business plan for your career

Investing in Me, Inc.

Write a curriculum vitae in 15 lines or less—not a résumé, but a description you might give to someone introducing you as a speaker.
Repeat the exercise, but write your description as if it were 15 to 20 years from now.
Start thinking about what it would take to get from the first introduction to the second. In CEO lingo, this kind of thinking is called gap analysis.
Do you know what your most valuable skills are?
Could you write an ad for yourself?
Do you sometimes feel there's something stopping you from reaching your potential?
A vision for the business
Financial skills
A marketing plan
The ability to manage and motivate others
What is your advantage over the competition?
How does your "price" compare?
Who is your target customer?
Create your own ad: Fill in the blanks: The goal of your ad is "to convince ______ to buy ________ because _______." With this goal in mind, create your ad.
Pitch your ad: Invite a friend or co-worker you trust to listen to your pitch. Give yourself three minutes for the pitch, and give your friend two minutes for comments.
Make an impression: After your pitch, the listener should know what your "brand" was, and what made it different from its competitors. Pop-up window Exercise Two: The Relationship Inventory. Once you know what you're selling, who are you going to tell? In the case of Me, Inc., you're going to be spending your time and energy. You'll be advertising yourself to the people you pay attention to. Make the most of your limited time by spending it with people who can help you grow.

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18 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

Published: July 01, 2024

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

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As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

So what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing? I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Business Plan Types

Business plan format, sample business plan: section by section, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ultimately, the format of your business plan will vary based on your goals for that plan. I’ve added this quick review of different business plan types that achieve differing goals.

For a more detailed exploration of business plan types, you can check out this post .

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1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas. If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration .

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business's product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

A strategic business plan is another business plan that's often shared internally. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company's acquisition or repositioning strategy.

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

I’m going to focus on a startup business plan that needs to be detailed and research-backed as well as compelling enough to convince investors to offer funding. In my experience, the most comprehensive and convincing business plans contain the following sections.

Executive Summary

This all-important introduction to your business plan sets the tone and includes the company description as well as what you will be exchanging for money — whether that’s product lines, services, or product-service hybrids.

Market Opportunity

Information about gaps in your industry’s market and how you plan to fill them, focused on demand and potential for growth.

Competitive Landscape Analysis

An overview of your competitors that includes consideration of their strengths and how you’ll manage them, their weaknesses and how you’ll capitalize on them, and how you can differentiate your offerings in the industry.

Target Audience

Descriptions of your ideal customers, their various problems that you can solve, and your customer acquisition strategy.

Marketing Strategy

This section details how you will market your brand to achieve specific goals, the channels and tactics you’ll utilize to reach those goals, and the metrics you’ll be using to measure your progress.

Key Features and Benefits

This is where you’ll use plain language to emphasize the value of your product/service, how it solves the problems of your target audiences, and how you’ll scale up over time.

Pricing and Revenue

This section describes your pricing strategy and plans for building revenue streams that fit your audiences while achieving your business goals.

This is the final section, communicating with investors that your business idea is worth investing in via profit/loss statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets to prove viability.

Okay, so now that we have a format established, I’ll give you more specific details about each section along with examples. Truthfully, I wish I’d had this resource to help me flesh out those first business plans long ago.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. It is essentially an overview of and introduction to your entire project.

Write this in such a way that it grabs your readers' attention and guides them through the rest of the business plan. This is important because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary: your company description and your products and services.

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front. This is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up your business goals? I’d recommend HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set meaningful goals that matter most for your business.

Products and Services

Here, you will incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive, as it is just a chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business. I recommend including snippets of information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here as well.

Keep in mind that you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. The executive summary should be clear and brief, only including the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template . What makes this executive summary good is that it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Our Mission

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels offers gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position.

The Company and Management

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten-free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, MA, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her bagel shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications, Ltd.
Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP.

