two main parts of a business plan

• Sources of Business Finance
• Small Business Loans
• Small Business Grants
• Crowdfunding Sites
• How to Get a Business Loan
• Small Business Insurance Providers
• Best Factoring Companies
• Types of Bank Accounts
• Best Banks for Small Business
• Best Business Bank Accounts
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Bank Accounts for Small Businesses
• Free Business Checking Accounts
• Best Business Credit Cards
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Business Credit Cards for Bad Credit
• Build Business Credit Fast
• Business Loan Eligibility Criteria
• Small-Business Bookkeeping Basics
• How to Set Financial Goals
• Business Loan Calculators
• How to Calculate ROI
• Calculate Net Income
• Calculate Working Capital
• Calculate Operating Income
• Calculate Net Present Value (NPV)
• Calculate Payroll Tax

12 Key Elements of a Business Plan (Top Components Explained)

Starting and running a successful business requires proper planning and execution of effective business tactics and strategies .

You need to prepare many essential business documents when starting a business for maximum success; the business plan is one such document.

When creating a business, you want to achieve business objectives and financial goals like productivity, profitability, and business growth. You need an effective business plan to help you get to your desired business destination.

Even if you are already running a business, the proper understanding and review of the key elements of a business plan help you navigate potential crises and obstacles.

This article will teach you why the business document is at the core of any successful business and its key elements you can not avoid.

Let’s get started.

Why Are Business Plans Important?

Business plans are practical steps or guidelines that usually outline what companies need to do to reach their goals. They are essential documents for any business wanting to grow and thrive in a highly-competitive business environment .

1. Proves Your Business Viability

A business plan gives companies an idea of how viable they are and what actions they need to take to grow and reach their financial targets. With a well-written and clearly defined business plan, your business is better positioned to meet its goals.

2. Guides You Throughout the Business Cycle

A business plan is not just important at the start of a business. As a business owner, you must draw up a business plan to remain relevant throughout the business cycle .

During the starting phase of your business, a business plan helps bring your ideas into reality. A solid business plan can secure funding from lenders and investors.

After successfully setting up your business, the next phase is management. Your business plan still has a role to play in this phase, as it assists in communicating your business vision to employees and external partners.

Essentially, your business plan needs to be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the needs of your business.

3. Helps You Make Better Business Decisions

As a business owner, you are involved in an endless decision-making cycle. Your business plan helps you find answers to your most crucial business decisions.

A robust business plan helps you settle your major business components before you launch your product, such as your marketing and sales strategy and competitive advantage.

4. Eliminates Big Mistakes

Many small businesses fail within their first five years for several reasons: lack of financing, stiff competition, low market need, inadequate teams, and inefficient pricing strategy.

Creating an effective plan helps you eliminate these big mistakes that lead to businesses' decline. Every business plan element is crucial for helping you avoid potential mistakes before they happen.

5. Secures Financing and Attracts Top Talents

Having an effective plan increases your chances of securing business loans. One of the essential requirements many lenders ask for to grant your loan request is your business plan.

A business plan helps investors feel confident that your business can attract a significant return on investments ( ROI ).

You can attract and retain top-quality talents with a clear business plan. It inspires your employees and keeps them aligned to achieve your strategic business goals.

Key Elements of Business Plan

Starting and running a successful business requires well-laid actions and supporting documents that better position a company to achieve its business goals and maximize success.

A business plan is a written document with relevant information detailing business objectives and how it intends to achieve its goals.

With an effective business plan, investors, lenders, and potential partners understand your organizational structure and goals, usually around profitability, productivity, and growth.

Every successful business plan is made up of key components that help solidify the efficacy of the business plan in delivering on what it was created to do.

Here are some of the components of an effective business plan.

1. Executive Summary

One of the key elements of a business plan is the executive summary. Write the executive summary as part of the concluding topics in the business plan. Creating an executive summary with all the facts and information available is easier.

In the overall business plan document, the executive summary should be at the forefront of the business plan. It helps set the tone for readers on what to expect from the business plan.

A well-written executive summary includes all vital information about the organization's operations, making it easy for a reader to understand.

The key points that need to be acted upon are highlighted in the executive summary. They should be well spelled out to make decisions easy for the management team.

A good and compelling executive summary points out a company's mission statement and a brief description of its products and services.

An executive summary summarizes a business's expected value proposition to distinct customer segments. It highlights the other key elements to be discussed during the rest of the business plan.

Including your prior experiences as an entrepreneur is a good idea in drawing up an executive summary for your business. A brief but detailed explanation of why you decided to start the business in the first place is essential.

Adding your company's mission statement in your executive summary cannot be overemphasized. It creates a culture that defines how employees and all individuals associated with your company abide when carrying out its related processes and operations.

Your executive summary should be brief and detailed to catch readers' attention and encourage them to learn more about your company.

Components of an Executive Summary

Here are some of the information that makes up an executive summary:

• The name and location of your company
• Products and services offered by your company
• Mission and vision statements
• Success factors of your business plan

2. Business Description

Your business description needs to be exciting and captivating as it is the formal introduction a reader gets about your company.

What your company aims to provide, its products and services, goals and objectives, target audience , and potential customers it plans to serve need to be highlighted in your business description.

A company description helps point out notable qualities that make your company stand out from other businesses in the industry. It details its unique strengths and the competitive advantages that give it an edge to succeed over its direct and indirect competitors.

Spell out how your business aims to deliver on the particular needs and wants of identified customers in your company description, as well as the particular industry and target market of the particular focus of the company.

Include trends and significant competitors within your particular industry in your company description. Your business description should contain what sets your company apart from other businesses and provides it with the needed competitive advantage.

In essence, if there is any area in your business plan where you need to brag about your business, your company description provides that unique opportunity as readers look to get a high-level overview.

Components of a Business Description

Your business description needs to contain these categories of information.

• Business location
• The legal structure of your business
• Summary of your business’s short and long-term goals

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section should be solely based on analytical research as it details trends particular to the market you want to penetrate.

Graphs, spreadsheets, and histograms are handy data and statistical tools you need to utilize in your market analysis. They make it easy to understand the relationship between your current ideas and the future goals you have for the business.

All details about the target customers you plan to sell products or services should be in the market analysis section. It helps readers with a helpful overview of the market.

In your market analysis, you provide the needed data and statistics about industry and market share, the identified strengths in your company description, and compare them against other businesses in the same industry.

The market analysis section aims to define your target audience and estimate how your product or service would fare with these identified audiences.

Market analysis helps visualize a target market by researching and identifying the primary target audience of your company and detailing steps and plans based on your audience location.

Obtaining this information through market research is essential as it helps shape how your business achieves its short-term and long-term goals.

Market Analysis Factors

Here are some of the factors to be included in your market analysis.

• The geographical location of your target market
• Needs of your target market and how your products and services can meet those needs
• Demographics of your target audience

Components of the Market Analysis Section

Here is some of the information to be included in your market analysis.

• Industry description and statistics
• Demographics and profile of target customers
• Marketing data for your products and services
• Detailed evaluation of your competitors

4. Marketing Plan

A marketing plan defines how your business aims to reach its target customers, generate sales leads, and, ultimately, make sales.

Promotion is at the center of any successful marketing plan. It is a series of steps to pitch a product or service to a larger audience to generate engagement. Note that the marketing strategy for a business should not be stagnant and must evolve depending on its outcome.

Include the budgetary requirement for successfully implementing your marketing plan in this section to make it easy for readers to measure your marketing plan's impact in terms of numbers.

The information to include in your marketing plan includes marketing and promotion strategies, pricing plans and strategies , and sales proposals. You need to include how you intend to get customers to return and make repeat purchases in your business plan.

5. Sales Strategy

Sales strategy defines how you intend to get your product or service to your target customers and works hand in hand with your business marketing strategy.

Your sales strategy approach should not be complex. Break it down into simple and understandable steps to promote your product or service to target customers.

Apart from the steps to promote your product or service, define the budget you need to implement your sales strategies and the number of sales reps needed to help the business assist in direct sales.

Your sales strategy should be specific on what you need and how you intend to deliver on your sales targets, where numbers are reflected to make it easier for readers to understand and relate better.

6. Competitive Analysis

Providing transparent and honest information, even with direct and indirect competitors, defines a good business plan. Provide the reader with a clear picture of your rank against major competitors.

Identifying your competitors' weaknesses and strengths is useful in drawing up a market analysis. It is one information investors look out for when assessing business plans.

The competitive analysis section clearly defines the notable differences between your company and your competitors as measured against their strengths and weaknesses.

This section should define the following:

• Your competitors' identified advantages in the market
• How do you plan to set up your company to challenge your competitors’ advantage and gain grounds from them?
• The standout qualities that distinguish you from other companies
• Potential bottlenecks you have identified that have plagued competitors in the same industry and how you intend to overcome these bottlenecks

In your business plan, you need to prove your industry knowledge to anyone who reads your business plan. The competitive analysis section is designed for that purpose.

7. Management and Organization

Management and organization are key components of a business plan. They define its structure and how it is positioned to run.

Whether you intend to run a sole proprietorship, general or limited partnership, or corporation, the legal structure of your business needs to be clearly defined in your business plan.

Use an organizational chart that illustrates the hierarchy of operations of your company and spells out separate departments and their roles and functions in this business plan section.

The management and organization section includes profiles of advisors, board of directors, and executive team members and their roles and responsibilities in guaranteeing the company's success.

Apparent factors that influence your company's corporate culture, such as human resources requirements and legal structure, should be well defined in the management and organization section.

Defining the business's chain of command if you are not a sole proprietor is necessary. It leaves room for little or no confusion about who is in charge or responsible during business operations.

This section provides relevant information on how the management team intends to help employees maximize their strengths and address their identified weaknesses to help all quarters improve for the business's success.

8. Products and Services

This business plan section describes what a company has to offer regarding products and services to the maximum benefit and satisfaction of its target market.

Boldly spell out pending patents or copyright products and intellectual property in this section alongside costs, expected sales revenue, research and development, and competitors' advantage as an overview.

At this stage of your business plan, the reader needs to know what your business plans to produce and sell and the benefits these products offer in meeting customers' needs.

The supply network of your business product, production costs, and how you intend to sell the products are crucial components of the products and services section.

Investors are always keen on this information to help them reach a balanced assessment of if investing in your business is risky or offer benefits to them.

You need to create a link in this section on how your products or services are designed to meet the market's needs and how you intend to keep those customers and carve out a market share for your company.

Repeat purchases are the backing that a successful business relies on and measure how much customers are into what your company is offering.

This section is more like an expansion of the executive summary section. You need to analyze each product or service under the business.

9. Operating Plan

An operations plan describes how you plan to carry out your business operations and processes.

The operating plan for your business should include:

• Information about how your company plans to carry out its operations.
• The base location from which your company intends to operate.
• The number of employees to be utilized and other information about your company's operations.
• Key business processes.

This section should highlight how your organization is set up to run. You can also introduce your company's management team in this section, alongside their skills, roles, and responsibilities in the company.

The best way to introduce the company team is by drawing up an organizational chart that effectively maps out an organization's rank and chain of command.

What should be spelled out to readers when they come across this business plan section is how the business plans to operate day-in and day-out successfully.

10. Financial Projections and Assumptions

Bringing your great business ideas into reality is why business plans are important. They help create a sustainable and viable business.

The financial section of your business plan offers significant value. A business uses a financial plan to solve all its financial concerns, which usually involves startup costs, labor expenses, financial projections, and funding and investor pitches.

All key assumptions about the business finances need to be listed alongside the business financial projection, and changes to be made on the assumptions side until it balances with the projection for the business.

The financial plan should also include how the business plans to generate income and the capital expenditure budgets that tend to eat into the budget to arrive at an accurate cash flow projection for the business.

Base your financial goals and expectations on extensive market research backed with relevant financial statements for the relevant period.

Examples of financial statements you can include in the financial projections and assumptions section of your business plan include:

• Projected income statements
• Cash flow statements
• Balance sheets
• Income statements

Revealing the financial goals and potentials of the business is what the financial projection and assumption section of your business plan is all about. It needs to be purely based on facts that can be measurable and attainable.

11. Request For Funding

The request for funding section focuses on the amount of money needed to set up your business and underlying plans for raising the money required. This section includes plans for utilizing the funds for your business's operational and manufacturing processes.

When seeking funding, a reasonable timeline is required alongside it. If the need arises for additional funding to complete other business-related projects, you are not left scampering and desperate for funds.

If you do not have the funds to start up your business, then you should devote a whole section of your business plan to explaining the amount of money you need and how you plan to utilize every penny of the funds. You need to explain it in detail for a future funding request.

When an investor picks up your business plan to analyze it, with all your plans for the funds well spelled out, they are motivated to invest as they have gotten a backing guarantee from your funding request section.

Include timelines and plans for how you intend to repay the loans received in your funding request section. This addition keeps investors assured that they could recoup their investment in the business.

12. Exhibits and Appendices

Exhibits and appendices comprise the final section of your business plan and contain all supporting documents for other sections of the business plan.

Some of the documents that comprise the exhibits and appendices section includes:

• Legal documents
• Licenses and permits
• Credit histories
• Customer lists

The choice of what additional document to include in your business plan to support your statements depends mainly on the intended audience of your business plan. Hence, it is better to play it safe and not leave anything out when drawing up the appendix and exhibit section.

Supporting documentation is particularly helpful when you need funding or support for your business. This section provides investors with a clearer understanding of the research that backs the claims made in your business plan.

There are key points to include in the appendix and exhibits section of your business plan.

• The management team and other stakeholders resume
• Marketing research
• Permits and relevant legal documents
• Financial documents

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8 Components of a Business Plan

Back to Business Plans

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on February 19, 2023 Updated on February 27, 2024

A key part of the business startup process is putting together a business plan , particularly if you’d like to raise capital. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s absolutely essential, and an invaluable learning tool. 

Creating a business plan early helps you think through every aspect of your business, from operations and financing to growth and vision. In the end, the knowledge you’ll gain could be the difference between success and failure. 

But what exactly does a business plan consist of? There are eight essential components, all of which are detailed in this handy guide.

1. Executive Summary 

The executive summary opens your business plan , but it’s the section you’ll write last. It summarizes the key points and highlights the most important aspects of your plan. Often investors and lenders will only read the executive summary; if it doesn’t capture their interest they’ll stop reading, so it’s important to make it as compelling as possible.

The components touched upon should include:

• The business opportunity – what problem are you solving in the market?
• Your idea, meaning the product or service you’re planning to offer, and why it solves the problem in the market better than other solutions.
• The history of the business so far – what have you done to this point? When you’re just getting started, this may be nothing more than coming up with the idea, choosing a business name , and forming a business entity.
• A summary of the industry, market size, your target customers, and the competition.
• A strong statement about how your company is going to stand out in the market – what will be your competitive advantage?
• A list of specific goals that you plan to achieve in the short term, such as developing your product, launching a marketing campaign, or hiring a key person. 
• A summary of your financial plan including cost and sales projections and a break-even analysis.
• A summary of your management team, their roles, and the relevant experience that they have to serve in those roles.
• Your “ask”, if applicable, meaning what you’re requesting from the investor or lender. You’ll include the amount you’d like and how it will be spent, such as “We are seeking $50,000 in seed funding to develop our beta product”. 

Remember that if you’re seeking capital, the executive summary could make or break your venture. Take your time and make sure it illustrates how your business is unique in the market and why you’ll succeed.

The executive summary should be no more than two pages long, so it’s important to capture the reader’s interest from the start. 

• 2. Company Description/Overview

In this section, you’ll detail your full company history, such as how you came up with the idea for your business and any milestones or achievements. 

You’ll also include your mission and vision statements. A mission statement explains what you’d like your business to achieve, its driving force, while a vision statement lays out your long-term plan in terms of growth. 

A mission statement might be “Our company aims to make life easier for business owners with intuitive payroll software”, while a vision statement could be “Our objective is to become the go-to comprehensive HR software provider for companies around the globe.”

In this section, you’ll want to list your objectives – specific short-term goals. Examples might include “complete initial product development by ‘date’” or “hire two qualified sales people” or “launch the first version of the product”. 

It’s best to divide this section into subsections – company history, mission and vision, and objectives.

3. Products/Services Offered 

Here you’ll go into detail about what you’re offering, how it solves a problem in the market, and how it’s unique. Don’t be afraid to share information that is proprietary – investors and lenders are not out to steal your ideas. 

Also specify how your product is developed or sourced. Are you manufacturing it or does it require technical development? Are you purchasing a product from a manufacturer or wholesaler? 

You’ll also want to specify how you’ll sell your product or service. Will it be a subscription service or a one time purchase?  What is your target pricing? On what channels do you plan to sell your product or service, such as online or by direct sales in a store? 

Basically, you’re describing what you’re going to sell and how you’ll make money.

• 4. Market Analysis 

The market analysis is where you’re going to spend most of your time because it involves a lot of research. You should divide it into four sections.

Industry analysis 

You’ll want to find out exactly what’s happening in your industry, such as its growth rate, market size, and any specific trends that are occurring. Where is the industry predicted to be in 10 years? Cite your sources where you can by providing links. 

Then describe your company’s place in the market. Is your product going to fit a certain niche? Is there a sub-industry your company will fit within? How will you keep up with industry changes? 

Competitor analysis 

Now you’ll dig into your competition. Detail your main competitors and how they differentiate themselves in the market. For example, one competitor may advertise convenience while another may tout superior quality. Also highlight your competitors’ weaknesses.

Next, describe how you’ll stand out. Detail your competitive advantages and how you’ll sustain them. This section is extremely important and will be a focus for investors and lenders. 

Target market analysis 

Here you’ll describe your target market and whether it’s different from your competitors’.  For example, maybe you have a younger demographic in mind? 

You’ll need to know more about your target market than demographics, though. You’ll want to explain the needs and wants of your ideal customers, how your offering solves their problem, and why they will choose your company. 

You should also lay out where you’ll find them, where to place your marketing and where to sell your products. Learning this kind of detail requires going to the source – your potential customers. You can do online surveys or even in-person focus groups. 

Your goal will be to uncover as much about these people as possible. When you start selling, you’ll want to keep learning about your customers. You may end up selling to a different target market than you originally thought, which could lead to a marketing shift. 

SWOT analysis 

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and it’s one of the more common and helpful business planning tools.   

First describe all the specific strengths of your company, such as the quality of your product or some unique feature, such as the experience of your management team. Talk about the elements that will make your company successful.

Next, acknowledge and explore possible weaknesses. You can’t say “none”, because no company is perfect, especially at the start. Maybe you lack funds or face a massive competitor. Whatever it is, detail how you will surmount this hurdle. 

Next, talk about the opportunities your company has in the market. Perhaps you’re going to target an underserved segment, or have a technology plan that will help you surge past the competition. 

Finally, examine potential threats. It could be a competitor that might try to replicate your product or rapidly advancing technology in your industry. Again, discuss your plans to handle such threats if they come to pass. 

5. Marketing and Sales Strategies

Now it’s time to explain how you’re going to find potential customers and convert them into paying customers.  

Marketing and advertising plan

When you did your target market analysis, you should have learned a lot about your potential customers, including where to find them. This should help you determine where to advertise. 

Maybe you found that your target customers favor TikTok over Instagram and decided to spend more marketing dollars on TikTok. Detail all the marketing channels you plan to use and why.

Your target market analysis should also have given you information about what kind of message will resonate with your target customers. You should understand their needs and wants and how your product solves their problem, then convey that in your marketing. 

Start by creating a value proposition, which should be no more than two sentences long and answer the following questions:

• What are you offering
• Whose problem does it solve
• What problem does it solve
• What benefits does it provide
• How is it better than competitor products

An example might be “Payroll software that will handle all the payroll needs of small business owners, making life easier for less.”

