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Access our collection of user-friendly templates for business planning, finance, sales, marketing, and management, designed to assist you in developing strategies for either launching a new business venture or expanding an existing one.

You can use the templates below as a starting point to create your startup business plan or map out how you will expand your existing business. Then meet with a  SCORE mentor to get expert business planning advice and feedback on your business plan.

If writing a full business plan seems overwhelming, start with a one-page Business Model Canvas. Developed by Founder and CEO of Strategyzer, Alexander Osterwalder, it can be used to easily document your business concept.

Download this template to fill out the nine squares focusing on the different building blocks of any business:

• Value Proposition
• Customer Segments
• Customer Relationships
• Key Activities
• Key Resources
• Key Partners
• Cost Structure
• Revenue Streams

For help completing the Business Model Canvas Template, contact a SCORE business mentor for guidance

From creating a startup budget to managing cash flow for a growing business, keeping tabs on your business’s finances is essential to success. The templates below will help you monitor and manage your business’s financial situation, create financial projections and seek financing to start or grow your business.

This interactive calculator allows you to provide inputs and see a full estimated repayment schedule to plan your capital needs and cash flow.

A 12-month profit and loss projection, also known as an income statement or statement of earnings, provides a detailed overview of your financial performance over a one-year period. This projection helps you anticipate future financial outcomes by estimating monthly income and expenses, which facilitates informed decision-making and strategic planning. 

If you’re trying to get a loan from a bank, they may ask you for a personal financial statement. You can use this free, downloadable template to document your assets, liabilities and net worth. 

A Personal Financial Statement is a

Marketing helps your business build brand awareness, attract customers and create customer loyalty. Use these templates to forecast sales, develop your marketing strategy and map out your marketing budget and plan.

How healthy is your business? Are you missing out on potential growth opportunities or ignoring areas of weakness? Do you need to hire employees to reach your goals? The following templates will help you assess the state of your business and accomplish important management tasks.

Whether you are starting your business or established and looking to grow, our Business Healthcheck Tool will provide practical information and guidance.

Learn how having a SCORE mentor can be a valuable asset for your business. A SCORE mentor can provide guidance and support in various areas of business, including finance, marketing, and strategy. They can help you navigate challenges and make important decisions based on their expertise and experience. By seeking out a SCORE mentor, you can gain the guidance and support you need to help grow your business and achieve success.

SCORE offers free business mentoring to anyone that wants to start, currently owns, or is planning to close or sell a small business. To initiate the process, input your zip code in the designated area below. Then, complete the mentoring request form on the following page, including as much information as possible about your business. This information is used to match you with a mentor in your area. After submitting the request, you will receive an email from your mentor to arrange your first mentoring session.

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

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How to Write a Business Plan, Step by Step

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What is a business plan?

1. write an executive summary, 2. describe your company, 3. state your business goals, 4. describe your products and services, 5. do your market research, 6. outline your marketing and sales plan, 7. perform a business financial analysis, 8. make financial projections, 9. summarize how your company operates, 10. add any additional information to an appendix, business plan tips and resources.

A business plan outlines your business’s financial goals and explains how you’ll achieve them over the next three to five years. Here’s a step-by-step guide to writing a business plan that will offer a strong, detailed road map for your business.

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A business plan is a document that explains what your business does, how it makes money and who its customers are. Internally, writing a business plan should help you clarify your vision and organize your operations. Externally, you can share it with potential lenders and investors to show them you’re on the right track.

Business plans are living documents; it’s OK for them to change over time. Startups may update their business plans often as they figure out who their customers are and what products and services fit them best. Mature companies might only revisit their business plan every few years. Regardless of your business’s age, brush up this document before you apply for a business loan .

» Need help writing? Learn about the best business plan software .

This is your elevator pitch. It should include a mission statement, a brief description of the products or services your business offers and a broad summary of your financial growth plans.

Though the executive summary is the first thing your investors will read, it can be easier to write it last. That way, you can highlight information you’ve identified while writing other sections that go into more detail.

» MORE: How to write an executive summary in 6 steps

Next up is your company description. This should contain basic information like:

Your business’s registered name.

Address of your business location .

Names of key people in the business. Make sure to highlight unique skills or technical expertise among members of your team.

Your company description should also define your business structure — such as a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation — and include the percent ownership that each owner has and the extent of each owner’s involvement in the company.

Lastly, write a little about the history of your company and the nature of your business now. This prepares the reader to learn about your goals in the next section.

» MORE: How to write a company overview for a business plan

The third part of a business plan is an objective statement. This section spells out what you’d like to accomplish, both in the near term and over the coming years.

If you’re looking for a business loan or outside investment, you can use this section to explain how the financing will help your business grow and how you plan to achieve those growth targets. The key is to provide a clear explanation of the opportunity your business presents to the lender.

For example, if your business is launching a second product line, you might explain how the loan will help your company launch that new product and how much you think sales will increase over the next three years as a result.

» MORE: How to write a successful business plan for a loan

In this section, go into detail about the products or services you offer or plan to offer.

You should include the following:

An explanation of how your product or service works.

The pricing model for your product or service.

The typical customers you serve.

Your supply chain and order fulfillment strategy.

