A School Improvement Plan is a strategic blueprint aimed at enhancing educational outcomes for students. It outlines clear goals, targeted actions, and measurable benchmarks to ensure continuous development in…
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Except, it doesn’t have to be. With a One-Page Plan that is. Learn why creating one can be as less anxiety-inducing as writing the full blown business plan through this article that discusses what its edge is and what to keep in mind when writing one to stay within the limited space. We have also gathered 11 One-Page Business Plan templates so you can start drafting one and quickly move on to the pitching of your business and hopefully, officially mounting it to realization.
11+ Sample One Page Business Plan
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Sample One Page Business Plan
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Formal One Page Business Plan
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Quick One Page Business Plan Template
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One Page Non Profit Business Plan
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One Page Business Plan in PDF
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Simple One Page Business Plan
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One Page Business Plan Project Proposal
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Printable One Page Business Plan
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Basic One Page Business Plan
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One Page Business Plan Format
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Standard One Page Business Plan
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Draft One Page Business Plan
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What is a One Page Business Plan?
A One-Page Business Plan is really just as it sounds. It’s not exactly far different from the traditional business plan in fact, a simplified definition of it is that it’s a simplified version of the standard business plan template. This means that it still should follow the basic structure and components of what comprises a standard business plan only condensed and kept succinct to the best of your ability focusing more on its core aspects.
A single-page business plan is most times utilized by those with small businesses or who want to attract investors and partners since it’s the easiest plan to draft in the earliest stage of your business. You can then expound on it later having gone through interested partners and brainstorm about it more with the people you’re doing the business with. Because you want to keep your business’ information in a single page, it is crucial that you provide only the most important aspects of your venture with at most 2 sentences if possible.
What is a Business Plan?
Since a one-page business plan is a business plan, we think it would be best to define and give you a quick review on what a business plan is.
In essence, a business plan is what guides you in your pursuit to starting and growing your business or a company. You can liken it to a road map that you will keep referencing back to make sure that you are still on the right path. It is a fundamental document that defines in detail your business’ objectives in accordance with the business’ vision and how it should perform in a way that it will achieve its established goals.
With that being said, a business plan is reviewed on a regular basis and updated when necessary. However, while some things can change in your plan along the way, your business’ vision, should at least remain the same so the changes that are to be made should still take into consideration how it will impact and as much as possible, benefit achieving your business’ objectives that it ultimately aligns with your business’ vision.
Elements of a Business Plan
This section will describe 8 essential elements of a business plan for you to get a glimpse of which elements you should focus more for your One-Page Business Plan.
1. Executive Summary
In a standard business plan, the executive summary should not exceed 2 pages even if it should discuss your business’ overview and you would probably want more pages to cover it. However, because it is mainly what prospects would read, in fact in some cases, it is the only thing they would read to get to know your business, it’s of incredible importance that you nail the essence of your business and as much as possible communicate it shortly as it should follow that the rest of your business plan would be given the same attention if the executive summary is enough to pique their interest. Depending on the kind of business you are planning to build, the executive summary should include important details relevant to it that should be as enticing as you would want it to be written, as if you were pitching the business plan to yourself. Only sell your business’ worthy selling points with sufficient facts and statistics to support it. The ideal Executive Summary should include:
- Marketing and Sales Strategies
- Competitive Analysis
- Financial Analysis
- Business Plan Implementation
- Business Opportunity
- Business’ Team (Owner and Key Staff)
- Budget and Funding
2. Business/Company Description
The Business/Company Description comes right after the Executive Summary. This section simply defines what your business’ hopes to achieve and what it does to achieve them that is original and hopefully is unlike its competitors. This section should have to include:
- Business/Company Name
- Product/Service
- Target Market
- Goals for your Business
- Company/Business Location
- Vision Statement
- Mission Statement
- Business Structure
- Business Model
- Company/Business History
3. Products and Services
This section basically defines what your business will specifically offer, whether its a product or a kind of service and then expound on it more. Take note that there is no reason to be technical about your product and service descriptions so lay off the jargons and do your best to communicate with those that could be unfamiliar with what you are trying to offer and besides, you are here to sell your business to your potential investors and partners and regardless if they may be familiar with the terms, your business plan ought not to function to teach them new vocabulary. However, you would need to be critical as you should be able to describe how your product or service is unique or at least what about it is better than most products similar to it and are already available in the market and most importantly why the market needs it if there exists products similar to it. How would customers benefit from it? How would you price your products/service? Will you be manufacturing your products? How will your services be delivered and your products be distributed? Make sure to provide answers to the mentioned questions and just include everything about your products and services that investors and partners should be interested to know.
