loan from a bank, they may ask you for a personal financial statement. You can use this free, downloadable template to document your assets, liabilities and net worth. 

A Personal Financial Statement is a

Marketing helps your business build brand awareness, attract customers and create customer loyalty. Use these templates to forecast sales, develop your marketing strategy and map out your marketing budget and plan.

How healthy is your business? Are you missing out on potential growth opportunities or ignoring areas of weakness? Do you need to hire employees to reach your goals? The following templates will help you assess the state of your business and accomplish important management tasks.

Whether you are starting your business or established and looking to grow, our Business Healthcheck Tool will provide practical information and guidance.

Learn how having a SCORE mentor can be a valuable asset for your business. A SCORE mentor can provide guidance and support in various areas of business, including finance, marketing, and strategy. They can help you navigate challenges and make important decisions based on their expertise and experience. By seeking out a SCORE mentor, you can gain the guidance and support you need to help grow your business and achieve success.

SCORE offers free business mentoring to anyone that wants to start, currently owns, or is planning to close or sell a small business. To initiate the process, input your zip code in the designated area below. Then, complete the mentoring request form on the following page, including as much information as possible about your business. This information is used to match you with a mentor in your area. After submitting the request, you will receive an email from your mentor to arrange your first mentoring session.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

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21 free Google Sheets templates to boost productivity [2024]

In this blog post, I'll share 21 ready-to-use Google Sheets templates made by yours truly and walk you through how they can bring efficiency to your projects.

Is a Google Sheets template right for you?

First, ask yourself what you're trying to achieve. While the below templates offer convenience and efficiency for various tasks, there are scenarios where dedicated software might be a better fit. Here's how to determine what's right for you.

Use a Google Sheets template if:

You need a quick, straightforward solution for tasks like budget tracking or simple project planning.

Basic, pre-designed formats and structures suit your needs without much alteration.

You want to collaborate without a headache. If you're the type who loves group projects, Google Sheets lets you collaborate without wanting to pull your hair out.

You're looking for a free or cost-effective tool that integrates well with other Google apps.

Consider dedicated software if:

Your tasks require complex, specialized functionalities that a basic spreadsheet looks at with wide-eyed terror.

You need software customized to your unique needs, like a made-to-order burrito—add what you want, leave out what you don't, guac costs extra.

Advanced data analysis, with sophisticated reporting and forecasting tools, is a necessity.

You require robust integration capabilities with a wider range of applications beyond the Google ecosystem.

Evaluating your specific needs against these points can tip the scale between Google Sheets templates and dedicated software. It's like deciding between staying in pajamas all day or putting on your fanciest evening outfit. (Mine also happens to be pajamas.) Both have their charm, but it really depends on what kind of day you're planning.

21 free Google Sheets templates

The following Google Sheets templates let you hit the ground running, so you can focus on the important stuff, like taking credit for these beautiful spreadsheets.

1. Expense report template 

An expense report template helps track and organize expenses incurred by employees or departments. It simplifies the process of managing expenditures by providing structured fields for items like date, category, and amount spent, supporting easy recording and analysis. Perfect for when you need to justify that "business lunch" that was really just you eating a sandwich while hovering over the break room sink.

2. Cash flow template

A cash flow spreadsheet helps you stay on top of your business's income and expenses. This template makes it easy to track your cash flow over time, so you can spot trends, anticipate shortfalls, and make data-driven decisions.

3. Invoice template 

4. Balance sheet template

A balance sheet template provides a snapshot of your business's financial health. It shows what you own (assets), what you owe (liabilities), and your net worth (equity) at a given point in time.

It's a useful tool for managing your company's funds and ensuring you have enough cash on hand to cover expenses. It also helps determine if business is booming or if you should start selling office furniture.

5. Profit and loss statement template

A profit and loss statement, or P&L, is one of the most important spreadsheets for any business because it shows whether you're making or losing money. It's like a business's report card, revealing whether you're top of the class or the kid who eats paste in the back.

This Google Sheets P&L template makes it easy to track your revenue, costs, and profits over a period of time. Simply plug in your income sources and expenses, and the spreadsheet automatically calculates your net profit.

 6. Small business budget template

This template makes it simple to track all of your budgets and projections, forecasting your revenue and expenses for the fiscal year.

Staying on budget is key to the success of any small business. It's the financial tightrope you walk, juggling hopes, dreams, and the harsh reality of how much printer ink actually costs. This free Google Sheets template gives you an easy way to monitor your financial performance and make data-driven decisions. 

7. Payroll template

A Google Sheets payroll template provides an easy, low-cost solution to handle employee compensation for small businesses that don't outsource payroll or use specialized software.

