Most businesses do not write a business plan until they are seriously considering making their idea tangible. Such a big decision is bound to cause some stress, even in people who are usually calm and collected.
This is why a business plan writer’s block happens: you want to move forward with your idea, but the thought of putting it on paper and showing someone else is overwhelming. It’s easy for this to spiral into fear about whether your idea will work or not, which leads to more paralysis.
Luckily, there are online business plan writers available who can help you overcome writer’s block so you can start writing a killer business plan. They can also take the whole responsibility of writing a business plan for you that gets funded. These experienced writers know what investors are looking for when they’re considering whether or not to invest in your venture, and they know how to talk about your great idea in a way that’s compelling—and that makes you look like a serious contender for investment.
Here are some tips to get over your writer’s block and start writing your business plan immediately.
Put Your Idea On Paper
Writing is a good way to refine your ideas. You can overcome writer’s block by putting your idea on paper. After all, if you can’t describe your idea in writing, then you don’t understand what it is well enough.
You have to make clear what you’re offering and how you are going to make it happen. Business plans are not static documents—they evolve over time with the company, so don’t worry about getting everything perfect on the first attempt.
Do Your Research
Research the industry as best you can – find out who has been successful and why so many others have failed miserably before them!
It’s very important to get a feel for the industry you are planning on entering, as well as what other businesses are doing in that space. Check out competitors and other similar businesses, both inside and outside of your country. The more you know about the existing landscape in your market, the better decision you can make about how to work within it.
Take Inspiration From Others
When you’re stuck, it can help to look at other business plans for inspiration. If a friend or a family member has creative business plan writers that work well for them, ask if you can use it as a template—and don’t be afraid to start writing!
Make It Readable
You can do this by making sure the language you use is easy to understand, using simple words, and keeping sentences short. (I’ve fallen victim to long, rambling sentences a few times in this blog post.)
Organize the information well and use headings and subheadings to break up the text. This will help you write more concisely and logically, adding clarity for your readers.
Using formatting will also make your document more readable. Make sure there are enough white spaces between sections of text so that an applicant glancing at it quickly can easily grasp what they need to know. Using bolded or italicized characters will also help draw attention to specific points.
Include A Cover Page And Table Of Contents
The first page in your business plan should be a cover page with the title of your proposal, the date you began working on it, and your name as the author. Make sure to keep this simple but attractive. The cover page will be the first impression for any potential investors or lenders, so make it count!
The next section of your plan should include a table of contents that is accurate, up-to-date, easy to use, and broken down into logical segments. You may choose to write out an entire contents page or an index with only major headings and subheadings.
Write About The Company’s History
If the words are still in the processing phase in your mind, then start writing about your company’s history first. By doing this, you’ll recall the main objective of your company which will help you write the remaining parts of your business plan.
- Provide a timeline: Outline the history of your business, and include the date it was founded and why.
- Highlight achievements: If you have any major milestones that you’ve accomplished (such as opening a second location), highlight them here.
- Include awards or recognition: If your company has received any awards or recognition for its work, list them here.
Keep this section short—no more than two pages at most—and to the point, so readers will stay engaged with your plan and not get bored by details that aren’t relevant to their interests or needs.
Explain Your Product Offerings And Services
Think about what your business does, how it does it, who benefits from it, and how it is priced and marketed. Write down the answers to these questions in a way that’s easy for customers, investors, or your team members to understand.
If you need help, talk to friends or family with no knowledge of your business or industry (the less the better) and have them read your description. If they can’t tell what you do from reading the description, rewrite it until they can understand.
Outline Your Marketing Plan
Outline your marketing strategy for the year. Where do you want to boost brand awareness? Do you want more clicks, conversions, or revenue? What are you doing to get there? Answering these questions will give you a focused lens through which you can create content and marketing materials.
Figure out how much money is available to spend on the advertising side of your business plan. You don’t have to set in stone how much money will be used on each channel or campaign, but knowing what’s available and putting that number into your plan will help you feel confident as you move forward with it.