You can also discuss current or pending trademarks and patents associated with your product or service.

Lenders and investors will want to know what sets your product apart from your competition. In your market analysis section , explain who your competitors are. Discuss what they do well, and point out what you can do better. If you’re serving a different or underserved market, explain that.

Here, you can address how you plan to persuade customers to buy your products or services, or how you will develop customer loyalty that will lead to repeat business.

Include details about your sales and distribution strategies, including the costs involved in selling each product .

» MORE: R e a d our complete guide to small business marketing

If you’re a startup, you may not have much information on your business financials yet. However, if you’re an existing business, you’ll want to include income or profit-and-loss statements, a balance sheet that lists your assets and debts, and a cash flow statement that shows how cash comes into and goes out of the company.

Accounting software may be able to generate these reports for you. It may also help you calculate metrics such as:

Net profit margin: the percentage of revenue you keep as net income.

Current ratio: the measurement of your liquidity and ability to repay debts.

Accounts receivable turnover ratio: a measurement of how frequently you collect on receivables per year.

This is a great place to include charts and graphs that make it easy for those reading your plan to understand the financial health of your business.

This is a critical part of your business plan if you’re seeking financing or investors. It outlines how your business will generate enough profit to repay the loan or how you will earn a decent return for investors.

Here, you’ll provide your business’s monthly or quarterly sales, expenses and profit estimates over at least a three-year period — with the future numbers assuming you’ve obtained a new loan.

Accuracy is key, so carefully analyze your past financial statements before giving projections. Your goals may be aggressive, but they should also be realistic.

NerdWallet’s picks for setting up your business finances:

The best business checking accounts .

The best business credit cards .

The best accounting software .

Before the end of your business plan, summarize how your business is structured and outline each team’s responsibilities. This will help your readers understand who performs each of the functions you’ve described above — making and selling your products or services — and how much each of those functions cost.

If any of your employees have exceptional skills, you may want to include their resumes to help explain the competitive advantage they give you.

Finally, attach any supporting information or additional materials that you couldn’t fit in elsewhere. That might include:

Licenses and permits.

Equipment leases.

Bank statements.

Details of your personal and business credit history, if you’re seeking financing.

If the appendix is long, you may want to consider adding a table of contents at the beginning of this section.

How much do you need?

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We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

Here are some tips to write a detailed, convincing business plan:

Avoid over-optimism: If you’re applying for a business bank loan or professional investment, someone will be reading your business plan closely. Providing unreasonable sales estimates can hurt your chances of approval.

Proofread: Spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors can jump off the page and turn off lenders and prospective investors. If writing and editing aren't your strong suit, you may want to hire a professional business plan writer, copy editor or proofreader.

Use free resources: SCORE is a nonprofit association that offers a large network of volunteer business mentors and experts who can help you write or edit your business plan. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Centers , which provide free business consulting and help with business plan development, can also be a resource.

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Run » human resources, what is score and how can you use it to help you start a business.

SCORE is a nonprofit dedicated to assisting new business owners. Here’s how SCORE’s resources can assist you in your startup.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)’s mission is dedicated to assisting small businesses by housing a plethora of resources for those just getting started in their businesses. Many small business owners can benefit from working with SCORE, especially in the launching process. Here's everything you should know about SCORE and how it can help get your startup off the ground.

[ Read more : 7 SBA Programs Every Small Business Should Know About ]

What is SCORE?

SCORE is a nonprofit organization and resource partner of the Small Business Association (SBA) that offers mentoring and resources to aspiring small business owners. The organization also holds online services, seminars and workshops specifically designed to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses in navigating their business endeavors. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, SCORE is funded through government grants and donations and offers most of its programs free of charge to those in need of business assistance.

Since its creation by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, SCORE has helped over 10 million entrepreneurs with their resources, volunteers and online and in-person assistance. The organization prides itself in strong mentorship with the largest network of volunteer mentors and business executives at over 10,000 members. The members and volunteers of SCORE are mainly retired business owners and corporate executives looking to assist others in their own businesses. They operate in offices around the United States and offer virtual and in-person sessions and resources.

4 ways SCORE can help your business

SCORE houses a number of resources and assistance for small businesses and startups. Here are a few ways it can help your business.

[ Read more: Starting Over? 7 Resources for Rebuilding Your Business From the Ground Up ]

Aspiring or current business owners can either be connected to a mentor of their own choosing or matched with someone in a SCORE chapter in their area. These mentors are usually former business owners themselves and have the knowledge to consult others in setting goals and objectives for their businesses. SCORE trains all its mentors in the SLATE mentoring methodology:

• Stop and Suspend Judgement.
• Listen and Learn.
• Assess and Analyze.
• Test Ideas and Teach with Tools.
• Expectations Setting and Encouraging the Dream.

SCORE houses a number of resources and types of assistance for small businesses and startups.

Mentors also help with writing business plans and offering next steps for any business challenges or questions. Sessions are kept confidential and can be completed over the phone, video chat or email exchanges, or in person for about an hour. Receiving advice and conversation with an entrepreneur who’s walked the path you are currently on can be a rewarding and eye-opening experience.