Whatever your value proposition, it should be at the heart of all of your marketing.

Sales strategy and tactics 

Your sales strategy is a vision to persuade customers to buy, including where you’ll sell and how. For example, you may plan to sell only on your own website, or you may sell from both a physical location and online. On the other hand, you may have a sales team that will make direct sales calls to potential customers, which is more common in business-to-business sales.

Sales tactics are more about how you’re going to get them to buy after they reach your sales channel. Even when selling online, you need something on your site that’s going to get them to go from a site visitor to a paying customer. 

By the same token, if you’re going to have a sales team making direct sales, what message are they going to deliver that will entice a sale? It’s best for sales tactics to focus on the customer’s pain point and what value you’re bringing to the table, rather than being aggressively promotional about the greatness of your product and your business. 

Pricing strategy

Pricing is not an exact science and should depend on several factors. First, consider how you want your product or service to be perceived in the market. If your differentiator is to be the lowest price, position your company as the “discount” option. Think Walmart, and price your products lower than the competition. 

If, on the other hand, you want to be the Mercedes of the market, then you’ll position your product as the luxury option. Of course you’ll have to back this up with superior quality, but being the luxury option allows you to command higher prices.

You can, of course, fall somewhere in the middle, but the point is that pricing is a matter of perception. How you position your product in the market compared to the competition is a big factor in determining your price.

Of course, you’ll have to consider your costs, as well as competitor prices. Obviously, your prices must cover your costs and allow you to make a good profit margin. 

Whatever pricing strategy you choose, you’ll justify it in this section of your plan.

• 6. Operations and Management 

This section is the real nuts and bolts of your business – how it operates on a day-to-day basis and who is operating it. Again, this section should be divided into subsections.

Operational plan

Your plan of operations should be specific , detailed and mainly logistical. Who will be doing what on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis? How will the business be managed and how will quality be assured? Be sure to detail your suppliers and how and when you’ll order raw materials. 

This should also include the roles that will be filled and the various processes that will be part of everyday business operations . Just consider all the critical functions that must be handled for your business to be able to operate on an ongoing basis. 

Technology plan

If your product involves technical development, you’ll describe your tech development plan with specific goals and milestones. The plan will also include how many people will be working on this development, and what needs to be done for goals to be met.

If your company is not a technology company, you’ll describe what technologies you plan to use to run your business or make your business more efficient. It could be process automation software, payroll software, or just laptops and tablets for your staff. 

Management and organizational structure 

Now you’ll describe who’s running the show. It may be just you when you’re starting out, so you’ll detail what your role will be and summarize your background. You’ll also go into detail about any managers that you plan to hire and when that will occur.

Essentially, you’re explaining your management structure and detailing why your strategy will enable smooth and efficient operations. 

Ideally, at some point, you’ll have an organizational structure that is a hierarchy of your staff. Describe what you envision your organizational structure to be. 

Personnel plan 

Detail who you’ve hired or plan to hire and for which roles. For example, you might have a developer, two sales people, and one customer service representative.

Describe each role and what qualifications are needed to perform those roles. 

• 7. Financial Plan 

Now, you’ll enter the dreaded world of finance. Many entrepreneurs struggle with this part, so you might want to engage a financial professional to help you. A financial plan has five key elements.

Startup Costs

Detail in a spreadsheet every cost you’ll incur before you open your doors. This should determine how much capital you’ll need to launch your business. 

Financial projections 

Creating financial projections, like many facets of business, is not an exact science. If your company has no history, financial projections can only be an educated guess. 

First, come up with realistic sales projections. How much do you expect to sell each month? Lay out at least three years of sales projections, detailing monthly sales growth for the first year, then annually thereafter. 

Calculate your monthly costs, keeping in mind that some costs will grow along with sales. 

Once you have your numbers projected and calculated, use them to create these three key financial statements: 

• Profit and Loss Statement , also known as an income statement. This shows projected revenue and lists all costs, which are then deducted to show net profit or loss. 
• Cash Flow Statement. This shows how much cash you have on hand at any given time. It will have a starting balance, projections of cash coming in, and cash going out, which will be used to calculate cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
• Balance Sheet. This shows the net worth of the business, which is the assets of the business minus debts. Assets include equipment, cash, accounts receivables, inventory, and more. Debts include outstanding loan balances and accounts payable.

You’ll need monthly projected versions of each statement for the first year, then annual projections for the following two years.

Break-even analysis

The break-even point for your business is when costs and revenue are equal. Most startups operate at a loss for a period of time before they break even and start to make a profit. Your break-even analysis will project when your break-even point will occur, and will be informed by your profit and loss statement. 

Funding requirements and sources 

Lay out the funding you’ll need, when, and where you’ll get it. You’ll also explain what those funds will be used for at various points. If you’re in a high growth industry that can attract investors, you’ll likely need various rounds of funding to launch and grow. 

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

KPIs measure your company’s performance and can determine success. Many entrepreneurs only focus on the bottom line, but measuring specific KPIs helps find areas of improvement. Every business has certain crucial metrics. 

If you sell only online, one of your key metrics might be your visitor conversion rate. You might do an analysis to learn why just one out of ten site visitors makes a purchase. 

Perhaps the purchase process is too complicated or your product descriptions are vague. The point is, learning why your conversion rate is low gives you a chance to improve it and boost sales. 

8. Appendices

In the appendices, you can attach documents such as manager resumes or any other documents that support your business plan.

As you can see, a business plan has many components, so it’s not an afternoon project. It will likely take you several weeks and a great deal of work to complete. Unless you’re a finance guru, you may also want some help from a financial professional. 

Keep in mind that for a small business owner, there may be no better learning experience than writing a detailed and compelling business plan. It shouldn’t be viewed as a hassle, but as an opportunity! 

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What to Include in Your Business Plan Appendix?

Published on September 13, 2023

Launching a business involves countless tasks, and one of the crucial early hurdles is writing a business plan. Many entrepreneurs who aren’tlooki ...

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

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated May 7, 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

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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
• Templates and examples

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What Is a Business Plan?

Understanding business plans, how to write a business plan, common elements of a business plan, the bottom line, business plan: what it is, what's included, and how to write one.

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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A business plan is a document that outlines a company's goals and the strategies to achieve them. It's valuable for both startups and established companies. For startups, a well-crafted business plan is crucial for attracting potential lenders and investors. Established businesses use business plans to stay on track and aligned with their growth objectives. This article will explain the key components of an effective business plan and guidance on how to write one.

Key Takeaways

• A business plan is a document detailing a company's business activities and strategies for achieving its goals.
• Startup companies use business plans to launch their venture and to attract outside investors.
• For established companies, a business plan helps keep the executive team focused on short- and long-term objectives.
• There's no single required format for a business plan, but certain key elements are essential for most companies.

Investopedia / Ryan Oakley

Any new business should have a business plan in place before beginning operations. Banks and venture capital firms often want to see a business plan before considering making a loan or providing capital to new businesses.

Even if a company doesn't need additional funding, having a business plan helps it stay focused on its goals. Research from the University of Oregon shows that businesses with a plan are significantly more likely to secure funding than those without one. Moreover, companies with a business plan grow 30% faster than those that don't plan. According to a Harvard Business Review article, entrepreneurs who write formal plans are 16% more likely to achieve viability than those who don't.

A business plan should ideally be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect achieved goals or changes in direction. An established business moving in a new direction might even create an entirely new plan.

There are numerous benefits to creating (and sticking to) a well-conceived business plan. It allows for careful consideration of ideas before significant investment, highlights potential obstacles to success, and provides a tool for seeking objective feedback from trusted outsiders. A business plan may also help ensure that a company’s executive team remains aligned on strategic action items and priorities.

While business plans vary widely, even among competitors in the same industry, they often share basic elements detailed below.

A well-crafted business plan is essential for attracting investors and guiding a company's strategic growth. It should address market needs and investor requirements and provide clear financial projections.

While there are any number of templates that you can use to write a business plan, it's best to try to avoid producing a generic-looking one. Let your plan reflect the unique personality of your business.

Many business plans use some combination of the sections below, with varying levels of detail, depending on the company.

The length of a business plan can vary greatly from business to business. Regardless, gathering the basic information into a 15- to 25-page document is best. Any additional crucial elements, such as patent applications, can be referenced in the main document and included as appendices.

Common elements in many business plans include:

• Executive summary : This section introduces the company and includes its mission statement along with relevant information about the company's leadership, employees, operations, and locations.
• Products and services : Describe the products and services the company offers or plans to introduce. Include details on pricing, product lifespan, and unique consumer benefits. Mention production and manufacturing processes, relevant patents , proprietary technology , and research and development (R&D) information.
• Market analysis : Explain the current state of the industry and the competition. Detail where the company fits in, the types of customers it plans to target, and how it plans to capture market share from competitors.
• Marketing strategy : Outline the company's plans to attract and retain customers, including anticipated advertising and marketing campaigns. Describe the distribution channels that will be used to deliver products or services to consumers.
• Financial plans and projections : Established businesses should include financial statements, balance sheets, and other relevant financial information. New businesses should provide financial targets and estimates for the first few years. This section may also include any funding requests.

Investors want to see a clear exit strategy, expected returns, and a timeline for cashing out. It's likely a good idea to provide five-year profitability forecasts and realistic financial estimates.

2 Types of Business Plans

Business plans can vary in format, often categorized into traditional and lean startup plans. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) , the traditional business plan is the more common of the two.

• Traditional business plans : These are detailed and lengthy, requiring more effort to create but offering comprehensive information that can be persuasive to potential investors.
• Lean startup business plans : These are concise, sometimes just one page, and focus on key elements. While they save time, companies should be ready to provide additional details if requested by investors or lenders.

Why Do Business Plans Fail?

A business plan isn't a surefire recipe for success. The plan may have been unrealistic in its assumptions and projections. Markets and the economy might change in ways that couldn't have been foreseen. A competitor might introduce a revolutionary new product or service. All this calls for building flexibility into your plan, so you can pivot to a new course if needed.

How Often Should a Business Plan Be Updated?

How frequently a business plan needs to be revised will depend on its nature. Updating your business plan is crucial due to changes in external factors (market trends, competition, and regulations) and internal developments (like employee growth and new products). While a well-established business might want to review its plan once a year and make changes if necessary, a new or fast-growing business in a fiercely competitive market might want to revise it more often, such as quarterly.

What Does a Lean Startup Business Plan Include?

The lean startup business plan is ideal for quickly explaining a business, especially for new companies that don't have much information yet. Key sections may include a value proposition , major activities and advantages, resources (staff, intellectual property, and capital), partnerships, customer segments, and revenue sources.

A well-crafted business plan is crucial for any company, whether it's a startup looking for investment or an established business wanting to stay on course. It outlines goals and strategies, boosting a company's chances of securing funding and achieving growth.

As your business and the market change, update your business plan regularly. This keeps it relevant and aligned with your current goals and conditions. Think of your business plan as a living document that evolves with your company, not something carved in stone.

University of Oregon Department of Economics. " Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Business Planning Using Palo Alto's Business Plan Pro ." Eason Ding & Tim Hursey.

Bplans. " Do You Need a Business Plan? Scientific Research Says Yes ."

Harvard Business Review. " Research: Writing a Business Plan Makes Your Startup More Likely to Succeed ."

Harvard Business Review. " How to Write a Winning Business Plan ."

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Write Your Business Plan ."

SCORE. " When and Why Should You Review Your Business Plan? "

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10 Essential Components of a Business Plan and How to Write Them

Business Plan Template

Ayush Jalan

• January 4, 2024

12 Min Read

A business plan is an essential document for any business, whether it’s a startup or an established enterprise. It’s the first thing any interested investor will ask for if they like your business idea and want to partner with you. 

That’s why it’s important to pay attention when writing your business plan and the components inside it. An incomplete business plan can give the impression that you’re unqualified—discouraging investors and lenders. 

A good business plan reduces ambiguity and communicates all essential details such as your financials, market analysis, competitive analysis, and a timeline for implementation of the plan. In this article, we’ll discuss the 10 important business plan components. 

10 Important Business Plan Components

A comprehensive and well-thought-out business plan acts as a roadmap that guides you in making sound decisions and taking the right actions at the right times. Here are its key components and what to include in them.

1. Executive summary

The executive summary is one of the most important parts of a business plan. It’s the first thing potential investors will read and should therefore provide a clear overview of your business and its goals.

In other words, it helps the reader get a better idea of what to expect from your company. So, when writing an executive summary of your business, don’t forget to mention your mission and vision statement.

Mission statement

A mission statement is a brief statement that outlines your objectives and what you want to achieve. It acts as a guiding principle that informs decisions and provides a clear direction for the organization to follow.

For instance, Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” It’s short, inspiring, and immediately communicates what the company does.

A mission statement should be realistic, and hint towards a goal that is achievable in a reasonable amount of time with the resources you currently have or are going to acquire in the near future.

Vision statement

While a mission statement is more actionable and has an immediate effect on the daily activities of the company, a vision statement is more aspirational and has a much broader scope.

In other words, it highlights where the company aims to go in the future and the positive change it hopes to make in the world within its lifetime.

2. Company description

The second component of your business plan is the company description. Here, you provide a brief overview of your company, its products or services, and its history. You can also add any notable achievements if they are significant enough for an investor to know.

A company overview offers a quick bird’s-eye view of things such as your business model , operational capabilities, financials, business philosophy, size of the team, code of conduct, and short-term and long-term objectives.

Products and services

The products and services part of your company description explains what your business offers to its customers, how it’s delivered, and the costs involved in acquiring new customers and executing a sale.

Company History

Company history is the timeline of events that took place in your business from its origin to the present day. It includes a brief profile of the founder(s) and their background, the date the company was founded, any notable achievements and milestones, and other similar facts and details.

If you’re a startup, you’ll probably not have much of a history to write about. In that case, you can share stories of the challenges your startup faced during its inception and how your team overcame them.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan provides an in-depth analysis of the industry, target market, and competition. It should underline the risks and opportunities associated with your industry, and also comment on the attributes of your target customer.

Demographics and segmentation

Understanding the demographics of your customers plays a big role in how well you’re able to identify their traits and serve them.

By dividing your target audience into smaller and more manageable groups, you can tailor your services and products to better meet their needs.

You can use demographics such as age, gender, income, location, ethnicity, and education level to better understand the preferences and behaviors of each segment, and use that data to create more effective marketing strategies.     

Target market and size

Understanding your target market lies at the core of all your marketing endeavors. After all, if you don’t have a clear idea of who you’re serving, you won’t be able to serve well no matter how big your budget is.

For instance, Starbucks’ primary target market includes working professionals and office workers. The company has positioned itself such that many of its customers start their day with its coffee.

Estimating the market size helps you know how much scope there is to scale your business in the future. In other words, you’re trying to determine how much potential revenue exists in this market and if it’s worth the investment.

Market need

The next step is to figure out the market need, i.e., the prevalent pain points that people in that market experience. The easiest way to find these pain points is to read the negative reviews people leave on Amazon for products that are similar to yours.

The better your product solves those pain points, the better your chances of capturing that market. In addition, since your product is solving a problem that your rivals can’t, you can also charge a premium price.

To better identify the needs of your target customers, it helps to take into account things such as local cultural values, industry trends, buying habits, tastes and preferences, price elasticity, and more.

4. Product Summary

The product summary section of your business plan goes into detail about the features and benefits that your products and services offer, and how they differ from your competitors. It also outlines the manufacturing process, pricing, cost of production, inventory, packaging, and capital requirements.

5. Competitive analysis

Unless you’ve discovered an untapped market, you’re probably going to face serious competition and it’s only going to increase as you scale your business later down the line.

This is where the competitive analysis section helps; it gives an overview of the competitive landscape, introduces your immediate rivals, and highlights the current dominant companies and their market share.

In such an environment, it helps to have certain competitive advantages against your rivals so you can stand out in the market. Simply put, a competitive advantage is the additional value you can provide to your customers that your rivals can’t—perhaps via unique product features, excellent customer service, or more.

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6. Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan is one of the most important business plan components. It explains how you plan to penetrate the market, position your brand in the minds of the buyers, build brand loyalty, increase sales, and remain competitive in an ever-changing business environment.

Unique selling proposition

A unique selling proposition (USP) conveys how your products and services differ from those of your competitors, and the added value those differences provide.

A strong USP will stand out in a competitive market and make potential customers more likely to switch to your brand—essentially capturing the market share of your rivals.

Marketing Plan

Your product might be unique, but if people don’t even know that it exists, it won’t sell. That’s where marketing comes in.

A marketing plan outlines strategies for reaching your target market and achieving sales goals. It also outlines the budget required for advertising and promotion.

You may also include data on the target market, target demographics, objectives, strategies, a timeline, budget, and the metrics considered for evaluating success.

Sales and distribution plan

Once people are made aware of your product, the next step is to ensure it reaches them. This means having a competent sales and distribution plan and a strong supply chain.

Lay out strategies for reaching potential customers, such as online marketing, lead generation, retail distribution channels, or direct sales.

Your goal here is to minimize sales costs and address the risks involved with the distribution of your product. If you’re selling ice cream, for example, you would have to account for the costs of refrigeration and cold storage.

Pricing strategy

Pricing is a very sensitive yet important part of any business. When creating a pricing strategy , you need to consider factors such as market demand, cost of production, competitor prices, disposable income of target customers, and profitability goals.

Some businesses have a small profit margin but sell large volumes of their product, while others sell fewer units but with a massive markup. You will have to decide for yourself which approach you want to follow.

Before setting your marketing plans into action, you need a budget for them. This means writing down how much money you’ll need, how it will be used, and the potential return you are estimating on this investment.

A budget should be flexible, meaning that it should be open to changes as the market shifts and customer behavior evolves. The goal here is to make sure that the company is making the best use of its resources by minimizing the wastage of funds.

7. Operations plan

The operations plan section of your business plan provides an overview of how the business is run and its day-to-day operations. This section is especially important for manufacturing businesses.

It includes a description of your business structure, the roles and responsibilities of each team member, the resources needed, and the procedures you will use to ensure the smooth functioning of your business. The goal here is to maximize output whilst minimizing the wastage of raw material or human labor.

8. Management team

At the core of any successful business lies a dedicated, qualified, and experienced management team overlooking key business activities. 

This section provides an overview of the key members of your management team including their credentials, professional background, role and responsibilities, experience, and qualifications.

A lot of investors give special attention to this section as it helps them ascertain the competence and work ethic of the members involved.

Organizational structure

An organizational structure defines the roles, responsibilities, decision-making processes, and authority of each individual or department in an organization.

Having a clear organizational structure improves communication, increases efficiency, promotes collaboration, and makes it easier to delegate tasks. Startups usually have a flatter organizational hierarchy whereas established businesses have a more traditional structure of power and authority.

9. Financial Plan

Financials are usually the least fun thing to talk about, but they are important nonetheless as they provide an overview of your current financial position, capital requirements, projections, and plans for repayment of any loans. 

Your financial plan should also include an analysis of your startup costs, operating costs, administration costs, and sources of revenue.

Funding requirements

Once an investor has read through your business plan, it’s time to request funding. Investors will want to see an accurate and detailed breakdown of the funds required and an explanation of why the requested funds are necessary for the operation and expansion of your business.

10. Appendix

The appendix is the last section of your business plan and it includes additional supporting documents such as resumes of key team members, market research documents, financial statements, and legal documents. 

In other words, anything important or relevant that couldn’t fit in any of the former sections of your business plan goes in the appendix.

Write a Business Plan Worth Reading

Starting a business is never easy, but it’s a little less overwhelming if you have a well-made business plan. It helps you better navigate the industry, reduce risk, stay competitive, and make the best use of your time and money.

