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How to Write a Detailed Company Profile for a Business Plan

If you own a company, the only way for people to have a quick preview of what your company is all about, the products or services you offer, and who are the owners of the company is through your company profile. This section of your business plan will fundamentally answer two important questions:

• Who are you?
• What do you plan to do ?

Answering these questions in a succinct and simple manner would provide an ample introduction of why you are in business, why you are different from the competition, what you have going for you, and why investing in your business would be a good bet.

In essence, if you want to introduce your company to potential clients or to organizations calling for bids and submission of proposals, then you must have a detailed and self-explanatory company profile.

Interestingly, there are several business doors a good company profile can open. For example, an angel investor who is looking to invest in a business would naturally read through the profiles of all the companies he or she is interested in.

The company profile that catches his or her fancy would no doubt be the company he or she would invest in. This is just a bit of what a good company profile can do for a business.

This section of your business plan also offers you the opportunity, if you haven’t done so before, to evaluate and document the intangible facets of your business principles, ideals, and cultural philosophies that will allow you to better grasp your own corporate identity. Here are the necessary components that should go under your company profile:

What is a Company’s Profile?

A company profile is a formal introduction of your business. It usually contains all you would want potential clients, investors, and the general public to know about your business. It is used as a marketing tool and it is your company’s unique selling point.

A complete company profile is expected to contain the vision, mission, and goals of the company, a detailed description of the product and service offering of the company, the profile of the founding members of the company, a brief story of how the company got started and what they intend to achieve. So also, information like company name, address, phone number, website and email et al must be part of your company profile.

Components of your Company’s Profile

• Structure of your business ( sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited partnership, or an incorporated company )
• The date your business was established ( for existing businesses )
• The nature of your business ( what are you selling, or what are you planning to sell ?)
• The industry you are in
• Business vision, mission, and values
• Background information on your business or its history
• Business Objectives ( short and long-term )
• The Business team

Now, let’s discuss tips for tackling some of the more tricky components in the list above:

If you are looking forward to writing a top selling company profile, then the following guide will come in very handy for you.

Study Other Company Profiles

The first step when it comes to writing a good company’s profile is to study other profiles. To better put it, you should go source for companies that are doing the same thing as your do; companies that are selling the same services or products as you do.

If you study their profiles properly, you will be able to have a clear-cut idea of what you should capture in your own profile, and of course, you will be able to improve on it to make yours better.

Please note that you are not expected to plagiarize any company’s profile when writing yours because you can be sued for plagiarism.

Create an Outline

The next step to take after you must have carefully studied several companies’ profiles is to create an outline of your own profile. You can start this by making use of bullet points to highlight the main points you want to make in your company profile.

You should also figure out the angle you want your readers to see your company from, what your company represents, and of course the caliber of people that formed the company et al. This will help you determine what information you need to gather.

Interview Potential Clients

If you truly you want to capture information on your company profile that will resonate with your potential clients, then you will need their inputs. Some of the ways you can get their input is to interview them or via questioners and surveys.

Please make sure that you are prepared with your questions but also be ready to follow the natural flow of the conversation. Ask questions during your meeting that you think readers will want to know.

Pose questions that will encourage your potential clients to give you useful information. Ask them to share anecdotes. Avoid yes or no questions. You want them to open up. Make sure to record and transcribe the entire interview.

As you review their answers on paper or on your computer, highlight the best quotes that can guide you to describe and give reasons why your products or services will better serve them.

Start Writing Your Company Profile

Once you are done with gathering the information that will aid you in writing a fantastic company profile, what is left for you is to start writing. You can settle down in your study, library, hotel room, or any location that will give the concentration that is needed for this all important task.

Although a company profile is not expected to be a large document, but it should capture all that your company represents, the products and services your company offers, and of course all that you want people to know about your company. This information can be captured in a simple and easy to understand format.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

No matter how fantastic your company is especially as it relates to your product and service offering, there will still be some drawbacks that can dissuade potential clients from patronizing your products or services.

For example, if you have someone who has been involved in financial crime in time past as a founding member of your company or a financier of your company, it will not be a wise decision to capture such a person in your profile.

What is expected from you when writing your company profile is to put your best foot forward by projecting people without any controversy around them.

Please note that your company profile is supposed to capture a brief profile of the board of directors, executive members, and key persons that are part of the company.

Edit and Edit

After you have finished writing your profile, you should make sure that it is properly edited. You can contract the editing to a professional. Although it is going to cost you a bit, but trust me, it is worth every cent you will spend.

Please note that you shouldn’t just settle for just one editor, you can give it out to two or more editors to edit until you get a perfect piece. This is important because a good company profile will easily sell your company (products and services) to potential clients with little or no additional effort from your end.

In Conclusion;

A company profile is an essential part of a business plan and a business plan cannot be complete without a company profile. So, when writing your business plan, make sure you come up with a good and highly sellable company profile, and the guide you have here will help you achieve this.

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The 8 Best Company Profile Examples That Stand Out in 2023 (+ Template)

Jackie Jacobson | July 17, 2023 | Branding | 10 min read

Quick Links

• 1.   What Is It?
• 2.   Details to Include
• 3.   How to Write One
• 4.   FAQs
• 5.   Company Profile Examples

What Is a Company Profile?

A company profile is your brand's professional introduction to your audience. It's meant to inform visitors and prospects on your products, services, and current positioning in the market. A well crafted company profile is a way to make yourself stand out from the competition and offer how you're unique.

Very few things in the world of business copywriting ignite such mixed feelings as the company profile.

In general, business owners love a company profile. They want to delve into every little detail of how their firm grew into the commercial powerhouse it is today – faithfully recounting every step from the childhood lemonade stand to the board meeting 15 minutes ago.

On the other hand, the average company profile is a snooze-fest for most customers and clients.

The reason is simple: Most of the time, the company profile is “me, me, me.”

It doesn’t address what matters to your most important audience: your prospects.

What to Include in Your Company Profile

The trickiest aspect of writing a profile is knowing what to say. What is it that visitors are actually looking for? What are they hoping to learn?

It's important to include info that falls under these three main umbrellas in order to make sure you're sharing enough valuable information:

Business Details

These are the basic facts of your company, like contact info and a brief overview of the business:

• Company name
• Location addresses
• Phone numbers

Company Details

This is where you can get a bit more detailed in who your company is and what it stands for:

• Mission statement and vision
• Established date
• Description of what you do (products and/or services)
• Brief overview of history, growth, and development
• Client portfolio

Industry Recognition

If you're looking to prove your worth, then don't be afraid to flash your feathers a bit. Share anything noteworthy that your company has accomplished or received:

• Certifications
• Media/news recognition
• Testimonials
• Partnerships

How to Write a Company Profile

If you write a company profile with your value add in mind, you can turn the structure of the old-fashioned company profile on its head.

This will help hook readers with the facts most relevant to them – so they’ll feel more inclined to get all the way to the end.

Here’s how you can do it.

Start With What You Do for Others.

Here’s the crux: A company profile is just like other kinds of business writing. If you want it to get attention, lead with what’s in it for others when they do business with you.

Think back to your company’s one sentence branding statement. In other words, how do you finish the sentence: “We help [X] to [Y] ...?”

You rarely go wrong by making this the very first sentence of your company profile.

It cuts through the clutter and hooks those who might be your next ideal customer, partner, or employee – and, after all, that’s who you’re really writing to. Isn’t it?

Add Your Value Statement.

Now that the reader is acquainted with what you do, it’s time to delve into how you do it. When cost and features don’t quite differentiate one vendor from another, decision-makers look for values that resonate with them.

Here, you can include things like your vision for corporate responsibility or some community organizations you’ve worked with.

Just remember that this shouldn’t be an exhaustive list, just enough to pique curiosity and show you are thinking about the subject.

Put in Your Contact Information.

Contact information is essential for any company profile. Virtually all profiles either start online or end up there at some point in the future.

Contact details not only help people take action on your profile, but also contribute to your visibility in local SEO .

Naturally, this should include phone, URL, and email.

Fax looks increasingly stodgy, so leave it out unless it’s a recognized standard in your industry.

List Out Some of Your Top Clients.

No matter whether you’re in B2B or B2C, everyone wants to know that people “just like them” have had success with your product or service.

B2B enterprises have an advantage here, since they can easily choose the largest, wealthiest, or most prestigious company they’ve worked with. In B2C, exactly who your “top clients” are requires a little interpretation.

Really contemplate the profile, where it will be seen, and who its audience is. You can try thinking in the aggregate, as in:

• How many people have all your offerings helped?
• What is the big factor customers have in common?
• What feeling or role is the offering associated with?
• What percentage of customers say they are happy?
• What percentage of customers are repeat customers?

All these methods can give you a sense of scope even if you don’t have a big name endorsement.

Hit Them With Your Testimonials.

The right testimonial can add a sense of personality and even urgency to your company profile, letting it do double duty as a lead magnet that might drive people to interact with your brand.

In B2B, your best testimonials are probably associated with your biggest clients.

Remember to try to select a quote from either the most authoritative person (CEOs), the most well-known (author or other thought leader), or the one who most closely matches your ideal buyer.

In B2C, a customer’s formal title probably isn’t as important as what they have to say. Look for short, pithy quotes that align with your brand values and underscore your top benefits.

All in all, a company profile shouldn’t have more than three short testimonials. More than this and some venues might refuse to publish your profile as written, seeing it as too promotional.

Don’t Forget a Call to Action.

It’s a weird quirk of human nature any experienced marketer has seen time and time again: People usually won’t take the next step, even if they know exactly what it is, unless you ask them.

A CTA within a company profile should be evergreen and not refer to any specific offer.

Even something as simple as “Visit our website” or “Contact us for more details” can suffice here. Here's an example of a simple button CTA that you could use:

FAQs About Writing a Company Profile

Should a profile include the company’s story, like who founded it and when.

If your company has been around the block, you might take the time to say a little bit about its founding principles – especially if it’s at least a century old.

You can usually fit this neatly into the section or paragraph where you talk about values. Recent founding can be worth mentioning if your company is disruptive, had a successful IPO, or obtained investor funding.

Should a Profile Have Information About Recent Product Launches or Other Fresh News?

In general, a profile should be designed to age gracefully so inaccurate or outdated information doesn’t percolate through the web and media channels.

As the previous question shows, though, there are some exceptions. A profile isn’t a press release, so newsworthy content isn’t needed – but anything that’s intended to be part of the company’s overall story could be woven in.

Should a Company Profile Use Paragraphs With Headers or Stick to Regular Text?

Take a cue from whatever platform you plan to post your profile on, but remember this: Most people aren’t inherently interested in a company’s story.

So, while headers will definitely make it easy to navigate the text, you might want to craft paragraphs short enough to not need them.

Where the Heck Will I Use a Company Profile, Anyway?

Although it’s not one of the biggest traffic draws, many people would say a company website isn’t really complete without a profile.

On your own site, of course, you’ll have more options when it comes to formatting – for example, you could present it in the form of a timeline.

In general, though, you should put together the text you want on your site, then mix and match various elements according to what you need to focus on for a given publication or platform.

The version on your Facebook might zoom in on your founding, the one you submit to Fortune or Forbes might talk more about recent funding or product launches, and so on.

Some places where you might need a profile include:

• Your own website
• Your LinkedIn Company Page
• Your Facebook community
• Industry publications
• Event and association websites

Company Profile Examples

Take a page out of the books of some successful companies. These examples have great company profiles that help them stand out from the crowd and prove their worth.

Zappos is well known for their customer service, and they highlight that in their profile. Their About Us page tells a story of service and growth, all centered around their customers.

For more insight, they've included a video highlighting their company culture and their 10 core values that guide their business.

Philips also leverages using multiple pages to tell their full story, but their main page uses incredible visual elements to tell visitors about the company's origins and beliefs.

It's not incredibly text heavy, hitting only on important facts and offering links to pages with more details.

Starbucks offers a look into the operations, from their start in 1971 to their store numbers and brand portfolio. They leverage white space to reduce any noise when communicating their products, mission, and messaging.

Their language is incredibly genuine also, providing real personality to the coffee brand.

Throughout their company profile, Venmo uses simple CTA buttons to encourage users to get to know them a little bit better. 

HubSpot does a great job of informing visitors in their company profile. With unique graphics and an easy-to-read layout, visitors can learn about the company's mission, milestones, and products.

Toward the end of the page, they highlight their growth and accomplishments in an effort to let you know that they get results.

Spotify uses lots of block sections to state their mission and share a bit about their background. Here, they share some important stats and links to encourage listeners to view more information about their brand. 

This page is easy to navigate so users can find exactly what they're looking for while getting to know the company in a way that feels comfortable.

Bloomberg has a unique approach to their company profile. While they have well written copy and branching pages for more information, similar to the other examples above, this company makes its mark by offering video for practically every page it has.

They recognize the accessibility and power that comes with utilizing visual elements to engage their visitors, and it makes for a truly engrossing experience as you learn more about not only their business, but their culture as well.