Webinars/courses

SCORE offers free webinars and courses for entrepreneurs to learn more about business basics. It has the option to sign up for weekly live webinars that offer tips and strategies for small business owners. Additionally, SCORE keeps recorded webinars that it’s done in the past if you want to browse the archives or have missed a webinar date.

SCORE also has free courses on its website that offer interactive workshops on various business topics on demand . Example course titles include “The Startup Roadmap: Your Guide to Successfully Starting a Business,” “Building Your Brand” and “Assessing Your Company’s Financial Needs.”

Online resources

SCORE offers online resources like articles and other educational content and support for new business owners. When you browse its resource library , you’ll find checklists you can use within your business, as well as e-guides, blogs, infographics and other videos and tools that can help build your toolkit for a successful startup. More recent articles also assist with navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and include information about insurance and relief options your business may need.

Local events

Many SCORE chapters host in-person workshops and roundtable discussions for entrepreneurs. Finding your local chapter is as simple as visiting SCORE’s website and entering your zip code. These local classes are now being offered through an online video format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some may require an affordable fee, while others are free of charge to register and attend.

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How SCORE can help you launch your business

Starting a small business isn't easy, but SCORE, a nonprofit connected to the U.S. Small Business Administration, is dedicated to helping. Here's how SCORE's services can better position you for success.

Ready to start your business? Plans start at $0 + filing fees.

by   Lorelei Laird

Lorelei Laird is a Los Angeles-based writer specializing in the law. Her stories have been published by the ABA Journ...

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Updated on: February 21, 2023 · 4 min read

What is SCORE?

Can a score mentor help me reach my business goals, how can a score business plan help, set smart business goals—with some help.

Starting a small business is exciting, but first-timers may feel unprepared for the experience. Entrepreneurs who find themselves suddenly needing to write a business plan or set short-term and long-term business goals may have no one in their lives with the right experience to help.

That's where SCORE comes in. This national nonprofit helps small businesses succeed by connecting experienced business people with entrepreneurs. All of the advice comes from volunteer SCORE-certified mentors who have done it all before.

SCORE is one of several resources offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), a government agency that supports and promotes small businesses. It provides free or low-cost business advice to American entrepreneurs through workshops and mentoring. Entrepreneurs can attend local workshops or take online courses and webinars on topics like setting business goals, online marketing, tax compliance, and more.

They can also get connected with a mentor, a volunteer from their area who's successfully launched one or more businesses. SCORE connects entrepreneurs with these business mentors according to where they live and what kind of expertise they need—and SCORE mentor reviews are available in several places online.

Consultations with your mentor are free and confidential. SCORE volunteer mentor Brennon Wilson of Canton, Ohio, says this is important to business people who worry about having their ideas stolen.

"We have signed papers to say that we're not going to break that confidentiality," he notes. "We want clients to be transparent because, if they're not, we can't really get a full understanding of how best to help them."

Wilson, who has launched several businesses and mentored about a dozen entrepreneurs, sees huge value in having a mentor's guidance.

"There's less likelihood of failure because somebody's going to go, 'Hey, I've been there. You don't want to do that,'" he says. "'Go over here and do this.'"

That experience, he says, is a major benefit of having a mentor. Being able to draw on the advice of someone who's walked the same path gives entrepreneurs a better chance of success. It also provides the perspective of someone who's on the entrepreneur's side—Wilson describes mentors as friends—but is likely to be more clear-eyed because they're not emotionally invested in the enterprise. These advantages may be why 92% of small businesses surveyed by financial services company Kabbage said mentors had a direct impact on their profitability and growth in their early years.

To get the most out of a mentoring relationship, Wilson suggests being prepared. That means sitting down before a meeting and thinking about what questions to ask, and what information your mentor will need to answer them.

One important area where a mentor can be helpful is setting business goals and objectives. Colleges don't typically teach people how to write business goals—but such planning is vital to success in any business and is likely to be required by funders, including both conventional banks and venture capitalists . A mentor can provide business plan examples and guide entrepreneurs toward strategic business goals that detail both their vision and the practical steps to realize it.

Wilson says a well-written business plan is vital.

"I mean a current, up-to-date, new, fresh business plan that you're going to really put time and effort into," Wilson says. "That thing is going to be your road map to success."

According to the SBA , a business plan should:

• Describe your company
• Explain what role it will play in the marketplace
• Layout the structure and leadership of the business
• Show how you plan to reach customers
• Detail how much funding you need
• Outline your financial goals for your business

Business plan templates are available from the SBA and many other sources.

SCORE mentors won't write a business plan for their mentees, Wilson says—but their experience can help mentees write their own.

"A mentor is going to be able to say 'This is what you want to look at, here are some things to consider, here's what we've seen in the past,'" he says.

SCORE is a valuable resource for someone new to creating a small business. From setting short-term goals and securing funding to marketing and networking, mentors have done it all before—and they're volunteers because they want to share that experience. SCORE provides a way to take advantage of that experience at little or no cost, so it's no wonder that SCORE has had a hand in launching nearly 30,000 businesses nationwide.

"Starting a business is a very lonely road to walk," Wilson says. "So, don't cripple yourself by walking it alone."