The template has areas to track hours worked, pay rates, and formulas to automatically calculate gross and net pay for each employee based on their hourly rates and deductions.

8. Project plan template

This project plan Google Sheets template helps you map out all the steps required to complete a project. Break down your project into actionable tasks, assign deadlines, and allocate resources, so you have a clear roadmap to get the work done.

9. OKR template

Let's face it: coming up with objectives and key results (OKR) is rough enough without having to build your own template to track them. Luckily, some kind soul has done the work for you. (It's me—I'm the kind soul.)

This template lets you define your OKRs, set deadlines, note progress, and see how you stack up against key milestones at a glance. All you need to do is plug in your goals, add some metrics to measure success, and you've got yourself an accountability mechanism. What more could an aspiring overachiever ask for?

Not only will you have a roadmap to keep your team on track, but you'll also get to unleash your inner control freak. Win-win.

10. Project management template

A good project management spreadsheet predicts how the chaos of your projects might settle into success, showing who's doing what, which balls are in the air, and when they might land.

11. Gantt chart template

To get started, list your project tasks in the first column. In the next column, estimate how long each task will take. See at a glance which tasks overlap or depend on others finishing first. It's like a timeline wearing a party hat. 

12. Inventory template

I originally created this inventory template a few years ago because I needed a simple solution to track my small business's stock. Its simplicity means it can fit a variety of inventory tracking needs. Use it to keep tabs on office supplies, company-owned equipment, or your vintage muscle car collection. (Ok, Jay Leno.)

13. Event budget template

An event budget spreadsheet provides an easy way to track your event income, expenses, sponsors, and more. Simply plug in your numbers, and the spreadsheet will automatically calculate totals, so you always know where you stand financially.

Whether planning a conference, fundraiser, or company event, this free template puts you in control of your budget and ensures no cost is left unaccounted for. You'll be able to throw the party of the year without dreading the financial aftermath. Let the spreadsheet do the math while you focus on more important things, like showcasing those sweet Macarena moves. 

14. Project timeline template

A timeline template is a visual way to represent and track events or tasks over time. It's a handy feature for project management, historical timelines, and even personal scheduling.

You can create a timeline in Google Sheets by selecting the data range that contains your dates and tasks and then clicking Insert > Timeline .

15. Sales dashboard template

A sales dashboard gives you an at-a-glance view of your sales metrics and KPIs, so you can check progress and spot trends. You'll want to customize it to show the numbers that matter most to your company.

Keep it simple by focusing on essentials like:

Total sales volume

Sales growth

Average deal size

Share the file with your sales team, so everyone's on the same page about progress and priorities. Schedule time each week to review the dashboard together and determine ways to boost numbers or address issues.

With a few clicks, this template transforms into a dashboard tailored to track your sales team's progress so you can whip them into shape. Or gently encourage them with pizza.

16. Social media calendar template

This social media calendar template helps take the guesswork out of your social strategy so you can focus on creating content your audience will love. With all your social posts mapped out in one place, it's hard to double-book content or miss an opportunity to post. Using a Google Sheets social media calendar keeps your online presence organized and consistent.

17. Content calendar template

If there's one thing marketers love, it's convincing you that your life is a desolate wasteland without their latest product. Coming in a close second is content calendars.

By effectively tracking your publication schedule, a content calendar template ensures consistent and timely content delivery, contributing to a more successful content marketing strategy.

18. Timesheet template

 19. Time-blocking template

20. To-do list template

You can customize the template by adding or removing columns to suit your needs. For example, you may want columns for:

Priority: Assign a priority level like high, medium, or low

Due date: Add the target completion date for the task

Subtasks: Break down larger tasks into smaller steps

Status: Update the status to not started, in progress, or completed

21. Habit tracker template

A habit tracker keeps you accountable and helps you build better habits. This Google Sheets template is so shiny and full of promise, like that gym membership I enthusiastically signed up for and then used exactly once so I could take a shower when my plumbing was out.

Simply list the habits you want to track down the left column. Each day you complete a habit, check off the corresponding box. At the end of the month, you'll have a visual record of your progress. 

Tips for creating your own Google Sheets template

Google Sheets is a powerful tool, but that power means nothing if you can't figure out how to harness it for your specific needs. Herepe are a few simple tips for building templates in Google Sheets that you can use again and again.

Understand your data: Before you can build an effective template, you need to understand what kind of data you're working with. Are you tracking expenses, managing a project, or something else?

Keep it simple: Once you determine the purpose, think about the most essential information. Keep your template simple by only including crucial details. You can always add more later, but start with the basics. If you want to show off your spreadsheet skills, start a YouTube channel.

