objective business plan examples

How to Set, Track, and Achieve Business Objectives with 60 Examples

By Kate Eby | April 10, 2023

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Businesses that set objectives make better decisions. Business objectives allow companies to focus their efforts, track progress, and visualize future success. We’ve worked with experts to create the most comprehensive guide to business objectives.

Included in this article, you’ll find the differences between business objectives and business goals , the four main business objectives , and the benefits of setting business objectives . Plus, find 60 examples of business objectives , which you can download in Microsoft Word.

What Is a Business Objective?

A business objective is a specific, measurable outcome that a company works to achieve. Company leaders set business objectives that help the organization meet its long-term goals. Business objectives should be recorded so that teams can easily access them. 

Business objectives cover many different factors of a company’s success, such as financial health, operations, productivity, and growth. 

One easy way to make sure that you are setting the right business objectives is to follow the SMART goal framework . SMART objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 

To learn about setting project objectives using the SMART framework, see this comprehensive guide to writing SMART project objectives .

Business Objectives vs. Business Goal

A business goal is a broad, long-term outcome that a company works toward. Goals usually inform which strategies that department leaders will implement. A business objective , however, is a specific, short-term outcome or action that helps the company achieve long-term goals.

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, goals and objectives are not the same . In general, goals are broad in scope and describe an outcome, while objectives are narrow in scope and describe a specific action or step. 

While these differences are important to understand, many of the common frameworks for successful goal-setting — such as SMART, objectives and key results ( OKRs ), and management by objectives (MBO) — can be useful when writing business objectives. 

When deciding on objectives for a team or department, keep in mind the overarching goals of a business. Each objective should move the company closer to its long-term goals.

Project Goals and Objectives Template

Download the Project Goals and Objectives Template for Excel | Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF

Use this free, printable template to learn how to break down project goals into individual objectives using the SMART framework. Write the primary goal at the top of the worksheet, then follow the SMART process to create one or more specific objectives that will help you achieve that goal. 

For resources to help with setting and tracking goals at your company, see this all-inclusive list of goal tracking and setting templates .

What Are the Four Main Business Objectives?

The four main business objectives are economic, social, human, and organic. Each can help a business ensure their prolonged health and growth. For example, human objectives refer to employees’ well-being, while economic objectives refer to the company’s financial health. 

These are the four main business objectives:

• Example: Reduce spending on paid advertisements by 20 percent.
• Example: Reduce average customer wait times from eight minutes to four minutes. 
• Example: Hire two new chemical engineers by the end of Q2.
• Example: Improve the efficiency of a specific software product by 15 percent.

Types of Business Objectives

There are many types of business objectives beyond the main four. These range from regulation objectives to environmental objectives to municipal objectives. For example, a global objective might be to distribute a product to a new country. 

In addition to economic, social, human, and organic objectives, here are some other types of business objectives companies might set: 

• Regulatory: These objectives relate to compliance requirements, such as meeting quality standards or conducting internal audits.
• National: These objectives relate to a company’s place in and how they contribute to the country they operate in, such as promoting social justice causes and creating employment opportunities. 
• Global: These objectives relate to a company’s place in and its contribution to many countries, such as improving living standards and responding to global demands for products and services. 
• Environmental: These objectives relate to a company’s environmental impact, such as reducing chemical waste or making eco-friendly investments. 
• Healthcare: These objectives relate to the health and well-being of a population, whether within or outside an organization. These objectives might be improving healthcare benefit options for employees or refining a drug so that it has fewer side effects.

The Importance of Having Business Objectives

Teams need business objectives to stay focused on the company’s long-term goals. Business objectives help individual employees understand how their roles contribute to the larger mission of the organization. Setting business objectives facilitates effective planning. 

Here are some benefits to setting business objectives:

• Develops Leadership: Company leaders are more effective when they have a clear vision and can delegate tasks to make it a reality. Setting objectives is a great way to improve one’s leadership skills.
• Increases Motivation: People tend to be more invested in work when they have clear, attainable objectives to achieve. Plus, each completed objective provides a morale boost to keep teams happy and productive. 
• Encourages Innovation and Productivity: With increased motivation and workplace satisfaction come more innovations. Set attainable but challenging objectives, and watch teams come up with creative solutions to get things done.
• Improves Strategy: Setting objectives that align with overarching company goals means that everyone across the company can stay aligned on strategic implementation. 
• Enhances Customer Satisfaction: Overall customer satisfaction is more likely to increase over time when measurable quality improvements are in place. 
• Improves Prioritization: When they are being able to see all of the current objectives, team members can more easily prioritize their work, which in turn makes their workloads feel more manageable. 
• Improves Financial Health: Setting economic objectives in particular can help companies stay on top of their financial goals.

60 Examples of Business Objectives

Company leaders can use business objectives to improve every facet of an organization, from customer satisfaction to market share to employee well-being. Here are 60 examples of business objectives that can help a company achieve its goals. 

Economic Business Objectives

• Increase profit margins by 5 percent by the end of the Q4. 
• Recover 50 percent of total outstanding debts from each quarter the following quarter for the next year. 
• “Increase revenue by 10 percent each year for the next five years,” suggests Tyler. 
• Offer three new holiday sales events in the coming year. 
• Move 30 percent of surplus stock by the end of Q2.
• “Reduce costs by 10 percent each year for the next five years,” suggests Tyler.
• Reduce monthly interest payments by 1.5 percent by consolidating debt. 
• Introduce a new credit payment option to expand the potential customer base. 
• Apply for six government grants by the end of the year. 
•  Hire an accountant to track expenses and file the company’s taxes. 
•  Secure a $100,000 loan to start a business.
•  Pitch your business ideas to a venture capital firm. 
• Improve your business credit score from 75 to 85 in two years. 
• Invest in solar panels for your company headquarters to reduce building energy costs by 75 percent. 
• Establish a monthly practice to analyze your cash flow statement.

Social Business Objectives

• Decrease customer average customer wait times by 20 percent in two months.
• Improve the average customer service satisfaction rating from 3.2/5 to 3.8/5 in six months through targeting trainings. 
• Hire a contract UX designer to redesign the company website interface in four months. 
• Decrease customer churn by 15 percent in one year. 
• “Triple the customer base within two years,” suggests Tyler.
• Offer 20 percent more customer discounts and specials over the course of two years. 
• Increase market share by 5 percent in three years. 
• Increase monthly sales quotas for sales associates by 10 percent. 
• Develop a sales incentive program to reward top-performing sales associates with vacations, bonuses, and other prizes. 
• Donate $10,000 to local causes, such as public school funds or local charities. 
• Partner with a charitable organization to host a company-wide 5K.
• Increase your marketing budget by 15 percent.
• Hire a new marketing director by the end of Q3.
• Donate 40 percent of surplus stock to a relevant charity. 
• Increase engagement across all social media platforms by 10 percent with a multiplatform ad campaign.

Human Business Objectives

• Hire three new employees by the end of Q1.
• Hire a contractor to train your IT team on new software. 
• Rewrite and distribute your company values statement. 
• Conduct a quarterly, company-wide productivity training over the next two years. 
• Establish a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee. 
• Design and implement a mentorship program for diverse employees. 
• Create an incentive program that grants additional vacation days for all employees when company-wide productivity goals are met. 
• Offer a free monthly happy hour to improve the employee experience. 
• Select change leaders across multiple teams to provide support for a corporate reorg.
• Start three employee resource groups (ERGs) within the next six months. 
• Diversify websites and career fairs where the hiring team recruits applicants to encourage a more diverse pool of candidates for new jobs. 
• Invest in an office redesign that improves the office atmosphere and provides more in-office resources, such as free coffee and snacks, to on-site employees. 
• Upgrade employee laptops to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. 
• Conduct a yearly, comprehensive employee experience survey to identify areas of improvement. 
• Throw office parties to celebrate change milestones. 

Organic Business Objectives

• Increase the top line by 15 percent every year for the next five years.
• Achieve 20 percent net profit from 10 product enhancements in the next two years.
• Decrease raw materials costs by 10 percent by the end of the year.
• Reduce downtime by 25 percent by the end of the year.
• Within two years, attain a rate of 25 percent new revenue from products released within the last year.
• Improve customer acquisition ration by 10 percent every quarter for the next two years. 
• Reduce total inventory levels by 20 percent over four months.
• Interact with at least 20 Instagram users every month for one year.
• Have a new product launch covered by at least three reputable industry publications within two months of the launch date.
• Grow both the top line and the bottom line by 60 percent every year for three years. 
• Reduce product defects by 15 percent every year for four years.
• Increase on-time delivery dates for top customers by 25 percent over the span of three quarters.
• Conduct yearly workplace safety reviews.
• Decrease average customer wait times for responses to social media queries from 45 minutes to 15 minutes by the end of Q4.
• Improve your company website to be on the first page of search results within six months.

Download 60 Example Business Objectives for

Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF

Track the Progress of Business Objectives with Smartsheet

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The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

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Goals and Objectives for Business Plan with Examples

Published Nov.05, 2023

Updated Apr.23, 2024

By: Jakub Babkins

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Table of Content

Every business needs a clear vision of what it wants to achieve and how it plans to get there. A business plan is a document that outlines the goals and objectives of a business, as well as the strategies and actions to achieve them. A well-written business plan from business plan specialists can help a business attract investors, secure funding, and guide its growth.

Understanding Business Objectives

Business objectives are S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant, and T ime-bound (SMART) statements that describe what a business wants to accomplish in a given period. They are derived from the overall vision and mission of the business, and they support its strategic direction.

Business plan objectives can be categorized into different types, depending on their purpose and scope. Some common types of business objectives are:

• Financial objectives
• Operational objectives
• Marketing objectives
• Social objectives

For example, a sample of business goals and objectives for a business plan for a bakery could be:

• To increase its annual revenue by 20% in the next year.
• To reduce its production costs by 10% in the next six months.
• To launch a new product line of gluten-free cakes in the next quarter.
• To improve its customer satisfaction rating by 15% in the next month.

The Significance of Business Objectives

Business objectives are important for several reasons. They help to:

• Clarify and direct the company and stakeholders
• Align the company’s efforts and resources to a common goal
• Motivate and inspire employees to perform better
• Measure and evaluate the company’s progress and performance
• Communicate the company’s value and advantage to customers and the market

For example, by setting a revenue objective, a bakery can focus on increasing its sales and marketing efforts, monitor its sales data and customer feedback, motivate its staff to deliver quality products and service, communicate its unique selling points and benefits to its customers, and adjust its pricing and product mix according to market demand.

Advantages of Outlining Business Objectives

Outlining business objectives is a crucial step in creating a business plan. It serves as a roadmap for the company’s growth and development. Outlining business objectives has several advantages, such as:

• Clarifies the company’s vision, direction, scope, and boundaries
• Break down the company’s goals into smaller tasks and milestones
• Assigns roles and responsibilities and delegates tasks
• Establishes standards and criteria for success and performance
• Anticipates risks and challenges and devises contingency plans

For example, by outlining its business objective for increasing the average revenue per customer in its business plan, a bakery can:

• Attract investors with its viable business plan for investors
• Secure funding from banks or others with its realistic financial plan
• Partner with businesses or organizations that complement or enhance its products or services
• Choose the best marketing, pricing, product, staff, location, etc. for its target market and customers

Setting Goals and Objectives for a Business Plan

Setting goals and objectives for a business plan is not a one-time task. It requires careful planning, research, analysis, and evaluation. To set effective goals and objectives for a business plan, one should follow some best practices, such as:

OPTION 1: Use the SMART framework. A SMART goal or objective is clear, quantifiable, realistic, aligned with the company’s mission and vision, and has a deadline. SMART stands for:

• Specific – The goal or objective should be clear, concise, and well-defined.
• Measurable – The goal or objective should be quantifiable or verifiable.
• Achievable – The goal or objective should be realistic and attainable.
• Relevant – The goal or objective should be aligned with the company’s vision, mission, and values.
• Time-bound – The goal or objective should have a deadline or timeframe.

For example, using the SMART criteria, a bakery can refine its business objective for increasing the average revenue per customer as follows:

• Specific – Increase revenue with new products and services from $5 to $5.50.
• Measurable – Track customer revenue monthly with sales reports.
• Achievable – Research the market, develop new products and services, and train staff to upsell and cross-sell.
• Relevant – Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, profitability and cash flow, and market competitiveness.
• Time-bound – Achieve this objective in six months, from January 1st to June 30th.

OPTION 2: Use the OKR framework. OKR stands for O bjectives and K ey R esults. An OKR is a goal-setting technique that links the company’s objectives with measurable outcomes. An objective is a qualitative statement of what the company wants to achieve. A key result is a quantitative metric that shows how the objective will be achieved.

OPTION 3: Use the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats. A SWOT analysis is a strategic tool that helps the company assess the internal and external factors that affect its goals and objectives.

• Strengths – Internal factors that give the company an advantage over others. 
• Weaknesses – Internal factors that limit the company’s performance or growth. 
• Opportunities – External factors that allow the company to improve or expand. 
• Threats – External factors that pose a risk or challenge to the company.

For example, using these frameworks, a bakery might set the following goals and objectives for its SBA business plan :

Objective – To launch a new product line of gluten-free cakes in the next quarter.

Key Results:

• Research gluten-free cake market demand and preferences by month-end.
• Create and test 10 gluten-free cake recipes by next month-end.
• Make and sell 100 gluten-free cakes weekly online or in-store by quarter-end.

SWOT Analysis:

• Expertise and experience in baking and cake decorating.
• Loyal and satisfied customer base.
• Strong online presence and reputation.

Weaknesses:

• Limited production capacity and equipment.
• High production costs and low-profit margins.
• Lack of knowledge and skills in gluten-free baking.

Opportunities:

• Growing demand and awareness for gluten-free products.
• Competitive advantage and differentiation in the market.
• Potential partnerships and collaborations with health-conscious customers and organizations.
• Increasing competition from other bakeries and gluten-free brands.
• Changing customer tastes and preferences.
• Regulatory and legal issues related to gluten-free labeling and certification.

Examples of Business Goals and Objectives

To illustrate how to write business goals and objectives for a business plan, let’s use a hypothetical example of a bakery business called Sweet Treats. Sweet Treats is a small bakery specializing in custom-made cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods for various occasions.

Here are some examples of possible startup business goals and objectives for Sweet Treats:

Earning and Preserving Profitability

Profitability is the ability of a company to generate more revenue than expenses. It indicates the financial health and performance of the company. Profitability is essential for a business to sustain its operations, grow its market share, and reward its stakeholders.

Some possible objectives for earning and preserving profitability for Sweet Treats are:

• To increase the gross profit margin by 5% in the next quarter by reducing the cost of goods sold
• To achieve a net income of $100,000 in the current fiscal year by increasing sales and reducing overhead costs

Ensuring Consistent Cash Flow

Cash flow is the amount of money that flows in and out of a company. A company needs to have enough cash to cover its operating expenses, pay its debts, invest in its growth, and reward its shareholders.

Some possible objectives for ensuring consistent cash flow for Sweet Treats are:

• Increase monthly operating cash inflow by 15% by the end of the year by improving the efficiency and productivity of the business processes
• Increase the cash flow from investing activities by selling or disposing of non-performing or obsolete assets

Creating and Maintaining Efficiency

Efficiency is the ratio of output to input. It measures how well a company uses its resources to produce its products or services. Efficiency can help a business improve its quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Some possible objectives for creating and maintaining efficiency for Sweet Treats are:

• To reduce the production time by 10% in the next month by implementing lean manufacturing techniques
• To increase the customer service response rate by 20% in the next week by using chatbots or automated systems

Winning and Keeping Clients

Clients are the people or organizations that buy or use the products or services of a company. They are the source of revenue and growth for a company. Therefore, winning and keeping clients is vital to generating steady revenue, increasing customer loyalty, and enhancing word-of-mouth marketing.

Some possible objectives for winning and keeping clients for Sweet Treats are:

• To acquire 100 new clients in the next quarter by launching a referral program or a promotional campaign
• To retain 90% of existing clients in the current year by offering loyalty rewards or satisfaction guarantees

Building a Recognizable Brand

A brand is the name, logo, design, or other features distinguishing a company from its competitors. It represents the identity, reputation, and value proposition of a company. Building a recognizable brand is crucial for attracting and retaining clients and creating a loyal fan base.

Some possible objectives for building a recognizable brand for Sweet Treats are:

• To increase brand awareness by 50% in the next six months by creating and distributing engaging content on social media platforms
• To improve brand image by 30% in the next year by participating in social causes or sponsoring events that align with the company’s values

Expanding and Nurturing an Audience with Marketing

An audience is a group of people interested in or following a company’s products or services. They can be potential or existing clients, fans, influencers, or partners. Expanding and nurturing an audience with marketing is essential for increasing a company’s visibility, reach, and engagement.

Some possible objectives for expanding and nurturing an audience with marketing for Sweet Treats are:

• To grow the email list by 1,000 subscribers in the next month by offering a free ebook or a webinar
• To nurture leads by sending them relevant and valuable information through email newsletters or blog posts

Strategizing for Expansion

Expansion is the process of increasing a company’s size, scope, or scale. It can involve entering new markets, launching new products or services, opening new locations, or forming new alliances. Strategizing for expansion is important for diversifying revenue streams, reaching new audiences, and gaining competitive advantages.

Some possible objectives for strategizing for expansion for Sweet Treats are:

• To launch a new product or service line by developing and testing prototypes
• To open a new branch or franchise by securing funding and hiring staff

Template for Business Objectives

A template for writing business objectives is a format or structure that can be used as a guide or reference for creating your objectives. A template for writing business objectives can help you to ensure that your objectives are SMART, clear, concise, and consistent.

To use this template, fill in the blanks with your information. Here is an example of how you can use this template:

Example of Business Objectives

Our business is a _____________ (type of business) that provides _____________ (products or services) to _____________ (target market). Our vision is to _____________ (vision statement) and our mission is to _____________ (mission statement).

Our long-term business goals and objectives for the next _____________ (time period) are:

S pecific: We want to _____________ (specific goal) by _____________ (specific action).

M easurable: We will measure our progress by _____________ (quantifiable indicator).

A chievable: We have _____________ (resources, capabilities, constraints) that will enable us to achieve this goal.

R elevant: This goal supports our vision and mission by _____________ (benefit or impact).

T ime-bound: We will complete this goal by _____________ (deadline).

Repeat this process for each goal and objective for your business plan.

How to Monitor Your Business Objectives?

After setting goals and objectives for your business plan, you should check them regularly to see if you are achieving them. Monitoring your business objectives can help you to:

• Track your progress and performance
• Identify and overcome any challenges
• Adjust your actions and strategies as needed

Some of the tools and methods that you can use to monitor your business objectives are:

• Dashboards – Show key data and metrics for your objectives with tools like Google Data Studio, Databox, or DashThis.
• Reports – Get detailed information and analysis for your objectives with tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or SEMrush.
• Feedback – Learn from your customers and their needs and expectations with tools like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Google Forms.

Strategies for Realizing Business Objectives

To achieve your business objectives, you need more than setting and monitoring them. You need strategies and actions that support them. Strategies are the general methods to reach your objectives. Actions are the specific steps to implement your strategies.

Different objectives require different strategies and actions. Some common types are:

• Marketing strategies
• Operational strategies
• Financial strategies
• Human resource strategies
• Growth strategies

To implement effective strategies and actions, consider these factors:

• Alignment – They should match your vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives
• Feasibility – They should be possible with your capabilities, resources, and constraints
• Suitability – They should fit the context and needs of your business

How OGSCapital Can Help You Achieve Your Business Objectives?

We at OGSCapital can help you with your business plan and related documents. We have over 15 years of experience writing high-quality business plans for various industries and regions. We have a team of business plan experts who can assist you with market research, financial analysis, strategy formulation, and presentation design. We can customize your business plan to suit your needs and objectives, whether you need funding, launching, expanding, or entering a new market. We can also help you with pitch decks, executive summaries, feasibility studies, and grant proposals. Contact us today for a free quote and start working on your business plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the goals and objectives in business.

Goals and objectives in a business plan are the desired outcomes that a company works toward. To describe company goals and objectives for a business plan, start with your mission statement and then identify your strategic and operational objectives. To write company objectives, you must brainstorm, organize, prioritize, assign, track, and review them using the SMART framework and KPIs.

What are the examples of goals and objectives in a business plan?

Examples of goals and objectives in a business plan are: Goal: To increase revenue by 10% each year for the next five years. Objective: To launch a new product line and create a marketing campaign to reach new customers.

What are the 4 main objectives of a business?

The 4 main objectives of a business are economic, social, human, and organic. Economic objectives deal with financial performance, social objectives deal with social responsibility, human objectives deal with employee welfare, and organic objectives deal with business growth and development.

What are goals and objectives examples?

Setting goals and objectives for a business plan describes what a business or a team wants to achieve and how they will do it. For example: Goal: To provide excellent customer service. Objective: To increase customer satisfaction scores by 20% by the end of the quarter. 

At OGSCapital, our business planning services offer expert guidance and support to create a realistic and actionable plan that aligns with your vision and mission. Get in touch to discuss further!

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Business tips

Business objectives: How to set them (with 5 examples and a template)

As anyone who played rec league sports in the '90s might remember, being on a team for some reason required you to sell knockoff candy bars to raise funds. Every season, my biggest customer was always me. Some kids went door-to-door, some set up outside local businesses, some sent boxes to their parents' jobs—I just used my allowance to buy a few for myself.

Aside from initiative, what my approach lacked was a plan, a goal, and accountability. A lot to ask of an unmotivated nine-year-old, I know, but 100% required for anyone who runs an actual business.

Business objectives help companies avoid my pitfalls by laying the groundwork for all the above so they can pursue achievable growth.

Table of contents:

What are business objectives?

What you want the company to achieve

How you can measure success

Which players are involved in driving success

The timelines needed to plan, initiate, and implement steps

How, if successful, these actions can be integrated sustainably going forward

Business objectives vs. goals

Here's what that breakdown could have looked like for nine-year-old me selling candy for my little league team: 

Business objective: I will increase my sales output by learning and implementing point-of-sale conversion frameworks. I'll measure success by comparing week-over-week sales growth to median sales across players on my baseball team.

Business goal: I will sell more candy bars than anyone on my team and earn the grand prize: a team party at Pizza Hut.

The benefits of setting business objectives

You might think it's good enough to continue working status quo toward your goals, but as the cliche goes, good enough usually isn't. Establishing and following defined, actionable steps through business objectives can:

Help establish clear roadmaps: You can translate your objectives into time-sensitive sequences to chart your path toward growth.

Set groundwork for culture: Clear objectives should reflect the culture you envision, and, in turn, they should help guide your team to foster it.

Influence talent acquisition: Once you know your objectives, you can use them to find the people with the specific skills and experiences needed to actualize them.

Encourage teamwork: People work together better when they know what they're working toward.

Establish accountability: By measuring progress, you can see where errors and inefficiencies come from.

Drive productivity: The endgame of an objective is to make individual team members and processes more effective.

How to set business objectives

Setting business objectives takes a thoughtful, top-to-bottom approach. At every level of your business—whether you're a massive candy corporation or one kid selling chocolate almond bars door-to-door—there are improvements to make, steps to take, and players with stakes (or in my case, bats) in the game.

1. Establish clear goals

You can't hit a home run without a fence, and you can't reach a goal without setting it. Before you start brainstorming your objectives, you need to know what your objectives will help you work toward.

Increase total revenue by 25% over the next two years

Reduce production costs by 10% by the end of the year

Provide health insurance for employees by next fiscal year

Grow design department to 10+ employees this year

Reach 100k Instagram followers ahead of new product launch

Implement full rebrand before new partnership announcement

Once you have these goals in place, you can establish individual objectives that position your company to reach them.

2. Set a baseline

Like a field manager before a game, you've got to set your baselines. (Very niche pun, I know.) With a definite goal in mind, the only way to know your progress is to know where you're starting from. 

Analyzing your baselines could also help you recalibrate your goals. You may have decided abstractly that you want conversion rates to double in six months, but is that really possible? If your measurables show there's potentially a heavier lift involved than you expected, you can always roll back the goal performance or expand the timeline.

3. Involve players at all levels in the conversation

Too often, the most important people are left out of conversations about goals and objectives. The more levels of complexity and oversight, the more important it is to hear from everyone—yet the more likely it is that some will be excluded.

Let's say you want to reduce overhead by 5% over the next two years for your sporting goods manufacturing outfit. At a high level, your team finds you can reduce production costs by using cheaper materials for baseball gloves. A member of your sales team points out that the reduction in quality, which your brand is famous for, could lead to losses that offset those savings. Meanwhile, a factory representative points out that replacing outdated machines would be expensive initially but would increase efficiency, reduce defects, and cut maintenance costs, breaking even in four years.

By involving various teams at multiple levels, you find it's worth it to extend timelines from two to four years. Your overhead reduction may be lower than 5% by year two but should be much higher than that by year four based on these changes.

The takeaway from this pretty crude example is that it's helpful to make sure every team that touches anything related to your objective gets consulted. They should give valuable, practical input thanks to their boots- (or cleats-) on-the-ground experience.

4. Define measurable outcomes

An objective should be exactly that. Using KPIs (key performance indicators) to apply a level of objectivity to your action steps allows you to measure their progress and success over time and either adapt as you go along or stay the course.

How do you know if your specific objectives are leading to increased web traffic, or if that's just natural (or even incidental) growth? How do you know if your recruiting efforts lead to better candidates, or whether your employees are actually more satisfied? Here are a few examples of measurable outcomes to show proof:

Percentage change (15% overall increase in revenue)

Goal number (10,000 subscribers)

Success range (five to 10 new clients)

Clear change (new company name)

Executable action (weekly newsletter launch)

5. Outline a roadmap with a schedule

You've got your organizational goals defined, logged your baselines, sourced objectives from across your company, and know your metrics for defining success. Now it's time to set an actionable plan you can execute.

Your objectives roadmap should include all involved team members and departments and clear timelines for reaching milestones. Within your objectives, set action items with deadlines to stay on track, along with corresponding progress markers. For the objective of "increase lead conversion efficiency by 10%," that could look like:

May 15: Begin time logging 

June 1: Register team members for productivity seminar

June 15: Integrate Trello for managing processes

June 15: Audit time log

August 1: Audit time log—goal efficiency increase of 5%

6. Integrate successful changes

You've successfully achieved your objectives—great! But as Yogi Berra famously said, "It ain't over till it's over," and it ain't over yet. 

Don't let this win be a one-off accomplishment. Berra also said "You can observe a lot by just watching," and applying what you observed from this process will help you continue growing your company. Take what worked, and integrate it into your business processes for sustainable improvement. Then create new objectives, so you can continue the cycle.

Examples of business objectives and goals

Business objectives aren't collated plans or complicated flowcharts—they're short, impactful statements that are easy to memorize and communicate. There are four basic components every business objective should have: 

A growth-oriented intention (improve efficiency)

One or more actions (implement monthly training sessions)

A measurement for success (20% increase)

A timeline to reach success (by end of year)

Our SaaS product's implementation team will grow to five during the next fiscal year. This will require us to submit a budget proposal by the end of the quarter and look into restructured growth tracks, new job posting templates, and revised role descriptions by the start of next fiscal year.

We will increase customer satisfaction for our mobile app product demonstrably by the end of the year by integrating a new AI chatbot feature. To measure the change in customer satisfaction, we will monitor ratings in the app store, specifically looking for decreases in rates of negative reviews by 5%-10%  as well as increases in overall positive reviews by 5%-10%.

Each of our water filtration systems will achieve NSF certification ahead of the launch of our rebranding campaign. Our product team will establish a checklist of changes necessary for meeting certification requirements and communicate timelines to the marketing team.

HR will implement bi-annual performance reviews starting next year. Review timelines will be built into scheduling software, and HR will automate email reminders to managers to communicate to their teams.

Business objective template

Business objectives can be as simple as one action or as complex as a multi-year roadmap—but they should be able to fall into a clear, actionable framework.

Tips for achieving business objectives

Calling your shot to the left centerfield wall and hitting a ball over that wall are two different things—the same goes for setting an objective and actualizing it.

Start with clear, attainable goals: Objectives should position your business to reach broader growth goals, so start by establishing those.

Align decisions with objectives: Once you set objectives, they should inform other decisions. Decision-makers should think about how changes they make along the way affect their objectives' timelines and execution.

Listen to team members at all levels: Those most affected by organizational changes can be the ones with the least say in the matter. Great ideas and insights can come from any level—even if they're only tangentially related to an outcome.

What makes business objectives so useful is that they can help you build a plan with defined steps to reach obtainable growth goals. As (one more time) Yogi Berra also once said, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there." 

As you outline your objectives, here are some guides that can help you find KPIs and improvement opportunities:

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Bryce Emley

Currently based in Albuquerque, NM, Bryce Emley holds an MFA in Creative Writing from NC State and nearly a decade of writing and editing experience. His work has been published in magazines including The Atlantic, Boston Review, Salon, and Modern Farmer and has received a regional Emmy and awards from venues including Narrative, Wesleyan University, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, and the Pablo Neruda Prize. When he isn’t writing content, poetry, or creative nonfiction, he enjoys traveling, baking, playing music, reliving his barista days in his own kitchen, camping, and being bad at carpentry.

• Small business
• Sales & business development

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How to Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (+ Template and Examples)

Every successful business has one thing in common, a good and well-executed business plan. A business plan is more than a document, it is a complete guide that outlines the goals your business wants to achieve, including its financial goals . It helps you analyze results, make strategic decisions, show your business operations and growth.

If you want to start a business or already have one and need to pitch it to investors for funding, writing a good business plan improves your chances of attracting financiers. As a startup, if you want to secure loans from financial institutions, part of the requirements involve submitting your business plan.

Writing a business plan does not have to be a complicated or time-consuming process. In this article, you will learn the step-by-step process for writing a successful business plan.

You will also learn what you need a business plan for, tips and strategies for writing a convincing business plan, business plan examples and templates that will save you tons of time, and the alternatives to the traditional business plan.

Let’s get started.

What Do You Need A Business Plan For?

Businesses create business plans for different purposes such as to secure funds, monitor business growth, measure your marketing strategies, and measure your business success.

1. Secure Funds

One of the primary reasons for writing a business plan is to secure funds, either from financial institutions/agencies or investors.

For you to effectively acquire funds, your business plan must contain the key elements of your business plan . For example, your business plan should include your growth plans, goals you want to achieve, and milestones you have recorded.

A business plan can also attract new business partners that are willing to contribute financially and intellectually. If you are writing a business plan to a bank, your project must show your traction , that is, the proof that you can pay back any loan borrowed.

Also, if you are writing to an investor, your plan must contain evidence that you can effectively utilize the funds you want them to invest in your business. Here, you are using your business plan to persuade a group or an individual that your business is a source of a good investment.

2. Monitor Business Growth

A business plan can help you track cash flows in your business. It steers your business to greater heights. A business plan capable of tracking business growth should contain:

• The business goals
• Methods to achieve the goals
• Time-frame for attaining those goals

A good business plan should guide you through every step in achieving your goals. It can also track the allocation of assets to every aspect of the business. You can tell when you are spending more than you should on a project.

You can compare a business plan to a written GPS. It helps you manage your business and hints at the right time to expand your business.

3. Measure Business Success

A business plan can help you measure your business success rate. Some small-scale businesses are thriving better than more prominent companies because of their track record of success.

