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How to Write a Business Plan Cover Page Complete Guide with Examples

Fill the form to download business plan cover page examples.

A business plan cover page may not come to mind when you think of writing your business plan. Although it’s traditionally one of the last sections of a business plan, it’s one of the most crucial.

Your business plan only has one chance to make a good impression on your reader. The cover page of a book or business plan can easily make a person make a decision.

In this article, we will explain the importance of business plan cover pages and provide a step-by-step guide to help you create your own cover page for your business plan. See our real world business plan examples to see what should be included in the other sections of your business plan.

What is a business plan cover page?

The cover page of a business plan summarizes all the important aspects of the business and serves as an introduction to the full business plan. Bankers and investors can quickly determine the purpose of a business plan by viewing the cover page.

You should include the name of your company, your logo, addresses, and other information that identifies your business. This is the first page of your plan, so it should look professional, visually pleasing, and informative.

What is the purpose of a cover page?

The purpose of the cover page is to communicate what the document enclosed is and to provide information that enables a reader to contact you about your business.

Make sure your business plan’s cover page is visually appealing, free of errors, and concise to set the tone for its content.

A strong business plan cover page should be simple, clean, and powerful. Don’t clutter your cover page with details about how your business will operate. Save those details for the executive summary .

Whether you are writing a business plan , marketing plan, or proposal, the business plan cover page is an essential part of your plan. Read on to find out which elements your business plan cover page should contain and how to design it for maximum impact.

What to Include in the Business Plan Cover Page?

Although there are no specific rules regarding what should be included on your business plan cover page, we have prepared some essential information that you should not overlook.

Company logo

• Business name
• Document title
• Tagline (optional)
• Contact information and address
• Completion date
• Confidentiality statement

Now let’s look at each of these elements in greater detail so you know what you need to include on your business plan cover page.

1. Company Logo

Use a neat, clean, high-quality logo to make your business plan cover page look professional. The logo should be placed at the top of the page.

The image should be large enough to see details, but not so large that it becomes a distraction. Brand identity begins with your logo. The company logo is the first and most significant section that will capture your readers’ attention immediately.

People are 90% more likely to remember your logo if you place it in the top left corner.

2. Business Name

After the company logo, your company name is the second most important section of your cover page as you want your reader to remember your company name as they read the document.

To make your company name stand out from the rest of the information on the business plan cover page, you should use a readable, bold font that is the largest font on the page.

Please keep in mind that if your company logo includes your company name, you can remove either your company logo or name from the cover page.

You can download 50+ Free Business Plan Templates here that include not only pre-built cover pages but also provide step-by-step guidance in the creation of your entire business plan.

3. Document Title

Plan titles tell the reader immediately what the document is about, whether it is a business plan , marketing plan, expansion plan, recovery plan, or anything else.

It is commonly referred to as a “Business Plan,” but you can also customize it by saying “Five-Year Business Plan” or “Merger Business Plan” if you want to outline more specific objectives.

The title of the plan should be large and prominent on the cover page. Readers should know the purpose of the document immediately.

Increase readability by using a clear, bold font, such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial. It may be difficult to read script lettering and doesn’t appear professional.

Please Note: Make sure your name isn’t more prominent than your business plan title cover page.

4. Tagline (optional)

Business owners sometimes use taglines to describe what they do and how they’re different. It’s optional, but you can also include a catchy slogan or motto describing your business.

A tagline becomes an essential part of your cover page if you want your reader to immediately understand what you do.

Generally, your business plan will be more interesting to investors or readers if the tagline is memorable. A business tagline is a short catchy marketing slogan that signifies your brand or company name, as well as other important aspects of your business.

Create a tagline by describing what you do in a few words. Put your tagline under your company logo on your cover page so readers understand what you do immediately.

5. Contact Information and Address

“Prepared By” contains contact information the reader can use to contact the person. It includes information about the company’s mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, and website.

To make investors aware of where to direct their inquiries, include your name as the business owner as well as the names of any partners or executives.

Try to center this information on the page to maintain consistency in formatting. As long as the information is clearly visible and readable, you may use a smaller font size than you used for the company name and title.

6. Completion Date

When was this plan written? The date is important to readers, so include it (month and year are sufficient).

Under the contact information, write the year (or the year and month) in which the business plan was finalized and published. It’s a good idea to update your business plan throughout the year if you’re including the month, so readers don’t think it’s old.

It is important to note that your company name should appear more prominently than your title and date. Depending on your business plan’s writing style, you may spell out the date, like Jan 20, 2023, or write it numerically, like 20/1/23.

Dates should be formatted consistently throughout the document. To maintain consistency, center the text and use the same font size as your address and contact information.

7. Confidentiality Statement

Adding a confidentiality statement to your cover page protects your idea from being disclosed. It is not required, but you may want to include a confidentiality statement on the cover page, or just text “Confidential” to emphasize that this is a confidential document such as the following:

Example of Confidentiality Statement

It is understood that the information provided in this [Company’s Name] Business Plan is totally confidential, and the reader undertakes not to disclose any aspect of it without the express written consent of the business owner.

How to write a business plan cover page that captures investors' attention?

• Keep it concise and to the point: Investors are busy people, so they don’t want to read a long and rambling cover page. Keep your cover page brief and to the point, highlighting your key business strengths and unique selling points.
• Use clear and concise language: Avoid using jargon or technical language that your target audience may not understand. Use clear and concise language to communicate your business vision and goals.
• Highlight your key business strengths and unique selling points: What makes your business unique and different from the competition? What are your key strengths? Highlight these things on your cover page to grab investors’ attention.
• Make sure your cover page is visually appealing and professional: Your cover page is the first thing that potential investors will see, so it’s important to make a good impression. Use a professional design and layout, and avoid using too many colors or fonts.
• Proofread carefully for any errors: Typos and grammatical errors on your cover page will make you look unprofessional. Proofread your cover page carefully before submitting it to any potential investors.

What are some creative business plan cover page design ideas?

• Use high-quality images or graphics that are relevant to your business: Images and graphics can be a great way to add visual interest to your cover page and make it more engaging for potential investors. Choose high-quality images or graphics that are relevant to your business and that will help to communicate your brand message.
• Use a unique and eye-catching font scheme: Your cover page should stand out from the crowd, so use a unique and eye-catching font scheme. Avoid using overused or generic fonts.
• Use your company colors and branding to create a cohesive look: Your cover page should be consistent with your overall branding. Use your company colors and fonts to create a cohesive look and feel.
• Keep your design simple and elegant: A simple and elegant design is often the most effective. Avoid cluttering your cover page with too much text or too many images and graphics.

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What makes a great cover page for a business plan

Formatting should be consistent.

Messy or unprofessional cover pages can create negative perceptions in your readers’ minds before they even open your business plan.

The cover page of your business plan is the first impression of your company, so your logo, fonts, and brand colors should all work together to capture the reader’s attention.