Remember, since every business is unique, every business plan is unique too, and must be regularly updated to keep up with changing industry trends. Also, it’s very likely that interested investors will give you feedback, so make sure to implement their recommendations as well.

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About the Author

Ayush is a writer with an academic background in business and marketing. Being a tech-enthusiast, he likes to keep a sharp eye on the latest tech gadgets and innovations. When he's not working, you can find him writing poetry, gaming, playing the ukulele, catching up with friends, and indulging in creative philosophies.

Reach Your Goals with Accurate Planning

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How To Write a Business Plan

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Starting a business is a wild ride, and a solid business plan can be the key to keeping you on track. A business plan is essentially a roadmap for your business — outlining your goals, strategies, market analysis and financial projections. Not only will it guide your decision-making, a business plan can help you secure funding with a loan or from investors .

Writing a business plan can seem like a huge task, but taking it one step at a time can break the plan down into manageable milestones. Here is our step-by-step guide on how to write a business plan.

Table of contents

• Write your executive summary
• Do your market research homework
• Set your business goals and objectives
• Plan your business strategy
• Describe your product or service
• Crunch the numbers
• Finalize your business plan

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Step 1: Write your executive summary

Though this will be the first page of your business plan , we recommend you actually write the executive summary last. That’s because an executive summary highlights what’s to come in the business plan but in a more condensed fashion.

An executive summary gives stakeholders who are reading your business plan the key points quickly without having to comb through pages and pages. Be sure to cover each successive point in a concise manner, and include as much data as necessary to support your claims.

You’ll cover other things too, but answer these basic questions in your executive summary:

• Idea: What’s your business concept? What problem does your business solve? What are your business goals?
• Product: What’s your product/service and how is it different?
• Market: Who’s your audience? How will you reach customers?
• Finance: How much will your idea cost? And if you’re seeking funding, how much money do you need? How much do you expect to earn? If you’ve already started, where is your revenue at now?

Step 2: Do your market research homework

The next step in writing a business plan is to conduct market research . This involves gathering information about your target market (or customer persona), your competition, and the industry as a whole. You can use a variety of research methods such as surveys, focus groups, and online research to gather this information. Your method may be formal or more casual, just make sure that you’re getting good data back.

This research will help you to understand the needs of your target market and the potential demand for your product or service—essential aspects of starting and growing a successful business.

Step 3: Set your business goals and objectives

Once you’ve completed your market research, you can begin to define your business goals and objectives. What is the problem you want to solve? What’s your vision for the future? Where do you want to be in a year from now?

Use this step to decide what you want to achieve with your business, both in the short and long term. Try to set SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound benchmarks—that will help you to stay focused and motivated as you build your business.

Step 4: Plan your business strategy

Your business strategy is how you plan to reach your goals and objectives. This includes details on positioning your product or service, marketing and sales strategies, operational plans, and the organizational structure of your small business.

Make sure to include key roles and responsibilities for each team member if you’re in a business entity with multiple people.

Step 5: Describe your product or service

In this section, get into the nitty-gritty of your product or service. Go into depth regarding the features, benefits, target market, and any patents or proprietary tech you have. Make sure to paint a clear picture of what sets your product apart from the competition—and don’t forget to highlight any customer benefits.

Step 6: Crunch the numbers

Financial analysis is an essential part of your business plan. If you’re already in business that includes your profit and loss statement , cash flow statement and balance sheet .

These financial projections will give investors and lenders an understanding of the financial health of your business and the potential return on investment.

You may want to work with a financial professional to ensure your financial projections are realistic and accurate.

Step 7: Finalize your business plan

Once you’ve completed everything, it's time to finalize your business plan. This involves reviewing and editing your plan to ensure that it is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

You should also have someone else review your plan to get a fresh perspective and identify any areas that may need improvement. You could even work with a free SCORE mentor on your business plan or use a SCORE business plan template for more detailed guidance.

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The takeaway

Writing a business plan is an essential process for any forward-thinking entrepreneur or business owner. A business plan requires a lot of up-front research, planning, and attention to detail, but it’s worthwhile. Creating a comprehensive business plan can help you achieve your business goals and secure the funding you need.

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Business Plan Example and Template

Learn how to create a business plan

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a document that contains the operational and financial plan of a business, and details how its objectives will be achieved. It serves as a road map for the business and can be used when pitching investors or financial institutions for debt or equity financing .

A business plan should follow a standard format and contain all the important business plan elements. Typically, it should present whatever information an investor or financial institution expects to see before providing financing to a business.

Contents of a Business Plan

A business plan should be structured in a way that it contains all the important information that investors are looking for. Here are the main sections of a business plan:

1. Title Page

The title page captures the legal information of the business, which includes the registered business name, physical address, phone number, email address, date, and the company logo.

2. Executive Summary

The executive summary is the most important section because it is the first section that investors and bankers see when they open the business plan. It provides a summary of the entire business plan. It should be written last to ensure that you don’t leave any details out. It must be short and to the point, and it should capture the reader’s attention. The executive summary should not exceed two pages.

3. Industry Overview

The industry overview section provides information about the specific industry that the business operates in. Some of the information provided in this section includes major competitors, industry trends, and estimated revenues. It also shows the company’s position in the industry and how it will compete in the market against other major players.

4. Market Analysis and Competition

The market analysis section details the target market for the company’s product offerings. This section confirms that the company understands the market and that it has already analyzed the existing market to determine that there is adequate demand to support its proposed business model.

Market analysis includes information about the target market’s demographics , geographical location, consumer behavior, and market needs. The company can present numbers and sources to give an overview of the target market size.

A business can choose to consolidate the market analysis and competition analysis into one section or present them as two separate sections.

5. Sales and Marketing Plan

The sales and marketing plan details how the company plans to sell its products to the target market. It attempts to present the business’s unique selling proposition and the channels it will use to sell its goods and services. It details the company’s advertising and promotion activities, pricing strategy, sales and distribution methods, and after-sales support.

6. Management Plan

The management plan provides an outline of the company’s legal structure, its management team, and internal and external human resource requirements. It should list the number of employees that will be needed and the remuneration to be paid to each of the employees.

Any external professionals, such as lawyers, valuers, architects, and consultants, that the company will need should also be included. If the company intends to use the business plan to source funding from investors, it should list the members of the executive team, as well as the members of the advisory board.

7. Operating Plan

The operating plan provides an overview of the company’s physical requirements, such as office space, machinery, labor, supplies, and inventory . For a business that requires custom warehouses and specialized equipment, the operating plan will be more detailed, as compared to, say, a home-based consulting business. If the business plan is for a manufacturing company, it will include information on raw material requirements and the supply chain.

8. Financial Plan

The financial plan is an important section that will often determine whether the business will obtain required financing from financial institutions, investors, or venture capitalists. It should demonstrate that the proposed business is viable and will return enough revenues to be able to meet its financial obligations. Some of the information contained in the financial plan includes a projected income statement , balance sheet, and cash flow.

9. Appendices and Exhibits

The appendices and exhibits part is the last section of a business plan. It includes any additional information that banks and investors may be interested in or that adds credibility to the business. Some of the information that may be included in the appendices section includes office/building plans, detailed market research , products/services offering information, marketing brochures, and credit histories of the promoters.

Business Plan Template

Here is a basic template that any business can use when developing its business plan:

Section 1: Executive Summary

• Present the company’s mission.
• Describe the company’s product and/or service offerings.
• Give a summary of the target market and its demographics.
• Summarize the industry competition and how the company will capture a share of the available market.
• Give a summary of the operational plan, such as inventory, office and labor, and equipment requirements.

Section 2: Industry Overview

• Describe the company’s position in the industry.
• Describe the existing competition and the major players in the industry.
• Provide information about the industry that the business will operate in, estimated revenues, industry trends, government influences, as well as the demographics of the target market.

Section 3: Market Analysis and Competition

• Define your target market, their needs, and their geographical location.
• Describe the size of the market, the units of the company’s products that potential customers may buy, and the market changes that may occur due to overall economic changes.
• Give an overview of the estimated sales volume vis-à-vis what competitors sell.
• Give a plan on how the company plans to combat the existing competition to gain and retain market share.

Section 4: Sales and Marketing Plan

• Describe the products that the company will offer for sale and its unique selling proposition.
• List the different advertising platforms that the business will use to get its message to customers.
• Describe how the business plans to price its products in a way that allows it to make a profit.
• Give details on how the company’s products will be distributed to the target market and the shipping method.

Section 5: Management Plan

• Describe the organizational structure of the company.
• List the owners of the company and their ownership percentages.
• List the key executives, their roles, and remuneration.
• List any internal and external professionals that the company plans to hire, and how they will be compensated.
• Include a list of the members of the advisory board, if available.

Section 6: Operating Plan

• Describe the location of the business, including office and warehouse requirements.
• Describe the labor requirement of the company. Outline the number of staff that the company needs, their roles, skills training needed, and employee tenures (full-time or part-time).
• Describe the manufacturing process, and the time it will take to produce one unit of a product.
• Describe the equipment and machinery requirements, and if the company will lease or purchase equipment and machinery, and the related costs that the company estimates it will incur.
• Provide a list of raw material requirements, how they will be sourced, and the main suppliers that will supply the required inputs.

Section 7: Financial Plan

• Describe the financial projections of the company, by including the projected income statement, projected cash flow statement, and the balance sheet projection.

Section 8: Appendices and Exhibits

• Quotes of building and machinery leases
• Proposed office and warehouse plan
• Market research and a summary of the target market
• Credit information of the owners
• List of product and/or services

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• Business Plans

Components of a Business Plan: An In-Depth Guide

So, you decided to set up a business and now, it’s time to write your business plan. But where to start? What do you need? To answer these qestions in your mind, you need to know the parts, components of a business plan. Knowing the components of a business plan will give you guidance and keep you on track during writing your business plan. So, let’s have a look at the parts (in other words, components) of a business plan and define each part in detail. Click here to Access free resources for your business plan.

Click here to Access free resources for your business plan.

Part -1: Executive Summary

The executive summary is the opening section of your business plan. It is a summary and overview your entire business plan, expressing the vision and promise of your business, its goals, and its strategy. An executibe summary is the last written part of a business plan. So, write it after you finish every other part of your business plan.

Key components of an executive summary can include:

Business Name:

The official name of your business.

Business Type and Ownership:

Write the legal type of your business (LLC, C-Corpetc.) Write the owners and their percantage of shares in the business. Also indicate the location of your business.

Business Description:

Describe what your business does, define the problem it solves, and summarize the market needs it addresses. It’s the “elevator pitch” for your entire business.

Founding Team:

A short summary of founders’ backgrounds and relation with the business. Keep this 1-2 sentences short, you will give details in Management & Organization section later.

Industry Information and Market Opportunity:   

Provide a short information about the insdustry you are in (is it growing, is it shrinking, what is th CAGR, etc.) and your startup’s opportunity in going into this industry.  

Business Model:

A brief description of how your business will make money.

Vision & Mission

Clearly state the vision and mission of your business. This gives readers a sense of the company’s direction and its core values.

Funding Needs:

Provide a short information about how much Money you need, in which form (equity, debt, loan, etc.) and provide information about the use of funds; why are you asking this Money?

Part-2: Company Description

Legal structure.

Explain whether your business is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC.

Business History:

If you are not just starting up, summarize your business’ history shortly, discussing significant milestones and achievements.

Location & Facilities

Describe the location of your business, if you have or will have any facialities, give details about them.

Business Objectives:

Your business will have short-term and long-term goals for sure. Here is the best part to write them. For e.g. in short term, you can aim to be a profitable venture in your area. As a long term goal, you can aim to expand your business to more attractive areas.

Problem Statement:

Stare the problem you’re solving.

Solution:   

Clearly describe how your product or service solves the problem. This is the reason your business exists.

Target Market:

Who you are aiming to sell your products or services. These are your target customers and the blood cells of your business.

Part-3: Market Analysis

Industry overview:.

Give a brief overview of your business industry do not forget to include current trends, challenges, and outlook about your industry for the upcoming years.

Define the specific customers your business aims to serve. Give information about their demographics, psychographics, and buying behaviors.

Competitors:

Identify your main competitors and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. This helps in positioning your business strategically in the market.

SWOT Analysis:

Here is a good place to make your SWOT analysis if you would like to include it into your business plan.

Part-4: Marketing and Sales Strategy

Marketing strategy.

Detail how you intend to reach your target audience. This includes advertising, PR, content marketing, social media, and more.

Sales Strategy

Discuss how you plan to convert leads into paying customers. This includes your sales funnel, pricing strategy, and sales team structure.

Part-5: Products or Services

Provide a detailed description of your product or service, highlighting features, benefits, prices, costs and what sets it apart from competitors.

If applicable, discuss the lifecycle of your product or any research and development activities.

Part-6: Management & Organization

Organizational structure.

Ilustrate the structure of your business, identifying key roles and their responsibilities.

Management Team

Introduce your management team, providing a brief background of each member and their relevance to the business.

Personnel Plan

Include an overview of the personnel list, how many employees you will employ, what are their costs, etc.

Part-7: Financial Projections

Startup costs.

For new businesses, provide a list of the initial costs required to start the business, including equipment, inventory, and licensing.

Revenue & Profit Forecasts

Provide a projection of your revenue and profit for the next three to five years, with a clear explanation of your assumptions.

Cash Flow Statement

This is a snapshot of your business’s cash inflows and outflows over a period, giving an insight into its financial health.

Part-8: Funding Request

If you’re seeking external funding, detail the amount of funding required, its purpose, and the type of funding you’re seeking (e.g., equity, loan).

Part-9: Appendix

Provide the necessary documents such as proforma financial tables, projections, assumptions, location maps, charts, graphs, images, cv’s of founders, etc.

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9 essential components of a business plan.

Maybe you’re a small business owner that has been in business for years. Or, you could be going through the process of starting a business. Regardless of where you’re at with your career, tasks and responsibilities will come at you quickly.

You need to worry about to-do lists, scheduled meetings, accounting processes and everything in between. When are you supposed to find the time to put your business plan together? It can be an intimidating process to go through, but having a well-thought-out business plan is incredibly important.

There’s no perfect recipe for a business plan, but one of the best things that you can do is write it before you start your business. It can act as a roadmap for where your business is going in the future and how you’re going to get there. So, where do you start?

Let’s take a look at everything that you need to know for writing a business plan that can get you ahead.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What Is a Business Plan?

Tips to make your business plan stand out, 9 components of a business plan, key takeaways.

Think about the last time you needed to get somewhere you hadn’t been before. You might drive, ride your bike or take the train. But no matter the way you get there, you first need to know how to get there. You might put the directions into a GPS, follow a bike path or look up the train schedules.

A business plan works in the exact same way, only it’s a roadmap for your business. It’s a comprehensive document that outlines how your small business is going to grow and develop.

Throughout a business plan, you’re going to communicate who your business is, what you plan on doing and how you plan on doing it. This can give valuable insights into your business for potential investors or hiring new talent.

That all said, a business plan is completely different from a general business concept or business idea. A business plan acts as a blueprint for your business and will highlight who you are. Most banking institutions and venture capitalists won’t invest in a small business unless they have a good business plan.

Potential investors are going to want to know that you have a product or service that fits in the market with a good team in place. Plus, it can show the scalability of your business and how you will grow sales volume.

When Do You Need a Business Plan?

First and foremost, a business plan is important to have regardless of the industry you’re in or the products you offer your customers. It will not only keep you focused and efficient, but a well-written business plan can have other benefits.

A business plan can be helpful when:

• You need new investments, funding or loans
• You are searching for a new partner for your business
• You are attracting and retaining top talent
• You are experiencing slower growth than expected and want a change

Every business plan is going to be a little different compared to others. This is since your business is unique and your business plan is going to reflect that. But, if your plan is badly written or missing key bits of information then it won’t be as attractive to potential investors.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your business plan and make it stand out.

• Make it as easy to read as possible. Investors want something that’s easily scannable and is divided into distinct sections. This way, they can quickly look through the plan and spot the key information.
• Keep it brief. Most business plans are going to range anywhere from 10 – 20 pages. But, as long as you cover the essentials and highlight the key points, less can often be more.
• Make sure you proofread and edit. Always double-check for grammatical errors and that it’s formatted properly. Typos and mistakes are not going to reflect positively for your business.
• Have a quality design. Make sure you have the proper layout, formatting and brand messaging throughout. Bookbinding your business plan can make it look more professional.
• Know all your business margins. Include each and every cost that your business incurs. You can make sure that you’re organizing and assigning those costs to the right product or service you offer.

One of the best things that you can do before writing your business plan is to determine who your audience is going to be. Are you pitching to a room full of potential investors? Do you have a meeting with your local financial institution’s venture funding department? Or, do you just want to create an internal document to help guide your business forward?

Being able to define who your audience is going to be will help you figure out how to write your business plan. For example, the language in your business plan might be different depending on who you want to highlight your business to.

Here are the 9 essential components of a business plan.

1. Executive Summary

Your executive summary is going to be at the front of your plan and be one of the first things that someone reads. But, writing the executive summary should be the last thing that you do, even though it’s first on the list. For now, you can leave your executive summary blank.

Why? Because it lays out every piece of vital information that’s included in your business plan, usually in one page or less. It’s basically a high-level summary of each of the sections in the plan. This means you can’t really write the executive summary first.

2. Company Description

This is where you’re going to highlight your business and what you do. Your company description will include three different things: a mission statement, company history and business objectives.

First, let’s look at your mission statement .

A mission statement is basically the main reason why you’re in business. It’s not necessarily about what you do or the products or services that you sell. Rather, it’s all about why your business does what it does.

Try and make your mission statement inspirational, motivational and even emotional. It’s going to be the foundation on which your business is built. Put some thought into the things that motivate you and the reasons why you started your business in the first place. What do you want to get out of it? Why are you doing it?

You can also think about the causes or different experiences which led you to start your business and the problems it can solve for your customers.

Next, let’s look at your company history .

This doesn’t need to be a long or in-depth section, but more of a highlight of what your business has done in the past and where you stand today. To help make things easier, you can even write about your company history in the form of a profile. Here’s some of the important information you can include in your company history.

• The date you founded or started your business
• Any major milestones worth highlighting
• Your business location, or locations
• How many employees you have
• Your executive leadership and the roles that they have within your company
• The flagship services or products that you offer your customers

Finally, let’s look at your business objectives .

Your business objectives are your guiding lights. They’re the goals that you plan on achieving and they will outline how you plan on getting there. When developing your business objectives, base them on the process of SMART goals.

These are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Basically, each objective gets tied to the key results you want to achieve. If you don’t clearly define your business objectives, it can make it more difficult for your employees to work efficiently towards a common goal.

3. Market Research and Business Potential

This is the section of your business plan where you outline your target demographic and ideal customer base. You’re also going to do research into the potential and actual size of the market you’re going to enter into. Target markets are going to identify specific information about your customers.

Usually, you can research and find the following information for your target customers:

• Location and average income
• Age and gender
• Education level and profession
• Any activities or hobbies that are relevant

Getting as specific as possible will allow you to illustrate your expertise and get a sense of confidence when it comes to your business. For example, if your target market is extremely broad, it will show investors that it might be more difficult to generate revenue.

4. Competitive Analysis

What is your competition doing? Competitor research is going to start by identifying any companies that are currently in the market you want to enter into. Understanding everything you can about your competition can seem overwhelming and intimidating.

But having this information is extremely useful and will help you make more informed business decisions in the future. Here are a few common questions that you can ask yourself when you’re doing competitive research.

