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Web Design Business Plan

If you are planning to start a new web design company, the first thing you will need is a business plan. Use our sample web design business plan created using upmetrics business plan software to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new web design firm, spend as much time as you can reading through some examples of software and mobile app-related business plans.

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for, and also it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample web design business plan for you to get a good idea about how a perfect business plan should look and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Web Design Business Plan Outline

This is the standard web design business plan outline which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

• Business Overview
• Keys to Success
• 3-Year Profit Forecast
• Company Ownership
• Start-up Summary
• Startup Cost
• Funding Required
• Existing Services
• Service Description
• Sales Literature
• Fulfillment
• Future Services
• Target Market Segment Strategy
• Market Trends
• Market Growth
• Service Business Analysis
• Business Participants
• Market Segmentation
• Competitive Advantage
• Marketing Strategy
• Marketing Programs
• Pricing Strategy
• Promotion Strategy
• Sales Strategy
• Strategic Alliances
• Organizational Structure
• Management Team Gaps
• Personnel Plan
• Important Assumptions
• Brake-even Analysis
• Profit Yearly
• Gross Margin Yearly
• Projected Cash Flow
• Projected Balance Sheet
• Business Ratios

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After getting started with upmetrics , you can copy this sample business plan into your business plan and modify the required information and download your web design business plan pdf and doc file . It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

Download a sample web design business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free web design business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your web design business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

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About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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How to start a web design business in 7 steps

This guide will take you through all the steps necessary to start a web design business.

Illustration by Ashger Zamana.

Aaron Gelbman

13 min read

With the surge of online brands and services, now might be a better time than ever to start a web design business. But if you’re on the fence about whether to make this your full-time gig, then you’ll want to take the time to understand what you’re getting yourself into. 

After all, it’s not just about having the technical know-how; it’s about understanding the market, the challenges and the true value you can offer to your clients.

For web designer Derek Hairston, his ‘aha’ moment came with the realization that “most web design agencies leave clients in the dark with unexpected costs, delays, and no visibility into the process.”

“We bring our clients’ vision to life and give them peace of mind at every step of the way,” he says about his full-service agency, Olam Sites . “We specialize in building custom websites and features on Wix Studio.” 

Learn more about how to manage your agency on Wix Studio .

Below, we cover the essential steps of starting your web design business. Keep reading for tips on running an agency and finding your own conviction to get started. 

How to start a web design business

Every business is a little bit different, but in general, you’ll need to take these steps: 

01. Choose your niche

02. decide which web design services to offer.

03. Register and license your web design business

04. Create a business plan and set goals

05. Price your services

06. Build your portfolio or website

07. promote and market your web design business.

To stand out in a crowded market, you’ll want to know your “who” and “why.” In other words, it’s a good idea to narrow down your focus and decide on the types of clients you’d like to take on. 

“Deciding on your niche is a blend of self-discovery and essentially asking the question, ‘Who would I be excited to wake up and serve every day?’” notes Brad Hussey, web designer and founder of the Creative Crew community. “You’ll be spending considerable time, energy and money being around these people at trade shows, on podcasts, writing content for, networking with—and ultimately producing solutions for.”

Remember that just because you decide on a particular niche now doesn’t mean you can’t broaden your reach and services later on. It’s much easier to start small than to start too broad, or to bite off more than you can chew.

If you’re struggling to decide on your niche, start by defining why you do what you do. For example, are you passionate about the restaurant industry and see an opportunity to build more professional online experiences for them? If so, start there. 

In the video below, Hussey gives additional tips for solidifying your niche and the “why” behind what you’re doing. 

Once you’ve settled on your “who” and “why,” the “what” should come somewhat naturally. Decide what services you can (and want) to offer your clients. Your services could include:

Website design and development

Ecommerce solutions

User experience (UX) design

User interface (UI) design

Search engine optimization (SEO) 

Mobile app design and development 

Website accessibility  

Graphic design  

Custom web application development

Online branding 

Think about which services can be offered on a regular basis—such as graphic design or SEO—and thereby supplement larger one-off projects by bringing in recurring revenue. Also, consider ways in which you can package your services together to better service your clients. 

03. Register and license your business

Before diving into creative work, it's important to address the legalities of starting your own business. You’ll need to register your business with the relevant authorities. In most U.S. states, this will be your Secretary of State. 

To register your business, you’ll need to choose a business name  and decide on your legal business structure. 

Consider, how big do you plan on growing your team? Do you plan on managing the business alone or with a partner(s)? Ultimately, what is the vision for your business and how it will evolve? The answers to these questions will help you choose between several structures, the most popular of which include:

Sole proprietorship : Owned and operated by a single individual. As the owner you have unlimited personal liability and business income is reported on your personal tax return.

Limited liability company (LLC):  Combines elements of partnerships and corporations, offering limited liability for owners (members) and flexibility in management. Income is typically passed through to individual tax returns.

Partnership : A business owned by two or more individuals who share profits and liabilities. There are general partnerships (equal sharing) and limited partnerships (with limited liability for some partners).

Corporation:  A legal entity separate from its owners, providing limited liability protection. Shareholders own the corporation and it can be taxed as a C corporation (double taxation) or an S corporation (pass-through taxation).

As shown above, each structure has its own tax obligations, protections and requirements. You’ll therefore want to make sure to thoroughly research your options and consult a business attorney, consultant or accountant before making a final decision. 

At this stage, consider whether you’ll need to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN)  from the IRS and open any business accounts with your bank to keep your finances in order. Make sure to obtain all necessary licenses, insurance and permits for running a web design business in your region, too.

There are many other decisions you’ll have to make from both an operational and strategic side. A good place to start is by tackling your business plan. Your business plan will serve as your roadmap, outlining things like:

Your business description

Target market 

Competition 

Organization and management 

Services and products 

Goals and strategies 

Financial projections

Do your due diligence and don’t rush this step. As you build out your business plan, you may realize things you hadn’t before—like the need to secure outside funding.

“I started off as a penny-pinching bootstrapper, although I’m not convinced that’s the best way,” reflects Hairston on the early days of Olam Sites. “I projected revenue based on the potential customers in my immediate environment, but this limiting mindset put a ceiling on our earnings and scalability.” 

“My suggestion when getting started,” he adds, “is that your projections and confidence should justify raising funds for greater scalability. Otherwise, what’s the point?” 

Whether you need extra resources to expand your services, grow your team or invest in marketing—a business plan can help you decide when and how to raise money. It can also show where the money will go when approaching investors, banks or other potential backers. 

05. Price your services 

As your financial and personal goals for your business start to take shape, so too will your perspective on how to price your services. 

Oftentimes deciding on what price to charge can feel like taking a shot in the dark. Or, you may feel pressure to price your services low if you’re just starting out.

However, you’ll want to avoid selling yourself too short. At the same time, know what your competitors are charging. Identify your differentiators while weighing your expenses and ideal profit margin. Think about the different clients you plan to take on as well as the different web design pricing  models you can offer:

Flat fee (a.k.a. “Project-based pricing”): A fixed amount that you and your client agreed on at the start of the project.

Hourly fee: An hourly cost, ensuring that you get paid the agreed-upon amount for every hour you spend on a project. 

Monthly fee (a.k.a. “monthly retainer”): A contract, either measured in time or value, that involves monthly payments for a certain amount or type of work. 

Learn more: Choosing the right business model

A strong portfolio is key to attracting clients and showcasing your design skills. This is your chance to show (not just tell) future clients what you’re capable of creating online. 

When creating a website for your web design business, consider using a platform that can host both your website and your work for clients. This not only helps to keep everything in one place but also helps you to get ultra-familiar with the web tool you’re offering your clients. 

The most effective creative portfolios include sections, pages or CTAs like:

About : Introduce yourself and your team, including your credentials like any relevant education, industry awards and your value proposition.

“Our Work” : Showcase projects that represent your best work, and make sure there is a brief but clear backstory so that visitors understand how you solved your clients’ needs. Keep in mind that before uploading client projects, you should always get client approval in case projects are confidential or not yet live.

Services : List the different services you offer so that you’ll spend less time weeding through requests and more time connecting with relevant prospects whose needs match your skills.

Contact : Make it easy for people to contact you with any questions, and consider embedding a form into your site to collect useful information from prospects (such as their company name, current website’s URL, etc.). 

“Book a Meeting” : Offer high-intent prospects the opportunity to meet you face-to-face via an online booking feature.

A solution like Wix Studio, for example, is tailored for agency work. It brings together features—including AI tools—for web design, development, SEO,  eCommerce, website maintenance, CMS and more. Beyond having the tools to design cool, interactive sites for your clients at scale, you can enjoy built-in capabilities that allow you to expand your services. 

Build your agency site on Wix Studio with one of these responsive templates . 

Once you’ve published your site and opened yourself up for business, take steps to establish your brand and to proactively get in front of potential clients. 

“Building authority in your industry by creating content is like investing money in the stock market,” says Hussey. “When I started creating videos, writing blogs, appearing on others’ podcasts—those efforts may not have produced results in the immediate term, but over time, the benefits have paid me back in multiples.” 

Exercise your existing network and ask for referrals. Engage with folks on social media. Scour job boards, including LinkedIn, for any calls for help. Here Hussey suggests four additional ideas for your outreach:

Don’t forget to invest in your personal brand. Given how nearly 70% of consumers  trust influencers, friends and family over information coming directly from a brand, it’s always a good idea to use your own sphere of influence to connect people with your agency. 

Note that Wix Studio's marketing integrations allow you to schedule social posts, send emails and track performance—both for your clients and yourself. Use these tools to your advantage as you spread the word about your business. 

Web design businesses and agencies built on Wix Studio to inspire your own

One way to jumpstart your business’s website creation is to follow the examples of established, successful agencies, like the sites below. In addition to providing fundamental information, each of these sites packs a creative punch and demonstrates the creative potential to future clients.

The Boathouse Agency

This creative design agency   shows that there is no limit to the growth potential of your web design business. The Boathouse Agency goes beyond web design and offers complete 360 creative and branding solutions for brands of all sizes.

Visual Identity

Visual Identity  is a web design studio specializing in site design, UI/UX, development and branding. Their site’s black-and-white design, typography and visual elements create a bold and impactful statement about their vision and purpose.

Scopetheory

Scopetheory  leads with results-driven design for their clients that involves taking branding to another level. The homepage makes it easy for prospects to see the agency’s results, with prominent callouts that highlight their clients’ accomplishments. 

What is a web design business?

A web design business is a type of design agency that specializes in creating and maintaining websites for clients. However, more often than not, it’s about more than just design; it’s about building functional, user-friendly online spaces that serve a specific purpose for a client. 

The scope of work involved in a web design business can be broad. They can range from simple static pages to complex web applications and everything in between. Whether it's an eCommerce platform, a personal blog or a corporate website, each project comes with its own set of design and development challenges and requirements.

Why start a web design business?

The web design industry offers a world of business opportunities for creative and tech-savvy entrepreneurs. Starting your own web design business not only taps into a field that blends art and technology but also positions you in a market with high demand for your services.

The benefits of starting a web design business are numerous. Here are some of the most compelling reasons to consider:

High demand:  In a digital age, nearly every business needs a website, increasing the demand for skilled web designers.

Flexibility : Running your own business means you can set your own hours and work from anywhere, be it your home office or a beach in Bali.

Creative freedom:  As the owner of a design business, you have the freedom to express your creativity and make decisions that align with your vision—from the clients you choose to take on, to the design and website niche you specialize in. 

Considerations when starting a web design business

Starting your own web design business is a big step professionally and it's often accompanied by a set of important considerations that any new business owner should be aware of. 

Is web design a profitable business?

The profitability of a web design business can be significant if managed correctly. Here's what you should keep in mind:

Demand for services: With more businesses going online, the need for professional web design services is on the rise. Tapping into that demand can mean a lot of work for a web design firm. You’ll need to think about things, such as your sales process for your web design business , amongst other key business needs.

Pricing strategy : Setting competitive rates that reflect the quality of your work and the value you provide is the key to profitability. To do this, you’ll need to have an idea of what your competitors offer and how they package similar services. Be mindful of value-pricing, which is setting your rates according to the value of your work, not just the time spent on it.

Marketing : You’ll need to promote your business to give yourself the best chance of securing long-term and profitable clients and projects. This could include networking or connecting with related online and offline communities to promote yourself and your business. Encourage your current clients to refer you to others who might need the same services and build your freelance community  along the way.

Diversify your services : Offer a range of services within the field, including content management and social media promotion, if relevant to your expertise.

Build client relationships : Establishing long-term relationships with clients is crucial to getting repeat business and securing more freelance design clients.

Stay updated with industry trends and changes : The web design industry is constantly evolving. Keep learning new skills and staying abreast of trends to remain competitive.

Can I start a web design business with no experience?

With no prior experience, starting any type of business can be challenging. However, focusing on education and growth from the outset can help you maintain momentum and see measurable development over time.

These steps can be a solid guide for your first few months:

Learn the fundamentals: To understand web design from the ground up, get familiar with user experience, content writing and responsive web design. While these days it’s not necessary to create websites with code, an online coding class  in HTML, CSS or JavaScript will help you understand the backbone of your websites.

Practice your skills: As you learn new concepts, put them to use. One option is to recreate websites you find online, down to the details of hover interactions and entrance animations. Practicing with Wix Studio's design tools can help you focus on your web design skills, since the platform has extensive no-code features.

Share your progress: Whether you’ve created wireframes, designs or live websites, share your real-time process and finished products on your social channels. You’ll receive encouragement and feedback from professionals, plus you’ll enjoy going back to your old posts to see how far you’ve come.