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Table of Contents

Brainstorm an executive summary, create a company description, brainstorm your business goals, describe your services or products, conduct market research, create financial plans, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Every business starts with a vision, which is distilled and communicated through a business plan. In addition to your high-level hopes and dreams, a strong business plan outlines short-term and long-term goals, budget and whatever else you might need to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to write a business plan that you can stick to and help guide your operations as you get started.

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Drafting the Summary

An executive summary is an extremely important first step in your business. You have to be able to put the basic facts of your business in an elevator pitch-style sentence to grab investors’ attention and keep their interest. This should communicate your business’s name, what the products or services you’re selling are and what marketplace you’re entering.

Ask for Help

When drafting the executive summary, you should have a few different options. Enlist a few thought partners to review your executive summary possibilities to determine which one is best.

After you have the executive summary in place, you can work on the company description, which contains more specific information. In the description, you’ll need to include your business’s registered name , your business address and any key employees involved in the business. 

The business description should also include the structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship , limited liability company (LLC) , partnership or corporation. This is the time to specify how much of an ownership stake everyone has in the company. Finally, include a section that outlines the history of the company and how it has evolved over time.

Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work toward.

Numbers-based Goals

Goals can cover a variety of sections of your business. Financial and profit goals are a given for when you’re establishing your business, but there are other goals to take into account as well with regard to brand awareness and growth. For example, you might want to hit a certain number of followers across social channels or raise your engagement rates.

Another goal could be to attract new investors or find grants if you’re a nonprofit business. If you’re looking to grow, you’ll want to set revenue targets to make that happen as well.

Intangible Goals

Goals unrelated to traceable numbers are important as well. These can include seeing your business’s advertisement reach the general public or receiving a terrific client review. These goals are important for the direction you take your business and the direction you want it to go in the future.

The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you’re offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit in the current market or are providing something necessary or entirely new. If you have any patents or trademarks, this is where you can include those too.

If you have any visual aids, they should be included here as well. This would also be a good place to include pricing strategy and explain your materials.

This is the part of the business plan where you can explain your expertise and different approach in greater depth. Show how what you’re offering is vital to the market and fills an important gap.

You can also situate your business in your industry and compare it to other ones and how you have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Other than financial goals, you want to have a budget and set your planned weekly, monthly and annual spending. There are several different costs to consider, such as operational costs.

Business Operations Costs

Rent for your business is the first big cost to factor into your budget. If your business is remote, the cost that replaces rent will be the software that maintains your virtual operations.

Marketing and sales costs should be next on your list. Devoting money to making sure people know about your business is as important as making sure it functions.

Other Costs

Although you can’t anticipate disasters, there are likely to be unanticipated costs that come up at some point in your business’s existence. It’s important to factor these possible costs into your financial plans so you’re not caught totally unaware.

Business plans are important for businesses of all sizes so that you can define where your business is and where you want it to go. Growing your business requires a vision, and giving yourself a roadmap in the form of a business plan will set you up for success.

How do I write a simple business plan?

When you’re working on a business plan, make sure you have as much information as possible so that you can simplify it to the most relevant information. A simple business plan still needs all of the parts included in this article, but you can be very clear and direct.

What are some common mistakes in a business plan?

The most common mistakes in a business plan are common writing issues like grammar errors or misspellings. It’s important to be clear in your sentence structure and proofread your business plan before sending it to any investors or partners.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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Julia is a writer in New York and started covering tech and business during the pandemic. She also covers books and the publishing industry.

Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she is a Columnist at Inc. Magazine.

Welcome to the SCORE Foundation

The philanthropic arm of score.

Collaborating with corporate sponsors to support SCORE mentoring and programs for small business

The SCORE Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, serves as the philanthropic arm of SCORE, America’s premier source of free and confidential business advice to entrepreneurs and small business owners around the country.

Through individual donations and institutional sponsorships, the Foundation supports the SCORE education programs and free mentor network of more than 10,000 volunteers who work in every community to help small businesses succeed and prosper.

5.4 million people sought business educational help through score.org in 2023

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help us increase our impact by supporting the SCORE Foundation

For Individuals

By your philanthropic gift to The SCORE Foundation, you will support SCORE in its delivery of national programs as well as specific, local initiatives that take place through 240 chapters.

Your individual gift helps more entrepreneurs toflourish in their communities, delivering valuable new services, neighborhood vibrancy and job creation. Every donation has a positive impact!

For Institutions

Your involvement as an institutional sponsor of The SCORE Foundation enables your organization to play a leadership role in supporting small businesses everywhere.

By affiliating your corporation or foundation with SCORE and its mission, you will not only build your brand among this fastest growing sector of the economy but your organization can see impact to your bottom line as small business owners leverage your own products and services.

Our commitment to the SCORE Foundation is a great example of how we work with small businesses at each stage of business ownership with not only financing but hands-on guidance and support,

Head of Small Business , | Truist Corporation

Download the Corporate Sponsorship Brochure

SCORE helped create

152,115 new jobs in 2023

SCORE helped start

31,167 new businesses in 2023

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Elements of the Elevator Pitch

If you're pitching to investors or building a pitch deck, here are the 7 things you need.

Here are the 7 things you need to include in your elevator pitch.

Components of a Pitch Deck

Here are the 11 slides you must have in your pitch deck.

