Before you start a business and certainly before you start incurring any expenses take the time to develop and write your business plan. If you are wondering what goes into writing a winning business plan you can start by studying as many business plan examples as you can. You have the choice of looking at generic business plan templates and outlines which are available online, perhaps obtaining a free trial of business plan software, or getting hold of copies of business plans which relate more directly to your chosen niche market.

If the idea of writing your first business plan seems a little daunting, you shouldn’t be too concerned. If you are thinking of starting a business, you probably already have a great deal of the information needed and all that you require is the necessary framework with which you can construct your business plan.
It is likely you have a clear vision of your business, where you want to take it, how you are going to get there, the costs involved, and the potential profits to be made. All of these are some of the critical elements that go into writing a winning business plan.
The benefit of studying real business plans and business plan templates is in getting a really good idea of what makes a sound business plan and as a result highlighting areas or sections you may not have thought of.
Professional business plan writers and business planning consultants will tell you that writing your business plan is an iterative process. It can take any number of attempts before you will be fully satisfied with it. Moreover a business plan should not be left to gather dust on one of your shelves (as many do unfortunately). It needs to be alive and a winning business plan is one that helps you continuously measure where you are against where you expected to be as well helping you to take any corrective action and manage any contingencies.
That’s why it is so important to update your business plan regularly.
There are two more points worth mentioning before looking at a winning business plan structure.




A well constructed business plan is one of the best communication tools at your disposal whether you are discussing your business with investors, suppliers, shareholders, board members, or employees. Moreover, it is impossible to over estimate the importance and value of your business plan as a motivational tool especially for yourself.
When writing your business plan there may be sections that need to be included that are unique to your chosen market or industry such as medical, technological, related to government agencies and so on.  However, in general, all winning business plans should include:

• An executive summary
• Company background
• Vision
• Unique selling proposition and competitive advantages
• Purpose and direction the company wishes to take
• Strategies objectives and key measures of success
• Products or service overview including unique value proposition of each
• Market research and competitive analysis
• Operations support and infrastructure
• Leadership and management profiles including professional competencies
• Risks and threats assessment
• Financial forecasts including key assumptions
• Relevant appendices

Writing a winning business plan takes time and effort and it is only as good as the quality of information that you include.
You may not have the time, knowledge or even skills to complete all of the business plan such as the financial forecast for example. To help you out you can either invest in business planning software which includes financial forecasting or pay someone with financial expertise to complete the financial section for you.
Whichever route you take in putting your business plan together stay involved at all times and make sure you know your winning business plan inside out.