Follow these best practices to create a cover page that stands out:

Keeping your cover page neat and consistent will allow your reader to perceive your organization and professionalism. Use consistent formatting through

• Maintaining equal spacing between characters and lines
• Choosing fonts that are similar or identical
• Make sure each line of your cover page is centered

When it comes to fonts, it’s best practice to stick to one type of typeface, such as serif or sans serif. It’s also important to choose fonts that are simple, easy to read, and represent your brand.

It is important to ensure your business plan’s cover page is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Make sure you proofread your document several times before publishing the final version, and ask others to review it as well.

The less the better

In your business plan executive summary , you will summarize its contents. The cover page should not do the same. It is also unwise to create a business plan cover that is graphically complicated because the information will be difficult to discern. A strong business plan cover page should be simple, clean, and powerful.

Make use of the color scheme of your company

Color plays a crucial role in establishing your brand’s credibility and trustworthiness. Choosing the right brand color will reveal more about your business than you could ever imagine.

In addition, using the right colors can enhance your brand value by creating a strong visual identity. To make your business plan more appealing, your brand color should be incorporated everywhere, such as titles, subtitles, features, images, etc.

Ensure the colors don’t distract from the important information and consider coordinating them with your company’s brand or logo.

Colors represent 90% of your brand’s personality and elicit the right emotions from your customers, so choose colors that represent your brand’s personality and evoke the right emotions.

When it comes to choosing a logo, simplicity is key. Try to create something that represents your brand and speaks to your audience without being too busy (in other words: white space is your friend).

It’s also important to remember to be practical: your logo should look good in any medium, size, color, and even time period. Beyond your business plan cover page, you’ll need it for your social media, marketing material, or labels.

Download Pack of 6 Business Plan Cover Page Examples

We will show you some real-world business plan cover page examples so you may know how to design your own.

Download Business Plan Cover Page Templates

Here are a few business plan cover examples to illustrate the structure and format. Download and customize it according to your needs.

Business Plan Cover Page Example 1

Business Plan Cover Page Example 2

Business Plan Cover Page Example 3

Business Plan Cover Page Example 4

Business Plan Cover Page Example 5

Business Plan Cover Page Example 6

If you’re not confident in your ability to create a business plan on your own, or if you simply don’t have the time to do so, Wise Business Plans can help.

Our expert business plan writers have years of experience crafting comprehensive plans for businesses of all sizes and industries. We’ll work with you to understand your unique vision and goals, and we’ll create a customized plan that outlines your marketing strategy, target market, financial projections, and more.

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How to write your business plan cover page

When you think of putting together your business plan , the business plan cover page may not be the first thing that comes to mind. While it’s traditionally one of the last sections you create in a business plan, it’s one of the most important.

Definition: What is a business plan cover page?

The cover page of a business plan is used to give an overview of all the key information of your business. This includes your company name, logo, address, and any other information that may define your business. It's the first page of your plan, so it should look professional, visually pleasing, and informative.

When potential investors or banks read a business plan, their first impression is the cover page—but don’t overthink it. A business plan cover page is meant to be simple and straightforward, with some important contact information and, more importantly, your logo.

Use this breakdown to find out what the purpose of your cover page is, which elements you need to include, and how to structure it to maximize your impact:

What is the purpose of a cover page?

Your cover page exists to communicate what the enclosed document is and to provide the necessary information for a reader to contact you about your business.

The appearance and quality of a business plan cover page will set the tone for your business plan’s content, so make sure it’s visually appealing, free of errors, and concise.“ Simple, clean and powerful are the three goals of a strong business plan cover,” suggest the experts at Growthink . Don’t clutter your cover page with details about how your business will operate—save those important details for the executive summary .

What should you include on a business plan cover page?

To keep it simple, your business plan cover page should include:

Company logo

• Document title
• Business name
• Business address and contact information
• Business plan completion date
• Confidentiality statement

How should you format a business plan cover page?

Once you know what information belongs in this section, all that remains now is to organize it. If you need some further guidance, these downloadable templates can streamline the process of drafting a cover page—and the rest of your business plan, too.

1. Company logo

Add a high-resolution thumbnail of your logo at the top of the cover page. This will help establish a brand identity and allow readers to connect visually to the business right from the start.

Hot tip: people are 89% more likely to remember your logo if you put it in the top left corner.

Give the logo some space and then include the words “Business Plan” in a large, bold font. You can also frame the title as “Three–” or “Five–Year Business Plan,” if you intend to make those kinds of financial projections in the document.

3. Business name

Beneath the title, write your company name in a bold font. This should be the most noticeable and prominent feature on the page, so choose a large typeface.

4. Tagline (optional)

This part is optional, but you can also include a catchy slogan or motto that describes your company and what you do.

5. Address and contact information

Under the company name, include your business’s physical address and website if you have one. Provide the details necessary for interested parties to contact you, such as a phone number and email address.

It’s also helpful to include your name as the business owner and the names of any partners or executive officers so that potential investors know where to direct their inquiries.

6. Date of completion

Below the contact information, write the year (or year and month) in which this business plan was finalized and issued. If you’re including the month, it’s a good idea to update it throughout the year as you send out your business plan so readers don’t assume it’s outdated.

7. Confidentiality Statement

At the bottom of the page, include a sentence to the effect of:

“This document contains confidential and proprietary information created by [business name]. This document is issued exclusively for informational purposes and should not be reproduced without the consent of [business name].”

Adding this confidentiality statement offers a protective measure against the disclosure of your business idea , according to this cover page guide .

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Cover page design

Now it’s time for the finishing touches: the actual design of your cover page. Your business plan’s cover page gives the first impression of your business, so your company logo, fonts, and brand colors should all work together to make people want to read more.

Brand colors

90% of a customer’s impression of your business comes from the brand colors you choose, so it’s important to choose colors that represent your business’s personality and elicit the right emotions from your readers.

Don’t know where to start? Grab a pen and paperand write down three emotions you want your customers to feel when they think of your brand. Now you can brainstorm some colors that represent those emotions. For example, you might choose blue if your product is associated with reliability, or yellow if your product is supposed to make your clients feel happy. It’s safer to only choose 2-3 colors , including black, for your color scheme.

You can also analyze the competition and choose colors that help you stand out. Canva has more detailed instructions on how to create your brand color palette .

When it comes to fonts, it’s best practice to stick to one type of typeface, such as serif or sans serif . It’s also important to choose fonts that are simple, easy to read, and represent your brand.

Serif fonts give off the impression that your brand is trustworthy and dependable, and work great for more traditional businesses, like law practices. “Serif fonts have been widely used in books, newspapers, and magazines, which is why they remind us of more classical, formal and sophisticated themes—think of Old English and Roman scripture,” Robyn Young, founder of branding agency robyn young & co, told Canva .