Investor Pitch Template

Start your pitch off right with a proven pitch deck template.

Get Your Business Funded

Funding Guide

Learn how to prepare your business plan and pitch to secure funding for your business.

Prepare your plan and pitch to secure funding for your business.

Ways to Fund Your Business

When it comes to funding, there isn't a one-size-fits-all method. Here are your options.

Find out what funding options are available for your business.

Grow Your Business

How to Grow Your Business

Growing your business can be just as difficult as starting. Here are proven ways to grow.

Try these proven methods to continue growing your business.

Grow Using Your Business Plan

Turn your business plan into a growth-oriented business strategy.

Set Clear and Actionable Goals

Grow your business by setting clear goals and establishing key metrics for success.

Learn to set clear and actionable goals to grow your business.

How to Forecast Cash Flow

Create a cash flow forecast to help keep your business healthy and plan for the future.

Keep your business healthy using a cash flow forecast.

Tim Berry Blog

Learn from renowned business planning expert and founder of Bplans, Tim Berry.

Business Glossary

Definitions for common terminology and acronyms that every small business owner should know.

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

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SCORE Offers Small Business Help with These March Workshops and Webinars

SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties  is announcing several free March SCORE webinars to help small business owners.

Win Customers with Your Website

How do you set your website up to win over customers? Your website has to attract and engage visitors, educate them about your products and services, and convert them into customers. Success begins with a plan!

This free March 26, 11:30 to 1 PM webinar, presented by Co-Founder of Cardsetter Jessica Baldwin, will show you the key elements your website needs to succeed.

After the session, you’ll have a better understanding of:

• The critical role your website plays in your online marketing strategy 
• The features and tools you’ll need to execute your plan
• How to get everything working together to achieve your goals
• How to set your website up to attract, engage, and convert your ideal customers

Attendees will receive a free website planning workbook.

The webinar presentation is available as a download 12 hours to 24 hours before the webinar.

About the Presenter

Joshua Toenyes, CEO and the creative force behind Cardsetter, brings over a decade of web software development experience.

A University of California, San Diego grad and a Navy veteran, Toenyes’ blend of technical expertise and disciplined leadership has been instrumental in growing Cardsetter into a go-to platform for small businesses seeking to establish their online presence.

His focus on creating stable, secure, and intuitive software reflects his commitment to delivering exceptional value to his customers.

Click here to register.

Grow Your Sales by Getting Higher Paying Clients

Learn how to find high-paying clients that will give you the biggest return on your time and effort.

For entrepreneurs, time is money, so why settle for low-paying clients when, with the same amount of effort, you could attract high-paying clients like major corporations and potentially double your sales income?

In this valuable March 26, 1 PM webinar, bestselling author and USA TODAY’s small business columnist Steve Strauss will show you how to find high-paying clients who will give you the highest return on your time and effort.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• Pitch to high-paying clients
• Convince them to say yes
• Land a high-paying client that will lead to more high-paying clients

Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.

Steve Strauss is USA Today’s senior small business columnist and best-selling author, MrAllBiz.com.

How to Use Sales Funnels and Marketing Automation to Grow Your Business

Learn how to use sales funnels to grow your business, automate your marketing tasks, create a complete customer journey map, and determine your business KPIs.

A sales funnel is a marketing term describing where your customers are in their purchasing journey and what marketing tools you can use to guide potential customers from interest to purchase.

In this March 28, 1 PM webinar, you’ll learn how to use sales funnels to grow your business, automate your marketing tasks, create a complete customer journey map, and determine your business KPIs to easily track what’s working and what’s not.

You’ll learn:

• What is a sales funnel and how to use it in your business
• How to create a complete customer journey map from discovery to purchase
• Automation tools you can use to streamline marketing processes
• How to establish and measure KPIs

Yemi Oluseun is a Growth Consultant and Project Manager for The Change Hive.

About SCORE

SCORE  is the nation’s largest network of volunteer business experts. It is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow, and achieve their goals with a variety of SCORE New Year tools like webinars and workshops.

Make a difference as a  SCORE volunteer .

Since 1964, it has provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs nationwide.

SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties  has been operating since 1985. It has 100 dedicated volunteers today. They provide confidential mentoring at no charge. They offer business seminars, workshops, and SCORE webinars to benefit the local community.

SCORE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Find out more about March SCORE webinars and other small business workshops and webinars.

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How to Plan Your First Successful Website

Planning a new website can be exciting and — if you’re anything like me — a little daunting. Whether you’re an experienced freelancer, a team of hardened developers, or a small business owner, a well-structured plan is critical for success.

In this post, I’ll give you the benefit of my experience, guiding you through the essential steps of planning a web design project and ensuring that you start off on the right foot and follow through to a successful end product.

Define Your Goals and Objectives

OK, first things first: before we dive into any design or development work, it’s absolutely essential that you have a clear understanding of what success means to you. Are you looking to increase sales, improve brand awareness, or provide information to your audience?

Set SMART Goals

I find it helpful to break down objectives into SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. This approach helps you stay focused rather than drift off on flights of fancy.

