How Long Should a Business Plan Be?

Welcome, entrepreneurial overachiever, procrastinator, or poor soul trapped at a coworking desk next to a guy who says “synergy” unironically. You Googled “How long should a business plan be?”—maybe right after reading approximately 58 different answers, none of which made sense and one of which involved “manifesting” the perfect length. Pull up that second (or third) $7 iced coffee, mute your Slack notifications, and prepare for the roast you never asked for.

Because, let’s face it: your business plan’s not a college thesis, but it’s not a Post-It note, either. Is there a magical number? Do investors crave War & Peace or are they allergic to anything longer than a TikTok caption? Pull up a chair—let’s stress together.

The Myth of the One-Size-Fits-All Business Plan (Shorter Than Your Attention Span)

Here’s the harsh reality:
There’s no golden rule, and anyone who says differently is selling a course for $997.

A [Business plan], much like an American diner menu, can be anything from a glorified pamphlet to a novella that would put Stephen King to shame. Some “experts” say 10-20 pages. Others say, “As long as it needs to be.” (Translation: nobody wants to be responsible if you fail.)

But let’s get real—nobody is reading your 48-page masterwork except your mom and maybe a paralegal who bills by the hour.

If you can’t explain your unicorn app’s world domination plan in fewer than 20 pages, maybe you need fewer buzzwords and more caffeine.

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TL,DR: Who’s Reading This and How Fast Can They Escape?

Let’s get brutal:

  • Investors: Want to know, “Will I get my yacht, or nah?” They’ll skip to the executive summary, peek at your financials, and then ghost you until Q2.
  • Bankers: Love paperwork until it gets inconvenient. (Pro tip: They check the numbers, not the love letters to your brand.)
  • Your Team: (Okay, just you and your dog.) Will read the first two pages… if you beg.
  • Yourself: You’ll obsess over every word, then never read it again after launch day.

So, unless you’re writing a “how to” for people who enjoy pain, keep your [business plan] digestible. Not “scroll through TikTok on the toilet” short—but not “War and Peace, but with cashflow charts” long either.

Reality Check: It’s Not About Length, It’s About Vibes (And Usefulness, Maybe)

Here’s a spicy secret: “How long?” is the wrong question. Better question: Does your [business plan] actually help anyone do anything?

Golden rules, straight from the trenches:

  • Executive Summary: 1-2 pages, max. Think Twitter thread, not Victorian novel.
  • Main Sections: 7-12 pages. If you have more, you’re either changing the world or overthinking.
  • Appendices: Unlimited, because nobody pretends to read these anyway (add all the legal bits, resumes, and screenshots of positive DMs here).

A few tell-tale signs your plan is Too Long™:

  • You reference “see page 57 for details” before page 8.
  • The table of contents is two pages.
  • Your printer starts sobbing.

Mic drop: When in doubt, just add a page break. It makes everything ~fancier~ and plumper for minimal mental effort.

Short Plans, Long Plans, No Plans—Which Disaster Are You?

There are three basic [business plan] personalities:

  1. The “Insta-Plan” (Three pages, maximum. Bullets, bolded lies about “projected synergy,” and an org chart made in Canva.)
    • Who this is for: Side hustlers, impulsive geniuses, anyone applying to Shark Tank who hopes to “wing it.”
    • Risks: May impress exactly no one except your therapist.
  2. The Classic Try-Hard (12-20 solid pages. Enough to feel adult, short enough to not induce a full existential meltdown.)
    • Who this is for: Founders who want bank loans, partners, or, like, credibility.
    • Wins: Looks good in print, easy to skim, plenty of room for bad charts.
  3. The Unreadable Odyssey (30+ pages, plus appendices, footnotes, and stock photos of “Teamwork” from 2007.)
    • Who this is for: MBA students, masochists, the tragically over-prepared, anyone trying to impress their rich in-law.
    • Side effects: Unopened attachments, haunting printer jams, carpal tunnel.

Choose your fighter wisely, but know that most investors would rather read your vibes than your vision in size-10 Times New Roman.

The Sweet Spot: Write Enough to Sound Smart, Not So Much You Get Ignored

Let’s nail down what an actually readable [business plan] might look like:

  • Executive Summary: 1-2 pages
  • Business Description & Vision: 1-2 pages
  • Market Analysis: 2-3 pages max, unless you’re quoting Pew Research or showing off your “deep Google” skills.
  • Operations & Team: 1-2 pages (Don’t lie. Everyone knows your “COO” is your roommate.)
  • Products/Services: 1-2 pages
  • Marketing & Sales: 2-3 pages if you’re feeling spicy
  • Financials: 2-4 pages of numbers you’ll ignore after launch
  • Appendices: The graveyard for everything else

Grand total: About 12-20 pages. Goldilocks zone. Not too long, not too short—just like that five-minute work break that somehow lasted an hour.

Make sure every section serves a purpose (other than impressing your “Networking for Success” instructor from sophomore year).

Secret Sauce: Quality > Quantity (Unless We’re Talking Fries)

business plan

The best [business plan] isn’t the thickest—it’s the one that makes someone either open their wallet or at least not close your tab in disgust. Would you rather read a tight, punchy 15-pager with meme-appropriate chart captions, or a 40-page snooze-fest only your dad will “skim” while on the treadmill?

A plan should only be as long as it takes to:

  • Prove you’re not just daydreaming in the Starbucks parking lot
  • Convince someone you’re vaguely competent
  • Show you know who’s going to pay you—and why
  • Make you sound more organized than you feel

No more, no less. Sometimes, less really is more—unless you’re working at a Chipotle and it’s guac.

Congratulations! You survived a crash course in business plan length and can now safely roll your eyes at anyone who says “it must be 30 pages or else!” in LinkedIn comments. Save the trees, save your wrists, save your sanity: keep your business plan human, helpful, and, above all, readable.

If you made it this far, you deserve an honorary MBA—and maybe a nap. Go forth and write YOUR business plan: longer than a tweet, shorter than the Great American Novel, and just right for your next big thing.

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