Right from the onset of your business operation, set goals and work towards them. Write a plan to guide you through your procedures. Use your plan to measure how much you have achieved and how much is left to attain.

You can also weigh your success by monitoring the position of your brand relative to competitors. On the other hand, a business plan can also show you why you have not achieved a goal. It can tell if you have elapsed the time frame you set to attain a goal.

4. Document Your Marketing Strategies

You can use a business plan to document your marketing plans. Every business should have an effective marketing plan.

Competition mandates every business owner to go the extraordinary mile to remain relevant in the market. Your business plan should contain your marketing strategies that work. You can measure the success rate of your marketing plans.

In your business plan, your marketing strategy must answer the questions:

• How do you want to reach your target audience?
• How do you plan to retain your customers?
• What is/are your pricing plans?
• What is your budget for marketing?

How to Write a Business Plan Step-by-Step

1. create your executive summary.

The executive summary is a snapshot of your business or a high-level overview of your business purposes and plans . Although the executive summary is the first section in your business plan, most people write it last. The length of the executive summary is not more than two pages.

Generally, there are nine sections in a business plan, the executive summary should condense essential ideas from the other eight sections.

A good executive summary should do the following:

• A Snapshot of Growth Potential. Briefly inform the reader about your company and why it will be successful)
• Contain your Mission Statement which explains what the main objective or focus of your business is.
• Product Description and Differentiation. Brief description of your products or services and why it is different from other solutions in the market.
• The Team. Basic information about your company’s leadership team and employees
• Business Concept. A solid description of what your business does.
• Target Market. The customers you plan to sell to.
• Marketing Strategy. Your plans on reaching and selling to your customers
• Current Financial State. Brief information about what revenue your business currently generates.
• Projected Financial State. Brief information about what you foresee your business revenue to be in the future.

The executive summary is the make-or-break section of your business plan. If your summary cannot in less than two pages cannot clearly describe how your business will solve a particular problem of your target audience and make a profit, your business plan is set on a faulty foundation.

Avoid using the executive summary to hype your business, instead, focus on helping the reader understand the what and how of your plan.

View the executive summary as an opportunity to introduce your vision for your company. You know your executive summary is powerful when it can answer these key questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• What sector or industry are you in?
• What are your products and services?
• What is the future of your industry?
• Is your company scaleable?
• Who are the owners and leaders of your company? What are their backgrounds and experience levels?
• What is the motivation for starting your company?
• What are the next steps?

Writing the executive summary last although it is the most important section of your business plan is an excellent idea. The reason why is because it is a high-level overview of your business plan. It is the section that determines whether potential investors and lenders will read further or not.

The executive summary can be a stand-alone document that covers everything in your business plan. It is not uncommon for investors to request only the executive summary when evaluating your business. If the information in the executive summary impresses them, they will ask for the complete business plan.

If you are writing your business plan for your planning purposes, you do not need to write the executive summary.

2. Add Your Company Overview

The company overview or description is the next section in your business plan after the executive summary. It describes what your business does.

Adding your company overview can be tricky especially when your business is still in the planning stages. Existing businesses can easily summarize their current operations but may encounter difficulties trying to explain what they plan to become.

Your company overview should contain the following:

• What products and services you will provide
• Geographical markets and locations your company have a presence
• What you need to run your business
• Who your target audience or customers are
• Who will service your customers
• Your company’s purpose, mission, and vision
• Information about your company’s founders
• Who the founders are
• Notable achievements of your company so far

When creating a company overview, you have to focus on three basics: identifying your industry, identifying your customer, and explaining the problem you solve.

If you are stuck when creating your company overview, try to answer some of these questions that pertain to you.

• Who are you targeting? (The answer is not everyone)
• What pain point does your product or service solve for your customers that they will be willing to spend money on resolving?
• How does your product or service overcome that pain point?
• Where is the location of your business?
• What products, equipment, and services do you need to run your business?
• How is your company’s product or service different from your competition in the eyes of your customers?
• How many employees do you need and what skills do you require them to have?

After answering some or all of these questions, you will get more than enough information you need to write your company overview or description section. When writing this section, describe what your company does for your customers.

The company description or overview section contains three elements: mission statement, history, and objectives.

• Mission Statement

The mission statement refers to the reason why your business or company is existing. It goes beyond what you do or sell, it is about the ‘why’. A good mission statement should be emotional and inspirational.

Your mission statement should follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid). For example, Shopify’s mission statement is “Make commerce better for everyone.”

When describing your company’s history, make it simple and avoid the temptation of tying it to a defensive narrative. Write it in the manner you would a profile. Your company’s history should include the following information:

• Founding Date
• Major Milestones
• Location(s)
• Flagship Products or Services
• Number of Employees
• Executive Leadership Roles

When you fill in this information, you use it to write one or two paragraphs about your company’s history.

Business Objectives

Your business objective must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.) Failure to clearly identify your business objectives does not inspire confidence and makes it hard for your team members to work towards a common purpose.

3. Perform Market and Competitive Analyses to Proof a Big Enough Business Opportunity

The third step in writing a business plan is the market and competitive analysis section. Every business, no matter the size, needs to perform comprehensive market and competitive analyses before it enters into a market.

Performing market and competitive analyses are critical for the success of your business. It helps you avoid entering the right market with the wrong product, or vice versa. Anyone reading your business plans, especially financiers and financial institutions will want to see proof that there is a big enough business opportunity you are targeting.

This section is where you describe the market and industry you want to operate in and show the big opportunities in the market that your business can leverage to make a profit. If you noticed any unique trends when doing your research, show them in this section.

Market analysis alone is not enough, you have to add competitive analysis to strengthen this section. There are already businesses in the industry or market, how do you plan to take a share of the market from them?

You have to clearly illustrate the competitive landscape in your business plan. Are there areas your competitors are doing well? Are there areas where they are not doing so well? Show it.

Make it clear in this section why you are moving into the industry and what weaknesses are present there that you plan to explain. How are your competitors going to react to your market entry? How do you plan to get customers? Do you plan on taking your competitors' competitors, tap into other sources for customers, or both?

Illustrate the competitive landscape as well. What are your competitors doing well and not so well?

Answering these questions and thoughts will aid your market and competitive analysis of the opportunities in your space. Depending on how sophisticated your industry is, or the expectations of your financiers, you may need to carry out a more comprehensive market and competitive analysis to prove that big business opportunity.

Instead of looking at the market and competitive analyses as one entity, separating them will make the research even more comprehensive.

Market Analysis

Market analysis, boarding speaking, refers to research a business carried out on its industry, market, and competitors. It helps businesses gain a good understanding of their target market and the outlook of their industry. Before starting a company, it is vital to carry out market research to find out if the market is viable.

The market analysis section is a key part of the business plan. It is the section where you identify who your best clients or customers are. You cannot omit this section, without it your business plan is incomplete.

A good market analysis will tell your readers how you fit into the existing market and what makes you stand out. This section requires in-depth research, it will probably be the most time-consuming part of the business plan to write.

• Market Research

To create a compelling market analysis that will win over investors and financial institutions, you have to carry out thorough market research . Your market research should be targeted at your primary target market for your products or services. Here is what you want to find out about your target market.

• Your target market’s needs or pain points
• The existing solutions for their pain points
• Geographic Location
• Demographics

The purpose of carrying out a marketing analysis is to get all the information you need to show that you have a solid and thorough understanding of your target audience.

Only after you have fully understood the people you plan to sell your products or services to, can you evaluate correctly if your target market will be interested in your products or services.

You can easily convince interested parties to invest in your business if you can show them you thoroughly understand the market and show them that there is a market for your products or services.

How to Quantify Your Target Market

One of the goals of your marketing research is to understand who your ideal customers are and their purchasing power. To quantify your target market, you have to determine the following:

• Your Potential Customers: They are the people you plan to target. For example, if you sell accounting software for small businesses , then anyone who runs an enterprise or large business is unlikely to be your customers. Also, individuals who do not have a business will most likely not be interested in your product.
• Total Households: If you are selling household products such as heating and air conditioning systems, determining the number of total households is more important than finding out the total population in the area you want to sell to. The logic is simple, people buy the product but it is the household that uses it.
• Median Income: You need to know the median income of your target market. If you target a market that cannot afford to buy your products and services, your business will not last long.
• Income by Demographics: If your potential customers belong to a certain age group or gender, determining income levels by demographics is necessary. For example, if you sell men's clothes, your target audience is men.

What Does a Good Market Analysis Entail?

Your business does not exist on its own, it can only flourish within an industry and alongside competitors. Market analysis takes into consideration your industry, target market, and competitors. Understanding these three entities will drastically improve your company’s chances of success.

You can view your market analysis as an examination of the market you want to break into and an education on the emerging trends and themes in that market. Good market analyses include the following:

• Industry Description. You find out about the history of your industry, the current and future market size, and who the largest players/companies are in your industry.
• Overview of Target Market. You research your target market and its characteristics. Who are you targeting? Note, it cannot be everyone, it has to be a specific group. You also have to find out all information possible about your customers that can help you understand how and why they make buying decisions.
• Size of Target Market: You need to know the size of your target market, how frequently they buy, and the expected quantity they buy so you do not risk overproducing and having lots of bad inventory. Researching the size of your target market will help you determine if it is big enough for sustained business or not.
• Growth Potential: Before picking a target market, you want to be sure there are lots of potential for future growth. You want to avoid going for an industry that is declining slowly or rapidly with almost zero growth potential.
• Market Share Potential: Does your business stand a good chance of taking a good share of the market?
• Market Pricing and Promotional Strategies: Your market analysis should give you an idea of the price point you can expect to charge for your products and services. Researching your target market will also give you ideas of pricing strategies you can implement to break into the market or to enjoy maximum profits.
• Potential Barriers to Entry: One of the biggest benefits of conducting market analysis is that it shows you every potential barrier to entry your business will likely encounter. It is a good idea to discuss potential barriers to entry such as changing technology. It informs readers of your business plan that you understand the market.
• Research on Competitors: You need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and how you can exploit them for the benefit of your business. Find patterns and trends among your competitors that make them successful, discover what works and what doesn’t, and see what you can do better.

The market analysis section is not just for talking about your target market, industry, and competitors. You also have to explain how your company can fill the hole you have identified in the market.

Here are some questions you can answer that can help you position your product or service in a positive light to your readers.

• Is your product or service of superior quality?
• What additional features do you offer that your competitors do not offer?
• Are you targeting a ‘new’ market?

Basically, your market analysis should include an analysis of what already exists in the market and an explanation of how your company fits into the market.

Competitive Analysis

In the competitive analysis section, y ou have to understand who your direct and indirect competitions are, and how successful they are in the marketplace. It is the section where you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, the advantage(s) they possess in the market and show the unique features or qualities that make you different from your competitors.

Many businesses do market analysis and competitive analysis together. However, to fully understand what the competitive analysis entails, it is essential to separate it from the market analysis.

Competitive analysis for your business can also include analysis on how to overcome barriers to entry in your target market.

The primary goal of conducting a competitive analysis is to distinguish your business from your competitors. A strong competitive analysis is essential if you want to convince potential funding sources to invest in your business. You have to show potential investors and lenders that your business has what it takes to compete in the marketplace successfully.

Competitive analysis will s how you what the strengths of your competition are and what they are doing to maintain that advantage.

When doing your competitive research, you first have to identify your competitor and then get all the information you can about them. The idea of spending time to identify your competitor and learn everything about them may seem daunting but it is well worth it.

Find answers to the following questions after you have identified who your competitors are.

• What are your successful competitors doing?
• Why is what they are doing working?
• Can your business do it better?
• What are the weaknesses of your successful competitors?
• What are they not doing well?
• Can your business turn its weaknesses into strengths?
• How good is your competitors’ customer service?
• Where do your competitors invest in advertising?
• What sales and pricing strategies are they using?
• What marketing strategies are they using?
• What kind of press coverage do they get?
• What are their customers saying about your competitors (both the positive and negative)?

If your competitors have a website, it is a good idea to visit their websites for more competitors’ research. Check their “About Us” page for more information.

If you are presenting your business plan to investors, you need to clearly distinguish yourself from your competitors. Investors can easily tell when you have not properly researched your competitors.

Take time to think about what unique qualities or features set you apart from your competitors. If you do not have any direct competition offering your product to the market, it does not mean you leave out the competitor analysis section blank. Instead research on other companies that are providing a similar product, or whose product is solving the problem your product solves.

The next step is to create a table listing the top competitors you want to include in your business plan. Ensure you list your business as the last and on the right. What you just created is known as the competitor analysis table.

Direct vs Indirect Competition

You cannot know if your product or service will be a fit for your target market if you have not understood your business and the competitive landscape.

There is no market you want to target where you will not encounter competition, even if your product is innovative. Including competitive analysis in your business plan is essential.

If you are entering an established market, you need to explain how you plan to differentiate your products from the available options in the market. Also, include a list of few companies that you view as your direct competitors The competition you face in an established market is your direct competition.

In situations where you are entering a market with no direct competition, it does not mean there is no competition there. Consider your indirect competition that offers substitutes for the products or services you offer.

For example, if you sell an innovative SaaS product, let us say a project management software , a company offering time management software is your indirect competition.

There is an easy way to find out who your indirect competitors are in the absence of no direct competitors. You simply have to research how your potential customers are solving the problems that your product or service seeks to solve. That is your direct competition.

Factors that Differentiate Your Business from the Competition

There are three main factors that any business can use to differentiate itself from its competition. They are cost leadership, product differentiation, and market segmentation.

1. Cost Leadership

A strategy you can impose to maximize your profits and gain an edge over your competitors. It involves offering lower prices than what the majority of your competitors are offering.

A common practice among businesses looking to enter into a market where there are dominant players is to use free trials or pricing to attract as many customers as possible to their offer.

2. Product Differentiation

Your product or service should have a unique selling proposition (USP) that your competitors do not have or do not stress in their marketing.

Part of the marketing strategy should involve making your products unique and different from your competitors. It does not have to be different from your competitors, it can be the addition to a feature or benefit that your competitors do not currently have.

3. Market Segmentation

As a new business seeking to break into an industry, you will gain more success from focusing on a specific niche or target market, and not the whole industry.

If your competitors are focused on a general need or target market, you can differentiate yourself from them by having a small and hyper-targeted audience. For example, if your competitors are selling men’s clothes in their online stores , you can sell hoodies for men.

4. Define Your Business and Management Structure

The next step in your business plan is your business and management structure. It is the section where you describe the legal structure of your business and the team running it.

Your business is only as good as the management team that runs it, while the management team can only strive when there is a proper business and management structure in place.

If your company is a sole proprietor or a limited liability company (LLC), a general or limited partnership, or a C or an S corporation, state it clearly in this section.

Use an organizational chart to show the management structure in your business. Clearly show who is in charge of what area in your company. It is where you show how each key manager or team leader’s unique experience can contribute immensely to the success of your company. You can also opt to add the resumes and CVs of the key players in your company.

The business and management structure section should show who the owner is, and other owners of the businesses (if the business has other owners). For businesses or companies with multiple owners, include the percent ownership of the various owners and clearly show the extent of each others’ involvement in the company.

Investors want to know who is behind the company and the team running it to determine if it has the right management to achieve its set goals.

Management Team

The management team section is where you show that you have the right team in place to successfully execute the business operations and ideas. Take time to create the management structure for your business. Think about all the important roles and responsibilities that you need managers for to grow your business.

Include brief bios of each key team member and ensure you highlight only the relevant information that is needed. If your team members have background industry experience or have held top positions for other companies and achieved success while filling that role, highlight it in this section.

A common mistake that many startups make is assigning C-level titles such as (CMO and CEO) to everyone on their team. It is unrealistic for a small business to have those titles. While it may look good on paper for the ego of your team members, it can prevent investors from investing in your business.

Instead of building an unrealistic management structure that does not fit your business reality, it is best to allow business titles to grow as the business grows. Starting everyone at the top leaves no room for future change or growth, which is bad for productivity.

Your management team does not have to be complete before you start writing your business plan. You can have a complete business plan even when there are managerial positions that are empty and need filling.

If you have management gaps in your team, simply show the gaps and indicate you are searching for the right candidates for the role(s). Investors do not expect you to have a full management team when you are just starting your business.

Key Questions to Answer When Structuring Your Management Team

• Who are the key leaders?
• What experiences, skills, and educational backgrounds do you expect your key leaders to have?
• Do your key leaders have industry experience?
• What positions will they fill and what duties will they perform in those positions?
• What level of authority do the key leaders have and what are their responsibilities?
• What is the salary for the various management positions that will attract the ideal candidates?

Additional Tips for Writing the Management Structure Section

1. Avoid Adding ‘Ghost’ Names to Your Management Team

There is always that temptation to include a ‘ghost’ name to your management team to attract and influence investors to invest in your business. Although the presence of these celebrity management team members may attract the attention of investors, it can cause your business to lose any credibility if you get found out.

Seasoned investors will investigate further the members of your management team before committing fully to your business If they find out that the celebrity name used does not play any actual role in your business, they will not invest and may write you off as dishonest.

2. Focus on Credentials But Pay Extra Attention to the Roles

Investors want to know the experience that your key team members have to determine if they can successfully reach the company’s growth and financial goals.

While it is an excellent boost for your key management team to have the right credentials, you also want to pay extra attention to the roles they will play in your company.

Organizational Chart

Adding an organizational chart in this section of your business plan is not necessary, you can do it in your business plan’s appendix.

If you are exploring funding options, it is not uncommon to get asked for your organizational chart. The function of an organizational chart goes beyond raising money, you can also use it as a useful planning tool for your business.

An organizational chart can help you identify how best to structure your management team for maximum productivity and point you towards key roles you need to fill in the future.

You can use the organizational chart to show your company’s internal management structure such as the roles and responsibilities of your management team, and relationships that exist between them.

5. Describe Your Product and Service Offering

In your business plan, you have to describe what you sell or the service you plan to offer. It is the next step after defining your business and management structure. The products and services section is where you sell the benefits of your business.

Here you have to explain how your product or service will benefit your customers and describe your product lifecycle. It is also the section where you write down your plans for intellectual property like patent filings and copyrighting.

The research and development that you are undertaking for your product or service need to be explained in detail in this section. However, do not get too technical, sell the general idea and its benefits.

If you have any diagrams or intricate designs of your product or service, do not include them in the products and services section. Instead, leave them for the addendum page. Also, if you are leaving out diagrams or designs for the addendum, ensure you add this phrase “For more detail, visit the addendum Page #.”

Your product and service section in your business plan should include the following:

• A detailed explanation that clearly shows how your product or service works.
• The pricing model for your product or service.
• Your business’ sales and distribution strategy.
• The ideal customers that want your product or service.
• The benefits of your products and services.
• Reason(s) why your product or service is a better alternative to what your competitors are currently offering in the market.
• Plans for filling the orders you receive
• If you have current or pending patents, copyrights, and trademarks for your product or service, you can also discuss them in this section.

What to Focus On When Describing the Benefits, Lifecycle, and Production Process of Your Products or Services

In the products and services section, you have to distill the benefits, lifecycle, and production process of your products and services.

When describing the benefits of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Unique features
• Translating the unique features into benefits
• The emotional, psychological, and practical payoffs to attract customers
• Intellectual property rights or any patents

When describing the product life cycle of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Upsells, cross-sells, and down-sells
• Time between purchases
• Plans for research and development.

When describing the production process for your products or services, you need to think about the following:

• The creation of new or existing products and services.
• The sources for the raw materials or components you need for production.
• Assembling the products
• Maintaining quality control
• Supply-chain logistics (receiving the raw materials and delivering the finished products)
• The day-to-day management of the production processes, bookkeeping, and inventory.

Tips for Writing the Products or Services Section of Your Business Plan

1. Avoid Technical Descriptions and Industry Buzzwords

The products and services section of your business plan should clearly describe the products and services that your company provides. However, it is not a section to include technical jargons that anyone outside your industry will not understand.

A good practice is to remove highly detailed or technical descriptions in favor of simple terms. Industry buzzwords are not necessary, if there are simpler terms you can use, then use them. If you plan to use your business plan to source funds, making the product or service section so technical will do you no favors.

2. Describe How Your Products or Services Differ from Your Competitors

When potential investors look at your business plan, they want to know how the products and services you are offering differ from that of your competition. Differentiating your products or services from your competition in a way that makes your solution more attractive is critical.

If you are going the innovative path and there is no market currently for your product or service, you need to describe in this section why the market needs your product or service.

For example, overnight delivery was a niche business that only a few companies were participating in. Federal Express (FedEx) had to show in its business plan that there was a large opportunity for that service and they justified why the market needed that service.

3. Long or Short Products or Services Section

Should your products or services section be short? Does the long products or services section attract more investors?

There are no straightforward answers to these questions. Whether your products or services section should be long or relatively short depends on the nature of your business.

If your business is product-focused, then automatically you need to use more space to describe the details of your products. However, if the product your business sells is a commodity item that relies on competitive pricing or other pricing strategies, you do not have to use up so much space to provide significant details about the product.

Likewise, if you are selling a commodity that is available in numerous outlets, then you do not have to spend time on writing a long products or services section.

The key to the success of your business is most likely the effectiveness of your marketing strategies compared to your competitors. Use more space to address that section.

If you are creating a new product or service that the market does not know about, your products or services section can be lengthy. The reason why is because you need to explain everything about the product or service such as the nature of the product, its use case, and values.

A short products or services section for an innovative product or service will not give the readers enough information to properly evaluate your business.

4. Describe Your Relationships with Vendors or Suppliers

Your business will rely on vendors or suppliers to supply raw materials or the components needed to make your products. In your products and services section, describe your relationships with your vendors and suppliers fully.

Avoid the mistake of relying on only one supplier or vendor. If that supplier or vendor fails to supply or goes out of business, you can easily face supply problems and struggle to meet your demands. Plan to set up multiple vendor or supplier relationships for better business stability.

5. Your Primary Goal Is to Convince Your Readers

The primary goal of your business plan is to convince your readers that your business is viable and to create a guide for your business to follow. It applies to the products and services section.

When drafting this section, think like the reader. See your reader as someone who has no idea about your products and services. You are using the products and services section to provide the needed information to help your reader understand your products and services. As a result, you have to be clear and to the point.

While you want to educate your readers about your products or services, you also do not want to bore them with lots of technical details. Show your products and services and not your fancy choice of words.

Your products and services section should provide the answer to the “what” question for your business. You and your management team may run the business, but it is your products and services that are the lifeblood of the business.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing your Products and Services Section

Answering these questions can help you write your products and services section quickly and in a way that will appeal to your readers.

• Are your products existing on the market or are they still in the development stage?
• What is your timeline for adding new products and services to the market?
• What are the positives that make your products and services different from your competitors?
• Do your products and services have any competitive advantage that your competitors’ products and services do not currently have?
• Do your products or services have any competitive disadvantages that you need to overcome to compete with your competitors? If your answer is yes, state how you plan to overcome them,
• How much does it cost to produce your products or services? How much do you plan to sell it for?
• What is the price for your products and services compared to your competitors? Is pricing an issue?
• What are your operating costs and will it be low enough for you to compete with your competitors and still take home a reasonable profit margin?
• What is your plan for acquiring your products? Are you involved in the production of your products or services?
• Are you the manufacturer and produce all the components you need to create your products? Do you assemble your products by using components supplied by other manufacturers? Do you purchase your products directly from suppliers or wholesalers?
• Do you have a steady supply of products that you need to start your business? (If your business is yet to kick-off)
• How do you plan to distribute your products or services to the market?

You can also hint at the marketing or promotion plans you have for your products or services such as how you plan to build awareness or retain customers. The next section is where you can go fully into details about your business’s marketing and sales plan.

6. Show and Explain Your Marketing and Sales Plan

Providing great products and services is wonderful, but it means nothing if you do not have a marketing and sales plan to inform your customers about them. Your marketing and sales plan is critical to the success of your business.

The sales and marketing section is where you show and offer a detailed explanation of your marketing and sales plan and how you plan to execute it. It covers your pricing plan, proposed advertising and promotion activities, activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success, and the benefits of your products and services.

There are several ways you can approach your marketing and sales strategy. Ideally, your marketing and sales strategy has to fit the unique needs of your business.

In this section, you describe how the plans your business has for attracting and retaining customers, and the exact process for making a sale happen. It is essential to thoroughly describe your complete marketing and sales plans because you are still going to reference this section when you are making financial projections for your business.

Outline Your Business’ Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The sales and marketing section is where you outline your business’s unique selling proposition (USP). When you are developing your unique selling proposition, think about the strongest reasons why people should buy from you over your competition. That reason(s) is most likely a good fit to serve as your unique selling proposition (USP).

Target Market and Target Audience

Plans on how to get your products or services to your target market and how to get your target audience to buy them go into this section. You also highlight the strengths of your business here, particularly what sets them apart from your competition.

Before you start writing your marketing and sales plan, you need to have properly defined your target audience and fleshed out your buyer persona. If you do not first understand the individual you are marketing to, your marketing and sales plan will lack any substance and easily fall.

Creating a Smart Marketing and Sales Plan

Marketing your products and services is an investment that requires you to spend money. Like any other investment, you have to generate a good return on investment (ROI) to justify using that marketing and sales plan. Good marketing and sales plans bring in high sales and profits to your company.

Avoid spending money on unproductive marketing channels. Do your research and find out the best marketing and sales plan that works best for your company.

Your marketing and sales plan can be broken into different parts: your positioning statement, pricing, promotion, packaging, advertising, public relations, content marketing, social media, and strategic alliances.

Your Positioning Statement

Your positioning statement is the first part of your marketing and sales plan. It refers to the way you present your company to your customers.

Are you the premium solution, the low-price solution, or are you the intermediary between the two extremes in the market? What do you offer that your competitors do not that can give you leverage in the market?

Before you start writing your positioning statement, you need to spend some time evaluating the current market conditions. Here are some questions that can help you to evaluate the market

• What are the unique features or benefits that you offer that your competitors lack?
• What are your customers’ primary needs and wants?
• Why should a customer choose you over your competition? How do you plan to differentiate yourself from the competition?
• How does your company’s solution compare with other solutions in the market?

After answering these questions, then you can start writing your positioning statement. Your positioning statement does not have to be in-depth or too long.

All you need to explain with your positioning statement are two focus areas. The first is the position of your company within the competitive landscape. The other focus area is the core value proposition that sets your company apart from other alternatives that your ideal customer might consider.

Here is a simple template you can use to develop a positioning statement.

For [description of target market] who [need of target market], [product or service] [how it meets the need]. Unlike [top competition], it [most essential distinguishing feature].

For example, let’s create the positioning statement for fictional accounting software and QuickBooks alternative , TBooks.

“For small business owners who need accounting services, TBooks is an accounting software that helps small businesses handle their small business bookkeeping basics quickly and easily. Unlike Wave, TBooks gives small businesses access to live sessions with top accountants.”

You can edit this positioning statement sample and fill it with your business details.

After writing your positioning statement, the next step is the pricing of your offerings. The overall positioning strategy you set in your positioning statement will often determine how you price your products or services.

Pricing is a powerful tool that sends a strong message to your customers. Failure to get your pricing strategy right can make or mar your business. If you are targeting a low-income audience, setting a premium price can result in low sales.

You can use pricing to communicate your positioning to your customers. For example, if you are offering a product at a premium price, you are sending a message to your customers that the product belongs to the premium category.

Basic Rules to Follow When Pricing Your Offering

Setting a price for your offering involves more than just putting a price tag on it. Deciding on the right pricing for your offering requires following some basic rules. They include covering your costs, primary and secondary profit center pricing, and matching the market rate.

• Covering Your Costs: The price you set for your products or service should be more than it costs you to produce and deliver them. Every business has the same goal, to make a profit. Depending on the strategy you want to use, there are exceptions to this rule. However, the vast majority of businesses follow this rule.
• Primary and Secondary Profit Center Pricing: When a company sets its price above the cost of production, it is making that product its primary profit center. A company can also decide not to make its initial price its primary profit center by selling below or at even with its production cost. It rather depends on the support product or even maintenance that is associated with the initial purchase to make its profit. The initial price thus became its secondary profit center.
• Matching the Market Rate: A good rule to follow when pricing your products or services is to match your pricing with consumer demand and expectations. If you price your products or services beyond the price your customer perceives as the ideal price range, you may end up with no customers. Pricing your products too low below what your customer perceives as the ideal price range may lead to them undervaluing your offering.

Pricing Strategy

Your pricing strategy influences the price of your offering. There are several pricing strategies available for you to choose from when examining the right pricing strategy for your business. They include cost-plus pricing, market-based pricing, value pricing, and more.

• Cost-plus Pricing: This strategy is one of the simplest and oldest pricing strategies. Here you consider the cost of producing a unit of your product and then add a profit to it to arrive at your market price. It is an effective pricing strategy for manufacturers because it helps them cover their initial costs. Another name for the cost-plus pricing strategy is the markup pricing strategy.
• Market-based Pricing: This pricing strategy analyses the market including competitors’ pricing and then sets a price based on what the market is expecting. With this pricing strategy, you can either set your price at the low-end or high-end of the market.
• Value Pricing: This pricing strategy involves setting a price based on the value you are providing to your customer. When adopting a value-based pricing strategy, you have to set a price that your customers are willing to pay. Service-based businesses such as small business insurance providers , luxury goods sellers, and the fashion industry use this pricing strategy.

After carefully sorting out your positioning statement and pricing, the next item to look at is your promotional strategy. Your promotional strategy explains how you plan on communicating with your customers and prospects.

As a business, you must measure all your costs, including the cost of your promotions. You also want to measure how much sales your promotions bring for your business to determine its usefulness. Promotional strategies or programs that do not lead to profit need to be removed.

There are different types of promotional strategies you can adopt for your business, they include advertising, public relations, and content marketing.

Advertising

Your business plan should include your advertising plan which can be found in the marketing and sales plan section. You need to include an overview of your advertising plans such as the areas you plan to spend money on to advertise your business and offers.

Ensure that you make it clear in this section if your business will be advertising online or using the more traditional offline media, or the combination of both online and offline media. You can also include the advertising medium you want to use to raise awareness about your business and offers.

Some common online advertising mediums you can use include social media ads, landing pages, sales pages, SEO, Pay-Per-Click, emails, Google Ads, and others. Some common traditional and offline advertising mediums include word of mouth, radios, direct mail, televisions, flyers, billboards, posters, and others.

A key component of your advertising strategy is how you plan to measure the effectiveness and success of your advertising campaign. There is no point in sticking with an advertising plan or medium that does not produce results for your business in the long run.

Public Relations

A great way to reach your customers is to get the media to cover your business or product. Publicity, especially good ones, should be a part of your marketing and sales plan. In this section, show your plans for getting prominent reviews of your product from reputable publications and sources.

Your business needs that exposure to grow. If public relations is a crucial part of your promotional strategy, provide details about your public relations plan here.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a popular promotional strategy used by businesses to inform and attract their customers. It is about teaching and educating your prospects on various topics of interest in your niche, it does not just involve informing them about the benefits and features of the products and services you have,

Businesses publish content usually for free where they provide useful information, tips, and advice so that their target market can be made aware of the importance of their products and services. Content marketing strategies seek to nurture prospects into buyers over time by simply providing value.

Your company can create a blog where it will be publishing content for its target market. You will need to use the best website builder such as Wix and Squarespace and the best web hosting services such as Bluehost, Hostinger, and other Bluehost alternatives to create a functional blog or website.

