Ever opened a business plan template and felt like you’d stumbled upon ancient hieroglyphics—except more boring and with way less chance of a Nicolas Cage treasure hunt? (Just me? Okay.) Look, every “future founder” needs a business plan outline, and you need one not because your startup is about to disrupt the sandwich industry, but because otherwise nobody—banker, buddy, or your mom—will give you a dime. So buckle up, extra shots of espresso in hand, and witness the business plan breakdown that nobody asked for—but you clicked anyway, so whose fault is that?
Executive Summary: Because Everyone’s Attention Span Is Now 7 Seconds
Let’s rip off the most painful Band-Aid first. The Executive Summary is what every business plan outline starts with. Do people read it? Only if you bribe them with coffee or memes.
Brutally real talk:
This is your entire business, speedrun edition. If you can’t sell your idea in one page, investors will scroll by faster than a thirst trap on TikTok. Tell us:
- What’s your genius idea? (And, please, not “Uber but for potholes.” We’ve suffered enough.)
- Why should anyone care? (And don’t say “synergy.” That word is banned.)
- Where’s your cash coming from? (If it’s your dog walking around with a Venmo sign, maybe rethink.)
Writing tip: If you don’t groan at least three times while summarizing your “vision,” you’re doing it wrong.
Company Description: Because LinkedIn Bios Weren’t Embarrassing Enough
Now you get to describe your company. Make it sound inspiring, but not so much that everyone rolls their eyes into next week.
Here’s what your all-star business plan outline wants:
- The name of your baby (Er, company. But if you name your company “X Æ A-12,” don’t blame me when people have questions.)
- What does it do—like, really do? (If you can’t explain it to your grandma, you probably need more bullet points.)
- Your company’s legal status: I know, hot stuff—LLC, C-Corp, or “perpetual side hustle.”
- Mission statement: The one sentence you’ll slap on every pitch, mug, and company hoodie.
Vague ambition is cool until you get asked follow-up questions.
Market Analysis: It’s Basically Cyberstalking, But for Business
Research time! This is where you snoop on competitors and lie to yourself about “total addressable market,” preferably armed with pizza and regret.
What actually matters:
- Who’s your customer? (If you say “everyone,” congrats, you just invented wishful thinking.)
- Current trends, stats, TikTok references. The more market research, the more everyone assumes you know what you’re doing.
- The competition—why are you better, faster, weirder, or just more persistent than those clowns?
Lists not lies, y’all:
- “Gen Z can’t get enough cold brew? Perfect.”
- “The pet rock industry is booming? Noted.”
- “Competitors still faxing documents? It’s 2025. You win.”
Fact: Market analysis is like stalking your ex’s new partner—you’ll see things you wish you hadn’t, but it’s research, so it’s fine.
Organization & Management: “We’re All CEOs Now,” Said Every LinkedIn Influencer
Here’s where your business plan outline demands you name names, give fake titles, and pretend you’re not planning to do everything yourself until further notice.
Include stuff like:
- Leadership team, even if it’s just you and your cousin Steve (who, let’s be honest, is only in it for the pizza Fridays).
- Org chart: Circle your own name. Add a dash line to your cat, Chief Morale Officer.
- Any “advisors”—bonus points for listing your high school economics teacher and that guy who left you a comment on Reddit.
Every startup org chart basically looks like a social network of people you owe favors to.
Service or Product Line: That Thing You Actually Want to Show Off (But Still Have to Explain)
Time for the business plan outline to get to what you’re actually selling.
- What is it? (No, really. If your elevator pitch needs an elevator, we have a problem.)
- What makes it special? (Saying “disruptive” is the business plan version of seasoning: use sparingly, if at all.)
- The problem you claim to solve (emphasis on claim).
- Lifecycle, intellectual property, secret sauce. (If the “secret” is just two extra scoops of caffeine, same.)
Just remember:
- If you don’t know what you’re selling, neither will anyone else.
- The more niche, the better. Because, honestly, “artisan kombucha for hedgehogs” is trending somewhere.
Marketing & Sales: Because No One Will Accidentally Find You (Except Maybe Your Mom)
Here’s where you make outrageous claims about going viral “organically,” just before you drop your last $20 on Instagram ads.
Include in your business plan outline:
- How you’re going to get customers (in a non-creepy way).
- Where you’ll market—TikTok, Starbucks bathroom stalls, DMs to old college friends?
- Your sales tactics: Hot tip, threatening to show up at their house does NOT count.
- Partnerships, events, collabs with minor celebrities or TikTokers who’ll ghost you after the campaign.
Tell a compelling story. Bonus: Use so much slang that your investors have to Google half your plan.
Funding Request & Financials: “Here’s Where We Pretend to Do Math”
Now is the time to shamelessly ask for cash like a GoFundMe but with more spreadsheets.
What should your business plan outline include here?
- How much you need (“All of it” is not a dollar amount, but I support your ambition).
- What it’s for (besides your rent and an overpriced standing desk).
- Detailed projections—make the lines go up and to the right, even if your soul is down and to the left.
- Your plan for repaying, exiting, or just running away to Bali if it all goes south.
Don’t worry—no one expects these numbers to be accurate. It’s the confidence that counts.
The Appendix: Where Dreams and Extra Stuff Go To Die
Congratulations! Welcome to the appendix, the junk drawer of the business plan outline.
Slap in:
- Resumes
- Charts you found at 2 AM and don’t remember making
- Legal docs, NDAs, LLC confirmation emails from when you tried to adult
- ANYTHING Karen from HR yelled about during your single all-hands meeting
Nobody ever checks the appendix. That’s why it exists.
You made it? Against all odds (and boredom), you now know what goes in a business plan outline. Trust me, nobody’s going to love your outline as much as you will, except maybe an eager investor or your mom (unless she’s still mad you spilled cold brew on her new rug). Take this structure, fill it with equal parts ambition and espresso, and bravely step into your role as future startup legend. Or at least, future “person whose LinkedIn says ‘founder.’”
Go forth and outline, you caffeinated visionary. Or just nap. You’ve earned it.