Let’s be honest - the first time you sit down to write a business plan, it’s weirdly hard. Not because you don’t know your business. But because translating all the buzzing ideas in your head into structured, logical sections is like trying to teach your dog to code.
You probably have 50 browser tabs open with templates, but here’s the thing: most templates are designed to look complete - not to be useful.
So here’s a better way to write your business plan: start with function over form. You’re writing this to understand, communicate, and pressure-test your idea.
Let’s break it down - without the corporate jargon and 40-slide pitch decks.
- Start With the Problem - Not Your Product
This is the #1 rookie mistake: diving into your brilliant app idea or service before even explaining why it needs to exist.
If your business doesn’t solve a problem that’s real, expensive, or annoying - it’s a hobby.
You need to write a Problem Statement that is so clear a stranger could nod and say, “Oh yeah, that’s definitely a problem.”
Example (bad):
“People want more efficient digital solutions to manage their finances.” ← vague, abstract, sounds like a bank wrote it.
Example (better):
“67% of Gen Z freelancers use 3–5 platforms to track income, pay taxes, and create invoices. None of them are built specifically for part-time creators, leading to lost time and payment delays.”
(Source: Internal survey of 56 creators + Statista 2023 freelancing report.)
This shows you've done the homework. Start here.
- Don’t Just Describe Your Solution - Prove It’s Needed
Now you can talk about your business. But make sure it directly maps to the problem you just described.
Structure it like this:
- What you’re building
- Who it’s for
- How it solves the pain point better than what’s out there
- Bonus: why now?
Pro Tip: Include user feedback, mockups, pilot data, or even screenshots. Don’t say “we will build an app that helps X.” Say “we’ve already tested a working prototype with 10 users and here’s what we learned.”
- Tighten Your Market Analysis - Stop Guessing TAM
Another trap: tossing in a $3.2B “Total Addressable Market” slide like it proves anything.
Investors (and cofounders, and mentors) don’t care how huge the market could be. They want to know:
- Who your actual first customers will be
- How you’ll reach them
- Why they’ll care
Try structuring it like this instead:
- Initial Market: Who are you targeting first? (e.g. indie e-commerce brands in North America earning <$500k/year)
- Expansion Market: Who’s next? (e.g. Shopify stores in Europe with similar pain points)
- Behavior Insight: What are these people already doing to solve the problem? What are they frustrated by?
You can pull this from Reddit threads, Quora, Discord groups, customer calls - that’s how real founders gather early data.
- Get Real With Your Business Model
No more vague “we’ll monetize through ads or freemium” filler. Define how money flows:
- What will you charge?
- Who’s paying - and how often?
- How does that scale with usage?
Example:
“We charge $8/month for solo users, $20/month for teams up to 5. Of 200 beta users, 26% converted after the free trial ended.”
Even if your model will evolve, show you’ve thought it through. Bonus points if you have test results from even a small cohort.
- Show (Even a Hypothetical) Go-To-Market Plan
If your plan for finding customers is “social media” or “word of mouth,” that’s a red flag.
Show what channels you’ll test first, and why you chose them.
Think like a detective:
- Have you noticed your target users hang out on specific subreddits?
- Do they follow certain newsletter writers?
- Are they already paying for adjacent tools?
Example:
“Early traction came from commenting on Instagram posts of niche brand owners. We generated 34 newsletter signups from 3 hours of manual outreach. We’ll scale this by partnering with niche agencies.”
It doesn’t need to be big - just real.
- Operations - But Light
If you're early-stage, no one expects you to have a 20-person org chart. But show you’ve thought about:
- What key roles you need in the next 3–6 months
- Whether you’re outsourcing anything
- How you’ll keep costs lean while building
You can use a simple bulleted list:
Development: In-house (2 co-founders, full-stack + backend)
Customer support: outsourced via HelpScout
Design: part-time contract via Dribbble Hire
Legal/Finance: 2 hours/month via LawDepot + Pilot
Show the Financials - But Keep It Grounded
Yes, even if you’re pre-revenue. People want to see:
- 12-month projections
- Burn rate
- Assumptions (be honest)
- Break-even estimate
Avoid the startup cliché hockey stick. Show how many users you’d need to break even - and why you think it’s possible.
Keep it simple:
Year 1:
- Revenue: $12,000 (from 100 paying users)
- Costs: $17,000 (hosting, SaaS, legal, marketing)
- Net: -$5,000
And explain what would change in Year 2.
- Close With Vision, Not Fluff
Don’t end with “We believe in innovation and changing the world.”
End with something that feels earned.
Maybe it’s a lesson from your background, or something personal that sparked the idea. Maybe it’s a user quote that gave you goosebumps.
Example:
“When we saw three creators in our beta group use the platform to file taxes without spreadsheets for the first time, we realized this wasn’t just a tool - it was a sense of control. That’s what we’re building toward.”
Now that sticks.
Bonus Tip: You Don’t Have to Write It All at Once
Most of the best founders I know start with a Notion doc or messy Google Doc. They write it like a journal - unfiltered, just getting the story out.
Then they clean it up, add headers, and turn it into a business plan after they understand their own thinking better.
You don’t need to download a fancy template. You need to get clear.
Quick Structure to Copy (Use This to Get Started)
- Executive Summary (write it last)
- Problem
- Solution
- Market & Customer Analysis
- Business Model
- Go-to-Market Plan
- Operations Plan
- Financial Plan
- Milestones & Timeline
- Closing Note / Vision
Make it readable. Use bullet points, white space, actual numbers, and real user data. If it feels boring, vague, or templated - cut it and write it again like you're explaining it to a friend who just asked, “What are you working on?”