But if you’re going for a more contemporary and youthful feel, then sans serif is the way to go. “Brands that want a modern aesthetic that scales well at different sizes and is easy to read on screens are going to choose sans serif for their main branding elements,” said Young .

When it comes to choosing a logo, simplicity is key. Try to create something that represents your brand and speaks to your audience without being too busy (in other words: white space is your friend).

It’s also important to remember to be practical: your logo should look good in any medium, size, color, and even time period. Beyond your business plan cover page, you’ll need it for your social media, marketing material, or labels.

Business plan cover page examples

To further illustrate the structure and format of a business plan cover page, we’ve compiled a few cover page template examples. The first example from officetemplatesonline is simple but attractive and effectively emphasizes pertinent information. The next cover page example is from a fictional clothing store . They usea pop of color to instantly tell you about their brand personality.

Keep your business plan cover page simple

As you prepare to write your business plan , remember to keep your cover page simple and concise. With your logo, business name, and contact information, you’ll introduce the reader into your business plan quickly and easily—and set yourself up for success as a result.

Just don’t forget to proofread and keep an eye out for typos!

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Everything you need to know about business plan cover pages

You have only one chance to make a good first impression with the readers of your business plan.

People do judge books—and business plans—by their covers. A quick glance at the cover can easily be enough to make up one’s mind.

So set yourself up for success with a powerful cover page that stands out and entices the reader to find out more about your business.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Definition: What is a Business Plan Cover Page?

Cover page (also known as title page or cover sheet) is the first page of a business plan that communicates what the enclosed document is about and highlights the key company information like name, logo and contact details, making a good impression with professional and attractive appearance.

Purpose: Why is Business Plan Cover Page Important?

Many businesses spend hours preparing their business plans but then do not pay enough attention to the title page. This is a huge mistake .

5 ways a strong cover page can help you make a positive first impression:

• Clearly indicate what the presented document is about
• Provide the necessary information for a reader to contact you
• Create a powerful first impact that sets the stage for how readers will engage with your document
• Avoid falling victim to negative preconceived notions as a result or unprofessional or unattractive cover
• Maximize the chance of the plan being read by making the document stand out from the crowd and immediately drawing your reader’s attention

Keep reading to find out which elements you need to include in the cover page, how to structure it to maximize the impact of your business plan, and to take a look at some successful examples .

Contents: What Should You Include in a Business Plan Cover Page?

Surprisingly, there are no strict rules about what to show on your business plan cover sheet, but there certainly are best practices that you should follow.

Here are 9 elements that are typically included on business plan covers, 3 of which are essential and you should not miss to include them. The remaining 6 are optional for your consideration.

1. Must-haves: 3 mandatory cover page elements

1.1. Business name: The name of the company that is the subject of the plan.

1.2. Document title: The words “ Business Plan ” in a prominent spot so that it is clear what kind of document this is.

1.3. Contact information: Name, title and contact details (e.g., phone, email, social media, website, address) of the primary contact persons presenting the plan (e.g., CEO, Founder, Owner, President) so that any interested parties know exactly to whom to direct their inquiries and can reach them quickly and easily.

2. Nice-to-haves: 6 optional cover page elements:

2.1. Company logo: The logo of the company if available and desired.

2.2. Tagline: Short, memorable summary of the business described in the plan.

2.3. Date: In order to make sure your plan does not look outdated, include only the year of the business plan completion date. If you are including both the month also, it is advisable to create a new cover sheet each time you send out the plan.

2.4. Version control: Numbering each copy of the plan enables you to more easily keep track of who you sent what version of the document to.

2.5. Disclaimer: Disclaimer can help protect you and your company from confidentiality and other legal issues resulting from the distribution of the business plan by indicating that the plan is for information only, not an offering of stock in the company, and not to be shared with third parties without your prior consent.

2.6. Visuals: Graphic elements or images to enhance the professional look and visual appeal of the document.

Let’s have a more detailed look at these cover page elements so you know what exactly to include into each of them:

Business Name

The most prominent feature on your business plan cover is the name of your company.

Instantly, the reader should notice the name of your business. In fact, if readers take away nothing else from the cover page, they should remember your company’s name.

As this is the most noticeable feature on the page, use a large font that stands out, but is easy to read, looks professional and corresponds to the typeface that you used for the rest of the document.

Company Logo

Placing a high-quality company logo on the cover page helps to make the business plan look more professional and establish a brand identity by allowing readers to connect visually to the business right from the beginning.

If your logo includes the full name of the company, you do not have to display both the company name and logo on the cover page, it is sufficient to choose one of the two.

Document Title

The readers need to know what the presented document is about – immediately and clearly.

The cover page should clearly state whether it is a Business Plan, Executive Summary, Financial Forecast, Marketing Plan, Recovery Plan, or any other kind of plan.

For example, write the words “ Business Plan ” in a prominent spot on the cover sheet to make it crystal clear what type of document this is. You may include any additional words that are part of the title, such as “Three/Five-Year Business Plan” if needed or relevant.

As a focal point on the cover page, the document title should be in a large font size .

There is no rule though about whether the Document Title or Company Name and Logo should be of the largest font size, as all are of key importance. So it is entirely your decision what feature you prefer to highlight on the cover page of the document.

Contact Information

Contact details should always be on the business plan cover page, letting the reader know who is presenting the document and how to contact them if they need more information.

It is helpful to indicate the names and titles of the company’s primary contact persons for investors and other business plan readers, such as:

• External distribution: company founder, owner, president, partner, CEO
• In-house corporate plans: head of division, departmental manager, executive officer

Next, provide the contact details that will allow the interested parties to reach these primary contact persons quickly and easily, including:

• Name and title of primary contact(s)
• Phone number
• Email address
• Social media handles
• Website address
• Postal address

The contact information is typically displayed in the smallest font on the cover page.

Company tagline, or a motto , is a catchy memorable marketing slogan that captures the essence of a business in a few short and simple words: >> What you do >> How you do it >> Why are you different from the competition

For example, you will undoubtedly recognize the following company mottos:

As such, the tagline is a useful part of the cover page as it helps the business plan readers better understand what you do straight away, and even excite them to read the business plan and study it with more interest.

When was this business plan finalized and issued ? The readers will be interested to know. Hence, it is advisable to state the document completion date on the cover page.

Strictly speaking, you do not need to denote anything more specific that the year in which you completed the business plan. (“Business Plan: 2021”) This will ensure that the plan does not appear outdated for an entire year.

Imagine that you are a potential investor who in December 2021 receives a business plan dated January 2021. It would be natural to assume that the document has been rejected many times by other investors over the last 12 months.

Alternatively, you can include both the current month and year on the cover sheet. (“Business Plan: January 2021”) Each time you update the document and send it out or present it, you will need to check if this date of completion needs updating .

The date is featured on the cover sheet less prominently and in a smaller font size than the document title and company name, and is often displayed below the plan title.