4. Market Analysis
The Market Analysis section of your business plan allows you to demonstrate your expertise and how well you know the market you are planning to venture in. It requires you to provide supporting details and statistics of the market that you intend to deliver your service and sell your products. You should be able to convince your investors that you know the market enough to know that your product/service could thrive in it regardless of the potential roadblocks your business could encounter while in competition with the rest. In summary, you ought to define in this section the economic environment of the market your business will be surrounded by. Accion Opportunity Fund lists down what should go into the market analysis of your business plan and they are as follows:
- Industry Description and Outlook
- Target Market
- Market Need
- Market Growth
- Market Trends
- Market Research Testing
- Competitive Analysis
- Barriers to Entry
- Regulations
5. Marketing Strategy
Having a marketing strategy in your business plan is essential because it outlines how your products and services will be promoted in the market and how you can effectively garner profit from it. That being said, your marketing strategy should place a lot of emphasis on how your products or service will meet customer needs which is why its also important to properly build up on your market analysis as a clear analysis of your target market will pave the way for a cohesive marketing strategy.
6. Competitive Analysis
This section of your business plan that is also known as competitive intelligence is where you probably should spend a lot of your time doing your research on. A competitive analysis is adamant that you identify your competitors and further investigate, assess, and analyze them because every business always has one. In identifying your competitors, you must also be able to define the customers they are appealing to and through what kind of products and services the customers’ needs are met as well as how they market it to them. Having an intensively written profile about your competitors can allow you to study your business better and position it to rise above your competitors or build it in a way that can work in circles around them but ultimately overcoming the competitors if they do pose as a threat to your business. The competitive analysis should also reveal the gap in the market that your business can offer the solution to with either your products or your services.
7. Operations Plan
The Operations Plan in your business plan outlines the steps your business must take to achieve its mission and in order to sustain the business. It generally includes the physical resources of your business such as personnel, suppliers, equipment and technology, materials, assets, and inventory but also outlines how your business will operate on a daily basis as well as how long the business will operate. An operational objective will be deemed effective if you are able to define your objectives the same way. One way of creating effective objectives is by following the S.M.A.R.T Objectives Checklist which was previously mentioned in another separate article for an Activity Proposal. Objectives are SMART if they are:
This section of your business plan is of special importance especially if you intend to attract investors. It is divided into four sub-sections namely: Income Statement, Cash Flow Projection, Balance Sheet, and the Statement of Shareholders’ Equity. Your financial plan has to be through in the details it wants to relay. This section will prove your business’ profitability and its overall financial health which will signal investors if it’s worth investing their money in.
To create a dynamic and concisely written one-page business plan, you can keep in mind shedding more light into only a few sections. While your business plan does have to conform to the structure of a standard business plan, it still has to be trimmed down and should only have to explain the previously mentioned sections in at most 2 sentences per section. However, the aspect of your business that plays as your strength can be further discussed in-detail.
Regardless if a one-page plan functions the same way as a traditional business plan, there are still certain advantages that make it a viable option to create rather than the standard plan. In a nutshell, it allows you to stick to the core message of your business and discuss more about what your business’ competitive advantage is. Some of its advantages include:
A One-Page Business plan is only a shorter kind of business plan that condenses the standard structure of a business plan into a single page. It is oftentimes used by those that are in the earliest stages of developing their business or by those who are recruiting investors and attracting partners who do not necessarily have to read an extensive business plan when a single page should have to do.
Entrepreneur names four distinct types of business plans namely:
1. Miniplan
A miniplan is really just a ‘very short plan’ that is the most accessible type of business plan and is usually used by small-business ventures.
2. Presentation Plan/Decks
This is mostly presented through a PowerPoint Presentation that should have to cover the highlights of your business in slides totaling to 20 minutes at best. It incorporates the use of graphics which helps in the visual storytelling of your business plan and entices the audiences to keep their attention on your presentation.
3. Working Plan
This a type of business plan that focuses more on clearly articulating the steps your business has to take for it to operate.
4. What-If Plan
This type of business plan could likewise functions as your contingency plan. The threats you fear, obstacles you are likely to overcome, unforeseen events and changes are to be anticipated and detailed in this document. This could also help you identify which of your weaknesses need immediate addressing so as not to create a bigger problem that your business might have a harder time to recuperate from.
A business plan follows a standard format that generally are the following:
In essence, a one-page business plan is a lesser hassle to go about presenting your business idea. Start creating one now with our One-Page Business Plan templates!
8. Financial Plan
Advantages of a One-Page Business Plan
FAQs
How Can a Business Plan be One-Page?
What are the 4 Types of Business Plans?
What is a Business Plan format?