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A working plan for your next move

Build your business plan.

Put your idea into words. Test the cash. Leave with a plan you can use.

Free · No account required · Your answers stay in this browser unless you choose to save or download them.

Start anywhere. Unanswered questions will be marked in your PDF.

01

Your business

Working names are fine.

Your name or team.

Where will you operate?

Idea, preparing to launch, operating, or growing.

What do you sell, to whom, and why will they choose you?

02

Customers and demand

Be specific about the people or businesses you serve.

What gets easier, better, or less expensive for your customer?

Interviews, paid pilots, past sales, or other evidence. Separate facts from assumptions.

Who else solves this problem? Why would someone choose you?

03

Offer and pricing

Describe the offer and how it is delivered.

What does a sale bring in and cost to deliver? Include direct labor and fees.

Channels, follow-up, repeat purchases, and a realistic sales target.

04

Operations and inventory

People, suppliers, equipment, location, and your day-to-day process.

When do you pay suppliers? How long does stock sit? When do customers actually pay you?

Registrations, licenses, insurance, tax obligations, and who will verify them.

05

Cash and funding

Cash already available; do not count the same funding twice.

Payments before Month 1, including initial stock, deposits, and equipment.

Only additional funds you reasonably expect to receive before the forecast starts.

Explain estimates, uncertain funding, payment delays, seasonality, and what you will do if sales fall short.

$

Your 12-month cash forecast

Enter money when it actually reaches or leaves the bank, not when a sale is booked. Blank amounts count as $0 in this draft. Use USD throughout.

Operating payments include payroll, rent, marketing, taxes, and equipment paid during the forecast. Keep stock purchases, owner withdrawals, and loan payments in their own columns so you count each payment once.

MonthCash receivedStock purchasesOperating paymentsOwner withdrawalsLoan paymentsEnding cash

This is a cash planning worksheet, not a profit statement. It does not calculate taxes, interest, depreciation, or required funding automatically.

06

Risks and next steps

Name the assumptions most likely to fail and how you will adapt.

List concrete actions, dates, owners, and measures of progress.

When you need a deeper forecast

Why I recommend LivePlan

I used LivePlan to write the plan for my first dealership. Working through inventory and cash flow helped me anticipate income shortfalls before they arrived.

Anthony Gonzalez, founder of Let's Go SMALL

This free worksheet helps you build a first draft. LivePlan is worth considering when you want more detailed forecasting and an ongoing planning process.

Explore LivePlan

Referral disclosure: We may receive a reward if you sign up through this link. A spreadsheet is also a reasonable way to develop your forecast.

Use the plan, then revisit it.

Check the assumptions against actual results each month. Before sharing with a lender or investor, verify your numbers and add any supporting documents they require.

Turn your plan into a 30-day launch checklist

Turn your customer plan into a next step

After defining your offer and audience, create a way for interested customers to contact you. A short inquiry form helps put the plan into practice.

Customer inquiry form guide →Build your form with Jotform ↗

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you purchase through our Jotform links, at no additional cost to you. Choose a tool that fits your business. How our links work.

Set up your books and invoices

Keep business records organized, send clear invoices and review what customers owe. Start with our free weekly checklist, then compare software for your workflow.

Read the bookkeeping & invoicing guide →

Explore FreshBooks — affiliate link ↗

Affiliate disclosure: Let’s Go SMALL may earn a commission if you sign up or purchase through this link. Features, fees and availability vary by plan and region. How our links work. No purchase is required to use our guide.

Optional tools / choose for your next task

Put your operating plan into practice.

If software is part of the plan, budget for setup, recurring charges and the person who will maintain it. An app-based business and a service business may need very different tools.

Test an app idea before expanding the build.

Bubble is a no-code app-building platform for founders who need user accounts, data and workflows. Outline one customer problem and a small first version before committing to a larger app.

Before choosing: Validate demand and compare an existing product first. Free development is different from a live launch: review paid plans, workload usage, plugins, integrations and ongoing maintenance costs.

Explore Bubble for founders ↗

Keep the money trail organized.

Patriot Accounting offers income and expense tracking, bank imports, reconciliation and invoicing. It is an option for owners who need a repeatable bookkeeping routine, with or without employees.

Before choosing: Compare invoice features, bank connections, payment processing charges, reports, exports and accountant access. Some features require Accounting Premium. Accounting software is not business income-tax return preparation.

Explore Patriot Accounting ↗

Affiliate disclosure: Let’s Go SMALL may earn a commission from qualifying actions through the Patriot Software or Bubble links in this section, at no additional cost to you. No purchase is required to use our guides. These are feature-based options to compare, not firsthand product reviews. How our links work.

Could a custom app solve your business problem?

Compare simpler tools first, explore practical Bubble use cases, and create a free printable first-app brief.

Plan your first business app →