If content marketing is a crucial part of your promotional strategy (as it should be), detail your plans under promotions.

Including high-quality images of the packaging of your product in your business plan is a lovely idea. You can add the images of the packaging of that product in the marketing and sales plan section. If you are not selling a product, then you do not need to include any worry about the physical packaging of your product.

When organizing the packaging section of your business plan, you can answer the following questions to make maximum use of this section.

• Is your choice of packaging consistent with your positioning strategy?
• What key value proposition does your packaging communicate? (It should reflect the key value proposition of your business)
• How does your packaging compare to that of your competitors?

Social Media

Your 21st-century business needs to have a good social media presence. Not having one is leaving out opportunities for growth and reaching out to your prospect.

You do not have to join the thousands of social media platforms out there. What you need to do is join the ones that your customers are active on and be active there.

Businesses use social media to provide information about their products such as promotions, discounts, the benefits of their products, and content on their blogs.

Social media is also a platform for engaging with your customers and getting feedback about your products or services. Make no mistake, more and more of your prospects are using social media channels to find more information about companies.

You need to consider the social media channels you want to prioritize your business (prioritize the ones your customers are active in) and your branding plans in this section.

Strategic Alliances

If your company plans to work closely with other companies as part of your sales and marketing plan, include it in this section. Prove details about those partnerships in your business plan if you have already established them.

Strategic alliances can be beneficial for all parties involved including your company. Working closely with another company in the form of a partnership can provide access to a different target market segment for your company.

The company you are partnering with may also gain access to your target market or simply offer a new product or service (that of your company) to its customers.

Mutually beneficial partnerships can cover the weaknesses of one company with the strength of another. You should consider strategic alliances with companies that sell complimentary products to yours. For example, if you provide printers, you can partner with a company that produces ink since the customers that buy printers from you will also need inks for printing.

Steps Involved in Creating a Marketing and Sales Plan

1. Focus on Your Target Market

Identify who your customers are, the market you want to target. Then determine the best ways to get your products or services to your potential customers.

2. Evaluate Your Competition

One of the goals of having a marketing plan is to distinguish yourself from your competition. You cannot stand out from them without first knowing them in and out.

You can know your competitors by gathering information about their products, pricing, service, and advertising campaigns.

These questions can help you know your competition.

• What makes your competition successful?
• What are their weaknesses?
• What are customers saying about your competition?

3. Consider Your Brand

Customers' perception of your brand has a strong impact on your sales. Your marketing and sales plan should seek to bolster the image of your brand. Before you start marketing your business, think about the message you want to pass across about your business and your products and services.

4. Focus on Benefits

The majority of your customers do not view your product in terms of features, what they want to know is the benefits and solutions your product offers. Think about the problems your product solves and the benefits it delivers, and use it to create the right sales and marketing message.

Your marketing plan should focus on what you want your customer to get instead of what you provide. Identify those benefits in your marketing and sales plan.

5. Focus on Differentiation

Your marketing and sales plan should look for a unique angle they can take that differentiates your business from the competition, even if the products offered are similar. Some good areas of differentiation you can use are your benefits, pricing, and features.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing Your Marketing and Sales Plan

• What is your company’s budget for sales and marketing campaigns?
• What key metrics will you use to determine if your marketing plans are successful?
• What are your alternatives if your initial marketing efforts do not succeed?
• Who are the sales representatives you need to promote your products or services?
• What are the marketing and sales channels you plan to use? How do you plan to get your products in front of your ideal customers?
• Where will you sell your products?

You may want to include samples of marketing materials you plan to use such as print ads, website descriptions, and social media ads. While it is not compulsory to include these samples, it can help you better communicate your marketing and sales plan and objectives.

The purpose of the marketing and sales section is to answer this question “How will you reach your customers?” If you cannot convincingly provide an answer to this question, you need to rework your marketing and sales section.

7. Clearly Show Your Funding Request

If you are writing your business plan to ask for funding from investors or financial institutions, the funding request section is where you will outline your funding requirements. The funding request section should answer the question ‘How much money will your business need in the near future (3 to 5 years)?’

A good funding request section will clearly outline and explain the amount of funding your business needs over the next five years. You need to know the amount of money your business needs to make an accurate funding request.

Also, when writing your funding request, provide details of how the funds will be used over the period. Specify if you want to use the funds to buy raw materials or machinery, pay salaries, pay for advertisements, and cover specific bills such as rent and electricity.

In addition to explaining what you want to use the funds requested for, you need to clearly state the projected return on investment (ROI) . Investors and creditors want to know if your business can generate profit for them if they put funds into it.

Ensure you do not inflate the figures and stay as realistic as possible. Investors and financial institutions you are seeking funds from will do their research before investing money in your business.

If you are not sure of an exact number to request from, you can use some range of numbers as rough estimates. Add a best-case scenario and a work-case scenario to your funding request. Also, include a description of your strategic future financial plans such as selling your business or paying off debts.

Funding Request: Debt or Equity?

When making your funding request, specify the type of funding you want. Do you want debt or equity? Draw out the terms that will be applicable for the funding, and the length of time the funding request will cover.

Case for Equity

If your new business has not yet started generating profits, you are most likely preparing to sell equity in your business to raise capital at the early stage. Equity here refers to ownership. In this case, you are selling a portion of your company to raise capital.

Although this method of raising capital for your business does not put your business in debt, keep in mind that an equity owner may expect to play a key role in company decisions even if he does not hold a major stake in the company.

Most equity sales for startups are usually private transactions . If you are making a funding request by offering equity in exchange for funding, let the investor know that they will be paid a dividend (a share of the company’s profit). Also, let the investor know the process for selling their equity in your business.

Case for Debt

You may decide not to offer equity in exchange for funds, instead, you make a funding request with the promise to pay back the money borrowed at the agreed time frame.

When making a funding request with an agreement to pay back, note that you will have to repay your creditors both the principal amount borrowed and the interest on it. Financial institutions offer this type of funding for businesses.

Large companies combine both equity and debt in their capital structure. When drafting your business plan, decide if you want to offer both or one over the other.

Before you sell equity in exchange for funding in your business, consider if you are willing to accept not being in total control of your business. Also, before you seek loans in your funding request section, ensure that the terms of repayment are favorable.

You should set a clear timeline in your funding request so that potential investors and creditors can know what you are expecting. Some investors and creditors may agree to your funding request and then delay payment for longer than 30 days, meanwhile, your business needs an immediate cash injection to operate efficiently.

Additional Tips for Writing the Funding Request Section of your Business Plan

The funding request section is not necessary for every business, it is only needed by businesses who plan to use their business plan to secure funding.

If you are adding the funding request section to your business plan, provide an itemized summary of how you plan to use the funds requested. Hiring a lawyer, accountant, or other professionals may be necessary for the proper development of this section.

You should also gather and use financial statements that add credibility and support to your funding requests. Ensure that the financial statements you use should include your projected financial data such as projected cash flows, forecast statements, and expenditure budgets.

If you are an existing business, include all historical financial statements such as cash flow statements, balance sheets and income statements .

Provide monthly and quarterly financial statements for a year. If your business has records that date back beyond the one-year mark, add the yearly statements of those years. These documents are for the appendix section of your business plan.

8. Detail Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projections

If you used the funding request section in your business plan, supplement it with a financial plan, metrics, and projections. This section paints a picture of the past performance of your business and then goes ahead to make an informed projection about its future.

The goal of this section is to convince readers that your business is going to be a financial success. It outlines your business plan to generate enough profit to repay the loan (with interest if applicable) and to generate a decent return on investment for investors.

If you have an existing business already in operation, use this section to demonstrate stability through finance. This section should include your cash flow statements, balance sheets, and income statements covering the last three to five years. If your business has some acceptable collateral that you can use to acquire loans, list it in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

Apart from current financial statements, this section should also contain a prospective financial outlook that spans the next five years. Include forecasted income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and capital expenditure budget.

If your business is new and is not yet generating profit, use clear and realistic projections to show the potentials of your business.

When drafting this section, research industry norms and the performance of comparable businesses. Your financial projections should cover at least five years. State the logic behind your financial projections. Remember you can always make adjustments to this section as the variables change.

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section create a baseline which your business can either exceed or fail to reach. If your business fails to reach your projections in this section, you need to understand why it failed.

Investors and loan managers spend a lot of time going through the financial plan, metrics, and projection section compared to other parts of the business plan. Ensure you spend time creating credible financial analyses for your business in this section.

Many entrepreneurs find this section daunting to write. You do not need a business degree to create a solid financial forecast for your business. Business finances, especially for startups, are not as complicated as they seem. There are several online tools and templates that make writing this section so much easier.

Use Graphs and Charts

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section is a great place to use graphs and charts to tell the financial story of your business. Charts and images make it easier to communicate your finances.

Accuracy in this section is key, ensure you carefully analyze your past financial statements properly before making financial projects.

Address the Risk Factors and Show Realistic Financial Projections

Keep your financial plan, metrics, and projection realistic. It is okay to be optimistic in your financial projection, however, you have to justify it.

You should also address the various risk factors associated with your business in this section. Investors want to know the potential risks involved, show them. You should also show your plans for mitigating those risks.

What You Should In The Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection Section of Your Business Plan

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section of your business plan should have monthly sales and revenue forecasts for the first year. It should also include annual projections that cover 3 to 5 years.

A three-year projection is a basic requirement to have in your business plan. However, some investors may request a five-year forecast.

Your business plan should include the following financial statements: sales forecast, personnel plan, income statement, income statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, and an exit strategy.

1. Sales Forecast

Sales forecast refers to your projections about the number of sales your business is going to record over the next few years. It is typically broken into several rows, with each row assigned to a core product or service that your business is offering.

One common mistake people make in their business plan is to break down the sales forecast section into long details. A sales forecast should forecast the high-level details.

For example, if you are forecasting sales for a payroll software provider, you could break down your forecast into target market segments or subscription categories.

Your sales forecast section should also have a corresponding row for each sales row to cover the direct cost or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). The objective of these rows is to show the expenses that your business incurs in making and delivering your product or service.

Note that your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) should only cover those direct costs incurred when making your products. Other indirect expenses such as insurance, salaries, payroll tax, and rent should not be included.

For example, the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for a restaurant is the cost of ingredients while for a consulting company it will be the cost of paper and other presentation materials.

2. Personnel Plan

The personnel plan section is where you provide details about the payment plan for your employees. For a small business, you can easily list every position in your company and how much you plan to pay in the personnel plan.

However, for larger businesses, you have to break the personnel plan into functional groups such as sales and marketing.

The personnel plan will also include the cost of an employee beyond salary, commonly referred to as the employee burden. These costs include insurance, payroll taxes , and other essential costs incurred monthly as a result of having employees on your payroll.

3. Income Statement

The income statement section shows if your business is making a profit or taking a loss. Another name for the income statement is the profit and loss (P&L). It takes data from your sales forecast and personnel plan and adds other ongoing expenses you incur while running your business.

Every business plan should have an income statement. It subtracts your business expenses from its earnings to show if your business is generating profit or incurring losses.

The income statement has the following items: sales, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), gross margin, operating expenses, total operating expenses, operating income , total expenses, and net profit.

• Sales refer to the revenue your business generates from selling its products or services. Other names for sales are income or revenue.
• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) refers to the total cost of selling your products. Other names for COGS are direct costs or cost of sales. Manufacturing businesses use the Costs of Goods Manufactured (COGM) .
• Gross Margin is the figure you get when you subtract your COGS from your sales. In your income statement, you can express it as a percentage of total sales (Gross margin / Sales = Gross Margin Percent).
• Operating Expenses refer to all the expenses you incur from running your business. It exempts the COGS because it stands alone as a core part of your income statement. You also have to exclude taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Your operating expenses include salaries, marketing expenses, research and development (R&D) expenses, and other expenses.
• Total Operating Expenses refers to the sum of all your operating expenses including those exemptions named above under operating expenses.
• Operating Income refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is simply known as the acronym EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Calculating your operating income is simple, all you need to do is to subtract your COGS and total operating expenses from your sales.
• Total Expenses refer to the sum of your operating expenses and your business’ interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
• Net profit shows whether your business has made a profit or taken a loss during a given timeframe.

4. Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement tracks the money you have in the bank at any given point. It is often confused with the income statement or the profit and loss statement. They are both different types of financial statements. The income statement calculates your profits and losses while the cash flow statement shows you how much you have in the bank.

5. Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a financial statement that provides an overview of the financial health of your business. It contains information about the assets and liabilities of your company, and owner’s or shareholders’ equity.

You can get the net worth of your company by subtracting your company’s liabilities from its assets.

6. Exit Strategy

The exit strategy refers to a probable plan for selling your business either to the public in an IPO or to another company. It is the last thing you include in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

You can choose to omit the exit strategy from your business plan if you plan to maintain full ownership of your business and do not plan on seeking angel investment or virtual capitalist (VC) funding.

Investors may want to know what your exit plan is. They invest in your business to get a good return on investment.

Your exit strategy does not have to include long and boring details. Ensure you identify some interested parties who may be interested in buying the company if it becomes a success.

Key Questions to Answer with Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection

Your financial plan, metrics, and projection section helps investors, creditors, or your internal managers to understand what your expenses are, the amount of cash you need, and what it takes to make your company profitable. It also shows what you will be doing with any funding.

You do not need to show actual financial data if you do not have one. Adding forecasts and projections to your financial statements is added proof that your strategy is feasible and shows investors you have planned properly.

Here are some key questions to answer to help you develop this section.

• What is your sales forecast for the next year?
• When will your company achieve a positive cash flow?
• What are the core expenses you need to operate?
• How much money do you need upfront to operate or grow your company?
• How will you use the loans or investments?

9. Add an Appendix to Your Business Plan

Adding an appendix to your business plan is optional. It is a useful place to put any charts, tables, legal notes, definitions, permits, résumés, and other critical information that do not fit into other sections of your business plan.

The appendix section is where you would want to include details of a patent or patent-pending if you have one. You can always add illustrations or images of your products here. It is the last section of your business plan.

When writing your business plan, there are details you cut short or remove to prevent the entire section from becoming too lengthy. There are also details you want to include in the business plan but are not a good fit for any of the previous sections. You can add that additional information to the appendix section.

Businesses also use the appendix section to include supporting documents or other materials specially requested by investors or lenders.

You can include just about any information that supports the assumptions and statements you made in the business plan under the appendix. It is the one place in the business plan where unrelated data and information can coexist amicably.

If your appendix section is lengthy, try organizing it by adding a table of contents at the beginning of the appendix section. It is also advisable to group similar information to make it easier for the reader to access them.

A well-organized appendix section makes it easier to share your information clearly and concisely. Add footnotes throughout the rest of the business plan or make references in the plan to the documents in the appendix.

The appendix section is usually only necessary if you are seeking funding from investors or lenders, or hoping to attract partners.

People reading business plans do not want to spend time going through a heap of backup information, numbers, and charts. Keep these documents or information in the Appendix section in case the reader wants to dig deeper.

Common Items to Include in the Appendix Section of Your Business Plan

The appendix section includes documents that supplement or support the information or claims given in other sections of the business plans. Common items you can include in the appendix section include:

• Additional data about the process of manufacturing or creation
• Additional description of products or services such as product schematics
• Additional financial documents or projections
• Articles of incorporation and status
• Backup for market research or competitive analysis
• Bank statements
• Business registries
• Client testimonials (if your business is already running)
• Copies of insurances
• Credit histories (personal or/and business)
• Deeds and permits
• Equipment leases
• Examples of marketing and advertising collateral
• Industry associations and memberships
• Images of product
• Intellectual property
• Key customer contracts
• Legal documents and other contracts
• Letters of reference
• Links to references
• Market research data
• Organizational charts
• Photographs of potential facilities
• Professional licenses pertaining to your legal structure or type of business
• Purchase orders
• Resumes of the founder(s) and key managers
• State and federal identification numbers or codes
• Trademarks or patents’ registrations

Avoid using the appendix section as a place to dump any document or information you feel like adding. Only add documents or information that you support or increase the credibility of your business plan.

Tips and Strategies for Writing a Convincing Business Plan

To achieve a perfect business plan, you need to consider some key tips and strategies. These tips will raise the efficiency of your business plan above average.

1. Know Your Audience

When writing a business plan, you need to know your audience . Business owners write business plans for different reasons. Your business plan has to be specific. For example, you can write business plans to potential investors, banks, and even fellow board members of the company.

The audience you are writing to determines the structure of the business plan. As a business owner, you have to know your audience. Not everyone will be your audience. Knowing your audience will help you to narrow the scope of your business plan.

Consider what your audience wants to see in your projects, the likely questions they might ask, and what interests them.

• A business plan used to address a company's board members will center on its employment schemes, internal affairs, projects, stakeholders, etc.
• A business plan for financial institutions will talk about the size of your market and the chances for you to pay back any loans you demand.
• A business plan for investors will show proof that you can return the investment capital within a specific time. In addition, it discusses your financial projections, tractions, and market size.

2. Get Inspiration from People

Writing a business plan from scratch as an entrepreneur can be daunting. That is why you need the right inspiration to push you to write one. You can gain inspiration from the successful business plans of other businesses. Look at their business plans, the style they use, the structure of the project, etc.

To make your business plan easier to create, search companies related to your business to get an exact copy of what you need to create an effective business plan. You can also make references while citing examples in your business plans.

When drafting your business plan, get as much help from others as you possibly can. By getting inspiration from people, you can create something better than what they have.

3. Avoid Being Over Optimistic

Many business owners make use of strong adjectives to qualify their content. One of the big mistakes entrepreneurs make when preparing a business plan is promising too much.

The use of superlatives and over-optimistic claims can prepare the audience for more than you can offer. In the end, you disappoint the confidence they have in you.

In most cases, the best option is to be realistic with your claims and statistics. Most of the investors can sense a bit of incompetency from the overuse of superlatives. As a new entrepreneur, do not be tempted to over-promise to get the interests of investors.

The concept of entrepreneurship centers on risks, nothing is certain when you make future analyses. What separates the best is the ability to do careful research and work towards achieving that, not promising more than you can achieve.

To make an excellent first impression as an entrepreneur, replace superlatives with compelling data-driven content. In this way, you are more specific than someone promising a huge ROI from an investment.

4. Keep it Simple and Short

When writing business plans, ensure you keep them simple throughout. Irrespective of the purpose of the business plan, your goal is to convince the audience.

One way to achieve this goal is to make them understand your proposal. Therefore, it would be best if you avoid the use of complex grammar to express yourself. It would be a huge turn-off if the people you want to convince are not familiar with your use of words.

Another thing to note is the length of your business plan. It would be best if you made it as brief as possible.

You hardly see investors or agencies that read through an extremely long document. In that case, if your first few pages can’t convince them, then you have lost it. The more pages you write, the higher the chances of you derailing from the essential contents.

To ensure your business plan has a high conversion rate, you need to dispose of every unnecessary information. For example, if you have a strategy that you are not sure of, it would be best to leave it out of the plan.

5. Make an Outline and Follow Through

A perfect business plan must have touched every part needed to convince the audience. Business owners get easily tempted to concentrate more on their products than on other sections. Doing this can be detrimental to the efficiency of the business plan.

For example, imagine you talking about a product but omitting or providing very little information about the target audience. You will leave your clients confused.

To ensure that your business plan communicates your full business model to readers, you have to input all the necessary information in it. One of the best ways to achieve this is to design a structure and stick to it.

This structure is what guides you throughout the writing. To make your work easier, you can assign an estimated word count or page limit to every section to avoid making it too bulky for easy reading. As a guide, the necessary things your business plan must contain are:

• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Product or service description
• Target audience
• Market size
• Competition analysis
• Financial projections

Some specific businesses can include some other essential sections, but these are the key sections that must be in every business plan.

6. Ask a Professional to Proofread

When writing a business plan, you must tie all loose ends to get a perfect result. When you are done with writing, call a professional to go through the document for you. You are bound to make mistakes, and the way to correct them is to get external help.

You should get a professional in your field who can relate to every section of your business plan. It would be easier for the professional to notice the inner flaws in the document than an editor with no knowledge of your business.

In addition to getting a professional to proofread, get an editor to proofread and edit your document. The editor will help you identify grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and inappropriate writing styles.

Writing a business plan can be daunting, but you can surmount that obstacle and get the best out of it with these tips.

Business Plan Examples and Templates That’ll Save You Tons of Time

1. hubspot's one-page business plan.

The one-page business plan template by HubSpot is the perfect guide for businesses of any size, irrespective of their business strategy. Although the template is condensed into a page, your final business plan should not be a page long! The template is designed to ask helpful questions that can help you develop your business plan.

Hubspot’s one-page business plan template is divided into nine fields:

• Business opportunity
• Company description
• Industry analysis
• Target market
• Implementation timeline
• Marketing plan
• Financial summary
• Funding required

2. Bplan’s Free Business Plan Template

Bplans' free business plan template is investor-approved. It is a rich template used by prestigious educational institutions such as Babson College and Princeton University to teach entrepreneurs how to create a business plan.

The template has six sections: the executive summary, opportunity, execution, company, financial plan, and appendix. There is a step-by-step guide for writing every little detail in the business plan. Follow the instructions each step of the way and you will create a business plan that impresses investors or lenders easily.

3. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

HubSpot’s downloadable business plan template is a more comprehensive option compared to the one-page business template by HubSpot. This free and downloadable business plan template is designed for entrepreneurs.

The template is a comprehensive guide and checklist for business owners just starting their businesses. It tells you everything you need to fill in each section of the business plan and how to do it.

There are nine sections in this business plan template: an executive summary, company and business description, product and services line, market analysis, marketing plan, sales plan, legal notes, financial considerations, and appendix.

4. Business Plan by My Own Business Institute

My Own Business Institute (MOBI) which is a part of Santa Clara University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers a free business plan template. You can either copy the free business template from the link provided above or download it as a Word document.

The comprehensive template consists of a whopping 15 sections.

• The Business Profile
• The Vision and the People
• Home-Based Business and Freelance Business Opportunities
• Organization
• Licenses and Permits
• Business Insurance
• Communication Tools
• Acquisitions
• Location and Leasing
• Accounting and Cash Flow
• Opening and Marketing
• Managing Employees
• Expanding and Handling Problems

There are lots of helpful tips on how to fill each section in the free business plan template by MOBI.

5. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs build successful companies. This business plan template for startups by Score is available for free download. The business plan template asks a whooping 150 generic questions that help entrepreneurs from different fields to set up the perfect business plan.

The business plan template for startups contains clear instructions and worksheets, all you have to do is answer the questions and fill the worksheets.

There are nine sections in the business plan template: executive summary, company description, products and services, marketing plan, operational plan, management and organization, startup expenses and capitalization, financial plan, and appendices.

The ‘refining the plan’ resource contains instructions that help you modify your business plan to suit your specific needs, industry, and target audience. After you have completed Score’s business plan template, you can work with a SCORE mentor for expert advice in business planning.

6. Minimalist Architecture Business Plan Template by Venngage

The minimalist architecture business plan template is a simple template by Venngage that you can customize to suit your business needs .

There are five sections in the template: an executive summary, statement of problem, approach and methodology, qualifications, and schedule and benchmark. The business plan template has instructions that guide users on what to fill in each section.

7. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two free business plan templates, filled with practical real-life examples that you can model to create your business plan. Both free business plan templates are written by fictional business owners: Rebecca who owns a consulting firm, and Andrew who owns a toy company.

There are five sections in the two SBA’s free business plan templates.

• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Service Line
• Marketing and Sales

8. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan

The one-page business plan by the $100 startup is a simple business plan template for entrepreneurs who do not want to create a long and complicated plan . You can include more details in the appendices for funders who want more information beyond what you can put in the one-page business plan.

There are five sections in the one-page business plan such as overview, ka-ching, hustling, success, and obstacles or challenges or open questions. You can answer all the questions using one or two sentences.

9. PandaDoc’s Free Business Plan Template

The free business plan template by PandaDoc is a comprehensive 15-page document that describes the information you should include in every section.

There are 11 sections in PandaDoc’s free business plan template.

• Executive summary
• Business description
• Products and services
• Operations plan
• Management organization
• Financial plan
• Conclusion / Call to action
• Confidentiality statement

You have to sign up for its 14-day free trial to access the template. You will find different business plan templates on PandaDoc once you sign up (including templates for general businesses and specific businesses such as bakeries, startups, restaurants, salons, hotels, and coffee shops)

PandaDoc allows you to customize its business plan templates to fit the needs of your business. After editing the template, you can send it to interested parties and track opens and views through PandaDoc.

10. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

InvoiceBerry is a U.K based online invoicing and tracking platform that offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats for freelancers and small businesses.

Before you can download the free business plan template, it will ask you to give it your email address. After you complete the little task, it will send the download link to your inbox for you to download. It also provides a business plan checklist in .xlsx file format that ensures you add the right information to the business plan.

Alternatives to the Traditional Business Plan

A business plan is very important in mapping out how one expects their business to grow over a set number of years, particularly when they need external investment in their business. However, many investors do not have the time to watch you present your business plan. It is a long and boring read.

Luckily, there are three alternatives to the traditional business plan (the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck). These alternatives are less laborious and easier and quicker to present to investors.

Business Model Canvas (BMC)

The business model canvas is a business tool used to present all the important components of setting up a business, such as customers, route to market, value proposition, and finance in a single sheet. It provides a very focused blueprint that defines your business initially which you can later expand on if needed.

The sheet is divided mainly into company, industry, and consumer models that are interconnected in how they find problems and proffer solutions.

Segments of the Business Model Canvas

The business model canvas was developed by founder Alexander Osterwalder to answer important business questions. It contains nine segments.

• Key Partners: Who will be occupying important executive positions in your business? What do they bring to the table? Will there be a third party involved with the company?
• Key Activities: What important activities will production entail? What activities will be carried out to ensure the smooth running of the company?
• The Product’s Value Propositions: What does your product do? How will it be different from other products?
• Customer Segments: What demography of consumers are you targeting? What are the habits of these consumers? Who are the MVPs of your target consumers?
• Customer Relationships: How will the team support and work with its customer base? How do you intend to build and maintain trust with the customer?
• Key Resources: What type of personnel and tools will be needed? What size of the budget will they need access to?
• Channels: How do you plan to create awareness of your products? How do you intend to transport your product to the customer?
• Cost Structure: What is the estimated cost of production? How much will distribution cost?
• Revenue Streams: For what value are customers willing to pay? How do they prefer to pay for the product? Are there any external revenues attached apart from the main source? How do the revenue streams contribute to the overall revenue?

Lean Canvas

The lean canvas is a problem-oriented alternative to the standard business model canvas. It was proposed by Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Stack as a development of the business model generation. It uses a more problem-focused approach and it majorly targets entrepreneurs and startup businesses.

Lean Canvas uses the same 9 blocks concept as the business model canvas, however, they have been modified slightly to suit the needs and purpose of a small startup. The key partners, key activities, customer relationships, and key resources are replaced by new segments which are:

• Problem: Simple and straightforward number of problems you have identified, ideally three.
• Solution: The solutions to each problem.
• Unfair Advantage: Something you possess that can't be easily bought or replicated.
• Key Metrics: Important numbers that will tell how your business is doing.

Startup Pitch Deck

While the business model canvas compresses into a factual sheet, startup pitch decks expand flamboyantly.

Pitch decks, through slides, convey your business plan, often through graphs and images used to emphasize estimations and observations in your presentation. Entrepreneurs often use pitch decks to fully convince their target audience of their plans before discussing funding arrangements.

Considering the likelihood of it being used in a small time frame, a good startup pitch deck should ideally contain 20 slides or less to have enough time to answer questions from the audience.

Unlike the standard and lean business model canvases, a pitch deck doesn't have a set template on how to present your business plan but there are still important components to it. These components often mirror those of the business model canvas except that they are in slide form and contain more details.

Using Airbnb (one of the most successful start-ups in recent history) for reference, the important components of a good slide are listed below.

• Cover/Introduction Slide: Here, you should include your company's name and mission statement. Your mission statement should be a very catchy tagline. Also, include personal information and contact details to provide an easy link for potential investors.
• Problem Slide: This slide requires you to create a connection with the audience or the investor that you are pitching. For example in their pitch, Airbnb summarized the most important problems it would solve in three brief points – pricing of hotels, disconnection from city culture, and connection problems for local bookings.
• Solution Slide: This slide includes your core value proposition. List simple and direct solutions to the problems you have mentioned
• Customer Analysis: Here you will provide information on the customers you will be offering your service to. The identity of your customers plays an important part in fundraising as well as the long-run viability of the business.
• Market Validation: Use competitive analysis to show numbers that prove the presence of a market for your product, industry behavior in the present and the long run, as well as the percentage of the market you aim to attract. It shows that you understand your competitors and customers and convinces investors of the opportunities presented in the market.
• Business Model: Your business model is the hook of your presentation. It may vary in complexity but it should generally include a pricing system informed by your market analysis. The goal of the slide is to confirm your business model is easy to implement.
• Marketing Strategy: This slide should summarize a few customer acquisition methods that you plan to use to grow the business.
• Competitive Advantage: What this slide will do is provide information on what will set you apart and make you a more attractive option to customers. It could be the possession of technology that is not widely known in the market.
• Team Slide: Here you will give a brief description of your team. Include your key management personnel here and their specific roles in the company. Include their educational background, job history, and skillsets. Also, talk about their accomplishments in their careers so far to build investors' confidence in members of your team.
• Traction Slide: This validates the company’s business model by showing growth through early sales and support. The slide aims to reduce any lingering fears in potential investors by showing realistic periodic milestones and profit margins. It can include current sales, growth, valuable customers, pre-orders, or data from surveys outlining current consumer interest.
• Funding Slide: This slide is popularly referred to as ‘the ask'. Here you will include important details like how much is needed to get your business off the ground and how the funding will be spent to help the company reach its goals.
• Appendix Slides: Your pitch deck appendix should always be included alongside a standard pitch presentation. It consists of additional slides you could not show in the pitch deck but you need to complement your presentation.

It is important to support your calculations with pictorial renditions. Infographics, such as pie charts or bar graphs, will be more effective in presenting the information than just listing numbers. For example, a six-month graph that shows rising profit margins will easily look more impressive than merely writing it.

Lastly, since a pitch deck is primarily used to secure meetings and you may be sharing your pitch with several investors, it is advisable to keep a separate public version that doesn't include financials. Only disclose the one with projections once you have secured a link with an investor.

Advantages of the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck over the Traditional Business Plan

• Time-Saving: Writing a detailed traditional business plan could take weeks or months. On the other hand, all three alternatives can be done in a few days or even one night of brainstorming if you have a comprehensive understanding of your business.
• Easier to Understand: Since the information presented is almost entirely factual, it puts focus on what is most important in running the business. They cut away the excess pages of fillers in a traditional business plan and allow investors to see what is driving the business and what is getting in the way.
• Easy to Update: Businesses typically present their business plans to many potential investors before they secure funding. What this means is that you may regularly have to amend your presentation to update statistics or adjust to audience-specific needs. For a traditional business plan, this could mean rewriting a whole section of your plan. For the three alternatives, updating is much easier because they are not voluminous.
• Guide for a More In-depth Business Plan: All three alternatives have the added benefit of being able to double as a sketch of your business plan if the need to create one arises in the future.