Connect with professional heroes and mentors: “Become an apprentice of someone who is already successful in the industry to gain the skills, experience and industry insight,” advises Hairston of Olam Sites. “ This could be in a variety of forms: employee, mentee or YouTube channel subscription.” Choosing a professional hero—someone whose style you admire and want to emulate—will give you a wealth of creative inspiration. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to get in touch with them; they might be happy to provide mentorship and feedback as you find your feet. 

Build your online presence: Now that you’ve completed a few projects, organize everything on a portfolio website. You’ll have one link that you can easily share to show off your past work, whether you’re looking to take on clients or build up your network. 

Can I start a web design business from home?

Starting your web design business from home brings great advantages like no commute time, significant cost savings and complete control over your work environment. 

And though this also comes with its challenges, you can overcome them with these best practices:

Enlist time management for work-life balance: Different from project management, time management helps you organize your day across your different tasks, including any personal tasks that you may have to take care of while at home. Set a clear start and end for your work hours, as well as offline times for lunch and screen breaks.

Create a Zoom-friendly space:  Video conferencing isn’t unique to working from home, but take notice of what’s behind you when you’re on camera for video calls. Make a good impression by clearing away laundry and dirty dishes, and find a space away from household interference.

Connect with online communities and local organizations: Without an outside office space, it can be more difficult to cross paths with like-minded professionals for shared learning and networking. But with a little effort, there’s a big payoff. Join online professional communities like Freelance Fam  for web design freelancers, and Creative Crew  for web design agencies. Find nearby events to attend via resources like Meetup .

Schedule in-person meetings:  While it’s comfortable and convenient at home, health experts encourage getting out of the house daily for physical and mental well-being. Do this by finding time to meet with colleagues or clients face-to-face, whether for business meetings or casual coffee chats. 

Learn more: Guide to Remote Work

Tips for managing your web design business

Effectively managing your web design business helps keep projects flowing—on time, on budget and on brief—and ensures a positive experience, both for your team as well as for your clients. First create a solid project management process and then choose a project management software that meets your needs and budget. 

Best practices for project management

Keeping projects on track ensures client satisfaction and repeat business.

Clear communication:  Establish open lines of communication with clients to manage expectations and keep them updated on progress.

Project management tools: Utilize software like Monday or Asana to organize tasks, owners, dependencies, deadlines and collaborations.

Hairston provides some insight into Olam Sites’s efficient management practices: “Our operations strategy is centered around standard operating procedures, leveraging efficient tools (Asana, Hubspot, Wix Studio, etc.), and a phenomenal project manager. Wix Studio centralizes all client websites and team access, making the deliverable handoff process seamless and scalable.”

With Wix Studio’s management tools , you can work from a unified workplace no matter how many employees are working together. And for teams on the go, the mobile app keeps everyone involved and up to date. Other features include a collaboration suite, handover resources and reusable assets. 

Business software solutions

Leveraging the right business tools can greatly enhance your efficiency as a business owner.

Invoicing and accounting:  Software like FreshBooks or the Wix invoice maker  can simplify financial management by helping you create invoices.

Contracts and proposals: With platforms including Prospero and ClientManager, you won't miss a step when creating your website design proposals .

Time tracking : Tools such as Harvest or Toggl help you keep track of billable hours for each project.

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How to Start a Web Design Business: Expert Tips from People Who Did It Themselves

Updated: January 09, 2024

Published: January 02, 2024

Have you heard the expression, "If it were easy, everyone would do it?" That saying certainly applies to starting your own business. However, with the right preparation, you'll discover that learning how to start a web design business isn't as hard as you might think.

I talked to two web design business owners who filled me in on everything you need to know about how to start a web design business. I'll walk you through the steps you'll take, plus some pro tips to help you make your launch a success. 

How to Start a Web Design Business: 15 Steps

• Figure out your working arrangements.
• Identify your website design business niche — if you have one.  
• Pick a name.
• Create a mission statement.
• Determine what you want to offer.
• Establish a business plan.
• Seek legal advice.
• Check off administrative tasks.
• Identify pricing.
• Make your branding.
• Create templates and establish workflows.
• Design your website.
• Start building your social presence.
• Train yourself on anything you're not sure about.
• Network in person and online.

Whether you are figuring out how to start a web design business from home or eventually want to open up your own brick-and-mortar location, there are a lot of items to check off before you're ready to take on clients. Here are 15 steps you can follow when learning how to start a web design business. 

1. Figure out your working arrangements. 

Your first step is to figure out your working arrangements. Will you work from home or rent out an office space? Will you interact with clients virtually or offer a brick-and-mortar location where you can meet? And if you're working from home, do you have a professional, private space where you can conduct business? 

It's possible to learn how to start a web design business from home, but by addressing these questions upfront, you'll know how to better set your business up for success. 

Mindy League, UX Director at Elevated Third,  owned a web design agency that one of her clients went on to acquire. She knows her stuff — League has worked in digital marketing with B2B giants, including HP, IBM, Thermofisher, and more. When recounting her experience as a web design business owner, League mentions that she feels it's easier to start a business now in a world where working from home is normalized. 

She recounts, in a pre-pandemic world, needing to have a brick-and-mortar storefront where she could work with her team or meet clients. "Now, we have this really more acceptable work from home," she says. "I think it would be easier to start a business now than it was then. Because [then] it was expected that you had a brick and mortar, which was a high cost, a high expense. It was almost validating that you're in business." 

Once you've figured out your physical working arrangements, consider your hardware and software arrangements too. When learning how to start a web design business from home, keep in mind that you'll need all the bells and whistles you would in an office, such as a comfortable seat, functioning computer, and monitor, if you like using one. 

You may need to purchase a new laptop or monitor for your web design business work. Or, maybe you'll need to sign up for Adobe Creative Suite subscriptions. If you're not launching your business ASAP, you don't need to sign up for the software right away to avoid paying for it when it's not in use. However, you should have your physical hardware ready to go. 

Pro Tip:  I know that bills can quickly add up when you're first starting a business. If you're buying a computer, I recommend considering a lightly used one as they're reasonably priced. Or, purchase a gently used desk from a local thrift store to cut costs. What matters most is that your equipment is reliable. 

2. Identify your website design business niche — if you have one. 

Niche or no niche, that's the question. There are pros and cons to both — if you choose a niche, you can become the best in that industry and establish a reputation. Alternatively, if you don't choose a niche, you can garner a large pool of clients across industries. 

One way isn't better than the other; they're just different. 

Macey Miller , the owner of  Be Bold Design Studio , has created websites for "all kinds of businesses," though much of the sites she's made have been for woman-owned companies. Miller initially became interested in website design because she wanted a creative outlet when working in marketing at a hospitality technology company. You should trust her advice because, since starting her business in 2018, she's created more than 120 websites. What started out as a side gig became so successful that Miller was able to quit her full-time salaried role in six months.

"I have a lot of friends who own businesses, and they need websites," she shares. "And so I started my business out of really an outlet for creativity, but then also as friends and family needed websites and logos and designs. I was always like, yeah,  I can hop in. I'll do that.  It was a nice break after all the analytical meetings and just all the things that came with …marketing." 

Pro Tip:  If you're stuck, let your portfolio and professional experience inform your decision about whether you'll pursue a niche subcategory of website design or offer more holistic services. If you only have experience creating websites for consumer packaged goods products (CPG), stick with the CPG industry. Or, if you've created websites for educational institutions, food and beverage, entrepreneurs, and more, you may consider sticking with a no-niche agency. 

3. Pick a name. 

I know —  picking a business name  is tricky! It should be descriptive but not too long. Reflective of your mission, yet clever. Unique but simple. That's a lot to keep in mind. (Psst: If you need help selecting your business name, check out these  300+ examples of business names  we love for inspiration.) 

In some cases, you may want to use your own name as the title of your business. If you believe yourself to be the face of your brand, then maybe, using your name is a good idea. Of course, there's also the  search engine optimization  (SEO) value if you have an uncommon name. 

I advise you to test out your business names in front of family, colleagues, or friends. You can run a poll on LinkedIn to ask others in the industry which they prefer. Picking a moniker is a serious commitment, so be sure you're willing to stick with it for a while. 

Pro Tip:  I suggest doing some research before you commit to your name. When you Google it, if a lot of other agencies pop up, you might want to pick an alternative. If there are already a ton of other businesses with the name, you'll have a hard time securing social media handles, too.

4. Create a mission statement.

Before you begin ideating your company mission statement, I suggest you check out some examples from businesses you admire. ( May I humbly suggest HubSpot ?) 

I also love  Be Bold Design Studio's mission statement . It's straightforward, focused on impact, and I love how Miller clearly displays it on the footer of the studio's homepage. 

Your mission statement doesn't have to be too long or intricate. The best mission statements are straightforward and succinct, and they showcase your company's values. 

Pro Tip:  You can include your mission statement on your homepage, footer, or on its own page, depending on how much emphasis you'd like to place on it. 

5. Determine what you want to offer.

You have your name, mission statement, and niche all picked out. Your next step is determining what you want your business to offer. Ultimately, you can make your business as all-encompassing (or niche) as you want. Do you want to offer complete website design services that include add-ons such as branding and logo design or photography? Or do you want to work mainly on website rebuilds? What about maintenance — do you want to offer it or leave clients to their own devices? 

It is  your  business — so you can decide what you want to offer based on both your skills and experience. However, keep in mind that if you don't have a well-rounded menu of offerings, clients may take their business elsewhere, where they can get their website created, logos created, and branding established all in one place. 

Pro Tip:  If you're building your business with a co-founder, League suggests that you consider picking someone with expertise in the opposite of what you do. "When you're getting started, you don't necessarily think of looking for someone who does the opposite of what you're doing," she says. However, by thinking about this in advance, you can reduce the likelihood that you'll need to outsource help. (Psst: That doesn't only apply to business offerings. For instance, if you have the creative portion under control, consider working with someone more analytical who can tackle the finances.) 

6. Establish a business plan. 

In my opinion, writing up a business plan is arguably the most daunting part of learning how to start a web design business. The good news? You don't have to do it yourself — this robust guide to creating a business plan will offer you a life raft.

Your business plan should provide a clear summarization of your organizational strategy for success. You can use your business plan to acquire funding from investors or help forecast your business demands. Most importantly, when starting out a business, your business plan should highlight your goals and the way you plan to achieve them. This is also where you'll tie in your mission statement and business purpose. 

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of writing your business plan, use one of our free templates to set you on the right track. For example, I love this one page business plan template.

It's concise, asks the right questions, and makes it easy for you to keep all your crucial information in one handy location. You can download it here . 

Pro Tip:  Taking a look at other business's plans can help you figure out how to build out your own. Here are  24 sample business plans  to get your creative juices flowing. 

7. Seek legal advice. 

Congratulations; you're about halfway through the process of learning how to create your web design business from home. Give yourself a pat on the back — and take a deep breath because it can be overwhelming. 

Before you go any further in your business ownership journey, it's time to seek legal advice. Your best option is to find a lawyer who has experience working with small businesses and helping ensure they're compliant with all the laws in your jurisdiction. You may need a license to operate your business, depending on what it is and where you live. Or, you might need help deciding whether you want to be a sole proprietor, open an LLC, or start a corporation.

While no one likes shelling out cash for legal fees, the repercussions of not doing so and accidentally violating a law can be massive. Your lawyer can also help you draft the contracts that you'll share with clients when entering into an agreement with them. Getting liability insurance for your business is also a good idea, and your lawyer can advise more on the steps you should take to do so. 

Pro Tip:  Lawyer fees can be expensive — especially when you're just starting out. If the cost of working with a lawyer is prohibitive, I recommend you try to find one willing to do the work pro bono. I'll admit, it can be tricky to find a lawyer that'll do the work for free. But ask around — you may have a connection willing to help out. 

8. Check off administrative tasks. 

I told you learning how to start a web design business isn't always glamorous, didn't I? I promise it will be well worth it. Your next step is to complete various administrative tasks you need to check off your list before your business can open its doors. 

For example, now that you're starting your own business, you'll need to think about how you're going to get health insurance. Maybe you can still be on your parent's insurance, or you have a partner who can take you under their wing. However, if this isn't the case, you need to think through the ways you'll be able to get healthcare.

I know this doesn't seem directly related to starting your own web design business, but it's an important administrative task you need to check off. When you're just starting out, you'll only need to think about getting healthcare for yourself. But if your business grows and you hire teammates, you'll have to think about their insurance, too. 

The next thing you'll want to think about is your retirement plan. You can consider opening a Roth IRA or a Health Savings Account. (Of course, if you want more guidance about what's best for your financial future, I suggest you speak with a financial advisor who better understands your particular situation.) 

Lastly, think through your holiday and vacation policy. You're your own boss now, which means you'll have to be accountable for getting stuff done. Creating a clear vacation and holiday plan is an excellent way to keep you on the right track. Miller believes that holding herself accountable for getting work delivered in a reasonable amount of time is partially why her business has flourished. "I think it is very important to… be true to your word," she says. 

Miller continues, "If you say you're going to deliver something on Tuesday, you need to deliver something on Tuesday. A lot of times with a website design business, you know, it's creatives, and it's hard to pin us down within the website design business. You can be a creative, but you also have to be very, very careful with that more creative energy and focus on making sure that your clients are being served well and efficiently and on time." 

Pro Tip:  If you're struggling with administrative tasks, I highly recommend talking to other small business owners you know who have taken their business full-time to learn more about how they handled administrative tasks when starting out. 

9. Identify pricing.

Now that you know what you have to offer, it's time to decide how much you're going to charge for it. 

Your first step when identifying pricing is to take a look at your competitors' pricing. How much is your competition charging for a website, logo design, branding, and bespoke photography? What about a site refresh? Find out, and make notes of what your top 5-10 competitors are charging. This will inform your rates. I suggest creating a spreadsheet that clearly identifies competitor pricing.