Utilize advanced features for enhanced functionality: Once you have the basics down, utilize some of Sheets' advanced features to make your template even more powerful.

Collaborate with team members: One of the best parts of Google Sheets is its ability to collaborate with others. Give teammates access to your template and work together in real time. Take advantage of features like comments, chat, and revision history to keep everyone on the same page, literally. 

Integrate Sheets with other Google tools: As part of the Google ecosystem, Sheets plays well with other Google Workspace apps. For example, you can create a chart from data in a Gmail message, embed Google Sheets directly into Google Docs, use Google Forms to collect data that is then automatically populated in a Google Sheet, or use Google Apps Script to automate tasks in Google Sheets.

Streamline Google Sheets templates with automation

Post to microsoft teams channels with new or updated google sheets rows.

Send Gmail emails for new Google Sheet spreadsheet rows

Add new Facebook Lead Ads leads to rows on Google Sheets

Collect new Typeform responses as rows on Google Sheets

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Allisa Boulette

Based in New England, Allisa is a content marketer and small business owner who hopes to make the internet a more interesting place than she found it. When she’s not working, you can find her lying very still not doing anything.

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• Google Sheets

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Two Things to Include in Your Business Plan That Your Template Doesn't Have

E ach year literally hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners will develop a business plan. Most will incorporate the 10 key sections most business plan templates include. But even then, most miss two ingredients that are crucial, particularly if you are seeking outside funding for your plan.

Let's go through these two items so you don’t fall victim to this mistake.

1. Be sure to cite past accomplishments in your business plan

Lenders and investors are making a bet when they fund your company. They are betting you will have future success. And if they are correct, they will earn a healthy return. So, what is the best indicator to someone you will have future success? The answer is past success.

Past successes are so powerful that many multimillion dollar checks have been written to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who don’t even have a firm idea. That’s because if you’re an entrepreneur who has sold or taken multiple companies public, investors know the chances are high you’ll do it again; they will fund whatever venture you conceive.

Because past successes are the best indicators of future successes, be sure to document all past successes in your business plan . For established companies, think about the difference between your company when it started and where it stands now. Then document all the positive changes that have occurred such as:

• Sales milestones you’ve reached
• Hiring milestones (e.g., hiring your first, fifth, twentieth or even hundredth employee)
• Partnership agreements you’ve signed
• Customer relationships you’ve secured
• Products you’ve developed or patented
• Marketing campaigns you’ve launched

Importantly, even if you’re a startup, you’ve accomplished goals both in your career and in your new business. With regards to the new business, maybe you’ve:

• Signed a lease
• Secured a partnership
• Forged an agreement with a customer
• Hired an employee
• Built an advisory board or found a mentor
• Conceived a unique business name
• Built a website

Essentially, every key goal you’ve accomplished should be listed in your business plan as each will lend credibility that you’ll be successful going forward.

2. Document why you’re uniquely qualified to succeed

Many entrepreneurs get hung up on not telling their business ideas to others since they think doing so will ruin the success of their business opportunity. Rarely is this the case, and if it is, it’s only when the idea is a completely new concept for which you can be the first mover.

But, if you’re not the first mover on a new concept, you’re only going to be successful if your company has unique qualifications. For example, let’s say you have an idea to open a pizza shop in your town. The question to ask then is why are you uniquely qualified to run a successful pizza shop. Here are some potential answers:

• You have 15 years experience running a pizza shop.
• You have relationships with equipment suppliers who can get you great equipment at below market prices.
• You have secret recipes that allow you to make high-quality pizza.
• You have relationships with product suppliers that your competitors don’t, allowing you to offer products competitors can’t.
• You have 10 years of social media marketing experience that will allow you to effectively promote your pizza shop.
• You have 12 years experience managing a team of retail employees and maximizing their productivity.

A good way to think about your unique qualifications is to ask yourself what would happen if someone launched a pizza shop next to yours. Would you or your new competitor win the battle? The winner would depend on the unique qualifications of you and your competitor.

If you don’t have unique qualifications now, use this exercise to figure out what you must do to gain them. For example, maybe you need to hire a new employee or consultant to give you unique qualifications. Or maybe you need to create and sign exclusive agreements with vendors, partners, or customers so once you secure them your competitors can’t.

Citing your past accomplishments and making sure your company is uniquely qualified to succeed are sure to vastly improve the chances your business plan successfully raises outside funding. And the process of identifying accomplishments and unique qualifications will get you thinking about how you can build the company of your dreams.

So start doing this today.

RELATED: Write a Winning Business Plan

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10 Free Balance Sheet Templates in Excel, Sheets, & ClickUp

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

June 6, 2024

Balance sheets can offer a pulse check of your financial well-being. They give you a snapshot of what you own, what you owe, and what’s left over. They’re not just documents but guides, helping you make smart decisions and understand where you stand financially. 