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment with opportunities for open mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the North Shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling point. Additionally, our market research [see Section 3] has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

Example 2 :

Marianne and Keith Bean have been involved with the food industry for several years. They opened their first restaurant in Antlers, Oklahoma in 1981, and their second in Hugo in 1988. Although praised for the quality of many of the items on their menu, they have attained a special notoriety for their desserts. After years of requests for their flavored whipped cream toppings, they have decided to pursue marketing these products separately from the restaurants.

Marianne and Keith Bean have developed several recipes for flavored whipped cream topping. They include chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon almond, and strawberry. These flavored dessert toppings have been used in the setting of their two restaurants over the past 18 years, and have been produced in large quantities. The estimated shelf life of the product is 21 days at refrigeration temperatures and up to six months when frozen. The Beans intend to market this product in its frozen state in 8 and 12-ounce plastic tubs. They also intend to have the products available in six ounce pressurized cans. Special attention has been given to developing an attractive label that will stress the gourmet/specialty nature of the products.

Distribution of Fancy's Foods Whipped Dream product will begin in the local southeastern Oklahoma area. The Beans have an established name and reputation in this area, and product introduction should encounter little resistance.

Financial analyses show that the company will have both a positive cash flow and profit in the first year. The expected return on equity in the first year is 10.88%

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

Start with a strong introduction of your company that showcases your mission and impact, then outline the products and services you provide.
Clearly define a problem, explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
Customize your summary to your audience. For example, you might emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists, whereas you might emphasize community benefits and minimal environmental impact for progressive nonprofits.

For more guidance, check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary .

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market. Ask and answer: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, SOM analysis , a SWOT analysis , and perform market research on your industry to get some insights for this section. More specifically, here’s what I’d include.

The size of the market
Current or potential market share
Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
Where the gap is
What caused the gap
How you intend to fill it

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Example: The market for Doggie Pause is all of the dog owners in the metropolitan area and surrounding areas of the city. We believe that this is going to be 2/3 of the population, and we have a goal of gaining a 50% market share. We have a target of a 20% yearly profit increase as the business continues.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

Focus on demand and potential for growth.
Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
Refer to reliable sources.
Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape Analysis

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you‘ll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are. After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you’ll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover the following:

Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing.
Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle.
Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points.
The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers.

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are. It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location. This demonstrates useful experience in the industry, helping to build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Competitive Environment

Currently, there are four primary competitors in the Greater Omaha Area: Pinot’s Palette Lakeside (franchise partner), Village Canvas and Cabernet, The Corky Canvas, and Twisted Vine Collective. The first three competitors are in Omaha and the fourth is located in Papillion.

Despite the competition, all locations have both public and private events. Each location has a few sold-out painting events each month. The Omaha locations are in new, popular retail locations, while the existing Papillion location is in a downtown business district.

There is an opportunity to take advantage of the environment and open a studio in a well-traveled or growing area. Pinot’s Palette La Vista will differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a premium experience in a high-growth, influential location.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience? I’d recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear about why you're targeting them. Here are some questions I’d ask myself:

What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
Why are your offerings valuable to them?

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

The Audience

Recognize that audiences are often already aware of important issues. Outreach materials should:

Emphasize a pollution-prevention practice
Tell audience a little about how to prevent pollution
Tell audience where they can obtain information about prevention.

Message Content

Focus the content for outreach materials on cost savings, such as when and where pollution prevention is as cheap as or cheaper than traditional techniques. Include facts and figures.
Emphasize how easy it is to do the right thing and the impacts of not engaging in pollution prevention.
Stress benefits such as efficiency or better relations with government, for businesses not primarily concerned with public image.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience , then show why your product is a useful solution.
Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you‘ll discuss how you’ll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier. I’d suggest including these details:

Your brand positioning vision and how you'll cultivate it.
The goal targets you aim to achieve.
The metrics you'll use to measure success.
The channels and distribution tactics you'll use.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler. In my opinion, it works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

Screenshot of business startup kit download page from hubspot

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Why You Should Write a Business Plan for Your Career

A successful career requires specific goals, determining your ideal path, identifying key challenges and opportunities, and coming up with contingency plans. you can accomplish all these with a business plan for your career. here's how.