• Where are they investing most in marketing and advertising?
• Do they get any press coverage? If they do, how are they getting it?
• What is their customer service like? Does your customer service stack up against theirs?
• What are their pricing strategies and what are their sales?
• Do they have good reviews on third-party rating platforms?

One of the best ways to do competitive research is to check out your competition’s website. Read through their About Us page or their value and mission statements. This will give you a better understanding of who they are, what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.

Being able to distinguish your business from your competition is a critical element of any business plan. Take some time to think about what sets your business apart and how you’re going to provide a solution to a problem.

5. Describe You Products or Services

What do you offer your customers? What product or service is your business built on? This section of your business plan is going to detail everything about your product or service. Plus, it’s going to highlight why what your business offers is better than the competition.

Touch on the benefits that your product or service offers, the production process and the product life cycle.

When you’re describing the benefits, try and focus on things like unique features and how they translate into benefits. You can also highlight intellectual property rights or patents that differentiate your products.

For the production process, you can explain how you create your existing or new products or services and how you source the raw materials. Other things such as quality control, quality assurance and supply chain logistics can get included.

With your product life cycle, you can highlight any cross-sells, down-sells or upsells. As well as your future plans for research and development.

6. Marketing and Sales Strategy

You could spend weeks putting together an in-depth business plan that highlights your company and what you do. But, if you don’t have a solid marketing and sales strategy in place then it won’t matter how good your business plan is. You still need to know how you’re going to generate sales.

This part of your plan is entirely dependant on the type of products or services that you offer. You can include your company’s value proposition, ideal target market and your existing customer segments. Then, you can start with some more specifics.

What’s the launch plan that you have in place to help attract new business? What are your growth tactics to help your business expand in the future? Do you have any retention strategies in place, such as customer loyalty or referral programs? What about advertising across print, social media, search engines or television?

These are all good questions to ask yourself when putting together your sales and marketing strategy. You can use this part of the business plan to highlight your business strengths and how you differentiate from the competition.

7. Business Financials

If you are just starting your business then you aren’t going to have much financial data. You won’t have things like financial statements or an income statement. But, you still need to put together some type of financial plan and budget. If you have been operating for a while, you will have some important information to include, such as:

• Profit and loss statements
• Income statements
• Cash flow statement
• Balance sheets
• Revenue vs net income
• The ratio of liquidity to debt repayment

Make sure that the data and figures that you include are accurate. For example, things like costs, profit margins and sale prices can be closely linked together. If you don’t have access to historical data, you can put together financial projections.

8. Management and Organization

The people that you have working for your business are the driving force behind your overall success. Without the right people in place, your business won’t likely be successful. This is the part of your business plan where you’re going to highlight your team.

Identify the members of your team and explain how they are going to help turn your business idea into a reality. Plus, you can highlight the qualifications and expertise of each team member. This will position your business as one that’s worth potentially investing in.

9. Include an Appendix

This is where you’re going to compile and include everything that both investors and your team will need access to. Include everything that’s useful for an investor to conduct due diligence.

Here are some of the most common official documents you can include in a well-organized appendix.

• Any legal documents, local permits or deeds
• Professional licenses or business registries
• Any patents or intellectual property
• Any industry memberships or associations
• Your business identification numbers or codes
• Any key purchase orders or customer contracts that you have in place

It can also be helpful to include a table of contents in your appendix. This can make it easier to find the right information or allow you to highlight the most important documents.

It’s worth noting that a business plan doesn’t just have to be a way to attract potential investors. There are several other reasons why having a business plan is important.

You can better clarify the goals and objections that you want your business to accomplish and you can gain insights into your target market. Team members can have a much better sense as to the direction the business is going and how they can contribute to its success and growth. Plus, you can establish and define the roles of each team member, all while setting achievable benchmarks.

Creating a business plan will act as a roadmap for your business. It’s going to highlight the goals and objectives you have. As well as touch on things like marketing, advertising, your management team and financials. Here’s a quick review of the 9 essential components of a business plan.

• Executive summary, which you will write after you have completed steps 2 – 9
• Company description, including a mission statement, company history and business objectives
• Competitive analysis
• Market research and business potential
• Your products or services
• Marketing and sales strategy
• Business financials
• Management and organization

Follow the 9 components outlined in this article to help you develop a business plan. You can clearly define your business goals and have a roadmap to help your business be successful.

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More From Forbes

Seven sections your business plan should have.

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Joseph is Director at  Wise Business Plans , a firm helping clients with professionally written business plans, branding, licensing and more.

To someone who’s never done it before, crafting a business plan can seem like a complicated, magical process that regular people are incapable of accomplishing. The finished product looks so complex and informative — who even knows what goes into something like that?

But, in reality, business plans are less like magic and more like baking. Gather the right ingredients, put them together in the proper order, and ta-da! The finished product is a road map for the company’s future success.

With a little help from a professional or the right recipe, even the newest small-business owner will be baking up business plans in no time.

So, what is that recipe for planning perfection? Like bread and pastry, every business plan has some flair of its own, from custom graphic design to unique financial information.

But some sections are universal and absolutely necessary if a business owner wants to be taken seriously by investors and banks.

1. An Executive Summary

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This concise, carefully written, first section of the plan offers an easy-to-follow introduction to the company, its purpose and its framework. This section sums up the information in your plan, so it can be helpful to go back and write it after the rest of the work is completed.

Pro Tip: In the opening statement, explain the business in one or two sentences. Once you have completed your business plan, write the Executive Summary last.

2. Company Overview

List the goods and services the company will provide, the market it will serve, short- and long-term goals for growth and a brief history of the company’s formation and past performance.

Pro Tip: Explain any momentum the company has made to date and future plans.

3. Products & Services

This section allows for a more complete explanation of the kinds of goods or services the business will be selling or providing. Make the descriptions compelling and engaging. 

Pro Tip: List a detailed description of your products or services and their competitive advantages over the competition.

4. Market Analysis

Use this as an opportunity to showcase the research and knowledge company leaders have to bring to the table with regard to the people and entities they hope to serve or sell to. Include information on the industry the company belongs to and the state of the competition locally, nationally and even internationally, if relevant. 

Pro Tip: Check out the census website  for statistics and demographics.

5. Marketing Strategy

How does the business intend to get the word out about what it has to offer? This section should list plans for all expected marketing channels, from traditional advertising to social media outreach efforts.

Pro Tip: The marketing budget and strategy should be a focal point of your plan. This will ultimately drive sales.

6. Organization & Management

This can be broken into separate sections, but both leadership and plans for employees must be addressed. This should include a basic visual “tree” showing the number of employees expected to be hired, as well as the reporting structure for those people. The management portion should contain an introduction to the company’s leaders and their expertise and career achievements. 

Pro Tip: Explain why you and your team are capable of executing the business goals and objectives.

7. Financials

Different kinds of plans will require slightly different financial information. However, every plan should show historical financial data, if available, and sensible projected expenditures and forecasted income. This section should also include an overview of the company’s current financial status.

Pro Tip: Every industry has a set of key performance indicators (KPIs). Benchmark your company against its peers in the market.

It’s a fact that a quality business plan contains complicated information about not only the business being built but also the market and industry the company plans to compete in. Looking at a business plan as a piece-by-piece process, rather than a completed whole, can make creating your own a little less daunting. Including the seven sections listed above is a great starting point for making a plan that will impress any investor or financial institution.

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The 12 Key Components of a Business Plan

There are 12 components of a business plan entrepreneurs must know as they lay out how their business will work.

Entrepreneurs who create business plans are more likely to succeed than those who don’t. 

Not only can a sound plan help your business access investment capital but—as the study found—it can even determine the success or failure of your venture. 

Here are the critical components of a business plan to help you craft your own.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a document outlining your business goals and your strategies for achieving them. It might include your company’s mission statement , details about your products or services, how you plan to bring them to market, and how much time and money you need to execute the plan. 

For a thorough explanation of how to write a business plan, refer to Shopify’s guide .

12 components of a business plan

Business plans vary depending on the product or service. Some entrepreneurs choose to use diagrams and charts, while others rely on text alone. Regardless of how you go about it, good business plans tend to include the following elements:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Marketing plan
• Competitive analysis 
• Organizational structure
• Products and services
• Operating plan
• Financial plan
• Funding sources

1. Executive summary

The executive summary briefly explains your business’s products or services and why it has the potential to be profitable. You may also include basic information about your company, such as its location and the number of employees.

2. Company description

The company description helps customers, lenders, and potential investors gain a deeper understanding of your product or service. It provides detailed descriptions of your supply chains and explains how your company plans to bring its products or services to market. 

3. Market analysis

The market analysis section outlines your plans to reach your target audience . It usually includes an estimate of the potential demand for the product or service and a summary of market research . 

The market analysis also includes information about marketing strategies, advertising ideas, or other ways of attracting customers. 

Another component of this section is a detailed breakdown of target customers. Many businesses find it helpful to analyze their target market using customer segments , often with demographic data such as age or income. This way, you can customize your marketing plans to reach different groups of customers. 

4. Marketing plan

The marketing plan section details how you plan to attract and retain customers. It covers the marketing mix: product, price, place, and promotion. It shows you understand your market and have clear, measurable goals to guide your marketing strategy.

For example, a fashion retail store might focus on online sales channels, competitive pricing strategies, high-quality products, and aggressive social media promotion.

5. Sales plan

This section focuses on the actions you’ll take to achieve sales targets and drive revenue. It’s different from a marketing plan because it’s more about the direct process of selling the product to your customer. It looks at the methods used from lead generation to closing the sale, as well as revenue targets. 

An ecommerce sales strategy might involve optimizing your online shopping experience, using targeted digital marketing to drive traffic, and employing tactics like flash sales , personalized email marketing, or loyalty programs to boost sales.

6. Competitive analysis

It’s essential that you understand your competitors and distinguish your business. There are two main types of competitors: direct and indirect competitors. 

• Direct competitors. Direct competitors offer the same or similar products and services. For example, the underwear brand Skims is a direct competitor with Spanx .
• Indirect competitors. Indirect competitors, on the other hand, offer different products and services that may satisfy the same customer needs. For example, cable television is an indirect competitor to Netflix.

A competitive analysis explains your business’s unique strengths that give it a competitive advantage over other businesses.

7. Organizational structure

The organizational structure explains your company’s legal structure and provides information about the management team. It also describes the business’s operating plan and details who is responsible for which aspects of the company.

8. Products and services

This component goes in-depth on what you’re actually selling and why it’s valuable to customers. It’ll provide a description of your products and services with all their features, benefits, and unique selling points. It may also discuss the current development stage of your products and plans for the future. 

The products and services section also looks at pricing strategy , intellectual property (IP) rights, and any key supplier information. For example, in an ecommerce business plan focusing on eco-friendly home products, this section would detail the range of products, explain how they are environmentally friendly, outline sourcing and production practices, discuss pricing, and highlight any certifications or eco-labels the products have received.

9. Operating plan

Here is where you explain the day-to-day operations of the business. Your operating plan will cover aspects from production or service delivery to human and resource management. It shows readers how you plan to deliver on your promises. 

For example, in a business plan for a startup selling artisanal crafts, this section would include details on how artisans are sourced, how products are cataloged and stored, the ecommerce platform used for sales, and the logistics for packaging and shipping orders worldwide.

10. Financial plan

The financial plan is one of the most critical parts of the business plan, especially for companies seeking outside funding.

A plan often includes capital expenditure budgets, forecasted income statements , and cash flow statements , which can help predict when your company will become profitable and how it expects to survive in the meantime. 

If your business is already profitable, your financial plan can help with convincing investors of future growth. At the end of the financial section, you may also include a value proposition , which estimates the value of your business.

11. Funding sources

Some businesses planning to expand or to seek funds from venture capitalists may include a section devoted to their long-term growth strategy, including ways to broaden product offerings and penetrate new markets.

12. Appendix

The final component of a business plan is the appendix. Here, you may include additional documents cited in other sections or requested by readers. These might be résumés, financial statements, product pictures, patent approvals, and legal records.

Components of a business plan FAQ

What are 8 common parts of a good business plan.

Some of the most common components of a business plan are an executive summary, a company description, a marketing analysis, a competitive analysis, an organization description, a summary of growth strategies, a financial plan, and an appendix.

What is a business plan format?

A business plan format is a way of structuring a business plan. Shopify offers a free business plan template for startups that you can use to format your business plan.

What are the 5 functions of a business plan?

A business plan explains your company’s products or services, how you expect to make money, the reliability of supply chains, and factors that might affect demand.

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How to Write a Business Plan Outline in 9 Steps (Example Included!)

Starting a business often begins with writing a business plan , especially if you need funding . It acts as a roadmap, guiding you through each stage of launching and managing your company, and it presents a clear, compelling case to potential investors and partners. But here's the thing: not everyone finds this step intuitive. That's where a business plan outline can be incredibly helpful.

Creating a detailed business plan outline helps you organize your thoughts and ensure you cover all the key aspects of your business strategy. Plus, it might be just what you need to overcome that blank page and start typing.

Below, you'll find an easy-to-follow guide on how to craft your business plan outline, and an example to show you what it should look like.

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What is an outline of a business plan?

Think of a business plan outline as the skeleton of your entire business plan. It gives a high-level overview of the main sections you'll need to flesh out later. It's not the final document but a crucial step in getting you there.

Simply put, it's like creating a detailed table of contents for your business plan, showing you exactly what information to include and how everything fits together. A well-structured business plan outline also helps you plan things ahead, saving time and effort.

Writing a business plan outline in 9 steps

Follow these steps to build your business plan outline and learn exactly what each section should include.

(Bear in mind that every business plan is unique, tailored to the specific needs and goals of the business. While the structure below is common, the order of sections may vary—only the executive summary will always come first.)

1. Executive summary

Imagine you have just 60 seconds to convince someone to invest in your business. That's the essence of a strong executive summary. Although it appears first on your business plan, this section is often written last because it sums up the entire plan. Think of it as your elevator pitch . This section gives a quick overview of your entire business plan, highlighting key points that grab the reader's attention.

Keep it clear and concise. Start with a brief overview of your business, including its name and what it offers. Summarize your mission statement and objectives, and don’t forget to mention crucial aspects like financial projections and competitive advantages.

2. Company description

Here's where you provide detailed information about your company. Begin with the business name and location. Describe the legal structure (e.g., sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation) and ownership. If your business already exists, share a brief history.

For new ventures, explain the business's nature and the problems you aim to solve. Go into more detail about your vision and mission statements, outlining your goals and the principles guiding your business. This section helps potential investors and stakeholders grasp your company’s identity and purpose.

3. Market research and analysis

This section shares insights into your company’s industry. Start with a landscape analysis to give an overview of the market, including its size, growth rate, and key players.

Next, define your target market and customer demographics—age, location, income, and interests—detailing who your ideal customers are. Identify market needs and trends your business will address, and highlight customer pain points your product or service aims to solve.

Consider conducting a SWOT analysis to evaluate your business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and gain a strategic view of where your business stands in the competitive landscape.

4. Organization and management

Describe how your business is structured and who runs it. Outline the organizational structure, and if helps, include a chart. Introduce the leadership team and key personnel, highlighting their qualifications and roles. If you have a board of directors, mention them and briefly explain their involvement.

Then, outline your production processes, detailing how your product or service is (or will be) created—from sourcing materials to delivery—to give a comprehensive view of your operational capabilities.

5. Products and services

This section of your business plan outline is crucial for showing potential investors what makes your products and services unique and valuable.

Clearly describe what your business offers, emphasizing your unique selling propositions (USPs) and the benefits and features that set you apart from the competition. Talk about the product life cycle, including any plans for future updates.

If your business holds any intellectual property or proprietary technologies, detail them here to underscore your competitive advantages.

6. Marketing strategy

Having a fantastic product or service is just half the battle. The marketing plan section should outline how you'll reach your target market and convert them into customers.

Begin with market positioning and branding, explaining how you want your brand perceived. Detail your marketing and promotional strategies, including specific tactics to reach your target audience.

Discuss your sales strategy, focusing on how you'll convert leads into customers. Lastly, include your pricing strategy and provide a sales forecast, projecting your expected revenue over a certain period.

7. Operations plan

Here, the goal is to give a detailed overview of the physical and logistical aspects of your company. Start with the business location and facilities, describing where it operates and any significant physical assets. Detail the technology and equipment needed for daily operations.

Briefly describe your supply chain and logistics processes to illustrate how you manage inventory, procurement, and distribution. Finish it by outlining your production process and quality control measures to ensure your products or services consistently meet high standards.

8. Financial plan

Use this section of the business plan to show how your company will succeed financially. Include financial projections like income statements and cash flow statements. Specify how much capital you need and how you plan to use it, discussing funding sources.

Conduct a break-even analysis to estimate when your business will become profitable. Be transparent and address any financial risks and assumptions, outlining how you plan to mitigate them.

9. Appendices and exhibits

In this section, include any additional information that supports your business plan. This might be resumes of key personnel to highlight your team's expertise and experience, or even legal documents and agreements.

Include market research data and surveys to back up your market analysis. Add financial statements for a detailed look at your financial plan. Also, provide detailed product specifications to give a clear understanding of your products and services.

Here's a business plan outline example

Not quite there yet? Take a look at this business plan outline example—it will make everything clear for you.

3.1 Executive Summary

• Overview of the business
• Key points of the business plan

3.2 Company Description

• Business name and location
• History and nature of the business
• Legal structure and ownership
• Vision and mission statement

3.3 Market Research and Analysis

• Industry analysis
• Target market and customer demographics
• Market needs, trends
• Customer pain points
• SWOT analysis

3.4 Organization and Management

• Organizational structure
• Leadership team and key personnel
• Roles and responsibilities
• Board of directors (if applicable)
• Production processes

3.5 Products and Services

• Description of products or services offered
• Unique selling propositions, benefits, features
• Product lifecycle and development plans
• Intellectual property and proprietary technologies

3.6 Marketing Strategy

• Market positioning and branding
• Marketing and promotional strategies
• Sales strategy and tactics
• Pricing strategy and sales forecast

3.7 Operations Plan

• Business location and facilities
• Technology and equipment
• Supply chain and logistics
• Production process and quality control

3.8 Financial Plan

• Financial projections (income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements)
• Funding requirements and sources
• Break-even analysis
• Financial risks and assumptions

3.9 Appendices and Exhibits (if applicable)

• Supporting documents and additional information
• Resumes of key personnel
• Legal documents and agreements
• Market research data and surveys
• Financial Statements
• Detailed Product Specifications

Bonus tips on how to write a winning business plan

Once you've done your business plan outline, it's time to fill in the gaps and craft a winning business plan. Here are some bonus tips to keep in mind:

• Tailor it to fit your business : Customize sections to meet industry-specific needs and highlight what makes your business unique.
• Keep it clear and concise : Use straightforward language and support your points with data to ensure easy understanding and avoid any confusion.
• Set actionable and realistic goals : Define measurable objectives with clear timelines and milestones to track your progress.
• Update regularly : Keep your plan dynamic by making regular updates to reflect changes in goals, market conditions, and strategies.
• Seek feedback : Gain insights from mentors and advisors to refine your plan.

Read this next: How to Start a Business in 8 Steps: A Comprehensive Guide from Concept to Launch

What Are the 4 Important Parts of a Business Plan?

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How to Write a Strategic Plan to Raise Capital

How to prepare business plans, what are the components of a good business plan.

• How to Write a Comprehensive Business Plan
• How to Make a Business Plan for Running a Dog Kennel

When you’re starting a small business, a sound business plan is a critical element you need to secure funding and develop your operational and marketing tactics. While there are several different sections within a business plan, it’s critical to focus on the most important ones so that you can guide your business where you want it to go.