That’s why we’ve put together a collection of 10 free balance sheet templates. They’re available in Excel, Sheets, and ClickUp, tailored to fit your style and needs. 

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting your money journey, these templates will make managing your finances much easier and more fun.

Before we discuss the free balance sheet templates, let’s look into exactly what they stand for.

What Are Balance Sheet Templates? 

What makes a good balance sheet template , 1. clickup balance sheet template, 2. clickup spreadsheet template, 3. clickup balanced scorecard template, 4. clickup general ledger template, 5. clickup budget report template, 6. clickup quarterly financial report template, 7. clickup accounting journal template, 8. excel balance sheet template, 9. excel simple balance sheet template, 10. google sheets balance sheet template by nav, reach your financial goals, one step at a time.

Balance sheet templates are standardized formats used to organize and present financial information about a company’s assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific time. 

They typically include sections for:

• Listing assets (such as cash templates, inventory templates , and property templates) 
• Liabilities (such as debts and obligations) 
• Equity (such as retained earnings and shareholder investments). 

These templates provide a structured way to assess your company’s financial position and performance.

A good balance sheet template should be clear, organized, and comprehensive. It should accurately capture your company’s assets, liabilities, and equity, providing a snapshot of its financial health. 

The template should have:

• Standardized categories: Uniform formatting within a balance sheet template helps with easy comparison and analysis 
• Adaptability: It should accommodate different types of businesses and industries, allowing for customization as needed
• Consistency and accuracy: A good template should include clear instructions and guidelines for filling out the information
• Clarity: A balance sheet template isn’t just about numbers; it should be clear and accessible to help everyone involved make informed decisions about the company’s future

With that, we have locked down the key components of a good balance sheet template—clarity, organization, and comprehensiveness—let’s explore the top 10 templates that excel in these areas. 

10 Balance Sheet Templates to Use in 2024

From user-friendly designs to customizable features, these templates are designed to streamline your financial reporting process and provide invaluable insights into your company’s financial health. 

Take charge of your financial records with the ClickUp Balance Sheet Template ! This comprehensive template offers a structured layout to track your company’s assets, liabilities, and equity effectively. 

It features customizable sections for current and long-term assets and liabilities and provides a detailed snapshot of your financial standing. 

Use its flexible formatting options to adapt to your specific reporting needs. With its intuitive data entry fields and user-friendly design, you can effortlessly maintain accurate financial records and gain valuable insights into your company’s financial health.

This basic balance sheet template helps you easily generate insightful reports by comparing current financial data with historical records. This feature lets you identify trends, make informed forecasts, and strategize effectively for the future. 

Whether you’re presenting to investors, stakeholders, or internal teams, impress them with clear and concise financial reports generated directly from this free balance sheet template.

Looking for versatility in managing your financial data? Try out the ClickUp Spreadsheet Template —your solution for flexible data organization and collaboration. Whether you’re managing project data, tracking expenses, or analyzing sales figures, this versatile tool has you covered. 

With customizable columns, rows, and formulas, tailor your spreadsheet template to suit your unique requirements. 

Plus, with cloud-based accessibility, you can collaborate easily with team members and access your data from any device. From simple task lists to complex data analysis, this template simplifies your workflow and boosts productivity.

Moreover, the ClickUp Spreadsheet Template offers seamless integration with other ClickUp tools and third-party applications, enhancing its functionality and versatility. 

Automate data import/export processes, link spreadsheets to project tasks, and enable real-time collaboration with team members.

Elevate your strategic planning with the ClickUp Balanced Scorecard Template . 

Use this template to align your business goals with key performance indicators (KPIs) in finance, customers, internal processes, and learning perspectives. 

You can use it to:

• Track progress and identify areas for improvement using customizable visualizations
• Drive business success with built-in analytics and real-time updates 
• Empower your team with actionable insights and improve your financial strategy 

This balanced scorecard template also allows you to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals and track your progress.

Use its built-in performance metrics and benchmarks to assess performance and make data-driven decisions. With this balanced scorecard template, you can easily transform your strategic vision into actionable plans and drive measurable results. 

If you want to simplify your financial management, use the ClickUp General Ledger Template . Say goodbye to manual data entry and spreadsheet errors—this template automates the process of recording financial transactions. 

With its customizable categories and reconciliation features, you can maintain accurate records effortlessly. 

Use it to collaborate with team members in real time and ensure financial transparency across your organization. From journal entries to trial balances, simplify your accounting processes and focus on strategic decision-making with this template.