Version Control

As your business develops, you may revise your business plan any number of times and send it to multiple recipients . To keep track of the different versions of the plan that you produce and which version you sent to whom, you may decide to use a version control system.

However, it does not make the best impression when someone receives a “Version 25” of your plan.

Instead, consider devising a simple coding system . For example: “Copy D.5” would indicate it is the fifth copy of a fourth version of the document or “Version 4.5” could mean a fifth copy of a document version completed in April.

Numbering each copy of your business plan before distribution, and keeping a list of which individual has received which copy, would enable you to keep track of how many copies are in circulation, and, if needed, ask to have a copy returned, or trace the responsible party in case a copy is circulated without your permission.

Confidentiality Statement & Disclaimer

Why should your plan include a disclaimer.

Legal issues may arise as a result of circulating your business plan. 

For example, anyone who is in the possession of the document could potentially divulge the confidential information. 

Also, in some countries, offering ownership in your company in return for an investment is considered as selling of stock, which is a regulated activity. The best way to protect yourself is to consult a lawyer.

Nevertheless, including a disclaimer in the business plan helps to protect your company by indicating the plan itself is not an offering of stock for sale but rather a document for information purposes only.

The same disclaimer can also be used to help protect the confidentiality of the information disclosed in your business plan by informing the reader that the plan is confidential and not to be shared with other parties without the owner’s consent, especially when you are not adding a non-disclosure agreement.

What Should the Disclaimer Say?

These are the two most common ways how to show the disclaimer in the business plan:

1. Display a brief disclaimer , just one or two sentences, directly on the front cover , probably at the bottom of the page. Consult a lawyer for the most appropriate wording, but a standard disclaimer might look something to the effect this:

2. Write “ Confidential ” on the cover sheet and include a longer disclaimer and confidentiality statement in the main body of the business plan, perhaps on the first page after the cover sheet.

In addition, you can also include the text “Confidential” into the header or footer of the document.

Design: How Should You Format a Business Plan Cover Page?

The cover page is the first thing the readers will see when they open your business plan. Thus, your business plan cover should be neat , clean , attractive , and professional enough to draw your readers’ attention , make a good first impression and set the tone for your business plan’s content.

Cover page that is messy, dated, unattractive or in any way unprofessional can create negative preconceptions in the recipients’ minds before they even start reading the business plan.

Your design should be clean and professional, which can be accomplished by observing the following best practices:

Visual Identity

Most successful businesses have a strong association with their brand identity , including a company logo, typeface and color scheme. Visual identity helps to establish recognition, familiarity, trust and confidence in customers by evoking the right emotions and sending the right message.

As a result, companies take care to develop a brand identity and keep consistent across all marketing collateral and business materials.

Likewise, your brand identity should be integrated into all parts of your business plan, including the cover page. The best practice is to make the plan consistent with the logo, font type and color scheme as they appear across your other company’s documents.

If you do not have a brand identity created yet, keep the color scheme of the plan cover simple.

The easiest is to have a logo designed, which is inexpensive and easy to do nowadays, and then use your logo colors across the business plan. Alternatively, consider using an online color scheme generator to select colors that go well together.

To stay on the safe side, use maximum of two to three colors, one of which should be black. You can use different shades of the same color (e.g., light blue and dark blue).

First and foremost, the fonts you use in the business plan, including its cover, need to be readable .

The most important information should be displayed in a way that it stands out from the rest of the elements on the business plan cover page, for example, differentiated by font size , weight or color .

Ideally, the typefaces and their color(s) should be consistent with the brand identity used in all of the other company’s marketing materials.

Do not combine more than two typefaces. It is ok to combine a sans-serif (e.g., Times New Roman) with a sans-serif (e.g., Arial) typeface.

Again, less is definitely more here. Refrain from cluttering the business plan cover sheet with photos and graphics.

If you do use a visual element, make sure to leave enough white space around it so the page does not look too busy.

The resolution of any images, including the company logo, should be of high enough quality to not look pixelated.

There is no need for a fancy over-designed cover page, unless you are a large corporation or perhaps a design agency. Equally, beware of any templates with outdated designs that will make your cover look like it was created back in 1999.

Professional designers often combine different alignments (left / right / center) of elements on a page (text, images) to achieve a desired design effect. However, a design novice should play it safe and keep the alignment simple and consistent , especially when it comes to professional documents, such as a business plan.

You should be able to comfortably fit all of the recommended elements on the cover sheet (e.g., company name and logo, document title, contact details, date, disclaimer), and still leave enough white space on the page.

Making a great first impression does not equal to creating a cover that is graphically busy and cluttered with unimportant details. Instead, set yourself up for success by keeping the business plan cover sheet neat , clean , simple and concise .

Proofreading

Carefully proofread the cover page to avoid, at all costs, any mistakes and typos , which would do you a great disservice in the eyes of the reader. Even better, have someone else to look it over.

Finally, make sure that the cover page looks good in every format you will be distributing the business plan in, probably including a PDF electronic file and a printed hard copy.

Some common issues include:

• Photos look pixelated due to low image resolution
• Colors do not print well (e.g., dark font color on a dark background)
• White space left at the edges of a printout because and image does not stretch (i.e., “bleed” in designer terms) enough into the edges of the page

Most importantly, the cover page should look professional and stand out from the crowd so that your business plan has a better chance of being read.

Finally, remember that these aren’t rigid rules. The overall goal for a cover page is to look neat and professional so that it stands out from the crowd and your business plan has a better chance of being read. In the end, that’s the most important outcome.

The cover sheet is the first thing the readers of your business plan will see. Make a good first impression.

Examples: Sample Images

Here are some examples to further illustrate the structure and format of a business plan cover page:

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How to Design a Cover Page for Your Business Plan

Paula Kehoe

Reviewed by

December 22, 2021

This article is Tax Professional approved

If you're starting a new business or growing an existing one, it’s critical to have a successful business plan to guide your decisions.

I am the text that will be copied.

Why? A good plan helps you understand your business expenses and cash flow, and it can lay out your goals and track milestones along the way. It’s also important if you’re applying for a loan or approaching potential investors who may be interested in your future business.

That means when you’re writing your business plan, you have one chance to make a good first impression and catch your reader’s attention. It takes a lot of research and planning, but after you’ve finished the hard work of compiling the contents of your plan, you’re still not done. Your business plan’s cover page may seem like an afterthought, but it shouldn’t be. As they say, never judge a book by its cover, but that’s precisely what happens when it comes to business plan cover pages.

A glimpse at the cover page can be enough for someone to decide if they want to pay attention to your business or ignore it. So, before you distribute your business plan, design a cover that stands out and entices interested parties to find out more about your company.

Helpful resource: How to Write Your First Business Plan

What is a business plan cover page?

Think of the cover page (also called a title page) as a welcome mat that leads to your full business plan. It’s meant to be simple and highlight the legal information of your business like a company logo, company name, address, contact details, and other key information.

