Less is more: How to write a solid one-page business plan

If you’re starting a business, you know what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there. But if you were to meet with a potential investor tomorrow, could you explain your idea clearly, concisely and with just the right amount of detail?

Enter the importance of having a business plan. An effective plan allows you to organize and present information about your company in a streamlined, easy-to-read way.

Making a business plan isn’t just helpful when it comes time to pitch your idea to others – it helps you understand your company, too. Even though you know your business inside and out, synthesizing your ideas empowers you to speak fluidly about your company, make accurate financial projections, and solidify strategies for marketing and sales.

While traditional business plans can span several pages, here, we’ll cover the “less-is-more” model: the one-page business plan.

Why should you opt for a one-page business proposal?

A one-page business plan is like a well-thought-out elevator pitch, something you can always have on hand to demonstrate that you understand your business well enough to distill it down to the most important factors. It helps you, the entrepreneur, clearly and efficiently communicate the nature of your company, covering key aspects of how you plan to function and promote your products and services. If you only have a few minutes to present your company to an investor, you don’t have time to show them a 20-page deck. A well-organized, one-page plan can do the trick – especially if you use this space to highlight the most important aspects of your operation.

Nevertheless, that’s not to say taking the time to create a longer, more traditional business plan isn’t worth your while. On the contrary, it helps you flush out everything you want to say first before you begin the process of condensing it all down to a single page. And who knows? It may come in handy for longer presentations with marketers or investors.

What to include in a one-page roadmap for your business

It doesn’t matter if you’re starting a small business or a large operation – a solid one-page business plan will help you present your understanding of the market and your customers, give a clear idea of what your business provides, and outline your strategy for selling in your target market.

We suggest incorporating the following sections as you learn how to write a simple business plan. But remember, the best plan is tailored to your unique business. Use these as a skeleton to assemble a one-page plan that’s a perfect fit for your company.

Need

Describe the need in the market your company satisfies. Explain how your business is addressing a gap in existing products and services. In other words, make clear your company’s competitive advantage.

Business model

Explain how your business functions. Are you a dropshipping company with an e-commerce site or a brick-and-mortar business? Use this section to give a high-level view of how you intend to reach your market.

Target market analysis

Describe who your products and services are for. Consider the nature of your product, its cost, and any other limiting factors that determine demographic. For example, if you sell children’s books, your target audience might be parents and educators. If you sell sporting goods, your market is likely athletes.

Competitive analysis

Know your competition. Unless you run the first business of your kind, there are other businesses out there that provide similar services. Perform market research to determine how many companies in your area (even if that area’s the internet) offer products like yours and how you stack up in terms of pricing. If there’s something that sets your business apart, mention that here.

Sales and marketing plan

In this section, describe how you plan to pitch your product to the world. Include a blurb about your social media marketing strategy and any paid advertising you plan to implement. As you think about social media, remember the importance of linking to the rest of your web presence, such as your e-commerce site or company webpage. While most social media bios only allow one link, you can use that space to link out to multiple sites with a Linktree URL.

Financial projections

You and the investors putting stock in your company need to know how much the operation stands to earn. Include projections for revenue and expenses. List any financial goals and milestones you hope to reach, your timeline for achieving them, and what metrics you’ll use to measure.

Team and partners

Describe who’s helping you get your business off of the ground. Include a list of the key players on your business’s management team and any partners like suppliers, distributors, or marketers that’ll be supporting you on your journey.

How to approach a lean business plan

When it comes to drafting a concise but effective business plan, one page is really all you need. If you’re feeling short on space, there’s an easy, aesthetically-pleasing solution – using a template.

Working with a template not only helps you squeeze your business plan onto one sheet, but also organizes it in a way that's legible and presentation-ready. Help yourself stay within the limits of the template by only including essential information, writing short or bulleted phrases, and cutting out excess flowery language. Feel free to include extra documentation in an appendix if you need to.

You can also try using a Business Model Canvas. This note-taking-style business plan format contains visually friendly sections for you to jot down your ideas. Once you’ve made your notes, you can boil them down to the most essential points and move the information to a more formal one-page business plan template.

Remember, looks aren’t everything. An eye-catching template can make the plan more pleasing to the eye, but what really counts is the information it contains. So, if you have to choose between preserving a format you think looks good or including all of the key talking points about your business, always opt for the latter.