Business Plan FAQ

Business plans are important for any entrepreneur who is looking for a framework to run their company over some time or seeking external support. Although they are essential for new businesses, every company should ideally have a business plan to track their growth from time to time.  They can be used by startups seeking investments or loans to convey their business ideas or an employee to convince his boss of the feasibility of starting a new project. They can also be used by companies seeking to recruit high-profile employee targets into key positions or trying to secure partnerships with other firms.

Business plans often vary depending on your target audience, the scope, and the goals for the plan. Startup plans are the most common among the different types of business plans.  A start-up plan is used by a new business to present all the necessary information to help get the business up and running. They are usually used by entrepreneurs who are seeking funding from investors or bank loans. The established company alternative to a start-up plan is a feasibility plan. A feasibility plan is often used by an established company looking for new business opportunities. They are used to show the upsides of creating a new product for a consumer base. Because the audience is usually company people, it requires less company analysis. The third type of business plan is the lean business plan. A lean business plan is a brief, straight-to-the-point breakdown of your ideas and analysis for your business. It does not contain details of your proposal and can be written on one page. Finally, you have the what-if plan. As it implies, a what-if plan is a preparation for the worst-case scenario. You must always be prepared for the possibility of your original plan being rejected. A good what-if plan will serve as a good plan B to the original.

A good business plan has 10 key components. They include an executive plan, product analysis, desired customer base, company analysis, industry analysis, marketing strategy, sales strategy, financial projection, funding, and appendix. Executive Plan Your business should begin with your executive plan. An executive plan will provide early insight into what you are planning to achieve with your business. It should include your mission statement and highlight some of the important points which you will explain later. Product Analysis The next component of your business plan is your product analysis. A key part of this section is explaining the type of item or service you are going to offer as well as the market problems your product will solve. Desired Consumer Base Your product analysis should be supplemented with a detailed breakdown of your desired consumer base. Investors are always interested in knowing the economic power of your market as well as potential MVP customers. Company Analysis The next component of your business plan is your company analysis. Here, you explain how you want to run your business. It will include your operational strategy, an insight into the workforce needed to keep the company running, and important executive positions. It will also provide a calculation of expected operational costs.  Industry Analysis A good business plan should also contain well laid out industry analysis. It is important to convince potential investors you know the companies you will be competing with, as well as your plans to gain an edge on the competition. Marketing Strategy Your business plan should also include your marketing strategy. This is how you intend to spread awareness of your product. It should include a detailed explanation of the company brand as well as your advertising methods. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy comes after the market strategy. Here you give an overview of your company's pricing strategy and how you aim to maximize profits. You can also explain how your prices will adapt to market behaviors. Financial Projection The financial projection is the next component of your business plan. It explains your company's expected running cost and revenue earned during the tenure of the business plan. Financial projection gives a clear idea of how your company will develop in the future. Funding The next component of your business plan is funding. You have to detail how much external investment you need to get your business idea off the ground here. Appendix The last component of your plan is the appendix. This is where you put licenses, graphs, or key information that does not fit in any of the other components.

The business model canvas is a business management tool used to quickly define your business idea and model. It is often used when investors need you to pitch your business idea during a brief window.

A pitch deck is similar to a business model canvas except that it makes use of slides in its presentation. A pitch is not primarily used to secure funding, rather its main purpose is to entice potential investors by selling a very optimistic outlook on the business.

Business plan competitions help you evaluate the strength of your business plan. By participating in business plan competitions, you are improving your experience. The experience provides you with a degree of validation while practicing important skills. The main motivation for entering into the competitions is often to secure funding by finishing in podium positions. There is also the chance that you may catch the eye of a casual observer outside of the competition. These competitions also provide good networking opportunities. You could meet mentors who will take a keen interest in guiding you in your business journey. You also have the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs whose ideas can complement yours.

Exlore Further

• 12 Key Elements of a Business Plan (Top Components Explained)
• 13 Sources of Business Finance For Companies & Sole Traders
• 5 Common Types of Business Structures (+ Pros & Cons)
• How to Buy a Business in 8 Steps (+ Due Diligence Checklist)

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Martin luenendonk.

Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

This insights and his love for researching SaaS products enables him to provide in-depth, fact-based software reviews to enable software buyers make better decisions.

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

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated July 29, 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

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

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How To Set Business Goals (+ Examples for Inspiration)

Updated: July 22, 2024

Published: October 24, 2023

You’re a business owner — the captain of your own ship. But how do you ensure you’re steering your company in the right direction? 

Without clear-cut goals and a plan to reach them, you risk setting your sails on the course of dangerous icebergs. 

Table of contents:

• What are business goals?

Why business goals are important

How to set business goals, tips to achieve business goals, business goals examples, what are business goals .

Business goals are the desired outcomes that an organization aims to achieve within a specific time frame. These goals help define the purpose and direction of the company, guiding decision-making and resource allocation. They can be short-term or long-term objectives , aligned with the company’s mission and vision.

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Operating a business using your gut and feelings will only get you so far. If you’re looking to build a sustainable company, then you need to set goals in advance and follow through with them. 

Here’s what goal setting can do to make your business a success:

• Give your business direction. Business goals align everyone toward a common purpose and ensure all efforts and resources are directed toward achieving specific outcomes.
• Keep everyone motivated to keep pushing forward. Goals provide employees with a sense of purpose and motivation. According to research from BiWorldwide, goal setting makes employees 14.2x more inspired at work and 3.6x more likely to be committed to the organization.
• Create benchmarks to work toward (and above). Goals provide a basis for measuring and evaluating the performance of the organization. They serve as benchmarks to assess progress, identify areas of improvement, and make informed decisions about resource allocation and strategy adjustments .
• Prioritize activities and allocate resources effectively. Goals help you identify the most important initiatives, ensuring that time, money, and effort are invested in activities that align with the overall objectives.
• Make continuous organizational improvements. Goals drive continuous improvement by setting targets for growth and progress. They encourage businesses to constantly evaluate their performance, identify areas for refinement, and implement strategies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Nothing creates solidarity among teams and departments like shared goals. So be sure to get everyone involved to boost camaraderie. 

Setting business goals requires careful consideration and planning. By defining specific and measurable targets, you can track progress and make necessary adjustments along the way.

Here are the steps to effectively set business goals.

Step 1: Identify key areas to improve in your business

Start by assessing the current state of your organization. Identify areas that require improvement or growth. This could include increasing revenue, expanding your customer base, improving employee satisfaction, or enhancing product offerings.

Step 2: Choose specific and measurable goals 

Setting clear and specific goals is essential. Use the SMART goal framework to ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of setting a vague goal like “increase revenue,” set a specific goal like “increase revenue by 15% in the next quarter.”

Step 3: Prioritize which goals to tackle first

Not all goals are equally important or urgent. Evaluate the impact and feasibility of each goal and prioritize them accordingly. By ranking your goals, you can focus your efforts and resources on the most critical objectives.

Step 4: Break down your goals into smaller milestones

Breaking down each goal into smaller, manageable tasks makes them more attainable. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines for each step. This approach helps track progress and ensures accountability.

Step 5: Decide what your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics used to measure progress toward your goals. Set realistic and relevant KPIs that align with your objectives. For example, if your goal is to increase customer acquisition, a relevant KPI could be the number of new customers acquired per month.

Now that you have set your business goals, it’s time to take action and work toward achieving them. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:

1. Write down your action plan 

Develop a detailed plan of action for each goal. Identify the necessary resources, strategies, and milestones to achieve them. A well-defined action plan provides a road map for success.

2. Foster a culture that’s goal-oriented

Encourage your employees to embrace and contribute to your goals. Foster a culture that values goal setting and achievement. Recognize and reward individuals or teams that make significant progress toward the goals.

3. Regularly track and evaluate progress

Monitor the progress toward each goal and make adjustments as needed. Use project management tools or software to track and visualize progress. Regularly review and evaluate your performance to ensure you’re on the right track.

4. Seek feedback and adapt

Gather feedback from employees, customers, and stakeholders. Their insights can provide valuable perspectives and help you refine your goals and strategies. Adapt your approach based on feedback to increase your chances of success.

5. Stay focused and motivated (even when you fail)

Staying motivated to achieve goals is difficult, especially when you come up short or fail. But don’t let this set you back. Continue pushing forward with your goals or readjust the direction as needed. Then do whatever you can to avoid distractions so you stay committed to your action plan.

Also, remember to celebrate small wins and milestones along the way to keep your team motivated and engaged.

Free SMART Goal Template

A free template to help you create S.M.A.R.T. goals for marketing campaign success.

• Set your goals
• Calculate your metrics
• Evaluate your success

To provide inspiration, here are some examples of common business goals:

1. Revenue growth

Revenue growth is a business goal that focuses on increasing the overall income generated by the company. Setting a specific target percentage increase in revenue can create a measurable goal to work toward.

Strategies for achieving revenue growth may include:

• Expanding the customer base through targeted marketing campaigns
• Improving customer retention and loyalty
• Upselling or cross-selling to existing customers
• Increasing the average order value by offering premium products or services

Example: A retail company sets a goal to increase its revenue by 10% in the next fiscal year. To achieve this, it implements several strategies, including launching a digital marketing campaign to attract new customers, offering personalized discounts and promotions to encourage repeat purchases, and introducing a premium product line to increase the average order value.

2. Customer acquisition

Customer acquisition focuses on expanding the customer base by attracting new customers to the business. Setting a specific goal for the number of new customers helps businesses track their progress and measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Strategies for customer acquisition may include:

• Running targeted advertising campaigns
• Implementing referral programs to incentivize existing customers to refer new ones
• Forming strategic partnerships with complementary businesses to reach a wider audience

Example: A software-as-a-service (SaaS) company aims to acquire 1k new customers in the next quarter. To achieve this, it launches a social media marketing campaign targeting its ideal customer profile, offers a referral program where existing customers receive a discount for referring new customers, and forms partnerships with industry influencers to promote its product.

3. Employee development

Employee development goals focus on enhancing the skills and knowledge of employees to improve their performance and contribute to the organization’s growth. By setting goals for employee training and skill development, businesses can create a culture of continuous learning and provide opportunities for career advancement.

Strategies for employee development may include:

• Offering training programs
• Providing mentorship opportunities
• Sponsoring professional certifications
• Creating a career development plan for each employee

Example: A technology company aims to have 80% of its employees complete at least one professional certification within the next year. To achieve this, it offers financial support and study materials for employees interested in obtaining certifications, provides dedicated study time during working hours, and celebrates employees’ achievements upon certification completion.

4. Product development

Product development goals focus on creating and improving products or services to meet customer needs and stay competitive in the market. Setting goals for product development can prioritize your efforts and so you can allocate resources effectively.

Strategies for product development may include:

• Conducting market research to identify customer preferences and trends
• Gathering customer feedback through surveys or focus groups
• Investing in research and development to create new products or enhance existing ones
• Collaborating with customers or industry experts to co-create innovative solutions

Example: An electronics company sets a goal to launch three new product lines within the next year. To achieve this, it conducts market research to identify emerging trends and customer demands, gathers feedback from its target audience through surveys and usability testing, allocates resources to research and development teams for product innovation, and collaborates with external design agencies to create visually appealing and user-friendly products.

5. Social responsibility

Social responsibility goals focus on making a positive impact on society or the environment. These goals go beyond financial success and emphasize the importance of ethical and sustainable business practices. Setting goals for social responsibility allows businesses to align their values with their actions and contribute to causes that resonate with their stakeholders.

Strategies for social responsibility may include: 

• Implementing sustainable practices to reduce environmental impact
• Donating a percentage of profits to charitable organizations
• Supporting local communities through volunteer programs
• Promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization

Example: A clothing retailer aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 20% in the next two years. To achieve this, it implements sustainable practices, such as using eco-friendly materials, optimizing packaging to minimize waste, and partnering with ethical manufacturers. It also donates a percentage of its profits to an environmental conservation organization.

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56 Strategic Objectives Examples to Inspire Your Company's Strategy

Ted Jackson

Ted is a Founder and Managing Partner of ClearPoint Strategy and leads the sales and marketing teams.

Boost your company's strategic alignment with these 56 examples of strategic objectives ready to implement.

Table of Contents

Strategic objectives are statements that indicate what is critical or important in your organizational strategy . In other words, they’re goals you’re trying to achieve in a certain period of time—typically 3-5 years. Your objectives link out to your measures and initiatives.  Objectives are a key part of your Balanced Scorecard -- along with measures and initiatives.

This list of strategic objective examples should help you think through the various types of objectives that may work best in your organization. You’ll find all 56 of them categorized below by perspective and/or theme. Before we dive into the examples, let’s talk about how to choose the right ones for your organization. Once you have your list of objectives, you may want to consider choosing a software tool to help you track your progress.

ClearPoint Strategy offers a powerful platform designed to help you create, manage, and track your strategic objectives effectively, ensuring that your entire organization is aligned and focused. Our software offers intuitive tools that simplify the creation and management of strategic objectives, helping you monitor progress and ensure that your initiatives are on track.

Download your FREE 56 key Strategic Objective library for organizational success

Choosing the right strategic objectives.

Here’s some practical advice based on years of experience: Don’t put 56 objectives in your scorecard—that’s too many. You need to pick and choose. We recommend no more than 15 objectives maximum—you can read more about creating them here. But how do you know which objectives are right for your organization? It depends on your industry and your strategy.

Use this list of objectives to brainstorm what’s most important for your industry and your specific strategy, then build a set of objectives that best represent your organization.

Strategic Goals Based On Your Industry

What business are you in? If you’re operating in a fast-growing industry like IT, technical services, or construction, you should choose objectives that match your growth goals and include movement in a positive direction.

For example, those might include launching a new product or increasing gross revenue within the next year. If you’re in a slow-growing industry, like sugar manufacturing or coal-power production, choose company objectives that focus on protecting your assets and managing expenses, such as reducing administrative costs by a certain percentage.

Strategic Objectives For Municipalities

It’s not uncommon to hear that municipalities or agencies don’t really have a strategy, but that’s a myth. If you look more closely at individual cities, you’ll see that some are growing quickly...and some are not. Cities with strong growth have chosen strategic objectives based on their specific socioeconomic situation. Yes—virtually all municipalities have goals based on balancing the budget and improving safety.

But the most successful cities refine those high-level objectives. Does the city-planning portion of the budget need more focus than public utilities? Is street crime or retail crime more of a safety issue? Choosing objectives that function as answers to questions like these is the most strategic (and successful) approach for cities.

It’s also important to note that a municipality’s strategy must be specific to its economy and population, and it must be diverse. Goals cannot all be focused on a single source of revenue, such as tourism or manufacturing. For example, cities along the Gulf Coast have realized that when an oil spill occurs, a reliance on tourism is detrimental. They need a more resilient economy to build a healthy community.

In short, municipal objectives should be diverse enough to withstand economic and environmental shifts.

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Strategic objectives for healthcare.

The healthcare industry is constantly changing. However, it’s crucial for healthcare organizations to continue to deliver effective, reliable care even as certain outside factors—medical practices, technology, and government regulations—evolve.

So, although healthcare organizations can’t always predict (or control) the future, strategic planning is the best way for them to set a course for excellence while taking into account possible changes that may occur in the years ahead.

Economic trends, government policies, and technological advancements can help provide context for healthcare objectives, but each organization needs to consider what it would like to accomplish strategically. You obviously want great health outcomes, but where do finances fit in? And what about your staff, skills, and technology?

For example, you may have an objective to optimize the use of real-time data to improve patient care but also have additional goals to develop a comprehensive employee wellness program or build trust in the community by improving your communications. Safety, quality, patient satisfaction, people, and finance are all areas of significance to consider.

Strategic Goals Based On Your Strategy

What’s your strategy within your industry? Two similar businesses in the same industry can have two very different strategies. Your strategy will determine the objectives you set as much as your industry. (Here are 6 expert tips on strategic planning to consider as you're going through the process.)

To further explain, here’s a business objectives example based on strategy. Think of two financial services companies: Goldman Sachs and E*TRADE. Both handle customer finances and investments, but (generally speaking) Goldman Sachs prioritizes high-touch, personal relationships, while E*TRADE values high-tech, self-service relationships. As a result, the two organizations undoubtedly have distinct objectives.

From a marketing perspective, Goldman Sachs might focus on referrals and connections, and E*TRADE on social media and customer service automation. Or from an HR perspective, Goldman Sachs could set objectives based on retention and client relationships, and E*TRADE on technical skills and product development.

Your business could have the same mission and purpose as another, but if it takes a different approach to achieve that purpose, you should have a unique set of strategic objectives.

56 Strategic Objective Examples

While you can certainly use these for inspiration, we don’t recommend simply duplicating them for your strategy without putting in some thought. Use this list of objectives to brainstorm what’s most important for your industry and your specific strategy. Then, build a set of objectives that best represents your organization.

Note: Because the below objectives reflect different strategies, we’ve provided a few ideas on how you can customize these examples in each definition.

Financial Objectives

Financial objectives are typically written as financial goals. When selecting and creating your financial objectives, consider what you’re trying to accomplish financially within the time span of your strategic plan. Examples of strategic goals for this perspective include:

• Grow shareholder value : The top goal of your organization may be to increase the value of your organization for your shareholders, stakeholders, or owners. Value can be defined in many ways, so this would need to be clearly defined.
• Grow earnings per share : This objective implies your organization is trying to increase its earnings or profits. For publicly traded companies, a common way to look at this is through “earnings per share.” This can be measured quarterly and/or annually.
• Increase revenue : Revenue represents growth in your organization, so increasing revenue is a sign of company health. You can make this more specific by defining revenue from a key area in your organization.
• Manage cost : On the other side of revenue is the costs or expenses in your business. As you grow (or shrink) you need to carefully manage cost—so this may be an important objective for you.
• Maintain appropriate financial leverage : Many organizations use debt—another word for financial leverage—as a key financial tool. There may be an optimal amount of debt you’d like to stay within.
• Ensure favorable bond ratings : For some organizations, bond ratings are a sign of healthy finances. This is a regularly occurring objective for a public sector scorecard.
• Balance the budget : A balanced budget reflects the discipline of good planning, budgeting, and management. It is also one that is typically seen in the public sector—or within divisions or departments of other organizations.
• Ensure financial sustainability : If your organization is in growth mode or has an uncertain economic environment, you need to be sure you remain financially stable. Sometimes this means seeking outside sources of revenue or managing costs that are appropriate to your operations.
• Maintain profitability : This is a solid top-level objective that shows balance between revenue and expenses. If your organization is investing in order to grow, you may look to an objective like this to govern how much you are able to invest.
• Diversify and grow revenue streams : Some organizations receive revenue from multiple sources or products and services. They set an objective to grow revenue in different areas to ensure that the organization is stable and not subject to risk associated with only one revenue stream.

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Customer objectives.

When looking at examples of a business’s customer objectives, you’ll see they are typically written like customer goals. Sometimes they are written in the form of a phrase or a statement that a customer would say when talking about your product or service.

• Best value for the cost : This means that your customers know they are not purchasing the most expensive product or service—or even the highest quality—but that they are getting the best deal . This may mean your customers are paying less than average and getting an average or above-average product.
• Broad product offering : This objective works if your strategy is to be able to offer the customer the best product in its class, regardless of price. In the hotel industry, for example, this could reflect the strategy of the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton.
• Reliable products/services : If your organization takes pride in the reliability of your product or service, this objective—which reflects that you are targeting customers that also value this reliability—may be right for you. This could indicate the on-time reliability of an airline or the dependable reliability of a printer that generates high-quality output.
• Cross-sell more products : Some organizations—like banks or office product companies—focus on selling more products to the same customers. This strategy acknowledges that you already have the customer but can make money by selling them more.
• Increase share of market : This customer strategy focuses on selling to more customers, thus increasing the market share. For example, if your organization is a landscape company, you are likely trying to reach more households—or if your organization is a hospital, you likely want more of the local population to use your services.
• Increase share of wallet : This customer strategy focuses on gaining more purchases from the same customers. If you sell fertilizer, for example, you want each customer to purchase a larger percentage of their fertilizer spend with your organization rather than with your competitors.
• Partner with customers to provide solutions : This strategy reflects customer intimacy. As part of this strategy, you may deliver service-oriented solutions or have customers participate in research and development with your organization. Partnering comes at a cost but tends to foster more customer loyalty across your organization.
• Best service : This strategy indicates you want your customers to consider your organization easy to deal with. Customers may choose to work with you even if you have a product similar to your competitors—simply because your service is better.
• Understands my needs : This objective also reflects a customer intimacy strategy. The customer feels like you understand their needs, so they choose your organization's products and services because they are targeted for their specific problem or situation.

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Internal process objectives.

The internal perspective is typically focused on processes that your organization must excel at. According to Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema— who have written extensively on the topic —these examples of business strategy processes can be divided into three areas: innovation, customer intimacy, and operational excellence.

All of the objectives from the list below help measure innovation in a general sense. However, there are countless ways to innovate; your objectives should reflect your specific approach. Maybe you’re trying to hit a performance target with your product or improve the quality of a particular product or service, for example. Express your desired innovation goal in whatever way is best for you.

• Most innovative products/services : This objective is for organizations that pride themselves on constant and cutting-edge innovation. You would first need to define what you mean by “innovation” and how you’re innovating in each particular area.
• Differentiate the product : Your organization might use this objective if you are in an environment where the customer cannot tell the difference between your organization and another organization’s product. You are asking your organization to either develop new services around the product or new differentiating features of the product or service.
• Invest a certain amount in innovation : Sometimes organizations use an objective like this to drive investment in research and development or other innovative activities. This objective may be used in a strategy when you are signaling a shift in investments in the innovation category.
• Grow percentage of sales from new products : Similar to investing in innovation, this objective focuses on the outcome your organization is hoping to achieve. It forces you to constantly innovate, even on your most successful products.
• Improve or focus research and development (R&D) : This objective focuses on specific innovation. If you are an organization with multiple product lines, you might want to focus your innovation on one product line over another; calling out the specific direction can be quite helpful in your objective.
• Acquire new customers from innovative offerings : This objective focuses on the reason you put focus on innovation. For example, you may be innovating in order to enter a new market or attract customers you might not be able to reach with your current offerings.

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Customer service.

Creating customer service objectives is a way to ensure your organization continuously maintains focus on this crucial area. In addition to the objectives listed above, consider which aspects of customer service are most relevant to your organization. You may want to improve your customer chat functionality, or, if you sell a software product, improve your customer onboarding process. The smoother your internal processes, the happier your customers.

• Great customer service : Defining what great customer service means in your organization is a way to set the standard and communicate internally. For example, hone in on whether you want to provide one-touch resolution or proactive support, or whether you’re focused on phone support or on-site support.
• Improve customer service : When your organization has a problem with good customer service, you may want an objective to focus on improvement therein. The problem your company has is likely in a specific area, so this objective should be focused on that particular call center or the reactive support that you provide.
• Invest in customer management : This objective is typically used when your strategy is to focus more on your customer management processes than you have in the past.
• Partner with customers to design solutions : Some organizations focus on forming close partnerships with their clients. If your business is an architectural firm or a custom software developer company, this could be a good objective to ensure you are working with your customers to design critical solutions.
• Improve customer satisfaction : If customer satisfaction is critical in your company, this may be a good objective to hone in on. Because it’s generic, the definition for your organization needs to be more focused around particular areas of satisfaction you place focus on.
• Improve customer retention : If your organization wants to focus on retaining current customers, this objective may work for you. You’d likely want to set measures and projects around certain activities to help retain customers.
• Develop and use a customer database : This is a specific objective focused on implementing a large project like a customer relationship management (CRM) system, that could take years to implement.

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Operational excellence.

Sometimes, objectives for operational excellence can be too vague, referring to “excellent” or “world-class” processes or “high-performing” teams. All of the above goals are specific and tied to various aspects of performance. And while you might be tempted to skip over operational excellence goals altogether, it’s important to invest time and resources in this area! Efficiency and cost-effectiveness are key to staying competitive, and achieving these objectives can have a positive impact on your company’s growth.

• Reduce cost by a certain amount annually : This objective focuses on reducing costs—typically costs within a product or service that is an offering (to make that particular product or service more effective). It could also focus on reducing overhead costs across your organization.
• Reduce waste by a certain amount : If your organization uses a lot of raw materials, a typical objective is to reduce waste from that process. This usually results in significant cost savings.
• Invest in Total Quality Management : Total Quality Management (TQM) reflects a process around quality improvement, which can mean doing things more efficiently or effectively. This objective is used in organizations that have implemented (or are implementing) TQM.
• Reduce error rates : This objective applies for organizations that have many repeatable processes. Sometimes this results in Six Sigma projects, and other times the result is just a focus on defining processes so that staff can adhere to these processes.
• Improve and maintain workplace safety : If your organization uses heavy equipment, chemicals, mechanical parts, or machinery, focusing on workplace safety is a good objective. Improving it can reduce costs and improve job satisfaction.
• Reduce energy usage per unit of production : If your organization uses a significant amount of energy, making a goal to reduce this can be an effective and important strategy.
• Capitalize on physical facilities : In retail organizations, this could mean focusing on an appropriate storefront location. Or it could mean finding underutilized assets and either using them or selling/leasing them to others for use.
• Streamline core business processes : Many complex organizations have very long, drawn-out processes that have developed over many years. If your organization is looking at these processes, this could be a key objective for you.
• Increase reliability of operations : If your organization has poor reliability, having an objective like this will encourage management to look at investments and changes in processes that could increase this reliability.

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Regulatory (optional).

If your organization is part of an industry where regulations apply, creating regulatory-related objectives not only helps you stay in compliance but can also help you grow. (Finding a better way to stay informed about new regulations could be an objective itself!) Goals in this area could apply to anything from increasing accountability to implementing risk management plans to streamlining compliance processes.

• Ensure compliance : In a regulated environment, there may be a lot of rules that you need to follow, even if they don’t seem strategic. They are often called “strategic objectives” to ensure no one cuts corners.
• Increase recycling : This is a self-explanatory objective, but can sometimes apply to all aspects of waste. Depending on the organization, there are compliance rules around making this happen.
• Improve reporting and transparency : Organizations just entering a regulatory environment or that are trying to change their business model to meet contract needs may find that they need to improve or change the way they report in order to do better cost accounting or just be more clear about their actions.
• Increase community outreach : For some organizations, it is important to be seen as part of the community. This is especially true for organizations that are either selling a necessity in the community or are creating any kind of negative externality (like pollution).
• Optimize control framework : If you’re a regulated organization in an incentive environment, you may need to make sure you have the proper controls in place to avoid one-off or systematic cheating.

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Learning & growth (l&g) objectives.

Learning and growth objectives focus on skills, culture, and organizational capacity. They support the employees responsible for carrying out your strategy, which makes this category of objectives extremely valuable. To make the most of these goals, first, take time to evaluate the specific capabilities required to deliver exceptional performance in your organization. Doing so will help you formulate more specific goals that will give your team the capabilities it needs to support your company’s growth—and improve employee satisfaction at the same time.

• Improve technical and analytical skills : With the increasing advance of computers and technical innovations affecting all industries, this is a common objective for some organizations. Specific technical skills—or a more specific definition—may be included in the objective name.
• Improve a certain skill : This is seen in a goal if an organization is either affected by a new competitive environment or is trying to address a new market. The particular skill would be specific to the organization. This is also seen in organizations with an aging workforce without a clear means to replace highly technical skills.
• Create a performance-focused culture : This objective can be used if your organization is trying to change its culture to one that focuses more on performance management or incentives. This objective shows up a lot in government and nonprofit organizations.
• Improve productivity with cross-functional teams : Large companies see synergies from working together but want to encourage staff to help with this. For example, a bank with multiple products or a multinational company with multiple lines of business may use this objective.
• Invest in tools to make staff more productive : If your organization has the right staff, but the staff does not have the right tools for the job, this may be a critical objective.
• Improve employee retention : This objective is common in learning and growth and may focus on skills, culture, pay, and the overall work environment.
• Attract and retain the best people : This is a good “beginner objective” if your organization is just starting to use the Balanced Scorecard. Ultimately, you’ll need a good plan regarding who you need to hire, how many hires you need, and what the biggest challenges with regard to retention are. You can then become more specific in this objective by addressing those challenges.
• Build high-performing teams : If teamwork is critical in your organization, consider this objective. It can be hard to measure, so you should think about whether you are encouraging teams or mandating teamwork .
• Maintain alignment across the organization : Some companies demand an extensive amount of alignment across the organization, which can be seen through having common objectives or common incentive programs where alignment is important.
• Develop leadership abilities and potential of the team : Many organizations realize that they are good at hiring people but not developing them into good leaders. If this is something your company wants to change, this objective is important.

If you have questions about which of these strategic objective examples may work for you, drop us a line. We’re happy to help.

Turn Strategic Objectives into Success with ClearPoint

Looking for strategic objective examples to inspire your company’s success? ClearPoint Strategy provides the ultimate tools to define, track, and achieve your strategic objectives. Our comprehensive software simplifies the process of setting clear goals, monitoring progress, and ensuring alignment across your organization.

Transform your strategic planning and drive impactful results— book a personalized demo with ClearPoint Strategy today and see how we can help you turn your objectives into achievements.

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Frequently asked questions, what are strategic objectives.

Strategic objectives are specific, measurable goals that an organization sets to achieve its long-term vision and mission. They guide the direction of the organization and provide a clear roadmap for achieving desired outcomes, aligning resources and efforts toward common goals.

How do you write strategic objectives?

To write strategic objectives:

• Define the Vision and Mission: Ensure your objectives align with the organization's overall vision and mission.
• Use the SMART Criteria: Make objectives Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
• Involve Stakeholders: Engage key stakeholders in the process to ensure alignment and commitment.
• Prioritize Goals: Identify and prioritize the most critical objectives that will drive the organization forward.
• Draft Clear Statements: Write concise and clear statements that specify what is to be achieved and by when.

What are some examples of strategic objectives?

Examples of strategic objectives include:

• Increase Market Share: Achieve a 15% market share in the next two years by expanding into new regions.
• Enhance Customer Satisfaction: Improve customer satisfaction scores by 20% over the next 12 months through improved service delivery.
• Boost Revenue: Increase annual revenue by 25% within the next three years through new product launches and market expansion.
• Improve Operational Efficiency: Reduce operational costs by 10% within the next 18 months by streamlining processes.
• Develop Talent: Implement a comprehensive training program to increase employee skills and retention rates by 15% over the next year.

What are the benefits of using strategic objectives?

The benefits of using strategic objectives include:

• Clear Direction: Provides a clear and focused direction for the organization’s efforts.
• Alignment: Ensures all departments and employees are working toward the same goals.
• Resource Allocation: Helps in the effective allocation of resources to priority areas.
• Performance Measurement: Allows for tracking progress and measuring success against defined targets.
• Motivation and Engagement: Enhances employee motivation and engagement by providing clear goals to strive for.

How can strategic objectives be used to improve business performance?

Strategic objectives can improve business performance by:

• Guiding Decision-Making: Providing a framework for making informed and consistent decisions.
• Fostering Innovation: Encouraging innovative approaches to achieve objectives and stay competitive.
• Enhancing Accountability: Holding individuals and teams accountable for achieving specific goals.
• Driving Continuous Improvement: Promoting ongoing evaluation and refinement of strategies and processes.
• Aligning Efforts: Ensuring that all organizational efforts are aligned with long-term goals, leading to cohesive and efficient operations.

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Setting Business Goals & Objectives: 4 Considerations

• 31 Oct 2023

Setting business goals and objectives is important to your company’s success. They create a roadmap to help you identify and manage risk , gain employee buy-in, boost team performance , and execute strategy . They’re also an excellent marker to measure your business’s performance.

