Welcome, future entrepreneur, side-hustler, or just someone avoiding laundry so hard you’ve turned to business advice blogs. You want to start a small business because (let’s be real) your “main job” is as fulfilling as accidentally sending a TikTok to the wrong person. But then—plot twist!—someone whispered the words “business plan” and you panic-Googled until you landed here. Sit down, clutch your half-empty Starbucks cup, and get ready for an unfiltered, caffeine-drenched ride through the chaos of creating a business plan for your small business. Spoiler: If you finish this post, you’ll be more prepared than 90% of people who claim “entrepreneur” in their Instagram bio.
The Executive Summary: The TL;DR Nobody Will Read (But You Have to Write)
Let’s rip off the Band-Aid: the executive summary is the first page, but honestly, it’ll be the last thing you finish—after you finally understand what your business even is. A Business Plan without an executive summary is like a Netflix show without a recap: nobody asked, but the algorithm insists.
- What’s your business? (Pretend it’s your elevator pitch and the elevator is already at your floor.)
- What problem are you solving? (Other than your deep, unaddressed yearning to “finally work for yourself.”)
- How will you make money? (It’s not enough to just “go viral”—unless you’re, like, a hand sanitizer startup in 2020.)
Pro tip: If your summary sounds like it belongs on LinkedIn and makes you cringe, you nailed the vibe.
Company Description: Pretend You’re the Next Bezos, but Maybe Don’t Name Your Company ‘Zon’
Time to describe your small business like it’s destined for Shark Tank, but more relatable and with way more cold brew consumption.
Be honest here. Investors, banks, or your mom’s skeptical bridge club don’t want to hear, “It’s like Uber, but for plants.” Actually, never mind, that might work now.
You should include:
- Business name (Barista’s approval not required)
- What you do, but less essay, more elevator pitch
- Legal status: LLC, eating noodles at home, or “it’s complicated”
- Mission: Don’t use the word “synergy.” Just don’t.
Short version: Make it look like a Business Plan, not the scribbled napkin you used at Waffle House at 2 AM.
Market Analysis: Stalking Your Competition (No Judgement, We All Do It)
Are you ready to cyberstalk? Of course you are. Market analysis is basically digital creeping but make it sound like research.
You must answer:
- Who actually buys what you’re selling? (If it’s just your mom, still add her. She supports your dreams.)
- Who else is doing something similar? (And why is that guy with 9 cats always crushing it on Etsy?)
- What’s trending? (Is “hand-poured soy” still hot, or is it all NFTs and mushroom coffee now?)
Here’s a list to help you “look” smart:
- Cite one stat from Forbes, then immediately forget it
- “Our audience is Gen Z and Millennials, so we need memes”
- “Market size: probably big, maybe enormous, depending on how optimistic we are today”
Sad truth: Pie charts are for looking impressive, not actually being read.
Operations Plan: AKA, How Not To Burn The Place Down
Here’s the gritty, unglamorous section: how will stuff actually happen? It’s the part of your Business Plan where you lay out “the process”—even though, in reality, you’ll improvise 90% of it after launch.
Bold statements for the soul:
- You don’t have a team. You have “contributors” (read: your roommate for ‘exposure’)
- “Operations” means you order supplies, ship out orders, and sometimes forget to bill people
- Fancy buzzwords: logistics, fulfillment, seamless experience, scalable (a.k.a. you can fit more boxes in your car if you try hard enough)
Don’t forget to address:
- Who does what? (If you’re CEO, CMO, and head dishwasher, just admit it.)
- Where’s your “HQ”? (Saying “the kitchen table” is now deeply on brand.)
The Marketing Plan: How You’ll Convince People to Even Care
If there’s one lie every business owner tells, it’s that “organic viral growth” is the plan. On your [Business Plan], you need a marketing plan with a little more backbone (but not, like, too much).
Try these approaches:
- What’s your actual plan? Instagram spamming? DMing friends from high school? TikTok dances featuring your product?
- Are you spending on ads or hoping that “influencer collab” comes through?
- Plan for “community engagement” even if your community is… just you and your couple of late-night buyers.
Myth-busting bullets:
- “People will just find me” is a fantasy, not a plan
- If you’re not using memes, you’re not marketing in 2025
- Remember, “brand voice” means how snarky you can get away with being on Twitter before your brand gets canceled
Financials: Because Numbers Are Scary, but So Is Bankruptcy
Let’s get one thing clear: your Business Plan financials are not a legally binding contract. They’re… ambitious guesses (the grown-up version of “manifesting”).
List what you think you’ll need:
- Startup costs (spoiler: more than you have)
- Monthly expenses (groceries, rent, therapy)
- Revenue projections (draw a line. Make it go up. Excel will do the rest)
- Funding needs (how much will you beg, borrow, or Venmo request?)
If you do this in Excel, color-code aggressively so it looks professional—and just hope nobody asks what “Miscellaneous” is really funding.
The “Stuff No One Looks At” Appendix
Bonus round! The appendix is where you dump:
- Weird legal docs you downloaded at 3 AM
- Resumes for your “advisory board” (i.e., your cousin who took business in college)
- Stock photos of happy people holding things that kind of look like your product
- That NDA you made up because you don’t actually trust your future self
No one will ever read this. Put your hopes and dreams there, too.
Congratulations—you made it! You now have a (semi) legit Business Plan for a small business, written with more sarcasm than a TikTok comment section. If you finished this entire post, you’re officially more prepared than most people who buy “StartUp Grind” hoodies on Etsy. Now go forth and plan, caffeinated trailblazer, because even chaos needs a roadmap (or at least a really good-looking PDF). And if all else fails? Just blame the business plan. Everyone else does!