In the entrepreneurial world, a business plan is a sacred text. You can't get funding without a solid business plan, and even if you manage to scrape by without one, chances are your organization will be so disorganized you won't have a chance at any significant level of success. Outlining your goals, your vision, your competition, your challenges, and the mechanics that will drive your progress, a business plan tries to predict the course of your first few years of a company's growth.

Your career requires a similar level of attention--you'll need to pick out specific goals, determine your ideal path, identify key challenges and opportunities, and come up with some contingency plans--so why don't more people write out business plans for their careers?

Start out with a mission statement

What is "success" in your mind? It's different for everybody. For some, it's getting to retire by the age of 50. For others, it's making six figures every year. For still others, it's making partner or landing some similar directorial role. The mission statement of your career business plan will explain exactly what success is to you, and a general idea of how you plan to get there (the smaller details can wait until later sections).

For this section, limit yourself to two or three sentences. You want to be as concise as possible without eliminating any of your overall vision.

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

Business Plan Template for Career Planning

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Thinking of starting a career planning business or offering career counseling services? Look no further than ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Career Planning! This comprehensive template is designed to help you outline your goals, strategies, target market, marketing plans, financial projections, and timelines—all in one place. With this template, you'll have everything you need to create a comprehensive and well-thought-out business plan that sets you up for success. Don't waste time reinventing the wheel—start planning your career planning business with ClickUp today!

Clearly define your goals and strategies for success
Identify your target market and develop targeted marketing plans
Create accurate financial projections to ensure profitability
Establish a timeline to keep your business on track

Get started on your career planning business journey with ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Career Planning now!

Business Plan Template for Career Planning Benefits

When using the Business Plan Template for Career Planning, individuals or entrepreneurs can benefit from:

Clearly defining their career planning business goals and objectives
Strategizing effective marketing plans to reach their target market
Outlining financial projections to ensure a profitable and sustainable business
Creating a timeline for achieving milestones and tracking progress
Providing a comprehensive and well-structured approach to their career planning business venture

Main Elements of Career Planning Business Plan Template

ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Career Planning provides a structured approach to help individuals and entrepreneurs create a comprehensive plan for their career counseling business. Here are the main elements of this template:

Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of each section of your business plan with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do.
Custom Fields: Use custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add specific details and organize information within your business plan.
Custom Views: Access five different views to manage your business plan effectively, including Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide. These views allow you to focus on specific aspects of your plan and ensure a well-rounded approach to career planning.
Collaboration Tools: Collaborate with your team members by assigning tasks, setting due dates, and adding comments, ensuring smooth communication and progress tracking.
Document Management: Utilize ClickUp's Docs feature to create and store important documents, such as marketing plans, financial projections, and target market analysis, all within the Business Plan template.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Career Planning, you can streamline the process of creating a detailed and well-organized plan for your career counseling business.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Career Planning

If you're looking to create a solid career plan, using the Business Plan Template in ClickUp can be a game-changer. Follow these six steps to make the most of it:

1. Define your career goals

Start by clearly defining your career goals. What do you want to achieve in your professional life? Do you want to advance in your current role, switch industries, or start your own business? Defining your goals will help you focus your efforts and create a roadmap for success.

Use the Goals feature in ClickUp to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your career.

2. Assess your skills and strengths

Take stock of your skills and strengths. What are you good at? What unique talents or expertise do you bring to the table? Identifying your strengths will help you determine the areas where you can excel and leverage your skills to achieve your career goals.

Create a custom field in ClickUp to track your skills and strengths and assess how they align with your career objectives.