You'll also have to decide if you want to charge a flat rate for a project or hourly. If you go the project route, consider how many hours it will likely take to complete the project and break that down into hourly wages. Remember: You deserve to pay yourself a livable salary. 

Now that you've done your research, consider your business's overhead. Do you have to pay for your space? Have you thought about how taxes factor in? How about the software you'll need to run your business? Did you include your insurance fees when factoring in how much it costs to run your business?

From there, you can subtract your overhead per project from the rate you're thinking of charging. This leaves you with your profit. 

Pro Tip:  Adding testimonials to your website can help you feel more confident about your rates. These testimonials demonstrate the value of your work, and you can easily point to them when conferring with potential clients about budget. For some inspiration, check out HubSpot's Customer Reviews page . 

10. Make your branding. 

We're finally at a fun part of the web design business creation process. You'll have to make your branding before you begin to share the news of your business online. You're a creative, so you likely already know exactly what to do, but here are a few branding tips in case you need them:

Consistency is key — choose a color palette, style of photography, and a few fonts. Then, stick with them. This will give your business a professional flair. 

Create a logo that's not too detailed. If it is, the details will get lost when you shrink it down. 

Try to avoid already popular color pairings because they'll subliminally remind your visitors of other, more famous brands. For instance, red and yellow may not be the best bet for your company because these colors together conjure up images of Ronald McDonald. 

Pro Tip:  Need a dose of inspiration for your business's color palette?  These color pairings  are sure to wow.  

11. Create templates and establish workflows.

Yes, you have your branding, pricing, and business plan — but you are not open for business yet. First, it's essential to create templates and establish workflows. That way, when you do get your client (and trust me, it will happen), you already have a handle on how to get them onboarded.

Using a project management tool can help you create workflows that hold you accountable and ensure you deliver results on time. I love Asana, Trello, and Notion, so experiment to find one that works best for you and is within your budget.

This is also the time for you to make sure those contracts you worked with your lawyer to create are ready to go. Plus, create a checklist for client onboarding, the steps you'll follow to launch a client website, and make any necessary supporting documentation or templates. You should also have your invoice template in place. If you do all of this, professional is the name of your game. 

Last but certainly not least, determine how you're going to track your time. It's not enough to set an iPhone timer — you need to keep track of your time and how you spend it. There are plenty of time-tracking apps available, some of which even integrate directly with your project management tools. 

Pro Tip:  By having your onboarding checklist ready to go, you'll be ready the moment your first client comes knocking. Plus, you'll score major points with your client for preparedness and professionalism. 

12. Design your website.

You already know how to do this, so I'll leave this one to you. And if you want some sources of inspiration, you know where to find them — here, where I identified the  25 best creative agency websites . 

Just to recap, here are some key things to keep in mind when designing your website. 

Were created with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. 

Include mindful CTAs, or calls to action . (Psst: You shouldn't only have one place for visitors to go to reach out to you — that CTA should be sprinkled throughout your site so visitors can contact you the moment they feel inclined to.) 

Feature cohesive branding . 

Have testimonials and examples of past work. 

Have a sense of personality so visitors know who you are and why they should trust you with their website. 

Hire a proofreader or ask a family, friend, or mentor to look over your site. Ask them to read through it for clarity and accuracy. 

Consider having a blog on your website and writing posts that target keywords. 

Your goal on your business website is to reduce friction in any way that you can. 

Pro Tip:  About  42.5 million Americans have disabilities . Don't ignore  website accessibility best practices when building your website . 

13. Start building your social presence. 

You're almost at launch day, congrats. It's time to start building your social presence. Whether you contribute to collaborative articles on LinkedIn to showcase your web design expertise, create your own X/Twitter posts with a link to your portfolio site, or begin filming trendy TikToks about web design misconceptions, the internet — erm, I mean the world — is your oyster. 

When deciding which social media platforms you want to hone in on, consider this:

Where is my audience?

What platform can I go viral on? (TikTok is great for this because, regardless of whether you have five followers or five million, you can go viral.) 

What platform feels intuitive for me to use? 

How can I best tell my brand story?

Pro Tip:  Ideally, you'll be able to create content for multiple social media platforms. However, focusing on one or two will help reduce stress. Dial in on wherever you're seeing the largest return on investment for your time. 

14. Train yourself on anything you're not sure about. 

Maybe you're a natural-born designer, but sales calls don't come easy for you. Or maybe you've always loved rebuilding websites, but you struggle with offering bespoke logo design services. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses — but your weaknesses don't have to stay weaknesses. You can decide to seek out training to teach yourself more about anything you're unsure about. 

"I think it's easy for people to say like, well, I'm not good at admin, or I'm not good at sales calls, and that's just an excuse," says Miller. "Why don't you go in and learn how to do a sales call? Like I've done two to three sales trainings, which has been very helpful because sales is a part of owning your own business. And if you're not comfortable with selling in a way that is natural and authentic but also just natural and authentic to you, then you won't be able to last." 

Pro Tip:  HubSpot Academy  has plenty of free courses that can help teach you more about different facets of marketing, sales, and beyond. You can even earn free certifications, which look great when you're trying to build authoritativeness. I've done several courses, and I found them to be both educational and engaging.  

15. Network in person and online.

You did it! You've successfully created your own web design business. I hope you're proud of yourself because I'm proud of you.

Now, it's time to share the incredible news with your family, friends, colleagues, and mentors. Remember to bring business cards with you when you meet with people, and bring along extras so your friends can pass them along to their friends. You never know who may be your first client. 

Online, you can spread the word on your personal and professional social media accounts. You can also reach out to any business owners you know and let them know you're open for business if they wish to enlist your help.

Pro Tip:  Keep your mind open when it comes to finding clients. You never know how your clients will make their way to you — just trust that they will. Be sure to spread the word so everyone you know can have their feelers out in case anyone they know needs a designer. 

What are 5 tips for people starting a web design business?

These five tips from Miller and League — who have actually gone through the process of building a web design business themselves — can help set you up for success. 

Remember that potential clients are everywhere. 

League recounts that when she owned her agency, she was living in Austin, Texas, where she had a large network. "There were a lot of folks that I knew," she says. "And so I would just make new clients at the retail stores, or wherever I was, I would just meet people. Or they knew someone, and then we referred." A valuable lesson to keep business cards with you at all times indeed.

Give back to your clients.

League also suggests the idea of using "swag" to gain momentum for your business. "We gave a lot to our customers," she says. "We had parties and gave them swag. So when we had profit, we really gave them things that we thought they would enjoy. We [were] really appreciative of them. We were constantly giving them mugs, and we made up cute campaigns around it, like a social media campaign. [With the cups, we asked clients to] send us your 'mug shot.'"

Keep in mind that things ebb and flow. 

The reality of owning your own business is that things will ebb and flow; there will be busy seasons and slower ones. However, to keep your business afloat during tougher times, Miller suggests you get creative. "There are a lot of different ways to make money as a website designer," she shares. "One tip is being open to potentially white labeling. There are a lot of agencies that white-label their services and that need freelance graphic designers to kind of come in and help with the workload. 

When you start your own business, a lot of times you think, oh, it's just going to be me, all by myself. I'm going to be getting all these clients, but in those slow seasons, it's nice to lend your services to an agency or even take on some retainer clients and do maintenance work or graphic design work." 

Customer service speaks for itself. 

Another key learning from Miller? That customer service really can set you apart from your competition. "I found that the reality of building a healthy business and a client base requires serving your clients, marketing, networking, and a strong online presence, but really more focusing on serving your clients," she says.

"A lot of people focus more on the design and the creative part, but I truly believe that customer service is almost as equally important as the beauty of creative design. It takes time to build a client base and to establish a reputation." 

Expect to wear a lot of hats. 

Depending on the client, you may have to wear more hats than just the assigned "web designer." For instance, League mentions that entrepreneurs are sometimes more anxious regarding where their money is going than large corporations, as it's their hard-earned cash they're spending. 

"They would get really nervous before the launch because it was the unveiling of their idea," she explains. "And so that, that was something I didn't realize, [that] I had to be so much of a psychologist, making that transition from the bigger agency, you know, to the smaller agency. There was a lot more psychology. Granted, when you work with an agency or with any client, you have to worry, think of, and be empathetic towards them." 

Bring Your Web Design Dream Business to Life 

You officially know how to start a web design business, and it's up to you to decide if you're ready to take that next step toward becoming your own boss. When building your company, keep your why in mind, and commit to customer service. If you do these two things, you can't go wrong. 

Don't forget to share this post!

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Online Services Business Plan

Start your own online services business plan

Web Applications, Inc.

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

Web Applications is a start-up company that is designed to offer Web-based business management applications. Web Applications has developed an Internet-based application called Online Office Manager, for which a patent is pending. Online Office Manager allows businesses and individuals to keep in touch even when working in different locations. Online Office Manager provides applications which replace the physical office. With Online Office Manager, your office moves with you at all times, and you have 24-hour access to it. Users can get Online Office Manager by subscribing to our server on the Internet.

As with any start-up company, Web Applications recognizes its risks. We are a new company and as such, we will need to meet market acceptance. To that end, the company is working to determine trends in the industry, the needs of the customer, and how best to address the needs of the customer.

We expect to compete as a thriving company in the computer applications software industry. The software market has long been one of the computer industry’s fastest growing segments. Revenues for the worldwide software market reached $122 billion two years ago, up 15% from the year before that, according to estimates by International Data Corporation (IDC), a market research firm in Framingham, Massachusetts. Revenues continued to show robust growth last year. IDC projects that revenues will grow at a compound annual rate of approximately 12% for the next several years, surpassing $220 billion three years from now.

The company is seeking a moderate start-up investment. The company’s revenue projections for year one are for a 10-fold growth. Web Applications expects to achieve profitability within six months of beginning operations.

1.1 Mission

At Web Applications, our mission is to provide an online office system that links workers in different locations to their mother company.

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

Web Applications, Inc. was established in 1998 to provide a Web-based business application with features that give users the ability to remain in touch with operations at all times from anywhere in the world. The company was formed by Mr. Lester Andrews and is a Georgia incorporated S-Corporation.

2.1 Start-up Summary

Start-up costs, expenses and funding sources are laid out in the tables and chart below.

2.2 Financial Risks and Contingencies

The company recognizes that it is subject to both market and industry risks. We believe our risks are as follows, and we are addressing each as indicated.

• Start-up company . We face all the risks associated with being a start-up company. We feel that we can overcome these with our experience in the industry and by quickly establishing desired relationships.
• Security . Security is a major issue, but all features provide security options; documents and directories can be password-protected and have specific, user-only access rights.

Web Applications has developed an Internet-based application called Online Office Manager, for which a patent is pending. Online Office Manager allows businesses and individuals to keep in touch effectively even with a distance factor. Online Office Manager provides applications which replace the physical office. With Online Office Manager, your office moves with you at all times and you have 24-hour access to it. Users can get Online Office Manager by subscribing to our server on the Internet. There is no need to buy any software or upgraded versions of the software.

3.1 Service Description

Main Features

• Communication and productivity . This feature will allow you to see who is online within an organization. Our communication feature will enable the user to initiate and conduct a chat session, and will give them the means to initiate NetMeeting. Users can send and receive files directly through the Internet. Documents can also be stored in one central location.
• Email . Users will be able to send and receive emails and faxes in a personal mailbox. Within the email tool, users can create and use different folders to hold their private email. They will also have quick access to folders in an organization, and the ability to create and maintain an address book.
• Messaging . Users will be able to send text messages to others online. This feature will receive and log messages giving a “while you were out” type application.
• Schedules . Scheduling meetings can be done en-mass, i.e. users select a group of users and request a meeting. They can also specify which users must be present for the meeting to occur, and which are optional. When confirmations are received for all those required, a message is placed on everyone’s calendar. The user will also be able to set up scheduled reminders that fire off at a certain time. The system can maintain a database of resources. For the individual users, they can store their own personal schedule.
• Document Management . Users can store different documents on the system. Checked-in documents are saved in a manner which will allow for easy retrieval at a later time. Document searching can be done using a keyword, and the document can be viewed in a number of different formats without having to install any software.

Secondary Features

• Online bill payments . This service will be name branded from services like Checkfree. It will allow users to electronically pay bills all in one location. 
• Threaded bulletin board . This allows users to leave messages and multiple individuals to respond, leave their own message, and track the history.
• Package tracking . Users can view the status of packages that are being shipped with FedEx, UPS, etc.
• Travel planner . Will allow users to make travel arrangements and get discounts. Users can create travel profiles and itineraries online.
• Credit check services . This will allow users to check credit ratings of potential business partners or vendors.
• Conduct surveys . Users can create a survey and distribute it on the system. Responses can be given and returned to the system where they will be tabulated and maintained. 

Online Office Manager comes in three packages and customers can choose the one with the applications that best suit their needs.

3.2 Future Services

In the future, we will implement Phase 2 of our plan. Our research and development (R&D) will yield innovation with input from customers and the marketplace. Given below is a detailed look at the future applications that will be a part of the Phase 2 program. The biggest and most complex application of Phase 2 will be the telephone/fax service.

Telephone/Fax services .

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Other Future Applications

• Job postings–Enables people to browse various categories and sub-categories of ads and submit resumes.

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

We expect to compete as a thriving company in the computer applications software industry. Applications software are computer programs designed to accomplish user tasks, such as word processing, graphic design, desktop publishing, inventory control, and more. The software industry consists of three general market segments: application solutions, application tools, and systems software. The software market has long been one of the computer industry’s fastest growing segments. Revenues for the worldwide software market reached $122 billion in 1997, up about 15% from 1996 according to estimates by IDC. Revenues continued to show robust growth in 1998. IDC projects that revenues will grow at a compound annual rate of approximately 12% for the next several years, surpassing $220 billion by 2002.

