Business Plan Resources - Online Tools

One of the keys to success in any venture is having an accurate and informative business plan. It will set a clear direction and ensure you spend your time productively.

As a vital document, you need to invest time getting it right before you make any key business decisions.

There are numerous tools and sources of information online, that allow you to research and plan virtually any business idea.

Here are a few of our favourites.

Free information to build your plan

This is a subject that the comprehensive Business Link website excels at. It has a stack of information on who you are writing a business plan for, what should be in it, how to gather the information and lay it out. There’s also a useful case study… it always feels better when you can learn from someone who has already been through what you’ve got to do.

You can add the Business Link guide to a “print portfolio” of your top guides from the whole site, for easy printing in the future. You can also sign up for email alerts when the information changes.

Free advice

Barclays offers a free business start up guide, including a business planning tool.

Research your business idea

With Scavenger you can access hundreds of reports and guides on numerous types of business. If you’ve ever fancied owning a coffee shop or starting a children’s day nursery, Scavenger will tell you if you are suited to the business, what training you need, who your customers are likely to be and who you will be competing against. The reports are surprisingly affordable.

Crunch the numbers

There are several very handy calculators available here, including a Cash flow calculator, a Break-even calculator and a Start Up costs calculator that will tell you what capital you will need to start your business.

Buy a book

There are hundreds of books out there on business planning. Here are some of the top selling ones at Amazon UK.

See sample business plans

You can access hundreds of sample business plans and even download some for free at Bplans.co.uk.

Business plan template

This website offers Word and Excel documents you can download.

Advanced tools to easily build a business plan

Business Plan Pro 2007 is a powerful tool that makes it easy to put a business plan together. Rather than having to compile the information and set out the format yourself, you just enter the details of your plan into the downloadable software. It takes you through all of the necessary steps and offers plenty of help and advice.

There are two different levels of software to buy according to what you need, plus you get access to 500 sample business plans – perfect when you’re stuck for inspiration and need to see what someone else has done. Business Plan Pro also outputs your plan in the format preferred by most lenders.

An alternative for building a plan is EDP Business Plan Designer. This also uses a wizard to help you enter your information, and will automatically create sales forecasts, cash flow, profit and loss and balance sheets.

Get your plan written for you

Just as you’d get an architect to design your house, so you should consider using an expert business plan advisor – especially if you are after funding.

Business Plan Services claims it can improve your chances of securing funding by 4,000%. The firm will work with you to look at what you want to achieve and pick the best route. It can also physically write the plan, and runs training sessions.