Netflix begins by sharing their value statement, connecting their audience with the mission behind their business . They also use an interactive timeline to share their history and promote engagement with website visitors.

A strength seen on the Netflix company profile is the familiar use of their video background that reminds viewers of the imagery displayed at the beginning of their movies and shows, increasing familiarity and trust with their brand. 

Get Started With an Effective Company Profile

As you can see from these examples, a strong company profile is one of the first steps toward earning the trust and attention of new leads.

Your prospects want to know more about who they're doing business with. You don't just make a deal and shake hands with a stranger you know nothing about.

Follow these tips and your company profile can serve a useful function in your branding strategy , helping communicate what makes you special while drawing new customers in.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie is a Copywriter at Bluleadz. She graduated from Elon University with a degree in Creative Writing and is currently living in Charlotte, NC. If you need her, you can find her exploring the city or relaxing with a good book.

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How to Write a Company Profile (Plus Samples and Templates to Aid You)

Writing a company profile can be intimidating. Start with these simple tips and company profile PDF templates for an easy start.

If you've never written a company profile before, the first time can be a little intimidating. A company profile's purpose, after all, is not just to include basic details about the brand. It must also highlight the strengths of your company clearly and confidently. Consider it to be something akin to your company's resume.

To help you create this incredibly important document for your business, you're going to need some expert advice. In this article, we have tips, templates, and samples to help get you started.

What Is a Company Profile? Meaning, Basics, and More

A company profile is a professional summary that describes a business and what it does. You'll need a professional company profile if you're trying to hook investors, but you can also use it to pacify other stakeholders, including clients and people visiting your site for the first time.

The style and length of a company profile can vary depending on the nature of the business. For new start-ups, a concise two-page profile might be sufficient, highlighting the core aspects of the company. Established organizations, on the other hand, may include additional sections showcasing their achievements, such as awards, certifications, and an extensive client portfolio.

Ultimately, the profile should reflect the company's identity, mission, and notable accomplishments. Above all, a company profile is an opportunity to let your brand's true colors shine. It is your gateway to showcasing your company's strengths and leaving a lasting mark on the minds of your audience.

What to Include in Your Company Profile

A well-written company profile is clear, concise, accurate, and completely up-to-date. Good spelling and grammar are crucial—be on the lookout for typos, and be sure to read it through several times; you might even consider using a proofreading tool as another check.

Aside from these two points, your company introduction should also include the following elements:

1. The Business Details

It's called a corporate profile for a reason—company or business profile content should pull double-duty as an easy-to-read report that details all the most important aspects of your brand, business, and goals.

This most certainly includes extremely basic information, such as contact information for your company. We've listed some of the most important things that any business profile needs to include. These tidbits should be readily available and easy to find:

• Company name
• Established date
• Physical address per location
• Phone and fax numbers
• Website URL
• Email address

2. The Company Basics

These items will vary depending on your industry and what you happen to do specifically; skip anything that's irrelevant to your company, picking and choosing only what you need to include.

This is one area where you can really showcase what your company has done and where it would like to take itself in the future. Invite the reader into your legacy. Show them the world that you're trying to build with your team.

• Description of the business, including its mission and/or vision.
• Product descriptions
• Description of services
• History, expansion, and growth
• Public relations
• Advertising
• Industry information
• Safety, health, and environmental policies
• Core team details
• Client portfolio

3. The Highlights

Now: your bragging rights. We've shown the reader where the company has been. Now, it's time to prove to them that you're already a team of winners.

• Certifications
• Special programs and projects
• Testimonials
• News or media recognition

4. Client Portfolio

If possible, you can include a list of the prominent clients or customers you have served and highlight any major partnerships. You can add testimonials or success stories from satisfied customers to build trust and confidence in your company's ability to deliver quality products or services.

5. Optional Items

You may see the following items in other company profiles or within the samples and templates below. If you've got the data or the pedigree to back any of the following up, these extra details might be of particular interest to your audience, especially to potential investors.

• Annual sales
• Financial targets
• Number of employees
• Photographs

With all of these different key details in mind, you can start to build a business profile template that includes them all. Fill in the blanks, and you've got the perfect foundation on which to build your company's profile.

Company Profile Samples and Templates

If you're hesitant to simply throw it all down at once, you can also borrow your company profile format from any successful brand that you follow, adapting it loosely to your needs. You can also find a free business profile sample online—plenty of business influencers and template services offer their take on the matter for you to exploit.

Read on to find the perfect company profile PDF for your small business. You'll need a PDF editing tool, converter, or application to open or edit some of these; we can suggest a few browser-based PDF editors if you're stuck.

1. Keeping Your Business Profile Format Short and Sweet

This first template (from TidyForm ) is short and sweet. If this is your first time creating a company profile, it might be a good one to start with. It's clean and simple; the sections in blue help prompt you with what should be included in each area.

This basic business profile template (from FormsBirds ) offers the reader a breath of fresh air with just a splash of color. With this option, you can put your own company logo at the top and edit the color theme throughout the document to match.

Another great business profile template (from FormBirds ). It begins with a useful table of contents; you can go through the index and simply add what you need to add as you go. If you prefer crisp, clean, and structured documents, you'll like this one a lot.

2. A Slightly More Involved Company Introduction

This company profile format (from TidyForm ) uses an outline instead of a table of contents. You can read through each page quickly; each section and level shows you exactly what you should include. It's also available as a DOC file, as well.

This business profile format (from FormBirds ) is stunningly visual—it takes the reader on a vibrant and illustrative adventure, all while informing them about your company's charter vision and achievements. If you have the media to flesh it all out, it's one of our top recommendations, especially for pitches.

Another great option if you prefer a visual theme is this template, also from FormsBirds . You can add company and team photos for a personal touch, along with graphs and charts that show off your numbers.

This business profile template (from TidyForm ) is as simple and attractive as it is useful. If you're worried about overloading your audience with information, the style of this company profile PDF will be able to help you organize it into something much more approachable and readable.

3. Telling It Like It Is: The Full Monty

If you're at the helm of a company that is constantly growing and evolving, you're going to need a corporate profile of corresponding proportions. This option (from TidyForm ) is more than capable of containing even extremely abundant accounts of accomplishments and other information.

This stylish company profile PDF (from FormBirds ) is completely stunning in terms of graphic design, straight-up. You'll find visual motifs and charming thematic elements throughout all 33 pages, and any of them can be customized around all the information pertaining to your company in particular.

No matter how much you have under your belt already, you'd be hard-pressed to run out of room here.

Write a Perfect Company Profile: First Impressions Matter a Lot

With any luck, at least one of the corporate profile samples mentioned here gives you just what you need: the perfect canvas upon which to base your own.

Once you've gotten all the clerical stuff out of the way, we encourage you to make your own profile. The goal is to reach out and touch the reader with what you do; a well-written corporate profile is a perfect way to win.

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How to Write a Company Profile (w/ Templates & Examples)

Last Updated – May 2, 2023 @ 6:39 am

Whether you own an international brand or a startup , writing a company profile is something you should prioritize.

While you may think company profiles are boring and will only want to make readers hit the snooze button, it is vital if you want to be competitive in your industry. 

If you haven’t written this document before, you may feel overwhelmed and intimidated.

After all, your company profile should not only list your company’s details but also what makes it stand out. To help you make the best company profile, we’ve compiled this thorough guide. 

What is a Company Profile?

The simplest way to describe your company profile is to think of it like your business’ resume . This professional document introduces your brand and informs people, especially investors and buyers, about your services, products, and current status.

Company profiles should be included on your social media pages and website to inform people about your story, mission, and values. 

Now that you know what a company profile is, you’re probably wondering how long this document should be. There are no hard rules when it comes to the length of your company profile.

There are companies with profiles that are one page long, while the profiles of huge corporations can run up to 10 pages or more. How long your company profile depends on factors such as:

• Company age
• Company size

Related: 150+ Profitable Business Ideas in the Philippines

What is a Company Description?

The company description is a part of your business plan . It includes key facts like your business name , location, and structure, among many others.

The company description is geared towards potential partners and lenders so they can have a clear picture of the direction your company is taking.

Components of a Company Profile

The components you need to include in your company profile depend on what details you think are most important about your business.

However, there are foundational parts that need to be present in this document, such as:

Company name

This part clearly states the name of your business, exactly as it is written in your business registration.

Make sure to include the name of the owner because potential investors and lenders want to know who the person behind the business is.

Do not forget to include your company’s contact details like your email, phone number, and fax.  

Business structure

This section of your company profile will answer what entity your business is. Is it a sole proprietorship, corporation , LLC, or partnership? 

Target customer

Another integral part of your company profile is the description of who your target customers are.

Who are you selling your services and products to? You have to be sure who your company appeals to.

Depending on who your audience is, list down the demographics of your audience, including details like:

Products or Services

In this section, you need to convey the details of your services and products, and how it helps the lives of your customers.

Keep this section straightforward. If investors and lenders want to know the nitty-gritty details of your offers, provide another link with more in-depth content, or ask them to contact you.

If you have a physical store or an office, list where it is located. If you have multiple branches, also list down the locations.

Management team

You’ve already listed the owner/s of the business, but that’s not enough.

You must also work on this section if you have a highly involved team. List their names as well as their roles in the company. 

One of your selling points as a brand is your unique history. Even small startups need to include this section in their company profile.

While it’s not recommended to make this section long, make sure to inject interesting details to add some personality to it. 

Mission statement

Not all companies have a mission statement. If you still have not worked on this, think of it as the purpose of your business.

This should be based on the problems you promise on solving through your products or services. 

While your readers want to focus on the concrete details of your company, it also helps to let them know what your vision is. This is extremely important especially for brands who are looking for financial backing to scale their business. 

The current state of your company will tell your readers a lot, but chances are, they also want to know which direction you plan on heading. Include a short description of the milestones you want to tick off in the coming years. 

Competitive advantage

In your profile, you need to be clear on why your company stands out among the competition.

Your competitive advantage could come from any aspect of your business such as innovative products to exceptional customer service.

For example, maybe you’re using cutting-edge technology or a specialized approach that sets you apart from others in your industry.

Highlighting your competitive advantage will give potential customers a reason to choose your company over others.

By showcasing your competitive advantage, you not only differentiate your business but also provide potential customers with a clear understanding of why they should choose your company over others in the market.

Awards and recognitions

Your company profile should also include your company’s awards and recognitions. List any accolades, certifications, or achievements that your company has earned. This will help to establish your credibility and expertise in your industry.

For instance, if your company has won industry-specific awards such as best new product, innovation award, or company of the year, be sure to include this information in your profile.

If your company has received any recognition from the media, such as being featured in a reputable publication or news outlet, you should also mention this in your profile.

This will help to increase your brand visibility and establish your company as a reputable and trustworthy organization.

Overall, incorporating your company’s awards and recognitions into your profile will help to build trust.

Corporate social responsibility

Your corporate social responsibility refers to your company’s efforts to make a positive impact on society and the environment.

Including information about your company’s social responsibility initiatives in your profile shows readers that your company is actively engaged in making a difference in the world.

Are you involved in any charitable causes such as donations to non-profit organizations or volunteering events?  Make sure to include this information in your profile.

Additionally, highlighting your efforts to reduce your environmental impacts, such as through sustainable practices or eco-friendly products, will also help to establish your company as a socially responsible organization.

Contact information

Your contact information is crucial in your company profile section as it provides readers with a way to get in touch with your business. List your addresses, phone numbers, email, and website.

Your contact information must always be up-to-date and accurate at all times because this will help to avoid any confusion or frustration for individuals who are trying to contact you.

Importance of Writing a Company Profile

Your company profile says a lot about your company. It is a powerful tool that will allow you to stand out in today’s competitive business landscape.

We’ve gathered more reasons why you should work on this document. 

It’s an awesome marketing tool

First impressions are key when it comes to your business. However, that is not all. Aside from making a good first impression, you also have to ensure that it lasts.

Company profiles are designed to reach as many people as possible and leave a lasting impression. 

Company profiles should be viewed as a marketing tool because it’s visible on all important platforms such as physical prints, websites, and social networks.

It’s also a convenient way for clients and investors to know all information about your company in one place.

It will prove your uniqueness

Company profiles allow you to share information and assure potential customers that you can meet their needs. If you don’t work on this document, people would find it challenging to know more about what value you can give to them.

When your company profile is both informative and engaging, it can propel your brand to greater heights.

It builds credibility

Your business surely has tough competition, and you must ensure that it stands out. An effective way to promote your company is to create a profile that shares your powerful story to customers and other stakeholders.

When you have a good company profile, you will gain the confidence of people and they will find your company credible. Therefore, they would want to see what you have to offer. 

If you want to take the extra mile to build your credibility, include testimonials from customers and employees. You can also list your rewards. 

It lets people know what you offer

You should see your company profile as a chance to tell people what your brand is about, and what services and products you offer.