The four most important sections of a business plan include your unique value proposition, details about your management team, your market analysis and your financial projections.

The 4 Most Important Elements of a Business Plan

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration , a business plan is like a GPS for your new venture. Without it, you can often feel lost or confused. Taking time to write out a solid business plan helps to cement your ideas and fine tune your tactics. This is a good exercise to do even if you don’t need to get funding for your business. A business plan helps entrepreneurs think through their ideas carefully, and provides the next steps they need to take to succeed.

When you’re writing a business plan, it’s important to consider your audience. In many cases, this includes potential investors, partners or financial institutions. They want to understand why your business is posed to succeed and why you are the person that’s going to get it there. As a result, there are four key areas you need to focus on in your business plan, in addition to the rest of its contents:

• The unique value proposition of your business
• The experience, education and successes of your management team
• A detailed market analysis
• A realistic financial projection

Anyone who is looking at your business plan will pay special attention to these four key areas because they summarize your plan for success.

Describe Your Unique Value Proposition

Directly after your executive summary, you need to include a section in your business plan where you describe your company and the products or services you sell. This section should include details on your business structure, legal form and whether you need any special licenses or permits. This practical information is key, according to Entrepreneur , because investors need to see that you have the logistical details in place.

This section is a key element of your business plan because you have the opportunity to showcase what makes your business unique. According to Forbes , it’s critical to show how your products and services are different from your competition. For example, do you use a new ingredient that other cafés don't have, or do you have a unique process no one else in the industry knows? These are the types of things you’ll need to include in this section of your business plan.

Plus, be sure to outline who your market is. Who are your ideal customers and why will they be interested in what you have to offer? You can provide an overview of your prospects here and delve deeper into it in your market analysis.

Showcase Your Management Team

A most important aspect of a business plan is the management bios. When it comes to small businesses, your successes are interlinked with the company leadership. A business can succeed based on the experience, education and expertise of its owner. Similarly, it may fail if the leadership team makes poor decisions, lacks the proper experience or isn’t interested in learning new skills.

As a result, investors and financial institutions will want to know who is heading up your organization. Take some time to write up professional bios of your core management team. This may include the business owner and heads of key departments such as sales, marketing and product development.

The bios should contain previous positions the management team have held and what kind of accolades they have received. Adding quantitative metrics is key, such as a sales manager increasing sales in their last position by 110 percent. If anyone of the leadership team has previous experience starting a business, be sure to highlight this information and provide the successes of that business. You’ll also need to point out any skills gaps, and discuss how you plan to fill them with additional resources or outsourced assets, according to Constant Contact .

Conduct a Market Analysis

Another most important component of a business plan is the market analysis. In this key section, you need to cover why this is a viable market from a financial standpoint, according to The Business Plan Shop . This requires a lot of detailed quantitative and qualitative research into your target audience and your competition.

Begin by outlining who your audience is, and provide their demographic, geographic, behavioral and psychographic characteristics. It’s important to provide numbers wherever possible to show how big your potential market segment is and whether it can support your business. Be sure to outline what kind of problems or challenges they are experiencing and how your business can solve them.

You’ll also need to provide a competitive analysis by reviewing other players in your industry. Provide estimations on how much market share each competitor has and where you have opportunities to take market share from them. This section should also include any barriers to entry. For example, can anyone open up a similar store and take market share away from you?

Provide Financial Statements and Projections

Perhaps the most important part of a business plan, especially for investors, partners and financial institutions, is your financial projections. These show the viability of your business in the years to come, according to Constant Contact. While complicated graphs, charts and spreadsheets can look intimidating, it’s important to be familiar with them and be able to talk about them in plain English. Entrepreneur recommends providing a cover page to the financial document section describing the content in detail.

Be sure to include these three financial statements in this section:

• Income statement: Entrepreneur recommends listing your income projections monthly for your first year of business, quarterly for your second year of business and annually after that.
• Cash flow statement: This document is important for investors because it shows how much money is required for your business, where it’s going to come from and when it’s going to come in.
• Balance sheet: This document summarizes your business’ assets, liabilities and equity.

Other Important Elements of Your Business Plan

While these four sections are key to your business plan, it’s important to also focus on the other necessary sections. Typically, business plans follow a templated order so that information is provided in a logical format to meet your investors’ needs. Be sure to include these sections within your business plan:

• Executive summary
• Mission and vision statement
• Business description and unique value proposition
• Management team biographies
• Market analysis with competitor details and target market segmentation
• Marketing plan
• SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
• Logistics and operations plan
• Financial statements and projections

Some investors or financial institutions may have separate requirements for business plans, so it’s important to keep your audience in mind when writing it out. Whenever possible, be sure to provide concrete examples, quantitative information and intricate details. Remember that writing out a business plan is useful for you even if you’re not seeking investment or funds, because it will help you clarify your plans and develop market strategies for success.

• U.S. Small Business Administration: 5 Reasons You Need a Business Plan
• Constant Contact: 4 Sections Every Business Plan Must Have (And Why they’re Important)
• Entrepreneur: Elements of a Business Plan
• Forbes: 10 Essential Business Plan Components
• The Business Plan Shop: How to Do a Market Analysis for a Business Plan

Anam Ahmed is a Toronto-based writer and editor with over a decade of experience helping small businesses and entrepreneurs reach new heights. She has experience ghostwriting and editing business books, especially those in the "For Dummies" series, in addition to writing and editing web content for the brand. Anam works as a marketing strategist and copywriter, collaborating with everyone from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, lifestyle bloggers to professional athletes. As a small business owner herself, she is well-versed in what it takes to run and market a small business. Anam earned an M.A. from the University of Toronto and a B.A.H. from Queen's University. Learn more at www.anamahmed.ca.

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Writing an Effective One-Page Business Plan: What You Need to Know (+ Free Template)

By Homebase Team

If you’ve started—or are starting—a small business, you’ve probably heard the words ‘business plan’ thrown around. That’s because a business plan is an important document with important information! Even a one-page business plan can help you address key questions early in the planning process.

That’s right—we said  one page. In many cases, there’s no need for a supermassive document that takes ages to create. In this article, we walk you through what a good business plan needs—and what a business plan one-pager should contain. 

Whether you’re writing your business plan for the first time or giving your existing plan a refresh, we’ve got your back. We’ve even got a free, downloadable business plan template to help you get started. Let’s get into it!

Why do you need a business plan?

A business plan is a blueprint for your business. It outlines everything your business needs, from goals to market to the steps you need to implement.

Business plans serve two main purposes:

• To help you set your business up for success. As you put together your business plan, you’ll be forced to think strategically about all your business goals and activities . Are they realistic? Is something likely to go wrong? What haven’t you thought of? The goal is for you to walk away feeling confident in the future of your business.
• To communicate the value of your business to others. It’s rare that entrepreneurs like yourself will go it 100% alone. You’ll likely work with partners, investors, or vendors to bring your small business to life. A business plan gives your collaborators confidence in you and your business and helps them support you in the best way possible.

Taking the time to create a business plan can feel like you’re wasting all-too-precious time, but it can help keep you focused and increase efficiency down the road. It’ll also help you make better business decisions off the bat so you can grow your small business quickly and wisely. 

What are the 7 main points in a business plan?

Every business plan is unique, which is part of the reason writing one can feel a tad overwhelming. You can’t just copy and paste the plan from another business—instead, you need to assess your business’s idea within its niche.

Luckily, the skeleton of every plan is usually very similar. Whether you’re creating a plan for a neighborhood daycare or that cool new bar down the street , here are a few main points to put into any comprehensive business plan.

1. Executive summary

Your executive summary is an overview of your business plan. 

Think about this section like a TL;DR or too long, don’t read . If someone wants to understand the gist of your business plan in just a few minutes, what information would they need to know?

2. Company overview and description

In this section, you should introduce your business to the reader. By the time they finish reading this section, they should have a good idea of who you are, what you do, and what you sell—in other words, your business’s niche.

Don’t be afraid to dive into your own background and why you decided to start this business. Building a small business is personal, and your story can go a long way in giving the reader some context.

3. Market and competitive analysis

Every business needs customers. Here’s where you’ll detail who they are and the potential target market of your business, including your ideal customer.

You’ll also want to take note of potential competitors that may impact your business. These might be direct competitors, but could also be similar businesses that may compete for your customers’ time and money. For example, if you’re opening a cycling studio, you might consider any other type of fitness studio to be a competitor.

Competition isn’t a bad thing, but being aware of your competition is one way to ensure your business stands out from the crowd. 

4. Business offerings

Here’s where you’ll outline what products or services your business will offer in more detail. It doesn’t have to be a complete laundry list, but it should give readers a general idea and show a certain degree of forethought and attention to details.

For example, if you’re opening a bakery , this might be a sample of your menu. Or if you’re an HVAC repair company , you might share an overview of the services you’ll offer your customers. This section might even mention the products or services you won’t offer and why, especially if it helps clarify how your business is unique.

5. Management and operational plan

From managing employees and inventory to securing equipment and a lease, there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Every business plan should touch on how you’ll manage the day-to-day of your business.

This is also a great place to indicate key milestones and timelines so you know that you’re on track for a successful grand opening. 

6. Sales, marketing, and PR strategy

Now that you’ve got all the research and operational plans in place , it’s time to start attracting customers and securing those sales. Even with the best products or services in town, every business can use a little marketing boost. Feel free to get creative. From social media to paid ads, there are tons of ways you can spread the word about your budding business . 

7. Financial forecast and budget

No one loves to crunch financials, but when it comes to business, money talks. And a strong financial plan is key to the long-term success of your business.

This final section of your business plan should estimate the costs, revenue, and profits of your business in the short and long term. How do you plan to finance your business? What costs will you incur before opening day ? What are the ongoing costs?

Not only will this give your vendors and investors confidence in your business, but it helps you make sure that your business is profitable in the long run.

What is a one-page business plan?

A one-page business plan is essentially a condensed version of a full business plan.  

It covers all the core information about your business without overwhelming the reader with details. The goal is to summarize your business plan for yourself and potential stakeholders so they can understand your business at a glance.

Depending on your business needs, this concise document may even be all you need to get your business off the ground. Or it could serve as a stepping stone to a more robust plan in the future. 

Top benefits of a one-page business plan.

Bigger isn’t always better—and one-page business plans are here to prove it.

Here are some benefits and reasons why you might opt for a one-page business plan:

• To kickstart your business planning: A full business plan can be incredibly daunting. A one-page business plan gives you a place to start without feeling overwhelmed with the nitty gritty. 
• To share and distribute: Sometimes potential vendors, partners, or investors want to get more information about your business before they sign on officially. Instead of leaving them with a massive document, a one-page business plan helps you share the relevant need-to-know information easily.
• To focus on the key details: If you’re early on in the business ideation process and want to make sure you have all the important information, a one-page business plan can help you easily validate your business plan.
• To save time: In the long term, you may still expect to put together a full business plan at some point. However, if you’re in a time crunch, a one-page plan can help you get the important insights without the time commitment.
• To easily edit: In an ever-changing business environment, a one-page business plan is much easier to keep updated. 

Key details to include in a one-page business plan.

Above, we outlined the key components of any business plan. The key with a one-pager is to keep it brief without losing any of those important details. 

Let’s look at the sections of a business plan one-pager and dig into how you can adapt them to cover all the details of your business—all on one page. 

Summary and overview

Start your one-page plan by sharing the name of your business, what you do, and your main value proposition.

The problem—and your solution

In a few sentences, share the problem that your business solves and how you solve it. This clarifies why your business should exist, so it’s an important section!

Depending on your business, you may also want to share a few of your team members to help readers put a face to your business. Great examples include the executive chef for a restaurant, or the lead veterinarian for your vet clinic.

Target market

Briefly describe who you expect to be a customer and their characteristics. This could be in the form of a short “ideal customer” profile.

Competitor overview

Here, you’ll touch on potential competitors and what makes your business stand out.

Business timeline

Share the key milestones for your business. For example, pitch when you’ll start marketing your business, when you’ll hire employees , and when you expect to open.

Sales and marketing plan

Here, you’ll quickly highlight the key marketing activities that you’ll use to drive new customers to your business. Try to stick to the most interesting or high-value stuff, like a website or social media .

Financial projections

Outline your expected revenue , expenses, and profits to give the reader an idea of your financial future.

Our tips for creating a one-page business plan.

If you’ve ever written something with a limited word count, you know that sometimes keeping things concise can be easier said than done.

As you get writing your one-page business plan, here are some of our top tips so you can make the most of that one page.

• Focus on the need-to-know information.
• Avoid fluff and keep your sentences short.
• Link out to additional resources and material if more information is necessary.
• Don’t be afraid to strategically incorporate visuals to emphasize the important points.
• Feel free to up sections or have different versions of your one-page business plan based on who’s reading it. 
• Get creative with formatting to keep information organized.

One-page business plan example.

If you’re skeptical that all that information can fit on one page—we have proof!  Here’s an example that you can use to start thinking about your business plan.

Download our free one-page business plan template.

A one-page business plan is one of the most important pages you’ll write for your business. While there’s a lot to think about, it’s worth the effort to give both you and your partners peace of mind.

The good news is that we’ve done the heavy lifting for you! If the above one-pager looks good to you, we’ve pulled it together as a download for you. All that’s left for you to customize it for your unique business, fill in the sections, and get ready to launch your business.

Download your one-page business plan template PDF

Get your team in sync with our easy-to-use, all-in-one employee app.

One-page business plan FAQs

Why should you create a business plan.

There are several reasons you should create a business plan, such as:

• Improving your decision-making as you start and grow your business.
• Setting realistic goals and timelines.
• Attracting top-notch suppliers, investors, and even employees.
• Keeping your business profitable and your financials in order.

What types of companies need a business plan?

From brand-new small businesses to established corporations, companies of all shapes and sizes need a business plan. It’s a key part of setting your business up for success and improving your business trajectory.

Even if you already have a business plan in place, revisiting it from time to time can help you stay on track with your goals and adapt as your business changes.

Can a business plan be one page?

Yes, in many cases a business page can be one page. The trick to creating an effective one-page business plan is making sure that you’re covering the most important pieces of information. 

Our top tips? Keep it as concise and organized as possible, so you can effectively communicate the value of your business to your audience.

Writing a one-page business plan is simple. You can create a business plan from scratch or use a free template like the one above to stay on track, but generally, the steps to writing a one-page business plan include:

• Start with a short executive summary and value proposition to introduce your business.
• Share the problem your business solves and your solution.
• Give an outline of top competitors and how your business compares.
• Create a timeline of key milestones.
• Outline your sales and marketing plan for attracting customers.
• Summarize your financial projections and funding plans.

Remember:  This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.

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What's Project 2025? Unpacking the Pro-Trump Plan to Overhaul US Government

For several months, we received a flood of reader inquiries asking if project 2025 was a real effort to “reshape america.” here’s the answer., nur ibrahim, aleksandra wrona, published july 3, 2024.

• Project 2025 is a conservative coalition's plan for a future Republican U.S. presidential administration. If voters elect the party's presumed nominee, Donald Trump, over Democrat Joe Biden in November 2024, the coalition hopes the new president will implement the plan immediately.
• The sweeping effort centers on a roughly 1,000-page document  that gives the executive branch more power, reverses Biden-era policies and specifies numerous department-level changes.
• People across the political spectrum fear such actions are precursors to authoritarianism and have voiced concerns over the proposal's recommendations to reverse protections for LGBTQ+ people, limit abortion access, stop federal efforts to mitigate climate change — and more.
• The Heritage Foundation — a conservative think tank operated by many of Trump's current and former political allies — is leading the initiative. President Kevin Roberts once said  the project's main goals are "institutionalizing Trumpism" and getting rid of unelected bureaucrats who he believes wield too much political influence.
• The Trump campaign's goals and proposals within Project 2025 overlap. However, the former president has attempted to distance himself from the initiative. In a July 5, 2024, post on Truth Social , he wrote: " I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them."
• In other words, it's unknown if, or to what extent, Trump's campaign is talking to leaders of the initiative. Many political analysts and the Biden administration believe Project 2025 is a good indication of Trump's vision for a second term.

Here at Snopes, the internet's premiere fact-checking site, we believe in unbiased, fact-driven reporting to help guide people's everyday lives. And when it comes to voting in elections, we hold that responsibility high. We call out candidates' mistruths, contextualize campaign claims and pull back the curtain on efforts shaping political parties' agendas. Our hope is to give voters the knowledge they need to mark ballots without any distorted sense of reality. Below is an example of that work — a months-long analysis of an all-encompassing effort to reshape the American bureacracy following the 2024 U.S. presidential election. If you'd like to support this type of journalism,  we'd love your help .   —  Jessica Lee ,  senior assignments editor,  snopes.com

As the U.S. 2024 presidential election nears, U.S. President Joe Biden's reelection campaign has been sending foreboding emails to supporters, invoking "Trump's Project 2025" to tap into anxieties over another four years with Donald Trump in the White House and to raise campaign money.

According to some of the emails, "Project 2025" calls for proposals that would separate "mothers away from their children," a reference to border policies during Trump's administration, or result in "higher housing costs and rampant discrimination."

The Biden campaign is not alone in its concern over the policy initiative. Critics including legal experts and former government employees have described Project 2025 as a precursor to authoritarianism — albeit a difficult one to implement — and a wave of social media  posts  are expressing  fear over the initiative, calling it a " fascist " and " extremist " plan for Trump to " reshape America." Numerous reports have also called this conservative effort to reshape the government unprecedented in its scale. 

But what exactly is Project 2025? Are the messages from critics rooted in fact or fear-mongering? What should people know about the alleged policy plan? Over the past year, Snopes has received a flood of inquiries from readers asking if Project 2025 was real and what it entails, and if American politicians plan to implement it.

Under the leadership of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, Project 2025 is indeed a real, all-encompassing initiative to transform the American bureaucracy if, or when, a conservative president takes over the White House. Project leaders are hoping to put it into motion as early as November 2024 if voters elect former President Donald Trump. 

Politico once described the policy initiative as an effort to make a "MAGA" conservative government by reshaping how federal employees work, and the  creators themselves have framed it as a push to institutionalize " Trumpism " —  that is,  Trump's political agenda — at every level of federal government. On Truth Social, a Trump-owned social media platform, users have described it as a return to "constitutional" values.

In June 2024, House Democrats launched a task force to make plans for a potential future in which Project 2025's recommendations could become reality.

The growing interest in Project 2025 coincided with the progression of Trump's presidential campaign. A  June 2024  NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found the presidential race to be extremely tight, with Biden and Trump almost tied, echoing a months-long trend of national surveys. ( Historically , polls at this stage of campaigns are not indicative of actual election outcomes.)

Leaders and supporters of the initiative declined to be interviewed for this story or did not respond to Snopes' inquiries.

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 has four parts, according to its website : 

• A roughly 1,000-page document titled " Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise ."  That report details supporters' proposals for federal departments, as well as their overall agenda for a conservative government.
• A purported transition plan for federal departments. Project 2025 leaders say they have a 180-day transition plan for each federal agency to quickly adapt to a Trump presidency should he win in November. As of this writing, the contents of that plan were unknown.
• A new database that aims to fill federal jobs with conservative voices. Spencer Chretien, associate director of Project 2025, once called the online system to screen potential new hires the " conservative LinkedIn ." It's currently active on the Project's website.
• A new system to train potential political appointees . Called the " Presidential Administration Academy ," the system aims to teach skills for "advancing conservative ideas" as soon as new hires join the administration. The lessons touch on everything from budget-making to media relations and currently consist of 30- to 90-minute online sessions. Project 2025 leaders say they will host in-person sessions as the election nears. 