Yet, meeting those goals can be difficult. According to an Economist study , 90 percent of senior executives from companies with annual revenues of one billion dollars or more admitted they failed to reach all their strategic goals because of poor implementation. In order to execute strategy, it’s important to first understand what’s attainable when developing organizational goals and objectives.

If you’re struggling to establish realistic benchmarks for your business, here’s an overview of what business goals and objectives are, how to set them, and what you should consider during the process.

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What Are Business Goals and Objectives?

Business objectives dictate how your company plans to achieve its goals and address the business’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. While your business goals may shift, your objectives won’t until there’s an organizational change .

Business goals describe where your company wants to end up and define your business strategy’s expected achievements.

According to the Harvard Business School Online course Strategy Execution , there are different types of strategic goals . Some may even push you and your team out of your comfort zone, yet are important to implement.

For example, David Rodriguez, global chief human resources officer at Marriott, describes in Strategy Execution the importance of stretch goals and “pushing people to not accept today's level of success as a final destination but as a starting point for what might be possible in the future.”

It’s important to strike a balance between bold and unrealistic, however. To do this, you must understand how to responsibly set your business goals and objectives.

Related: A Manager’s Guide To Successful Strategy Implementation

How to Set Business Goals and Objectives

While setting your company’s business goals and objectives might seem like a simple task, it’s important to remember that these goals shouldn’t be based solely on what you hope to achieve. There should be a correlation between your company’s key performance indicators (KPIs)—quantifiable success measures—and your business strategy to justify why the goal should, and needs to, be achieved.

This is often illustrated through a strategy map —an illustration of the cause-and-effect relationships that underpin your strategy. This valuable tool can help you identify and align your business goals and objectives.

“A strategy map gives everyone in your business a road map to understand the relationship between goals and measures and how they build on each other to create value,” says HBS Professor Robert Simons in Strategy Execution .

While this roadmap can be incredibly helpful in creating the right business goals and objectives, a balanced scorecard —a tool to help you track and assess non-financial measures—ensures they’re achievable through your current business strategy.

“Ask yourself, if I picked up a scorecard and examined the measures on that scorecard, could I infer what the business's strategy was,” Simon says. “If you've designed measures well, the answer should be yes.”

According to Strategy Execution , these measures are necessary to ensure your performance goals are achieved. When used in tandem, a balanced scorecard and strategy map can also tell you whether your goals and objectives will create value for you and your customers.

“The balanced scorecard combines the traditional financial perspective with additional perspectives that focus on customers, internal business processes, and learning and development,” Simons says.

These four perspectives are key considerations when setting your business goals and objectives. Here’s an overview of what those perspectives are and how they can help you set the right goals for your business.

4 Things to Consider When Setting Business Goals and Objectives

1. financial measures.

It’s important to ensure your plans and processes lead to desired levels of economic value. Therefore, some of your business goals and objectives should be financial.

Some examples of financial performance goals include:

• Cutting costs
• Increasing revenue
• Improving cash flow management

“Businesses set financial goals by building profit plans—one of the primary diagnostic control systems managers use to execute strategy,” Simons says in Strategy Execution . “They’re budgets drawn up for business units that have both revenues and expenses, and summarize the anticipated revenue inflows and expense outflows for a specified accounting period.”

Profit plans are essential when setting your business goals and objectives because they provide a critical link between your business strategy and economic value creation.

According to Simons, it’s important to ask three questions when profit planning:

• Does my business strategy generate enough profit to cover costs and reinvest in the business?
• Does my business generate enough cash to remain solvent through the year?
• Does my business create sufficient financial returns for investors?

By mapping out monetary value, you can weigh the cost of different strategies and how likely it is you’ll meet your company and investors’ financial expectations.

2. Customer Satisfaction

To ensure your business goals and objectives aid in your company’s long-term success, you need to think critically about your customers’ satisfaction. This is especially important in a world where customer reviews and testimonials are crucial to your organization’s success.

“Everything that's important to the business, we have a KPI and we measure it,” says Tom Siebel, founder, chairman, and CEO of C3.ai, in Strategy Execution . “And what could be more important than customer satisfaction?”

Unlike your company’s reputation, measuring customer satisfaction has a far more personal touch in identifying what customers love and how to capitalize on it through future strategic initiatives .

“We do anonymous customer satisfaction surveys every quarter to see how we're measuring up to our customer expectations,” Siebel says.

While this is one example, your customer satisfaction measures should reflect your desired market position and focus on creating additional value for your audience.

Related: 3 Effective Methods for Assessing Customer Needs

3. Internal Business Processes

Internal business processes is another perspective that should factor into your goal setting. It refers to several aspects of your business that aren’t directly affected by outside forces. Since many goals and objectives are driven by factors such as business competition and market shifts, considering internal processes can create a balanced business strategy.

“Our goals are balanced to make sure we’re holistically managing the business from a financial performance, quality assurance, innovation, and human talent perspective,” says Tom Polen, CEO and president of Becton Dickinson, in Strategy Execution .

According to Strategy Execution , internal business operations are broken down into the following processes:

• Operations management
• Customer management

While improvements to internal processes aren’t driven by economic value, these types of goals can still reap a positive return on investment.

“We end up spending much more time on internal business process goals versus financial goals,” Polen says. “Because if we take care of them, the financial goals will follow at the end of the day.”

4. Learning and Growth Opportunities

Another consideration while setting business goals and objectives is learning and growth opportunities for your team. These are designed to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

According to Strategy Execution , learning and growth opportunities touch on three types of capital:

• Human: Your employees and the skills and knowledge required for them to meet your company’s goals
• Information: The databases, networks, and IT systems needed to support your long-term growth
• Organization: Ensuring your company’s leadership and culture provide people with purpose and clear objectives

Employee development is a common focus for learning and growth goals. Through professional development opportunities , your team will build valuable business skills and feel empowered to take more risks and innovate.

To create a culture of innovation , it’s important to ensure there’s a safe space for your team to make mistakes—and even fail.

“We ask that people learn from their mistakes,” Rodriguez says in Strategy Execution . “It's really important to us that people feel it’s safe to try new things. And all we ask is people extract their learnings and apply it to the next situation.”

Achieve Your Business Goals

Business goals aren’t all about your organization’s possible successes. It’s also about your potential failures.

“When we set goals, we like to imagine a bright future with our business succeeding,” Simons says in Strategy Execution . “But to identify your critical performance variables, you need to engage in an uncomfortable exercise and consider what can cause your strategy to fail.”

Anticipating potential failures isn’t easy. Enrolling in an online course—like HBS Online’s Strategy Execution —can immerse you in real-world case studies of past strategy successes and failures to help you better understand where these companies went wrong and how to avoid it in your business.

Do you need help setting your business goals and objectives? Explore Strategy Execution —one of our online strategy courses —and download our free strategy e-book to gain the insights to create a successful strategy.

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6 examples of objectives for a small business plan

Table of Contents

1) Becoming and staying profitable

2) maintaining cash flow , 3) establishing and sustaining productivity , 4) attracting and retaining customers , 5) developing a memorable brand and marketing strategy, 6) planning for growth , track your business objectives and more with countingup.

Your new company’s business plan is a crucial part of your success, as it helps you set up your business and secure the necessary funding. A major part of this plan is your objectives or the outcomes you aim to reach. If you’re unsure where to start, this list of business objective examples can help.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• Becoming and staying profitable 
• Maintaining cash flow 
• Establishing and sustaining productivity 
• Attracting and retaining customers 
• Developing a memorable brand 
• Reaching and growing an audience through marketing 
• Planning for growth

One of the key objectives you may consider is establishing and maintaining profitability . In short, you’ll aim to earn more than you spend and pay off your startup costs. To do this, you’ll need to consider your business’s starting budget and how you’ll stick to it. 

To create an objective around profitability, you’ll need to calculate how much you spend to start your business and how much you’ll have to spend regularly to run it. Knowing these numbers will help you determine the earnings you’ll need to become profitable. From there, you can factor in the pricing of your products or services and create sales goals . 

For example, say you spend £2,000 on startup costs and expect to spend about £200 monthly to cover business expenses. To earn a profit, you’ll first need to earn back that £2,000 then make more than £200 monthly. 

Once you know what you’ll need to earn to become profitable, you can create a realistic timeline to achieve it. If demand and sales forecasts suggest you could earn about £700 monthly, you may create a timeline of 5 months to become profitable. 

We have created a free profit margin calculator tool which can help you work out your profit margins.

Maintaining cash flow is another financial objective you could include in your business plan. While profitability means you’ll make more money than you spend, cash flow is the cash running in and out of your business over a given time. This flow is crucial to your company’s success because you need available cash to cover business expenses . 

When you complete services, clients may not pay out an invoice right away, meaning you won’t see the cash until they do. If you make enough sales but have low cash flow, you’ll struggle to run your business. So, create an achievable and measurable plan for how you’ll maintain the cash flow you need. 

For example, if you spend £500 monthly, you’ll need to ensure you have at least that much available cash. On top of that, anticipate and save for unexpected or emergency expenses, such as broken equipment. To maintain your cash flow, you may want to prioritise cash payments, introduce a realistic deadline for invoices, or create a system to turn your profit to cash. 

Aside from financial objectives, another example of objectives for a business plan is sustaining productivity . When you run a business, it can be overwhelming and challenging to stay on top of all the tasks you have to get done. But, if you aim to remain productive and create a clear plan as to how, you can better manage your to-do list. 

For example, you may find project management tools that can help you track what you need to do and how to organise your priorities. You may also plan to outsource some aspects of your business eventually, such as investing in an accountant. 

Other than planning how you’ll get things done, you may want to create an objective for developing and retaining a customer base. Here, you may outline your efforts to find leads and recruit customers. So, establish goals for how many customers you want to find in your business’s first month, quarter, or year. Your market research can help you understand demand and create realistic sales goals. 

If you start a business that customers regularly need, like hairdressing, you may also want to create a strategy for how you’ll retain customers you earn. For example, you could introduce a loyalty program or prioritise customer service to build strong relationships. 

Another example of objectives for a business plan is to develop a memorable brand and overall marketing strategy . Your brand is how you present your business to the public, including its unique tone and design. So, here you might research how to make a brand memorable and consider what colour scheme and style will best reach your target audience. 

To measure your brand’s progress, you could hold focus groups on understanding what people think of your overall look. Then, surveys can help you grasp the reach of your reputation over time.

Aside from tracking the success of your brand strategy, you may want to consider your business’s marketing approach. For example, you might invest in paid advertising and use social media. You can measure the progress of this over time by using tools like Google Analytics to track your following and reach. 

Finally, creating an objective for your company’s growth will help you understand and plan for where you want to go. For example, you may want to expand your services or open a second location for a shop. Whatever ideas you have for the future of your business, try to create a clear, measurable way of getting there, including a timeline. You may also want to include steps towards this goal and savings goals for growth. 

To achieve and track your business plan objectives, you’ll need to organise your finances well. But, financial management can be stressful and time-consuming when you’re self-employed. That’s why thousands of business owners use the Countingup app to make their financial admin easier. 

Countingup is the business account with built-in accounting software that allows you to manage all your financial data in one place. With the cash flow insights feature, you can confidently keep on top of your finances wherever you are. Plus, the app lets you track and manage what you spend on your business with automatic expense categorisation. This way, you can stick to your budget and plan to accomplish your objectives.

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The best business objective examples for success (from a CEO)

A business is defined by its mission, by its why . Business objectives are the goals you set for yourself, so that your organisation can make progress towards your mission.

I’ve been with Charlie since the very beginning as one of the original co-founders. I watched it grow from a small team cobbling together a product to an expanding business people are proud to work for. 

How did we get there? By setting goals that were well-defined and aligned to what we wanted to achieve – that’s why I wanted to share with you some business objectives examples I’ve used over the year.

Why setting the right business objectives is important

When you’re a small business, you have to do the most that you can with what you have. You will always be lacking in something - money, software tools, talent, staff. You have to make the most out of what you’re given. Every choice matters.

Objectives help you make the best strategic decisions you can. They inspire your teams, get them working towards a common purpose, and turn challenges into potential opportunities for success.

Setting the right business objectives will guide you towards making the most out of your limited resources so your business can grow.

How to formulate effective business objectives 

Creating business objectives that work is an art form. Many small business leaders (including myself) set our business objectives within a SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

• Specific : Clearly define what you want to achieve, and why. It gives you a clear direction
• Measurable : Can your progress be tracked, measured, and quantified? Set KPIs that tell you whether or not your strategies are working
• Achievable : It’s important to be ambitious, but your goals and objectives should be easily attainable
• Relevant : Having goals is fine and dandy, but how do they matter for the success of your business? Your objectives should align with your organisation’s values and long-term vision
• Time-bound : Your goals only matter if you make progress towards them. Setting a time frame for your goals

Find out how to set SMART goals in our complete guide on the topic.

Business objectives examples you can use

What kinds of business objectives should you set for yourself? How do you write your business objectives? I’d like to offer some examples of business objectives you might use yourself as a small business CEO.

Sales targets

Sales objectives focus on your business growth, whether that be through building your online presence or through diversification.

Example : Increase revenue by 5% month-over-month through new product lines and multi-channel digital marketing strategies.

Customer satisfaction

Your business is nothing without your customers. Customer satisfaction objectives help you improve the customer experience, build loyalty with your audience, and improve your brand reputation.

Example : Achieve a customer satisfaction score of 80% by improving support services and collecting regular customer feedback.

Market expansion

Are you thinking of expanding into a new geographical market? Use market expansion objectives to broaden your customer base and increase your business' market share.

Example : Expand into two new international markets by year's end, and establish a presence in two key cities.

Employee engagement

Are your employees motivated? Do they share your vision, and are they committed to your organisation? Setting engagement objectives can help keep it that way.

Example : Increase employee engagement scores by 25% by implementing a comprehensive wellness program and monthly team-building activities

Operational efficiency

Are there operations that can be optimized or improved? Set business objectives for operational efficiency to make them happen.

Example : Reduce operational costs by 15% through process optimization and adopting new technology solutions by the end of Q3.

Customer retention

Are your customers sticking around, or are they leaving? Can you figure out why? Use these business objectives to reduce your churn and improve your customer retention rates.

Example : Improve customer retention rates by 15% through a loyalty program and personalised customer service initiatives.

Charlie’s approach to setting objectives – our own example

At the beginning of each year, we set one objective that we want to accomplish. In 2023, that goal was We support a total of 3650 small businesses by the end of 2023 .

Once we have our objective, each team at Charlie has to come together and decide how we will work towards it together.

Each team sets their own internal SMART goals that contribute to the objective. The marketing team might set out to increase brand awareness by a certain amount. The sales team will set goals for customer acquisition.

Cycles and quests

Then, we use a Cycles and Quests model to keep each team working towards the primary objective.

Charlie divides the year into two 6-month Quests, where we focus on 3-4 company priorities. Each Quest consists of 4-week long “Cycles.”

We split up into smaller teams to work towards these business objectives for the coming Quest. Each time decide what tactics they will use to achieve those objectives to complete the Quest.

This way, we not only set ambitious goals, but we create a structured approach to achieving them.

How HR software helps you achieve your business objectives

A dedicated HR software tool can help you define your business objectives and come up with a plan for achieving them. The Charlie platform allows you to set and track goals so you can know what your team should focus on at any given time.

That ensures that everyone is contributing to the objectives. Individual team members can also set goals for themselves.

Your business objectives lead the way to your success

Having business objectives balances your short and long-term goals, keeps the organisation heading in the right direction, and helps you make the most out of whatever capital and manpower you have on hand.

It’s the new year. Take some time to reflect on your business processes. Are they based on SMART criteria?

If you need some guidance on setting appropriate business objectives, give Charlie a try to set both your business objectives and your personal goals.

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7 Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Own (2024)

Need support creating your business plan? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration.

Any aspiring entrepreneur researching how to start a business will likely be advised to write a business plan. But few resources provide business plan examples to really guide you through writing one of your own.

Here are some real-world and illustrative business plan examples to help you craft your business plan .

7 business plan examples: section by section

The business plan examples in this article follow this template:

• Executive summary.  An introductory overview of your business.
• Company description.  A more in-depth and detailed description of your business and why it exists.
• Market analysis.  Research-based information about the industry and your target market.
• Products and services.  What you plan to offer in exchange for money.
• Marketing plan.   The promotional strategy to introduce your business to the world and drive sales.
• Logistics and operations plan.  Everything that happens in the background to make your business function properly.
• Financial plan.  A breakdown of your numbers to show what you need to get started as well as to prove viability of profitability.
• Executive summary

Your  executive summary  is a page that gives a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. It’s easiest to save this section for last.

In this  free business plan template , the executive summary is four paragraphs and takes a little over half a page:

• Company description

You might repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page, social media profile pages, or other properties that require a boilerplate description of your small business.

Soap brand ORRIS  has a blurb on its About page that could easily be repurposed for the company description section of its business plan.

You can also go more in-depth with your company overview and include the following sections, like in the example for Paw Print Post:

• Business structure.  This section outlines how you  registered your business —as an  LLC , sole proprietorship, corporation, or other  business type . “Paw Print Post will operate as a sole proprietorship run by the owner, Jane Matthews.”
• Nature of the business.  “Paw Print Post sells unique, one-of-a-kind digitally printed cards that are customized with a pet’s unique paw prints.”
• Industry.  “Paw Print Post operates primarily in the pet industry and sells goods that could also be categorized as part of the greeting card industry.”
• Background information.  “Jane Matthews, the founder of Paw Print Post, has a long history in the pet industry and working with animals, and was recently trained as a graphic designer. She’s combining those two loves to capture a niche in the market: unique greeting cards customized with a pet’s paw prints, without needing to resort to the traditional (and messy) options of casting your pet’s prints in plaster or using pet-safe ink to have them stamp their ‘signature.’”
• Business objectives.  “Jane will have Paw Print Post ready to launch at the Big Important Pet Expo in Toronto to get the word out among industry players and consumers alike. After two years in business, Jane aims to drive $150,000 in annual revenue from the sale of Paw Print Post’s signature greeting cards and have expanded into two new product categories.”
• Team.  “Jane Matthews is the sole full-time employee of Paw Print Post but hires contractors as needed to support her workflow and fill gaps in her skill set. Notably, Paw Print Post has a standing contract for five hours a week of virtual assistant support with Virtual Assistants Pro.”

Your  mission statement  may also make an appearance here.  Passionfruit  shares its mission statement on its company website, and it would also work well in its example business plan.

• Market analysis

The market analysis consists of research about supply and demand, your target demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. You might run a SWOT analysis and include that in your business plan. 

Here’s an example  SWOT analysis  for an online tailored-shirt business:

You’ll also want to do a  competitive analysis  as part of the market research component of your business plan. This will tell you who you’re up against and give you ideas on how to differentiate your brand. A broad competitive analysis might include:

• Target customers
• Unique value add  or what sets their products apart
• Sales pitch
• Price points  for products
• Shipping  policy
• Products and services

This section of your business plan describes your offerings—which products and services do you sell to your customers? Here’s an example for Paw Print Post:

• Marketing plan

It’s always a good idea to develop a marketing plan  before you launch your business. Your marketing plan shows how you’ll get the word out about your business, and it’s an essential component of your business plan as well.

The Paw Print Post focuses on four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place. However, you can take a different approach with your marketing plan. Maybe you can pull from your existing  marketing strategy , or maybe you break it down by the different marketing channels. Whatever approach you take, your marketing plan should describe how you intend to promote your business and offerings to potential customers.

• Logistics and operations plan

The Paw Print Post example considered suppliers, production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory.

Financial plan

The financial plan provides a breakdown of sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and other relevant financial metrics related to funding and profiting from your business.

Ecommerce brand  Nature’s Candy’s financial plan  breaks down predicted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then dives deeper into the financials to include:

• Funding needs
• Projected profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Projected cash-flow statement

You can use this financial plan spreadsheet to build your own financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement.

Types of business plans, and what to include for each

A one-page business plan is meant to be high level and easy to understand at a glance. You’ll want to include all of the sections, but make sure they’re truncated and summarized:

• Executive summary: truncated
• Market analysis: summarized
• Products and services: summarized
• Marketing plan: summarized
• Logistics and operations plan: summarized
• Financials: summarized

A startup business plan is for a new business. Typically, these plans are developed and shared to secure  outside funding . As such, there’s a bigger focus on the financials, as well as on other sections that determine viability of your business idea—market research, for example.

• Market analysis: in-depth
• Financials: in-depth

Your internal business plan is meant to keep your team on the same page and aligned toward the same goal.

A strategic, or growth, business plan is a bigger picture, more-long-term look at your business. As such, the forecasts tend to look further into the future, and growth and revenue goals may be higher. Essentially, you want to use all the sections you would in a normal business plan and build upon each.

• Market analysis: comprehensive outlook
• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Marketing plan: comprehensive outlook
• Logistics and operations plan: comprehensive outlook
• Financials: comprehensive outlook

Feasibility

Your feasibility business plan is sort of a pre-business plan—many refer to it as simply a feasibility study. This plan essentially lays the groundwork and validates that it’s worth the effort to make a full business plan for your idea. As such, it’s mostly centered around research.

Set yourself up for success as a business owner

Building a good business plan serves as a roadmap you can use for your ecommerce business at launch and as you reach each of your business goals. Business plans create accountability for entrepreneurs and synergy among teams, regardless of your  business model .

Kickstart your ecommerce business and set yourself up for success with an intentional business planning process—and with the sample business plans above to guide your own path.

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Business plan examples FAQ

How do i write a simple business plan, what is the best format to write a business plan, what are the 4 key elements of a business plan.

• Executive summary: A concise overview of the company's mission, goals, target audience, and financial objectives.
• Business description: A description of the company's purpose, operations, products and services, target markets, and competitive landscape.
• Market analysis: An analysis of the industry, market trends, potential customers, and competitors.
• Financial plan: A detailed description of the company's financial forecasts and strategies.

What are the 3 main points of a business plan?

• Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business and provide an overall summary of what you intend to accomplish.
• Contents: Your content should include details about the products and services you provide, your target market, and your competition.
• Cashflow: Your cash flow section should include information about your expected cash inflows and outflows, such as capital investments, operating costs, and revenue projections.

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10 Most Important Business Objectives

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Your business objectives are the results you hope to achieve as you run and grow your business. As an entrepreneur, you are concerned with every aspect of your business and need to have clear goals in mind for your company if you are to stay on track. Having a comprehensive list of business objectives creates the guidelines that become the foundation for your business planning.

1. Getting and Staying Profitable

Maintaining profitability means making sure that revenue stays ahead of the costs of doing business. Focus on controlling costs in both production and operations while maintaining the profit margin on products sold.

2. Productivity of People and Resources

Employee training, equipment maintenance and new equipment purchases all go into company productivity. Your objective should be to provide all of the resources your employees need to remain as productive as possible.

3. Excellent Customer Service

Good customer service helps you retain clients and generate repeat revenue. Keeping your customers happy should be a primary objective of your organization.

4. Employee Attraction and Retention

Employee turnover costs you money in lost productivity and the costs associated with recruiting, which include employment advertising and paying placement agencies. Maintaining a productive and positive employee environment improves retention.

5. Mission-driven Core Values

Your company mission statement is a description of the core values of your company. It is a summary of the beliefs your company holds in regard to customer interaction, responsibility to the community and employee satisfaction. The company's core values become the objectives necessary to create a positive corporate culture.

6. Sustainable Growth

Growth is planned based on historical data and future projections. Growth requires the careful use of company resources such as finances and personnel.

7. Maintaining a Healthy Cash Flow

Even a company with good cash flow needs financing contacts in the event that capital is needed to expand the organization. Maintaining your ability to finance operations means that you can prepare for long-term projects and address short-term needs such as payroll and accounts payable.

8. Dealing with Change

Change management is the process of preparing your organization for growth and creating processes that effectively deal with a developing marketplace. The objective of change management is to create a dynamic organization that is prepared to meet the challenges of your industry.

9. Reaching the Right Customers

Marketing is more than creating advertising and getting customer input on product changes. It is understanding consumer buying trends, being able to anticipate product distribution needs and developing business partnerships that help your organization to improve market share.

10. Staying Ahead of the Competition

A comprehensive analysis of the activities of the competition should be an ongoing business objective for your organization. Understanding where your products rank in the marketplace helps you to better determine how to improve your standing among consumers and improve your revenue.

• Clear Point Strategy: 56 Strategic Objective Examples For Your Company To Copy
• Entrepreneur: Plan Your Business Plan
• Business Knowledge Source: The Importance of Setting Goals and Objectives for Your Small Business

George N. Root III began writing professionally in 1985. His publishing credits include a weekly column in the "Lockport Union Sun and Journal" along with the "Spectrum," the "Niagara Falls Gazette," "Tonawanda News," "Watertown Daily News" and the "Buffalo News." Root has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the State University of New York, Buffalo.

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• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Overview and Objectives

The third in a comprehensive series to help you craft the perfect business plan for your startup.

This article is part of a series on  how to write a great business plan .

Providing an overview of your business can be tricky, especially when you're still in the planning stages. If you already own an existing business, summarizing your current operation should be relatively easy; it can be a lot harder to explain what you plan to become .

So start by taking a step back.

Think about what products and services you will provide, how you will provide those items, what you need to have in order to provide those items, exactly who will provide those items... and most importantly, whom you will provide those items to.

Consider our bicycle rental business example. It's serves retail customers. It has an online component, but the core of the business is based on face-to-face transactions for bike rentals and support.

So you'll need a physical location, bikes, racks and tools and supporting equipment, and other brick-and-mortar related items. You'll need employees with a very particular set of skills to serve those customers, and you'll need an operating plan to guide your everyday activities.

Sound like a lot? It boils down to:

• What you will provide
• What you need to run your business
• Who will service your customers, and
• Who your customers are

In our example, defining the above is fairly simple. You know what you will provide to meet your customer's needs. You will of course need a certain quantity of bikes to service demand, but you will not need a number of different types of bikes. You need a retail location, furnished to meet the demands of your business. You need semi-skilled employees capable of sizing, customizing, and repairing bikes.

And you know your customers: Cycling enthusiasts.

In other businesses and industries answering the above questions can be more difficult. If you open a restaurant, what you plan to serve will in some ways determine your labor needs, the location you choose, the equipment you need to purchase... and most importantly will help define your customer. Changing any one element may change other elements; if you cannot afford to purchase expensive kitchen equipment, you may need to adapt your menu accordingly. If you hope to attract an upscale clientele, you may need to invest more in purchasing a prime location and creating an appealing ambience.

So where do you start? Focus on the basics first:

• Identify your industry: Retail, wholesale, service, manufacturing, etc. Clearly define your type of business.
• Identify your customer. You cannot market and sell to customers until you know who they are.
• Explain the problem you solve. Successful businesses create customer value by solving problems. In our rental example, one problem is cycling enthusiasts who don't--or can't--travel with bikes. Another problem is casual cyclists who can't--or choose not to--spend significant sums on their own bikes. The rental shop will solve that problem by offering a lower-cost and convenient alternative.
• Show how you will solve that problem. Our rental shop will offer better prices and enhanced services like remote deliveries, off-hours equipment returns, and online reservations.

If you are still stuck, try answering these questions. Some may pertain to you; others may not.

• Who is my average customer? Who am I targeting? (Unless you plan to open a grocery store, you should be unlikely to answer, "Everyone!")
• What problem do I solve for my customers?
• How will I solve that problem?
• Where will I fail to solve a customer problem... and what can I do to overcome that issue? (In our rental example, one problem is a potential lack of convenience; we will overcome that issue by offering online reservations, on-resort deliveries, and drive-up equipment returns.)
• Where will I locate my business?
• What products, services, and equipment do I need to run my business?
• What skills do my employees need, and how many do I need?
• How will I beat my competition?
• How can I differentiate myself from my competition in the eyes of my customers? (You can have a great plan to beat your competition but you also must win the perception battle among your customers. If customers don't feel you are different... then you aren't truly different. Perception is critical.)

Once you work through this list you will probably end up with a lot more detail than is necessary for your business plan. That is not a problem: Start summarizing the main points. For example, your Business Overview and Objectives section could start something like this:

History and Vision

Blue Mountain Cycle Rentals is a new retail venture that will be located at 321 Mountain Drive, directly adjacent to an extremely popular cycling destination. Our initial goal is to become the premier provider for bicycle rentals. We will then leverage our customer base and position in the market to offer new equipment sales as well as comprehensive maintenance and service, custom equipment fittings, and expert trail advice.

• Achieve the largest market share bicycle rentals in the area
• Generate a net income of $235,000 at the end of the second year of operation
• Minimize rental inventory replacement costs by maintaining a 7% attrition rate on existing equipment (industry average is 12%)

Keys to Success

• Provide high quality equipment, sourcing that equipment as inexpensively as possible through existing relationships with equipment manufacturers and other cycling shops
• Use signage to attract visitors traveling to the national forest, highlighting our cost and service advantage
• Create additional customer convenience factors to overcome a perceived lack of convenience for customers planning to ride roads and trails some distance away from our shop
• Develop customer incentive and loyalty programs to leverage customer relationships and create positive word of mouth

You could certainly include more detail in each section; this is simply a quick guide. And if you plan to develop a product or service, you should thoroughly describe the development process as well as the end result.

The key is to describe what you will do for your customers--if you can't, you won't have any customers.

Next time we'll look at another major component in a business plan: your Products and Services .

More in this series:

• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Key Concepts
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: the Executive Summary
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Products and Services
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Market Opportunities
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Sales and Marketing
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Competitive Analysis
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Operations
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Management Team
• How to Write a Great Business Plan: Financial Analysis

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15+ Business Plan Examples to Help You Write Your Own

Written by: Caleb Bruski

Having a clear business plan and sharing your goals with investors and stakeholders is an important first step to starting a successful business. It's like Utibe Samuel Mbom said, “Those who work hard, work alone. Those who work smart, work as a team.”

Whether you’re at a startup creating a pitch deck for investors or an established corporation with a team to work with, it's crucial to write a solid business plan to help everyone grasp the goals and ultimate vision of your company.

Creating a business plan from scratch can take a lot of time and effort. Get a head start by using professionally designed business plan templates. You can find some amazing, ready-made business plan templates in Visme — complete with financial, overview and other important pages.

In this article, we'll show you 15+ business examples to help inspire your own.

Ready to create your own business plan? Build a solid document to bring your ideas to life using our business plan maker . Access pre-made templates, drag-and-drop design tools, free images, interactivity and more.

Table of Contents

• Simple Business Plan Example
• Creative Business Plan Example
• Modern Business Plan Example
• Ecommerce Business Plan Example
• Salon Business Plan Example
• Startup Business Plan Example
• Nonprofit Business Plan Example
• Coffee Shop Business Plan Example
• Consulting Business Plan
• Fashion Business Plan Example
• One-Page Business Plan Example
• SaaS Business Plan Example
• Photography Business Plan Example
• Real Estate Business Plan Example
• Small Business Plan Example
• Day Care Business Plan Example

1 Simple Business Plan Example

When a business plan is called simple, it does not mean it lacks details. A good business plan should cover the most important details of your core idea and present them in a way that's easy for your audience to understand and remember.

The simple business plan template gives you access to 10 customizable pages for your next business plan complete with stock images and a professionally designed layout that is fully customizable.

These pages can be used to explain your business goals and deadlines to your shareholders, potential investors or employees. Use this simple business plan example and template to effortlessly share your timeline and scheduled launches with others.