• Specific: Define your goals with precision. For example, “increase online sales by 20% within the next year” or “reach page 1 on Google.”
• Measurable: Ensure you can track your goals with metrics or data points. Website analytics can be used to monitor traffic, and internal sales tracking can be used to monitor revenue.
• Achievable: There’s no point in saying, “We want to be Amazon by the end of the year.” Your goals should be realistic and attainable, given your resources and time frame.
• Relevant: Make sure your goals are aligned with your overall business objectives and are essential to your success. A fabulous website is meaningless if it doesn’t support your growth.
• Timely: Set deadlines for your goals to keep the project on track and maintain momentum.

Develop a Strategy and Stick to It.

Based on your SMART goals, outline the strategies and actions needed to achieve them. This could involve improving website navigation for better UX (user experience), optimizing for SEO to increase visibility, or creating compelling content to engage visitors. In reality, it probably means all that and more.

Monitor your project’s progress against your SMART goals. When you see yourself starting to diverge, it’s time to revisit the plan.

Understand Your Audience and Your Competitors

Understanding your audience is critical to designing a website that effectively meets their needs.

Identify Your Target Audience

Determine who your primary website users will be. Consider age, gender, location, interests, education, and specific needs.

Develop detailed personas for your typical users. Include information about their demographics, behaviors, motivations, and challenges. Personas should represent the different user types that will visit your website. Personas don’t replace testing with real users, but they’re an excellent place to start when you don’t have anything to test just yet.

Conduct Competitor Analysis

Studying successful businesses in your field can sometimes tell you more about the market and how to succeed in it, as analyzing your customers.

• Research Competitors: Identify and review the websites of your direct competitors.
• Analyze Their Websites: Note the strengths and weaknesses of these websites. What style have they adopted? What design elements do they use? What is the tone of voice of their content? What functionality do they have? What are your general impressions of the UX?
• Identify Differentiation Opportunities: Determine how your website can stand out. Look for gaps in the market that your website can fill and unique value propositions you can offer.

Using insights from your audience and competitor analysis, decide on the key features and types of content your website will offer. Prioritize these based on what will most effectively meet your users’ needs and differentiate your site in the market.

Build Your Strategy

Compile your research and decisions into a strategy document. This document will serve as a reference throughout the design process, ensuring your website meets your target audience’s needs and stands out from the competition.

• Create a Content Strategy: Plan what types of content you will need, such as text, images, videos, or infographics. Consider the tone of voice that will resonate with your audience and start outlining or drafting content for your key pages.
• Plan for SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should be considered from the start. Use keyword research to guide your content creation and ensure your website’s structure and code are optimized for search engines. This will help your site rank higher in search results and attract more visitors.
• Map Out Your Site Structure: Start by creating a sitemap that outlines all the pages you plan to include and how they will be structured. Think about the journey you want visitors to take and how you can make navigation intuitive.
• Design for Usability and Accessibility: Ensure that your site is easy to navigate, works well on various devices and browsers, and meets accessibility standards so that it’s usable for people with disabilities.
• Choose Your Technology Stack: Decide on the technologies that will power your website. This includes choosing a content management system (CMS), such as WordPress, Drupal, or a custom solution, and selecting the front-end and back-end programming languages and frameworks that best suit your project’s needs.

If you don’t know the answer to these questions, now is the time to seek professional help. Even if you’re an experienced designer, it doesn’t hurt to run your ideas past a developer — new tech hits the market all the time, and there may be a good solution that you weren’t aware of.

Set a Timeline and Budget

To streamline your project planning, ensure you’ve set a timeline and a budget.

Set realistic deadlines:

• Break down the project into phases (e.g., design, development, content creation).
• Assign a realistic deadline to each phase, considering the complexity and resources available.
• Ensure each deadline aligns with your overall project goals for a cohesive timeline.

Create a detailed budget:

• Itemize all project components, including design, development, content creation, and any necessary third-party services.
• Estimate the cost for each element based on quotes, past projects, or industry standards.
• Allocate funds for unexpected expenses to avoid budget overruns.
• Review and adjust the budget as the project progresses to stay on track.

By focusing on these points, you’ll maintain control over your project’s timeline and finances, paving the way for a successful completion.

It’s easy to start a website, but starting a successful website that doesn’t chew through your budget is a little trickier. The process requires discipline to take the strategic steps necessary to create a website that aligns with your overall business goals.

Start with a clear definition of goals. Use the SMART goals approach to set a strong foundation. Although you may need some flexibility throughout the project, starting with a formal structure will get you on the right foot.

Understanding your audience and their needs is crucial in creating a website that they find helpful. Your site structure and technology stack should support delivering these insights. Get it right, and you’ll not only have new users but also retain old ones.

And, of course, meticulous planning around timelines and budgets ensures nothing gets out of hand.

This holistic approach ensures that your website looks appealing and effectively meets business goals and user needs.

Simon Sterne

Simon Sterne is a staff writer at WebdesignerDepot. He’s interested in technology, WordPress, and all things UX. In his spare time he enjoys photography.