The quality and appearance of the cover page may influence the perception of the material that follows in your plan—and the credibility of your business. If you want to spark the interest of prospective investors or lenders, you need to make sure that it’s professional, informative, and easy to read.

What is the purpose of a business plan cover page?

The main purpose of any business plan cover page is to inform and enhance your report. Your cover page should communicate a little about the business plan itself and provide the necessary information for a reader to contact you about the business you’re spotlighting.

Keep the cover page concise and focus only on the introductory basics. There’s no need to get into the weeds here. Instead, save those details about how your business will operate for the executive summary, which underlines the most crucial pieces of your plan, such as your short-term and long-term goals.

What should you include on a business plan cover page?

There are no hard-and-fast rules about what to show on your business plan cover page. But there are a few standard elements you should consider adding. Once you know what information you want to use, you just have to arrange it.

1. Document title

Often, the title of these documents is merely “Business Plan.” But you can also customize it with “Five-Year Business Plan” or “Business Acquisition Plan” if you want to outline more explicit goals of your business plan.

Use a clear, bold font to increase readability, like Times New Roman, Garamond, or Arial. Avoid script lettering as it doesn’t come across as professional and may be challenging to read.

2. Business name

Add your company name below the title of the document. Use the same font of the title, but increase the font size slightly, so it stands out. Your company name is a significant part of the cover page, so use sharp, bold text that’s big enough to read clearly. Also, center your company name a few spaces below the title to continue a clean and consistent appearance.

3. Contact information

Below your company name, include a physical address, phone number, email, website, and other details about your business. You can also add a section titled “prepared by” to list your name and credentials, as well as the names of partners or collaborators, so readers know where to direct their inquiries.

To keep consistent formatting, center this information on the page. You can use a smaller font size than you used for your company name and title, as long as the information is clearly visible and legible.

4. Date of completion

Under your company’s contact information, include the month and year you completed your business plan. Use the same font size as your address and contact information, and center the text for consistency.

5. Company logo

Your logo is the foundation of your brand identity. It can draw interest and pique the curiosity of your audience. If you have a high-resolution thumbnail of your company’s logo, add and center it at the top of the page. The logo should be large enough that readers can easily see details, but not so big that it’s a distraction from the rest of the content.

6. Business tagline

Some businesses use a tagline to show what they do and how they’re different from the competition. Think Nike’s “Just Do It” or Dollar Shave Club’s “Shave Time. Shave Money.”

If you have a tagline, add it to your cover page under your company logo so readers understand straight away what you do or how you do it. A memorable tagline can excite an investor so that they’ll take a special interest while evaluating your business plan.

7. Confidentiality statement

At the bottom of your cover page, add a brief confidentiality statement to protect your business’s intellectual property or sensitive information. This may prevent others from disclosing your business plan without your permission.

For this section, use a slightly smaller font size, but try to make sure the text is still visible. Here’s an example of a typical confidentiality statement:

“This document contains confidential, proprietary information created by (your company’s name). It is issued exclusively for informational purposes and should not be reproduced without the consent of (your company’s name).”

Business plan cover page templates

Looking to create a standout cover page? There are dozens of professionally-designed business plan templates, including cover pages, available online. You can download and customize these in a matter of minutes.

If you need help getting started, try one of these:

• Microsoft Word
• Business in a Box
• MS Office Templates

You might even be able to adapt one of Canva’s proposal templates to suit your needs.

How to make your business plan cover page stand out

A cover page that’s messy or unprofessional in any way can create negative preconceptions in your reader’s minds before they even look at your business plan.

Set yourself up for success with a cover page that stands out by following these best practices:

Use consistent formatting

Inconsistent formatting can turn a stable document into chaos. Try to stay consistent when using styles and line spacing. Make sure your fonts are complementary, and don’t select too many—that could be overwhelming.

Proofread it

Because your cover is the first page of a business plan, it’s important to ensure there are zero spelling typos or mistakes within your content. Carefully proofread your document before distributing the final draft and ask someone else to read your work. Having a second set of eyes can smooth out any rough spots and save you potential embarrassment.

Show your brand’s personality

The design elements (color scheme, font type, images) you use can create a memorable, bold statement for your cover page that’ll make a positive impression on your audience. Still, do keep it professional. Coordinate the colors with your company’s logo or brand, and be sure the elements don’t distract from the important details on the cover page.

How Bench can help

While we can’t design a beautiful business plan cover page for you, we can help you out with the contents of that plan. Bench is America’s largest professional bookkeeping service for small businesses. We can handle your bookkeeping and tax filing for you while you focus on starting and running your business. Even if you’re pre-revenue , you need a solid bookkeeping setup—plus, reliable bookkeeping can give you the numbers you need to prove to investors that you’re a good bet.

Even if you aren’t using your business plan to seek funding, including your financial projections offers major benefits. By looking into the future of your business, you can make plans for growth and set realistic goals to reach along the way. Get started with our guide to financial forecasting .

Make a great first impression

Although your business plan cover page has a big job to do, it’s meant to be simple and straightforward. With just a few business details, like your company name, logo, and contact information, the cover page is your first opportunity to stand out and persuade readers that you’re worth the investment.

Join over 140,000 fellow entrepreneurs who receive expert advice for their small business finances

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Business Plan Cover Page Tips To Get an Investor’s Attention

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Below are the five keys to creating a formal business plan cover page.

To see what to include in the other sections of your plan, reference the best business plan template .

Be sure to include the following elements to create a great business plan cover page:

1. Company Name

First and foremost, your Company’s name should be included on the business plan cover page. This should be the most prominent feature of the cover page, and as such, is traditionally in the largest font setting. Immediately, the reader should know the name of your company.

2. Company Logo and Color Scheme

The best business plan covers are those that look like they are of professional quality. This can be accomplished by including a high-quality image of the company logo and the font type and color scheme for the company’s marketing materials. Like a book cover, a business plan cover page is intended to draw the reader’s attention immediately. Plans with an unattractive cover page can fall victim to incorrect preconceived notions.

Below is a sample of the professionally designed covers included in Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template .

3. Title and Date

When was this plan written? Readers need to know, so include the date (month and year are enough).

And what is it? The cover page should state if this is a Business Plan, Executive Summary, or Financial Projections. So, at this point, your business plan cover page may read as follows:

John’s Plumbing, Inc. Business Plan March 2021

Note that the title and date should be featured less prominently than your company name.

4. Less is More

Your business plan executive summary will summarize the contents of the plan. There is no need for the cover page to do so, as well. It is also inadvisable to create a business plan cover that is so graphically busy that the information is difficult to discern. Simple, clean, and powerful are the three goals of a strong business plan cover page.

5. CEO/Owner/Key Contact Information

Who should the reader contact if they wish to know more information? The name and contact information for the CEO, President, Owner, or another key contact should not be located at the end of the document. It should be on the first page, letting the reader know who is presenting the document.