2 Creative Business Plan Example

Making your company stand out from the crowd is essential to running a successful business. Use this creative business plan example and template to showcase how your ideas and plans for the future are unique, and why they're worth investing in.

While creativity is what makes our world diverse, your creativity here needs to follow your company’s branding. A key aspect of any successful brand strategy is consistency. Your business plan and any other document should follow the tone and style guide of your brand identity.

To learn more about the importance of branding and style guides, check out our complete guide to branding.

3 Modern Business Plan Example

Show your team what the future looks like with a modern business template.

One of the undeniable characteristics of modern style is the lack of clutter. While not all modern styles go so far as to be called minimalistic, they do share a common theme of being clean and clutter-free.

This modern business plan example takes those characteristics and applies them to a business plan. By being clean and organized, this business plan template shows how clear and solid the future plans of your company are.

Utilize this template to reinforce a culture of excellence among your work colleagues or impress potential investors with a clean and clear business plan outline for the future.

4 Ecommerce Business Plan Example

Ecommerce stores have become an important part of our society. According to a study from Statista, nearly 15% of all US retail sales were ecommerce sales in the first quarter of 2020.

For your online business to succeed and stay up to date with all the online sales, holidays and trends, a clear business plan is needed.

The ecommerce business plan template is a great template for anyone looking to launch or maintain an ecommerce store. Use this example to help you create goals for upcoming sales and deadlines to launch new features in your store.

5 Salon Business Plan Example

This salon business plan is a perfect way to establish and share plans for your salon. With the help of this glamorous business plan template, you will be able to share with investors what your vision is for your salon or any other small business.

Our incredible selection of crystal-clear images takes your content to the next level, giving your sophisticated design some extra flair.

Create and share future plans, sales and ideas for your business with those around you. Cast your vision for what the future looks like and invite others to get behind your ambitions.

6 Startup Business Plan Example

Creating a startup can be a difficult task.

Having a great idea is one thing, but creating tangible goals, sharing mission statements and creating a culture that stands behind your original vision is a whole separate challenge.

Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download  

The startup business plan template is a great example of how a business plan should look for a successful startup. The example includes customizable portions to help you share your objectives, values, market analysis and business model.

Creating a successful business plan that is captivating and informative may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually a perfect opportunity to share your hopes, dreams and goals for your business.

7 Nonprofit Business Plan Example

There are over 10 million nonprofits in the world, and over 25% of Americans volunteer to work with a nonprofit or charity.

If you have a great cause and are looking for a way to bring other people on board, consider making a nonprofit business plan. While technically a nonprofit is “not a business”, a nonprofit or charity requires similar structure and planning.

The nonprofit business plan example and template above is a great starting place to get your nonprofit's plan sketched out on paper.

Creating a business philosophy, creating goals and setting deadlines are shared values for both nonprofits and businesses. If you make a great plan, you will be able to compel others to give, volunteer or support your idea.

If you do not form a solid business plan that is easy to share with others, you will have a difficult time building your nonprofit, even if you are working for a good cause.

8 Coffee Shop Business Plan Example

If you’re looking to really spice up your coffee business, take a look at Visme’s business plan template. With an earth-toned color swatch, all of the pages on your business plan will match the overall vibe of your cafe or coffee shop.

With the ability to customize your font and colors and find something that will grab your customers’ attention, it's hard to go wrong with the coffee shop business plan. From hiring strategies to operational costs, this template covers all the basic topics you would expect out of a business plan.

Investors and employees alike will be able to see the creativity and art that goes into coffee making with the high-quality stock photos, while also seeing that your business plan is structured and clearly laid out.

A business plan should be detailed and go over market evaluations and your company's marketing strategy. Every page of this particular theme reminds your team or investors that this is a business plan centered around coffee.

9 Consulting Business Plan

Consulting is an eclectic business. A consultant can help in nearly any industry where a person has the expertise and teaching capabilities.

As such, a business plan template for a consultant agency must be versatile and easily customizable. This consulting business plan example is an extremely flexible template to fit nearly any need.

While most business plans are directed towards investors or employees, consulting business plans must also be tailored towards potential customers.

A great consulting business plan template will include a summary, objectives, market strategies, services and price listings for customers.

This template makes great use of large, high quality images. With Visme, you can simply drag and drop images onto the template to replace the existing images with your own.

10 Fashion Business Plan Example

Fashion can be a difficult business to get into due to the fact that most of your competitors are larger and more established brands.

One of the best ways to get the business off the ground is to show investors and customers that you’ve done your research into the market and have a strategy for success.

A detailed plan that shows how your product and business plans outshine the competition is exactly what you need to land your net pitch and get seed money for your business.

The fashion business plan example and template above gives you multiple pages to explain in detail how your business model will work and what your target dates are for particular tasks.

RELATED: 10 Efficient Business Model Canvas Templates to Use

11 One-Page Business Plan Example

Having an outlined plan for your business is an absolute must to have a prosperous business.

As the old proverb goes, “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”

While it is good to know as many details as possible, not every business plan or pitch needs to cover every excruciating detail. When pressed for time or dealing with a simple subject matter, consider using a one-page business plan.

The benefit of a one-page business plan is the amount of information retained by your audience. If you can simplify your subject matter to only contain a few main points, the likelihood of your audience engaging with and remembering your presentation increases.

A one-page business plan should cover the core essentials of your business plan and be used as an invitation for further discussion. It may be a good idea to have an extended version of your business plan on standby for when an investor wants more details on a specific subject.

12 SaaS Business Plan Example

A SaaS (software as a service) company is a company that hosts a web application and offers access to the application over the internet.

If you want your SaaS company to be the next big thing in tech, you need a business plan that explains what solutions your application provides, how your research and development financial goals will be met and how your app will be scalable.

Most applications can collect data with a monitoring tool and give crucial insight to you, your team and your shareholders.

Be sure to utilize these assets and include relevant data into your business plan presentation. This establishes trust with your supporters and helps them know what to expect in the future.

If you would like to know more about how to present your big data points, check out this article on how to use data visualization techniques in your documents and presentations.

13 Photography Business Plan Example

Freelancing can be a profoundly rewarding way of doing business. The freedom to work at your own pace and set your own rules can be a dream come true. However, freelancing also comes with the pressure of always finding the next job or project.

By creating a great customer experience, you increase the chances of drawing people back into your business for repeat purchases and even attract potential investors.

This well-structured photography business plan can help create a better customer experience as your client knows exactly what they are getting and how it compares to the rest of the market.

Create a business plan for your photography, design or any other freelance business complete with market analysis, pricing, target audience and plans to scale.

14 Real Estate Business Plan Example

Large-scale real estate investments are rarely done by a single individual. Typically, real estate investments are done by a group of friends, family, shareholders or companies.

Regardless of which category you find yourself in, writing out a plan and projection for your real estate investment is an absolute must to raise investments for a potential project.

Explaining the market condition for the specific region is one of the main pieces of information necessary for a real estate investment. Knowing the market value, potential obstacles and return on investment are all important parts of your business’s plan that need to be presented.

The real estate business plan example goes into detail regarding the market conditions and financial analysis. Within the editor, you are able to import your own data to customize the charts and graphs for your specific situation.

15 Small Business Plan Example

Even small businesses need big plans.

The size of a business does not negate the need for a solid and thoroughly outlined business plan. The tendency amongst small businesses is to keep track and plan things in their heads.

If a small business wants to scale and be successful, plans and goals for growth need to be outlined and presented. Start by creating a strategic business plan that includes your methodology for reaching your target audience.

From these big ideas, break the plan down into smaller and more achievable goals. Writing these goals out in a plan helps you and your team remember the established goals and creates a great way to invite potential investors into your business.

Take a look at this helpful article to learn how to create a timeline for your business.

16 Day Care Business Plan Example

The daycare business plan example will give you a great idea of what an operating plan should look like. Operating plans are detailed plans that show how a particular person or team contributes to the overall business goals.

Operating plans do not need to cover every minute of every day, but should give an overarching plan for the day to day operations. An operation plan's purpose is to give a good insight into how and where the basic operations of a business will run in the everyday course of life and set milestones for success.

With this comprehensive business plan template, you can show off your childcare business's outstanding services and plans for the future. Customize each page to suit your context and needs.

Create a Solid Business Plan With Visme

The old saying “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” remains true. Whether you are a new start up company or an established corporation with hundreds of employees, you need to have a business plan that is up-to-date and displays your current goals.

Visme offers tons of high-quality business plan templates that you can easily edit using a drag-and-drop editor in your browser — no downloads or design experience needed.

Or, learn more about how to create a compelling business plan presentation and turn your ideas into reality by impressing investors and stakeholders.

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Business Plan Executive Summary Example & Template

Updated: Jun 3, 2024, 1:03pm

Table of Contents

Components of an executive summary, how to write an executive summary, example of an executive summary, frequently asked questions.

A business plan is a document that you create that outlines your company’s objectives and how you plan to meet those objectives. Every business plan has key sections such as management and marketing. It should also have an executive summary, which is a synopsis of each of the plan sections in a one- to two-page overview. This guide will help you create an executive summary for your business plan that is comprehensive while being concise.

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The executive summary should mimic the sections found in the business plan . It is just a more concise way of stating what’s in the plan so that a reader can get a broad overview of what to expect.

State the company’s mission statement and provide a few sentences on what the company’s purpose is.

Company History and Management

This section describes the basics of where the company is located, how long it has been in operation, who is running it and what their level of experience is. Remember that this is a summary and that you’ll expand on management experience within the business plan itself. But the reader should know the basics of the company structure and who is running the company from this section.

Products or Services

This section tells the reader what the product or service of the company is. Every company does something. This is where you outline exactly what you do and how you solve a problem for the consumer.

This is an important section that summarizes how large the market is for the product or service. In the business plan, you’ll do a complete market analysis. Here, you will write the key takeaways that show that you have the potential to grow the business because there are consumers in the market for it.

Competitive Advantages

This is where you will summarize what makes you better than the competitors. Identify key strengths that will be reasons why consumers will choose you over another company.

Financial Projections

This is where you estimate the sales projections for the first years in business. At a minimum, you should have at least one year’s projections, but it may be better to have three to five years if you can project that far ahead.

Startup Financing Requirements

This states what it will cost to get the company launched and running. You may tackle this as a first-year requirement or if you have made further projections, look at two to three years of cost needs.

The executive summary is found at the start of the business plan, even though it is a summary of the plan. However, you should write the executive summary last. Writing the summary once you have done the work and written the business plan will be easier. After all, it is a summary of what is in the plan. Keep the executive summary limited to two pages so that it doesn’t take someone a long time to peruse what the summary says.

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It might be easier to write an executive summary if you know what to expect. Here is an example of an executive summary that you can use as a template.

Bottom Line

Writing an executive summary doesn’t need to be difficult if you’ve already done the work of writing the business plan itself. Take the elements from the plan and summarize each section. Point out key details that will make the reader want to learn more about the company and its financing needs.

How long is an executive summary?

An executive summary should be one to two pages and no more. This is just enough information to help the reader determine their overall interest in the company.

Does an executive summary have keywords?

The executive summary uses keywords to help sell the idea of the business. As such, there may be enumeration, causation and contrasting words.

How do I write a business plan?

If you have business partners, make sure to collaborate with them to ensure that the plan accurately reflects the goals of all parties involved. You can use our simple business plan template to get started.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Kimberlee Leonard has 22 years of experience as a freelance writer. Her work has been featured on US News and World Report, Business.com and Fit Small Business. She brings practical experience as a business owner and insurance agent to her role as a small business writer.

Cassie is a deputy editor collaborating with teams around the world while living in the beautiful hills of Kentucky. Focusing on bringing growth to small businesses, she is passionate about economic development and has held positions on the boards of directors of two non-profit organizations seeking to revitalize her former railroad town. Prior to joining the team at Forbes Advisor, Cassie was a content operations manager and copywriting manager.

How To Write a Strategic Plan for Your Business

What to read next:

See how Quantive can help you achieve more of your strategy.

Strategic planning forms the foundation of effective strategy management. It's the crucial first step that sets the direction for your entire business, regardless of its size or industry. A well-crafted strategic plan does more than outline goals—it provides a roadmap for achieving them, aligning your team's efforts, and adapting to change. Whether you're steering a multinational corporation or managing a neighborhood café, mastering the art of strategic planning can significantly impact your business's trajectory. Let's explore how strategic planning initiates the strategic management process and lays the groundwork for long-term success.

What are the seven elements of a strategic plan?

A comprehensive strategic plan typically consists of seven key elements that work together to create a cohesive roadmap for your business. Let's explore each of these elements:

Vision 

Your vision statement articulates what your organization aspires to achieve in the future. It's your long-term goal to provide a clear picture of where you want your business to be. A strong vision statement is inspirational and guides your strategic decision-making.  

The mission statement is the driving force behind why your company exists. It defines who you serve, how you create value, and what sets you apart. A well-crafted mission statement should be concise, memorable, and aligned with your vision.

Values 

Your core values are the fundamental beliefs that guide your company's behavior and decision-making process. They shape your organizational culture and influence how you interact with customers, employees, and stakeholders.

Goals 

Goals are the measurable objectives that align with your business mission, vision, and values. These are typically your long-term ambitions, often set for a 3-5 year timeframe. They provide direction and focus for your entire organization.

Your strategy is the long-term plan for achieving your objectives. It's based on both internal and external factors, often informed by a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Your strategy maps out how you'll leverage your strengths, address weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and mitigate threats.

The approach outlines how you'll execute your strategy and achieve your objectives. It involves defining specific actions and initiatives. These are often your short-term objectives, breaking down long-term goals into smaller, measurable milestones to track progress and maintain momentum.

Tactics are the granular, short-term actions, programs, and activities that support your approach. They are the detailed steps and specific tasks that, when executed, help you achieve your objectives and, ultimately, your long-term goals.

By incorporating these seven elements into your strategic plan, you create a comprehensive framework that bridges the gap between your current state and your desired future. This strategic roadmap not only defines where you want to go but also outlines how you'll get there, ensuring that every aspect of your business is aligned towards achieving your vision.

What is an example of a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is your business's GPS, guiding you from where you are to where you want to be. It's a comprehensive document that outlines your goals, strategies, and the steps needed to achieve them. 

Let's look at a real-world example to see what a strategic plan could look like in practice:

Imagine a mid-sized tech company aiming to become a market leader in cloud computing solutions. 

Their strategic plan might include:

• Mission: To revolutionize business efficiency through innovative cloud solutions
• Vision: To be the go-to cloud service provider for small and medium enterprises by 2026
• Core values: Innovation, customer-centricity, collaboration
• SWOT analysis: Identifying strengths (cutting-edge technology), weaknesses (limited market presence), opportunities (growing demand for cloud services), and threats (intense competition)
• Long-term goals : Achieve 25% market share within five years
• Short-term objectives: Increase customer base by 50% in the next 12 months
• Action plans: Launch a targeted marketing campaign, develop new product features, and expand the sales team

This example demonstrates how a strategic plan provides a clear roadmap for achieving business objectives.

Specific examples of strategic plans for various sectors

Different sectors may emphasize different aspects of strategic planning . For instance:

• Healthcare: Focus on patient outcomes, technology integration, and regulatory compliance
• Education: Prioritize student achievement, faculty development, and funding strategies
• Non-profit: Emphasize mission alignment, donor engagement, and program effectiveness

Remember, the key is to adapt your strategic plan to your unique context and needs.

How do you make a strategic plan for a small business?

Strategic planning is essential for all business sizes, not just corporate giants. Small businesses, with their limited resources, can greatly benefit from a well-structured strategic plan. By prioritizing initiatives and allocating resources wisely, a strategic plan helps avoid costly mistakes and maximizes return on investment. It allows business owners to focus on impactful activities, adapt quickly to market changes, and ensure every effort contributes to long-term goals. 

Even a simplified version of the seven strategic planning elements can provide a solid foundation for growth. The key is creating a plan that's both comprehensive and flexible. In the resource-constrained world of small business, a well-crafted strategic plan ensures that every resource is channeled effectively, promoting smart, strategic growth rather than just hard work.

Here's how a small business can create a strategic plan: 

• Clarify your vision, mission, and values
• Conduct an environmental scan
• Define strategic priorities
• Develop goals and metrics
• Derive a strategic plan
• Write and communicate your strategic plan
• Implement, monitor, and revise

These steps provide a comprehensive framework for organizations to create, execute, and maintain an effective strategic plan.

For a more in-depth guide, check out this article on the  strategic planning process .

Simplify the process using strategic plan templates

Strategic plan templates can be invaluable tools, especially for those new to the process or looking to streamline their approach. These templates provide structure and ensure you don't overlook critical components. Here are some examples of strategic plan templates and their specific use cases:

• Example : A tech startup might use this to outline its product development roadmap, key market targets, and growth milestones for the next 12 months.
• Use case: Perfect for teams setting specific, measurable objectives.
• Example: A sales team could use this to set targets like “Increase quarterly revenue by 15% through expanding into two new market segments by Q3.”
• Use case: Valuable for businesses conducting a comprehensive situational analysis.
• Example: A retail company might use this to assess its e-commerce capabilities (strength), limited physical presence (weakness), emerging markets (opportunity), and increasing online competition (threat).
• Use case: Suited for larger organizations needing to align various departments.
• Example: A healthcare provider could use this to track patient satisfaction (customer), operational efficiency (internal processes), staff training (learning and growth), and cost management (financial) metrics.
• Use case: Useful for project managers or team leaders implementing specific strategies.
• Example: A marketing team might use this to outline steps for a product launch, including timelines for content creation, media outreach, and performance tracking.

By choosing the right template for your specific needs, you can significantly simplify the strategic planning process and ensure all crucial elements are addressed. Remember, these templates are starting points - customize them to fit your unique business context and goals.

Want to streamline strategic planning?

Strategic planning is more than a business exercise — it's a commitment to your future success. Whether you're learning how to write a strategic plan for a department or figuring out how to write a strategy for a project, the principles remain the same: clarity, focus, and actionable steps.

Writing a strategic plan from scratch may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Our strategic intelligence platform, Quantive StrategyAI , can help you create a strategic plan based on your current business circumstances, ways of working, and goals. Here's how:

• AI-Powered Insights: StrategyAI analyzes your business data, both structured and unstructured, to provide contextually relevant insights and guidance at every step.
• End-to-end Management: From strategy development to execution and evaluation, StrategyAI offers a comprehensive solution to manage your entire strategic process.
• Adaptive Approach: The platform adapts to your business context, inputs, and way of working, eliminating the need for you to adjust to a new system.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: With over 170 integrations, StrategyAI connects with your business data sources, ensuring your insights are always fresh and relevant.
• Always-On Strategy: StrategyAI enables a continuous, responsive, and connected approach to strategy, which is crucial for success in today's fast-paced business environment.

At Quantive, we specialize in turning complex business challenges into clear, effective strategies. Our AI-powered platform, combined with our team of experts, can guide you through the process, helping you create and execute a strategic plan that drives real results.

Quantive empowers modern organizations to turn their ambitions into reality through strategic agility. It's where strategy, teams, and data come together to drive effective decision-making, streamline execution, and maximize performance.     

As your company navigates today’s competitive landscape, you need an Always-On Strategy to continuously bridge the gap between current and desired business outcomes. Quantive brings together the technology, expertise, and passion for transforming your strategy and playbooks from a static formulation to a feedback-driven engine for growth.    

Whether you’re a fast-growing scale-up, a mid-market business looking to conquer, or a large enterprise looking for innovation, Quantive keeps you ahead – every step of the way. For more information, visit  www.quantive.com .

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Company goals and objectives template

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Tips for setting and managing your company goals with our business goals template

Fortunately, Asana can help. Set and share your business goals, visualize progress, and track all of your  objectives and key results  in one place. With our business goals template you can:

Connect strategy to tactics. Break down goals into projects and tasks so everyone knows how their daily work ladders up to the big picture.

Nail your execution plan. Give each goal or objective a clear owner and due date to drive action and accountability.

Track your progress. Once work is kicked off, share team updates so everyone knows how you’re progressing towards your business objectives and where there are blockers.

A digital OKR template works well for individual teams, but you can level up your goal-setting process with Asana’s Goals feature . Instead of just working on the team level, Goals is an organization-wide tool that can help your entire company set, track, and communicate about goals.

Examples of business goals you can plan with Asana

Company goal planning process

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All of your questions, answered:

What is a business goal? A business goal is an initiative or objective that your individual, team, and company’s work ladders up to. Business goals can be shorter-term, like team goals for the quarter, or longer-term, like company goals that bring the company closer to its mission.

How do I set business goals? Business goals should be specific and measurable. Consider using a framework, like OKRs, which can help your team set and measure your goals. To learn more about how to set good OKRs while avoiding common goal-setting pitfalls, download our free ebook .

Why is setting goals important? Setting goals is critical for businesses to clearly define objectives and align their initiatives with those objectives. But most teams lack the clarity they need to connect their work to their organization’s goals. A recent study found that only 26% of employees have a very clear understanding of how their work relates to their company’s goals, and just 16% say their company is very effective at setting and communicating goals. With a goal setting framework, your team can bridge the gap between daily projects and organizational impact.

Get started with company goal and milestones planning with our  business goals template . But to really take your organization’s goal planning to the next level, try  Goals . With Goals, you can align your organization’s work to your mission, so you can keep goals top of mind and do more work that delivers measurable results.

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Great Business Plan Examples That Drive Success

Creating a successful business plan is both an art and a science. A well-crafted plan not only outlines your business’s goals but also lays out a clear roadmap for achieving them. From identifying target markets to detailing financial projections, a strong business plan serves as the foundation for growth, providing direction and attracting potential investors. However, creating such a plan can be challenging, requiring a deep understanding of your industry, precise financial modeling, and the ability to foresee potential challenges.

This is where great business plan examples come into play. By studying proven examples, you can gain insights into what works and avoid common pitfalls. These examples show how to structure your plan, effectively communicate your vision, and back up your ideas with solid data. Using a 10-year financial model template alongside these examples can elevate your plan, offering a detailed, long-term view of your business’s potential, and setting you on the path to success.

Exceptional Business Plan Examples That Inspire Success

Embarking on a new business venture or scaling an existing one necessitates a robust and comprehensive business plan. Crafting an effective business plan is essential as it serves as a blueprint for your company’s growth, helping to communicate your vision and strategy to stakeholders and investors. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a newcomer to the business world, examining well-crafted business plan examples can provide invaluable insights and inspiration. Learning from successful businesses that have navigated similar challenges can significantly enhance your planning process, setting you up for long-term accomplishment.

In this article, we will delve into several great business plan examples that have demonstrated remarkable success in their respective industries. These examples will highlight various approaches ranging from visionary startups to social entrepreneurship. By studying these successful business plans, you will be equipped with better tools and strategies to create a compelling blueprint for your own business aspirations. Let’s explore these exceptional business plans and discover what makes them a model worth emulating.

Creating a great business plan is crucial for any new or existing venture looking to succeed. An exceptional business plan not only outlines your vision and strategy but also provides a roadmap for achieving your objectives. Let’s explore some inspirational business plan examples that can serve as models for your own endeavors.

Visionary Startups

Many startups start with a visionary concept that fills a gap in the market. Two standout examples in this category include:

• Airbnb: Initially, Airbnb was founded to help people find short-term lodging in private homes rather than hotels. Their business plan emphasized scalability, targeting urban markets, and user-friendly technology. Today, they highlight community and trust as their core business values.
• Warby Parker: This eyewear company disrupted the traditional glasses market with a direct-to-consumer model. Their plan emphasized social responsibility, offering a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold. Their marketing strategy relied heavily on a strong online presence and innovation in customer service.

Social Entrepreneurship

Business plans for social enterprises often intertwine profit with purpose. Notable examples include:

• Toms: Known for their one-for-one model, Toms has built a business plan around giving back. Their strategies integrate ethical sourcing and sustainable practices with a focus on community upliftment, which resonates remarkably with modern consumers.
• Unreasonable Group: This company’s plan focuses on supporting entrepreneurs who tackle social and environmental challenges. Unreasonable Group combines investment with mentoring, demonstrating a model that prioritizes impactful solutions over mere profits.

Established Enterprises with Innovative Plans

Even well-established companies can inspire with their innovative approaches. Consider the following:

• Google: Their early business plan defined a commitment to excellence in technology and information management. Google continually evolves its strategy, focusing on data-driven decision-making and agility in the face of technological change.
• Apple: Apple’s plan has consistently centered around innovation and user experience. With a strong focus on branding, they managed to create a loyal customer base. Their business strategy combines a premium pricing model with a robust ecosystem of complementary products and services.

Key Components of an Exceptional Business Plan

To stand out, a business plan needs to incorporate several essential components:

• Executive Summary: Offer a snapshot of your business and its potential.
• Market Analysis: Clearly outline your target market and competitor landscape.
• Organization and Management: Highlight your business structure and team qualifications.
• Service or Product Line: Discuss what you’re offering and how it solves a problem.
• Marketing Strategy: Define how you’ll reach your audience and grow your customer base.
• Funding Request: If seeking investment, detail any funding you need to launch or expand.
• Financial Projections: Provide data on expected revenue and expenses to reassure stakeholders.

Technology-Driven Business Models

In today’s fast-paced world, technology-driven businesses often shape their plans to leverage digital tools and platforms. Check out these compelling examples:

• Spotify: By focusing on user experience and a freemium model, Spotify revolutionized how we consume music. Their business plan prioritizes partnerships with artists and measures success through user engagement metrics.
• Slack: Starting as an internal communication tool, Slack’s business plan effectively catered to the growing need for collaboration in remote work. Their plan focuses on integration capabilities and user-friendly features, driving user growth and retention.

Exceptional business plans are not one-size-fits-all; they are tailored to fit the unique needs and goals of the business. By analyzing successful examples and incorporating fundamental elements into your own plan, you position yourself for success. These businesses illustrate that a strong plan can pave the way for growth and transformation, making all the difference in today’s competitive landscape.

Key Components of an Effective Business Plan

Crafting an effective business plan is crucial for anyone looking to launch or grow a business. An impactful plan serves as both a roadmap for the entrepreneur and a tool to attract investors. Focusing on the essential components ensures that the plan is thorough and meets the needs of its intended audience.

Executive Summary

The executive summary is the first impression you make on stakeholders. It should encapsulate your business idea, the problem it solves, and your vision. Aim to make this section engaging yet concise. Typically, it should not exceed two pages. Highlight key points like your mission statement, fundamental financial projections, and details on the management team.

Company Description

In this section, provide an overview of your business. Discuss the type of business structure—such as sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. Include information about your business goals, what sets you apart from competitors, and the industries you operate in. Your company description should clearly articulate your business’s mission and vision.

Market Analysis

Perform a thorough analysis of your target market. This includes identifying your target demographics, market trends, and potential barriers to entry. Employ research to provide insights on competitors. Utilizing tools like SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) can be invaluable in assessing where your business fits into the current market landscape.

Marketing Strategy

A well-defined marketing strategy lays the groundwork for how you’ll attract customers. Whether it encompasses traditional advertising, social media, or email campaigns, justify your methods with data. Outline specific marketing tactics, budget allocations, and metrics for measuring success. Decide if you’ll employ a direct sales approach or use distribution channels, and be clear about your positioning strategy.

Organization and Management

This section should detail your business’s organizational structure. Include bios of key team members, their roles, and responsibilities. Highlight relevant experiences and qualifications. A visual organizational chart might be beneficial. Discuss any advisors, consultants, or board members you plan to engage. This section is critical for establishing credibility.

Products or Services

Explain what you are offering consumers. This part should describe your products or services in detail, including their life cycle, features, and benefits. Discuss research and development plans if applicable. Address how your offerings solve customer pain points or fulfill needs, thereby differentiating themselves from competitors.

Funding Request

If you seek external funding, be clear about your needs. Include how much funding you require, how it will be utilized, and your planned repayment strategy. This is where you can specify your financial projections and expected returns for investors. Clarity and specificity in this section can build trust and confidence in potential funders.

Financial Projections

In the financial projections segment, present a detailed projection for at least three to five years. Utilize tables for clarity. This often includes:

• Income statements
• Cash flow statements
• Balance sheets
• Break-even analysis

These figures should align with your funding requests and market analysis. Use realistic assumptions backed by market research.

An appendix is not mandatory but can add value. It provides supplementary information that supports your business plan but may disrupt the flow if included in the main sections. You might include resumes, legal agreements, product images, or additional financial data here. This section acts as a resource that interested readers can refer to for more in-depth insights.

Creating an effective business plan involves meticulously covering these core components. By ensuring each section is thoughtfully prepared with concise information and actionable insights, you lay a solid foundation for your business venture. A clear, well-organized business plan can be the key to not only securing funding but also guiding your business toward long-term success.

Analyzing the Business Plans of Successful Startups

Analyzing the business plans of successful startups reveals significant insights that aspiring entrepreneurs can leverage to build their own ventures. Distilling the essence of these plans not only highlights the critical elements that contribute to a startup’s success but also serves as a blueprint for those embarking on their entrepreneurial journey.

One vital aspect to note in successful business plans is the clear articulation of the business idea. This concept should solve a specific problem or meet a unique need in the market. For instance, consider companies like Airbnb and Uber; both recognized gaps in the market for affordable accommodation and transportation, respectively. They capitalized on existing resources, transforming how people find places to stay and travel around cities. A well-defined business idea should answer the questions:

• What problem does the startup solve?
• Who are the potential customers?
• What makes this solution unique?

The next critical component is the market analysis section. Successful startups invest time in conducting exhaustive research to understand their target audience and market dynamics. For example, a deep dive into competitor analysis allows startups to identify gaps and opportunities in the market. This section must answer key questions such as:

• Who are the main competitors?
• What are the current market trends?
• What is the size of the target market?

Moreover, financial projections play an essential role in business plans. Startups like Slack and Zoom provided realistic and well-structured financial forecasts that outlined their potential revenue streams, costs, and funding needs. These projections should not only show the expected growth over time but also include detailed assumptions that support the financial estimates. Important financial elements include:

• Startup costs
• Revenue streams
• Projected income statements

Another crucial aspect present in the business plans of successful startups is an effective marketing strategy. Startups like Warby Parker utilized innovative marketing approaches, such as leveraging social media and creating referral programs that resonate with their audience. They understood their customer segment and communicated effectively through channels that could reach them. Your marketing strategy should cover:

• Brand positioning
• Marketing channels (digital, offline, etc.)
• Customer acquisition strategies

Furthermore, a solid operational plan demonstrates how a startup intends to deliver its product or service effectively. This section should outline the operational workflow, supply chain logistics, and team structure. Startups such as Tesla are meticulous in detailing their manufacturing and operational processes, showcasing how they maintain quality while scaling production. Important considerations for an operational plan include:

• Key metrics to measure efficiency
• Partnerships and supplier management
• Team roles and responsibilities

The importance of a compelling executive summary cannot be overstated. This section serves as a hook, piquing the interest of investors or stakeholders. An engaging executive summary should encapsulate the startup’s vision, mission, key selling points, and impressive statistics that hint at future success. Think of it as your business’s elevator pitch, succinct yet powerful.

The lessons learned from analyzing the business plans of thriving startups also highlight the significance of adaptability. Companies like Netflix evolved from DVD rentals to becoming a leading streaming service, exemplifying how the ability to pivot based on market trends can lead to sustained success. Entrepreneurs should build flexibility into their business models, allowing them to adapt to changes in consumer preferences or emerging technologies.