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FACT SHEET: President   Biden Takes Action to Protect American Workers and Businesses from China’s Unfair Trade   Practices

President Biden’s economic plan is supporting investments and creating good jobs in key sectors that are vital for America’s economic future and national security. China’s unfair trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are threatening American businesses and workers. China is also flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports. In response to China’s unfair trade practices and to counteract the resulting harms, today, President Biden is directing his Trade Representative to increase tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on $18 billion of imports from China to protect American workers and businesses.   The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda has already catalyzed more than $860 billion in business investments through smart, public incentives in industries of the future like electric vehicles (EVs), clean energy, and semiconductors. With support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act, these investments are creating new American jobs in manufacturing and clean energy and helping communities that have been left behind make a comeback.   As President Biden says, American workers and businesses can outcompete anyone—as long as they have fair competition. But for too long, China’s government has used unfair, non-market practices. China’s forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft have contributed to its control of 70, 80, and even 90 percent of global production for the critical inputs necessary for our technologies, infrastructure, energy, and health care—creating unacceptable risks to America’s supply chains and economic security. Furthermore, these same non-market policies and practices contribute to China’s growing overcapacity and export surges that threaten to significantly harm American workers, businesses, and communities.   Today’s actions to counter China’s unfair trade practices are carefully targeted at strategic sectors—the same sectors where the United States is making historic investments under President Biden to create and sustain good-paying jobs—unlike recent proposals by Congressional Republicans that would threaten jobs and raise costs across the board. The previous administration’s trade deal with China  failed  to increase American exports or boost American manufacturing as it had promised. Under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs have been created and new factory construction has doubled after both fell under the previous administration, and the trade deficit with China is the lowest in a decade—lower than any year under the last administration.   We will continue to work with our partners around the world to strengthen cooperation to address shared concerns about China’s unfair practices—rather than undermining our alliances or applying indiscriminate 10 percent tariffs that raise prices on all imports from all countries, regardless whether they are engaged in unfair trade. The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the benefits for our workers and businesses from strong alliances and a rules-based international trade system based on fair competition.   Following an in-depth review by the United States Trade Representative, President Biden is taking action to protect American workers and American companies from China’s unfair trade practices. To encourage China to eliminate its unfair trade practices regarding technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, the President is directing increases in tariffs across strategic sectors such as steel and aluminum, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, and medical products.   Steel and Aluminum   The tariff rate on certain steel and aluminum products under Section 301 will increase from 0–7.5% to 25% in 2024.   Steel is a vital sector for the American economy, and American companies are leading the future of clean steel. Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $6 billion for 33 clean manufacturing projects including for steel and aluminum, including the first new primary aluminum smelter in four decades, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. These investments will make the United States one of the first nations in the world to convert clean hydrogen into clean steel, bolstering the U.S. steel industry’s competitiveness as the world’s cleanest major steel producer.   American workers continue to face unfair competition from China’s non-market overcapacity in steel and aluminum, which are among the world’s most carbon intensive. China’s policies and subsidies for their domestic steel and aluminum industries mean high-quality, low-emissions U.S. products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions. Today’s actions will shield the U.S. steel and aluminum industries from China’s unfair trade practices.   Semiconductors   The tariff rate on semiconductors will increase from 25% to 50% by 2025.   China’s policies in the legacy semiconductor sector have led to growing market share and rapid capacity expansion that risks driving out investment by market-driven firms. Over the next three to five years, China is expected to account for almost half of all new capacity coming online to manufacture certain legacy semiconductor wafers. During the pandemic, disruptions to the supply chain, including legacy chips, led to price spikes in a wide variety of products, including automobiles, consumer appliances, and medical devices, underscoring the risks of overreliance on a few markets.   Through the CHIPS and Science Act, President Biden is making a nearly $53 billion investment in American semiconductor manufacturing capacity, research, innovation, and workforce. This will help counteract decades of disinvestment and offshoring that has reduced the United States’ capacity to manufacture semiconductors domestically. The CHIPS and Science Act includes $39 billion in direct incentives to build, modernize, and expand semiconductor manufacturing fabrication facilities as well as a 25% investment tax credit for semiconductor companies. Raising the tariff rate on semiconductors is an important initial step to promote the sustainability of these investments.   Electric Vehicles (EVs)   The tariff rate on electric vehicles under Section 301 will increase from 25% to 100% in 2024.   With extensive subsidies and non-market practices leading to substantial risks of overcapacity, China’s exports of EVs grew by 70% from 2022 to 2023—jeopardizing productive investments elsewhere. A 100% tariff rate on EVs will protect American manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices.   This action advances President Biden’s vision of ensuring the future of the auto industry will be made in America by American workers. As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Administration is incentivizing the development of a robust EV market through business tax credits for manufacturing of batteries and production of critical minerals, consumer tax credits for EV adoption, smart standards, federal investments in EV charging infrastructure, and grants to supply EV and battery manufacturing. The increase in the tariff rate on electric vehicles will protect these investments and jobs from unfairly priced Chinese imports.   Batteries, Battery Components and Parts, and Critical Minerals   The tariff rate on lithium-ion EV batteries will increase from 7.5%% to 25% in 2024, while the tariff rate on lithium-ion non-EV batteries will increase from 7.5% to 25% in 2026. The tariff rate on battery parts will increase from 7.5% to 25% in 2024.   The tariff rate on natural graphite and permanent magnets will increase from zero to 25% in 2026. The tariff rate for certain other critical minerals will increase from zero to 25% in 2024.   Despite rapid and recent progress in U.S. onshoring, China currently controls over 80 percent of certain segments of the EV battery supply chain, particularly upstream nodes such as critical minerals mining, processing, and refining. Concentration of critical minerals mining and refining capacity in China leaves our supply chains vulnerable and our national security and clean energy goals at risk. In order to improve U.S. and global resiliency in these supply chains, President Biden has invested across the U.S. battery supply chain to build a sufficient domestic industrial base. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Defense Production Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested nearly $20 billion in grants and loans to expand domestic production capacity of advanced batteries and battery materials. The Inflation Reduction Act also contains manufacturing tax credits to incentivize investment in battery and battery material production in the United States. The President has also established the American Battery Materials Initiative, which will mobilize an all-of-government approach to secure a dependable, robust supply chain for batteries and their inputs.   Solar Cells   The tariff rate on solar cells (whether or not assembled into modules) will increase from 25% to 50% in 2024.   The tariff increase will protect against China’s policy-driven overcapacity that depresses prices and inhibits the development of solar capacity outside of China. China has used unfair practices to dominate upwards of 80 to 90% of certain parts of the global solar supply chain, and is trying to maintain that status quo. Chinese policies and nonmarket practices are flooding global markets with artificially cheap solar modules and panels, undermining investment in solar manufacturing outside of China.   The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in the U.S. solar supply chain, building on early U.S. government-enabled research and development that helped create solar cell technologies. The Inflation Reduction Act provides supply-side tax incentives for solar components, including polysilicon, wafers, cells, modules, and backsheet material, as well as tax credits and grant and loan programs supporting deployment of utility-scale and residential solar energy projects. As a result of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, solar manufacturers have already announced nearly $17 billion in planned investment under his Administration—an 8-fold increase in U.S. manufacturing capacity, enough to supply panels for millions of homes each year by 2030.   Ship-to-Shore Cranes   The tariff rate on ship-to-shore cranes will increase from 0% to 25% in 2024.   The Administration continues to deliver for the American people by rebuilding the United States’ industrial capacity to produce port cranes with trusted partners. A 25% tariff rate on ship-to-shore cranes will help protect U.S. manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices that have led to excessive concentration in the market. Port cranes are essential pieces of infrastructure that enable the continuous movement and flow of critical goods to, from, and within the United States, and the Administration is taking action to mitigate risks that could disrupt American supply chains. This action also builds off of ongoing work to invest in U.S. port infrastructure through the President’s Investing in America Agenda. This port security initiative includes bringing port crane manufacturing capabilities back to the United States to support U.S. supply chain security and encourages ports across the country and around the world to use trusted vendors when sourcing cranes or other heavy equipment.   Medical Products   The tariff rates on syringes and needles will increase from 0% to 50% in 2024. For certain personal protective equipment (PPE), including certain respirators and face masks, the tariff rates will increase from 0–7.5% to 25% in 2024. Tariffs on rubber medical and surgical gloves will increase from 7.5% to 25% in 2026.   These tariff rate increases will help support and sustain a strong domestic industrial base for medical supplies that were essential to the COVID-19 pandemic response, and continue to be used daily in every hospital across the country to deliver essential care. The federal government and the private sector have made substantial investments to build domestic manufacturing for these and other medical products to ensure American health care workers and patients have access to critical medical products when they need them. American businesses are now struggling to compete with underpriced Chinese-made supplies dumped on the market, sometimes of such poor quality that they may raise safety concerns for health care workers and patients.   Today’s announcement reflects President Biden’s commitment to always have the back of American workers. When faced with anticompetitive, unfair practices from abroad, the President will deploy any and all tools necessary to protect American workers and industry.  