It also offers advanced features such as transaction categorization, automated reconciliations, and audit trails, ensuring data accuracy and compliance with accounting standards. 

Easily generate financial statements, line items such as income and cash flow statements, directly from your ClickUp General Ledger Template.

Using the ClickUp Budget Report Template , you can transform your budgeting process from reactive to proactive and easily achieve your financial goals. 

• Monitor income, expenses, and variances with customizable categories and visualizations
• Identify spending trends, allocate resources effectively, and achieve your financial goals 
• Share reports with stakeholders and encourage transparency and accountability within your organization 

From personal finance to business budgeting, take control of the financial assets your company owns and drive success with this template. And that’s not all. The ClickUp Budget Report Template provides actionable insights to help you optimize your budget allocation and control costs effectively. 

This feature can help you track variances against budgeted amounts, identify areas of overspending, determine and implement corrective actions.

Get a detailed understanding of your financial performance and drive strategic decision-making with the ClickUp Quarterly Financial Report Template .

This template lets you track key financial metrics, including revenue, expenses, profit and loss, and cash flow, over time. Use customizable visualizations to analyze trends and make data-driven decisions. 

With real-time updates and cloud-based accessibility, this innovative template allows you to collaborate with stakeholders and share insights seamlessly within your company. It also allows you to adapt to changing market conditions and drive business growth.

Use it to drill down into specific financial metrics and analyze performance granularly. You can then identify key drivers of revenue growth, pinpoint areas of cost inefficiency, and uncover opportunities for optimization. 

Optimize your accounting processes with the ClickUp Accounting Journal Template .

Record financial transactions accurately and efficiently with customizable fields and categorization features in this template. From journal entries to ledger postings, maintain organized records and ensure compliance with accounting standards. 

The ClickUp Accounting Journal Template offers security features and access controls, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality. 

You can use it to assign users permissions based on their roles and responsibilities, track changes with audit trails, and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.

You can customize your balance sheets to meet your specific reporting needs and enhance your financial analysis capabilities with the Excel Balance Sheet Template . 

Creating professional-looking balance sheets with pre-built formulas and customizable layouts helps you track assets, total liabilities, and equity easily and accurately.

You can use advanced formatting options to present your financial data effectively. Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, you can simplify your financial reporting process and gain actionable insights.

The Excel Balance Sheet Template easily integrates with Microsoft Office Suite, enabling you to import/export data effortlessly and collaborate with colleagues using familiar tools. 

You can also use Excel’s advanced analysis features, such as pivot tables and charts, to gain deeper insights into your financial data. 

To keep your financial records straightforward, consider the Excel Simple Balance Sheet Template . Designed for ease of use, this template provides a clear overview of your assets, liabilities, and equity. 

With clean formatting and intuitive design, this template helps you focus on what matters the most—understanding your financial position. 

The Excel Simple Balance Sheet Template also offers extensive customization options, allowing you to add macros, formulas, and conditional formatting to automate tasks and enhance usability. 

With Excel’s extensive library of templates and add-ins, you can further expand the functionality of your balance sheets and tailor them to your unique requirements. 

With the Google Sheets Balance Sheet Template by Nav , you can collaborate effortlessly and access your financial data from anywhere. 

It helps you track your current and fixed assets, inventory, and liabilities so you can make informed decisions about your business.

This template lets you share real-time updates with team members and stakeholders and ensures everyone is on the same page. 

You can also customize this template to fit your specific reporting requirements and track your financial performance with precision. 

A great Excel alternative , it seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace, letting you collaborate with team members better. And you can access your financial data securely from any device. 

These free balance sheet templates in Excel, Sheets, and ClickUp aren’t just about convenience—it’s about helping people and businesses better understand their finances. 

You can also check out several Google Sheets alternatives and bookkeeping templates based on your needs!

However, platforms like ClickUp are not just tools but a friendly guide on your financial adventure. By making these templates easy to use and customize, ClickUp makes finance less confusing and more accessible. 

So, if you want to take control of your finances without all the fuss, try ClickUp today !

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• Sample Business Plans

Pro Forma Business Plan

Financial planning is essential for any business to grow, thrive, and succeed.

Whether it’s a new opportunity or an impending threat—planning for different hypothetical situations strategically and financially creates a safety net that safeguards your business from hitting failure.

Well, pro forma statements, with their forward-looking nature, help you evaluate your future finances and strategize for business accordingly.

But what is it really?

In this blog post, we will learn everything about pro forma business plan statements and steps to create.

Ready to dive in? Let’s get started.

What are pro forma financial statements?