This way, it can act as a window to future customers, business partners, and employees. When you spend time making this document, you will enjoy a higher chance of standing out from your competition. 

It helps you recruit top-tier talent

Every business wants the best people on their team. But with so many companies today fighting for the attention of talented professionals, it can be a challenge to win them.

Your company profile has the power to convince professionals to work for you because they already know what to expect.

How to Write a Company Profile

Here are the steps you need to take to write a good company profile.

1. Write your elevator pitch

Think of your first paragraph as the written equivalent of elevator pitches. It should be brief, concise, and interesting. This short section is meant to grab the attention of your readers.

The idea is to let your audience finish reading it in just a few seconds, and get the overall picture of what your business is all about.

2. Do not include irrelevant information

Before writing your company profile, take time to sift through all information about your company. This way, you know which ones are the most important and relevant.

All these should be read early by your audience. Also, make sure that all information is up to date. 

Your company description should only include vital information about your business. Do not insert unrelated information and details in the first part. Simply leave those out for other sections. 

Keep in mind where you want to publish the company profile and tailor it to whoever is reading it. For example, if it’s meant to be on your website, it is most likely to be read by potential customers.

You don’t want to make your profile sound too stuffy by filling it with numbers because chances are, your customers don’t want to know about that. 

3. Look at your competitors

Check the businesses in your industry and take note of the tone of their company profile. If there’s a leading business that you look up to, check their company profile.

How did they make it stand out? This step is not to encourage you to copy what makes them unique. Instead, it’s so you can incorporate some of the elements into your profile. 

4. Follow a clean format

Whether you want your company profile to be extremely formal or creative, make sure to follow a clear structure. Do not try to manipulate how to present facts for the sake of visual appeal. 

There are many formats you can try when writing your profile. For example, you can go with a standard style with different sections.

You can also do a timeline style, or a more graphic approach. Whatever format you choose, stick to it throughout. 

Remember that your job is not simply to relay all the facts and figures of your company as is. You must also make sure that your reader can see your company’s journey.  

5. Double-check information

When you’re writing your company profile, it’s easy to get carried away. Before you know it, you’ve already included a lot of irrelevant information and your profile is already unnecessarily long.

After finishing the first draft of your company profile, do not go straight to proofreading it. Instead, take a break to get a clear mind. Then, re-examine its contents and omit irrelevant information. 

6. Proofread

Before publishing your company profile, proofread it first. This way, you’ll get rid of all grammatical errors, typos, and flow problems that will affect its readability.

You can try reading your company profile aloud to ensure that all parts are compelling. 

Tips for Writing an Effective Company Profile

Creating a good company profile is easy once you keep these tips in mind.

Do not be too technical

It’s fine to sprinkle in some jargon on your company profile to illustrate a point, but when you overload your profile with terms that are too technical, it will be ineffective because people who do not have technical knowledge will not understand it.

Get creative

Millions of people consider themselves as visual learners. You can use this to your advantage by getting creative with your business profile.

Try adding engaging designs and graphics to create a powerful impression. 

Showcase beyond your services and products

Instead of putting all the focus on your products or services, go beyond that information.

You can do this by highlighting the values and benefits people can gain and experience if they do business with you. 

Include links

After reading your company profile, people want to know where they can find you and how to reach you.

Instead of limiting yourself by just putting your contact numbers, also include links to your social media pages and website.

Company Profile Template

This template inspired by Indeed can be used for your company profile. 

[Company name] [Company website] Contact: [Contact name] [Contact phone number] [Contact email address] [Facebook link,] [Instagram link,] [Twitter link] Mission statement: [Mission statement] About us: [information that describes the founding, history, and other facts about the company] Our team: [Description of top-level employees and employee demographics] Our products/services: [Description of products and services, with benefits] Financial information: [Description of the company’s financial goals and performance] Awards and recognition: [List of awards and certifications] Testimonials: [Quote from customer or employee] — [Name], [Title] [Quote from customer or employee] — [Name], [Title]

Best Company Profile & Description Samples

To further inspire you to write the best company profile, we’ve gathered our favorite examples.

Taking a page out of the books of these brands will enable you to stand out. 

• In-depth, yet not overwhelming
• Accessible links
• Versatile tone that appeals to customers and potential investors
• Inspires emotion

Security Bank  

• Credible tone
• Contains bulleted points that make reading easier
• Some pages are graphic and colorful
• Contains an interview with the owner to make it more personal
• Great use of storytelling to illustrate points
• Very consistent with their brand image
• Contains great images 
• Concise sentences
• Easy to read layout
• Introduction paragraph is straight to the point
• Eye-catching design
• Great use of images to illustrate values, and locations
• Easy access to numbers and important information 
• Illustrates credibility by showing awards
• Not text-heavy

Company Profile FAQs

Still got questions about company profiles? We’ll answer them below.

How long should a company profile be?

The length of your company profile can vary depending on your industry and audience. However, a good rule of thumb is to keep it concise and to the point.

Aim for two to ten pages, and focus on highlighting the most important aspects of your business.

Remember, potential customers and investors are likely to skim your profile, so it’s important to make a strong impression quickly.

What is the appropriate tone and style for a company profile?

The appropriate tone and style for a company profile should be professional yet engaging.

You want to showcase your company’s strengths and accomplishments in a way that’s easy to understand and captures the attention of the readers, especially potential investors.

Avoid using overly technical language or jargon that may be difficult for some readers to understand. Instead, use clear and concise language that highlights the unique aspects of your business.

Can I use visuals in a company profile?

Yes, you can use visuals in a company profile. In fact, incorporating visual elements such as images, charts, or graphs can make your profile more engaging and help to illustrate key points about your business.

When using visuals, be sure to choose high-quality images or graphics that are relevant to your business and add value to your profile.

You should also ensure that any visual elements you use are consistent with your overall branding and style.

How often should a company profile be updated?

A company profile should be updated as needed to reflect any major changes or updates to your business.

This could include changes to your products or services, new awards or recognitions, or updates to your contact information.

It’s a good idea to review and update your company profile at least once a year to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date.

Additionally, if you notice that your profile is not generating the desired results, it may be time to revisit and update it to better align with your business goals and audience.

What common mistakes should I avoid when writing a company profile?

When writing a company profile, there are several common mistakes you should avoid. These include:

• Using overly technical language or jargon that may be difficult for readers to understand.
• Focusing too much on your company’s history or background instead of highlighting your strengths and accomplishments.
• Making claims or statements that you can’t back up with evidence or data.
• · Neglecting to include important information about your company’s products or services, awards, recognitions, or social responsibility initiatives.
• Using a tone or style that’s too informal or not professional enough for your industry.

Where can I find examples of well-written company profiles? 

You can find examples of well-written company profiles through various sources, including:

• Company websites: Many companies feature their profiles on their websites, so browsing their “About Us” or “Our Story” sections can provide helpful examples.
• Business publications: Magazines and online publications that cover business news often feature profiles of successful companies, providing you with examples to study.
• Professional organizations: Professional organizations in your industry usually have examples of company profiles from other members. This will allow you to see how your peers are presenting their businesses.
• Online templates: There are many online resources that provide templates for creating company profiles, and browsing these can give you a sense of the structure and content that should be included in your own profile.

It’s important to remember that while these examples can be helpful, your company profile should ultimately be unique to your business and tailored to your specific audience and goals.

Don’t be afraid to get creative and showcase what sets your company apart from the rest.

About MJ de Castro

MJ de Castro is the lead personal finance columnist at Grit PH.

MJ started her career as a writer for her local government’s City Information Office. Later on, she became a news anchor on PTV Davao del Norte.

Wanting to break free from the shackles of her 9-to-5 career to live by the beach, she pursued remote work. Over the years, she has developed a wide specialization on health, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, branding, and travel.

Now, she juggles writing professionally, her business centering on women’s menstrual health, and surfing.

Education: Ateneo de Davao University (AB Mass Communication) Focus: Personal Finance, Personal Development, Entrepreneurship, & Marketing

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How to Write a Company Overview for a Business Plan

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When you start a company, you ideally want it to grow. If you’re seeking business funding to scale your business or an initial investment to get your business off the ground, you’re going to need a business plan . Putting together a business plan can be an intimidating process that involves a lot of steps and writing — but breaking it down piece by piece can help you accomplish this seemingly insurmountable task.

One small piece of your business plan is the company overview, so let’s take a look at what that is, exactly, check out some company overview examples and go over how to make a company overview of your very own.

ZenBusiness

What is a company overview?

A company overview provides the reader of your business plan with basic background information about your company so they have an understanding of what you do, who the management team is and what customers your business serves.

The company description is the second piece of a business plan, falling right after the executive summary. Similar to the executive summary, your company overview will be short and succinct. Your reader needs to have a grasp on what your business does and who your customers are, even if they have limited time.

Why do I need a company overview?

The company overview is the part of your business plan that gives the basics and background of your business. It’s the foundation on which you will build the rest of your business plan.

If you’re looking to appeal to investors or potential clients, you need a reader to make an informed decision about your company. Before they can do that, they must know what your company does and who your customer is. Lenders in particular need a reason to keep reading, since they see tons of business plans regularly. The company overview provides those answers, and it will help you get a better sense of your business so you can firm up things like your marketing plan.

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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.

What should I include in a company overview?

The exact elements that you need in your company overview will depend upon what details of your business are important, but there are some foundational elements that will be included in every company overview.

Once you’ve covered the basics, you can include any other minor details that will benefit a reader who will need to make an informed decision about your business.

Basic company information

Consider the company overview like an introduction for your business. In the opening paragraph of your company overview, you’ll want to include basic company information. That includes:

Your company name: This should be the official name of your business, exactly as it is written when you registered your business with the state.

Business structure: Your reader will want to know what business entity your company comes in: sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership or corporation.

Location(s): Share where your business is headquartered and other locations the business owns.

Ownership and management team

Break down who owns your business and how each owner is involved with the business. What shares of the company belong to whom? If you have a highly involved management team, share their names and key roles with the company as well.

Company history

Part of what makes your company unique is its history. And, even startups have some history. Don’t put too much focus on this section, but do add some personality and interesting details if possible, especially if they relate to your company culture.

Mission statement

Your company’s mission statement should be included in the company overview. If you don’t yet have a company mission statement, that’s okay. Think of a mission statement as the purpose of your company.

If you don’t have one, you can create one with your team. Or you can simply replace the mission statement with a problem statement. Your business idea should exist to solve a problem or pain point faced by your customers. Share what that problem is and what your business does to solve it. That’s essentially your mission statement.

Product/service and customer

This section of the company overview is where you can share the nitty-gritty details of your business. Talk about what product or service you provide and to whom you provide it. You can share some numbers here, but in general, save the numbers for later in your business plan.

The company overview should give the reader a general understanding of your business, your product or service, and your customer. If they’re interested to know more, they’ll reach out to you for a meeting or take the time to read the rest of your business plan. Keep it simple and straightforward here.

Future goals

While concrete details and facts about your business are important to whoever is reading your company overview, it’s also important to share your dreams and your vision. If you’re writing a business plan for a business that’s already in place, it’s very likely you’re looking for business financing to scale or solve a business problem. If you’re just starting out, though, then it’s likely you’re hoping to find startup funding.

The section on your future business goals should include a brief description of your growth goals for your business. Where you are now tells the reader a lot, but they also want to know where you plan to go.

A company overview is comprised of many small parts. Each part shares just a little bit more about your company with your reader.

Tips for writing a company overview

While a company overview is simply the details of your company written out, it might not be easy to write. Break it down into small steps and use these tips to make putting together your company overview just a little bit easier.

Start with the elevator pitch

If your business is already in operation, then you likely have an elevator pitch. Your company overview can start off with your elevator pitch.

The first paragraph of your company overview should include just a few sentences that explain your business and what you do. The shorter and clearer this is, the more likely your reader will understand and keep reading.

Stick to the basics

It’s tempting to pile on all the details when you’re writing a company overview. Remember, many of the details of your company, including the numbers, will be included in later sections of your business plan.

Your company overview should include only the most basic details about your company that the reader needs to know.

Be passionate

When you share the history, mission statement, and vision for the future of your company, it’s okay to show your passion. You wouldn’t be in business if you didn’t love what you do.

Your excitement for your business could spark interest for the reader and keep them engaged with your company overview and business plan.

Keep it succinct

When you’re passionate about something, it’s easy to get carried away. Remember that you’ve got plenty of space for details in your business plan. The company overview should be just the most basic information someone needs to understand your business.

It’s OK if your first draft of your company overview is long. Simply go through and edit it to be shorter, removing unnecessary details and words each time you read through it. Clear, concise descriptions are more likely to be read and to keep the reader reading to other sections of your business plan.

Have structure

Your company overview is just one piece of a multi-tiered business plan. Creating a clear structure for your business plan makes it easier to read. The same is true for your company overview.

Your business plan should have chapters, one of which is the company overview. Then, you can further break down the content for easy skimming and reading by adding sub-chapters. You can denote these breaks in content with bold headers.