There's reportedly another facet to Project 2025 that's not detailed on its website: an effort to draft executive orders for the new president. According to a November 2023 report by The Washington Post that cites anonymous sources, Jeffrey Clark (a former Trump official who sought to use the Justice Department to help Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 election results) is leading that work, and the alleged draft executive orders involve the Insurrection Act — a law last updated in 1871 that allows the president to deploy the military for domestic law enforcement. Speaking to the Post, a Heritage spokesperson denied that accusation. (We were unable to independently corroborate The Washington Post's reporting due to its anonymous sourcing and our unsuccessful attempts to interview members of The Heritage Foundation.)

While many of Project 2025's proposals simply need the president's executive order to become reality, others would need Congressional approval, even as the Project seeks to expand presidential authority. In other words, lawmakers would need to write and approve legislation that details the changes to the government's existing structure, or establishes new systems. Come November, voters will choose who will fill  435 seats in the Republican-led House and 34 positions  in the Senate.

Key Points of The Roughly 1,000-Page Document

Speaking to Politico , Russell Vought, who served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget under Trump and is now a leading adviser for Project 2025, once described the effort as "more systematic than it is just about Trump," adding, "We have to be thinking mechanically about how to take these institutions over" in reference to federal departments.

Project 2025's document lays out in great detail how supporters want to do that. As of early June 2024, about 855,000 people had downloaded the document, The New York Times reported . 

Among its numerous recommendations, it calls for the following (in no particular order):

• Changing how the FBI operates. According to the plan, the agency is "completely out of control," and the next conservative administration should restore its reputation by stopping investigations that are supposedly "unlawful or contrary to the national interest." Also, the document calls for legislation that would eliminate term limits for the FBI's director and require that person to answer to the president. 
• Eliminating the Department of Education. The plan explicitly proposes, "Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated." The report also calls for bans on so-called " critical race theory" (CRT) and "gender ideology" lessons in public schools, asking for legislation that would require educators who share such material to register as sex offenders and be imprisoned. 
• Defunding the Department of Justice. Additionally, the document proposes prosecuting federal election-related charges as criminal, not civil, cases. Otherwise, the document says, "[Voter] registration fraud and unlawful ballot correction will remain federal election offenses that are never appropriately investigated and prosecuted." 
• Reversing Biden-era policies attempting to reduce climate change. The document's authors call for increasing the country's reliance on fossil fuels and withdrawing from efforts to address the climate crisis — such as "offices, programs, and directives designed to advance the Paris Climate Agreement ." 
• Stopping cybersecurity efforts to combat mis- and disinformation. The document recommends the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to stop its efforts to curtail online propaganda campaigns, arguing the federal government should not make judgment calls on what's true and what isn't.
• Changing immigration policies. Authors want the federal government to deprioritize DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the program that temporarily delays the deportation of immigrants without documentation who came to the U.S. as children; phase out temporary work-visa programs that allow seasonal employers to hire foreign workers; impose financial punishments on so-called "sanctuary cities" that do not follow federal immigration laws, and divert tax dollars toward security at America's border with Mexico. (While the Biden campaign claims Project 2025 calls for "ripping mothers away from their children" at the border, there's no explicit mention of separating families. Rather, it calls for stronger enforcement of laws governing the detainment of immigrants with criminal records and restricting an existing program that tracks people in deportation proceedings instead of incarcerating them. In some cases, those changes could possibly play a role in border control agents detaining a parent while their child continues with immigration proceedings.)
• Restricting access to abortion. The plan wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop promoting abortion as health care. Additionally, Project 2025 recommends the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to stop promoting, and approving, requests for manufacturing abortion pills. "Alternative options to abortion, especially adoption, should receive federal and state support," the document states.
• Removing LGBTQ+ protections. The plan calls for abolishing the Gender Policy Council , a Biden-created department within the White House that aims to "advance equity in government policy for those who face discrimination." Also, the proposal wants the federal government to remove terms such as "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" from records and policies, as well as rescind policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of "sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics."
• Cutting ties completely with China. For instance, the document advocates for restricting people's access to TikTok because of its China-based parent company; prohibiting Confucius Institutes, cultural institutions at colleges and universities funded by the Chinese government, and blocking other Chinese entities from partnering with U.S. companies. 
• Reversing protections against discrimination in housing. The Biden campaign emails reference a portion of the document that calls for repealing a decades-old policy—strengthened under Biden—that attempts to prevent discrimination and reduce racial disparities in housing. Project 2025 also recommends making it easier to sell off homes used for public housing — a benefit to real estate developers — but result in fewer cheap housing options for poor and low-income families. 

Here's a PDF of the full report :

(www.project2025.org)

Changing Federal Job Classifications 

To execute the above-listed objectives, the roughly 1,000-page document calls for a federal government operated by political appointees equipped to "carry out the President's desires." 

Put another way, Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, said in a July 2023 interview with The New York Times that Project 2025 leaders want to dismantle independent federal agencies that do not answer to the president. Then, they want to fill positions with people who subscribe to conservative politics — including jobs that are currently merit-based hires, not politically appointed.

Under the current system, the federal government's administrative sector is made up of two employee groups: political appointees and career civil servants. When a new administration takes over the Oval Office, it selects similarly minded people to fill high-ranking positions (political appointees), and those people leave the jobs when a new president takes over. According to the Brookings Institution , a public policy think tank, around 4,000 political appointees run the executive branch.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of positions that run day-to-day operations are hired through a merit-based system — that is, a hiring process that is designed to prioritize applicants' specialized expertise or experience , not their personal beliefs or affiliations. Those people are career civil servants. 

Project 2025 proposes turning up to 50,000 career civil servant jobs into politically appointed positions. 

To do that, Project 2025 wants the president to reissue Schedule F, a Trump-era executive order that Biden rescinded when he became president. Generally speaking, the order would recategorize career civil servants into at-will employees, giving higher-level workers the ability to terminate employment for any reason without warning and fill those jobs with new people.

Additionally, Project 2025 recommends revamping the existing appeals process for employee dismissals, arguing the current system prevents managers from firing or hiring the right employees. 

The plan also proposes a freeze on hiring top-career civil service positions at the beginning of the administration. By doing so, the plan argues, the new administration will prevent today's administration's leaders (later on "outgoing" political appointees) from "burrowing-in"— that is, hiring left-leaning career bureaucrats across federal agencies for the purpose of undermining the next president. 

Keeping Track of Potential Employees' Opinions

In addition to expanding government leaders' abilities to hire and fire at will, Project 2025 calls for a new federal database to gather information on potential new hires. The database contains people's answers to questions on social issues , such as abortion and immigration, allowing for department leaders to easily fill job vacancies with applicants who lean conservative.

"Our current executive branch was conceived of by liberals for the purpose of promulgating liberal policies," John  McEntee , who is leading Project 2025's personnel database project, told The New York Times in mid-2023, citing then-U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's (who was a Democrat) 1930s New Deal as the last major reorientation of the government. "There is no way to make the existing structure function in a conservative manner. It's not enough to get the personnel right. What's necessary is a complete system overhaul." 

By submitting resumes and answering questionnaires , applicants sign up to be vetted by Project 2025 leaders. According to the questionnaire , participants answer whether they "agree" or "disagree" with statements such as, "Life has a right to legal protection from conception to natural death," and "The U.S. should increase legal immigration."

If the participants pass that screening, Project 2025 intends to recommend them to department leaders for hiring. (We are unable to determine what would happen with applicants' data if Trump does not win the 2024 election, or if his potential administration does not want to use it.)

Project 2025 leaders partnered with technology company Oracle to set up the system, according to The New York Times . Several thousand potential recruits had applied, as of April 2023. 

Former presidents have established similar systems, including Barack Obama, according to Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right public policy think tank. "They [The Obama administration] created a massive online jobs bank , where you could apply."

Also, during Obama's first term (January 2009 - January 2017), his administration required extensive vetting of applicants for high-ranking, politically appointed positions. Like Project 2025's program, that process included a questionnaire. That form asked participants to elaborate on past public statements, social media posts and potential conflicts of interests, as well as share things about their personal lives , like whether they own guns. (We found no evidence of the Obama administration circulating a similar questionnaire during his second term.)

Asked about that Obama-era questionnaire, a Biden aide said it was not comparable to Project 2025's system. The latter was a "loyalty test" to Trump, the aide said, while Obama's survey was more of a background check.

Trump Hasn't Publicly Endorsed Project 2025

Many former Trump administration members and current allies are working on the initiative. 

For example, the Center for Renewing America (CRA) — a think tank that formed in 2021 with ties to Trump through its founder, Russell Vought — is a "coalition partner." Vought was the director of the Office of Management and Budget when Trump was president. Should Project 2025 be a part of the next presidential administration, Vought will be in charge of implementing  its proposals, according to Politico. (In November 2023, The Washington Post reported he was in regular contact with Trump and could be a candidate for a high-ranking position in his potential future administration.) Also, Vought is policy director for the 2024 Republican National Convention's Platform Committee.

Reportedly , some people affiliated with Project 2025 are assisting Trump's reelection campaign behind the scenes.

(The groups that conceptualized, or are currently pushing, Project 2025 include a number of former Trump administration members and current allies.)

However, in terms of public-facing actions, Trump hasn't officially connected himself to the initiative. In speeches at campaign rallies and interviews, he hasn't mentioned Project 2025, and, on July 5, 2024 , he attempted to publicly distance himself by posting on Truth Social (his social media site):

I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.

Trump's campaign is at the very least aware of the initiative. Campaign officials once told Politico Project 2025's goals to restructure government, which are outlined in a publicly available document , indeed align with Trump's campaign promises.

But in a November 2023 statement, the Trump campaign said: "The efforts by various non-profit groups are certainly appreciated and can be enormously helpful. However, none of these groups or individuals speak for President Trump or his campaign." Without naming Project 2025, they said all policy statements from "external allies" are just "recommendations."

Concurrently, in an interview with the conservative outlet The Daily Wire , a Project 2025 representative said the Trump campaign and Project are separate "for now."  McEntee , a former Trump staffer and leader of Project 2025's personnel database project, said : 

I think the candidate and the campaign need to keep their eye on the ball. They need to be totally focused on winning. We're totally focused on what happens after [...] Obviously, there will need to be coordination and the president and his team will announce an official transition this summer, and we're gonna integrate a lot of our work with them. 

That said, given overlap between Project 2025's proposals and the Trump campaign's agenda , political analysts and the Biden campaign believe the coalition's effort is a good indication of Trump's vision for a second term. Among the similarities are proposals to change how the administration fills tens of thousands of government jobs and overhaul  the DOJ. According to The Heritage Foundation's own reporting, Trump adopted and seriously considered about two-thirds of the organization's policy prescriptions in 2018, for example.

In an interview with Snopes, James Singer, a Biden campaign spokesperson, said:

Project 2025 is the extreme policy and personnel playbook for Trump's second term that should scare the hell out of any American voter. The Trump team's pathetic denials fall flat when Project 2025 staff and leadership are saying they are connected to the Trump team, leading the RNC policy platform and part of Trump's debate prep, campaign, and inner circle.

But the extent to which Project 2025 leaders and Trump campaign officials are communicating is unclear. According to Kosar, at the American Enterprise Institute, no one outside of the two circles knows how closely they're working together. "[What] is the level of coordination? We have no idea." 

From the view of Cecilia Esterline, an immigration research analyst at the Niskanen Center, a think tank  with libertarian-right roots, Project 2025 is a good indicator of Trump's plans for a potential second term. "Given the people involved putting their names on this and the author portions of this report, and the success of [past] implementation, it's a good indicator of where Trump is at."

The Forces Behind Project 2025

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts launched Project 2025 in April 2022, a few months before Trump officially announced his reelection campaign.

Since then, the number of groups backing the initiative has grown. As of now, Project 2025's advisory board and so-called "coalition partners" include: the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), a nonprofit that aims to connect conservative applicants to congressional jobs and is led by Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows; Turning Point USA, a far-right student advocacy group that is led by Charlie Kirk; America First Legal , a legal advocacy group that supports conservative-backed lawsuits and is led by Trump stalwart Stephen Miller. (According to a June 2024 Politico report, Miller was part of private meetings with Trump to help him prepare for upcoming televised debates against Biden.) 

Furthermore, in May 2024, Reuters interviewed what the news outlet described as unnamed Trump allies working on a plan to restructure the Department of Justice (DOJ) and fill currently nonpartisan jobs there with people who identify as conservatives. While the allies group wasn't named, Reuters reported it was tied to Project 2025. 

Lastly, many authors of the roughly 1,000-page document outlining Project 2025's policy proposals have connections to Trump. They include Ben Carson , William Perry Pendley , Jonathan Berry , Diana Furchtgott-Roth , Rick Dearborn , Adam Candeub , Ken Cuccinelli , Mandy Gunasekara , Dennis Dean Kirk , Gene Hamilton , Christopher Miller , Bernard L. McNamee , Mora Namdar , Peter Navarro , Roger Severino , Paul Dans , Kevin Roberts , among others. 

These Types of Pre-Election Efforts Aren't Uncommon

In the months or years before U.S. presidential elections, it's routine for nonprofit research groups to prepare plans for a potential presidential transition, according to Landon Storrs, a political history professor at the University of Iowa. 

And, according to Kosar, numerous think tanks want Trump's ear as he plans his potential return to the White House. "Whenever there is a new executive coming into the White House, [many] groups are trying to get in there."

According to the Heritage Foundation's website , the organization mostly operates on individual donations and does not take money from the government. However, how exactly it divvies up its money for Project 2025 was unclear. The New York Times reported Project 2025 was a $22 million operation.

Project 2025 authors built their proposals on an idea popular during former President Ronald Reagan's time: the "unitary executive theory." That's the belief that Article II of the U.S. Constitution gives the president complete power over the federal bureaucracy and all levels of government report to him. 

In 1980, the Heritage Foundation developed similar policy prescriptions for Reagan, who was a presidential candidate at the time. Some of the organization's recommendations aligned with Reagan's campaign promises , and, when he later assumed office, he put the ideas to action. Heritage once described its effort as putting "the conservative movement and Reagan on the same page."

However, according to Politico , the present-day initiative by the Heritage Foundation was more "ambitious" than any other such proposal. The New York Times  said Project 2025 was operating at "a scale never attempted before in conservative politics." Its efforts are a contrast to the 1930s Democrat-led New Deal under then-U.S. President Roosevelt, which gave the federal government an unprecedented role in social and economic affairs on the belief that it would get the country out of the Great Depression.

Critics' Logistical Concerns, Worries

If some of Project 2025's ideas turn into formal policy recommendations or laws, experts in government and history have concerns over how they could be implemented. Such drastic changes would come with big logistical hurdles and have a ripple effect on agencies overseeing day-to-day governance, several such experts said. 

For example, Project 2025's proposal to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers' positions — that is, change career bureaucrats into jobs that can be politically appointed — would have widespread effects, according to Storrs, of the University of Iowa. She said:

When [Project 2025's] intention is to install officials based on their loyalty to the president rather than on their qualifications, [the result] is even more damaging to effective administration. [...] The President already has authority over who heads the agencies. But below them, people are simply trying to collect taxes, get social security checks out — there is a lot that shouldn't be disrupted.

Kosar, of the American Enterprise Institute, expressed concern over skills required for jobs that aren't currently appointed. "These positions have a serious degree of expertise attached. You can't just plug in a private sector businessman into the department of transportation. It's going to be a challenge to match the people and the competencies and the expertise." 

Esterline, the Niskanen Center analyst, said with presidential administrations changing every four to eight years, government agencies rely on the expertise of continually employed civil servants — employees with institutional knowledge — to make the transitions as smooth as possible. "[If] we suddenly disrupt that balance of political appointees to civil servants, it will be a much rougher transition." 

Among other aspects of Project 2025, Esterline is attempting to raise the alarm on its prescriptions for specific regulatory changes. "[Project 2025] is a meticulous outline of how they will crumple the system simultaneously through minute changes."

Meanwhile, some former government officials are particularly concerned about the initiative's plans for the DOJ and FBI. For instance, in an interview for The Guardian , Michael Bromwich, a former DOJ inspector general, said the proposals to turn the departments into "instruments" to fulfill Trump's political agenda "should send shivers down the spine of anyone who cares about the rule of law."

Overall, critics including legal experts and former government employees have zeroed in on Project 2025's goal to give the executive branch more power, describing it as a precursor to authoritarianism.

However, the initiative's push to increase executive power may be part of a deeper trend in American politics, Peter Strauss, a professor at Columbia Law School, said in a  lecture  on Faculti, a research video platform. He said momentum to increase executive authority has been steadily increasing over many presidential administrations: 

We have seen in the United States a steadily expanding presidential claim of authority to control not only tenure but also ordinary acts of government. This has been happening at least since the presidency of Ronald Reagan and it reached a peak with President Trump and his first term, and he's promised that he's going back there. 

Our Reporting

For this report, we repeatedly tried to interview representatives of the Heritage Foundation — the conservative think tank that conceptualized Project 2025 — as well as the Trump campaign and other supporters of the effort. All either declined to be interviewed or did not respond to our inquiries. 

For example, we reached out to dozens of groups on Project 2025's advisory board — a collection of groups under the Heritage Foundation's oversight that have co-signed the effort, given feedback on its proposals or promoted it to government officials. The groups include Center for Renewing America , Turning Point USA , The American Conservative , and  American Cornerstone Institute . We asked the organizations about the nature of their involvement in the initiative, proposals they support, and more. As of this writing, none has responded.

After we initially reached out to the Heritage Foundation for this story, a spokesperson responded asking for more specifics on our reporting. We responded with key points, including requests to comment on project leaders' communication with former U.S. President Donald Trump, concerns from legal experts about the initiative's proposed changes and general criticism. The Heritage Foundation did not respond to that message. Later, after informing the organization of our writing deadline, a spokesperson said no one was available.

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July 5, 2024: This post was updated to include Trump's July 5, 2024, post on Truth Social.

By Nur Ibrahim

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.

By Aleksandra Wrona

Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes, based in the Warsaw area.

Article Tags

Albertsons, Kroger release list of stores to be sold in merger. See the full list

Kroger and Albertson's released the list of stores the companies plan to sell Tuesday, should a merger between the grocery giants be approved by regulators.

The list outlines the 579 stores that will be transferred from the merging companies to C&S Wholesale Grocers along with six distribution centers and one dairy plant.

Kroger has begun informing employees at affected locations that they will become employees of C&S after the close of the merger, Bloomberg reported. The companies agreed to the sale of 579 stores in April.

"The comprehensive divestiture plan with C&S is critical to bringing the meaningful and measurable benefits of our merger with Albertsons to associates, customers and communities across America," Kroger said in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday.

The merger was announced in October 2022 but the Federal Trade Commission sued to stop it in February . The merger represents approximately 20% of the U.S. grocery market, according to the USDA and would affect one out of six grocery laborers if approved, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago -- because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers, it would harm suppliers and communities, and it is illegal," United Food & Commercial Workers, a union that represents grocery workers, said in a statement Tuesday.

