Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Having written hundreds of business plans, I’ve found that some clients insist upon documents of over thirty pages, not including financial charts.  This includes additional market research, product and service description, and other elements such as company history and client background.

To create a solid, streamlined business plan that speaks of the core components needed in a professional document, I have been taught, by experienced mentors and business planning blog writers (such as Guy Kawasaki)  that a business plan should rarely exceed 25 pages.

We aim to earn the satisfaction of every client we work with, but emphasize that less is often more.  What do others in this arena feel about the length of a business plan document?  I agree that 20-25 pages is frequently the perfect length; if a concept and its market cannot be explained and demonstrated fairly briefly, then either the writer doesn’t properly understand the product or market, or not enough effort is being spent in the pursuit of brevity.

Major sections of a business plan, excluding financial charts and tables, should include a tailored, non-template executive summary (one page in length, no more), products and services description, a vision or mission statement, market analysis, a marketing strategy, operations, competitive overview, and an overall business strategy.

Kind regards, and I would love to hear feedback.  Thanks.

Ellen Arndt, Lead Marketing and Research Writer of Business Plans

Main Office of Epic Business Planning:
10955 Westmoor Drive
Suite 400
Westminster, CO 80021
303-482-2077

www.epicplanning.com

If a business has significant traction and is making early stage sales then a short plan can explain all that's necessary. However, if a business is attempting to get funding before traction they will need a plan that contains comprehensive details on market research.

I think the important factors are the quality of the traction and the potential to scale.

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iMarketing Ireland- My site for helping entrepreneurs make more sales online.

If there is already a market for a product or service, I believe pages and pages of market research only hide what the actual product or service is; thus, if it is needed in the marketplace, a 10-page market analysis is only making the business plan more jumbled and confusing to the reader.  If the product or service is needed, 10 pages of research should not be necessary.

Having written numerous business plans for my own businesses and for clients, I agree length counts if you want your target audience (banks and investors) to read it. If you keep the entire document including financials and any appendices to 20-25 pages, it will get read and therefore have a greater chance of helping you get funding.

In the executive summary, VC and Angels are looking for it to cover a lot, so I work with clients to make the executive summary self-sufficient at 2 pages, including a basic 5 year financial forecast.

I have written many business plans also. My very first business plan, written entirely from scratch, no templates, was hailed by lenders and SBA reps as being exactly what they prefer. Short and consise. They all echoed the same sentiment. They are bored to tears with overly detailed, much too lengthy plans. Mine was 20 pages and included all of the required financials.

Each lender that read it was immediately captivated by the Executive Summary and they were motivated to keep reading right then and there. That is the most important component. You have to grab their attention with that very first page.

Less is more folks. Take it from those that have actual experience in front of lenders. 

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Sylvia Business Plan Writer