• System-level software comprises operating systems, operating systems enhancements, and data center management. The worldwide market for system-level software increased 13% in 1997, to $35.1 billion. This figure should exceed $53 billion by 2001, based on an 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Applications software can be either developed by outside vendors and sold in packaged form, or custom-made by users themselves. Many computer users don’t have the time or desire to write their own computer programs or to hire a software developer; they can choose from thousands of quality packaged programs ready for use with little or no modification. The proliferation of computers has increased the number of people who use computers relative to those who can program them, increasing the packaged software’s importance. Custom software is tailored to the needs of a specific individual or organization.

4.1 A Brief Look at the Internet

In just five years, the Internet has undergone a major metamorphosis. From an obscure network used by a limited number of academics and researchers, the Internet has been transformed into a global Web of more than 100 million interconnected computers encompassing users from all walks of life. Described below are the various segments of the Internet:

• Hardware : networking equipment. This sector provides the primary infrastructure on which the Internet is built. Two prominent types of network equipment are routers and remote access concentrators. Cisco Systems Inc. with sales of approximately $9.9 billion and a market share of 67%, dominated the routers market in 1998. Ascend Communications, Inc. (1998 sales of $1.48 billion) and Cisco share leadership of the remote access concentrator market, with shares of approximately 28% and 27%, respectively.
• Software . Two of the main types of Internet software are browsers and security programs. Microsoft Corporation and Netscape Communications Corporation dominate the key software component of the World Wide Web. The security segments are needed to ensure the safety of networks and transactions. Security Dynamics Technology Inc. (1998 sales of $41 million) has taken the lead in providing authentication and encryption products.
• Services . Internet service providers (ISPs) offer a way for people to enter the Internet. According to IDC, America Online has approximately 43% share of the total subscribers in the ISP segment, followed by Microsoft’s MSN, and AT&T’s WorldNet.
• Destinations . Destinations are websites that people can go to for information, entertainment, or commerce.

4.2 Brief Look at the Computer Industry

In the first six months of 1997, a total of 37 million personal computers (PC) were shipped worldwide. That figure rose to 40 million during the same time period in 1998 and, according to IDC, this figure is expected to rise by 16% in 1999. PC growth in 1997 and 1998 was boosted by the introduction of the sub-$1,000 PC. This price point is due in large part to the sharp drop in prices of the major components that go into the PC. Another way PC makers have addressed lower price points is through cost-reduction efforts made possible by new manufacturing and distribution strategies. Two important initiatives are underway:

• Build to order (BTO). Under BTO, PC’s are assembled by the manufacturer.
• Channel assembly. Under channel assembly, distributors or resellers build and configure the machines.

In both cases, the building or configuring occurs when an order is received. By using these methods, indirect PC vendors hope to keep inventories lower and, through the cost savings achieved, offer more competitive prices to customers. Compaq, Dell, IBM, and Hewlett Packard dominate the computer industry.

4.3 Market Segmentation

A review of all of our markets is given below:

• Telecommuters . Telecommuting seems to be on a steady growth curve, with approximately 11 million telecommuters in the U.S. today, according to the latest survey from FIND/SVP, a research and consulting firm. Telecommuting will continue to grow because there are frequent references to productivity gains in the range of 15-25% for telecommuters.
• Service . Customers not only expect the best service but value for money, which is what we give them in our product.

4.4 The Y2K Issue

One of the more pressing issues facing the computer industry is the Year 2000 problem, also referred to as “Y2K” and “the millennium bug.” Unless addressed properly, this problem will cause many computers worldwide to stop functioning properly. Y2K arises from the fact that until the mid-1980s or so, programmers used two-digit numbers to represent years. For example, “97” was used to represent the year 1997. While this design saved computer storage space, which was expensive and in limited supply, it also produced the situation in which all dates input in these computers refer to the twentieth century. The Gartner Group, a Connecticut-based information technology (IT) consulting firm, estimates the worldwide repair bills in the $300 billion – $600 billion range, but this includes only the cost of fixing programs written in Cobol. Software Productivity Research, a Massachusetts based software-consulting firm, has made a broader estimate that includes repairs, damages, and litigation. This group estimates that the total cost from 1994 to 2005 will top $3.6 trillion.

Our products will not be affected by the Y2K problem.

4.5 Service Business Analysis

Competition There is one major company with whom we will be competing and that is HotOffice Technology. Its product, HotOffice, is a low-end business planner that focuses on the basic business structure. Other companies compete in the industry, but they only specialize on one of the many features we offer.

HotOffice Technology HotOffice Technologies, Inc. is a Web-based Intranet Service provider for small business, especially those with collaboration needs, multiple offices, mobile workers, telecommuters, and virtual offices. HotOffice offers small businesses an affordable, secure Intranet solution at a fraction of the cost of purchasing and maintaining a traditional Intranet or Extranet. This subscription service provides a large, powerful suite of collaboration and communication tools in one simple, easy-to-use interface accessible anytime, anywhere. From any PC with Internet access, HotOffice provides instant connection via the Web to email, calendar, documents, bulletin boards, online conference rooms, business centers, and more.

Strengths Large penetration to the main channels. At the time of this writing, they have the first entry to market. We plan on taking a significant part of that market share within a few months by providing additional features that will be more attractive for users.

• These companies form a large group of firms that offer one form of the many applications that we offer. They either specialize in selling hard drive space or email functions.

Barriers to Entry Web Applications will benefit from several significant barriers to entry which include:

• Market penetration. Once we are in the market and established, it will be difficult for someone to break into a market where someone is already operating successfully.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

We intend to become the leader and most creative provider of Web-based business management applications on the market. We aim to create a user-friendly application that will be an integral component in any personal or business environment. We will do this by developing an innovative and progressive development and management team. We will also accomplish our goal by using customer input to further develop our products and services.

We will leverage this new product in the computer software industry to dominate the growing Web-based applications market, especially the small businesses. We have a premium, value-added product with three different packages from which the user can choose the one that best suits their needs. These strategic product lines will enable domination of the target market. The products all share the core applications but differ in range of services.

As a company, we feel that there are a number of opportunities we can capitalize on and they include:

Small Businesses

• Better communication. Businesses will be able to set up meetings without incurring travel costs. Our products break down the walls that are created by the distance separating team or group members.
• Alternative for office network. With our product and its applications, there will be no need for businesses to set up office networks or purchase additional hardware.
• Cost effective. It is cost effective in that only a monthly fee is required, as opposed to huge amounts of money for set up costs and servers.
• Setting up on main branch office. We will help companies to set up the system and ease the transition with no delay in ordering equipment and daily operations.
• Control sales team activities. Our product will give those in the sales department the ability to get quick approvals and close deals faster. 
• No laptop needed. All user information will be placed online and kept in various departments. This will eliminate the need to carry laptops when traveling, thus reducing the chance of laptop theft, which is high in airports.

Individuals

• Eliminate need for multiple software packages. All applications needed are in one place and more can be added per user request, thus eliminating the need of purchasing individual software packages.
• Portable personal information manager (PIM). Even as you travel, your own PIM on the server will be at work taking messages and putting them in the desired folders. The PIM becomes a personal secretary keeping you informed of special events.
• No laptop needed. All user information will be placed online and kept in various departments. This will eliminate the need to carry laptops when traveling, thus reducing the chance of laptop theft, which is high in airports.

We will outsource all sales operations to a company to be named.

5.1 Sales Forecast

We are confident that our Online Office Manager will be eagerly embraced by mobile computer using businesses and e-commerce businesses.  We are forecasting a 10-fold revenue increase over the years covered in this plan, as shown in the table and charts below.

5.2 Marketing Strategy

The message associated with our product is value-added applications. Dynamic Communication Solutions has identified a brief promotional plan that is diverse and will include a range of marketing communications including the few listed below.

• Public relations.
• Trade shows.
• Industry conferences and seminars.
• Print advertising. Dynamic Communication Solutions will follow a print advertising program in publications such as Creative Loafing , Belleview Business Chronicle , and the Buckhead Local Paper . Shown below is a breakdown of the various publications.

5.3 Pricing Strategy

We plan to set our pricing based on competitors’ pricing. Prices will also be based on market prices for similar off-the-shelf products. The automatic upgrade and product enhancement features do not affect the price of any of the services. The figure below shows our tentative pricing schedule, these are monthly rates. We will work in conjunction with Dynamic Communication Solutions to come up with a working pricing schedule. Users will have three payment options:

• Six-month payment.

5.4 Value Proposition

Web Applications offers the following value propositions for customers.

• Collaboration . Users can work on the same document at the same time from different locations. Both will be able to edit the document and work on the cosmetics simultaneously. This collaboration ability eliminates the need to send the same document back and forth, saving time for both users.
• Communication . Applications allow all users to keep in touch in real time and make any necessary business decisions there and then without holding down the other party involved. Communication can be through several different applications that are offered. This allows for rapid decision-making, helping managers and sales teams make and close deals with greater ease. This will also help speed up the approval process when placing orders.
• Document management . This product allows documents to be stored, viewed, and searched at any given time. Users can create and arrange folders in a manner that will make it easy to retrieve documents. Basically, they have the ability to create their own filing system online.
• Information sharing . With features such as online chat, information can be shared quickly and easily. In the event that sensitive information is being shared, users do not have to worry because security measures have been taken to safeguard all information from outsiders.
• Personal virtual office . With each personal office space, users will have the ability to keep track of all daily tasks. Users have access to their office at anytime, from anywhere.

5.5 Strategic Alliances

The company plans to form strategic alliances with Dynamic Communication Solutions, For Sale By Internet, and a sales company to be announced. The company may develop research alliances to further refine the product and adapt it to new markets in different industries. Below is an explanation of key relationships:

• Dynamic Communication Solutions . This is a company with over ten years of experience in marketing and marketing management. We will outsource all marketing operations to Dynamic Communication Solutions because we feel that they have stability and marketing channels that will be effective for our product. This relationship will eliminate the need to develop our own marketing team. 
• For Sale By Internet . This company develops and manages company websites on a contract basis. The company is located in Kirkland, Washington and boasts a Webmaster with over seven years experience in the field. We will benefit from this relationship by having an experienced company handle all design and website management. Also, this will allow us to focus on developing applications for other industries.  
• Sales . We will outsource all sales operations to a company to be named later.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

Our management philosophy is based on responsibility and mutual respect. At Web Applications, we have an environment that encourages creativity and achievement. Web Applications management is highly experienced and qualified. Its key management team includes Mr. Lester Andrews and Mr. Dwight Austin. 

6.1 Management Team

Mr. Lester Andrews – President and CEO Lester Andrews has over 10 years in the Information System field. In 1987, he attended the DeVry Institute of Technology where he graduated with a degree in Electronics Engineering. He went on to work for Vanstar (formally Computerland) in the networking department handling accounts such as Compaq, Intel, APC, HP, and various others. After leaving Vanstar, he pursed a career that included consulting designing, installing and setting up networks, and network maintenance. Mr. Andrews also worked as a Manager of Information Systems for the Medicare SMART program. 

Mr. Dwight Austion – COO/CFO Mr. Austion graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Sociology and has a vast amount of managerial experience. Between 1994 and 1995, he worked at Turner Broadcasting Systems (TBS) as a project manager. During this time, he was responsible for preparing and delivering presentations for proposals to sell new services. Mr. Austion also managed the daily operations with an annual budget of $320,000. Between 1995 and 1996, Mr. Austion was project manager at Taylor and Mathis/Beacon properties, a Belleview-based real estate company. He had the task of supervising a staff of 20 employees and 10 sub-contractors. He was also in charge of operations, which were run on an annual budget of $450,000. Mr. Austion also worked as project manager for Flower’s Baking Company, where he managed contract services and had an operating budget of $600,000. In December 1997, he took his managerial skills to Hospital Housekeeping Systems where he became operating manager for day staff. He worked closely with the chief operating officer and had an operating budget of $1.2 million.

6.2 Outside Support

For Sale By Internet – Website Developer For Sale By Internet is led by Webmaster, Mr. Brian Taylor. Having attended the University of Washington between 1983 and 1987, Mr. Taylor graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Philosophy in the honors program. Altogether, Mr. Taylor has eight years of experience in the planning, creation, and management of website development. He started his computer career as a Microsoft Contractor at ComputerLand in 1983. As a PC Repair Assistant Manager, he designed and instigated innovative techniques of operation that would further satisfy the customer. As a Software Install Manager for Entex, Mr. Taylor managed the New Software Installation Group that consisted of 12 install technicians. Responsibilities included writing and investigating new databases, and operating parameters to speed up install and delivery time of new PCs. Between July, 1994 and December, 1995, Mr. Taylor was a top salesman for Microrim Software, selling relational databases and accounting software. He then went on to work for CARA testing Microsoft’s IE30 Web browser for JavaScript and VBscript bugs. From October, 1996 to this present day, Mr. Taylor has be a Webmaster for For Sale By Internet. Through this company, Mr. Taylor develops and manages websites on a contract basis. 

Dynamic Communication Solutions – Marketing This is a company with over ten years of experience in marketing and marketing management. We will outsource all marketing operations to Dynamic Communication Solutions because we feel that they have stability and marketing channels that will be effective for our product.

To be announced – Sales   We will outsource all sales operations to a company to be named.

To be announced – Customer service We will outsource this department to an answering service.