While you can break down each section of the company overview with bold headers based on the above suggestions, you can also interweave some information together, such as the company structure and leadership structure. Each section should be only a few sentences long.

Write it later

If you’re struggling to write your company overview, come back to it. Write the rest of your business plan first and then write your company overview.

While this might seem like the opposite way of doing things, knowing what will be contained in the rest of your business plan can help you to focus in on the very most essential details in the company overview and to leave everything else out.

Get a test reader

If you’re struggling to edit down your company overview, get a test reader. Ideally, you’ll want to ask someone who doesn’t know a lot about your business. They’ll help you understand whether or not you’ve clearly communicated your message.

Proofreading is the final step in editing something you’ve written. This type of editing looks for typos, misspellings and grammatical errors that have been missed. Many of these small errors can be difficult to spot in our own writing, so be sure to ask someone who hasn’t seen multiple drafts of your company overview.

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Company overview examples

If you don’t want to shell out for business planning software, but would still like some company overview examples to get you started, there are many places online you can look to for help getting started, like the Small Business Administration and SCORE.

Many successful companies also have some version of their company overview made public as their company profile page online. There are some variations from the company overview steps we’ve listed above, of course, but you can use the language and style of these company overview examples for inspiration:

Starbucks company profile .

Puma company page .

TaskRabbit About page .

Peloton company page .

Nestlé About page .

If you’re still feeling stuck, or want more company overview examples, try searching the websites of your favorite companies for more information. You might be surprised what you find — the Nestlé page, for example, has more information about their strategy and business principles.

On a similar note...

24 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

Published: February 06, 2024

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

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As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

But what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing. I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Business Plan Format

Business plan types, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ask any successful sports coach how they win so many games, and they’ll tell you they have a unique plan for every single game. To me, the same logic applies to business.

If you want to build a thriving company that can pull ahead of the competition, you need to prepare for battle before breaking into a market.

Business plans guide you along the rocky journey of growing a company. And if your business plan is compelling enough, it can also convince investors to give you funding.

With so much at stake, I’m sure you’re wondering where to begin.

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First, you’ll want to nail down your formatting. Most business plans include the following sections.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. 

Why? Essentially, it's the overview or introduction, written in a way to grab readers' attention and guide them through the rest of the business plan. This is important, because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary:

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front, and this is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up those business goals? Check out HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set goals that matter — I’d highly recommend it

Products and Services

To piggyback off of the company description, be sure to incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive — just another chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business.

In addition to the items above, I recommend including some information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here too.:

Keep in mind you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. So, keep the executive summary clear and brief, and only include the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template:

This executive summary is so good to me because it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Image Source

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

• Start with a strong introduction of your company, showcase your mission and impact, and outline the products and services you provide.
• Clearly define a problem, and explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
• Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
• Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
• Customize your summary to your audience. For example, emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists.

Check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary for more guidance.

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market.

The main question I’d ask myself here is this: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

More specifically, here’s what I’d include in this section:

• The size of the market
• Current or potential market share
• Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
• Where the gap is
• What caused the gap
• How you intend to fill it

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, and SOM analysis and perform market research on your industry.

You may also benefit from creating a SWOT analysis to get some of the insights for this section.

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

• Focus on demand and potential for growth.
• Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
• Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
• Refer to reliable sources.
• Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you'll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are.

After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you'll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover:

• Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing
• Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle
• Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points
• The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan below shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are.

It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location, which shows useful experience in this specific industry. 

This can help build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

• Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
• Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
• Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
• Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
• Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
• Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience?

If your immediate answer is "everyone," you'll need to dig deeper. Here are some questions I’d ask myself here:

• What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
• What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
• Why are your offerings valuable to them?

I’d also recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear on why you're targeting them.

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

• Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
• Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience , then show why your product is a useful solution.
• Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
• Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
• Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
• Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you'll discuss how you'll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I’d suggest including information:

• Your brand positioning vision and how you'll cultivate it
• The goal targets you aim to achieve
• The metrics you'll use to measure success
• The channels and distribution tactics you'll use

I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler.

In my opinion, it really works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

Tips for Writing Your Marketing Strategy

• Include a section about how you believe your brand vision will appeal to customers.
• Add the budget and resources you'll need to put your plan in place.
• Outline strategies for specific marketing segments.
• Connect strategies to earlier sections like target audience and competitive analysis.
• Review how your marketing strategy will scale with the growth of your business.
• Cover a range of channels and tactics to highlight your ability to adapt your plan in the face of change.

6. Key Features and Benefits

At some point in your business plan, you'll need to review the key features and benefits of your products and/or services.

Laying these out can give readers an idea of how you're positioning yourself in the market and the messaging you're likely to use. It can even help them gain better insight into your business model.

Key Features and Benefits Business Plan Example

In my opinion, the example below does a great job outlining products and services for this business, along with why these qualities will attract the audience.

Tips for Writing Your Key Features and Benefits

• Emphasize why and how your product or service offers value to customers.
• Use metrics and testimonials to support the ideas in this section.
• Talk about how your products and services have the potential to scale.
• Think about including a product roadmap.
• Focus on customer needs, and how the features and benefits you are sharing meet those needs.
• Offer proof of concept for your ideas, like case studies or pilot program feedback.
• Proofread this section carefully, and remove any jargon or complex language.

7. Pricing and Revenue

This is where you'll discuss your cost structure and various revenue streams. Your pricing strategy must be solid enough to turn a profit while staying competitive in the industry. 

For this reason, here’s what I’d might outline in this section:

• The specific pricing breakdowns per product or service
• Why your pricing is higher or lower than your competition's
• (If higher) Why customers would be willing to pay more
• (If lower) How you're able to offer your products or services at a lower cost
• When you expect to break even, what margins do you expect, etc?

Pricing and Revenue Business Plan Example

I like how this business plan example begins with an overview of the business revenue model, then shows proposed pricing for key products.

Tips for Writing Your Pricing and Revenue Section

• Get specific about your pricing strategy. Specifically, how you connect that strategy to customer needs and product value.
• If you are asking a premium price, share unique features or innovations that justify that price point.
• Show how you plan to communicate pricing to customers.
• Create an overview of every revenue stream for your business and how each stream adds to your business model as a whole.
• Share plans to develop new revenue streams in the future.
• Show how and whether pricing will vary by customer segment and how pricing aligns with marketing strategies.
• Restate your value proposition and explain how it aligns with your revenue model.

8. Financials

To me, this section is particularly informative for investors and leadership teams to figure out funding strategies, investment opportunities, and more.

 According to Forbes , you'll want to include three main things:

• Profit/Loss Statement - This answers the question of whether your business is currently profitable.
• Cash Flow Statement - This details exactly how much cash is incoming and outgoing to give insight into how much cash a business has on hand.
• Balance Sheet - This outlines assets, liabilities, and equity, which gives insight into how much a business is worth.

While some business plans might include more or less information, these are the key details I’d include in this section.

Financials Business Plan Example

This balance sheet is a great example of level of detail you’ll need to include in the financials section of your business plan.

Tips for Writing Your Financials Section

• Growth potential is important in this section too. Using your data, create a forecast of financial performance in the next three to five years.
• Include any data that supports your projections to assure investors of the credibility of your proposal.
• Add a break-even analysis to show that your business plan is financially practical. This information can also help you pivot quickly as your business grows.
• Consider adding a section that reviews potential risks and how sensitive your plan is to changes in the market.
• Triple-check all financial information in your plan for accuracy.
• Show how any proposed funding needs align with your plans for growth.

As you create your business plan, keep in mind that each of these sections will be formatted differently. Some may be in paragraph format, while others could be charts or graphs.

The formats above apply to most types of business plans. That said, the format and structure of your plan will vary by your goals for that plan. 

So, I’ve added a quick review of different business plan types. For a more detailed overview, check out this post .

1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas.

If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration .

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business's product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

Another business plan that's often for sharing internally is a strategic business plan. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company's acquisition or repositioning strategy.

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

Now that you know what's included and how to format a business plan, let's review some of my favorite templates.

1. HubSpot's One-Page Business Plan

Download a free, editable one-page business plan template..

The business plan linked above was created here at HubSpot and is perfect for businesses of any size — no matter how many strategies we still have to develop.

Fields such as Company Description, Required Funding, and Implementation Timeline give this one-page business plan a framework for how to build your brand and what tasks to keep track of as you grow.

Then, as the business matures, you can expand on your original business plan with a new iteration of the above document.

Why I Like It

This one-page business plan is a fantastic choice for the new business owner who doesn’t have the time or resources to draft a full-blown business plan. It includes all the essential sections in an accessible, bullet-point-friendly format. That way, you can get the broad strokes down before honing in on the details.

2. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

We also created a business plan template for entrepreneurs.

The template is designed as a guide and checklist for starting your own business. You’ll learn what to include in each section of your business plan and how to do it.

There’s also a list for you to check off when you finish each section of your business plan.

Strong game plans help coaches win games and help businesses rocket to the top of their industries. So if you dedicate the time and effort required to write a workable and convincing business plan, you’ll boost your chances of success and even dominance in your market.

This business plan kit is essential for the budding entrepreneur who needs a more extensive document to share with investors and other stakeholders.

It not only includes sections for your executive summary, product line, market analysis, marketing plan, and sales plan, but it also offers hands-on guidance for filling out those sections.

3. LiveFlow’s Financial Planning Template with built-in automation

This free template from LiveFlow aims to make it easy for businesses to create a financial plan and track their progress on a monthly basis.

The P&L Budget versus Actual format allows users to track their revenue, cost of sales, operating expenses, operating profit margin, net profit, and more.

The summary dashboard aggregates all of the data put into the financial plan sheet and will automatically update when changes are made.

Instead of wasting hours manually importing your data to your spreadsheet, LiveFlow can also help you to automatically connect your accounting and banking data directly to your spreadsheet, so your numbers are always up-to-date.

With the dashboard, you can view your runway, cash balance, burn rate, gross margins, and other metrics. Having a simple way to track everything in one place will make it easier to complete the financials section of your business plan.

This is a fantastic template to track performance and alignment internally and to create a dependable process for documenting financial information across the business. It’s highly versatile and beginner-friendly.

It’s especially useful if you don’t have an accountant on the team. (I always recommend you do, but for new businesses, having one might not be possible.)

4. ThoughtCo’s Sample Business Plan

One of the more financially oriented sample business plans in this list, BPlan’s free business plan template dedicates many of its pages to your business’s financial plan and financial statements.

After filling this business plan out, your company will truly understand its financial health and the steps you need to take to maintain or improve it.

I absolutely love this business plan template because of its ease-of-use and hands-on instructions (in addition to its finance-centric components). If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing an entire business plan, consider using this template to help you with the process.

6. Harvard Business Review’s "How to Write a Winning Business Plan"

Most sample business plans teach you what to include in your business plan, but this Harvard Business Review article will take your business plan to the next level — it teaches you the why and how behind writing a business plan.

With the guidance of Stanley Rich and Richard Gumpert, co-authors of " Business Plans That Win: Lessons From the MIT Enterprise Forum ", you'll learn how to write a convincing business plan that emphasizes the market demand for your product or service.

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know writing a business plan is one of the most challenging first steps to starting a business.

Fortunately, with HubSpot's comprehensive guide to starting a business, you'll learn how to map out all the details by understanding what to include in your business plan and why it’s important to include them. The guide also fleshes out an entire sample business plan for you.

If you need further guidance on starting a business, HubSpot's guide can teach you how to make your business legal, choose and register your business name, and fund your business. It will also give small business tax information and includes marketing, sales, and service tips.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of starting a business, in addition to writing your business plan, with a high level of exactitude and detail. So if you’re in the midst of starting your business, this is an excellent guide for you.

It also offers other resources you might need, such as market analysis templates.

8. Panda Doc’s Free Business Plan Template

PandaDoc’s free business plan template is one of the more detailed and fleshed-out sample business plans on this list. It describes what you should include in each section, so you don't have to come up with everything from scratch.

Once you fill it out, you’ll fully understand your business’ nitty-gritty details and how all of its moving parts should work together to contribute to its success.

This template has two things I love: comprehensiveness and in-depth instructions. Plus, it’s synced with PandaDoc’s e-signature software so that you and other stakeholders can sign it with ease. For that reason, I especially love it for those starting a business with a partner or with a board of directors.

9. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers several free business plan templates that can be used to inspire your own plan.

Before you get started, you can decide what type of business plan you need — a traditional or lean start-up plan.

Then, you can review the format for both of those plans and view examples of what they might look like.

We love both of the SBA’s templates because of their versatility. You can choose between two options and use the existing content in the templates to flesh out your own plan. Plus, if needed, you can get a free business counselor to help you along the way.

I’ve compiled some completed business plan samples to help you get an idea of how to customize a plan for your business.

I chose different types of business plan ideas to expand your imagination. Some are extensive, while others are fairly simple.

