Business Plan Tools for Startups and Small Businesses

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Have a killer business idea? A killer business plan can help you turn it into a successful business. Creating a well-crafted business plan is no easy task, however. You'll need to not only flesh out your idea, but also have a deep understanding of the different aspects of running a business — before you even start one. Figuring out how to do this correctly is hard enough, but there are several tools available to make this arduous task a little bit easier for would-be entrepreneurs. Instead of starting from scratch, here are a collection of business plan templates, software, apps and services to help you start a business the right way with a professional business plan.

Business plan templates

Business plan templates show you exactly what a business plan is supposed to look like and what goes in each section. You can find them as downloadable sample business plans that you can copy and modify to fit your business, or as fill-in-the-blank or question-and-answer forms. There are also different types of business plans: simple business plans that cover the essentials, comprehensive ones that cover every aspect of a business, and those designed for a specific purpose, such as to raise funding or find business partners. Here are some business plan templates worth considering.

The $100 Startup One-Page Business Plan. One-page business plans take the fuss out creating a business plan by getting down to the basics of what your business is about and how you intend to meet its goals. Think of it like writing down your business on a napkin, but with a purpose. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan is one such business plan template. Simply answer a few questions like "What will you sell?" "What will you charge?" and "How will customers learn about your business?" in a couple sentences and you're good to go.

SCORE Business Plan Templates. Small business resource SCORE has a collection of free PDF and Word business plan templates for startups, established businesses and even nonprofits. The organization also offers additional types of business planning resources and templates, such as financial projections, market research, sales forecasts, SWOT analysis and more. Once your business plan is finished, you can meet with a SCORE mentor for feedback and guidance.

Other business plan templates to check out are Bplans, which offer comprehensive business plan templates for all types of businesses, and the Rocket Lawyer Business Plan, which helps you pitch your business to investors and other sources of funding. Find more using our list of free business plan templates for small businesses.

Business plan software

Business plan software makes creating a comprehensive business plan easier by providing all the resources you need in a single package. Business plan software often includes sample plans, custom templates, research and forecasting tools, reporting capabilities, financial charts and more. Additionally, business plan software lets you import your business plan to Word, Excel, PDF, QuickBooks and other file formats. You can either download and install business plan software on your computer or use a Web-based software. Some examples of business plan software are:

Business Plan Pro. Is this your first time creating a business plan?  Business Plan Pro offers a user-friendly business plan creator built for beginners. It starts with a wizard that asks basic questions about your business, which is used to automatically populate the business plan, financial projections, charts and other documents with your business information. Business Plan Pro also provides an easy-to-use drag-and-drop chart builder, as well as several resources to help with difficult tasks like forecasting and market research.

BizPlan Builder. Need a more advanced business plan software? BizPlan Builder is for you. It offers standard features like customizable business plan templates, financial projections and other capabilities. However, where BizPlan Builder really stands out is that it doesn't just help users write a business plan, but it helps them create a business model as well. Included in the software are business documents — such as articles of incorporation, partnership agreements, financial statements, press releases and more — and reading material to help users develop their business and prepare pitches to investors. BizPlan Builder also offers a variety of resources for entrepreneurs, such as online advice, user support, business plan FAQs and business development workshops.

Business plan apps

You don't have to be glued to your desk to create a business plan. There are several business plan mobile apps that will let you write a business plan anytime, anywhere right on your smartphone or tablet. Here are two worth checking out.

StartPad. Recognized by Entrepreneur and Forbes, StartPad is one of the top business plan apps available for the iPad. This app offers a wide range of business planning resources, such as strategic business planning tutorials, professionally made sample business plans, financial projections and other reports. Business plans created on StartPad can also be exported as high-resolution PDFs or printed out. The basic version of StartPad is free to download and use, but requires in-app purchases for additional features. Get StartPad from the Apple App Store.

Business Plan & Start Startup. Are you an Android user? Business Plan & Start Startup is the app for you. This app isn't just for creating a business plan, however. It also aims to do three things for entrepreneurs: help start a business the right way with a well-crafted business plan; keep them motivated and on track; and provide a community of fellow entrepreneurs, small business owners and experts to help guide users in creating their business plan and running their businesses. Business Plan & Start Startup can be downloaded from the Google Play marketplace

Business plan services

Don't want to use any of the above? Try an online business plan service, which guides you throughout the business plan writing process. The services offer similar tools as business plan software — such as document collections and chart generators — with the difference being that they typically offer business and legal specialists who can help you better understand complex aspects of your business and business plan. Two online business plan services to consider are LivePlan and the SBA Business Plan Tool.

LivePlan. LivePlan is a cloud-based business plan service that offers everything from document generation to planning tools, financial calculators, guidance resources and more. The service guides you through each component of the business plan and provides step-by-step instructions and advice based on the objective of your business plan (starting a business, business development, funding, etc.)

SBA Business Plan Tool. The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Business Plan Tool covers everything from executive summary and company description to market research, product line, marketing and sales, and financial projections in detail. You can also personalize your business plan with your company logo, as well as save, print and update your business plan as needed.