6. Confidentiality Statement

While it is not essential, you may want to include a Confidentiality Statement on your cover, such as the following:

This document includes confidential and proprietary information of and regarding [Company Name]. This document is provided for informational purposes only. You may not use this document except for informational purposes, and you may not reproduce this document in whole or in part or divulge any of its contents without the prior written consent of [Company Name]. By accepting this document, you agree to be bound by these restrictions and limitations.

Suggested Resources:

Download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template here that not only has ten pre-built and professionally designed cover pages but quickly guides you through creating your entire business plan and financial model.

Your business plan title page is critical since it’s the first thing readers will see, and it will give them an immediate impression as to whether you are professional or not. As such, the page is one of the critical components of a business plan . As part of your initial business plan outline , you should think about how you want others to perceive your business. Not only should this perception be established throughout your plan but be sure to do so on your business plan cover page.

Many people ask about business plan cover letters to accompany their plans.

Most plans are emailed to investors or lenders nowadays. As such, business plan cover letters are often not needed. Instead, in the body of your email, you can include text such as the following: “Attached please find my business plan. I am available to discuss this at your convenience. I look forward to hearing from you.” Such an email will typically suffice if you seek a bank loan, VC funding, or funding from angel investors .

However, if you’d like a more formal cover letter, reference our sample business plan cover letter here .

To answer any additional questions you might have regarding your plan, see our business plan help page or download our small business plan template pdf to get started today.

The World’s #1 Business Plan Template

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And how to use it to raise funding, improve your strategy, or both?

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How to write a business plan cover page: 5 essential tips.

Writing a comprehensive business plan is a great first step in making a successful business.

It’s a good idea to create a business plan, even if you are writing the plan just for yourself. 

If you are writing the plan for potential investors, you’ll want to include a strong business proposal cover page. This helps to entice the recipient to read through your plan.

We’ll break down the 5 steps to creating a successful cover page and some essential tips that will help you along the way.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

1. Use a Business Cover Page Template 

2. use your business logo, 3. the document title, 4. company information and date, 5. write a confidentiality statement, key takeaways.

Writing a business plan cover page is relatively straightforward.

But when you’re staring at a blank page, the task may suddenly seem very daunting. 

That’s why we recommend using a cover page template. 

Even if you don’t end up using the template, it can inspire ideas and help you get over that initial writing block. 

When somebody looks at your cover letter, it needs to stand out and be unique.

What better way to be unique than by including your business’s logo?

Your logo should be at the top of the page so that it’s the first thing that they see. Make sure that it’s a high-resolution image of the logo, as a blurry or pixelated image will look unprofessional. 

It’s also a good idea to keep the themes of your cover page consistent with your logo. So make sure your cover letter is using the same font type and color scheme as your logo. 

This will help your cover letter catch the eye of the reader and establish brand association.  It also helps them to start associating your logo with your business’s name. 

Next up is writing a short, yet strong document title. 

This is a short step, but it’s an important one. 

When choosing your document title you should be including your company name, and the duration the business plan will cover.

For example:

“Park Avenue Mechanics: A Five-Year Business Plan”

It’s short, simple, and tells the reader exactly what to expect. This should be placed below the logo in large print.  

Another simple, yet important step.

Underneath the title, you’ll need to write the physical business address. This is the address that your company is registered to. Then you should write the business’s contact information and the date. 

The physical address is where the investors or interested parties should send all their inquiries. 

The contact information should include the business phone number, email address and fax number. 

It is also a good idea to include your website address, if you have one, for people wanting to learn more about the public front of your business. 

Then directly below your contact information, write the date that the business plan was completed. This is so the reader can see when the information inside was relevant. Though it’s obviously important to keep your business plan as up-to-date as possible. 

Last but not least is your confidentiality statement. 

This is good legal practice as it can protect your business against anybody leaking the contents of your business plan. 

Your confidentiality statement should be along the lines of this: 

“This document contains confidential information created by [your company name]. This document is issued exclusively for informational purposes, and may not be reproduced or shared without the consent of [your company name].”

This should clear up any confusion that may arise as to the privacy of the document. 

Think of your business plan cover page as your first impression. Don’t put hours upon hours of effort into the business plan itself but then just throw together a quick cover page. 

You could well be shooting yourself in the foot. 

The entire job of the cover page is to make sure the reader not only picks up your business plan but turns the page over and starts reading. 

So once you’ve finished your business plan, make sure you write a good cover letter. 

It could just be the difference. 

Are you looking for more business advice on everything from starting a new business to new business practices? 

Head over to our resource hub .

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How to Make a Business Plan Cover Page

by Sampson Quain

Published on 25 Jul 2019

An effective business plan details how your company will achieve its goals by describing your products or services, your organizational structure, marketing ideas and how your company will distinguish itself from competitors.

Business plans are most often used to attract potential investors, but some companies also use these plans to communicate their culture to employees or to provide compelling reasons for a merger. Although it may seem minor, the business plan cover page can create a powerful first impression that sets the stage for how readers will engage with the document.

Use Your Company Logo

Your business plan cover page should include your company’s logo centered at the top of the page. The best practice is to create a high-resolution image of the logo and make it consistent with the font type and color scheme of the logo, as it appears in all your company’s documents. The logo should be the first thing that catches your readers' eyes and helps them associate that logo with your company name. Placing the logo at the top of the page establishes a strong brand association that focuses a reader's attention throughout the document.

Write the Title and Company Name

Skip several lines after the company logo and write the words “Business Plan”. Center this title on the cover page and make sure that it is in bold. Include any additional words that are part of the title. For example, you could write, “Five-Year Business Plan,” or “Three-Year Business Plan.” The title should have the second largest font after your company name.

Skip two lines. Then, under the title of your business plan, write and center the name of your business. Your business name should be in bold and set off in the largest font on the page so that it stands out. If readers take away nothing else from the cover page, they should know and remember the name of your company.

Write the Company Address and Date

Under the company name and logo, write and center your business address. This is the address where investors or other interested parties should send all their inquiries. If you already have a website that is up and running, you can include the web address after the physical address. Include your business phone number and business fax number. Directly below the contact information, write and center the month and year in which you completed the business plan.

Write a Confidentiality Statement

Centered at the bottom of the page, include a confidentiality statement. For example, you could write, “This document contains confidential and proprietary information created by [your company name]. This document is issued exclusively for informational purposes, and may not be reproduced without the consent of [your company name].”

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How to format a business plan and make it look good?

Business plans are important documents that help entrepreneurs convince business partners, investors and other stakeholders. The document contains valuable strategic and financial information about the business. 

In this guide, we’ll zoom in on the formatting of a business plan, covering everything from the cover page to the appendix, whilst also including helpful tips. By the end of the guide, you’ll have a much better idea of how to create a presentable and professional business plan. 

Ready? Let’s get started!

In this guide:

How to format your business plan cover page?