Let’s take a look.

1. LiveFlow

One of the major business expenses is marketing. How you handle your marketing reflects your company’s revenue.

I included this business plan to show you how you can ensure your marketing team is aligned with your overall business plan to get results. The plan also shows you how to track even the smallest metrics of your campaigns, like ROI and payback periods instead of just focusing on big metrics like gross and revenue.

Fintech startup, LiveFlow, allows users to sync real-time data from its accounting services, payment platforms, and banks into custom reports. This eliminates the task of pulling reports together manually, saving teams time and helping automate workflows.

"Using this framework over a traditional marketing plan will help you set a profitable marketing strategy taking things like CAC, LTV, Payback period, and P&L into consideration," explains LiveFlow co-founder, Lasse Kalkar .

When it came to including marketing strategy in its business plan, LiveFlow created a separate marketing profit and loss statement (P&L) to track how well the company was doing with its marketing initiatives.

This is a great approach, allowing businesses to focus on where their marketing dollars are making the most impact. Having this information handy will enable you to build out your business plan’s marketing section with confidence. LiveFlow has shared the template here . You can test it for yourself.

2. Lula Body

Sometimes all you need is a solid mission statement and core values to guide you on how to go about everything. You do this by creating a business plan revolving around how to fulfill your statement best.

For example, Patagonia is an eco-friendly company, so their plan discusses how to make the best environmentally friendly products without causing harm.

A good mission statement  should not only resonate with consumers but should also serve as a core value compass for employees as well.

Patagonia has one of the most compelling mission statements I’ve seen:

"Together, let’s prioritise purpose over profit and protect this wondrous planet, our only home."

It reels you in from the start, and the environmentally friendly theme continues throughout the rest of the statement.

This mission goes on to explain that they are out to "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to protect nature."

Their mission statement is compelling and detailed, with each section outlining how they will accomplish their goal.

4. Vesta Home Automation

This executive summary for a smart home device startup is part of a business plan created by students at Mount Royal University .

While it lacks some of the sleek visuals of the templates above, its executive summary does a great job of demonstrating how invested they are in the business.

Right away, they mention they’ve invested $200,000 into the company already, which shows investors they have skin in the game and aren’t just looking for someone else to foot the bill.

This is the kind of business plan you need when applying for business funds. It clearly illustrates the expected future of the company and how the business has been coming along over the years.

5. NALB Creative Center

This fictional business plan for an art supply store includes everything one might need in a business plan: an executive summary, a company summary, a list of services, a market analysis summary, and more.

One of its most notable sections is its market analysis summary, which includes an overview of the population growth in the business’ target geographical area, as well as a breakdown of the types of potential customers they expect to welcome at the store. 

This sort of granular insight is essential for understanding and communicating your business’s growth potential. Plus, it lays a strong foundation for creating relevant and useful buyer personas .

It’s essential to keep this information up-to-date as your market and target buyer changes. For that reason, you should carry out market research as often as possible to ensure that you’re targeting the correct audience and sharing accurate information with your investors.

Due to its comprehensiveness, it’s an excellent example to follow if you’re opening a brick-and-mortar store and need to get external funding to start your business .

6. Curriculum Companion Suites (CSS)

If you’re looking for a SaaS business plan example, look no further than this business plan for a fictional educational software company called Curriculum Companion Suites. 

Like the business plan for the NALB Creative Center, it includes plenty of information for prospective investors and other key stakeholders in the business.

One of the most notable features of this business plan is the executive summary, which includes an overview of the product, market, and mission.

The first two are essential for software companies because the product offering is so often at the forefront of the company’s strategy. Without that information being immediately available to investors and executives, then you risk writing an unfocused business plan.

It’s essential to front-load your company’s mission if it explains your "Why?" and this example does just that. In other words, why do you do what you do, and why should stakeholders care? This is an important section to include if you feel that your mission will drive interest in the business and its offerings.

7. Culina Sample Business Plan

Culina's sample business plan is an excellent example of how to lay out your business plan so that it flows naturally, engages readers, and provides the critical information investors and stakeholders need. 

You can use this template as a guide while you're gathering important information for your own business plan. You'll have a better understanding of the data and research you need to do since Culina’s plan outlines these details so flawlessly for inspiration.

8. Plum Sample Business Plan

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550+ Business Plan Examples to Launch Your Business

Need help writing your business plan? Explore over 550 industry-specific business plan examples for inspiration.

Find your business plan example

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Business plan template: There's an easier way to get your business plan done.

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Finish your plan faster with step-by-step guidance, financial wizards, and a proven format.

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View all sample business plans

Example business plan format

Before you start exploring our library of business plan examples, it's worth taking the time to understand the traditional business plan format . You'll find that the plans in this library and most investor-approved business plans will include the following sections:

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally only one to two pages. You should also plan to write this section last after you've written your full business plan.

Your executive summary should include a summary of the problem you are solving, a description of your product or service, an overview of your target market, a brief description of your team, a summary of your financials, and your funding requirements (if you are raising money).

Products & services

The products & services chapter of your business plan is where the real meat of your plan lives. It includes information about the problem that you're solving, your solution, and any traction that proves that it truly meets the need you identified.

This is your chance to explain why you're in business and that people care about what you offer. It needs to go beyond a simple product or service description and get to the heart of why your business works and benefits your customers.

Market analysis

Conducting a market analysis ensures that you fully understand the market that you're entering and who you'll be selling to. This section is where you will showcase all of the information about your potential customers. You'll cover your target market as well as information about the growth of your market and your industry. Focus on outlining why the market you're entering is viable and creating a realistic persona for your ideal customer base.

Competition

Part of defining your opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage may be. To do this effectively you need to get to know your competitors just as well as your target customers. Every business will have competition, if you don't then you're either in a very young industry or there's a good reason no one is pursuing this specific venture.

To succeed, you want to be sure you know who your competitors are, how they operate, necessary financial benchmarks, and how you're business will be positioned. Start by identifying who your competitors are or will be during your market research. Then leverage competitive analysis tools like the competitive matrix and positioning map to solidify where your business stands in relation to the competition.

Marketing & sales

The marketing and sales plan section of your business plan details how you plan to reach your target market segments. You'll address how you plan on selling to those target markets, what your pricing plan is, and what types of activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success.

The operations section covers the day-to-day workflows for your business to deliver your product or service. What's included here fully depends on the type of business. Typically you can expect to add details on your business location, sourcing and fulfillment, use of technology, and any partnerships or agreements that are in place.

Milestones & metrics

The milestones section is where you lay out strategic milestones to reach your business goals.

A good milestone clearly lays out the parameters of the task at hand and sets expectations for its execution. You'll want to include a description of the task, a proposed due date, who is responsible, and eventually a budget that's attached. You don't need extensive project planning in this section, just key milestones that you want to hit and when you plan to hit them.

You should also discuss key metrics, which are the numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common data points worth tracking include conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, profit, etc.

Company & team

Use this section to describe your current team and who you need to hire. If you intend to pursue funding, you'll need to highlight the relevant experience of your team members. Basically, this is where you prove that this is the right team to successfully start and grow the business. You will also need to provide a quick overview of your legal structure and history if you're already up and running.

Financial projections

Your financial plan should include a sales and revenue forecast, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, and a balance sheet. You may not have established financials of any kind at this stage. Not to worry, rather than getting all of the details ironed out, focus on making projections and strategic forecasts for your business. You can always update your financial statements as you begin operations and start bringing in actual accounting data.

Now, if you intend to pitch to investors or submit a loan application, you'll also need a "use of funds" report in this section. This outlines how you intend to leverage any funding for your business and how much you're looking to acquire. Like the rest of your financials, this can always be updated later on.

The appendix isn't a required element of your business plan. However, it is a useful place to add any charts, tables, definitions, legal notes, or other critical information that supports your plan. These are often lengthier or out-of-place information that simply didn't work naturally into the structure of your plan. You'll notice that in these business plan examples, the appendix mainly includes extended financial statements.

Types of business plans explained

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. To get the most out of your plan, it's best to find a format that suits your needs. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan

The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used for external purposes. Typically this is the type of plan you'll need when applying for funding or pitching to investors. It can also be used when training or hiring employees, working with vendors, or in any other situation where the full details of your business must be understood by another individual.

Business model canvas

The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

The structure ditches a linear format in favor of a cell-based template. It encourages you to build connections between every element of your business. It's faster to write out and update, and much easier for you, your team, and anyone else to visualize your business operations.

One-page business plan

The true middle ground between the business model canvas and a traditional business plan is the one-page business plan . This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business.

By starting with a one-page plan , you give yourself a minimal document to build from. You'll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences making it much easier to elaborate or expand sections into a longer-form business plan.

Growth planning

Growth planning is more than a specific type of business plan. It's a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, forecast, review, and refine based on your performance.

It holds all of the benefits of the single-page plan, including the potential to complete it in as little as 27 minutes . However, it's even easier to convert into a more detailed plan thanks to how heavily it's tied to your financials. The overall goal of growth planning isn't to just produce documents that you use once and shelve. Instead, the growth planning process helps you build a healthier company that thrives in times of growth and remain stable through times of crisis.

It's faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

Download a free sample business plan template

Ready to start writing your own plan but aren't sure where to start? Download our free business plan template that's been updated for 2024.

This simple, modern, investor-approved business plan template is designed to make planning easy. It's a proven format that has helped over 1 million businesses write business plans for bank loans, funding pitches, business expansion, and even business sales. It includes additional instructions for how to write each section and is formatted to be SBA-lender approved. All you need to do is fill in the blanks.

How to use an example business plan to help you write your own

How do you know what elements need to be included in your business plan, especially if you've never written one before? Looking at examples can help you visualize what a full, traditional plan looks like, so you know what you're aiming for before you get started. Here's how to get the most out of a sample business plan.

Choose a business plan example from a similar type of company

You don't need to find an example business plan that's an exact fit for your business. Your business location, target market, and even your particular product or service may not match up exactly with the plans in our gallery. But, you don't need an exact match for it to be helpful. Instead, look for a plan that's related to the type of business you're starting.

For example, if you want to start a vegetarian restaurant, a plan for a steakhouse can be a great match. While the specifics of your actual startup will differ, the elements you'd want to include in your restaurant's business plan are likely to be very similar.

Use a business plan example as a guide

Every startup and small business is unique, so you'll want to avoid copying an example business plan word for word. It just won't be as helpful, since each business is unique. You want your plan to be a useful tool for starting a business —and getting funding if you need it.

One of the key benefits of writing a business plan is simply going through the process. When you sit down to write, you'll naturally think through important pieces, like your startup costs, your target market , and any market analysis or research you'll need to do to be successful.

You'll also look at where you stand among your competition (and everyone has competition), and lay out your goals and the milestones you'll need to meet. Looking at an example business plan's financials section can be helpful because you can see what should be included, but take them with a grain of salt. Don't assume that financial projections for a sample company will fit your own small business.

If you're looking for more resources to help you get started, our business planning guide is a good place to start. You can also download our free business plan template .

Think of business planning as a process, instead of a document

Think about business planning as something you do often , rather than a document you create once and never look at again. If you take the time to write a plan that really fits your own company, it will be a better, more useful tool to grow your business. It should also make it easier to share your vision and strategy so everyone on your team is on the same page.

Adjust your plan regularly to use it as a business management tool

Keep in mind that businesses that use their plan as a management tool to help run their business grow 30 percent faster than those businesses that don't. For that to be true for your company, you'll think of a part of your business planning process as tracking your actual results against your financial forecast on a regular basis.

If things are going well, your plan will help you think about how you can re-invest in your business. If you find that you're not meeting goals, you might need to adjust your budgets or your sales forecast. Either way, tracking your progress compared to your plan can help you adjust quickly when you identify challenges and opportunities—it's one of the most powerful things you can do to grow your business.

Prepare to pitch your business

If you're planning to pitch your business to investors or seek out any funding, you'll need a pitch deck to accompany your business plan. A pitch deck is designed to inform people about your business. You want your pitch deck to be short and easy to follow, so it's best to keep your presentation under 20 slides.

Your pitch deck and pitch presentation are likely some of the first things that an investor will see to learn more about your company. So, you need to be informative and pique their interest. Luckily, just like you can leverage an example business plan template to write your plan, we also have a gallery of over 50 pitch decks for you to reference.

With this gallery, you have the option to view specific industry pitches or get inspired by real-world pitch deck examples.

Ready to get started?

Now that you know how to use an example business plan to help you write a plan for your business, it's time to find the right one.

Use the search bar below to get started and find the right match for your business idea.

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What Is a Company Profile? (And How to Write One)

Whether you’re creating content for an established business or a startup, a company profile should be part of your plan. In this post, we’ll discuss what a company profile is, and how to write one.

A company profile can be an effective way to highlight the business to customers or stakeholders. And you’ll quickly find that it is a vital part of business communication.

It’s a way to state what your business stands for, what your goals are, and where you place your focus. As well as featuring all the practical information that anyone might need to know about your company.