3. Research your industry

Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in your industry. Research job market demands, emerging technologies, and skill requirements. This information will help you identify potential career paths, understand the skills you need to develop, and stay ahead of the competition.

Use the Docs feature in ClickUp to create a repository of industry research and keep track of relevant articles, reports, and resources.

4. Identify development opportunities

Once you have a clear understanding of your career goals and the skills required in your industry, identify development opportunities to bridge the gap. This could include attending industry conferences, taking online courses, pursuing certifications, or seeking mentorship from industry experts.

Create tasks in ClickUp to outline your development plan and track your progress as you acquire new skills and knowledge.

5. Network and build relationships

Networking is crucial for career growth. Connect with professionals in your industry, attend networking events, and engage with online communities. Building relationships with like-minded individuals can open doors to new opportunities, provide mentorship, and expand your professional network.

Use the Calendar view in ClickUp to schedule networking events, set reminders, and stay organized in your networking efforts.

6. Review and revise your plan

Regularly review and revise your career plan. As you gain new experiences, achieve milestones, and reassess your goals, it's important to adjust your plan accordingly. Stay flexible and open to new opportunities that may arise along your career journey.

Set recurring tasks in ClickUp to review and revise your career plan at regular intervals, ensuring that it remains aligned with your evolving aspirations.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Career Planning

Individuals or entrepreneurs who are starting a career planning business or offering career counseling services can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Career Planning to create a comprehensive and well-thought-out approach to their business venture.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to plan your career planning business:

Use the Topics View to outline the main sections of your business plan, such as goals, strategies, target market, marketing plans, financial projections, and timelines
The Status View will help you keep track of the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
Use the Timeline View to create a visual representation of your business plan's timeline and milestones
The Business Plan View will give you a comprehensive overview of your entire business plan, allowing you to easily navigate between sections
Use the Getting Started Guide View to create a step-by-step guide for yourself or your team members to follow when starting the career planning business
Utilize the custom fields Reference, Approved, and Section to add additional information and categorize different aspects of your business plan
Update statuses and custom fields as you progress through each section to keep track of your business plan's development
Monitor and analyze your business plan to ensure it aligns with your goals and objectives
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How to make a career plan [+templates]

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Sometimes when we see people with successful careers, we think their career was a result of luck or connections. While that may be true in some cases, often, successful careers are the result of planning. Talk to many executives, and they’ll detail how their career growth took place over a long path that included education, mentorship, challenges, and having an end goal in mind.

While you may have an idea of where you’d like to be, it’s difficult to take action on a general idea. By solidifying what you want exactly, you can take steps in the right direction, and those clear steps can help you feel empowered and motivated.

What is a career plan?

A career plan is a structured and strategic roadmap that you can use to set and achieve your career goals. This plan outlines the steps, actions, and milestones needed to progress in your career over time. A well-thought-out career plan can help you make informed decisions about your professional development and enable you to work toward your desired career outcomes.

A typical career plan usually includes:

Goal setting : Clearly define short-term and long-term career goals. These goals may include specific job roles, levels of responsibility, income targets, or personal development objectives.
Self-assessment : Assess your skills, strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, and personality traits. Understanding yourself is essential for aligning your career choices with your personal preferences and capabilities.
Research and exploration : Investigate different industries, job sectors, companies, and roles that align with your goals and interests. Gather information about the qualifications, experience, and skills required in your chosen field.
Skill development : Identify the skills and knowledge you need to acquire or improve to advance in your career. Plan how you will acquire these skills through education, training, or on-the-job experience.
Networking : Develop a professional network by connecting with colleagues, mentors, and industry professionals. Networking can provide valuable insights, opportunities, and support throughout your career.
Résumé and personal branding : Create or update your résumé and online profiles to reflect your skills, achievements, and career objectives. Consistency in your personal brand can help you stand out to potential employers.
Job search and application : If you are actively job hunting, your career plan should include strategies for finding and applying for positions that align with your goals. This might involve using job boards, attending job fairs, or leveraging your network.
Performance evaluation : Periodically assess your progress toward your career goals. Are you meeting your milestones? Do you need to adjust your plan based on changing circumstances or priorities?
Adaptability : Be prepared to adapt your career plan as circumstances change, new opportunities arise, or your interests evolve. Flexibility is crucial in navigating a dynamic job market.
Long-term vision : Consider your ultimate career aspirations. Do you want to be a leader or make a difference in an industry? Maybe you want to start a business. Your long-term vision can guide your decisions and actions over the years.