Describe The Target Market And Competition
This is another best way to beat writer’s block. Describe your target market and competitors. The target market is the group of people or businesses you’re trying to sell to. Knowing your target market means understanding who they are, where they live, how much money they make, what interests them, how old they are, and so on.
Identify your competition by researching other companies that offer similar products or services. Know these businesses well—what do they do well? What do they do poorly? How are you different from your competitors? Why will customers choose you over others?
Detail The Logistics And Delivery Of The Product/Service
Next up, move on to the logistics. How exactly will you deliver your product/service? What is the supply chain? If you have a physical product to sell, what parts do you need, how do they come together (do you assemble them yourself or work with a contract manufacturer?), and where will it be stored until it’s sold?
How does the customer use the service that you provide? What’s the process of going from lead to customer?
When you figure out answers to these questions, you’ll have a better idea of what you need to write in your business plan.
Discuss Financials And Forecasts
Next, talk about the financials and forecasts. For a sales forecast, you will have to create a table with columns for each month and rows for your sales by product. You should include a balance sheet, quarterly profit and loss statements (with percentages), cash flow statement, charts/graphs of your finances as well as detailed financial projections.
In addition, if you’re a startup and want to maximize your fundraising, we recommend looking for ico consultancy services. The ICO consultants provide you an effective ICO plan and help you in launching an initial coin offering for your potential investors.
Keep It Simple Where Possible
Don’t try to impress your audience with big words or clever turns of phrases. Make your business plan reader-friendly by keeping the language simple, avoiding jargon, using short sentences and paragraphs, headings and subheadings, bullet points, lists, and illustrations wherever possible.
Use graphs to explain complex points. Using an easy-to-read font will also make it more pleasant to read.
A Business Plan Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect But It Does Need To Be Written Down!
Business plans can be difficult to write—especially if they span more than two pages, which can often happen if they are half-baked ideas that don’t actually get any funding. The purpose of business plan writers is to help you and your team define exactly what it is that you want to do and how you’re going to achieve it.
Regardless of whether or not your idea gets funded with money, writing one still helps put things into perspective for yourself and for others who might be involved in the project. You can also seek help from business plan writers if you can’t figure out how to read an impressive yet functional business plan.
Finally, once in place, a solid written business plan can also serve as the cornerstone of fundraising.
FAQs
1. Why do I need to write a business plan?
Writing a business plan can help you to define your goals, whether that’s a specific amount or type of funding or sales goals. If you do want to expand and share your business plan with potential investors, it’ll be easier if you have a plan in place that can be easily read and understood by others.
Also, writing things down helps you organize your thoughts and gives you time to reflect on them. This process will help guide your initial steps on any new venture!
2. Why do so many people struggle with writing a business plan?
It’s the fear of the unknown that makes people struggle with their business plan writing. When you don’t know how to write a business plan, that fear is even worse than it is for those who have written them before. You don’t know what to say or how to say it, and that stress quickly turns into writer’s block. Taking help from professional business plan writers might help.
3. What exactly is writer’s block?
Writer’s block is a condition that can happen to writers when they are searching for ideas or words to advance their work. Writer’s block can manifest in many ways—you might find yourself unable to think of a new idea or unable to finish an idea you’ve already started.
You could also experience writer’s block when writing about things that don’t interest you, or if you’re trying to write something that doesn’t fit in with your personal style.
4. Should I include pictures in my business plan?
Yes, absolutely. When you’re communicating with investors and other people who will be looking at your business plan, it’s important to remember that they are just like you: they want to get a feel for what your company is going to be like.
They want a picture in their minds of what it will look like when your company is successful—and if it’s not successful, what their investment will have helped make it possible. To help them do this, you can include pictures in your business plan.
5. What is the difference between a pitch deck and a business plan?
The goal of your pitch deck is to rapidly attract investors’ interest, provide just enough information on your product to ensure they understand what you do, and then spend the rest of the time discussing why it’s an excellent business opportunity and why they should invest in it.
A business plan is a more in-depth analysis of an early or proposed business. It serves as a detailed success plan for you and your company. Investors will want to examine a company’s business plan in order to evaluate it.