Successful business plans share several common characteristics that aspiring entrepreneurs can emulate. By focusing on a clear business idea, conducting thorough market analysis, crafting realistic financial projections, developing effective marketing and operational strategies, and composing an engaging executive summary, one can lay down a solid foundation for a startup. The entrepreneurial landscape is filled with opportunities, and with the right strategies in place, aspiring business owners can navigate it with confidence.

Importance of Customizing Your Business Plan

Every entrepreneur knows that a robust business plan serves as the backbone of a successful venture. However, many overlook the fundamental importance of customizing their business plan. Each business is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach can lead to missed opportunities and potential pitfalls. Tailoring a business plan to fit specific goals, industry standards, and target audiences is crucial for success.

When you customize your business plan, you ensure that it aligns with your unique vision and objectives. This alignment helps clarify your mission and keeps your team focused and motivated. A strategic, customized approach makes it easier to communicate your vision to stakeholders, investors, and team members, fostering a shared understanding of your goals.

Engaging your target audience is another critical aspect. For instance, if you’re seeking investment, your business plan should speak to potential investors’ interests and concerns. Highlighting your competitive advantage, projected returns, and market positioning will resonate far more than generic data points.

Key Reasons for Customizing Your Business Plan

• Market Relevance: A customized business plan considers current market trends and industry specifics. This relevance can give you an edge over competitors who use outdated or generalized plans.
• Tailored Financial Projections: Altering your financial forecasts to adapt to your unique circumstances enables a more accurate reflection of your potential profitability, operational costs, and cash flow.
• Specific Target Audience: Understanding your audience allows you to modify your messaging, ensuring it aligns with their needs and interests. Whether you’re addressing investors, customers, or partners, this tailored approach builds trust and credibility.
• Flexibility in Strategies: Customization allows for dynamic strategies that can respond quickly to changes in the market or business environment. This flexibility is essential in navigating unforeseen challenges.

Creating a personalized business plan requires a detailed understanding of your industry, competition, and target customer. Research is a vital component, as it offers critical insights into what your audiences value and the existing gaps in the market. Utilizing market intelligence enables you to define your unique selling proposition and the specific needs your product or service can meet.

Components of a Custom Business Plan

Here is a breakdown of essential components you should focus on when customizing your business plan:

• Executive Summary: This should effectively summarize what your business does, your mission, and how you stand out in your sector.
• Market Analysis: Conduct thorough research to identify trends, customer segments, and competitive landscape specifics, ensuring your content reflects real data relevant to your niche.
• Marketing Strategy: Tailor your approach to show how you’ll reach your target audience. Include details about the channels you’ll use, messaging, and customer engagement tactics.
• Operational Plan: Make sure to address how your operations reflect the specific needs of your business model. Outline your daily operations, team organization, and key resources required.
• Financial Projections: Be realistic and reflect your unique business context, factoring in local economic conditions and your operational circumstances.

Moreover, as you tailor your business plan, it’s vital to revisit and revise it regularly. Your business environment is in constant flux, so adjustments should be made to remain relevant. This ongoing customization shows that you are proactive and adaptable, qualities highly valued by investors and stakeholders alike.

Ultimately, a customized business plan serves as a powerful tool that not only communicates your vision but also acts as a roadmap for navigating the complex landscape of entrepreneurship. It encourages resourcefulness and strategic thinking, equipping you for both everyday challenges and long-term planning. Investing the time and effort to create a personalized business plan will set you on the path to realizing your entrepreneurial dreams.

Customizing your business plan is not just beneficial; it’s essential. It creates a clear, actionable strategy that resonates with your target audience and aligns with your unique business objectives. By understanding the importance of a tailored approach, you can position your venture for a successful journey ahead.

How to Present Your Business Plan to Investors

Presenting your business plan to investors is a crucial step in securing the funding you need to launch or grow your business. A well-structured presentation captures their attention and persuades them to take the leap and invest in your vision. Here are some effective strategies for delivering a compelling presentation.

Understand Your Audience

Before you even begin to craft your presentation, take time to learn about your investors. Consider their interests, previous investments, and the sectors they typically fund. Tailoring content to meet their preferences can make a significant difference in how your business plan is received.

Craft a Clear and Engaging Narrative

Every good business plan tells a story. It’s essential to present your business not just as numbers and charts, but as a compelling narrative that showcases your mission and vision. Start with a strong opening that captures attention, such as a personal anecdote or thought-provoking statistic, followed by a logical flow that takes them through your plan. Use the following structure:

• Problem Statement: Define the problem your business aims to solve.
• Solution: Explain how your product or service effectively addresses this problem.
• Market Opportunity: Highlight the size and potential of your target market.
• Competitive Advantage: Discuss what sets your business apart from others in the industry.
• Business Model: Detail how your business will make money.
• Financial Projections: Present your expected revenue, expenses, and profits over the next few years.

Focus on Visual Aids

Your presentation should be visually appealing to keep investors engaged. Use slides that are clear, concise, and not overloaded with information. Employ graphs and charts to illustrate key points, such as market analysis, financial projections, and competitive landscape. Here are some tips for effective visual aids:

• Minimal Text: Use bullet points instead of full sentences to maintain clarity.
• Consistent Design: Stick to a consistent color scheme and font style.
• Incorporate Images: Visuals of your product, service, or team can add a human element to your presentation.

Anticipate Questions

Investors are likely to have questions about your business model and market strategy. Prepare for this by anticipating potential inquiries and formulating clear, concise answers. Consider common questions such as:

• What are the risks associated with your business?
• Who are your main competitors, and how will you capture market share?
• What will you do if your projections do not meet expectations?

Being well-prepared shows investors that you understand your business and the risks involved, boosting their confidence in your ability to manage challenges.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Nothing beats practice when it comes to delivering your presentation. Rehearse multiple times, preferably in front of friends or colleagues who can provide honest feedback. Focus on your pacing, articulation, and body language. Look for ways to make your delivery natural and conversational, rather than robotic or overly rehearsed.

Follow Up After the Presentation

After you’ve delivered your presentation, don’t end the conversation there. A follow-up email expressing gratitude for their time is not just courteous; it reinforces your professionalism. Include a recap of your business plan and any additional information that can support your case. This keeps the dialogue open and shows that you’re genuinely interested in their feedback and engagement.

Presenting your business plan to investors is both an art and a science. A thorough understanding of your audience, a compelling narrative, engaging visuals, and confident delivery can create a strong impression. Remember to prepare for questions and stay proactive in following up. Each of these elements contributes to making your pitch not just successful, but memorable.

Common Mistakes in Business Plans and How to Avoid Them

Creating a business plan is a vital step for any entrepreneur, but it’s easy to make mistakes that can derail the entire process. Understanding the common pitfalls can help you craft a plan that is not only comprehensive but also appealing to investors and stakeholders. Let’s explore some of these common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Overly Ambitious Projections

One of the biggest mistakes people make in a business plan is presenting overly optimistic financial projections. While it’s important to showcase potential growth, unrealistic forecasts can lead to skepticism from investors.

• Research Market Trends: Use real data to support your projections. Analyze industry trends, competitor performance, and economic conditions.
• Be Conservative: It’s better to underpromise and overdeliver. Provide a range of potential outcomes rather than a single, absolute figure.

Neglecting to Address Your Competition

Ignoring the competitive landscape can make your business plan appear naive. It’s crucial to acknowledge competitors and present a strategy for how your business will stand out.

• Conduct a SWOT Analysis: Evaluate your business’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats concerning your competitors.
• Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Clearly outline what makes your product or service unique and why customers should choose you over the competition.

Lack of a Clear Marketing Strategy

A business plan that doesn’t outline how you intend to reach your target audience lacks direction. Your marketing strategy should clearly articulate how you will acquire and retain customers.

• Define Your Target Audience: Provide detailed demographics and psychographics of your ideal customers.
• Outline Your Channels: Specify which marketing channels (social media, email, content marketing) you will use to engage with your audience.

Ignoring the Business Model

Another common oversight is not defining a sustainable business model. Investors want to know how you plan to make money.

• Clearly Define Revenue Streams: Identify all potential revenue streams your business will depend upon.
• Explain Your Cost Structure: Provide a breakdown of your costs, including fixed and variable expenses.

Focusing Too Much on the Product

While it’s essential to describe your product or service, focusing solely on its features can detract from the overall business plan. Instead, emphasize customer benefits and value.

• Discuss the Problem You Solve: Focus on how your product resolves a pain point for your customers.
• Include Testimonials or Case Studies: These can help validate your claims and demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution.

Being Vague or Jargon-Heavy

Using jargon or ambiguous language can alienate potential readers of your business plan. Aim for clarity and simplicity to ensure your message is accessible.

• Use Clear Language: Avoid technical terms unless absolutely necessary. If you must use them, explain them clearly.
• Be Specific: Provide details rather than general statements. Instead of saying “we will market aggressively,” specify how you will do that.

Failing to Update the Plan Regularly

A successful business plan is not static. Failing to revise your plan as your business grows can result in an outdated strategy that doesn’t align with current market conditions.

• Schedule Regular Reviews: Set aside time every few months to revisit your business plan and adjust as necessary.
• Seek Feedback: Regularly consult mentors, advisors, or peers for input to ensure your plan remains relevant.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create a business plan that not only serves as a roadmap for your venture but also effectively communicates your vision to potential investors and stakeholders. Remember, a well-thought-out business plan increases your chances of success and demonstrates to others that you are serious about your business journey.

The Role of Market Research in Crafting Your Business Plan

Creating a robust business plan requires a thorough understanding of the market landscape. Market research plays a critical role in this process, providing insights that shape every aspect of your business strategy. Whether you’re starting a new venture or seeking to improve an existing one, leveraging market research is key to making informed decisions that align with consumer needs and industry opportunities.

To start, market research helps identify your target audience. Understanding who your customers are is essential for tailoring your products or services. Through surveys, focus groups, and data analysis, you can capture vital information about demographics, preferences, and purchasing behavior. This not only aids in pinpointing your target market but also assists in creating buyer personas that inform marketing strategies.

Consider these benefits of in-depth market research:

• Competitive Analysis: Researching competitors reveals their strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing their marketing strategies, pricing models, and customer feedback, you can uncover gaps in the market and identify opportunities to differentiate your offerings.
• Trend Identification: Trends evolve rapidly in every industry. Regularly conducting market research helps you stay relevant by identifying emerging trends that could shape consumer behavior and preferences.
• Risk Mitigation: Launching a new product or service carries risks, but market research can reduce them. By understanding market conditions, consumer demand, and potential challenges, you can make educated decisions that minimize uncertainties.
• Strategic Planning: Insights gained from market research directly inform your business planning process. From sales forecasts to marketing strategies, having a clear picture of the market landscape ensures your plan is grounded in reality.

Moreover, effective market research informs your product development cycle. Knowing what your consumers want allows you to innovate and refine existing products or services. This feedback loop ensures that you stay ahead of the competition by continuously adapting to consumer needs. For example, if market research shows a growing demand for sustainable products, your business can pivot to meet that demand before competitors even notice.

Utilizing diverse research methods is crucial for a well-rounded perspective. Qualitative research methods, such as interviews and focus groups, provide deep insights into consumer emotions and motivations, while quantitative methods, like surveys, offer numerical data that can confirm or challenge assumptions. By combining these approaches, you create a comprehensive view of the market.

In addition, understanding your industry’s regulatory environment is essential. Regulations can significantly affect how you operate and your plan’s feasibility. A thorough review of legal constraints, industry standards, and economic conditions is critical. Consult industry reports, attend trade shows, and network with other professionals to stay informed about the regulatory landscape.

The timing of your research is also vital. Conducting market research not only before launching but also throughout the business lifecycle keeps you informed about shifts in consumer preferences and competitive dynamics. Regular check-ins can help you adjust strategies in real time and maintain a strong market position.

Including data in your business plan is essential. Market research findings lend credibility to your projections and strategies. When potential investors or stakeholders read your plan, solid data is more compelling than conjecture. Showcasing well-researched statistics can reinforce your business’s viability and growth potential. Presenting your research visually, through charts or graphs, can enhance understanding and engagement.

Think about the long-term implications of your market research. As your business grows, maintaining a relationship with your customers through regular feedback mechanisms is vital. Continuous market research ensures you adapt to changing needs and remain competitive over time.

Market research is not merely a step in the business planning process; it is the foundation that supports every strategic decision. By investing time and resources in understanding the market landscape, you position your business for sustainable growth and success.

Crafting a great business plan is not just a chore; it’s an essential step toward achieving success for your entrepreneurial endeavors. The journey through the exceptional business plan examples provided earlier encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to harness creativity and strategic thinking. Notable companies, exemplified by their comprehensive and inspiring business plans, light the way for new ventures. These examples showcase that a solid foundation built on clear goals, detailed strategies, and realistic financial projections attracts the attention and investment necessary for growth.

An effective business plan comprises several key components that ensure its functionality. It should include an executive summary, a detailed description of the business, market analysis, organizational structure, and financial details. Each section serves a unique purpose but must flow seamlessly from one to the next, weaving together a compelling narrative that highlights the viability of the business idea. By clearly articulating each aspect, entrepreneurs not only clarify their vision for themselves but also make it easier for potential investors to understand and buy into their possibilities.

Analyzing the business plans of successful startups provides invaluable insights. These case studies reveal diverse approaches and diverse industries, offering lessons that can be adapted to any business model. Startups often thrive by recognizing their unique selling propositions and articulating them effectively within their plans. By studying the successes and failures of others, you can avoid common pitfalls and develop techniques that resonate with your target audience.

Customizing your business plan is paramount. A generic plan will not capture the interest of stakeholders, nor will it address the specific challenges or opportunities within an industry or market niche. Personalization fosters connection, whether speaking to potential investors or aligning with the long-term aspirations of your own team. Tailoring your business plan means engaging with the local market dynamics, understanding customer segments, and outlining methods that address their needs. It underscores the unique aspects of your business, setting you apart from competitors vying for the same resources.

Presenting your business plan effectively to investors is another critical factor that can significantly impact your fundraising success. Investors want to see conviction and competence in applicants, so how you sell your business concept is just as important as the content itself. Crafting a compelling narrative, practicing your presentation skills, and anticipating questions leads to a more engaging experience. Visual aids, such as graphs and charts, can enhance understanding while keeping the investor’s attention focused on your key points. Remember that storytelling is powerful, and a well-told journey of your business can leave a lasting impression.

Despite the care taken, many entrepreneurs fall into common traps when drafting their business plans. These pitfalls include neglecting financial projections, overlooking the competitive landscape, or failing to review and revise their plans. Avoiding these mistakes involves diligent research, thorough reviews, and seeking feedback from mentors or industry experts. By continually iterating your plan, you make it more robust and reflective of the realities of your business environment.

The role of market research cannot be overstated in the creation of an effective business plan. Engaging with potential customers, understanding market trends, and gathering competitive intelligence serve as the bedrock for informed decision-making. A business plan grounded in solid research showcases your commitment to understanding the landscape you’re entering and paints a picture that resonates with investors. They want evidence that you’ve done your homework and can anticipate market shifts, customer behaviors, and potential challenges.

Navigating the complex world of business planning requires diligence, creativity, and adaptability. Your business plan is a living document that evolves alongside your business. Keeping it updated and relevant ensures it remains a tool for success rather than a mere formality. By learning from great business plan examples, adhering to key components, customizing for distinct needs, presenting effectively, avoiding common mistakes, and leveraging market research, you’ll be better positioned to drive your startup toward success. Embrace the journey, apply these insights, and turn your vision into a reality. Ultimately, a meticulously crafted business plan serves as your roadmap—guiding you toward the milestones that define your entrepreneurial journey.

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What are business goals? Types and examples

As a manager or business leader , you may be wondering how to help lead your company in the right direction. Business goals help to set up a company for success. With long- and short-term goals, you can plan strategic actions and stay focused. By reading this guide, you'll learn about various types of business goals and objectives and how to set them. Here's what we'll cover:

• What are business goals?
• Types of business goals you may set as a manager
• How to set business goals as a manager
• Examples of business goals companies typically set 

Adjusting business goals

What are business goals  .

Business goals are broad targets a company wants to achieve over a set period. They shape business strategy and guide decision-making. They provide direction on how to align resources and efforts. Although many people use the terms "goals" and "objectives" interchangeably, they differ. In Singapore’s business landscape, clear business goals are important for planning and resource allocation. Objectives are measurable actions to get closer to your long-term business goals. 

Types of business goals you may set as a manager  

Explore the different business goals you can set for your team or company:

Short-term vs long-term business goals

Short-term business goals are measurable objectives you want the team to achieve in a few days, weeks, or months. They provide motivation and a sense of achievement as you reach each goal quickly. Here are some short-term business goals examples: 

• Increase traffic on the company's blog by 20% by the end of the month.
• Hire five new sales representatives over the next three months. 
• Create two social media posts per week.

A business's long-term goals are ambitious outcomes that aim further into the future, usually many months or years. Measuring the progress of these business goals may be harder. And they may take longer to achieve. But they provide shared direction and motivation for team members. A company may use a long-term goal as a vision or mission statement.

Here are some long-term business goal examples: 

• Increase the company's market share to 35% in the next 10 years. 
• Set up eight offices in the APAC region within 10 years. 
• Increase employee retention to 85% in the next five years.

Long-term business goals may only provide a general course, not specific steps to take. Short-term goals provide step-by-step directions on how to reach your target. Many business leaders break down long-term business goals into several short-term goals. This can make them more achievable. Think of short-term business goals as building blocks towards larger goals. 

It's important to balance short-term achievements with long-term vision to succeed. The company needs a long-term business goal to understand its destination. A long-term vision reminds team members of their end goal and motivates them to work towards it. Short-term goals help you understand what you need to do to achieve the long-term vision.

Financial goals

Financial or economic, goals are specific monetary targets a company wants to achieve. These goals can relate to the company's profit margin, cost reduction, investments, or economic stability. Financial business goals help you properly estimate and create budgets. With clear business objectives and measurable benchmarks, you can better manage the company's finances. Prioritising its spending can help the company achieve financial success. 

Financial business goals are often measurable and focus on long-term success. These goals also vary based on which lifecycle stage the business is in. For example, a company may be in the start-up stage. Its economic goals may focus on getting funding from investors to buy equipment, rent office space, and hire employees. For mature organisations, financial business goals may centre on investing in new technologies and emerging markets. 

In this digital age, you can use various financial planning tools and apps to simplify the financial goal-setting process. These tools can help with budgeting, investment management, and even tax preparation. 

Non-financial goals

Examples of non-financial business goals include brand reputation, customer loyalty, employee training and development, and community involvement. These goals may help the company improve its image and stay in business for a long time. They also confirm that the company considers the well-being of its employees, customers, and the community. Companies that update employees' skills and relevant education may benefit from increased productivity. Improving brand perception can help attract and retain top-quality workers.

Businesses emphasise non-financial goals like corporate social responsibility (CSR) to enhance brand perception and attract top talent. Initiatives such as sponsoring charity events or promoting employee volunteerism contribute to community welfare, fostering a positive corporate image essential for sustained growth.

How to set business goals as a manager  

The process of setting business goals may start with a review of past goals. It can also include an assessment of the current state of the organisation. It may involve working with a team and getting feedback and input. This helps you craft specific business goals and clear action plans. 

SMART goals 

SMART is a popular goal-setting framework. You can use it to define your business goals and ensure they're actionable. It also helps you set goals in an organised and structured way. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART goals provide clear steps to take and help you stay on track while working towards your business objectives. 

When setting a SMART goal, focus on a specific business goal. Use some kind of metric, such as a percentage, to measure progress and decide if you're on track to reach your business goals.

Ensure the goal is achievable. This helps motivate you even if the task is difficult. A relevant business goal helps you rank tasks and align them with the business plan. Finally, set a deadline to ensure timely progress on the goal. Here are some examples of SMART goals: 

• Increase customer retention rate by 25% within one year.
• Increase revenue from the online store by 10% in the next six months. 
• Acquire 10 new clients within the next three months.

One common mistake business leaders make is setting unrealistic goals. These are overly ambitious or lack a reasonable deadline. Be realistic about your team's abilities, the company's resources, and time constraints. Break down the large business goal into smaller, more manageable tasks to stay motivated.

Another error is neglecting to have a structured execution plan. Overcome this issue by assigning a project lead accountable for the tasks.

Alignment with vision and mission

It's essential to align business goals with the company's vision and mission. The company's vision reflects its purpose, so managers should tailor goals towards fulfilling it. To ensure alignment, reflect on the company's values and ask yourself how each goal is connected to the vision and mission. There is no clear direction when there's a misalignment between goals, vision, and mission. This can create confusion and a fall in motivation levels among employees. 

A great example of a company that aligns its goals with its vision and mission is Amazon . The vision and mission of Amazon is "to be Earth's most customer-centric company, Earth's best employer, and Earth's safest place to work." Its goals and strategies start with the customer and work backwards. 

Amazon is responsive to the customers' changing needs and wants, which has boosted customer satisfaction and increased loyalty. It's constantly innovating to improve user experience by giving personalised recommendations. Its huge selection of products, hassle-free return policy, and efficient customer service show its commitment to being a customer-centric company. 

Examples of business goals companies typically set  

Explore these examples of business goals : 

Profit maximisation

A profit maximisation business goal is a company seeking to make the highest profit possible. This may mean extending the store's operating hours, expanding product offerings, or increasing employee productivity. It's important not to compromise on ethics when trying to increase profits. For example, reducing costs by using cheap, low-quality materials or overworking and underpaying employees is unethical. 

Here are some steps you can take to set profit maximisation goals: 

• Assess and reduce your operating costs.
• Adjust pricing.
• Increase customer lifetime value.
• Cross-sell products.
• Lower overhead costs.
• Motivate employees.
• Sustainable development

This business objective means using environmentally friendly and ethical practices. Companies may integrate sustainability into business models and strategies. For example, they may reduce waste production at factories. The PwC's Global Investor Survey 2023 found that most investors agree on the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. 75% said that companies' management of sustainability-related matters is important in their investment decisions. 

Singaporean companies such as Sembcorp Industries, Kawarin Enterprise, and Containers Printers are actively working to reduce carbon emissions and embrace a low-carbon future. Singapore businesses can enhance their competitiveness in today's dynamic market by pivoting towards green initiatives. This strategic shift opens new revenue streams and plays a crucial role in advancing a sustainable, low-carbon future for all.

You can explore areas such as energy efficiency or plastic usage to set a sustainable development goal. Set specific targets and devise ways to achieve them. For example, switching to LED lights makes the workplace more energy efficient. 

Increased revenue

To increase company revenue, you can add products or services, new payment forms, or offer subscriptions. Innovation plays a key role in increasing revenue. It lets companies identify untapped markets, create new products and services, and apply technology.

Companies can also look at ways to improve online or in-person customer experience. Positive and consistent interactions can lead to brand loyalty; 86% of consumers would be willing to pay more for a better customer experience . 

The Humble Food Company faced a 95% drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a digitised point-of-sale (POS) solution, they optimised their workforce and costs. Specifically, their loyalty program using the POS cashback function led to an increase in sales. 

Improved customer satisfaction

This represents how content and fulfilled customers are when they interact with products and services. You can measure customer satisfaction using metrics such as customer satisfaction score, customer effort score, net promoter score, and churn rate. When customers are happy, they tend to be loyal and may also serve as brand ambassadors. They're likely to share their positive experiences with others and drive word-of-mouth referrals. This can lead to an improvement in business performance. 

To improve customer satisfaction, understand customer needs through market research. You can also gather feedback. Keep product quality consistently high by implementing strict quality control measures. Communicate effectively and regularly with customers. Let them know about new product launches and any updates or disruptions. 

Business process optimisation

Process optimisation enhances efficiency by identifying bottlenecks and redundancies in the workflow. It helps you improve the quality of products and services. It can also boost profitability and promote innovation. All these factors contribute to achieving your business goals. 

Explore process improvement methods and tool improvement-tools/s to optimise business operations. These include business process automation, business process management, Six Sigma, root cause analysis, and process diagrams. You can also use technology to automate repetitive tasks. This can free up employees' time for more important work. Employ data analytics to identify areas of improvement within business processes. 

For example, Singapore Airports began using the Lean Six Sigma methodology to improve passenger flow through the airport. It applied this process optimisation to its terminal operations, security screening, and customer experience management. This improved wayfinding, reduced queue time and congestion, and enhanced maintenance. The company achieved its target. The average queue time at immigration was 10 minutes for departure and 15 minutes at arrival 90% of the time. 

Assessing your business goals

Regularly assess the company's strategic goals to ensure you're on track to achieving them. You can use a scoreboard as a visual tool to keep track of your actions. Decide what data to track and design it in a way that's easy to understand at a glance. Update it often for motivation. 

You can also gather feedback from team members to assess business goals. For example, they may tell you that the timeline wasn't realistic, as certain tasks took longer to complete. Learn from the issues employees raise and adjust strategies based on assessment outcomes. 

Here are two ways to adjust your business goals: 

Responding to market changes

Business goals should be dynamic instead of static, as the market is constantly changing. Set and adjust business goals according to the latest market trends. Seek customer feedback to get early signals of changing preferences or emerging needs. Engage with customers through surveys and social media platforms to gain insight into the evolving market.

For example, more customers may request sugar-free options. This may suggest that the broader market is moving towards health consciousness. 

Use Agile methods in your product development process; they're flexible and allow you to deliver your product faster. Use Scrum, Kanban, or Lean frameworks and tools such as sprints, backlogs, and user stories to improve and speed up your product development process. 

Companies like Yellow Pages effectively responded to digital and social media growth by digitising their entire business. They moved from being a print-based offering to providing an online directory for businesses. Another example would be the toy manufacturer Lego, which faced serious financial difficulties due to changing consumer preferences and low sales. It restructured its operations, streamlined its supply chains, and refocused its product lines. It also introduced the Lego Movie, which helped to boost its brand image and increase sales. 

Continuous improvement

Continuous improvement means reviewing the company's performance and upgrading its products, processes, and strategies. It's about reaching a business goal. This can happen over time through incremental changes or, at once, through a breakthrough improvement.

You can foster a culture of continuous improvement. Do this by allowing employees to identify solutions and change their work areas within agreed guidelines. Create channels to get employee suggestions and feedback, and have a system to evaluate and implement their ideas. 

Empower employees to take ownership, train them, and recognise and reward their efforts. You'll help create a supportive environment where they can experiment and grow. This can bring about positive changes in the organisation and contribute to reaching business goals. 

Business goals are essential to set the direction of a company. They help you devise strategies and stay focused. Set various goals to ensure you're covering all aspects of the company's operations. For example, these can include cutting operational costs and increasing employee satisfaction.

Use the SMART framework to define your business goals and ensure they're achievable. Measure progress and use it to adjust the goals along the way. Also, market trends and employee and customer feedback should be considered.

Here are answers to common questions about business goals: 

• What are some common challenges in setting and achieving business goals? ⁠ One common challenge is that the goals lack clarity. When the team doesn't have a firm understanding of the goals, they're unable to plan specific actions to achieve them. This can cause confusion, frustration, and low motivation, which are common issues faced by businesses in Singapore striving for growth and efficiency. Another challenge is that the goals may be unrealistic in terms of the size of the accomplishment and the time period. 
• How to set effective business goals as a manager?  ⁠ The first step is to assess the current state of the business through a framework, such as SWOT. After identifying the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, you can decide what needs to be improved. Get external and internal feedback to gain valuable insights. You can then use the SMART framework to set specific and time-bound goals. Finally, think about measuring progress and using existing metrics or creating new ones. 
• How to communicate business goals to my colleagues?  ⁠ Share the business goals clearly and concisely. Avoid using jargon and buzzwords. Assign each team member with specific roles and responsibilities. Emphasise how the efforts of each individual will contribute to achieving the company's broader objectives.  ⁠Use different internal channels to communicate the goals, such as newsletters, digital signage, and corporate screensavers. Repetitive messaging in various formats can help with message retention. 
• How can I react to market changes as a manager?   ⁠First, foster a culture of adaptability so that employees will embrace changes and be more resilient. Conduct market analysis regularly to identify emerging trends and customer preferences specific to Singapore. This can help you anticipate market changes and make informed decisions. Adopt an agile organisational structure to respond to the Singaporean market changes quickly.  ⁠Encourage experimentation and innovation to develop agility and flexibility in the team. This can help the team to seize opportunities and lessen any negative impacts of market changes.
• How can I adjust my company's business goals? ⁠ Monitor and measure the progress constantly and track KPIs to evaluate the results. Adjust the scope, timeline, or indicators of your goals depending on the progress and market changes. You may even add or remove some goals. Be open to new ideas and innovations and incorporate them into the goals.  ⁠When modifying business goals, ensure they align with the company's mission and vision. Be transparent, communicate the changes to your team and stakeholders, and get their feedback and support. 
• What are the benefits of setting long-term business objectives? ⁠ Setting long-term business objectives gives you a clear target to work towards and motivates and inspires employees, especially during challenging times. They help you prioritise tasks, allocate resources effectively, measure progress over time, and celebrate achievements. 
• Are there any tools or software to help with tracking business goals? ⁠ Yes. Here's a list of tools you can use:  ⁠-Asana -⁠Trello -⁠Engagedly ⁠-Friday -⁠15Five -⁠Jira -⁠Goalscape -⁠Lattice -⁠PerformYard -⁠Performance Pro
• How often should I review and adjust my business goals? ⁠ It's advisable to review your business goals every quarter to make sure the goals are relevant to the Singaporean market. In Singapore, business conditions can change rapidly; therefore, reviewing your goals regularly also helps you track progress and determine if the goals are realistic. 
• What strategies can I use to align my business goals with my company's mission? ⁠ Clearly articulate the company's mission and values so that all team members know the purpose of the organisation and its principles. Refer to the overarching purpose and principles to guide the goal-setting process. Always ask "why" to ensure the goals reflect the company's mission and values.

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How to set business goals (plus examples)

Establishing clear business objectives is key to paving the path for success. By setting both short and long-term goals, you can map out strategic maneuvers and keep your team on track. This guide is a leader’s roadmap to understanding different types of business goals and how to define them effectively. Here's a glimpse of what we'll explore:

• What are business goals?
• Types of business goals you may set as a manager
• How to set business goals as a manager
• Examples of business goals companies typically set 

Adjusting business goals

What are business goals  .

Business goals are broad targets a company wants to achieve over a set period. They shape business strategy and guide decision-making. They provide direction on how to align resources and efforts. Although many people use the terms "goals" and "objectives" interchangeably, they're different. Objectives are measurable actions you take to get closer to your long-term business goals. 

Types of business goals you may set as a manager  

Explore the different business goals you can set for your team or company:

Short-term vs long-term business goals

Short-term business goals are measurable objectives you want the team to achieve in a few days, weeks, or months. They provide motivation and a sense of achievement as you reach each goal quickly. Here are some short-term business goals examples: 

• Increase traffic on the company's blog by 20% by the end of the month.
• Hire five new sales team members over the next three months. 
• Create two social media posts per week.

A business's long-term goals are ambitious outcomes that aim further into the future, usually many months or years. Measuring the progress of these business goals may be harder. And they may take longer to achieve. But they provide shared direction and motivation for team members. A company may use a long-term goal as a vision or mission statement.