Pro forma statements are projected financial statements that predict the future financial position of a business based on current trends and assumptions. These statements offer a snapshot of financials under different scenarios, helping companies plan efficiently.

A pro forma statement serves as a financial blueprint allowing businesses to set realistic goals, anticipate risks, assess outcomes, and track their goals. When included in a business plan, these statements typically include the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.

Why integrate pro forma statements into your business plan?

Although pro forma isn’t calculated using generally accepted accounting principles, these statements offer significant value while making important strategic decisions.

That said, let’s check out more benefits of adding statements of pro forma projections to your business plan:

• Pro forma statements help secure funding from investors by offering them an insight into your expected profitability, growth rate, ROI, and the overall financial health of your company.
• A pro forma statement aids in strategic decision-making by helping you evaluate the financial impact of different situations. For instance, the impact of launching a new product or expanding into a foreign market.
• Pro forma statements nudge you to make timely adjustments to your business strategies by helping you set and track your financial metrics.
• A pro forma statement helps you prepare for different situations by identifying potential challenges and prompting you to develop efficient strategies.

Types of pro forma statements

Let’s now understand the type of pro forma statements to include in your business plan.

1. Pro forma statements based on financial statements

A pro forma includes three financial statements—pro forma income statement, pro forma balance sheet, and pro forma cash flow statement.

Let’s understand these three types in detail.

Pro forma income statement

The most important aspect of financial planning and management is projecting the sales, revenue, costs, and expenses of a business in the future.

Pro Forma income statements do exactly that. They offer insight into expected revenue and expenses and help you assess a business’s profits and retained earnings in a specific financial period.

Pro forma income statements are often used to evaluate the financial viability of launching new products, business expansion, mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic decisions. These statements help you assess what a business income would look like in certain situations.

Pro forma balance sheet

Pro forma balance sheets are similar to actual balance sheets in terms of formatting. However, certain or all the values in such balance sheets are projected based on certain events such as loans, acquisitions, or mergers.

You can use these balance sheets to assess the financial health of your company at a certain stipulated time in the future. It offers an expected value of assets, liabilities, and equity under different situations, thereby, helping you make informed choices.

Moreover,  you can use a pro forma balance sheet to evaluate the impact of a specific loan, acquisition, merger, or financing round on a business’s financials by offering you an overall understanding of making such decisions.

Pro forma cash flow statement

Pro forma cash flow statements illustrate the cash inflow and outflow over a period. It is used to assess the financial health of your company and to ensure that the business never runs out of cash.

Pro forma cash flow projections can be for short-term, mid-term, and long-term. It is often used to evaluate if the company will have enough cash to make significant purchases and investments and to maintain day-to-day operations.

2. Pro forma Statements based on purpose

While an income statement, cash flow statement, and a balance sheet remain quintessential parts of pro forma projections, there are different types of pro forma statements based on distinct purposes.

Full-year pro forma projections

Full-year pro forma statements take into account the financials for the fiscal year till the present time and then add projected outcomes for the remaining year. This will help you illustrate the company’s financial position by the end of the year.

Such statements offer investors a comprehensive overview of the business and its expected performance.

Investment pro forma financial projections

An investment pro forma statement shows how securing a loan and making their interest payout will affect the business’s financial position in the future.

Such financial pro formas are required when you want to convince your business partners about the value of potential financing.

Pro forma projections for acquisition

Such pro forma projections merge the past financial statements of your business and the business you want to acquire to show how the financials would have looked in case of a merger. It helps you decide on acquisition and merger opportunities.

Projections for risk analysis

While preparing your startup financial plan , you need to account for various progressive and aggressive situations that may affect your company’s financial health.

These pro forma statements consider various best-case and worst-case scenarios to evaluate the company’s future financial performance in different situations. It helps you plan for risks and equips you to face them strategically.

Now that you’re aware of the different types of pro forma statements, let’s understand the process of creating pro forma statements useful for your business.

How to create pro forma statements for your business plan

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to creating your pro forma financial statements.

1. Form your assumptions

To create your comprehensive pro forma statements, you first need to form realistic assumptions for different business components. This includes projecting your sales, expenses, revenue, and capital expenditure for different scenarios.

You should also consider the funding you will require and the investments you would make under different business circumstances.

Ensure that you carry out extensive research and study the historical data to form realistic projections. These projections will form the basis for your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow forecast.

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2. Create a pro forma income statement

A pro forma income statement offers an estimate of a company’s financial performance in the future. To get an insight into your expected revenue, expenses, and net profit, create your projected income statement as follows:

• Calculate your COGS (cost of goods sold) and subtract it from your revenue projections to determine your gross profit.
• Estimate your operating expenses. Take everything from rent to salaries into account and then calculate your operating income.
• Also, calculate your other income and expenses and make necessary adjustments to get your net pro forma profit.