Let’s be clear: a career plan is far more than just a piece of paper. It can sometimes be the difference between stagnating in a current role (and missing out on promotions, fulfillment, and earlier retirement) or achieving a fulfilling, higher-paying job.

Career plan examples

With Lucid, you never need to start from scratch. We have a variety of career growth templates to get you started.

Career growth plan

Insert career growth plan template with caption: Career growth plan example (click to use template).

Career path

You may not want to become a project manager, but this career path template is an excellent example of a career path. What’s unique about this template is that it can help guide your research as you determine the steps from your current job to where you’d like to be. The research alone is helpful, but knowing what next steps lie ahead can also be motivating and inspiring.

Insert career path template with caption: Career path example (click to use template).

Career progression chart

This granular career progression chart template shows the interconnectedness of many job roles, which is helpful for a career progression that can go in multiple directions. It also includes example salary ranges of job grades.

Insert career progression chart with the caption: Career progression chart example (click to use template).

How to make a career plan

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a comprehensive career plan:

Self-assessment

Begin by assessing yourself. Reflect on your interests, values, strengths, weaknesses, and long-term aspirations.
Identify your short-term and long-term career goals. What specific achievements or positions do you want to reach?

Research and exploration

Research different career fields, industries, and job roles. Explore job market trends and potential career paths.
Consider the qualifications, skills, and experience required for your desired roles.

Set SMART goals

Make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, instead of a vague goal like "get a better job," aim for something like "secure a project management role with a 20% salary increase within two years."

Identify skills and knowledge gaps

Determine the skills and knowledge you need to achieve your goals. Be honest about your current skillset and identify any gaps.
Create a list of the skills you need to develop or improve to reach your objectives.

Plan skill development

Develop a plan to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge. This may involve taking courses, attending workshops, seeking mentorship, or gaining on-the-job experience.
Set milestones and deadlines for skill development.

Build a professional network

Start or expand your professional network.
Attend networking events, conferences, and workshops relevant to your field.

Update your résumé and online profiles

Keep your résumé and LinkedIn profile up-to-date. Highlight your skills, achievements, and career objectives.
Ensure consistency in your personal brand across all professional platforms.

Job search and application strategy

If you're actively job hunting, create a strategy for finding and applying for positions that align with your goals.
Tailor your application materials (résumé, cover letter) for each job application.

Performance evaluation

Regularly assess your progress toward your career goals. Are you meeting your milestones?
Adjust your plan as needed based on your performance and changing circumstances.

Adaptability and flexibility

Be open to adjusting your career plan as opportunities and challenges arise.
Adapt to changes in your interests, the job market, or personal circumstances.

Long-term vision

Consider your ultimate career aspirations. Where do you see yourself in 10, 20, or 30 years?
Your long-term vision can guide your choices and priorities over time.

Seek feedback and guidance

Don't hesitate to seek feedback from mentors, career counselors, or trusted colleagues. They can offer valuable insights and advice.

Document your plan

Write down your career plan in a document or digital format. This document should serve as a roadmap for your career journey.

Regularly review and revise

Periodically review and revise your career plan, especially as you achieve goals, encounter new opportunities, or face unexpected challenges.

Remember that a career plan is a dynamic document, so it should evolve as your career evolves. Regularly revisit and adjust your plan to stay on track and align with your changing aspirations and circumstances.