Here are some long-term business goal examples: 

• Increase the company's market share to 35% in the next 10 years. 
• Set up eight offices in the APAC region within 10 years. 
• Increase employee retention to 85% in the next five years.

Long-term business goals may only provide a general course, not specific steps to take. Short-term goals provide step-by-step directions on how to reach your target. Many business leaders break down long-term business goals into several short-term goals. This can make them more achievable. Think of short-term business goals as building blocks towards larger goals. 

It's important to balance short-term achievements with long-term vision to succeed. The company needs a long-term business goal to understand its destination. A long-term vision reminds team members of their end goal and motivates them to work towards it. Short-term goals help you understand what you need to do to achieve the long-term vision.

Financial goals

Financial, or economic, goals are specific monetary targets a company wants to achieve. These goals can relate to the company's profit margin, cost reduction, investments, or economic stability. Financial business goals help you properly estimate and create budgets. With clear business objectives and measurable benchmarks, you can better manage the company's finances. Prioritizing its spending can help the company achieve financial success. 

Financial business goals are often measurable and focus on long-term success. These goals also vary based on which lifecycle stage the business is in. For example, a company may be in the start-up stage. Its economic goals may focus on getting funding from investors to buy equipment, rent office space, and hire employees. For mature organizations, financial business goals may center on investing in new technologies and emerging markets. 

In this digital age, you can use various financial planning tools and apps to simplify the financial goal-setting process. These tools can help with budgeting, investment management, and even tax preparation. 

Non-financial goals

Examples of non-financial business goals include brand reputation, customer loyalty, employee training and development, and community involvement. These goals may help the company improve its image and stay in business for a long time. They also confirm that the company considers the well-being of its employees, customers, and the community. Companies that update employees' skills and relevant education may benefit from increased productivity. Improving brand perception can help attract and retain top-quality workers.

Companies can also create goals in corporate social responsibility. Examples include sponsoring charity events or encouraging employees to volunteer for worthy causes. Try to maintain a healthy balance between financial and non-financial business goals. Both are essential for a company's success and growth. 

How to set business goals as a manager  

The process of setting business goals may start with a review of past goals. It can also include an assessment of the current state of the organization. It may involve working with a team and getting feedback and input. This helps you craft specific business goals and clear action plans. 

SMART business goals 

SMART is a popular goal-setting framework. You can use it to define your business goals and ensure they're actionable. It also helps you set goals in an organized and structured way. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART goals provide clear steps to take and help you stay on track while working towards your business objectives. 

When setting a SMART goal, focus your efforts on a specific business goal. Use some kind of metric, such as a percentage, to measure progress and decide if you're on track to reach your business goals.

Ensure the goal is achievable. This helps motivate you even if the task is difficult. A relevant business goal helps you rank tasks and align them with the business plan. Finally, set a deadline to make sure there's timely progress on the goal. Here are some examples of SMART goals: 

• Increase customer retention rate by 25% within one year.
• Increase revenue from the online store by 10% in the next six months. 
• Acquire 10 new clients within the next three months.

One common mistake business leaders make is setting unrealistic goals. These are overly ambitious or lack a reasonable deadline. Be realistic about your team's abilities, the company's resources, and time constraints. Break down the large business goal into smaller, more manageable tasks to stay motivated.

Another error is neglecting to have a structured execution plan. Overcome this issue by assigning a project lead to be accountable for the tasks.

Alignment with vision and mission

It's essential to align business goals with the company's vision and mission. The company's vision reflects its purpose, so managers should tailor goals toward fulfilling it. To ensure alignment, reflect on the company's values and ask yourself how each goal is connected to the vision and mission. When there's a misalignment between goals, vision, and mission, there isn't a clear direction. This can create confusion and a fall in motivation levels among employees. 

A great example of a company that aligns its goals with its vision and mission is Amazon. The vision and mission of Amazon is "to be Earth's most customer-centric company, Earth's best employer, and Earth's safest place to work." Its goals and strategies start with the customer and work backwards. 

Amazon is responsive to the customers' changing needs and wants, which has boosted customer satisfaction and increased loyalty. It's constantly innovating to improve user experience, such as by giving personalized recommendations. Its huge selection of products, hassle-free return policy, and efficient customer service show its commitment to being a customer-centric company. 

Examples of business goals companies typically set  

Explore these examples of business goals : 

Profit maximization

A profit maximization business goal refers to a company seeking to make the highest profit possible. This may mean extending the store's operating hours, expanding product offerings, or increasing employee productivity levels. It's important not to compromise on ethics when trying to increase profits. For example, it's unethical to reduce costs by using cheap, low-quality materials or overworking and underpaying employees. 

Here are some steps you can take to set profit maximization goals: 

• Assess and reduce your operating costs.
• Adjust pricing.
• Increase customer lifetime value.
• Cross-sell products.
• Lower overhead costs.
• Motivate employees.
• Sustainable development

This business objective means using environmentally friendly and ethical practices. Companies may integrate sustainability into their business model and strategy. For example, they may reduce waste production at factories. The PwC's Global Investor Survey 2023 found that most investors agree on the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. In fact, 75% said that companies' management of sustainability-related matters is an important factor in their investment decisions. 

To set a sustainable development goal, you can explore areas such as energy efficiency or plastic usage. Set specific targets and devise ways to achieve them.

For example, Del Monte Philippines outlines how their corporate practices align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), showing their specific contributions to each Sustainability Pillar.

Increased revenue

To increase company revenue, you can add products or services, add new payment forms, or offer subscriptions. Innovation plays a key role in increasing revenue. It lets companies identify untapped markets, create new products and services, and apply technology.

Companies can also look at ways to improve online or in-person customer experience. Positive and consistent interactions can lead to brand loyalty; 86% of consumers would be willing to pay more for a better customer experience . 

Improved customer satisfaction

This represents how content and fulfilled customers are when they interact with products and services. You can measure customer satisfaction using metrics such as customer satisfaction score, customer effort score, net promoter score, and churn rate. When customers are happy, they tend to be loyal and may also serve as brand ambassadors. They're likely to share their positive experiences with others and drive word-of-mouth referrals. This can lead to an improvement in business performance. 

To improve customer satisfaction, understand customer needs through market research. You can also gather feedback. Keep product quality consistently high by implementing strict quality control measures. Communicate effectively and regularly with customers. Let them know about new product launches and any updates or disruptions. 

Business process optimization

Process optimization enhances efficiency by identifying bottlenecks and redundancies in the workflow. It helps you improve the quality of products and services. It can also boost profitability and promote innovation. All these factors contribute to achieving your business goals. 

Explore process improvement methods and tools to optimize business operations. These include business process automation, business process management, Six Sigma, root cause analysis, and process diagrams. You can also use technology to automate repetitive tasks. This can free up employees' time for more important work. Employ data analytics to identify areas of improvement within business processes. 

For example, Grab Philippines introduces new technologies to their app that will help reduce their driver-partners’ idle time and optimize their earning potential. In this specific example, the new technologies focus on high-demand areas. Sessions enable driver-partners to only receive bookings within a specific area while Personalized Alerts notify driver-partners when the places they frequent are experiencing a surge in demand. These new technologies help optimize the platform’s overall performance.

Assessing your business goals

Regularly assess the company's strategic goals to ensure you're on track to achieving them. You can use a scoreboard as a visual tool to keep track of your actions. Decide what data to track, and design it in a way that's easy to understand at a glance. Update it often for motivation. 

You can also gather feedback from team members to assess business goals. For example, they may tell you that the timeline wasn't realistic, as certain tasks took longer to complete. Learn from the issues employees raise, and adjust strategies based on assessment outcomes. 

Here are two ways to adjust your business goals: 

Responding to market changes

Business goals should be dynamic instead of static, as the market is constantly changing. Set and adjust business goals according to the latest market trends. Seek customer feedback to get early signals of changing preferences or emerging needs. Engage with customers through surveys and social media platforms to gain insight into how the market is evolving.

For example, more customers may request sugar-free options. This may suggest that the broader market is moving towards health consciousness. 

Use Agile methods in your product development process; they're flexible and allow you to deliver your product faster. Use frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, or Lean and tools such as sprints, backlogs, and user stories to improve and speed up your product development process. 

Companies like Yellow Pages effectively responded to the growth of digital and social media by digitizing its entire business. They moved from being a print-based offering to providing an online directory for businesses. Another example would be the toy manufacturer Lego, which faced serious financial difficulties due to changing consumer preferences and low sales. It restructured its operations, streamlined its supply chains, and refocused its product lines. It also introduced the Lego Movie, which helped to boost its brand image and increase sales. 

Continuous improvement

Continuous improvement means reviewing the company's performance and upgrading its products, processes, and strategies. It's about reaching a business goal. This can happen over time through incremental changes or at once through a breakthrough improvement.

You can foster a culture of continuous improvement. Do this by allowing employees to identify solutions and make changes in their work areas within agreed guidelines. Create channels to get employee suggestions and feedback, and have a system to evaluate and implement their ideas. 

Empower employees to take ownership, train them, and recognize and reward their efforts. You'll help create a supportive environment where they can experiment and grow. This can bring about positive changes in the organization and contribute to reaching business goals. 

Business goals are essential to set the direction of a company. They help you devise strategies and stay focused. Set a variety of goals to ensure you're covering all aspects of the company's operations. For example, these can include cutting operational costs and increasing employee satisfaction.

Use the SMART framework to define your business goals and ensure they're achievable. Measure progress, and use it to adjust the goals along the way. Also consider market trends and employee and customer feedback.

Here are answers to common questions about business goals: 

• What are some common challenges in setting and achieving business goals? ⁠ One common challenge is that the goals lack clarity. When the team doesn't have a firm understanding of what the goals are, they're unable to plan specific actions to achieve them. This can cause confusion, frustration, and low motivation. Another challenge is that the goals may be unrealistic in terms of the size of the accomplishment and the time period. 
• How to set effective business goals as a manager?  ⁠ The first step is to assess the current state of the business through a framework, such as SWOT. After identifying the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, you can decide what needs to be improved. Get external and internal feedback to gain valuable insights. You can then use the SMART framework to set specific and time-bound goals. Finally, think about how to measure progress and use existing metrics or create new ones. 
• How to communicate business goals to my colleagues?  ⁠ Share the business goals in a clear and concise way. Avoid using jargon and buzzwords. Assign each team member with specific roles and responsibilities. Emphasize how the efforts of each individual will contribute to achieving the company's broader objectives.  ⁠Use different internal channels to communicate the goals, such as newsletters, digital signage, and corporate screensavers. Repetitive messaging in various formats can help with message retention. 
• How can I react to market changes as a manager?  ⁠ First, foster a culture of adaptability so that employees will embrace changes and be more resilient. Conduct market analysis regularly to identify emerging trends and customer preferences. This can help you anticipate market changes and make informed decisions. Adopt an agile organizational structure to respond to market changes quickly.  ⁠Encourage experimentation and innovation to develop agility and flexibility in the team. This can help the team to seize opportunities and lessen any negative impacts of market changes.
• How can I adjust my company's business goals? ⁠ Monitor and measure the progress constantly and track KPIs to evaluate the results. Depending on the progress and market changes, adjust the scope, timeline, or indicators of your goals. You may even add or remove some goals. Be open to new ideas and innovations and incorporate them into the goals.  ⁠When modifying business goals, ensure that they're still aligned with the company's mission and vision. Be transparent and communicate the changes to your team and stakeholders and get their feedback and support. 
• What are the benefits of setting long-term business objectives? ⁠Setting long-term business objectives gives you a clear target to work towards and provides motivation and inspiration for employees, especially during challenging times. They help you prioritize tasks, allocate resources effectively, measure progress over time, and celebrate your achievements. 
• Are there any tools or software to help with tracking business goals? ⁠ Yes. Here's a list of tools you can use:  -⁠Asana -⁠Trello -⁠Engagedly ⁠-Friday -⁠15Five -⁠Jira -⁠Goalscape ⁠-Lattice ⁠-PerformYard -⁠Performance Pro
• How often should I review and adjust my business goals? ⁠ It's advisable to review your business goals every quarter to make sure the goals are relevant. Reviewing your goals at regular intervals also helps you track progress and determine if the goals are realistic. 
• What strategies can I use to align my business goals with my company's mission? ⁠ Clearly articulate the company's mission and values so that all team members know the purpose of the organization and its principles. Refer to the overarching purpose and principles to guide the goal-setting process. Always ask "why" to ensure that the goals reflect the company's mission and values.

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How to Define Your Restaurant’s Goals and Objectives (Examples Included)

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When trying to plan for your restaurant, it’s important to have points in the future that you want to achieve. Generally, we call these restaurant goals and objectives. While we’ll break down exactly what that means shortly, the simple fact is that the goals and objectives of a restaurant are a major part of their success.

So, how do you define your restaurant objectives and goals and, importantly, why should you?

Understanding Restaurant Goals and Objectives

First things first, we need to understand the terms that we’re discussing. While they may seem like the same thing at first, restaurant objectives and goals are actually quite different. 

Goals are your long-term plans (expansions, major increases in sales, etc.); they’re what you plan your extended business around — we’re talking at least a year in the future. In contrast, your objectives are shorter-term tasks that fill up that time between now and your first major goal. Generally, these will include small and, notably, achievable tasks that can be accomplished within a few weeks or months. 

Key Areas for Setting Restaurant Goals

When trying to establish long-term goals, it’s vital to understand the most important areas on which you should focus. Below, we have a handful of areas that (if you focus on them properly) will help your business take massive strides to improve year over year.

Financial Goals

Arguably the most obvious of restaurant goals are your financials; most people tend to set a specific number for their long-term (year over year) growth. 

Financial goals don’t have to just focus on having a specific number sitting in your account; rather, they should have specific end-game plans behind the number. Whether that’s building a suitable emergency fund, having enough to buy new (expensive) equipment, or building a down payment for a second (or third, or fourth…) location, set yourself clear and measurable goals.

Operational Goals

Operational restaurant goals are a crucial aspect to long-term success for any restaurant. While money is a great way to measure growth, the things that matter the most are often the way that your restaurant runs on a daily basis. Whether this applies to your front or back of house is up to you, but ultimately, it’s important to set internal goals for your staff to meet.

A great place to start with operational restaurant goals is consistency. Hold an all-hands meeting and establish clear boundaries and goals for your team to meet within a year. Tell your staff that you’ll be watching table turnover times, upselling, plate times, and return rates on food and then give them incentive . This can be as simple as extra PTO or a small bonus, or it can lead to raises or promotions; what matters is that they’re incentivized to work alongside you to improve the business.

Customer Service Goals

Generally customer service falls under operational goals, but it’s important to differentiate when setting long-term goals for multiple areas of your business. When establishing restaurant goals for customer service, think about what can improve over an extended period of time. 

Areas like reviews and sales allow you to properly measure success; this is important, because customer service is a difficult thing to measure, as customers are their own people. Extreme cases of good or bad customer service will be obvious, but they’re difficult to measure when trying to set and meet goals. Aiming for more 5-star reviews and higher sales allows your staff to have concrete proof of their work and, importantly, show how well they do their job.

Beyond the more measurable parts of customer service, it’s also great to set more personal goals for your staff. Set goals with each employee to see them sell more confidently, become more familiar with the menu and specials, or even just to be more comfortable in their interactions with customers. Importantly, though, be sure to work with your employees on this, rather than setting goals without speaking to them.

Marketing and Branding Goals

Branding and marketing are both important parts to growing your restaurant business. By establishing clear goals for what your brand should look like, how it should be perceived, and how well-known it is (also known as brand awareness ), you’ll be setting your business up for success. 

Just like any other type of marketing, restaurant marketing benefits from clear goals and objectives for each campaign. Common restaurant goals for marketing and branding include an increase in followers, regular interaction on social media, or even a full rebrand! 

By setting yourself a clear picture of what successful marketing will look like, you’re creating a point to work toward and, ultimately, overcome.

Staff Development and Retention Goals

Of all restaurant goals to establish, staff development and retention is one of the more crucial. We all know that restaurants are often a revolving door of employees, and likely, you’re familiar with the struggle that this can create. In fact, the act of training new employees actively costs you money !

This is why it’s vital for you to set goals related to staff retention and growth. Your employees will eventually grow out of their positions, and that’s okay,  but helping them to grow can ensure that they stick around far longer. Beyond coaching and professional development, there’s really only one major way to encourage retention — benefits and pay.

Because of this, your staff retention will likely be tied to your restaurant goals that revolve around money; after all, to pay more, you need to make more. Nonetheless, it’s worth it to consider the tradeoff of periodic raises versus the ( on average $1,252 per person ) cost of training new employees.

How to Set Achievable Restaurant Goals and Objectives

Now that we’ve seen what kinds of restaurant objectives and goals will likely be on the top of your list, let’s talk about creating achievable restaurant goals.

Using the SMART Framework

The SMART framework is a common tool used by project managers to clarify what is realistic and what isn’t. So, what is SMART? It operates under the idea that every project, objective, and goal should be:

• Specific: In other words, your restaurant objectives and goals should be specific enough to be easily achieved. Rather than “Make more money,” we should aim to make a specific amount, let’s say $10,000 more per quarter.
• Measurable: Similarly, your restaurant goals should be easy to measure; we don’t want abstract goals or objectives. Rather, they should be quantifiable through numbers or performance.
• Achievable: We’ve harped on the importance of achievability for your restaurant goals and objectives quite a bit. That’s because being realistic is crucial to actually accomplishing any task that you set for yourself. Allow yourself the time to think about how realistic it will be to achieve your goal or objective in a given time and make adjustments as needed .
• Relevant: The long and short here is that your goals should be relevant to your business. Set restaurant objectives and goals that will directly benefit your restaurant and, importantly, that will help enforce your vision for the business.
• Time-Bound: Finally, it’s important to have a deadline. Goals shouldn’t be an indefinite “we’ll get to it” process; rather, they should have a specific point in time where they need to be accomplished. 

Aligning Goals with Your Restaurant's Vision and Mission

In relation to the ‘relevant’ in SMART goals, be sure to think about what you want your restaurant to do and look like. Are you aiming to create a community gathering center or a space for intimate meals? Do you want to churn through orders and serve hundreds or thousands of guests each day, or do you want to serve a handful of guests with thoughtful, carefully crafted courses?

No matter your ultimate vision, keep it in mind when preparing your restaurant objectives and goals. They should help you achieve that vision, rather than hinder it — so consider your brand when establishing goals. 

Setting Priorities: What Matters Most?

Ultimately, what matters most isn’t something that we can tell you; it’s something you’ll need to decide for yourself. If you’re struggling with employee retention, that may be the most important for you. Alternatively, you could have a great internal flow, wonderful sales, and an absolutely dead social media — if that’s the case, then maybe marketing goals and objectives will serve you best. 

Realistically, this means that you’ll need to take time to take inventory of how your restaurant runs, audit your inventory and sales, and speak to your staff about what they think should be prioritized.

Examples of SMART Restaurant Goals

Before we wrap, let’s set a few examples of SMART restaurant goals to get your mind working on the same wavelength:

• Specific sales goals: After looking at your sales quarter over quarter, establish a number that you want your restaurant to reach in one month, in three, and in six. For example, you could aim for a 10% increase in special sales first, followed by 15% and 20%.
• Brand recognition: Set a specific number of followers to gain in six months, and another for one year. In that time, measure followers and their interaction with your content. For many restaurants, this can be as small as 100 new followers and comments or shares on every post; for others, you can aim big. It’s all about knowing what’s realistic for your business.
• Employee retention: If you generally run through staff every eight months, set a long-term goal to retain at least 75% of your staff for a full year. After that, bump it to two or three years. 

Setting restaurant goals and objectives isn’t difficult once you know how to do it. It just requires an awareness of your business that will take time and research to accomplish. From there, the SMART framework can make the process shockingly simple.

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Personal Business Plan

Did you have a dream of one day owning your business ? If so, what was your dream about? When I was young, I always dreamed of owning my own business and seeing it flourish . I told myself that one day, I would be able to own a business that involved a hybrid of a coffee and tea shop with a library and a place where animal lovers could simply hang out. Of course that dream is still in the air as it takes a lot of planning and a lot of resources like financial and material resources to make it happen. Another thing to also take into consideration is to have your own plans. Not just one plan but if possible a lot of back up plans that go along with it. Even if your plan may seem or look fool proof, there is still a possibility that you may need to redo it or to have at least a back up plan along with your original plan. What am I even talking about? A business plan of course. Your personal business plan. The difference between a business plan and a personal business plan is found in the article below. So check it all out right now.

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3. Sample Personal Business Plan Template

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What Is a Personal Business Plan?

A lot of people would associate a business plan to a business or a company. But they may never associate the term business plan with personal . However, you can make your own business plan, and it does not have to be focused on a business or a company that you own. It can also focus on you, your family life, personal life, and your development. So what is a personal business plan? A personal business plan is a tool . This tool helps you by giving you a tour, a guide or serves as a road map for you to know how and where you can start out by changing what you want to do in life, or to change something in your business to make it better. For this case, a personal business plan is more associated with how you view yourself and your goals to achieve them. The importance of a personal business plan is to simply help you. Help you by giving you directions. A step by step plan that shows you or how you want to see your future in specific years to come. To show if there is any development that you have made or none at all.

How to Write a Personal Business Plan?

Here’s a fun fact for you. Did you know that having a personal business plan can help you ? Apart from having a positive mindset, having a personal development plan or a personal business plan is also quite helpful. Though it may depend on how you perceive it and use it, but it really is a helpful tool. Something to help you get started on writing are these simple yet easy to do tips.

1. Get To Know What You Want to Write

What this means is, brainstorm. What do you want to write, what do you expect to write and what do you really want to see in your personal development? These are just basic questions to help you when you brainstorm on what you want to place in your personal business plan. The topics could range from family, your dreams, your goals, anything that is achievable. Start from there.

2. Set Your Goals and Objectives

Know your goals and know your objectives . Understand the factors when picking your goals. Always choose an attainable goal. In addition to that, always choose an attainable objective or a series of attainable objectives. This is going to be your guide when you choose what goal you want to achieve. So to make that happen, you must make it happen. It must be achievable. Something possible, not impossible.

3.  Make Your Goals Very Specific

One thing you may have noticed is why should you make your goals very specific ? The reason for this is because if you do not make your goals specific, you may end up getting frustrated or end up not bothering to achieve the goal you want. For this to be avoided, it is always best to make every single thing in your plan specific, especially your goals.

4.  Set Up Deadlines for Each Goal

In addition to the tips above, here is another tip I can give you. Set up deadlines . For each goal you plan on doing, set up a deadline. Not only will this encourage you to do better and to really find ways to achieve them, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment and responsibility. This is where your development should already be showing.

5. Update Your Progress Plan

Last but not the least, update on the progress you have made. Whether it be a huge milestone or a smaller and simple one. Each milestone you have made is considered progress and should be updated to your plan. This is to show you how far you have gone to reach the goal you decided to do and how far you still need to go and push through to achieve it.

What is a personal business plan?

A personal business plan can also be coined as a personal development plan. This kind of plan is used as a personal growth plan for a person. It helps by outlining your goals and objectives and to record every milestone that has been accomplished at a certain amount of time.

What can a personal business plan be used for?

A personal business plan can be used in a way to help you reach your full potential. It helps by showing you the steps and the things that you can do to reach it.

Is it difficult to make your own personal business plan?

Not at all. Planning on making your own business plan is quite easy. It only takes a few simple steps. To know more about these steps, you can simply check the How to write a personal business plan found in this article.

When you want your dreams to come true, you work hard for it. When you want your goals in life to be achieved, you work hard for it. But there are times that we often mistake what we think we can do to what we can actually do. Always remember that you can achieve those dreams if they are realistic and doable. As well as adding a personal business plan to the mix.

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Career Goals: Why You Need Them with Examples

10 min read · Updated on August 15, 2024

Career goals are your roadmap to a fulfilling career and life.

Many don't consider that they began thinking about their career options as early as elementary or middle school. During these years, we're introduced to career paths and begin to consider what we might want to be when we grow up. Then, we enter high school and college , where we solidify our choices to adventure out into the working world. To do this effectively, we must develop career goals along the way. 

What are career goals?

Though some may not consciously think about their career goals, they still have them. After all, anyone who wants to land a job and make money has at least three career goals:

Keep the job

Make money through that job

Career goals support us in advancing our careers and achieving our career aspirations. They can be short or long-term and help us get to where we want to be in the future, whether that's landing a promotion, earning more money, or branching out on our own in business.  

Why are career goals important?

Imagine that you decide to go on a road trip, yet you have no idea of your destination and still haven't decided by the time you're in your vehicle and on the road.  Not knowing where you are going makes deciding how to get there very difficult. 

In this instance, you have two options: 

Keep driving, and hope you land somewhere you like 

Determine where you want to end up and then create a map, or goals, to help you get there

The notion of not knowing where you're going when taking a road trip could be fun to some. However, in terms of navigating your career, not having a destination could leave you highly frustrated and all over the map regarding career choices. Without a sense of career direction, you could end up with unfilling work, lower pay than you'd like, and a lack of professional identity. 

Career goals are the roadmap to help you get to where you want to go in your career. Not only that, they also help you get to where you want to go in your personal life. Increasing your pay or making more money, for example, is not only a professional goal but is also a personal goal that affords you the ability to do more things that you enjoy or want to do personally, like buy a home, raise a family, or travel more. 

Once you know what your long-term career goals are, you can work backward by creating smaller goals – your map – to meet them.

11 examples of career goals

There are dozens of career goals you could choose to set for yourself. The career goals you select should be based on and align with your professional and personal aspirations. Below, we look at 11 common career goals of today's workforce.

1. Earn promotions

Many hope to earn promotions during their careers. Promotions allow us to advance to higher-level positions, which typically means a salary increase and additional responsibilities. 

2. Advance to a leadership position

Advancing from an individual contributor into a leadership position is a common career goal for many. Some, indeed, prefer to stay on the technical track and have no desire to become a supervisor or manager. However, for those that do, they appreciate the opportunity to support and shape an organization's strategy, goals, and more. They also have the ability to lead and motivate the teams they manage. 

3. Start your own business

Working as an employee for a company isn't for everyone. Owning your own business provides autonomy and flexibility that's important to some. Many also love the ability to build and grow a business over time. 

4. Expand your professional network

Expanding your professional network can help you land future jobs, receive referrals for your team, reach a greater audience with your expertise, and more. These are just a few of the reasons why people choose expanding their professional network as a career goal. 

5. Build a professional brand

Those with a solid professional brand and identity tend to attract more job offers, have more people who want to work for them, and have a leg up when it comes to advancing their careers. Many work towards building their professional brand online. However, building a professional presence offline through avenues like in-person networking events and professional organizations is also possible. 

6. Become a thought leader

Thought leaders are those who have acquired a level of expertise and authority in their field, making them a trusted name that other professionals and organizations turn to for guidance and insights. Thought leaders share their knowledge to motivate and inspire others. They can be found at various levels within and outside of organizations. Coaches, businesses, authors, executives, consultants, and individual contributors at the top of their game can all be thought leaders in their fields or areas of expertise.

7. Advance your training and education

The desire to get a degree or a certification is a career goal many aspire to. Some do so right out of high school. In contrast, others choose to go back for additional training at different points throughout their careers. 

And though it's a career goal in and of itself, professional development is an excellent way to advance your career and meet other career goals, like promotions and landing a leadership position. It's also an excellent way to help you acquire the skills necessary when changing careers.

8. Retire successfully

A typical career goal is to retire comfortably at the end of one's career. Successful retirement is different for everyone, though it often includes holding the jobs one desires through career advancement, having a salary that's continued to increase over time, and working for an organization that offers a retirement savings plan of some sort, like a 401(k). 

9. Attain work-life balance

Work-life balance is a common term used by employers and professionals. Many desire to work to live rather than live to work and want plenty of time to enjoy life outside of work. 

As a career goal, achieving work-life balance can look different for everyone since we all have different priorities and definitions of what balance looks like. Having a flexible schedule or remote work are a couple of ways some might achieve work-life balance. 

10. Enhance work relationships

Having healthy and productive relationships with coworkers, clients, leaders, and team members makes work more enjoyable. It also helps us do our jobs effectively, making it a valuable career goal. 

There are several ways to enhance work relationships to meet career goals. Some might want to improve their communication skills to enhance work relationships, whereas others might want to become better team players to support project goals. 

11. Change career paths

It's more common than ever for people to change careers in today's world. Some find that they don't love their work as much as they thought they would, whereas others simply want a change or to do what they consider to be more meaningful work. Regardless of the reason, changing careers is a career goal that requires thoughtfulness and a path to make the change successful. 

How to meet your career goals

Here are some tips to think about when it comes to setting and meeting your career goals:

• Set aligned short and long-term goals . Setting short-term goals that align with your long-term goals will help you more easily meet those long-term goals. 
• Use the SMART method. The SMART method is a great tool to help you set goals that you can achieve. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. By creating specific goals that are measurable, attainable, relevant, and timebound, you're setting yourself up for success. In terms of measuring your goals, develop a set of metrics that allows you to know when you've achieved them. When it comes to the timeframe in which you plan to achieve career goals, make it a timeframe that you believe is doable. 
• Communicate your goals with others. If you don't communicate your career goals with others, achieving them will be more difficult. After all, if your employer doesn't know you'd like a promotion or to land a leadership role one day, how can they help you get there? Share your career goals with your coworkers, supervisors, clients, and network. You never know who might be able to help open up doors down the road. 
• Ask for help. One of the best ways to attain career goals is to ask for help. Seek out a mentor who can help guide you when you have questions, for example, or reach out to your network for a referral to a new job.

Tips to discuss career goals during an interview

If you've ever sat through a job interview , you're likely familiar with questions that focus on your career goals. An interviewer might ask questions like:

Where do you see yourself in five years?

What are your career goals?

What is your five-year career goal?

What is your long-term career goal?

What are your long-term career goals?

The interviewer wants to know if you've thought about the direction you'd like to see your career go, as well as how you might get there. The question also provides insights into your level of self-awareness, ability to communicate your thoughts, and more. 

Here are some tips to help you answer questions about your career goals to leave the right impression:

Focus on long-term goals. Employers often want to know your longer-term 5- or 10-year focus when they ask questions about your career goals. Therefore, emphasize those unless you're asked specifically about shorter-term goals. 

Connect your goals to the company or position you're applying to. During an interview, your responses should all be relevant to the open position you're interviewing for, and your career goals are no exception. How do your long-term career goals relate to the position you're interviewing for and support the employer or company? 

Provide information on what you've done so far or plan to do to achieve your goal. As you share your career goals, you always want to follow them up with what you've done so far to achieve those goals, as well as your plans moving forward to reach them. This is where you can emphasize some of your shorter-term goals that align with achieving your longer-term goals. 

These tips also align with discussing your career goals with your current employer during performance reviews and other professional development conversations with a couple of nuances. You'll, of course, want to connect your goals with your current position and company vs. your prospective position and employer. It's also appropriate to focus on both short and long-term goals equally vs. emphasizing long-term goals over short-term goals.

Career goals = your roadmap to success

To reiterate, career goals are essential to help you get to where you want to go in your career and personal life. Use the tips above to help you set, achieve, and discuss your career goals. And, if your career goals change over time, that's okay! Just be sure to update your short-term goals to continue meeting any long-term goals you set for yourself. 

Is your current resume written in a way that will help you reach your career goals? Consider submitting it for a free resume review , and let our experts provide you with specific tips to help you reach the goal of landing your next interview!

Recommended reading:

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