Now, place these together in your P&L format and add them to your business plan.

3. Create a pro forma cash flow statement

Next, prepare a pro forma cash flow statement. It’s similar to preparing your actual cash flow forecast. However, here you take the values from your pro forma income statement to plot the cash inflow and outflow.

Be it a new investment, purchase of an asset, repayment of debt, or your operating activities—plot every activity that involves money.

The calculations will either give you a negative or a positive cash flow. To clarify,  a negative cash flow indicates a scarcity of money and a positive cash flow indicates extra money at hand to make new purchases or investments.

Now, add your pro forma CFS to the business plan and use it to assess the future cash position of your business.

4. Create a Pro forma balance sheet

A pro forma balance sheet will offer a financial snapshot of your business at a certain point in time in the future. To prepare your pro forma balance sheet:

• List down your current and long-term assets, and calculate your total assets.
• Make note of your liabilities, both short-term and long term to calculate your total liabilities.
• Add your equities, liquidity, and retained earnings from an income statement to your balance sheet.
• Ensure that the liabilities are equal to your assets and add them to your business plan.

Following this, you will have your pro forma statements ready in no time. Ready to jump right in? Let’s take a quick look at a pro forma business plan template to place your statements together.

Pro forma business plan example

Refer to this example of a pro forma business plan and use it as a reference point to build yours.

Executive Summary

In this pro forma business plan, we forecast our company’s sales, expenses, capital expenditures, and funding needs over the next five years. Our projections show positive net income, a strong financial position with increasing equity, and healthy cash flow, underscoring our business’s viability and long-term potential.

Auto Gear, a leader in auto products and services, has been operating for 10 years across 10 countries. With a solid financial track record, we aim to expand into new markets, seeking $8 million in funding to facilitate this growth.

Business Plan Pro Forma

This section provides detailed pro forma statements for sales, expenses, capital expenditures, funding requirements, and cash flow, illustrating the viability and growth potential of Auto Gear.

Sales Forecast

Auto Gear forecasts 20% annual sales growth driven by market expansion, innovation, and enhanced customer service.

• Year 1: $12 million
• Year 2: $14.4 million
• Year 3: $17.28 million
• Year 4: $20.74 million
• Year 5: $24.89 million

Expense Forecast

Auto Gear anticipates slower expense growth due to economies of scale in the long term.

• Year 1: $8 million, 15% increase
• Year 2: $8.8 million, 10% increase
• Year 3: $9.5 million, 8% increase
• Year 4: $10.07 million, 6% increase
• Year 5: $10.58 million, 5% increase

Capital Expenditure Forecast

The capital expenditure at Auto Gear will report a 20% annual growth to accommodate research and new product launch shifts

• Year 1: $2 million
• Year 2: $2.4 million
• Year 3: $2.88 million
• Year 4: $3.46 million
• Year 5: $4.15 million

Funding requirements

Auto Gear needs $8 million in funding for research, new product launches, and marketing to support its expansion in new markets.

Cash flow forecast

Auto Gear’s pro forma cash flow statement predicts positive cash flow throughout the forecast period, ensuring liquidity and operational stability.

• Year 2: $3.2 million
• Year 3: $4.6 million
• Year 4: $5.6 million
• Year 5: $6.8 million

Before we conclude this blog post, here’s one last segment that needs clarity.

Pro forma statements vs. budgets

Pro forma and budgets are important financial statements that offer a future financial overview of your business. However, that’s the only similarity between them.

With this table, you can understand the differences between these two statements better.

Simply put, pro forma projections assist in long-term financial planning while a budget helps in the achievement of short-term goals.

Prepare your Pro Forma Financial Statements with Upmetrics

Accurate and forward-thinking business and financial planning is quintessential to building a successful business.

That being said, pro forma projections offer the numerical perspective of your business’s financial position and performance in the future. It’s much easier to make decisions when you have clearly outlined sales, revenue, expenses, and funding demands in sight.

Don’t worry. It’s quite easy to create your pro forma projections when you have a business planning app like Upmetrics at your disposal.

Its financial forecasting feature allows you to plan for multiple scenarios and create financial statements and projections for up to 7 years. It generates interactive visual reports and offers AI functionality to simplify financial planning.

This easy-to-use tool has everything you need to plan efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a pro forma the same as a p&l.

Pro forma income statements are based on projections. They reflect the expected revenue, expenses, and profitability of a business under specific situations in the future. Profit and loss (P&L), on the other hand, unless specified as pro forma, reflects the exact figures of revenue and expenses in the current situation.

What’s usually included in the pro forma of the business plan?