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

Funding Requirements and Uses Based on our projections, we feel an investment in our company is a sound investment. In order to proceed, we are requesting an investment of $101,600 by June, 1999. The funds will be used to purchase equipment and to cover initial operating expenses. The $101,600 will be used to implement Phase 1 of our operations. Once the company is in full operation, we will require an additional capital investment to fund Phase 2 of our operations.

Phase 2 We will be in discussion with developers on the best direction to take and what cost savings we can achieve. The specific details for Phase 2 are still to be determined, but three major areas (server, small PBX, and business development funds) will require approximately $30,000 by January, 2000.

Exit/Payback Strategy We can provide an exit for this investment within three years by a dividend of excess profits. The increase in profits generated by sales revenue will provide funds to repay the investment.

Conclusion Based on our projections, we feel an investment to Web Applications is a sound business investment. In order to proceed, we are requesting an investment of $101,600 as soon as possible.

7.1 Break-even Analysis

With average first year fixed monthly costs and an average margin as shown below, Web Applications calculates it will break even at the sales volume presented in the table and chart. The company management plans to reach such level by the end of 2000.

7.2 Important Assumptions

The following chart contains assumptions important to the success of the company.

7.3 Projected Profit and Loss

The projected income statement for Web Applications is shown below. The company is basing its revenue projections on anticipated sales of products.

7.4 Projected Cash Flow

The cash flow statement can be found in the chart and table below.

7.5 Projected Balance Sheet

The projected balance sheet is provided below.

7.6 Business Ratios

The following table outlines some of the more important ratios from the Computer Programming Services industry. The final column, Industry Profile, details specific ratios based on the industry as it is classified by the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code, 7371.

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• 5 Best Business Plan Software and Tools in 2023 for Your Small Business

Data as of 3 /13/23 . Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

We are committed to sharing unbiased reviews. Some of the links on our site are from our partners who compensate us. Read our editorial guidelines and advertising disclosure .

A business plan can do a lot for your business. It can help you secure investors or other funding. It can give your company direction. It can keep your finances healthy. But, if we’re being honest, it can also be a pain to write.

Luckily, you don’t have to start from scratch or go it alone. Business plan software and services can help you craft a professional business plan, like our top choice LivePlan , which provides templates, guidance, and more.

You’ve got quite a few choices for business plan help, so we’re here to help you narrow things down. Let’s talk about the best business plan tools out there.

• LivePlan : Best overall
• BizPlanBuilder : Most user-friendly
• Wise Business Plans : Best professional service
• Business Sorter : Best for internal plans
• GoSmallBiz.com : Most extra features
• Honorable mentions

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The takeaway, business plan software faq, compare the best business plan software.

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LivePlan: Best overall business plan software

Data as of 3 /13/23 . Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *With annual billing

LivePlan has been our favorite business plan software for a while now, despite the stiff competition.

There’s a lot to like about LivePlan. It has pretty much all the features you could want from your business plan software. LivePlan gives you step-by-step instructions for writing your plan, helps you create financial reports, lets you compare your business’s actual financials to your plan’s goals, and much more. And if you ever need inspiration, it includes hundreds of sample business plans that can guide your writing.

LivePlan software pricing

But the best part? You get all that (and more) at a very competitive price. (You can choose from annual, six-month, or monthly billing.) While LivePlan isn’t quite the cheapest business plan builder out there, it’s not too far off either. And if comes with a 60-day money back guarantee. So there’s no risk in trying LivePlan out for yourself.

With a great balance of features and cost, LivePlan offers the best business plan solution for most businesses.

BizPlanBuilder: Most user-friendly

Need something easy to use? BizPlanBuilder fits the bill.

BizPlanBuilder doesn’t have a flashy, modern user interface―but it does have a very clear, intuitive one. You’ll be able to see your plan’s overall structure at a glance, so you can quickly navigate from your title page to your market trend section to that paragraph on your core values. And as you write, you’ll use a text editor that looks a whole lot like the word processing programs you’re already familiar with.

BizPlanBuilder software pricing

Data effective 3/13/23. At publishing time, amounts, rates, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

BizPlanBuilder also offers lots of helpful guidance for actually writing your plan. It gives you pre-written text, in which you just have to fill in relevant details. It offers explanations for what information you need to include in each section of your plan and way. It even gives you helpful tips from experts, so you’ll have all the information you need to plan like a pro.

So if you want planning software with almost no learning curve, you’ll like BizPlanBuilder.

Wise Business Plans: Best professional service

• Custom quote

Unlike all the other companies on this list, Wise Business Plans doesn’t offer software. Instead, it offers professional business plan writing services―meaning someone does all the hard work for you.

Now, you might think that sounds expensive―and you’re probably right (you have to request a custom quote for your plan). But there’s a lot to be said for expertise, and Wise Business Plans has plenty of that. Your business plan will get written by an experienced writer (with an MBA, no less). They’ll get information from you, do their own research, and then write your plan. You get one free revision, and you can always pay for more.  

Wise Business Plans service pricing

Your end result will be a polished, entirely original business plan. (You can even get printed copies.) And best of all, you won’t have to spend your precious time working on the plan yourself. Wise Business Plans takes care of all the hard parts, and makes your business look good while doing it. Sounds like a service worth paying for, right?

Put simply, if you want the most professional business plan possible, we recommend using Wise Business Plans’s writing service.

Business Sorter: Best for internal plans

Many businesses need plans to show to people outside the company (to get financing, for example). But what if you just need a plan for internal use? In that case, we suggest Business Sorter.

Business Sorter uses a unique card-based method to help you craft the perfect business plan. (You can watch a demo video to see how it works.) You’ll plan some of the usual things, like finances and marketing. But Business Sorter also lets you make plans for specific teams and team members. It also emphasizes more internal matters, like operations, that might get overlooked in a business plan for outsiders.

Business Sorter software pricing

After you’ve made your business plan, Business Sorter also helps you stay accountable to it. You can create tasks, give them deadlines, and assign them to team members―giving you basic project management tools to make sure your business plans become business actions. (Oh, and did we mention that Business Sorter has the lowest starting prices of any software on this list?)

It all adds up to a business plan software that works great for internal planning.

GoSmallBiz: Most extra features

Want to get way more than just business planning software? Then you probably want GoSmallBiz.

See, GoSmallBiz offers business plan software as part of its service―but it’s just one part of a much bigger whole. You also get everything from discounts on legal services to a website builder to a CRM (customer relationship manager) to business document templates. And more. In other words, you get just about everything you need to get your startup off the ground.

GoSmallBiz software pricing

Don’t worry though―you still get all the business planning help you need. GoSmallBiz gives you business plan templates, step-by-step instructions, and the ability to create financial projections. And if you get stuck, GoSmallBiz will put you in touch with experts who can offer advice.

If you want business planning and much, much more, give GoSmallBiz a try.

• PlanGuru : Best financial forecasting
• EnLoop : Cheapest tool for startups

We recommend the software above for most business planning needs. Some businesses, though, might be interested in these more specialized planning software.

Honorable mention software pricing

Planguru: best financial forecasting features.

PlanGuru is pretty pricey compared to our other picks, but you might find its forecasting features worth paying for. It has more forecasting methods than other software (over 20) plus it lets you forecast up to 10 years.

EnLoop: Cheapest tool for startups

EnLoop doesn’t have our favorite features or interface, but it does have really, really low pricing plus a seven-day free trial. It's the most affordable software for startup business planning and still provides all the essential features like financial analysis, team collaboration, charting, and more.

Data as of 3 /13/23 . Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. * With annual billing

Several of our previous favorite planning software, including BusinessPlanPro and StratPad, seem to have gone out of business.

A business plan is a written, living document that tells the story of your business and what you plan to do with it. It serves as the source of truth for you—the business owner—as well as potential partners, employees, and investors, but it also serves as a roadmap of what you want your business to be.

Why you need a business plan

While some small-business owners don’t see the point of creating a formal business plan, it can have some concrete benefits for your business. For example, one 2016 study found that business owners with written plans are more successful than those that don’t. 1

Still too vague? Then let’s get specific.

If you ever seek business funding (from, say, banks, angel investors , or venture capitalists ), you’ll have to prove that your business deserves the money you want. A formal business plan―complete with financial data and projections―gives you a professional document you can use to make your case. (In fact, most potential investors will expect you to have a business plan ready.)

Even if you’re not seeking funding right now, a business plan can help your business. A formal plan can guide your business’s direction and decision making. It can keep your business accountable (by, for example, seeing if your business meets the financial projections you included). And a formal plan offers a great way to make sure your team stays on the same page.

What to include in your business plan

Not all business plans are created equal. To make a really useful business plan, you’ll want to include a number of elements:

• Basic information about your business
• Your products/services
• Market and industry analysis
• What makes your business competitive
• Strategies and upcoming plans
• Your team (and your team’s background)
• Current financial status
• Financial and market projections
• Executive summary

Of course, you can include more or fewer elements―whatever makes sense for your business. Just make sure your business plan is comprehensive (but not overwhelming).

How business plan software can help

With so many elements to include, business plan creation can take a while. Business plan software tries to speed things up.

Most business plan software will include prompts for each section. In some cases, you can just fill in your business’s specific information, and the software will write the text for you. In other cases, the software will give you specific guidance and examples, helping you write the text yourself.

Plus, business plan software can help you stay organized. You’ll usually get intuitive menus that let you quickly flip through sections. So rather than endlessly scrolling through a long document in a word processor, you can quickly find your way around your plan. Some software even lets you drag and drop sections to reorganize your plan.

Sounds way easier than just staring at a blank page and trying to start from scratch, right?

Choosing business plan software

To find the right business plan builder for your business, you’ll want to compare features. For example, would you rather write your own text, getting prompts and advice from your software? Or would you rather go with a fill-in-the-blank method?

Likewise, think about the elements you need. If your plan will have a heavy focus on finances, you’ll want to choose business plan software with robust financial projection features. If you care more about market and competitor analysis, look for software that can help with that research.

You may also want to find business plan software that integrates with your business accounting software . Some plan builders will import data from Xero, QuickBooks, etc. to quickly generate your financial data and projections.

And of course, you’ll want to compare prices. After all, you always want to end up with software that fits your business budget.

The right business plan software can make your life easier. With LivePlan ’s wide breadth of features and online learning tools, you can’t go wrong. Plus, BizPlanBuilder 's one-time pricing makes it easy to invest while Business Sorter has a low starting cost. And if you're business is looking to grow, GoSmallBiz and Wise Business Plans will scale with you.

But of course, different companies have different needs. So shop around until you find the software that’s best for you and your business.

Now that you've got a business plan, take a look at our checklist for starting a small business.  It can help you make sure you have everything else you need to get your startup off to a good start!

Related content

• 7 Steps to Build a Successful Project Management Sales Plan
• Best Project Management Software and Tools in 2023
• 4 Cost Management Techniques for Small Businesses

Creating a business plan can take anywhere from a couple hours to several weeks. Your timeline will depend on things like the elements you choose to include, whether you use software or hire a writing service, and how much research goes into your plan.

That said, much of the business plan software out there brags that it can help you create a fairly detailed plan in a few hours. So if you’re going the software route, that can help you set your expectations.

If you want to get the most out of your business plan, you should update it on a regular basis―at least annually. That way, you can continually refer to it to inform your company’s strategies and direction.  

At the very least, you should update your business plan before you start looking for a new round of funding (whether that’s with investors or lenders).

Thanks to business plan software, you can easily write your own business plan rather than pay someone to do it for you. And in most cases, software will cost you less than a professional business plan service.

There are some times you might want to go with a service though. If time is tight, you might find that it’s worth the cost of a service. Or if you’ve got big investor meetings on the horizon, you might want the expertise and polish that a professional service can offer.

Ultimately, you’ll have to decide for yourself whether business plan software or a business plan service will work better for your company.

Methodology

We ranked business plan software and tools based on features, pricing and plans, and connections to project management and other services. The value of each plan and service, along with what it offers, was a big consideration in our rankings, and we looked to see if what was offered was useful to small businesses or just extra. The final thing we looked at was the ease of use of the software to see if it's too complex for small businesses.

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.

Sources 1. Harvard Business Review, “ Research: Writing a Business Plan Makes Your Startup More Likely to Succeed .” Accessed March 13, 2023.

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How to Build a Web App in 6 Steps: A Step-by-Step Guide for Developers

In today’s digital world, web applications have become an integral part of our daily lives. From e-commerce to social media, we interact with web applications on a daily basis. If you have a business idea or want to create a custom solution for a specific problem, knowing how to create a web application is a valuable skill.

However, building a web application from scratch can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re not a developer. This guide will provide you with a step-by-step process to create a web app that can help you turn your web app idea into a reality. We will cover everything from planning, choosing a technology stack, designing, developing, testing, launching, and maintaining your web application. With this guide, you will have the knowledge and confidence to create your own web application and join the growing community of web application creators.

6 Best Steps to Creating a Web Application

1. planning your web application.

Before you start building your web application, it’s important to plan out your project to ensure its success. Planning involves identifying your target audience, defining your goals and objectives, creating a project timeline, and identifying your budget and resources. These steps will help you to streamline your web app development process, stay on track with your goals, and avoid any potential issues or obstacles along the way.

1.1 Identifying Your Target Audience

Knowing your target audience is crucial when it comes to how to make web app that will be successful. Understanding who will use your web application will help you to tailor its design, features, and functionality to meet their needs and preferences. Research your target audience to gain insight into their demographics, interests, and behavior, and use this information to guide your development process.

1.2 Defining Your Goals and Objectives

When build a web app from scratch, defining your goals and objectives is a crucial first step. Whether you aim to improve customer engagement or increase revenue, having clear objectives in mind will help guide your development efforts. It’s important to ensure that your web app meets your business needs, and setting specific goals will help achieve this. By taking the time to define your objectives, you can create a web app that not only meets your needs but also those of your users.

