Free template

Business Plan Outline & Format: Free Template

A section-by-section outline in the traditional format the SBA describes — with what goes in each section and where each number comes from. Copy it free, or let Main Street Plans fill it in with your town’s data.

By Main Street Plans research · Updated October 12, 2026 · Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics

Have it filled inFree numbers first · $49 for the full plan

The outline, section by section

Section	What to include	Where the facts come from
1. Executive summary	One page. Business name and concept, location, owner, what makes it different, total startup cost, the funding request and the year-one and year-three sales and profit.	Your answers + your projection
2. Company description	What you sell and to whom, the problem you solve, legal structure, and why now.	Your answers
3. Market analysis	Competitor count in your county and how it changed, competitors per 100,000 residents vs. the state and nation, average sales of similar businesses, population growth.	Census CBP, Economic Census, Nonemployer, population estimates
4. Organization and management	Owner background, who does what, hiring plan and wages.	Your answers + BLS wages
5. Service or product line	Menu or service list, prices, how the average sale is built.	Your answers
6. Marketing and sales	Who the first customers are, where they find you, what the launch looks like, how you get repeat business.	Your answers
7. Operations	Hours and days, suppliers, equipment, location or route, licenses and permits.	Your answers + permit checklist
8. Funding request	Total startup cost, your own cash, the loan amount, term and estimated payment, and what each dollar buys.	Your answers + prime rate
9. Financial projections	Startup budget, fixed and variable costs, break-even, and a three-to-five-year projection with the first year in detail.	Calculated from all of the above
10. Risks	What could go wrong and what you’ll do about it: slow start, a key cost rising, a competitor opening nearby.	Your answers + reality checks
11. Appendix	Quotes, resumes, licenses, lease or commissary letters, credit history if asked.	Your documents

See every section filled in for a real business in our sample food truck plan for Austin, Texas.

Copy the outline

Plain text — paste into Google Docs or Word

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
   One page. Business name and concept, location, owner, what makes it different, total startup cost, the funding request and the year-one and year-three sales and profit.

2. COMPANY DESCRIPTION
   What you sell and to whom, the problem you solve, legal structure, and why now.

3. MARKET ANALYSIS
   Competitor count in your county and how it changed, competitors per 100,000 residents vs. the state and nation, average sales of similar businesses, population growth.

4. ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
   Owner background, who does what, hiring plan and wages.

5. SERVICE OR PRODUCT LINE
   Menu or service list, prices, how the average sale is built.

6. MARKETING AND SALES
   Who the first customers are, where they find you, what the launch looks like, how you get repeat business.

7. OPERATIONS
   Hours and days, suppliers, equipment, location or route, licenses and permits.

8. FUNDING REQUEST
   Total startup cost, your own cash, the loan amount, term and estimated payment, and what each dollar buys.

9. FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
   Startup budget, fixed and variable costs, break-even, and a three-to-five-year projection with the first year in detail.

10. RISKS
   What could go wrong and what you’ll do about it: slow start, a key cost rising, a competitor opening nearby.

11. APPENDIX
   Quotes, resumes, licenses, lease or commissary letters, credit history if asked.

Traditional or lean?

The SBA describes two formats. A traditional plan is the detailed version lenders and investors commonly request. A lean plan fits on one page — key partners, activities, resources, value proposition, customer relationships, customer segments, channels, cost structure and revenue streams — and is useful for testing an idea quickly, but a lender may ask for more.

If you are applying for a loan, use the traditional outline above. Then read how to write a business plan a lender will read.

Questions

What are the sections of a business plan?

The SBA’s traditional format covers the executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management, service or product line, marketing and sales, funding request and financial projections. Many plans add operations, risks and an appendix, as this outline does.

What is the difference between a traditional and a lean business plan?

A traditional plan is detailed — the SBA describes it as dozens of pages — and is what lenders commonly request. A lean plan fits on one page and works for testing an idea, but a lender may ask for more detail.

Which section should I write first?

The financial projections, then the market analysis. Everything else describes how you’ll hit those numbers, and the executive summary is written last.

Sources

U.S. Small Business Administration, “Write your business plan” (sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/write-your-business-plan).
U.S. Census Bureau: County Business Patterns, Economic Census and Nonemployer Statistics.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Federal Reserve: bank prime loan rate (via FRED).

Figures are computed by Main Street Plans from the published federal files listed above. See how we build our numbers.