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What Is A Company Profile?

A company profile is a professional introduction to your business. It informs potential customers, stakeholders and the general public about your products, services, and business as a whole.

A company profile can be anything from a few sentences to an entire page on your website – most businesses have a long and short version – and is a good way to differentiate yourself from other businesses.

Why Is It Important?

A company profile is important for several reasons. It is a set of guiding words that describe your business.

Use it to shape how employees talk about your company and present a cohesive and consistent vision of the company to people outside of it.

A good company profile will get used frequently. These words can be copy and pasted into all kinds of other documents – grant applications, social media profiles, websites, professional directories and more.

A well-written company profile communicates three key things:

• It persuades others to interact and engage with your company. The profile should entice people to learn more.
• It includes contact information to build business credibility and tell people how to get in touch with your business.
• It tells your company story and sets a vision for the future. It should mention where you’ve been and where you are going.

How to Write a Company Profile

When it comes to actually writing a company profile, start with a plan.

• Outline a purpose. A company profile will get used in a lot of places. Outline what you want each audience to know and tailor the writing to match.
• Pick a style that matches your brand. Your company profile should read like the other elements on your website. Use the same voice so it feels like it belongs to your company.
• Highlight your mission and tell a story. A well-written company profile often has a narrative that makes people want to know more.
• Include plenty of relevant information at a glance. While the company profile might include a few paragraphs of narrative, you can also use bulleted lists to highlight products or services or key company information. Also, make sure to include a block with contact information and links to your website or social media profiles.
• Spellcheck and edit several times. Nothing is worse than a company profile with errors in it.

Once your write a company profile, you’ll likely edit to a couple of versions:

• Long version for applications and business documents
• Short version for quick introductions or descriptions
• About us page on your website version that includes the full company profile
• Tiny version for about lines in social profiles

Where Will You Use a Company Profile?

You will get a lot of mileage out of a company profile. The great thing about having this description written and ready to go is that you can make small tweaks to use it almost anywhere you need to post business information.

Using the company profile as a starting point will ensure that you post consistent business listings everywhere you provide information.

This includes in web and print materials distributed by your company, as boilerplate content for media and press releases, as descriptions for team members when they have speaking engagements, on social media in profiles for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, in job descriptions and applications, and anywhere you need to tell people about your business.

A company profile is an important element in your overall brand strategy.

Don’t Be Afraid to Design Your Own

While most of the focus is on writing a company profile, the design matters as well.

While you can’t always dictate what a company profile will look like, you can design it on your website or print pieces.

Don’t overlook this important part of your overall design. Too often, company profile pages are stripped down and look like an afterthought rather than a key element in the design. (Did you know that About pages are some of the most read on the web?)

Stick to trusted design principles when planning how company profile information will look.

• Add visuals that relate to your company. Use images of products or services or team members in action.
• Use white space to your advantage.
• Format intentionally and use the same structure as the rest of the design.
• Show off with testimonials, awards or fun company information.
• Organize content into logical sections that are easy to read at a glance.

Every company – no matter how big or small – can benefit from having a strong company profile. This language will get used everywhere and helps establish consistent messaging for your company or brand.

Having a strong company profile will save you time and effort in the long run because you will have a set of guiding words that you can use time and time again to describe your business, product or service.

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How To Write the Company Summary in a Business Plan

Company Overviews Show How the Pieces of a Business Work

What To Include in Your Company Summary

Getting started on your company summary, examples of a company summary, tips for writing a company summary, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Image by Theresa Chiechi © The Balance 2019

The company summary in a business plan —also known as the company description or overview—is a high-level look at what you are as a company and how all the elements of the business fit together.

An effective company summary should give readers, such as potential investors, a quick and easy way to understand your business, its products and services, its mission and goals, how it meets the needs of its target market, and how it stands out from competitors.

Before you begin writing your company summary, remember to stick to the big picture. Other sections of your business plan will provide the specific details of your business. The summary synthesizes all of that information into one page.

Key Takeaways

• The company summary in a business plan provides an overview containing a description of your company at a high level.
• A company summary might include your mission statement, goals, target market, products, and services, as well as how it stands out from competitors.
• The company summary can also be customized for a specific objective or audience, such as to secure financing from investors or banks.

The company summary section of a business plan should include:

• Business name
• Legal structure (i.e., sole proprietorship ,  LLC ,  S Corporation , or  partnership )
• Management team
• Mission statement
• Company history (when it started and important milestones)
• Description of products and services and how they meet the needs of the marketplace
• Target market (who will buy your product or services)
• Competitive advantage (what sets you apart in the marketplace to allow you to succeed)
• Objectives and goals (plans for growth)

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website has a lot of information available if you've never written a business plan before. The SBA provides examples of business plans for different types of companies.

Before you begin, you should decide whether you want to go with a traditional business plan format or a lean startup format. The traditional format is appropriate if you want to have a comprehensive, detail-oriented plan or if you are requesting financing. The lean startup format is best for those who have a relatively simple business and want to start it quickly or as a starting point for those who plan to refine and change the plan regularly.

No matter which type of business plan you choose, you'll need to include a company summary.

Although there are many blueprints for writing a company summary, below are a couple of examples to get you started.

Consulting Firm

You can opt for a concise opening paragraph such as this one:

XYZ Consulting is a new company that provides expertise in search marketing solutions for businesses worldwide, including website promotion, online advertising, and search engine optimization techniques to improve its clients' positioning in search engines. We cater to the higher education market, including colleges, universities, and professional educational institutions.

Several elements of the company summary are covered here, including the name (XYZ Consulting), history (new company), description of services (web promotion, SEO, advertising) and why it's needed (improve positioning in search engines), and the target market (higher education).

Starbucks Coffee Company Overview

Starbucks breaks down the company overview on their website into the following sections:

"Our Heritage"

Here the company describes how long the company has been in business, citing its roots, the founder, Howard Schultz, and how he was inspired to open the first Starbucks in Seattle after visiting Italy. It briefly mentions the growth of millions of customers and how the company's heritage remains important to its long-term success.

"Coffee & Craft"

The overview describes the high-quality products and services being offered and why they stand out from the competition by describing the detailed process of choosing and growing coffee beans. You'll notice they don't suggest their product is a low-cost product but instead provide a high level of "experiences to savor."

"Our Partners"

Starbucks describes its employees as partners that work together in an inclusive manner to achieve success. It highlights how they are at the center of the experience.

"Pursuit of Doing Good"

The company describes its values and how it gives back to the community.

Tesla Inc. Business Overview

Below are excerpts of the business overview pages from the annual 10-K filing on Dec. 31, 2021, for Tesla Inc.

"We design, develop, manufacture, sell and lease high-performance fully electric vehicles and energy generation and storage systems, and offer services related to our products. We generally sell our products directly to customers, including through our website and retail locations.

We also continue to grow our customer-facing infrastructure through a global network of vehicle service centers, mobile service technicians, body shops, supercharger stations and destination chargers to accelerate the widespread adoption of our products.

We emphasize performance, attractive styling and the safety of our users and workforce in the design and manufacture of our products and are continuing to develop full self-driving technology for improved safety.

Our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, engineering expertise, vertically integrated business model and focus on user experience differentiate us from other companies."

Competition

Tesla highlights the competitive automotive market and how the company differentiates itself from the larger, more established competitors.

"The worldwide automotive market is highly competitive and we expect it will become even more competitive in the future as we introduce additional vehicles in a broader cross-section of the passenger and commercial vehicle market and expand our vehicles’ capabilities. We believe that our vehicles compete in the market both based on their traditional segment classification as well as based on their propulsion technology.

Competing products typically include internal combustion vehicles from more established automobile manufacturers; however, many established and new automobile manufacturers have entered or have announced plans to enter the market for electric and other alternative fuel vehicles."

Intellectual Property

The company highlights its intellectual property, including trademarks and patents.

"We place a strong emphasis on our innovative approach and proprietary designs which bring intrinsic value and uniqueness to our product portfolio. As part of our business, we seek to protect the underlying intellectual property rights of these innovations and designs such as with respect to patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other measures, including through employee and third-party nondisclosure agreements and other contractual arrangements."

Mission Statement

The company highlights its mission statement and its sustainability goals using environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and human capital resources.

"The very purpose of Tesla's existence is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. We believe the world cannot reduce carbon emissions without addressing both energy generation and consumption, and we are designing and manufacturing a complete energy and transportation ecosystem to achieve this goal. As we expand, we are building each new factory to be more efficient and sustainably designed than the previous one, including with respect to waste reduction and water usage, and we are focused on reducing the carbon footprint of our supply chain."

There are other items you can include in your company summary to expand on the areas that you'd like people to focus on, depending on your objective.

You might provide more information about the company's location, legal structure, and management team. You can also include more information about the:

• Company's history, such as a family business that's been in operation for multiple generations
• Business objectives, including short-term and long-term goals
• Business strengths, highlighting anything that might give your company a competitive advantage in the field

You can also customize the summary if you have a specific objective or a targeted audience. For example, if the goal of your business plan is to secure funding, you might focus on areas that appeal to investors and lending institutions, including:

• Why you're the best person to manage the business
• Your experience in your field, as well as the total years of experience of your management team
• Expertise or special talents of your team, including training, licenses, certifications
• How you plan to make the business a success
• Financial information, such as a high-level discussion of your track record of revenue growth and the financial opportunities that can be realized as a result of securing financing

You may also want to address any areas of perceived weakness by explaining how you'll overcome them or compensate.

How do you write a company overview?

You might provide a description of the company, its location, legal structure, and management team. You can also highlight the company's business objectives, goals, and strengths. You can also customize the summary to a specific audience, such as a bank or lender, focusing on your competitive advantages and highlights of recent financial success.

What should an organizational overview include?

Some of the discussion points to include in a company overview might be:

• Company name and location
• Legal structure such as a sole proprietorship, LLC, or partnership
• Mission statement and management team
• Description of your products and services and how they are needed
• Target market or who are your customers
• Competitive advantage or what makes your company different

The Clute Institute. " Using Business Plans for Teaching Entrepreneurship ," Page 734.

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Write Your Business Plan ."

Starbucks Coffee Company. " Our Company ."

United States Securities and Exchange Commission. " Form 10-K, Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(D) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021, Tesla, Inc., " Pages 3-12.

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Top 10 Company Profile Templates with Samples and Examples

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” – UK’s world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.

For businesses, Hawking’s words stand as a beacon of resilience, emphasizing the potential for achievement, even in the face of adversity. The road to success, always, has the key ingredient, of starting and taking the first step.

In businesses, the first step for this happens to be writing, conceptualizing and drawing up a company profile. This is the first step that is indispensable, and usually companies know so much about themselves that choosing what to include or exclude in a company profile becomes difficult.

For those in the medical sector, access out Top 10 Medical Company Profile Templates with Samples and Examples to help set up your own business from scratch.

SlideTeam’s content-ready company profile templates with samples and example are a carefully-curated compilation, intended to elevate your brand narrative. These PPT Templates save your time and energy, creating a compelling visual identity and an avenue to synchronize aspects of your company profile.

Our ppt for company profile is 100% editable and customizable. The content-ready nature means you get a starting point and the structure you longed for that perfect presentation. The editability feature means you can tailor the template according to user profile.

Let’s explore the templates now!

Template 1: Introduction to Company Profile Presentation Slides

The PPT Template contains a set of slides designed to provide an in-depth overview of your organization to your future clients and stakeholders . Use this presentation template to showcase your company’s structure, core values, global reach, business model, management team, competitive analysis, revenue and profit insights, capital expenditures, and more. By delving into these aspects, we aim to offer a holistic understanding of our company's identity and capabilities.

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Template 2: Exploring Logistics Company Profile Presentation PPT Slides

This Logistics company profile presentation template encompasses an executive summary that highlight the key strengths and accomplishments of your logistics company. It provides an extensive company overview, shedding light on value-added services, operations, and solutions. It helps you to list your services, from packages and cargo handling to e-commerce product portfolios, encompassing domestic delivery, cross-border operations, and fulfillment services. You can also showcase your adept management team, while displaying transportation assets and facility centers highlighting your infrastructure. Through this template, you can also mention partner brands, clients, and customer testimonials underscoring your commitment to quality.

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Template 3: Elucidating The Information Technology Company Profile Presentation

Use this PPT Template to highlight the essence of your IT enterprise, from business outline to technological prowess. Showcase your core values, vision, and mission, guiding our IT solutions and services. Elucidate your operations, cost structure, and revenue streams with the use of this PPT Layout. The provision of displaying financial data, including revenue, profit metrics, and category distribution, provides a comprehensive understanding of our performance.

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Template 4: Delving into Software Consultancy Services Company Profile Presentation Slides

This PPT Template starts with an executive summary, where key financials, awards, and recognition are showcased. Highlight your mission, vision, and core values helping your customers connect with your company. The business model slide allows you to provide insights into your operations, cost structure, and value proposition. The slide on product categories you offers make your presentation get the needed recall. The complete deck covers all technologies that set you apart from articifial intelligence to big data analytics.