1.3 Creating a Project Timeline

A project timeline is a crucial component of any build a web ap p plan. It helps you to set realistic goals and milestones, keep track of progress, and ensure that you deliver your web application on time. Your timeline should include all the tasks involved in the web app development process, including planning, design, development, testing, and launch.

1.4 Identifying Your Budget and Resources

Build a web application can be costly, so it’s important to identify your budget and resources before you start. Consider how much money you have available for the project and how you will allocate those funds. Also, consider what resources you will need, such as development tools, software licenses, and hosting services. Knowing your budget and resources upfront will help you to make informed decisions throughout the web app development process.

2. Choosing a Technology Stack

Choosing the right technology stack is crucial to creating a web application that is scalable, secure, and meets your business needs. A technology stack consists of front-end, back-end, and database technologies that work together to build your web app. Here are the steps to choosing the right technology stack for your web application:

2.1 Understanding Front-End, Back-End, and Database Technologies

Front-end technologies are responsible for the user interface and user experience of your web application. Back-end technologies handle the server-side processing and logic, and database technologies store and manage your data. Understanding these technologies and how they work together is essential to creating a successful web application.

2.2 Choosing a Programming Language

Selecting the right programming language is crucial to the success of your web application. Popular programming languages for creating a web application include JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and PHP. Consider the complexity of your project, your team’s expertise, and the availability of web developers when choosing a programming language.

2.3 Selecting a Web Framework

A web framework is a collection of libraries and tools that help you to build your web application more efficiently. Popular web frameworks include React, Angular, Django, and Ruby on Rails. Choose a web framework that is compatible with your selected programming language and suits your project’s needs.

2.4 Choosing a Database Management System

A database management system is a software application that manages and organizes your data. Popular database management systems for creating a web application include MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. Consider the complexity of your data, security needs, and scalability requirements when choosing a database management system.

When choosing a technology stack, consider the expertise of your team and the availability of web developers for hire. You may need to hire web developers with specific expertise in your chosen technology stack to ensure that your web application is developed efficiently and effectively.

3. Designing Your Web Application

Design is an essential component of any web application. It’s important to create a user-friendly interface, a visually appealing design, and a responsive layout that works well on all devices. Here are the steps to designing a successful web application:

3.1 Creating Wireframes and Mockups

Wireframes and mockup generator are essential to design tools that help you to visualize the structure and layout of your web application. Wireframes are simple diagrams that show the basic layout and structure of your web app, while mockups are more detailed representations that show the visual design of your app. These tools help you to plan and refine your design before moving into development.

3.2 Developing User Interface Design

Consider hiring professional mobile app design services to help you create a user-friendly interface that enhances your web app’s usability and appeals. Expert designers can provide valuable insights into layout, typography, color schemes, and overall style to create a visually appealing interface. This can help your web app stand out from the competition and attract more users.

3.3 Creating a Responsive Design

Creating a responsive design is crucial to ensuring that your web application works well on all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. A responsive design adapts to the screen size and resolution of each device, ensuring that your web app looks and functions well on any device.

3.4 Creating a Branding and Style Guide

Creating a branding and style guide is essential to ensuring that your web application is consistent and cohesive in its design. A branding and style guide includes guidelines for your web app’s color scheme, typography, imagery, and overall style. These guidelines help to create a consistent and recognizable brand identity for your web app.

4. Developing Your Web Application

Developing web applications involves building both the back-end and front-end components of your application, integrating them, and testing the final product. Here are the steps to developing a successful web application:

4.1 Setting up Your Development Environment

Before you start building your web application, you need to set up your development environment. This involves installing the necessary software, configuring your development tools, and developing a web application workflow.

4.2 Building Your Application’s Back-end

The back-end of your web application is responsible for handling data, processing requests, and providing a smooth user experience. This involves choosing a programming language, a web framework, and a database management system to build your application’s server-side components.

4.3 Creating Your Application’s Front-end

The front-end of your web application is responsible for presenting data to users and providing an interactive user experience. This involves using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build the user interface of your application.

4.4 Integrating Your Application’s Components

Integrating the back-end and front-end components of your web application is crucial to ensuring that your application works smoothly and efficiently. This involves testing and debugging your application to ensure that all components work together seamlessly.

5. Testing and Launching Your Web Application

Once you’ve built your web application, it’s important to test it thoroughly to ensure that it’s functioning properly. Here are the steps to testing and launching your web application:

5.1 Conducting Unit Testing

Unit testing involves testing individual components of your web application to ensure that they work as expected. This involves testing functions, classes, and methods to ensure that they return the expected results.

5.2 Conducting Integration Testing

Integration testing involves testing the integration of different components of your web application to ensure that they work together seamlessly. This involves testing the communication between different parts of your application.

5.3 Conducting System Testing

System testing involves testing your web application as a whole to ensure that it meets all the requirements and specifications. This involves testing the functionality, usability, and performance of your application.

5.4 Launching Your Application

Once you’ve thoroughly tested your web application, it’s time to launch it. This involves deploying your application to a web server and making it available to the public. You should also consider marketing your application to attract users and promote its features.

6. Maintaining and Improving Your Web Application

After launching your web app, work continues. Maintaining and developing your web app requires regular updates, fixes, new features, and user feedback. Maintaining and improving your web application involves several steps:

6.1 Tracking User Feedback

Your users’ feedback is a valuable source of information that can help you improve your web application. Keep track of user feedback by providing them with a way to submit comments, complaints, or suggestions.

6.2 Addressing Issues and Fixing Bugs

Addressing issues and fixing bugs is an essential part of maintaining your web app. Regularly conduct tests to identify and address any problems that arise.

6.3 Adding New Features

Adding new features can help keep your web application fresh and up-to-date. Regularly brainstorm new features that can enhance your user experience and attract new users.

6.4 Conducting Regular Updates and Maintenance

Conducting regular updates and maintenance ensures that your web application stays up-to-date with the latest technology and security standards. Stay on top of updates to avoid any potential vulnerabilities and ensure that your web app is running smoothly.

You may like this: How to Find a Developer for Your Dream App ?

Planning, designing, and developing a web application is complicated. This article will help you build a successful web app for your business and users. Ensure to establish your target audience, goals, objectives, project timetable, budget, and resources. Choose a technology stack, design your web project, and build the front-end and back-end. Finally, integrate and test your app. Consider Outsource App Development to a competent team. With the appropriate technique and team, you can design a successful web application that satisfies your business and user needs.

Take a look at

Frequently Asked Questions

• How to build a web application from scratch with no experience? Building a web application from scratch with no experience can be challenging, but it is possible by following a step-by-step guide, choosing the right technology stack, learning a programming language, and seeking help from online resources and tutorials.
• How to design a web application? Designing a web application involves creating wireframes and mockups, developing a user interface design, creating a responsive design, and establishing a branding and style guide.
• Which are the best examples of web applications? Some of the best examples of web applications include Google Docs, Trello, Spotify, Airbnb, and Slack.
• How much does building a web app cost? The cost of building a web app can vary widely depending on factors such as the complexity of the app, the technology stack used, and the development team’s hourly rate, but it typically ranges from $15,000 to $100,000 or more.

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Written by Sunny Patel

Sunny Patel is a versatile IT consultant at CMARIX, a premier web app development company that provides flexible hiring models for dedicated developers . With 11+ years of experience in technology outsourcing, he spends his time understanding different business challenges and providing technology solutions to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

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Mobile App Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Mobile App Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their mobile app development company. 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 mobile app business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Mobile App Business Plan Template here >

What is a Mobile App Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your mobile app 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 an App Company

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

Source of Funding for Mobile App Companies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a mobile app are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, angel investors and venture capitalists. 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 want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

The second most common form of funding for a mobile app is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan.

Venture capitalists will also fund a mobile app and will take equity in return for their funding, VC funding generally comes after you’ve received initial proof of the mobile app concept or traction with your app.

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How to write a business plan for a mobile app development company.

A comprehensive business plan for an app company should include the 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

• Company Overview

Industry Analysis

Customer analysis, competitive analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan.

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 app business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a mobile app that you would like to grow, or do you already have several successful app businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the mobile app industry. Discuss the type of mobile app you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target audience. Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company overview, you will provide a detailed description of your mobile app business.

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

• Business app : this type of mobile app generally helps increase productivity and/or decrease costs.
• Entertainment app : this type of mobile app includes news, social networking, music, video, etc.
• Lifestyle app : this type of mobile app includes things like fitness, shopping, dating, etc.
• Education app : this type of app must have the primary objective of advancing a user’s knowledge and overall breadth in a particular subject.
• Utility app : this type of app includes things like scanners, trackers, health-related apps, cell service providers, etc.
• Travel app : this type of app aids in planning and booking trips.
• Other app : there are a limitless number of areas in which a successful app could be created

In addition to the business description, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What is your company history?
• What is your mission statement?
• What is your business idea or app idea?
• What is your business model or monetization strategy (i.e., freemium, subscription, in-app purchases, affiliate marketing, crowdfunding, paid apps, sponsored content, etc.)?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new store openings, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of your app development business.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the mobile app 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. For example, if there was a trend towards quiz apps, it would be helpful to ensure your plan incorporates gamification into your app.

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:

• How big is the app industry (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 mobile app? You can calculate this figure by multiplying the size of your target customer market by the amount they might spend per year on your app.

The customer analysis section must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: business operations managers, college students, sports enthusiasts, soccer moms, techies, teens, baby boomers, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of mobile app you operate. Clearly, baby boomers would want different pricing and product options, and would respond to different user engagement strategies than teens.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the business types (if B2B), 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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Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other app businesses in your niche.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to achieve similar results to what your app offers.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other app development companies with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be mobile app businesses offering the same type of service or activity that yours does.

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 products do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

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

• Will you provide superior features?
• 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.

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For an app business, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section, you should reiterate the type of mobile app that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific features of your app.

Price : Document how you will price your app and if there will be different pricing levels (e.g., free, entry, premium) and what those levels will be.

Place : Place refers to your distribution method. Document how customers can download your app (e.g., from your website, the Apple App Store, Google Play, etc.).

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

• Social media marketing strategy
• Advertising in magazines, newspapers and/or trade journals
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Pay per click advertising

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 mobile app such as writing code, building upgrades, fixing bugs, providing customer service, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect your 10,000th app install, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new location.

To demonstrate your mobile app’s ability to succeed as a business, 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 app development business. 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 team. An advisory team 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 mobile apps and/or successfully running small businesses.

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 have 100 downloads per week or 200? 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 : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your mobile application, that 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 $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in an app startup or growing mobile app company:

• Cost of equipment like computers, data warehousing, etc.
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff and independent contractors
• 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 store design blueprint or location lease.

Free Business Plan Template for a Mobile App Business

You can download our mobile app business plan PDF template . Our sample mobile app business plan would also be a helpful resource for writing your own business plan.

Mobile App Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for a mobile app will improve your company’s chances of success. The process of developing your plan will help you better understand your target audience, your competition, and your business strategy. You will also develop the marketing strategies needed to better attract and serve your target market, an operations plan to focus your efforts, and financial projections that give you business goals to strive for and keep your company focused.

Growthink’s Ultimate Mobile App Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Mobile App Business Plan.  

Additional Resources for a Mobile App Startup

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Mobile App Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Business Plan Outline

• Mobile App Business Plan Home
• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Company Overview
• 3. Industry Analysis
• 4. Customer Analysis
• 5. Competitive Analysis
• 6. Marketing Plan
• 7. Operations Plan
• 8. Management Team
• 9. Financial Plan

Start Your Mobile App Plan Here

Mobile App Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your mobile app business plan.

We have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their mobile app businesses.

Mobile App Business Plan Example

Below are links to each of the key elements of a mobile app business plan template:

• Executive Summary – In the Executive Summary, you will provide a general overview of your business plan including your target market, business model, and how you plan to make your business successful.
• Company Overview – The Company Overview section will provide an overview of your app idea, history of the company, monetization strategy and milestones achieved.
• Industry Analysis – From your market research, you will provide an industry analysis. This will include a discussion of the current mobile app industry landscape, trends, and issues facing your industry.
• Customer Analysis – The Customer Analysis section will describe your target market. This includes information on demographics, psychographics, and behaviors.
• Competitive Analysis – This section includes an overview of your direct and indirect competitors, their market share, your competitive advantage, and how you plan to compete against them.
• Marketing Plan – The Marketing Plan section will describe your marketing strategy. This includes information on your target audience, pricing strategy, and promotional activities.
• Operations Plan – The Operations Plan section of your mobile app business plan will describe your business operations.
• Management Team – The Management Team section will provide information on the management members of your team. This includes their experience, education, and skills.
• Financial Plan – In the Financial Plan section, you will provide the financial model and financial statements for your business. This includes your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement.

Next Section: Executive Summary >

Mobile App Business Plan FAQs

What is a mobile app business plan.

A mobile app business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your mobile app business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can  easily complete your mobile app business plan using our Mobile App Business Plan Template here .

What Are the Main Types of Mobile App Companies?

There are many types of mobile app companies across a variety of categories. There are mobile app companies that focus solely on mobile games. Others are exercise or wellness focused. Some mobile apps provide guidance on specific topics, some offer music streaming, and other apps provide help or assistance on a variety of topics. Many companies have developed company-specific mobile apps to allow users to become more connected with their products or offerings. For instance, most major brands, restaurants and financial services companies have company-specific mobile applications.

What Are the Main Sources of Revenue and Expenses for a Mobile App Business?

The primary source of revenue for mobile app companies are subscription paid by the users on an annual or monthly basis. Advertising (selling ad space to other companies on their app) is another significant revenue sources.