How to format your business plan executive summary, how to format the body of your business plan, how to format the financial projections in your business plan.

• How to format the appendices section of your business plan?

Business plan formatting tips

Your business plan cover page is the first thing that readers will see. This means that it is the first impression they’ll have about your business. 

So, you need to make it look professional and well-formatted. 

Arguably, the most important thing that needs to be on the cover page of your business plan is your company name and logo. It allows you to portray your brand identity and will probably help make a lasting impression. 

The logo should be clearly visible, but you should still leave enough space for your contact information:

• Main contact
• Their phone number
• Their email address

Adding this information will help the audience learn what your business is called and how you can be contacted if needed. In addition, the cover page should also include the date on which the business plan was last updated. 

Providing this information lets the audience know that all of the strategic details and financial forecasts mentioned in the document are recent and accurate.

Lastly, you need to make sure that your business plan cover page color scheme is "on-brand" and aligns with your corporate identity.

Need a convincing business plan?

The Business Plan Shop makes it easy to create a financial forecast to assess the potential profitability of your projects, and write a business plan that’ll wow investors.

Now that you know how to format the cover page, let’s look at the executive summary. The executive summary serves as an overview of the entire document, providing key strategic and financial information about the business. 

Having a well-written and formatted executive summary is critical because stakeholders such as investors, often have multiple business plans to read. As a result, any executive summary that looks incompetent will likely result in the business plan being discarded.

When writing the document, you need to make sure that the executive summary is located at the beginning. It should go right after the cover page and table of contents. This will provide the reader with all the necessary information required to decide whether to continue reading or not.

An executive summary is more than a short blurb about the business. In fact, there are four key subsections - let’s have a look at each one in more detail:

Business overview

This is the first part of the executive summary. Here, you will have to write an engaging overview of the business. The overview should thoroughly explain what the business is, what it does, your concept, and who you sell to. 

Market analysis

In this section, you should summarize the findings of your market research. Be sure to include the market size, any recent trends, your target market, and business opportunities.

Financial highlights

This section will help readers get an idea of the size and historical performance of your business (or how big your idea aims to be) and give a glimpse of the expected growth and profitability for the years to come.

To do this, you can include a table with your key financials and KPIs. You should also add commentary explaining the expected profitability for each year along with other key metrics such as EBITDA and revenues.

Funding requirements 

If the aim of your business plan is to seek funding, then this is the section where you’ll mention the amount you need. Be sure to provide a list of ways the capital will be used and what investors (or lenders) can expect to get in return.

Once the executive summary is done, you’ll need to format the body of the business plan.

The body contains all of the key editorial information and financials that readers will want to see.

This should include the following:

• Company Overview
• Products or Services
• Market Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Marketing and Sales Strategy
• Operations and Management
• Financial Projections
• Funding Request

Fonts and headings

Ensuring consistency throughout each of these sections is highly important. You need to make sure that the font type, size, headings, sub-headings, and body text remain the same throughout. 

If possible, try to stay on-brand and use the main color of your coporate identity for the main headings and the ascent colour for the subheads.

Make sure the font size large enough, this will depend on the type or family of font used but something between 10 and 14 should normaly be enough.

It is also recommended to use a sans-serif font type such as Arial or Roboto for main text in order to ensure best readability.

Spacing and margins

Pay attention to the line height and spacing before and after each paragraph, these need to be both consistent throughout, and large enough so that the text doesn't appear cramped. 

Leave generous margins to facilitate the reading of the document if printed. Left and right margins need to be wide enough to allow for the document to be held and bound without covering the text.

Header and footer

Each section should also include a header and a footer. Inside the header, you can add the title of that particular section for reference. In the footer, there must be a page number that is referenced in the table of content. 

Breaking up the text

When formatting the body of the document you should use visual aids such as graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams. These can help present complex information more effectively and break the text making the overall document easier to read and more appealing. 

Remember, each visual aid you add to the document must be properly labelled and sources referenced when quoting external sources or data.

In addition to this, you could also use bulleted or numbered lists to present information in a concise and organized manner. These lists help break up text-heavy sections and improve readability.  

Lastly, it’s important to ensure that the tone and writing style of the document is professional and formal throughout the content. In addition, you should also proofread the entire document once completed. 

The financial projections section of your business plan is very important because lenders and investors use this section to assess the viability of your business and make informed decisions.

When formatting the financial projection section, you need to do the following:

Create separate subsection to present each financial statement

Financial data is quite complex, and including all of the information in a single section can make it challenging for the reader to understand. Therefore, we recommend to break this information into separate subsections. 

Financial statements in a business plan include (at a minimum): 

• a projected balance sheet
• a cash flow forecast
• a projected profit and loss (P&L) statement
• a sources and uses table (for a business startup)
• a breakeven point calculation
• historical financials (for an existing business)

Clearly indicate the timelines and frequency used for financial data in the statements

When adding financial statements, you must ensure that the reader is clear on what period of time is included in each column.

The market practice is to label the column with the month and year of the end of the period covered ("Jun-2024" for example).

We recommend avoiding using letter to designate quarters ("Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4") or half-years ("HY1 2023", "HY2 2023") as these can create confusion as whether these are relative to the calendar year of the financial year of the company.

For yearly data, you can use the abbreviations: "CY" for calendar year, "FY" for financial year (or "FYE" for financial year ending), or "TY" for tax year. For example "FYE Jan-2025" for a company with an financial year ending in January.

When approaching foreign investors, be weary of localisation differences: depending where you are 07/08/2023 could either mean the 7th of August or the 8th of July. Using letters for the month make things clearer.

If you combine forecasted and historical financial data, you should also label each column appropriately so that the reader is clear on what type of data is included. There are a couple ways to do so:

• You can do so by adding "Actuals" for historical data and "Forecasted" for projected data below the label with the date,
• Or you can add a capital "F" after the date of forecasted data: "Jun-2024 F" for example.

Also don't hesitate to specify which frequency has been used when there is a risk of confusion. An easy way to to do is to add the frequency in the title of the section or table. For example "Yearly P&L" or "Monthly cash flow forecast".

Mention the currency and unit used for financial data in the tables

We also recommend clearly specifying which unit and currency have been used.

For the currency, you can use either the currency symbol or the 3 letters ISO code. We recommend using the ISO code when the reader might not be familiar with your currency symbol (foreign investor for example), or when there is a risk of confusion - for example it is better to write AU$ or AUD than $ if you are using the Australian dollar.

If you converted your numbers to a different currency (for example in US$ when sending your plan to a US investor) or if your business sells in multiple currencies, it is also important to clearly quote the exchange rate used both for forecasted and historical data (for example: "Data using exchange rate of €1.0000 = £0.8533 as of 07 July 2023").

