How to Write a One-Page Business Plan

The one-page business plan is one of the most popular tools for entrepreneurs, startups, and established companies. It’s also one of the simplest to develop. This article will walk you through a description of a one-page business plan, the purpose of this type of plan, and how to create a one-page business plan for your company.
 

What is a One-Page Business Plan?

A one-page business plan is a compressed version of a traditional business plan that fits neatly into a single page. Creating a one-page business plan requires significant research, strategizing and financial modeling on the front end to be effective. In that respect, rather than being easier or simpler to create than a full-length business plan, the single-page business plan actually requires an additional distillation effort for the entrepreneur.

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As always, utilizing a business plan template provides the basis for you to clearly communicate your value proposition, business concept, business strategy, services, product offerings, etc., and improve your business planning process. ​
 

Benefits of Using a One-Page Plan

A one-page plan is easier to read, share and understand.

By boiling down your business plan into one page with only the most important elements, you are better able to 1) focus on the key action items your business must accomplish and 2) present your vision and plan to your team in a way that won’t overwhelm them and will allow them to most easily understand it.

The reward is that the brevity of a 1 page business plan is very attractive to prospective investors, who are usually pressed for time. Because it is so brief, it is also an effective tool to share among your management team and employees to get your team motivated and working towards the same goals. A strong one-page business plan proves you grasp the crux of your business and appreciate what is most critical for audiences to quickly understand about it.

Below, we walk through the content of a one-page business planning template.
 

The One-Page Business Plan Template

Whether you are starting a service business or a product-focused business, your one-page business plan should include the following 7 items:

1. Problem
2. Solution
3. Business Model
4. Market Analysis
5. Competitor Analysis
6. Financial Projections
7. Funding Required & Uses of Funds

Each of these items are detailed below.

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How to Create a One-Page Business Plan

Each of the key elements included in a traditional business plan retains its position in the 1 page business plan. You need only provide a few words, phrases, or sentences in the description for each of the sections and move on to the next. The following are the essential elements:

1. Problem

Problems are unmet or underserved needs of people you have observed. Identifying a problem is the starting point for entrepreneurs to develop relevant business ideas and plans. Your business is relevant because you propose to meet this need.

For example, Netflix in its budding days identified a problem with video stores. It was time consuming and inconvenient to go to the video store every time you felt like watching a new movie.

2. Solution

In the solution section of your single-page business plan, you bring out your business idea that will solve the problem you highlighted above. Your product and/or service is immediately justified because of the problem you had introduced to the audience beforehand. In one or two sentences, explain how your business solves or meets the identified problem.

Again, looking at Netflix, the company initially solved the problem of time consumption and inconvenience by delivering movies directly to customers’ homes.

3. Business Model

A business model highlights how your organization will create and capture value, or make money. You will need to provide details like production costs, selling costs, pricing strategy and distribution channels among others. You may also create a business model canvas, but it’s not typically part of a one-page business plan template.

Consider the example of YouTube. YouTube’s business model hinges on users who by and large engage on the platform for free. YouTube leverages this ever-increasing user base to attract advertisers, which provides revenues.

4. Market Analysis

The market analysis includes a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of a particular group your business will target. Through market research, you should identify the size of the target market, regulatory considerations, and customer segments along with their respective buying powers and patterns.

For example, Swedish furniture brand Ikea’s US target market could be described as urban young professionals who like the Scandinavian style and are willing to put in a little setup work themselves to save money on quality furnishings. These individuals spend, on average, $8,000 on furnishing when they move into a new home or apartment.

5. Competitive Analysis

In this section, identify your main competitors, who could turn into competitors with time and your competitive advantage.

Take the example of coffee giant Starbucks. Their competitor analysis would yield large brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, Panera Bread and McDonald’s McCafé, as well as boutique coffee shops on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. Starbucks differentiates itself through providing specialty coffee products of consistent quality under a national brand.

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6. Financial Plan & Projections

Strong financial projections include an income statement, a cash flow statement and a balance sheet. These detailed spreadsheets will not fit into a simple one-page business plan. Instead, include one or two graphs that illustrate the crux of your financial projections. This works for both a small business or larger companies.

See below for example graphs that show a growth in topline revenues year over year as well as the projected revenue distribution by service area for a hair salon:

7. Funding Required & Uses of Funds

Here, you must clearly write about your funding expectations from the investors you are pitching to. Provide additional detail in either a short table, words, or pie chart of the amount of capital you are seeking from investors and its proposed uses.

See below for an example table of fund uses for a startup hair salon:

 

Free Downloadable One-Page Business Plan Example PDF

Download our one page business plan template PDF here.

Download Growthink’s One-Page-Business-Plan-Template for Microsoft Word
 

Final Thoughts

Remember to focus on your business’ strengths as much as you can. If your market analysis reveals you have a strong position then highlight it more in the single-page plan. Likewise, if your financial projections come out stronger then elongate the financial section.

Editing the enormity of a business plan into a single page is a daunting task but doing so will bring clarity to the core idea and value of your business and help you pitch well in front of potential investors.
 

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