Start planning your career with Lucidchart

If you’re convinced a career plan is the way to go to make your career dreams come true, we’re here to help!

Get started with this career growth plan template in Lucidchart.

About Lucidchart

Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.

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Yes, You Need a Career Plan. Here's How to Make One

Whether you’re at the start of your career with only a faint idea of what you want to do, or you know exactly what you want but aren’t sure how to get there, having a career plan is the key to plotting your next steps.

And if you’re in the former category, don’t worry—everyone has to start somewhere. Even the most impressive of careers started with entry-level positions and the nagging feeling of “what’s next?”

Actively planning your career allows you to take control and groom yourself for your next step. Plus, a career plan will help you navigate which lateral moves to make, milestones to aim for, and sequential promotions to approach all the way to your dream job. Let's get started.

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Career Planning Guide: How to Make a Career Plan [mba.com Insider]

How to make a career plan: Your career plan template

Our free Career Planning Guide will walk you through key personal and professional questions you need to explore to set the course for the next steps of your career. This career plan template will help you learn about yourself, understand your responsibilities, identify what you want, and bring your career vision into focus.

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A Simple Way to Map Out Your Career Ambitions

Marc Effron

Identify where you are and where you want to go.

It’s easy to be confused about how to grow in your career. Even the most successful global companies are vague about the most effective development options. So it’s up to you to take charge of your own growth. Start by writing your “from/to” statements. These are two brief statements — one describing where you are today and one describing your next big (not your ultimate) destination. Then create a personal experience map. A personal experience map shows which experiences you want to acquire in the next two to five years. Growing yourself faster isn’t easy but it’s made far simpler when you’re clear about your origin, your destination, and the fastest, experience-driven route between the two.

It’s easy to be confused about how to grow in your career. My experience with even the most successful global companies is that they’re between average and poor at developing future talent. They’re often not transparent about your real needs and vague about the most effective development options.

ME Marc Effron is the founder and President of the Talent Strategy Group where he leads the firm’s global consulting, education, executive search, and publishing businesses. He advises the world’s premier organizations on how to build high performing talent. Marc founded and publishes Talent Quarterly magazine and is the author of the book 8 Steps to High Performance and the best-selling One Page Talent Management . Follow him on Twitter at @the8steps.

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How to approach career planning: 7 steps to success.

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Career planning benefits recent grads and experienced professionals.

In a recent Gartner survey , 47% of HR leaders believe employee experience is a top priority, yet 44% believe their organizations lack compelling career paths. While some companies have formal career development programs, many organizations leave it up to employees to manage their professional growth. Career planning—setting professional goals and developing a roadmap to get there—benefits the employer and the employee. For the company, career planning and development is a crucial employee retention strategy. Professional growth opportunities are also a great way to attract top talent and boost productivity. For employees, career planning leads to greater confidence, improved performance and increased engagement.

Career planning helps everyone, from recent grads to seasoned professionals, navigate the ever-changing job market. If you’re ready to take charge of your career path, these steps will provide the structure you need to succeed.

Understand yourself

The first step in the career planning process focuses on self-knowledge. At this stage, it may help to incorporate personality assessments and engage with a career coach or counselor. Think about your interests, skills and abilities.

Then ask yourself open-ended questions such as:

What do I enjoy?
What motivates me?
What are my natural gifts?
What things am I really good at?
What do people compliment me on?
What were my favorite classes in school?

Ultimately, individuals are happier when their values align with their jobs. So, make a list of the work values that are most important to you. Some examples include flexibility, challenge and creativity. Then, prioritize the top five or 10 and rank them by importance. By completing this exercise, you’ll be able to identify organizations that align with your values while creating a plan likely to lead to career satisfaction.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, research career options.