The key expenses for mobile app companies are the costs to advertise and generate users. These expenses are often in the form of targeted social media advertising or online targeted marketing. Some major mobile app companies pay to have their mobile apps advertised on television commercials or music streaming platforms. Another major expense for app companies are office space, employee salaries and technology licensing fees.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Mobile App Business Plan?

A mobile app startup is most likely to receive funding from angel investors and friends and family. Personal savings and credit cards are also often used. Venture capitalists will fund a business plan for an app once it achieves enough traction (e.g., enough users or generating enough revenue).

A well crafted mobile app business plan is essential for attracting any type of potential investor.  Most app startups require funding to get off the ground and cover at least their startup costs.

What are the Steps To Start a Mobile App Business?

Starting a mobile app development company can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Mobile App Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed business plan for an app that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include market research on the mobile app industry and potential market size, information on the mobile app concept, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your mobile app business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your mobile app business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Mobile App Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your mobile app business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your mobile app business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Mobile App Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your mobile app business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your mobile app business.  A mobile app marketing plan includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful mobile app business:

• How to Start a Mobile App Business
• How to Start a Mobile App Development Business

Where Can I Get a Mobile App Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free mobile app business plan template PDF here . This is a sample mobile app business plan template you can use in PDF format.

How to Write a Business Plan For Mobile App Startup

Tech Editor and Content Team Lead

Tech Researcher and Writer

Table of content

Idea, plan, and implementation. These are 3 cornerstones of any project’s success. In the constantly changing modern IT world, it’s impossible to forecast success with 100% confidence. However, if you pay enough attention to each of these cornerstones, your chances to reach the top grow.

However, some entrepreneurs skip the stage in which they should create an app business plan. These people often believe practice to be a better way to reach the expected results, hoping spontaneous decisions can build the road to the top manufacturers' list. Unfortunately, this type of approach leads nowhere.

We have carefully analyzed issues that our clients and partners have come to us with, measured the performance of their projects and analyzed how a tech startup business plan impacts the overall company’s success. Today, we will explain the importance of a business plan and guide you through the main steps of developing your own.

Why You Need a Business Plan for Your Mobile App

Mobile apps brought an unexpected revolution to the digital era. The number of unique and useful apps increases daily.

Just a year ago, the number of applications available on the App Store exceeded 2.2. million.

The mobile industry is forecasted to bring in almost $190 billion of revenue in 2020.

If you would like to join this beneficial industry, and already have a great app idea, it’s time to take the next step towards your goals and bring into being a great app business plan.

But first, let’s clarify why you actually need a brilliant business plan for an app .

Attracting great minds and great investments

Depending on the type of business model you want to use, you have to decide between startup co-founders or investors. In some cases, you need to attract both. An application business plan is your sole way to fulfill this task quickly and proceed with more significant steps towards your company’s growth.

Reducing the risks

Recent reports show that writing a business plan will bring you closer to your goals and ambitions. Entrepreneurs with extensive business plans are more likely to develop their company and increase their revenue than those who without a plan.

Planning is a simple way to secure loans and investments.

Keeping to the defined strategy

In a world full of interruptions, it’s hard not to miss the important things. Every day you, as a startup owner, will face new issues and obstacles. But a set of points on your blueprint will act as a quick reminder of why you started it and where it should take you.

Preparing properly

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin wasn’t involved in software development, but these words highlight the app business plan significance. By writing a plan, you are enhancing your knowledge about the market you plan to break into. This will clarify your goals, set your priorities and help you build more accurate forecasts. It’s your chance to reveal possible risks and find your own voice in the industry.

Managing and delegating effectively

Being a good manager is an art. A mobile app business plan is your tool for creating a masterpiece. It provides a vision of critical tasks, helping you delegate each of them to the responsible person.

An App Business Plan Template

Now that you know how meaningful a business plan is for any project is, let’s find out what it actually is. Typically, a business plan is a set of:

bullet points describing your vision.

some statistics providing real numbers about the industry you plan to enter.

tables with defined steps and strategies you would like to implement to reach your goals.

Is the product viable? Does it have the potential to bring new experiences to the user and measurable benefits to its founders? Those are 2 primary questions your app business plan should answer. Include the following components to make your triumph inevitable.

Section 1. Executive Summary

This is the introduction to your business plan. This is the first thing your potential investor will see when becoming acquainted with your idea. Make it clear and remarkable, and answer these questions in your summary:

What problem do you want to solve?

Even though the market is chock-full of different solutions, consumers always face some obstacles and complications. You need to find these problems and identify the one that you can solve. Analyze your target audience’s needs at the moment, why the existing solutions do not satisfy these needs, and what you can offer to solve this problem.

What is your solution?

First of all, make sure your project is capable of addressing this problem. Then, introduce your idea but do not dive into details. This is not the right moment to introduce the functionality to investors. It’s time to generally highlight what your app will do to make app users happy. 

How will your app change the market? 

Answering the first question, you have possibly come to the conclusion that similar solutions already exist. Provide proof that your app is better than other apps. Share facts, numbers, and forecasts; avoid using clichés and make your answer as profound as you can. 

What goal are you pursuing? 

The primary goal of any business is financial return. In this section, you need to explain what your goal looks like, provide your vision of the app’s future, state how many users you expect to download your app, and what profit it will bring. Visualize your short-term plans and enhance your answer using metrics.

Section 2. Make a Business Description of Your Company

Create an attractive overview to increase interest. This section is how you get closer to potential partners by presenting the following things:

Basic info about your organization

Either your company is an LLC or another entity, the potential investor should know this. The company’s structure defines the way processes will be organized in the future.

Location is essential. If your team works remotely, mention it, too. And don’t forget to emphasize the reasons you have decided on this location or opted for remote collaboration.

A few words about the history

People like storytelling. So explain the company’s history. How did you come up with the idea of founding your own business? What did you start with? Make your story short but catchy so you can win the reader’s attention.

Team introduction

The app startup business plan should include details about your team so you could get even closer to the reader. By adding a few words on the company’s specialists, you can turn a boring description into a virtual introductory meeting.

Tell the potential investor about your managers. Provide information about the engineering team. Specify names, positions, experience, and even hobbies. Writing your app business plan, make the readers feel like they know the people you talk about.

One more actionable tip is to provide details about your advisory team. These experts help you with decision making, and their names can make a difference in the local market.

Section 3. Market analysis

To launch an app startup, you should know everything you can about the industry you are entering. By understanding its past and present, you can impact its future. This stage moves a hypothesis to real statistical data.

How big is the market?

To answer this question, you must analyze the following factors:

Total Available Market, or market demand for your app.

Serviceable Available Market, or the number of users you are able to reach out to.

Serviceable Obtainable Market, or the segment of your first users.

How does the market change?

Compare and analyze the market size 5 years ago and now. What has changed? How many influencers have broken into the market? How many failed? The amount of money spent in the industry will make your own potential income clearer.

What is the customer persona?

The only way to develop a legendary app is to look at it through your customers’ eyes. This is why you need to understand the target audience and create a portrait of your customer. A customer persona is a detailed description of what users that install your app look like. Define gender, name, occupation, education, hobbies and daily challenges they face. This is a portrait of the real person your app will serve.

Section 4. Marketing strategy

A solid mobile app business plan should describe how your app will get to potential user smartphones. Let’s have a glance at our step-by-step guide on how to build a successful marketing strategy:

Identify the channels you can acquire customers from

Today, social media marketing is considered the most effective way to promote a product. But will it be enough for your app? Go back to the research phase and find out how many potential users you are able to meet on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Provide the readers with information on what channel may be most profitable.

An app landing page is an excellent way to reach out to your target audience, too. Develop an engaging mockup and provide the partners with information on how many customers will find out about your product from a landing page.

Decide on metrics

During the beginning stages, your success will be measured with the number of installations or conversion rates, not with financial revenue. So decide what metrics will be useful for your project’s evaluation.

Consider participation in referral programs

Referral programs could become your growth fuel. Decide on which companies to collaborate with and explain to the app business plan readers why this cooperation is expected to be fruitful.

Don’t forget to optimize your website and mobile application to improve SEO. And remember:

“Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.” - Anthony Volodkin, Hype Machine founder

Section 5. Define Your Competitors

If you are not Elon Musk, you definitely have competitors. And if you have competitors, you should learn from them. Make sure your business offers unique functionality and has the ability to cater to users’ wishes like no other tool could. But at the same time, be aware that there will always be someone doing something similar.

Know your competitors. Study the market and increase your awareness of potential rivals, as well as their history and capabilities. Study their weaknesses and brainstorm how to turn these into your strengths.

Section 6. Choose a Monetization Strategy

As we reach the finish line of your app development business plan template building, we will talk about finances. Running a non-profit project is good, but when it comes to mobile apps, which have a market of billions of dollars of revenue annually, the monetization strategy deserves exceptional attention.

How can you turn your efforts into financial profit?

• Use advertising

You can simply advertise other products with your mobile app. This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to monetize it. However, you should have an impressive number of active users to implement this strategy.

• Charge a fee for installation

There are so many free apps all over the web that users ignore the paid ones. Be ready to demonstrate unique features to convince users to install your app.

• Add a Paid Account option

Offering a free trial is an attractive option. After the trial period ends, allow an account upgrade. If your app demonstrates good performance and powerful functionality, it is very likely that users will be ready to pay for it.

Choose your strategy before you start your sample business plan. Potential partners and investors will not support your idea unless the monetization strategy is well-defined and clear. So be ready to answer questions about what financial profit you expect to make from this app.

Section 7. Startup Costs & Funding

Did you know that one of the key reasons startups fail is financial issues?

29% of companies simply run out of cash and 18% of companies have other types of cost issues. Now, when you are closer to your first technology startup business plan example than ever, consider the importance of costs and funding for your business.

Why is the financial component of planning so important?

It is vital for you to understand what type of funding you need to get your app up and running.

Your potential partners must know how much money you need.

Your startup financial model should reflect the forecast for the next 3-5 years. Add the following data to your plan:

Talk about required funding

You have a rough estimation of how much money you need. Try to foresee possible issues. A backup financial plan may be useful, too.

Specify payment frequency

Some costs should only be paid once. Other costs, like salaries or maintenance costs, are repeatable. A detailed financial plan is the final thing you need to provide in your application business plan.

In Conclusion

Strive to create an excellent app business plan, keeping in mind the following tips:

Make it simple and clear.

Be professional and realistic.

Avoid slang.

Proofread, then proofread it again. Also, don't neglect grammar checkers like Grammarly . Such a tool will not only correct your spelling or grammar but also advise you on the style of your writing.

Isn’t it exciting? Now you know how to write a business plan for an app! Now you are one step closer to fruitful business relations and considerable funding to bring your idea to life. And now you are one great step ahead of your competitors.

We have seen dozens of business plans on our path. Now we can say for sure which plan is the right first step to great achievements in the future.

Want to know more about the project cost?

Web Application Implementation

As modern web applications look for flexibility, scalability, and seamless connectivity with real-time applications, web app implementation becomes crucial in fulfilling desired objectives and set targets. Software engineers go beyond the conventional approach to realize the benefits of web application implementation.

Web Implementation: Approach

Web experts emphasize a steady yet hassle-free implementation methodology. It involves developing source code, business logic integration, and architecture builds. As part of the newest methodologies amid the agile development approach, all mentioned functions transform into individual sprints.

Web Implementation: Features and Specifications

Implementing specific features depends on the pre-defined features that are essential to incorporate in the web application. For example, intelligent forms or real-time financial transactions require a wholesome code, back-end deployments, and testing. With agile practices and the update of the conventional waterfall approach with 'sprint' environments, implementation professionals focus on Test-Driven Development and Implementation.

Web App implementation: Strategic Goals

The web app implementation strategy benefits visionaries and business owners who would like to reimagine the web presence and increase outreach to the next level. It helps streamline online operations and reassures online presence. Development experts can ensure a successful implementation – offering organizations the potential to scale up with greater efficiency and accelerate long-term growth.

• Agile methodologies help incur latest changes in the code and scale with business demands
• Inclusive approach to iterate, deploy and monitor for KPIs such as speed and responsiveness
• A well-defined layout that can go beyond legendary web apps to mobile screen resolutions
• Cost-effectiveness in terms of implementation strategies towards crucial monetary advantage
• Ascertain app component behavior with UI implementation of control buttons and toolbars

Web App Implementation: Essentials

An implementation life-cycle for a web app also depends on several crucial factors and decisive parameters – as it ultimately decides how the web application functions along with its components, services, and components in real-time.

1. User Interfaces:

It is essential to map use-cases to the proposed interface or UI elements to implement the best-in-design alternative.

2. Architecture:

It regulates the performance and interaction with external components. An architecture-driven implementation is essential for optimal resource utilization.

Dashboards, activity logs, and menu-driven settings for seamless user experience. These requirements are primarily independent of architecture upgrades.

Web Implementation ‘Mental’ Model

With layman thought process in perspective, a ‘mental model’ approach might define the path to web app implementation. It can work either of the two ways:

• Plan and execute a system design that conforms to the users’ thought process and cognitive abilities
• The alternative does not put pressure on the system design – and is devoid of the user’s mental state

Web Application Solutions

Our capabilities, engro implementing robust web applications.

An ideal web app implementation roadmap focuses on minimizing the complexity of features. Our teams understand precise requirements in developing and implementing a secure and user-friendly web application – based on specifications and custom scenarios. Our implementation approach allows long-term scalability given consistent technology disruption and the need for smooth digital transformation across key business verticals.

We will be happy to collaborate with you in contributing to your Growth story.

Our Expertise

Our capabilites.

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HITEC City, Hyderabad, Telangana 500084.