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Template 5: Breaking Down Financial Services Company Profile Presentation Slides

This deck helps you deliver an executive summary, featuring your mission, vision, and core values, underpinning your financial expertise. Also, showcase your business model and subsidiary companies revealing your strategic approach. Further, you can elucidate your management team and detail your organizational structure and ownership break-up to maintain transparency.

GRAB IT TODAY

Template 6: Travel Agency Company Profile PPT Presentation Slides

This presentation allows you to lay down your travel agency's essence, offering an executive summary of your core offerings and market share. You can talk about your mission and highlight your commitment to exceptional travel experiences.

Use this template to present your business model and online booking capabilities underscoring your customer-centric approach. Get customers to discover your tour packages, strategic partnerships, and client testimonials that will have them go wow!

TRY IT OUT TODAY

Template 7: Presenting Our Engineering Work Company Profile Deck

This PPT Template provides an overview of your engineering prowess. It allows you to vividly present your mission, vision, and business model, shaping your engineering excellence.

Customers can now explore your wide array of services, from product engineering to manufacturing and consultancy. Our product offerings and sales data slide let you illustrate the capabilities you possess of serving many industries. Highlight your project portfolio, client portfolio and company revenue as well.

Template 8: LinkedIn Company Profile Presentation Slides

Use this LinkedIn Company Profile PPT Template to highlight key statistics, products, and financials. You can dive into your community policies, revenue generation, and historical revenue trends to show why your customers should choose you over your competition. Your products and services are showcased alongside client testimonials and leadership details in this complete deck.

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Template 9: Unraveling Company Profile Capital Structure Business Information Financial Icon

This PPT Template lets you display the structure of your capital offering your customers in-depth analysis on money matters and helps foster a bond of trust for a long-term partnership. With its emphasis on statistics, figures and data charts, this template is ideal for sharing information that is number-heavy. For instance, you can list out business details and capacity, nature of business. Depending on your business, some of the slides are already content-ready as well.

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Template 10: One-Pager Company Profile Fact Sheet Presentation Report Infographic PPT 

This PPT Template enables business organizations to design and list out  key facts, data, and highlights of their business in digestible points and lay them down on a one-pager sheet. The goal of this fact sheet is to familiarize your clients, investors, and other readers with relevant statistics in a clear and concise manner. The major heads are About Us, Why Us, Our Service, Our Team (its structure) and Contact Us.

SHOWCASE YOUR PROFILE WELL!

It always pays to put your best foot forward when scouting for business or winning new clients. Our company profile templates tick all boxes for that perfect presentation to wow your audience, be it audience, investors, or the internal team. Get it now!

For legal practitioners, we present some Must-Have Legal Company Profile Templates with Samples and Examples . The aim is to help you create a detailed representation of your legal firm.

PS: If you are in the consulting business, get the best-in-class templates here to showcase your company profile. Click here to access these templates.

FAQs on Company Profiles

What is a company profile for a starting company.

A company profile for a starting company is a comprehensive document that provides an overview of the business's key aspects, values, and capabilities. It serves as an introduction to the company, conveying its identity, mission, vision, and core values. This profile helps potential clients, partners, investors, and stakeholders, helping them understand the company's purpose and offerings.

How do you write a company profile?

Start with a concise introduction that includes the company's name, logo, mission, vision, and core values. If applicable, discuss the company's global operations, partnerships, or target markets to showcase its reach. Explain how the company creates value, generates revenue, and delivers products or services. Provide an organizational chart to depict the company’s internal structure and reporting lines. Introduce key members of the management team, highlighting their expertise and roles. Conduct a brief analysis of competitors to showcase understanding of the market landscape. Present data such as revenue and profit trends, growth projections, and financial milestones. Detail company’s investments in infrastructure, technology, equipment, and expansion.

What should be in a company profile; what is its purpose?

IDENTITY CREATION

Name, logo, mission, vision, core values; international operations, partnerships, target markets.

Business Model Value creation, revenue generation, product/service delivery.

Organization Structure Organizational chart depicting hierarchy and roles

Management Team Key members, qualifications, roles.

• Competitive Analysis: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats in relation to competitors.
• Revenue and Profit: Financial data, growth projections, and milestones.
• Capital Expenditure: Investments in infrastructure, technology, and expansion.

The main purpose of a company profile is to provide an informative snapshot of the company’s identity, capabilities, and potential. It serves key objectives:

• Introduction : Introducing the company to stakeholders, helping them understand its purpose, values, and offerings.
• Credibility : Establishing credibility and professionalism to gain the trust of clients, partners, and investors.
• Differentiation : Setting the company apart from competitors by highlighting unique features and strengths.
• Investor Attraction : Attracting potential investors by showcasing financial performance, growth prospects, and capital expenditures. Business Development Serving as a tool for initiating partnerships, collaborations, and business opportunities.

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Simple Business Plan Template (2024)

Updated: Nov 30, 2023, 4:49pm

Table of Contents

Why business plans are vital, get your free simple business plan template, how to write an effective business plan in 6 steps, frequently asked questions.

While taking many forms and serving many purposes, they all have one thing in common: business plans help you establish your goals and define the means for achieving them. Our simple business plan template covers everything you need to consider when launching a side gig, solo operation or small business. By following this step-by-step process, you might even uncover a few alternate routes to success.

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Whether you’re a first-time solopreneur or a seasoned business owner, the planning process challenges you to examine the costs and tasks involved in bringing a product or service to market. The process can also help you spot new income opportunities and hone in on the most profitable business models.

Though vital, business planning doesn’t have to be a chore. Business plans for lean startups and solopreneurs can simply outline the business concept, sales proposition, target customers and sketch out a plan of action to bring the product or service to market. However, if you’re seeking startup funding or partnership opportunities, you’ll need a write a business plan that details market research, operating costs and revenue forecasting.

Whichever startup category you fall into, if you’re at square one, our simple business plan template will point you down the right path.

Copy our free simple business plan template so you can fill in the blanks as we explore each element of your business plan. Need help getting your ideas flowing? You’ll also find several startup scenario examples below.

Download free template as .docx

Whether you need a quick-launch overview or an in-depth plan for investors, any business plan should cover the six key elements outlined in our free template and explained below. The main difference in starting a small business versus an investor-funded business is the market research and operational and financial details needed to support the concept.

1. Your Mission or Vision

Start by declaring a “dream statement” for your business. You can call this your executive summary, vision statement or mission. Whatever the name, the first part of your business plan summarizes your idea by answering five questions. Keep it brief, such as an elevator pitch. You’ll expand these answers in the following sections of the simple business plan template.

• What does your business do? Are you selling products, services, information or a combination?
• Where does this happen? Will you conduct business online, in-store, via mobile means or in a specific location or environment?
• Who does your business benefit? Who is your target market and ideal customer for your concept?
• Why would potential customers care? What would make your ideal customers take notice of your business?
• How do your products and/or services outshine the competition? What would make your ideal customers choose you over a competitor?

These answers come easily if you have a solid concept for your business, but don’t worry if you get stuck. Use the rest of your plan template to brainstorm ideas and tactics. You’ll quickly find these answers and possibly new directions as you explore your ideas and options.

2. Offer and Value Proposition

This is where you detail your offer, such as selling products, providing services or both, and why anyone would care. That’s the value proposition. Specifically, you’ll expand on your answers to the first and fourth bullets from your mission/vision.

As you complete this section, you might find that exploring value propositions uncovers marketable business opportunities that you hadn’t yet considered. So spend some time brainstorming the possibilities in this section.

For example, a cottage baker startup specializing in gluten-free or keto-friendly products might be a value proposition that certain audiences care deeply about. Plus, you could expand on that value proposition by offering wedding and other special-occasion cakes that incorporate gluten-free, keto-friendly and traditional cake elements that all guests can enjoy.

3. Audience and Ideal Customer

Here is where you explore bullet point number three, who your business will benefit. Identifying your ideal customer and exploring a broader audience for your goods or services is essential in defining your sales and marketing strategies, plus it helps fine-tune what you offer.

There are many ways to research potential audiences, but a shortcut is to simply identify a problem that people have that your product or service can solve. If you start from the position of being a problem solver, it’s easy to define your audience and describe the wants and needs of your ideal customer for marketing efforts.

Using the cottage baker startup example, a problem people might have is finding fresh-baked gluten-free or keto-friendly sweets. Examining the wants and needs of these people might reveal a target audience that is health-conscious or possibly dealing with health issues and willing to spend more for hard-to-find items.

However, it’s essential to have a customer base that can support your business. You can be too specialized. For example, our baker startup can attract a broader audience and boost revenue by offering a wider selection of traditional baked goods alongside its gluten-free and keto-focused specialties.

4. Revenue Streams, Sales Channels and Marketing

Thanks to our internet-driven economy, startups have many revenue opportunities and can connect with target audiences through various channels. Revenue streams and sales channels also serve as marketing vehicles, so you can cover all three in this section.

Revenue Streams

Revenue streams are the many ways you can make money in your business. In your plan template, list how you’ll make money upon launch, plus include ideas for future expansion. The income possibilities just might surprise you.

For example, our cottage baker startup might consider these revenue streams:

• Product sales : Online, pop-up shops , wholesale and (future) in-store sales
• Affiliate income : Monetize blog and social media posts with affiliate links
• Advertising income : Reserve website space for advertising
• E-book sales : (future) Publish recipe e-books targeting gluten-free and keto-friendly dessert niches
• Video income : (future) Monetize a YouTube channel featuring how-to videos for the gluten-free and keto-friendly dessert niches
• Webinars and online classes : (future) Monetize coaching-style webinars and online classes covering specialty baking tips and techniques
• Members-only content : (future) Monetize a members-only section of the website for specialty content to complement webinars and online classes
• Franchise : (future) Monetize a specialty cottage bakery concept and sell to franchise entrepreneurs

Sales Channels

Sales channels put your revenue streams into action. This section also answers the “where will this happen” question in the second bullet of your vision.

The product sales channels for our cottage bakery example can include:

• Mobile point-of-sale (POS) : A mobile platform such as Shopify or Square POS for managing in-person sales at local farmers’ markets, fairs and festivals
• E-commerce platform : An online store such as Shopify, Square or WooCommerce for online retail sales and wholesale sales orders
• Social media channels : Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest shoppable posts and pins for online sales via social media channels
• Brick-and-mortar location : For in-store sales , once the business has grown to a point that it can support a physical location

Channels that support other income streams might include:

• Affiliate income : Blog section on the e-commerce website and affiliate partner accounts
• Advertising income : Reserved advertising spaces on the e-commerce website
• E-book sales : Amazon e-book sales via Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
• Video income : YouTube channel with ad monetization
• Webinars and online classes : Online class and webinar platforms that support member accounts, recordings and playback
• Members-only content : Password-protected website content using membership apps such as MemberPress

Nowadays, the line between marketing and sales channels is blurred. Social media outlets, e-books, websites, blogs and videos serve as both marketing tools and income opportunities. Since most are free and those with advertising options are extremely economical, these are ideal marketing outlets for lean startups.

However, many businesses still find value in traditional advertising such as local radio, television, direct mail, newspapers and magazines. You can include these advertising costs in your simple business plan template to help build a marketing plan and budget.

5. Structure, Suppliers and Operations

This section of your simple business plan template explores how to structure and operate your business. Details include the type of business organization your startup will take, roles and responsibilities, supplier logistics and day-to-day operations. Also, include any certifications or permits needed to launch your enterprise in this section.

Our cottage baker example might use a structure and startup plan such as this:

• Business structure : Sole proprietorship with a “doing business as” (DBA) .
• Permits and certifications : County-issued food handling permit and state cottage food certification for home-based food production. Option, check into certified commercial kitchen rentals.
• Roles and responsibilities : Solopreneur, all roles and responsibilities with the owner.
• Supply chain : Bulk ingredients and food packaging via Sam’s Club, Costco, Amazon Prime with annual membership costs. Uline for shipping supplies; no membership needed.
• Day-to-day operations : Source ingredients and bake three days per week to fulfill local and online orders. Reserve time for specialty sales, wholesale partner orders and market events as needed. Ship online orders on alternating days. Update website and create marketing and affiliate blog posts on non-shipping days.

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6. Financial Forecasts

Your final task is to list forecasted business startup and ongoing costs and profit projections in your simple business plan template. Thanks to free business tools such as Square and free marketing on social media, lean startups can launch with few upfront costs. In many cases, cost of goods, shipping and packaging, business permits and printing for business cards are your only out-of-pocket expenses.

Cost Forecast

Our cottage baker’s forecasted lean startup costs might include:

Gross Profit Projections

This helps you determine the retail prices and sales volume required to keep your business running and, hopefully, earn income for yourself. Use product research to spot target retail prices for your goods, then subtract your cost of goods, such as hourly rate, raw goods and supplier costs. The total amount is your gross profit per item or service.

