Why Do You Need a Business Plan?

If you’re just getting your business off the ground – or even if you are already an established company – you may be thinking about writing a business plan. But writing a business plan can be time consuming and difficult to start, so much so that one of your first thoughts may be “Do I really need to do this?” Whatever your business, the answer to this question is yes – and here are three reasons why.

A Business Plan Can Help You to Visualise Your Strategy

A business plan helps you to figure out what your goals are and how you are going to meet them. You may have a rough idea of what you want to achieve, but a business plan is a place where you can solidify those ideas and decide how to make them happen.

Business plans vary in length and content, but can include some or all of the following sections:

• Executive Summary
• Mission Statement / Vision
• Company Description
• Products and Services
• Market Analysis
• Marketing Plan
• Strategy and Implementation
• Organisation and Management Team
• Financial Plan
• Cash Flow Statement
• Revenue Projections
• Appendix

By glancing at this list, you can see how a business plan can help you to document a range of vital information about your business, so that you and all of your stakeholders move in the right direction.

A Business Plan Can Help You to Secure Funding

If the business plan is being used to secure investors or lenders, there may also be a Request for Funding section. And of course, if you’re looking for funding that is one very good reason why having a business plan is essential. Your business plan will need to convince potential funders or investors that they are going to make a good return, that you have a sensible action plan in place with realistic goals, and that you have a good business idea.

A Business Plan Can Help You to Meet Your Goals

Your goals don’t have to be set in stone. Your business plan is a flexible document that can be adapted as your business adapts and as you meet your goals, create new ones, or simply need to make a change. You may find that your current business plan isn’t working, and in that case, there is no point in sticking to it. A business plan is designed to be referred to often and to keep you on track, so it should be as useful as possible and up to date at all times.

Everyone Needs a Business Plan

What are our goals? How will we fund the business and turn a profit? How will we market the business? What is the competition like? What is our exit strategy? These are not just questions you ask yourself when your business is first starting out. Your business plan can inform your company’s entire journey. That’s why a business plan is useful even for established businesses. You still have goals to meet, you still need to adapt according to changes in your market, and you still need to plan your finances. This is also true if you are buying an existing company, if you’re a freelancer, or if you’re about to register to become a limited company.

Whether you are just starting out as a limited company, you already have an existing company, or you’d like to buy an existing or vintage company, we can help. Paramount Formations has been at the forefront of the company formation sector for 40 years, and we offer quick and efficient services provided by our expert team. Call 0800 0198 698 or contact us online to find out how we can help you, or browse the products on our website.