The pro forma statements in a business plan typically include an income statement, a cash flow statement, a balance sheet, and sometimes even a break-even analysis. Now, if you’re publicly publishing the pro forma, it’s essential to comply with Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines .

Can a pro forma business plan help in securing loans or investments?

Yes, pro forma when based on realistic assumptions and projections, offers a realistic overview of the company’s financial health in the future. It offers investors a thorough understanding of how their funding will be utilized and the expected profitability, growth, and financial standing of a business.

Are there tools or software that can help create a pro forma business plan?

Yes, there are many tools and resources available to help you create your pro forma business plans. Upmetrics is one of the easiest and most cost-effective business and financial planning tools that will help you create detailed pro forma statements with its automated financial forecasting features.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Free PowerPoint Strategic Planning Templates

By Courtney Patterson | May 30, 2024

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We've collected the top dynamic, editable strategic planning templates in PowerPoint for business strategists, project managers, and executives. 

Included in this article, you’ll find the following:  

• Basic strategic plan template
• 3-year strategic plan template  
• 5-year strategic plan template
• Annual strategic plan template
• Strategic plan progress review template
• Growth strategic plan template

PowerPoint Basic Strategic Plan Template

Download the Basic Strategic Plan Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this template when you need to communicate a clear strategic plan on a single slide. It's perfect for startup pitches, team meetings, or any scenario that requires a straightforward, impactful presentation of your strategy. 

Notable Template Features:  This template helps small business owners and startup founders distill complex strategic concepts into a digestible, one-page format. Its streamlined design ensures that essential information is conveyed clearly and succinctly, making strategic planning accessible and actionable. 

Dive into this collection of  free strategic planning templates , where you'll find helpful frameworks to implement your strategic vision.

PowerPoint 3-Year Strategic Plan Template

Download the 3-Year Strategic Plan Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this template when your business is ready to map out the next three years with specific goals and plans. It's great for use when you step into a new phase of growth and need a clear path forward. 

Notable Template Features:  This template’s straightforward layout makes it easy for midsize businesses to track their progress and adjust plans over a three-year period. Each section is designed for clarity, helping you break down goals into yearly milestones and actions. 

Explore these  free nonprofit strategic plan templates , featuring resources for crafting and executing strategic plans in the nonprofit sector.

PowerPoint 5-Year Strategic Plan Template

Download the 5-Year Strategic Plan Template for PowerPoint  

When to Use This Template:  Use this template when deciding where you want your business to be in five years. It's perfect for use when you're setting big goals, such as expanding your company or launching new products.

Notable Template Features:  This five-year strategic plan template is packed with features to help you lay out every step of your journey to success, including an easy-to-follow implementation roadmap. It also features sections for an executive summary and key objectives and initiatives, as well as detailed instructions to help users outline annual goals, actionable steps, and key performance indicators (KPIs). 

See these  free workforce planning templates for help navigating the workforce planning process.

PowerPoint Annual Strategic Plan Template

Download the Annual Strategic Plan Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this template at the start of the year or any time your team needs to reset and focus on what's coming up in the next 12 months. This template can also be useful at the end of a fiscal year to evaluate progress and set new goals. 

Notable Template Features:  This template simplifies yearly planning, featuring sections for establishing distinct goals, actions, and deadlines. The visually engaging slides include space to write a detailed introduction, vision and mission statements, market analysis, SWOT analysis, year-over-year strategic focus, and more. 

Explore our detailed  guide to using strategic planning frameworks and models for a wide range of complimentary resources and advice from experts.

PowerPoint Strategic Plan Progress Review Template

Download the Strategic Plan Progress Review Template for PowerPoint    

When to Use This Template:  This template is perfect for strategy updates or project milestone assessments. It’s specifically suited for strategy officers, project managers, or team leaders aiming to provide a snapshot of progress and plan for the future. 

Notable Template Features:  This template includes easy-to-understand visual aids, such as charts and progress indicators. It enables quick identification of successes and challenges, streamlining the decision-making process so that you can keep all teams strategically aligned.

PowerPoint Growth Strategic Plan Template

Download the Growth Strategic Plan Template for PowerPoint  

When to Use This Template:  Use this template for strategic planning sessions focused on scaling your business, especially when you're eyeing new markets or aiming to boost your company's footprint. Growth strategists and business development managers will find this template particularly useful when plotting the course for expansion and revenue growth. 

Notable Template Features:  This template includes dedicated sections for mapping out market opportunities, defining growth strategies, and setting clear, measurable targets. Designed for clarity and impact, it includes visual aids such as growth trajectory charts and action plan timelines, making it a powerful tool for teams driving business expansion.

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