Writing a business plan – video transcript

In this Writing a business plan video, find out how to write a business plan and why a business plan is useful, whether you're starting a business or already running one.

Writing a business plan

Whether you're starting or running a business, creating a business plan is one of the most important things you can do as a business owner.

You can create a business plan using the resources available on the Business Queensland website.

A business plan is a document that outlines your business goals and how you plan to achieve them.

It will describe how you plan to manage important aspects of your business from marketing your products and services, to running your operations, and managing your finances.

A well-crafted business plan can be used to:

• attract funding from lenders and investors
• communicate business goals and objectives to staff
• track and manage your business's performance.

Your business plan should include:

• an executive summary
• your mission, vision and values
• and a market analysis.

You can include plans for marketing, sales, operations, and human resources. Financial and legal information are also important. Finally, you should include a strategy for achieving your goals.

To help you get started with writing your business plan, we've created a free online template for you to use.

Visit the 'Writing a business plan' page where you can download the template and follow a step-by-step guide to help you complete it.

Once you've downloaded the business plan template, you can work through it, section-by-section, at your own pace.

You'll need to prepare information to put into each section of the business plan template

There are plenty of resources on the Business Queensland website to help you, including information on:

• marketing and sales
• finance
• human resources.

Once you've completed your business plan, be sure to refer back to it regularly. All the decisions you make in your business should align with your plan.

Things change, and your business plan will need to change too! So, review it at least every year and keep it up to date.

Watch the Writing a business plan video.