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Netflix inks a 3-year deal with the NFL to show football games

Peter Kafka , Chief Correspondent covering media and technology

• Netflix announced a three-season deal with the NFL.
• The streamer will show two NFL games on Christmas this year.
• There's a simple reason Netflix now wants to get into live sports programming.

No more wondering whether Netflix is going to show real live sports : The streamer now has a three-season deal with the most popular sports league in America — the NFL.

Netflix will show two NFL games on Christmas Day this year, plus "at least one" game on Christmas in 2025 and 2026, the company and the NFL announced Wednesday.

The deal will cost Netflix about $75 million per game, Bloomberg reported.

As we've discussed before, the logic for Netflix is simple here : While Netflix spent years insisting it didn't want to be in live sports, that was before it had an ad business, and live sports — particularly for the NFL — are considered the best way to aggregate an audience of ad watchers. Not coincidentally, Netflix is making its pitch to advertisers Wednesday in New York as part of the annual "upfront" pitch cycle.

And if you don't care about Netflix's ad sales and care only about watching NFL games, this simply means you need to have yet another network to watch games this fall. The league, which has become an expert at getting multiple media companies to pay it for games, already had deals with CBS, Fox, NBC, Disney/ESPN, and Amazon. Add another to the list.

Update: May 16, 2024 — Netflix will pay the NFL about $150 million to broadcast two NFL games this year, according to a Bloomberg report, not $150 million for each game.

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.

Watch: Why MassMutual is all in on the Boston Red Sox, according to CMO Jennifer Halloran

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