Albertson's said that no frontline workers would lose their positions in a statement provided late Tuesday night. "Associates will also continue to receive the competitive wages and benefits that they do today," the statement read. C&S, in a statement provided Wednesday, also said that the company would honor union contracts if the merger is approved

To see the stores affected in your state, click on the state name to go directly to the state or scroll through the list below

Alaska | Arizona | California | Colorado | Delaware | Idaho | Illinois | Louisiana | Maryland | Montana | Nevada | New Mexico | Oregon | Texas | Utah | Virginia | Washington | Washington D.C. | Wyoming

• Carrs — 1340 Gambell St, Anchorage
• Carrs — 1650 W Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage
• Carrs — 5600 Debarr Rd, Anchorage
• Carrs — 4000 W Dimond Blvd, Anchorage
• Carrs — 1501 Huffman Rd, Anchorage
• Carrs — 7731 E Northern Lights Blvd, Anchorage
• Carrs — 1725 Abbott Rd, Anchorage
• Carrs — 2920 Seward Hwy, Anchorage
• Carrs — 11409 Business Park Blvd, Eagle River
• Safeway — 3627 Airport Way, Fairbanks
• Safeway — 30 College Rd, Fairbanks
• Eagle — 147 Hightower Rd, Girdwood
• Safeway — 3033 Vintage Blvd, Juneau
• Safeway — 10576 Kenai Spur Hwy Ste A, Kenai
• Safeway — 301 N Santa Claus Ln, North Pole
• Carrs — 664 E Palmer-Wasilla HWY, Palmer
• Safeway — 44428 Sterling Hwy S, Soldotna
• Carrs — 595 E Parks Hwy, Wasilla
• Safeway — 3185 W Apache Trail, Apache Junction
• Safeway — 1751 Hwy 95, Bullhead City
• Safeway — 1637 N Trekell Rd, Casa Grande
• Safeway — 29834 N Cave Creek Rd, Cave Creek
• Albertsons — 2935 E Riggs Rd, Chandler
• Albertsons — 4060 W Ray Rd, Chandler
• Albertsons — 3145 S Alma School Rd, Chandler
• Safeway — 4970 S Alma School Rd, Chandler
• Safeway — 1159 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler
• Safeway — 1060 E Ray Rd, Chandler
• Safeway — 1031 N State Route 89, Chino Valley
• Safeway — 1635 E Cottonwood St, Cottonwood
• Safeway — 1500 E Cedar Ave, Flagstaff
• Safeway — 1201 S Plaza Way, Flagstaff
• Safeway — 4910 N Us Hwy 89, Flagstaff
• Safeway — 3325 N Hunt Hwy, Florence
• Safeway — 13733 N Fountain Hills Blvd, Fountain Hills
• Safeway — 4823 S Hwy 95, Ft Mohave
• Albertsons — 861 E Warner Rd, Gilbert
• Safeway — 90 S Val Vista Dr, Gilbert
• Safeway — 5137 E Baseline Rd, Gilbert
• Albertsons — 5040 W Cactus Rd, Glendale
• Safeway — 20205 N 67th Ave Ste 100, Glendale
• Safeway — 3800 W Happy Valley Rd Ste 107, Glendale
• Safeway — 240 S Hill St, Globe
• Safeway — 14175 W Indian School Rd, Goodyear
• Safeway — 440 N Estrella Pkwy, Goodyear
• Safeway — 9890 S Estrella Pkwy, Goodyear
• Safeway — 1305 W Duval Mine Rd, Green Valley
• Safeway — 3970 Stockton Hill Rd, Kingman
• Safeway — 3125 N Stockton Hill Rd, Kingman
• Safeway — 1650 McCulloch Blvd N, Lake Havasu City
• Safeway — 340 E McDowell Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 810 E Glendale Ave, Phoenix
• Safeway — 13440 N 7Th St, Phoenix
• Safeway — 4747 E Greenway Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 4750 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 550 E Bell Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 1044 Willow Creek Rd, Prescott
• Safeway — 450 White Spar Rd, Prescott
• Safeway — 7720 E Hwy 69, Prescott Valley
• Safeway — 18495 E Queen Creek Rd, Queen Creek
• Safeway — 40950 N Ironwood Dr, San Tan Valley
• Albertsons — 11475 E Via Linda, Scottsdale
• Albertsons — 2785 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale
• Albertsons — 6965 N Hayden Rd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 23565 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 7920 E Chaparral Rd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 14696 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 20901 N Pima Rd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 6501 E Greenway Pkwy Ste 4, Scottsdale
• Albertsons — 1980 McCulloch Blvd N, Lake Havasu City
• Albertsons — 12970 W Indian School Rd, Litchfield Park
• Albertsons — 9243 E Baseline Rd, Mesa
• Albertsons — 441 N Val Vista Dr, Mesa
• Albertsons — 2727 N Power Rd, Mesa
• Albertsons — 325 S Power Rd, Mesa
• Albertsons — 1951 W Baseline Rd, Mesa
• Safeway — 3622 E Southern Ave, Mesa
• Safeway — 1902 W Main St, Mesa
• Safeway — 1225 W Guadalupe Rd, Mesa
• Safeway — 1855 N Power Rd, Mesa
• Safeway — 4316 S Signal Butte Rd, Mesa
• Safeway — 12122 N Rancho Vistoso Blvd, Oro Valley
• Albertsons — 8950 W Bell Rd, Peoria
• Albertsons — 8240 W Deer Valley Rd, Peoria
• Safeway — 10641 W Olive Ave, Peoria
• Safeway — 12320 N 83rd Ave, Peoria
• Safeway — 28455 N Vistancia Blvd, Peoria
• Albertsons — 3130 W Carefree Hwy, Phoenix
• Albertsons — 8035 N 19th Ave, Phoenix
• Albertsons — 21001 N Tatum Blvd Ste 76, Phoenix
• Albertsons — 18411 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 3655 W Anthem Way, Phoenix
• Safeway — 4005 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 6202 S 16th St, Phoenix
• Safeway — 4811 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix
• Safeway — 1334 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 5035 W Baseline Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 4747 E Elliot Rd Ste 22, Phoenix
• Safeway — 520 W Osborn Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 3132 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 3450 W Bell Rd, Phoenix
• Safeway — 32551 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 10773 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale
• Safeway — 2190 E Fry Blvd, Sierra Vista
• Safeway — 10926 W Bell Rd, Sun City
• Safeway — 13503 W Camino Del Sol, Sun City West
• Albertsons — 14551 W Grand Ave, Surprise
• Safeway — 17049 W Bell Rd, Surprise
• Safeway — 13828 W Waddell Rd, Surprise
• Safeway — 1515 E Elliot Rd, Tempe
• Safeway — 926 E Broadway Rd, Tempe
• Albertsons — 1350 N Silverbell Rd, Tucson
• Albertsons — 9595 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson
• Albertsons — 7300 N La Cholla Blvd, Tucson
• Safeway — 6360 E Golf Links, Tucson
• Safeway — 9050 E Valencia Rd, Tucson
• Safeway — 9460 E Golf Links Rd, Tucson
• Safeway — 9100 N Silverbell, Tucson
• Safeway — 13380 E Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Vail
• Vons — 5671 Kanan Rd, Agoura Hills
• Pavilions — 9467 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills
• Pavilions — 1110 W Alameda Ave, Burbank
• Vons — 301 N Pass Ave, Burbank
• Vons — 820 Arneill Rd, Camarillo
• Vons — 6951 El Camino Real, Carlsbad
• Vons — 3439 Via Montebello, Carlsbad
• Albertsons — 200 E Sepulveda Blvd, Carson
• Vons — 185 E 17th St, Costa Mesa
• Pavilions — 11030 Jefferson Blvd, Culver City
• Albertsons — 33601 Del Obispo St, Dana Point
• Vons — 2606 Del Mar Heights Rd, Del Mar
• Albertsons — 2899 Jamacha Rd, El Cajon
• Albertsons — 7201 Yorktown Ave, Huntington Beach
• Albertsons — 16600 Bolsa Chica St, Huntington Beach
• Vons — 500 E Manchester Blvd, Inglewood
• Vons — 3233 Foothill Blvd, La Crescenta
• Pavilions — 7544 Girard Ave, La Jolla
• Vons — 78271 Hwy 111, La Quinta
• Pavilions — 600 N Pacific Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach
• Albertsons — 1500 N H St, Lompoc
• Vons — 1820 Ximeno Ave, Long Beach
• Vons — 11322 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos
• Albertsons — 3901 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles
• Vons — 3118 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles
• Vons — 3461 W 3rd St, Los Angeles
• Vons — 1430 S Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles
• Vons — 6571 W 80th St, Los Angeles
• Vons — 4033 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Studio City
• Vons — 18439 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana
• Vons — 7789 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga
• Vons — 6040 Telegraph Rd, Ventura
• Pavilions — 29211 Heathercliff Rd, Malibu
• Vons — 410 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach
• Pavilions — 4365 Glencoe Ave, Marina del Rey
• Vons — 2039 Verdugo Blvd, Montrose
• Albertsons — 730 Quintana Rd, Morro Bay
• Albertsons — 541 S Reino Rd, Newbury Park
• Pavilions — 2660 San Miguel Dr, Newport Beach
• Pavilions — 1000 Bayside Dr, Newport Beach
• Albertsons — 9022 Balboa Blvd, Northridge
• Vons — 17380 Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades
• Albertsons — 42095 Washington St, Palm Desert
• Albertsons — 1751 N Sunrise Way Ste 1, Palm Springs
• Vons — 4733 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs
• Pavilions — 7 Peninsula Ctr, Palos Verdes Peninsula
• Albertsons — 804 Avenida Pico, San Clemente
• Pavilions — 989 Avenida Pico, San Clemente
• Pavilions — 3850 Valley Centre Dr, San Diego
• Vons — 11986 Bernardo Plaza Dr, San Diego
• Vons — 1702 Garnet Ave, San Diego
• Vons — 2495 Truxtun Rd Ste 100, San Diego
• Safeway — 1499 Washington Ave, San Leandro
• Vons — 1440 W 25th St, San Pedro
• Vons — 163 S Turnpike Rd, Santa Barbara
• Vons — 9643 Mission Gorge Rd, Santee
• Pavilions — 1101 Pacific Coast Hwy, Seal Beach
• Pavilions — 14845 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks
• Albertsons — 543 Sweetwater Rd, Spring Valley
• Vons — 25850 The Old Rd, Stevenson Ranch
• Pavilions — 6534 Platt Ave, West Hills
• Pavilions — 8969 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood
• Albertsons — 23893 Clinton Keith Rd, Wildomar
• Safeway — 1301 Main St, Alamosa
• Safeway — 7561 W 80th Ave, Arvada
• Safeway — 12200 E Mississippi Ave, Aurora
• Safeway — 18730 E Hampden Ave, Aurora
• Safeway — 1677 S Havana St, Aurora
• Safeway — 1200 S Buckley Rd, Aurora
• Safeway — 6100 S Gun Club Rd, Aurora
• Safeway — 3325 28th St, Boulder
• Safeway — 2798 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder
• Safeway — 4800 E Baseline Rd, Boulder
• Safeway — 1605 Bridge St, Brighton
• Safeway — 3602 W 144th Ave, Broomfield
• Safeway — 1414 Main St, Canon City
• Safeway — 880 S Perry St, Castle Rock
• Safeway — 7375 Arapahoe Rd, Centennial
• Safeway — 3275 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 2890 N Powers Blvd, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 6520 S Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 1425 S Murray Blvd, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 1920 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 840 Village Center Dr, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 7055 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 2210 Wahsatch, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 5060 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 8750 N Union Blvd, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 4405 Centennial Blvd, Colorado Springs
• Safeway — 27152 Main St, Conifer
• Safeway — 1580 E Main St, Cortez
• Safeway — 1550 Hwy 92, Delta
• Safeway — 1653 S Colorado Blvd, Denver
• Safeway — 2660 N Federal Blvd, Denver
• Safeway — 6440 E Yale Ave, Denver
• Safeway — 2150 S Downing St, Denver
• Safeway — 560 Corona St, Denver
• Safeway — 757 E 20th Ave, Denver
• Safeway — 3800 W 44th Ave, Denver
• Safeway — 6220 E 14th Ave, Denver
• Safeway — 9160 W Colfax Ave, Denver
• Safeway — 200 Quebec St Bldg 400, Denver
• Safeway — 323 S Broadway, Denver
• Safeway — 10300 Federal Blvd, Denver
• Safeway — 11051 S Parker Rd, Parker
• Albertsons — 1601 Hwy 50 W, Pueblo
• Safeway — 1231 S Prairie Ave, Pueblo
• Safeway — 37500 E US Hwy 40, Steamboat Springs
• Safeway — 3840 E 104th Ave, Thornton
• Safeway — 771 Thornton Pkwy, Denver
• Safeway — 500 E 120th Ave, Denver
• Albertsons — 311 W College Dr, Durango
• Safeway — 220 S Elizabeth St, Elizabeth
• Safeway — 201 E Jefferson, Englewood
• Safeway — 3333 Arapahoe Rd B, Erie
• Safeway — 3851 Hwy 74 S, Evergreen
• Safeway — 8134 Colorado Blvd, Firestone
• Safeway — 1426 E Harmony Rd, Fort Collins
• Safeway — 2160 W Drake Rd Unit 6, Fort Collins
• Safeway — 3660 S Mason St, Fort Collins
• Safeway — 731 S Lemay Ave, Fort Collins
• Safeway — 1300 Dexter St, Fort Lupton
• Safeway — 40 County Rd 804, Fraser
• Safeway — 1008 N Summit Blvd, Frisco
• Safeway — 1701 Jackson St, Golden
• Safeway — 2901 F Rd, Grand Junction
• Safeway — 681 Horizon Dr, Grand Junction
• Safeway — 2512 Broadway, Grand Junction
• Safeway — 4548 Centerplace Dr, Greeley
• Safeway — 3526 W 10th St, Greeley
• Safeway — 112 S Spruce St, Gunnison
• Safeway — 9255 S Broadway, Highlands Ranch
• Safeway — 2425 Miner St, Idaho Springs
• Safeway — 11088 W Jewell, Lakewood
• Safeway — 13111 W Alameda Pkwy, Lakewood
• Safeway — 12442 W Ken Caryl Ave, Littleton
• Safeway — 5025 S Kipling Pkwy, Littleton
• Safeway — 8355 N Rampart Range Rd, Littleton
• Safeway — 181 W Mineral Ave, Littleton
• Safeway — 8434 S Kipling Pkwy, Littleton
• Safeway — 9229 E Lincoln Ave, Lone Tree
• Safeway — 1050 Ken Pratt Blvd, Longmont
• Safeway — 1632 Hover St, Longmont
• Safeway — 1601 Coalton Rd, Louisville
• Safeway — 910 W Cherry St, Louisville
• Safeway — 860 Cleveland Ave, Loveland
• Safeway — 1451 W Eisenhower Blvd, Loveland
• Safeway — 2321 W Eisenhower Blvd, Loveland
• Safeway — 1329 S Townsend Ave, Montrose
• Safeway — 624 Hwy 105, Monument
• Safeway — 2131 N Frontage Rd W, Vail
• Safeway — 3900 Wadsworth Blvd, Wheat Ridge
• Safeway — 1535 Main St, Windsor
• Safeway — 1101 E US Hwy 24, Woodland Park
• Harris Teeter — 31221 Americana Pkwy, Selbyville
• Albertsons — 10500 Overland Rd, Boise
• Albertsons — 5100 W Overland Rd, Boise
• Albertsons — 909 E Parkcenter Blvd, Boise
• Albertsons — 4700 N Eagle Rd, Boise
• Albertsons — 6560 S Federal Way, Boise
• Albertsons — 3614 W State St, Boise
• Albertsons — 20 E Fairview Ave, Meridian
• Albertsons — 2400 12th Ave Rd, Nampa
• Albertsons — 330 E Benton St, Pocatello
• Albertsons — 1221 Addison Ave E, Twin Falls
• Jewel-Osco — 12001 S Pulaski Rd, Alsip
• Marianos — 802 E Northwest Hwy, Arlington Heights
• Marianos — 144 S Gary Ave, Bloomingdale
• Jewel-Osco — 87 W 87th St, Chicago
• Marianos — 3350 N Western Ave, Chicago
• Marianos — 5353 N Elston Ave, Chicago
• Marianos — 1800 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago
• Marianos — 5201 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago
• Marianos — 1500 N Clybourn Ave Ste 104, Chicago
• Marianos — 3030 N Broadway Ste 100, Chicago
• Marianos — 3857 S Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr, Chicago
• Marianos — 105 Northwest Hwy, Crystal Lake
• Marianos — 2999 Waukegan Rd, Deerfield
• Marianos — 10 E Golf Rd, Des Plaines
• Marianos — 678 N York St, Elmhurst
• Marianos — 21001 S LaGrange Rd, Frankfort
• Marianos — 6655 Grand Ave, Gurnee
• Jewel-Osco — 1537 N Larkin Ave, Joliet
• Marianos — 1350 E Route 22, Lake Zurich
• Marianos — 345 W Roosevelt Ave, Lombard
• Marianos — 1300 S Naper Blvd, Naperville
• Marianos — 784 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook
• Marianos — 11000 S Cicero Ave, Oak Lawn
• Marianos — 9504 142nd St, Orland Park
• Marianos — 545 N Hicks Rd, Palatine
• Jewel-Osco — 12803 S Harlem Ave, Palos Heights
• Marianos — 1900 S Cumberland Ave, Park Ridge
• Marianos — 950 Brook Forest Ave, Shorewood
• Marianos — 3358 W Touhy Ave, Skokie
• Marianos — 1720 N Milwaukee Ave, Vernon Hills
• Marianos — 3020 Wolf Rd, Westchester
• Marianos — 4700 Gilbert Ave, Western Springs
• Marianos — 150 W 63rd St, Westmont
• Marianos — 625 S Main St, Wheaton
• Marianos — 1822 Willow Rd, Winnetka
• Albertsons — 2750 Country Club Rd, Lake Charles
• Albertsons — 105 E Southfield Rd, Shreveport
• Harris Teeter — 10125 Ward Rd, Dunkirk
• Harris Teeter — 28528 Marlboro Ave, Easton
• Harris Teeter — 14101 Darnestown Rd, Germantown
• Harris Teeter — 18169 Town Center Dr, Olne
• Safeway — 1735 W Main St, Bozeman
• Albertsons — 1414 3rd St N W, Great Falls
• Albertsons — 2582 Idaho St, Elko
• Albertsons — 575 College Dr, Henderson
• Albertsons — 190 N Boulder Hwy, Henderson
• Vons — 2667 Windmill Pkwy, Henderson
• Albertsons — 5975 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 10250 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 10140 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 4800 Blue Diamond Rd, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 1940 Village Center Cir, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 6730 N Hualapai Way, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 8410 Farm Rd, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 5881 E Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas
• Vons — 475 E Windmill Ln, Las Vegas
• Vons — 7405 S Durango Dr, Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 3010 W Ann Rd, North Las Vegas
• Albertsons — 200 S Hwy 160, Pahrump
• Albertsons — 12201 Academy Rd NE, Albuquerque
• Albertsons — 1625 Rio Bravo Blvd SW, Albuquerque
• Albertsons — 8100 Ventura St NE, Albuquerque
• Albertsons — 7101 Wyoming Blvd NE, Albuquerque
• Safeway — 3540 E Main St, Farmington
• Safeway — 730 W Main St, Farmington
• Albertsons — 2351 Main St, SE, Los Lunas
• Albertsons — 4300 Ridgecrest Dr, Rio Rancho
• Albertsons — 710 A Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos
• Safeway — 6055 SW 185th Ave, Aloha
• Safeway — 3250 Leif Erikson Dr, Astoria
• Safeway — 20535 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy, Beaverton
• Albertsons — 61155 S Hwy 97, Bend
• Safeway — 2650 NE Hwy 20, Bend
• Safeway — 1051 SW 1st Ave, Canby
• Safeway — 12032 SE Sunnyside Rd, Clackamas
• Safeway — 230 E Johnson, Coos Bay
• Safeway — 590 NE Circle Blvd, Corvallis
• Safeway — 20151 SE Hwy 212, Damascus
• Albertsons — 55 Division Ave, Eugene
• Safeway — 145 E 18th Ave, Eugene
• Safeway — 700 Hwy 101, Florence
• Safeway — 2836 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove
• Safeway — 95 82nd Dr, Gladstone
• Albertsons — 1690 Allen Creek Rd, Grants Pass
• Safeway — 115 SE 7th St, Grants Pass
• Safeway — 1640 Williams Hwy, Grants Pass
• QFC — 6411 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland
• Safeway — 6901 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland
• Safeway — 4515 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland
• Safeway — 13485 NW Cornell Rd, Portland
• Safeway — 1100 NE Broadway, Portland
• Safeway — 3930 SE Powell Blvd, Portland
• Safeway — 1030 SW Jefferson St, Portland
• Safeway — 1303 NW Lovejoy St, Portland
• Safeway — 2800 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
• Safeway — 8145 SW Barbur Blvd, Portland
• Safeway — 18425 NW West Union Rd, Portland
• Safeway — 8330 N Ivanhoe St, Portland
• Safeway — 5920 NE Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland
• Safeway — 1001 SW Highland Dr, Gresham
• Safeway — 1455 NE Division St, Gresham
• Albertsons — 7500 W Baseline, Hillsboro
• Safeway — 2525 SE Tualatin Valley Hwy, Hillsboro
• Safeway — 2177 NW 185th Ave, Hillsboro
• Safeway — 888 NE 25th Ave, Hillsboro
• Albertsons — 5500 S 6th St, Klamath Falls
• Safeway — 14840 SE Webster Rd, Milwaukie
• Safeway — 1140 N Springbrook Rd, Newberg
• Safeway — 2220 N Coast Hwy, Newport
• Albertsons — 19007 S Beavercreek Rd, Oregon City
• Safeway — 13434 Colton Pl, Oregon City
• Albertsons — 5415 SW Beaverton Hwy, Portland
• Albertsons — 451 NE 181st Ave, Portland
• Albertsons — 5850 NE Prescott St, Portland
• QFC — 4756 NW Bethany Blvd, Portland
• QFC — 7525 SW Barnes Rd, Portland
• QFC — 5544 E Burnside St, Portland
• Safeway — 4320 SE King Rd, Portland
• Safeway — 3527 SE 122nd Ave, Portland
• Safeway — 1705 S Hwy 97, Redmond
• Safeway — 795 Lower Columbia River Hwy, Saint Helens
• Safeway — 3380 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem
• Safeway — 37601 Hwy 26, Sandy
• Safeway — 401 S Roosevelt Dr, Seaside
• Safeway — 20685 SW Roy Rogers Rd, Sherwood
• Safeway — 520 Mt Hood St, The Dalles
• Safeway — 1815 4th St, Tillamook
• Safeway — 25691 SE Stark, Troutdale
• Safeway — 22000 Salamo Rd, West Linn
• Safeway — 8255 S Wilsonville Rd, Wilsonville
• Market Street — 985 W Bethany Dr, Allen
• Albertsons — 6220 U S Hwy 287, Arlington
• Albertsons — 301 SW Plaza Shopping Ctr, Arlington
• Tom Thumb — 1701 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington
• Tom Thumb — 2755 N Collins, Arlington
• Tom Thumb — 6333 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas
• Albertsons — 2321 W University Dr, Denton
• Albertsons — 1155 N Main St, Euless
• Market Street — 3800 Long Prairie Rd, Flower Mound
• Tom Thumb — 4301 Cross Timbers Rd, Flower Mound
• Market Street — 11999 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco
• Market Street — 4268 Legacy Dr, Frisco
• Tom Thumb — 4848 Preston Rd, Frisco
• Tom Thumb — 5550 Fm 423, Frisco
• Randalls — 2931 Central City Blvd, Galveston
• Randalls — 14610 Memorial Dr, Houston
• Tom Thumb — 612 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst
• Tom Thumb — 1000 Keller Pkwy, Keller
• Market Street — 3145 E Broad St, Mansfield
• Market Street — 6100 W Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney
• Tom Thumb — 6800 W Virginia Pkwy, McKinney
• Tom Thumb — 1501 Pioneer Rd, Mesquite
• Tom Thumb — 3945 Legacy Dr, Plano
• Tom Thumb — 1380 W Campbell Rd, Richardson
• Tom Thumb — 3070 N Goliad, Rockwall
• Tom Thumb — 551 Laurence Dr, Rockwall
• Albertsons — 1201 N Saginaw Blvd, Saginaw
• Tom Thumb — 101 Trophy Lake Dr, Trophy Club
• Albertsons — 745 N Dixie Dr, Saint George
• Lucky Store — 729 N Redwood Rd, Salt Lake City
• Albertsons — 915 W Red Cliffs Dr, Washington
• Lucky Store — 6936 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan
• Harris Teeter — 735 N Saint Asaph St, Alexandria
• Harris Teeter — 2425 N Harrison St, Arlington
• Harris Teeter — 105 Purcellville Gateway Dr, Purcellville
• Haggen — 1406 Lake Tapps Pkwy E, Auburn
• Safeway — 101 Auburn Way S, Auburn
• Albertsons — 2108 W Main St, Battle Ground
• Safeway — 904 W Main St, Battle Ground
• QFC — 201 NE State Route 300, Belfair
• QFC — 10116 NE 8th St, Bellevue
• QFC — 2636 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue
• QFC — 3550 Factoria Blvd SE, Bellevue
• QFC — 15600 NE 8th St Ste K1, Bellevue
• QFC — 1510 145th Pl SE, Bellevue
• Haggen — 2814 Meridian, Bellingham
• Haggen — 1401 12th St, Bellingham
• Haggen — 210 36th St, Bellingham
• Haggen — 2900 Woburn St, Bellingham
• Safeway — 1275 E Sunset Dr, Bellingham
• Safeway — 21301 Hwy 410, Bonney Lake
• QFC — 18921 Bothell Way NE, Bothell
• QFC — 22833 Bothell Everett Hwy, Bothell
• Safeway — 20711 Bothell Hwy, Bothell
• Safeway — 1401 NE McWilliams Rd, Bremerton
• Safeway — 138 SW 148th St, Burien
• Haggen — 757 Haggen Dr, Burlington
• Safeway — 17023 SE 272nd St, Covington
• Safeway — 27035 Pacific Hwy S, Des Moines
• Safeway — 510 Grant Rd, East Wenatchee
• QFC — 22828 100th Ave W, Edmonds
• Safeway — 400 N Ruby St, Ellensburg
• QFC — 1009 Monroe Ave, Enumclaw
• QFC — 2615 Broadway, Everett
• Safeway — 4128 Rucker Ave, Everett
• Safeway — 5802 134th Pl SE, Everett
• Safeway — 2109 SW 336th St, Federal Way
• Haggen — 1815 Main St, Ferndale
• Albertsons — 11330 51st Ave NW, Gig Harbor
• Safeway — 4831 Point Fosdick Dr NW, Gig Harbor
• Safeway — 10105 224th St E, Graham
• QFC — 1540 NW Gilman Blvd, Issaquah
• Safeway — 735 NW Gilman Blvd Ste B, Issaquah
• Safeway — 1451 Highlands Dr NE, Issaquah
• Safeway — 6850 NE Bothell Way, Kenmore
• QFC — 13304 SE 240th St, Kent
• Safeway — 13101 SE Kent-Kangley Rd, Kent
• QFC — 11224 NE 124th St, Kirkland
• QFC — 425 Urban Plaza Ste 100, Kirkland
• Safeway — 12519 NE 85th St, Kirkland
• Safeway — 10020 NE 137th St, Kirkland
• QFC — 4775 Whitman Ln SE, Lacey
• QFC — 5700 24th Ave NW, Seattle
• Safeway — 8340 15th Ave NW, Seattle
• Safeway — 2622 California Ave SW, Seattle
• Safeway — 7340 35th Ave NE, Seattle
• QFC — 990 E Washington St, Sequim
• Safeway — 600 Franklin St, Shelton
• QFC — 600 NW Richmond Beach Rd, Shoreline
• Haggen — 1301 Ave D, Snohomish
• Safeway — 1119 13th St, Snohomish
• Safeway — 2509 E 29th Ave, Spokane
• Safeway — 14020 E Sprague Ave, Spokane
• QFC — 27008 92nd Ave NW, Stanwood
• QFC — 11104 Pacific Ave S, Tacoma
• QFC — 4101 49th Ave NE, Tacoma
• Safeway — 1624 72nd St E, Tacoma
• Safeway — 4700 Yelm Hwy SE, Lacey
• Safeway — 717 State Route 9 NE, Lake Stevens
• Safeway — 2930 Ocean Beach Hwy, Longview
• QFC — 7500 196th St SW Ste B, Lynnwood
• Safeway — 19500 Hwy 99, Lynnwood
• QFC — 22131 SE 237th St, Maple Valley
• Safeway — 26916 Maple Valley Rd, Maple Valley
• Haggen — 3711 88th St NE, Marysville
• Safeway — 1258 State St, Marysville
• QFC — 8421 SE 68th St, Mercer Island
• QFC — 7823 SE 28th St, Mercer Island
• Safeway — 16304 Bothell-Everett Hwy, Mill Creek
• Safeway — 19651 Hwy 2, Monroe
• QFC — 22803 44th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace
• Safeway — 315 E College Way, Mt Vernon
• QFC — 11700 Mukilteo Speedway, Mukilteo
• QFC — 6940 Coal Creek Pkwy SE, Newcastle
• QFC — 460 E North Bend Way, North Bend
• Haggen — 31565 State Route 20 #1, Oak Harbor
• Haggen — 1313 Cooper Point Rd SW, Olympia
• Safeway — 4280 Martin Way E, Olympia
• QFC — 1890 Irondale Rd, Port Hadlock
• Albertsons — 1434 Olney Ave SE, Port Orchard
• Safeway — 3355 Bethel Rd SE, Port Orchard
• Safeway — 370 SW Sedgwick Rd, Port Orchard
• QFC — 515 Sheridan St, Port Townsend
• Safeway — 708 Shaw Rd, Puyallup
• Safeway — 611 S Meridian, Puyallup
• QFC — 15800 Redmond Way, Redmond
• QFC — 8867 161st Ave NE, Redmond
• QFC — 23475 NE Novelty Hill Rd, Redmond
• Safeway — 15000 NE 24th, Redmond
• QFC — 4800 NE 4th St, Renton
• Safeway — 200 S 3rd St, Renton
• QFC — 2902 228th Ave SE, Sammamish
• QFC — 17847 1st Ave S, Seattle
• QFC — 1600 W Dravus St, Seattle
• QFC — 2500 SW Barton St, Seattle
• QFC — 1401 Broadway, Seattle
• QFC — 2707 Rainier Ave S, Seattle
• QFC — 1531 NE 145th St, Seattle
• QFC — 11100 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle
• QFC — 4500 Wallingford Ave N, Seattle
• QFC — 9999 Holman Rd NW, Seattle
• QFC — 500 Mercer St, Seattle
• QFC — 4550 42nd Ave SW, Seattle
• QFC — 417 Broadway E #2, Seattle
• Safeway — 2637 N Pearl St, Tacoma
• Safeway — 3842 Bridgeport Way, Tacoma
• Safeway — 705 Trosper Rd SW, Tumwater
• Safeway — 500 Cleveland Ave SE, Tumwater
• QFC — 3505 SE 192nd Ave, Vancouver
• Safeway — 6701 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver
• Safeway — 6711 NE 63rd St, Vancouver
• Safeway — 408 NE 81st St, Vancouver
• Safeway — 2615 NE 112th Ave, Vancouver
• Safeway — 6700 NE 162nd Ave Ste 500, Vancouver
• Safeway — 13023 NE Hwy 99 Ste 1, Vancouver
• Safeway — 3707 N Main St, Vancouver
• Safeway — 14300 NE 20th Ave, Vancouver
• Haggen — 17641 Garden Way NE, Woodinville
• Safeway — 5702 Summitview Ave, Yakima