Here are some examples of projected gross profits for our cottage baker:

Bottom Line

Putting careful thought and detail in a business plan is always beneficial, but don’t get so bogged down in planning that you never hit the start button to launch your business . Also, remember that business plans aren’t set in stone. Markets, audiences and technologies change, and so will your goals and means of achieving them. Think of your business plan as a living document and regularly revisit, expand and restructure it as market opportunities and business growth demand.

Is there a template for a business plan?

You can copy our free business plan template and fill in the blanks or customize it in Google Docs, Microsoft Word or another word processing app. This free business plan template includes the six key elements that any entrepreneur needs to consider when launching a new business.

What does a simple business plan include?

A simple business plan is a one- to two-page overview covering six key elements that any budding entrepreneur needs to consider when launching a startup. These include your vision or mission, product or service offering, target audience, revenue streams and sales channels, structure and operations, and financial forecasts.

How can I create a free business plan template?

Start with our free business plan template that covers the six essential elements of a startup. Once downloaded, you can edit this document in Google Docs or another word processing app and add new sections or subsections to your plan template to meet your specific business plan needs.

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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Krista Fabregas is a seasoned eCommerce and online content pro sharing more than 20 years of hands-on know-how with those looking to launch and grow tech-forward businesses. Her expertise includes eCommerce startups and growth, SMB operations and logistics, website platforms, payment systems, side-gig and affiliate income, and multichannel marketing. Krista holds a bachelor's degree in English from The University of Texas at Austin and held senior positions at NASA, a Fortune 100 company, and several online startups.

How to Write an Effective Business Plan: Industry Profile

Treana wunsch.

• December 7, 2022

Having an industry profile section in a business plan is essential for success. It serves to provide the reader with background information on the industry, along with its current trends and future projections. This section will help to assess whether or not an idea is feasible, as well as how competitive it may be in the marketplace.

The industry profile should include both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data can illustrate points such as the current market share of competitors, product, price, promotion and distribution trends or any other relevant factors that may affect the business’s ability to succeed. Quantitative data consists of numerical figures like sales volume and growth rate of particular products within the industry over time.

Including this kind of information will help potential investors understand why your business should exist by highlighting its unique niche within the marketplace.

What is an industry?

An industry is an economic sector that produces goods and services. It is the driving force behind a country’s economy. Industries can range from large-scale enterprises with hundreds of employees to small, family-run businesses. As such, each industry has unique characteristics that must be taken into consideration when writing an effective business plan.

When researching an industry for your business plan, it’s important to understand the factors affecting its performance, including market trends and government regulations. Additionally, you should consider the competition in the market – both current players and potential new entrants – as well as customer habits and preferences. All this information will help you gain insight into how best to position your business within this particular industry in order to succeed.

Industry classification

When creating an industry profile, it’s important to understand the classification system used by experts in the field. This includes macro industries, subsectors, industries and even trade groups, each of which provides further detail on a company’s market.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is one of the most widely used systems for classifying businesses by type of activity and geographic location. It categorizes establishments based on their primary production process or product line and assigns them a six-digit code that uniquely identifies them within their sector. The NAICS also makes it easy to compare businesses across different sectors and regions by grouping similar companies together under broader categories such as transportation or manufacturing.

How to find your industry

Finding the right industry for your company is a crucial step in the process of writing an effective business plan. Understanding what industry you are entering and who your competitors are will help determine how to structure your plan and position yourself in the market. Knowing where to start can be challenging, so here are some tips on how to find your industry and create an effective business plan.

First off, research current trends in the market and identify areas that you believe have potential for growth or represent a good fit for your company’s products or services. Look at macroeconomic data from government sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as industry-specific reports from organizations like Forbes or Business Insider. Analyze these reports to determine which industries may offer more potential than others, then narrow down your choices by researching key factors such as demand, competition and capital requirements within those industries.

How to find your industry NAICS code

The first step in writing an effective business plan is to identify your industry and the associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. NAICS codes are used by governments, businesses, and other organizations to classify industries according to the type of economic activity they engage in. Knowing your industry NAICS code is essential for gathering information about your industry and its competitive landscape, as well as determining which regulations apply to you.

Fortunately, it’s easy to find out what your industry NAICS code is. To begin, visit the Statistics Canada website and use their searchable database of NAICS codes. You can also contact a government agency or trade association related to your industry for more help finding your specific NAICS code.

Financial Performance Data by Industry in Canada

Financial performance data by industry in Canada is an important factor to consider when writing an effective business plan. Knowing the key financial ratios specific to your industry will help you benchmark your performance, identify potential weak spots and develop strategies for growth. Different industries have their own unique financial metrics with which they measure success. It is important to understand these ratios and how they apply to you and your target market before writing a comprehensive business plan.

By analyzing the common financial trends of businesses within certain industries in Canada, you can gain valuable insight into how successful companies in that sector operate. Using this information, you can adjust your strategy accordingly so that it meets or exceeds the expectations of investors and other stakeholders involved with your venture. The ability to effectively identify industry-specific financial indicators gives businesses a competitive edge that can result in greater profitability over time.

You can find your industry’s financial performance here . Choose the location you want data from then choose ‘total revenue’ and ‘percentage’ and ‘search for an industry’ as your other options. Then type your NAICS code that you discovered under ‘Search for an industry’ and click on ‘search’.

Your options will come up below. Choose the appropriate option and ‘create report’.

If balance sheet data is available it will also be shown.

The lower portion of the report indicates the percentage of businesses that are profitable.

You can also do an internet search of the NAICS code to see what else comes up.

Industry codes help you to discover your specific industry and define the boundaries of that industry. Understanding the health of your industry and where the future of the industry may be going offers valuable insight into how successful your business could be. You can also measure your business performance against industry performance. All of this helps you to make better decisions for your business.

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Industry Lifecycle

Industry Lifecycle is an important concept for any business to understand and plan for. It is the process of a given industry maturing over time and passing through distinct stages of growth, decline, and eventual restabilization. Knowing the lifecycle of an industry can help you plan ahead by understanding where it is currently, what its likely future will be, and how to best capitalize on its strengths while minimizing weaknesses.

To write an effective business plan, an understanding of the industry’s current position in its lifecycle is essential. This knowledge will help you create realistic goals and strategies that are tailored to your specific market conditions.

This section should provide a comprehensive overview of the industry and its particular lifecycle. The lifecycle of an industry often determines how successful businesses in that sector will be and what strategies are best for them to pursue.

In order to determine the lifecycle of an industry, you must look at key factors such as trends in demand, competition from substitutes or new entrants into the market, technological advances, and changes in consumer preferences. It’s also necessary to assess potential risks within the sector including shifts in regulations or economic dips that could negatively impact performance. Additionally, you should consider how long the industry has been around and whether it’s likely to grow or decline over time.

The automotive industry is a good example of the industry lifecycle. It began with a period of introduction, followed by growth, then maturity and eventually decline. During the introduction phase, new technologies like the automobile were developed and brought to market. There was strong growth as the market for automobiles expanded. As the industry grew, it matured and reached a stable point where existing companies competed. Eventually, the industry declined as new technologies and sources of energy made it obsolete.

Industry History

It’s essential for aspiring entrepreneurs to have a basic understanding of the history of their chosen industry. Industry history is used to build an understanding of the current state of the market, as well as its potential for growth in the future. By studying past trends and developments in an industry, entrepreneurs can identify successful strategies that have been employed by previous businesses, enabling them to develop a comprehensive business plan that stands out from competitors. Moreover, they can use this information to gauge how quickly or slowly their venture may grow over time.

Industry Leaders

Industry Leaders are the heart of any successful business. Whether you’re launching a startup or expanding an existing business, understanding your industry and its leaders is essential for success. An effective business plan must include an industry profile to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the competitive landscape and identify strategies for establishing a foothold in the market.

An Industry Profile is a detailed analysis of your industry’s size, structure, growth rate, key players, trends and more. It begins with examining leading companies – their products/services; target markets; operations & financials; competitive advantages – and how they contribute to industry dynamics. Knowing who sets the standard in terms of quality, innovation & sustainability will also help evaluate customer preferences & overall satisfaction levels within the sector. Once identified, these insights can be used to craft actionable plans that position your company as a leader in its respective field.

Industry Threats

To create an accurate industry profile, you must carefully consider the various external factors that can potentially threaten your company’s operations. These threats may include changes in laws or regulations, economic conditions such as inflation or recession, competition from other businesses, technological advances, new entrants into the market, and customer preferences.

By analyzing these elements of your industry and assessing their potential impact on your business plan, you can better anticipate changes in the environment and develop strategies to minimize any adverse effects these threats might have on your company’s profitability.

Industry Predictions

Industry predictions can help businesses stay ahead of the curve and plan for the future. When researching your industry profile, it is essential to look at key economic indicators such as consumer spending habits, employment rates, and capital investments. Additionally, consider major disruptors like technological advancements or regulatory changes that may influence your market dynamics over time. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of these factors, you will be better equipped to make informed decisions when creating your business plan and developing strategies for growth.

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Industry associations.

Industry associations play an integral role in the development of a business plan. They provide industry professionals with information, resources, and contacts to help them create successful business plans and gain strategic insights into their industry. Furthermore, they can also help entrepreneurs identify potential customers and develop marketing strategies based on current industry trends.

The first step to utilizing an industry association is researching the available options and learning about their current activities. After finding one that fits the needs of your business plan, it’s important to join the organization so you have access to all the benefits they offer. Once you’ve joined, be sure to take advantage of any educational opportunities or events designed for members; these are excellent ways for entrepreneurs to network with other professionals in their field and learn more about specific trends related to their industry.

Industry Statistical Analysis

Industry statistical analysis is an important part of writing an effective business plan. Accurate and up-to-date industry data can provide invaluable insight into the current trends, potential risks, and opportunities in a particular market. Taking the time to research recent industry developments allows entrepreneurs to make more informed decisions regarding their business strategies going forward.

When conducting your own industry statistical analysis as part of a business plan, it’s important to look at both economic indicators and demographic trends for relevant market segments. Analyzing existing sales figures for similar businesses or products is also essential for understanding the size of the opportunity or assessing competitive threats. In addition, looking at various macroeconomic trends such as inflation rates or GDP growth can help inform your projections about future performance within the industry.

Putting it all together

Once you’ve gathered all your data, you’ll summarize it in your business plan. It may look like the following example:

As with any section of your business plan, this section required regular review and updating.

That's All Folks...

I hope with this information you will find it easier to write the Industry Profile section of your business plan. Up next…Marketing Strategy.

If you have questions, please comment below and I’ll be happy to answer them.

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Holding Company Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their holding companies. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a holding company business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Holding Company Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your holding company as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Holding Company

If you’re looking to start a holding company, or grow your existing holding company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your holding company in order to improve your chances of success. Your holding company business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Holding Companies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a holding company are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

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How to write a business plan for a holding company.

If you want to start a holding company or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your holding company business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of holding company you are operating and the status. For example, does your holding company include multiple startups or does it include established companies?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the industry in which you’re competing. Discuss the businesses you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of holding company you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of holding companies:

• Pure Holding Company : this type of holding company owns a controlling interest in one or more other companies but does not itself produce goods or services, or participate in any additional business operations.
• Mixed Holding Company: this type of holding company owns a controlling interest in one or more other companies and also operates its own business, providing goods or services.
• Immediate Holding Company: this type of business owns controlling interest in one or more other companies, and is itself controlled by another holding company.
• Intermediate Holding Company: this type of business owns controlling interest in one or more other companies, and is a subsidiary of a larger corporation.

In addition to explaining the type of holding company you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, amount of monthly revenue, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the holding company industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your holding company business plan:

• How big are the industry(ies) in which you’re competing (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your holding company? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your holding company business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individual businesses such as banks and restaurants, other holding companies and larger corporations.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other businesses that provide the same products and services as your company.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other businesses with which you compete.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What types of businesses do they control?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide better services?
• Will you provide services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

For a holding company business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of holding company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products and services you will be offering.

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the products and services you offer and their prices.

Promotions : The final part of your holding company marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising
• Partnering with applicable websites
• Social media marketing

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your businesses, including running individual businesses, scouting companies to buy interest in, meeting with potential clients, and managing any legal and financial responsibilities for the companies you currently control.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to acquire your first and second controlling interests, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your holding company to form multiple subsidiary companies or parent groups.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your holding company business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing holding or investment companies and individual operating companies. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing holding and/or investment companies or successfully running legal or financial businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you purchase controlling interest in one new company per quarter or per year? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $150,000 on acquiring a business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $150,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a holding company business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or plans you are working on for controlling another business.  

Putting together a business plan for your own holding company is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful holding company business.  

Holding Company Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my holding company business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Holding Company Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of holding company you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a holding company that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of holding companies?

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Holding Company business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how Growthink’s professional business plan consulting services can create your business plan for you.

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