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'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

The best web hosting services: Expert tested

If you want to build a website, there are dozens of web hosting providers available. Choosing the right web hosting service for you can be challenging, but you no longer need to be a programmer or pay someone to build advanced features such as e-commerce or forum management to launch a site.

Today many web providers will provide these functions, as well as a content management system and other features like SEO assistance and security checks, in standard subscription packages. Below, you will find our top recommendations for web hosting services, ranging from providers that give you a quick and easy way to build your website all the way up to the big companies that provide full data center infrastructure capabilities as a service.

Also:   The best VPNs

What is the best web hosting service right now?

ZDNET has conducted extensive research and hands-on testing with many of the top web hosting services. Our pick for the best web hosting service overall is Hostinger . Hostinger offers inexpensive plans starting at only $2.99/month suitable for most website owners. Its premium plan has everything you need: a website builder, WordPress integration, templates, emails, SEO, marketing help, and more. Read on for the rest of our picks for the best web hosting services.

Best web hosting services of 2024

Best web hosting service overall.

• Inexpensive
• One-click WordPress install
• Enhanced security limited to more expensive plans
• Prices jump on renewal

Hostinger's premium plan ($2.99/month, three months free) is excellent value for the money if you want to operate multiple websites for personal or business reasons under one account.

The premium plan supports up to 100 websites. It offers users 100GB storage, up to 100 email addresses and forwarders, free SSL website security, and unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain name. 

While there's no dedicated IP address, this won't bother most website owners. Furthermore, you'll be given basic e-commerce capabilities and one-click WordPress installation and migration. The same WordPress installation can be used to support multiple WordPress websites. 

Review:   Hostinger review: Good support, killer entry-level price web hosting

If you need a theme, Hostinger also provides a drag-and-drop website builder and 150 templates. The plan includes Google Analytics integration, SEO tools, and standard DDoS protection. 

Overall, we consider Hostinger's premium plan an excellent option for most website owners and small businesses. Business options begin at $2.99/month with three months added, for free.

A downside, however, is that you can only access more advanced features -- such as daily backups and increased performance -- with more expensive subscriptions. In addition, while many customers applaud Hostinger's customer service, there are reports of bounceback and slow loads by some clients operating multiple websites.

There is a limited, free plan available, with 300MB storage but no free domain or email.

Hostinger features:  cPanel : Yes |  SSL : Some plans |  SSH : Yes |  Backups : Yes |  Money-back guarantee : 30 days |  Support : 24/7, live chat support

Best web hosting service for professionals

• Over three-month money-back guarantee
• Many hosting options
• Email an additional cost

DreamHost's easy-to-use interface, efficiency, and customer support stand out to business owners and new webmasters alike. The hosting provider offers WordPress hosting, shared hosting, virtual private servers, dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and more. 

We particularly like that DreamHost offers G Suite integration, with domain integration and Google Cloud support. The company also provides a great set of resources and guides that can help customers grow their businesses, all in a cost-effective way. A free SSL certificate is available on all plans. 

Review:   DreamHost review: I'm a satisfied 15-year customer

Nick Farnborough, the co-founder of  Clavis Social , told ZDNET that he has "tried almost every host out there over the years and ultimately found DreamHost to be the best overall package, taking into account cost, performance, and ease of use." 

Customers online, too, have applauded the customer support and value for money of this web host, although some also note that reaching customer support teams can be challenging. Prices begin at $2.95 per month for a basic, shared plan, with email available for an additional monthly fee.

DreamHost features :  cPanel : No, proprietary panel |  SSL : Free |  SSH : Yes |  Backups : Yes |  Money-back guarantee : 97 days |  Support : 24/7 chat, ticket, and call-back

Best budget web hosting service

• Affordable plans
• Paid plans can become expensive following promotion time periods

Ionos is one of our top picks for affordable, long-term web hosting. The web hosting provider offers reliable, stable uptime with daily backups included on all plans. Free wildcard SSL certificates, email, a free domain, and 24/7 support are also included. 

Customers report great customer service and uptime, as well as easy setup and web hosting transitions. 

Basic plans supporting one website and with 10 databases, alongside 10GB storage space, are typically $6/month, but with the agreement of a three-year plan, will cost you $4/month. A free domain name for one year is included. 

The top deal at the moment is for Ionos Plus, a website hosting package suitable for larger, scalable projects and WordPress. On a three-year plan, you will only pay $6/month and you can operate unlimited websites with unlimited databases and storage. You will also receive a wildcard SSL certificate.

Ionos f eatures:  cPanel : Yes |  SSL : Yes, wildcard |  SSH : Yes |  Backups : Daily |  Money-back guarantee : 30 days |  Support : 24/7

Best web hosting service for the environmentally-conscious

• Reasonably priced
• Eco-friendly
• On-demand backups limited to premium plans

GreenGeeks is a great web hosting option if you want to sign up for a sustainable, eco-conscious service.

GreenGeeks has developed its marketing around the concept of being environmentally friendly, with three times the power your hosting demands replaced with wind power credits and tree planting. 

It's not just the environmental factor, however -- GreenGeeks prides itself on a speedy, reliable service. Although the company's own website could use some modernization and an overhaul, the important part is the hosting, which includes standard hosting, WordPress installs, commerce, VPS, and dedicated tiers. 

You can expect to pay $2.95/month for basic plans, with options to upscale and grow over time. The basic web hosting plan only covers one website with 50GB storage, but once you move up a level, you can expect support for unlimited websites, managed WordPress installs, unlimited space, a free SSL certificate, and more. 

Customers applaud GreenGeek customer service, although there are reports of "hidden" fees related to specific products.

GreenGeeks f eatures:  cPanel : Yes |  SSL : Free |  SSH : Yes |  Backups : Varies by plan |  Money-back guarantee : 30 days |  Support : Depends on plan

Best web hosting service for GoDaddy domain customers

• Free, unlimited SSL for all websites on the Deluxe plan and up
• Tutorials online to help guide your website-creating process
• Large payment down to start hosting

GoDaddy has made a business of offering as wide an array of services as possible for individuals and small businesses in need of an internet presence. It's widely known, and many customers enjoy the service.

Pricing begins at $5.99/month for one website. With specific plans, you may be eligible for a free domain name and SSL certificate. Regarding security, automatic WordPress updates are applied and malware scanning services are available. Each plan comes with a one-click WordPress installation, a cPanel, and daily backups. 

Review:   GoDaddy: A no muss, no fuss website-building service

Customer service is reasonable, and, although not 24/7, if you need a technical lead to get something accomplished, you can usually find someone with a clue (after jumping through a few hoops, of course). However, the refund policy is restrictive and I would say the host's website is cluttered, making it difficult to find exactly what service you need -- and for what price.

ZDNET author David Gewirtz has decades of experience with GoDaddy, and he has come to respect how this web host provides the key services most customers want. They're definitely not the best at anything, but they do a good job with almost everything. 

"GoDaddy, in my opinion, is the best web host," Gerrid Smith, director of E-commerce of  Joy Organics , told ZDNET. "They promise a minimum of 99.9% availability. To prevent malicious activities and repel DDoS attacks, their security team works around the clock."

GoDaddy f eatures:  cPanel : Some plans |  SSL : Some plans |  SSH : Some plans |  Backups : Some plans |  Money-back guarantee : 30 days for annual plans, 48 hours for monthly plans |  Support : 24/7/365 US-based ticket and phone

Best web hosting service for simple e-commerce

• Lots of templates to choose from for beginner web designers
• Simple interface
• Website apps available with Wix support
• Monthly plans are expensive
• Can't switch templates, must start from scratch

If you've ever watched a YouTube video, you've seen a Wix ad. They are everywhere. With six million premium subscribers, they've got some momentum -- and are certainly capable of grabbing attention.

When selecting a website builder, why would you go with Wix over WordPress? The answer is simplicity. WordPress offers tremendous depth and customization options with plugins and widgets, but Wix quickly gets you up and running with an attractive site. 

There is nothing like the thousands of plugins and themes offered by WordPress in the Wix world, but if you want a well-designed site and you need an e-commerce solution, this is a great option. 

I selected this provider when I assisted someone in setting up a small online business, and the learning curve was easy, with no payment or downtime issues. However, for someone used to CMS backends, the more restrictive website builder can be somewhat frustrating.

Free versions, however, do contain Wix banners. You can start there, and if you like the system, convert to a paid plan and link up your chosen domain name. Plans begin at $17/month with a free domain name thrown in.

Wix f eatures:  cPanel : No |  SSL : Free |  SSH : No |  Backups : Site history |  Money-back guarantee : 14 days |  Support : 24/7 English call-back

What is the best web hosting service overall?

Hostinger is ZDNET's top choice because it offers excellent features at outstanding price points, with a large selection of tools to make the process easy, even for beginner webmasters. Hostinger offers plans starting at only $2.99/month suitable for most website owners. Its premium plan has everything you need: a website builder, WordPress integration, templates, emails, SEO, marketing help, and more. However, our other top picks are also worthy competitors.

Which web hosting service is right for you?

To help make the process of selecting your new web hosting provider simpler, here is a guide to making your decision less of a hassle, based on what is most important to you. 

Factors to consider when choosing a web hosting service

When selecting your new web hosting provider in 2024, there are some crucial factors you should consider:

• Reliability : We always recommend you choose a web hosting provider with a long history of stable, reliable service. After all, your website could end up being the central hub of your business for promotion and customer communication, so constant downtime can harm your reputation.
• Affordability : Your budget must be based on the purpose of your web hosting package. Whether you want a single, small slice of hosting real estate for a personal blog or you want to run a large e-commerce store, it will change how much you should expect to pay. Set a budget that you can easily afford and find the right provider to match you.
• Scalability : You need to consider what the most important functions or uses of your website will be. If you expect to grow your business over time and you expect heavy traffic, you will need to be able to scale the hosting's capabilities over time. Choose a provider with upgrade options. 
• Customer support : We find that customer support can be extremely important when you sign up for a web hosting service. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or you want to run a plethora of websites, you should choose a provider with customer support options.

How did we choose these web hosting services?

When we compiled this list, we began with web hosts ZDNET authors are personally familiar with. ZDNET does extensive testing on and research into web hosting providers, taking into consideration user reviews, competitor analysis, personal usage and experiences, and more.

Some of us have been running production websites for decades, with sites that have served millions of pages. Others have used web hosts for personal blogs, writing projects, and to help individuals launch small businesses. 

We chose these providers because we believe they offer some of the best services in the market. These are the main factors we considered:

• Features offered : Deciding on the best web hosting provider for you requires you to consider what features are a priority. We've included options for CMS implementation, e-commerce, design services, SEO services, cybersecurity functions, and more. 
• Price : Naturally, the price point is a very important factor when we choose our web hosting provider recommendations. We have included options suitable for varying budgets, all the way from personal blogs to small businesses and large enterprise setups that will need to scale.
• Stability : We have included only reputable web hosting providers that provide stable services with minimal downtime. After all, there's no point in having a speedy, responsive website if downtime is a constant problem.
• Customer experiences : If you are going to sign up for a long-term web hosting service, you need to know how the company treats and supports its customers. We have examined customer reviews and feedback.

Which web host is best for beginners?

Wix and Squarespace are the two web hosts we would recommend for beginners. With an abundance of creative templates between the two platforms, users can gain experience in web development with an attractive site. If you have experience with CMS platforms, you could look at WordPress.com.

Can you get web hosting for free?

Yes. There are many sites that allow for free hosting, but to do so, you will have a generic, branded domain. For example, if you were to have a free WordPress website, your domain would be [yourwebsitename].wordpress.com. 

Be careful, though. Many of the free offers end after a period of time and then you're stuck on a service that will likely charge you a considerable additional fee to keep using it. Or, the website host may allow you to have a free website on the condition that you allow adverts to be displayed.

Who is the largest web hosting company?

GoDaddy is one of the most popular web hosting service providers. Then, of course, there are the hosting plans from Amazon and Google, which are larger (in terms of revenue) than some countries.

What are the best WordPress hosting services?

We might as well get WordPress out of the way since if we're talking web hosts, we're going to talk WordPress. About  63% of websites  with content management systems use  the open-source WordPress CMS . 

The WordPress ecosystem is huge, and finding the right WordPress host is a challenge on its own. Beyond WordPress.com, the service offered by the creators of the CMS, there are a large number of managed hosting providers and an even larger number of hosting providers that specialize in providing a WordPress-optimized server for your website. Nearly every hosting provider will allow a WordPress install, considering its popularity.

What are the best Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers?

Our recommendations include IaaS providers you probably know intimately, such as Amazon. They are highly credible vendors who've been providing infrastructure for years.

If you're just starting, you might not want to go all-in with an IaaS provider, although they offer the most flexibility. Some, like Amazon and Digital Ocean, allow you to point-and-click configure virtual WordPress machines or almost any other open-source content management system you may want. It might be overkill for SMBs, though.

What are the best point-and-click website builders?

A website builder is a type of software that lets you craft your business website, generally without programming knowledge or experience. Many allow you to choose from templates and then modify those templates to suit your look and layout.

Nearly all web hosting providers include some kind of website-building software. But for most hosting plans, it's often an afterthought. By contrast, the website builders listed in this section are provided by web hosting services that have made point-and-click website building tools with excellent customer support and solid up-time a core priority in their offering. 

You do sacrifice some control when choosing a website builder solution, but if you've never done any web development and you want a beautiful, usable website quickly, these services are for you. One warning: There are a lot of lock-ins here. You won't be able to transfer the look of your site (and sometimes the content) to another hosting provider easily. So keep that in mind when you choose a website builder. 

Are there alternative web hosting services to consider?

There are countless web hosting providers out there and not all of them can make the list regarding our top recommendations, despite offering excellent service. Below, you will find other hosts to consider that may be more suitable for your requirements:

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