Washington D.C.

• Harris Teeter — 401 M St SE
• Albertsons — 1076 CY Ave, Casper
• Albertsons — 3355 E Pershing Blvd, Cheyenne
• Albertsons — 2610 S Douglas Hwy, Gillette
• Albertsons — 105 Buffalo Way, Jackson
• Albertsons — 1323 Dewar Dr, Rock Springs

Contributing: Alexander Coolidge, Cincinatti Enquirer

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Why Britain Just Ended 14 Years of Conservative Rule

Last week, the center-left labour party won the british general election in a landslide..

Hosted by Natalie Kitroeff

Featuring Mark Landler

Produced by Rob Szypko ,  Nina Feldman and Will Reid

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg

With Paige Cowett

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Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

For more than a decade, Britain has been governed by the Conservative Party, which pushed its politics to the right, embracing smaller government and Brexit. Last week, that era officially came to an end.

Mark Landler, the London bureau chief for The Times, explains why British voters rejected the Conservatives and what their defeat means in a world where populism is on the rise.

On today’s episode

Mark Landler , the London bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading

Five takeaways from the British general election.

The Conservatives have run Britain for 14 years. How have things changed in that time?

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

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Natalie Kitroeff is the Mexico City bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. More about Natalie Kitroeff

Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The Times, covering the United Kingdom, as well as American foreign policy in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has been a journalist for more than three decades. More about Mark Landler

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Politics latest: 'Elephant in the room' at Starmer's first NATO summit - as allies stress support for Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer is at his first NATO summit since becoming prime minister, with Ukraine top of the agenda. He will be meeting with plenty of world leaders for the first time too, including under-pressure Joe Biden.

Wednesday 10 July 2024 23:37, UK

• General Election 2024

PM at NATO summit

• The prime minister is in Washington DC for his first NATO summit, where he's meeting world leaders including Joe Biden and calling for the alliance's members to spend more on defence
• PM watches Harry Kane penalty - and will travel to Euros final
• Starmer pictured with Biden for first time
• PM to 'reset' relations with allies - and send message to Putin
• 'No change in UK support for Ukraine,' Starmer tells Zelenskyy
• 'Elephant in the room': Government urged to help 'Trump-proof' NATO
• Mark Stone analysis: Starmer in unusual position at all-important summit | Ukraine the focus - but something is going unsaid
• Deborah Haynes analysis: PM's pledge looks weak to allies and foes
• Sky News Daily: How does Starmer reach out to the world?
• Live reporting by Tim Baker

That's all from the Politics Hub for today.

Join us again tomorrow as the NATO summit continues.

We're also expecting a day of coverage on water, as Ofwat gives its ruling on prices early doors.

Sir Keir Starmer has met with Joe Biden in the White House.

The pair have been pictured together in the Oval Office laughing.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to address the NATO summit tomorrow, speaking at a session on Ukraine.

He will say: "NATO was founded by the generation who defeated fascism. They understood not just the value of our strength, but the strength of our values.

"Those values are under attack once again. Putin needs to hear a clear message ringing out from this summit – a message of unity and determination, that we will support Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes to uphold our shared values and our shared security."

Sir Keir will also recommit to the £3bn per year support package for Ukraine promised under the previous government.

It follows today's announcement that the UK will be part of a £40m package to provide vital assistance to Kyiv - including on drone protection.

And a fresh order of 120,000 artillery shells, worth £300m, will also be placed by the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine.

Overcrowding in Britain's prisons is one of the domestic crises facing the new government, one which saw the previous Tory administration allow for the early release of some prisoners.

Sir Keir Starmer had pressed Rishi Sunak to guarantee this wouldn't include any high-risk inmates - and has been asked whether he can make the same promise now he's prime minister.

Speaking from the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington DC, the PM said: "We will make a statement, in relation to this in coming days."

Sir Keir said this would include the question of "risk categories", and "what we intend to do about it".

Thousands of inmates could be let out early

It comes after Sky News reported an announcement was due in the coming days.

Sky News understands one of the core proposals being considered is a lowering of the automatic release point, from the 50% mark in an inmate's sentence to 40% or 43%.

At the moment, prisoners serving standard determinate sentences - those with fixed end dates - are released at the halfway point.

Once released, they serve their sentence on licence - meaning they are supervised by the probation service in the community and must stick to certain conditions.

A lowering of the automatic release point could mean thousands of additional inmates being let out early.

Mark Icke, president of the Prison Governors Association., said they welcomed the announcement.

He said: "We look forward to the government announcing their proposed measures and are hopeful that it will be an approach that is clear and can be effectively delivered by staff in prisons and the probation service. 

"We're hopeful that the penal populism of the last government is a thing of the past and that the new government is willing to invest in our service so that we can effectively protect the public by reducing the likelihood of reoffending by those in our prisons and under supervision in the community."

Following the meeting of NATO leaders, a declaration has been agreed by the members and published.

Part of this is in support of Ukraine.

It starts off by saying: "We fully support Ukraine's right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future, free from outside interference.

"Ukraine's future is in NATO."

The countries note that Ukraine is working to meet the requirements to join the alliance.

The declaration goes on to say: "As Ukraine continues this vital work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.

"We reaffirm that we will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met."

The declaration repeats criticisms of Russia, and calls for it to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

In the last few minutes, England beat the Netherlands to make it through to the final of Euro 2024.

Downing Street has confirmed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be attending the match in Berlin on Sunday.

Sir Keir managed to watch part of tonight's match despite being at a NATO summit in the US.

Good evening. It's 10pm and here is your final bulletin of the day.

We've been focusing on the NATO summit in Washington this evening, as Sir Keir Starmer carries out his first engagement on the world stage as prime minister.

Here's what you need to know:

• Sir Keir Starmer has held his first meetings with world leaders at his first NATO summit as prime minister, including with Germany's Olaf Scholz and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy;
• He has also taken part in a NATO council meeting, and been pictured alongside Joe Biden and Jens Stoltenberg;
• As well as the summit itself, Sir Keir will also be heading to the White House for talks with Mr Biden  - where he and his wife Victoria will also join a special dinner tonight with other leaders and their partners;
• The PM has also found time to watch the England match with his Dutch counterpart.
• But the PM is under pressure to set a timeline for  when the UK will hit the defence spending target of 2.5% of GDP  given he wants NATO allies to spend more too;
• Our defence and security editor Deborah Haynes says the government being non-committal on a timescale will look weak to both its allies and foes;
• Nonetheless, our US correspondent Mark Stone reckons Sir Keir will be a welcome presence at the summit, given it comes less than a week after his landslide election win at a time when other Western leaders are struggling.
• The Conservative Party leadership competition plunged into further chaos, with rivals Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch clashing on social media;
• Former Tory MP and minister  James Heappey revealed who he thought should be in the running to replace Rishi Sunak - and encouraged his party not to get in a battle with Reform;
• Rishi Sunak appeared before backbench Tory MPs, and once more apologised for his party's performance in the election.

On today's Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's political correspondent Tamara Cohen to discuss how Sir Keir is tackling his first international visit.

Plus, Lord Peter Ricketts, former diplomat and French Ambassador, joins Niall to take a look at Labour's wider foreign policy plans.

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As part of his visit to the US, Sir Keir Starmer has met political leaders in Washington.

This includes the US Republican speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and the Democrat minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Sir Keir is set to meet Joe Biden later this evening.

Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has taken a step away from the NATO summit to catch up on the football.

He has shared a video of himself and his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof watching the Harry Kane penalty.

As Sir Keir says in the tweet, he "picked the right moment" to watch.

Follow live updates on the England vs Netherlands game below...

As the new prime minister makes his international debut at the NATO summit in Washington – what does he need to do to make a quick impact with international colleagues? 

On today's Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by political correspondent Tamara Cohen to discuss how Sir Keir is tackling his first overseas visit. 

Plus, Lord Peter Ricketts, former diplomat and French ambassador, joins Niall to look at Labour's wider foreign policy plans.

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