Once you understand what matters to you, you’re ready to explore career options. Start with a list of job titles or careers that interest you. Then, gather information including salary, benefits and general requirements. In addition to online research, leverage your professional network to discover what it’s like working in those fields. First-hand knowledge is invaluable when considering the advantages and disadvantages of a specific career path. Speaking with current employees will also help you more accurately identify companies that align with your work values.

Experience the career

After narrowing down your options, it’s time to experience the job in person. Leverage your previous informational interviews to arrange for a job shadowing opportunity. Observing someone in the field for a half-day, full-day or longer is a great way to take your potential career for a test drive. By shadowing a professional on the job, you’ll also meet additional people in the field, which will help develop your network. Some other ways to get a first-hand look at potential roles include volunteering, part-time work and internships.

Select a career path

Now that you’ve done your homework, it’s time to weigh the pros and cons of each option. Consider your values, priorities, strengths, weaknesses and inner motivations. Review your previous research and imagine your ideal work environment. Try to find the intersection of what you enjoy and are good at. Once you’ve decided, conduct a gap analysis to identify any skills that need to be acquired or developed. That way, you can add those steps to your action plan.

Create an action plan

An action plan contains your short and long-term career goals and the steps you need to take to achieve them. It's a roadmap that will get you from where you are now to where you want to be. At this stage, it helps to utilize the SMART goal template:

This format helps ensure that your goals are realistic and achievable. It’s also a great way to hold yourself accountable and celebrate small wins along the way.

Develop your personal brand

No matter what job or career you choose, personal branding—the art of creating a public identity for yourself—is essential. It’s an intentional practice designed to help you define your value proposition and position you as a thought leader. Start by refining your social media accounts and creating specialized content targeted to your audience. This stage also includes updating your résumé . Another helpful strategy is to create a personal website. That way, you can control your online reputation, build a platform and showcase your skills and experience.

Refine your career goals

Because career planning is a lifelong process, regularly reassess and refine your goals. Set aside time each month or quarter to reflect on your progress and identify improvement areas. It also helps to seek feedback from a trusted source like a coach or mentor who can provide an unbiased perspective. By remaining flexible and adaptable, you'll build a thriving career that can withstand any job market.

No matter what stage you are in, it pays to embrace career planning. By approaching your professional journey with intention, you’ll be more likely to make well-informed decisions and achieve the fulfillment you deserve.

Are you a woman who needs help changing careers? Download my FREE 22-page e-book: How Professional Women Can Master Career Change!

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IMAGES

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The Career Planning Process
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How to Create a Business Plan for Your Career
Take a Relationship Inventory. Make a list of the people with whom you have regular contact in your work life. Divide that list into three categories: Category A is energizers. They're people you trust, admire and respect; they give you good advice and help you grow. Category B is people you like well enough.
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How To Map a Clear Career Plan (With Example)
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ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Career Planning provides a structured approach to help individuals and entrepreneurs create a comprehensive plan for their career counseling business. Here are the main elements of this template: Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of each section of your business plan with statuses like Complete, In ...
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How to write a business plan. If you want to learn how to write a business plan, consider the following steps: 1. Write a comprehensive executive summary. Also known as a company description, the executive summary explains the business and its goals to partners, investors and lenders.
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You Need a Career Plan. Here's How to Make One
Actively planning your career allows you to take control and groom yourself for your next step. Plus, a career plan will help you navigate which lateral moves to make, milestones to aim for, and sequential promotions to approach all the way to your dream job. Let's get started. Infographic design by Heat Index.
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Make a Career Plan: Step-by-Step Career Planning Guide [mba ...
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A Simple Way to Map Out Your Career Ambitions. Summary. It's easy to be confused about how to grow in your career. Even the most successful global companies are vague about the most effective ...
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How to Make a Career Plan in 8 Steps
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How to plan your career in 12 Steps. Here are 12 career planning strategies you can use to actualize your professional aspirations: 1. Research potential career paths. Before you create a career plan, you'll want to choose a career or field to pursue. To choose a career path or paths, first consider seeking out self-assessments to know your ...
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