We also recommend indicating which unit has been used. You can do so by using standard abbreviations such as:

• Data in k or '000 to designate thousands
• Data in m or millions to designate millions
• Data in bn or billions to designate billions

Use standard formatting for numbers

When presenting numbers in financial statements it is standard to:

• Use 2 decimals for prices
• Use a thousand separator and 1 decimal for amounts
• Use 1 decimal for percentages (growth, margin, yields) and format them in x when the value is above 100%. 2.5x growth for 250.0%, for example.
• Use 1 or 2 decimals for ratios (DSO, multiples, etc.)

There is a bit more lattitude when it comes to the actual number format, you can either:

• Use standard notation: 12,345.6 for positive and -12,345.6 for negative numbers
• Use accounting notation: 12,345.6 for positive and (12,345.6) for negative numbers
• Use '0' or '-' for zeroes

Need inspiration for your business plan?

The Business Plan Shop has dozens of business plan templates that you can use to get a clear idea of what a complete business plan looks like.

How to format the appendices of your business plan?

Most entrepreneurs overlook the appendices section of the business plan. In truth, however, it’s probably as important as the main body of the document as it provides supporting documents for the reader, some of which may have been requested.

Supporting documents that are commonly attached to appendices include:

• CVs of the management team
• Credit histories
• Other legal documents
• Monthly details for financial data
• External data used or referenced in the business plan

These documents can help justify certain claims you’ve made whilst writing the business plan. They also help ensure that the main body of the business plan reads cohesively without being bogged down by additional documents and details. 

When adding these documents to the business plan, it’s important that they have a dedicated section of their own. Each appendix or supporting document should have a clear document and title explaining its purpose.

In addition, it should also include a description of each document. In the description, you can mention the importance of the appendix, its validity (if applicable), and other details that are necessary.  

After adding the appendices, you need to make sure each of them is numbered accurately. Finally, you need to provide a reference to the relevant document in the appropriate section of the business plan. 

For example, in the products and services section, if you were to reference the patents attached as supporting documents, you might write something like “Please see appendix 4.6 for more details” .

Now that you’ve learned how to format your business plan entirely from the cover page to the appendices, let’s look at some valuable formatting tips.

1. First impressions last

Make sure your cover page is well-designed. The design should align with your corporate identity. The cover page should also present information such as the company name and contact details. 

2. Avoid writing a text-heavy business plan

Adding images, charts, and graphs to make your document more appealing. This also helps make the document more comprehensive and improves readability. 

3. Avoid using outdated tools to create a business plan

Whilst Word and Excel are great business tools, they’re only effective for creating simple documents. Creating a presentable business plan using these tools is quite tedious.

A much better idea is to use online business plan software .

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

• You get a professional document, formatted automatically following the best practices discussed in this guide, and ready to be sent to your bank
• You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
• You can be inspired by already written business plan templates
• You can easily make your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
• The software will enable you to easily track your actual financial performance against your forecast and update your forecast as time goes by

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try our software for free by signing up here .

Conclusion 

Business plans are very important documents for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike. They serve many purposes, like helping find business partners or securing capital. 

The document contains strategic and financial details about the business. This information can help readers decide whether they want to be a stakeholder in your business or not.

The business plan must be formatted properly to ensure better readability. Using our business plan software can help you create an appealing and effective document with ease. 

Also on The Business Plan Shop

• How investors analyse business plans
• Where to write the conclusion of your business plan?

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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How to Write a One-Page Business Plan

Noah Parsons

5 min. read

Updated January 30, 2024

What’s the most challenging part of writing a business plan? Getting started. That’s why you should create a one-page plan as a starting point.

The one-page business plan is simple to create, easy to update, and built for adaptation. It includes all of the essential components of a traditional plan but is far briefer and more focused.

Think of it like you’re tweeting about your business. You have a limited number of characters to work with and are intentionally making it easy to digest. If you need additional support, try downloading our free one-page plan template .

• What is a one-page business plan?

The one-page business plan is a simplified version of traditional operational plans that focuses on the core aspects of your business. While it may be a shorter business plan, it still follows the structure of a standard business plan  and serves as a beefed-up pitch document.

There’s really not a lot of difference between a single-page business plan and a good executive summary. In fact, as you create a more detailed plan you may even be able to use it as your executive summary .

• What to include in your one-page plan

Here are the eight necessary sections to include when developing your one-page business plan.

Try and keep each section limited to 1-2 sentences or 3-4 bullet points to ensure that you stay within one page. It’s always easier to add more later rather than cutting back from lengthy sections.

The problem

A description of the problem or need your customers have and any relevant data that supports your claim.

The solution

Your product or service and how it solves the problem.

Business model

How you will make money—including the costs of production and selling, and the price that customers will pay.

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Target market

Who is your customer and how many of them are there? Define your ideal customer by starting with a broad audience and narrowing it down. This provides investors with a clear picture of your thought process and understanding of the greater consumer market.

Competitive advantage

What makes you different from the competition? Explain how this will lead to greater success, customer loyalty, etc.

Management team

The management structure of your business, including currently filled roles, ideal candidates, and any management gaps.

Financial summary

Key financial metrics include your profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheet, and sales forecast. This section may be the most difficult part to condense, so try and focus on visualization and standard business ratios to get the point across. You can always share broader financial information if requested.

Funding required

Have what funding total you need front and center to clearly display what you are asking from investors.

Why you should start with a one-page plan

There are plenty of good reasons to write a business plan . There are even more reasons why your first step should be writing a one-page plan.

1. It’s faster

Instead of slogging away for hours, days, or even weeks tackling a formal business plan—the one-page format helps you get your ideas down much faster. It removes the complex formatting,

2. A great format for feedback

Need quick feedback from business partners, colleagues, potential customers, or your spouse? Provide them with a one-page plan instead of a lengthy in-depth version for better results.

The one-page plan is more likely to be read and reviewed. And since all of your business information is available at a glance, you’ll receive far more valuable and timely feedback.

3. Easy to update

Entrepreneurs never get things right the first time. You’ll constantly be learning and receiving feedback—requiring you to iterate and revise your business concept. Instead of updating a large document every time, you can do it in minutes with a one-page plan.

4. Direct and to-the-point

Learning to communicate your ideas clearly and directly is critical. You need to be sure that anyone can really understand the essence of your business. Delivering your entire business concept on a single page is a great way to practice this, as it forces you to be succinct.

5. Works as an idea validation tool

Initially, your business is just a set of assumptions that you need to validate. Do your potential customers have the problem you assume they have? Do they like your solution and are they willing to pay for it? What marketing and sales tactics will work?

As you validate these assumptions, you leave them in your plan. But, assumptions that end up being wrong will quickly fall off the page.

6. Becomes an outline for your detailed plan

By “detailed” we don’t mean “long.” If you do need to create a detailed business plan document for investors or business partners, you can use your one-page plan as your core outline. You will just expand and provide more details for each section.

7. No one really reads long business plans

A common problem with traditional business plans is that they are simply too long and overly complex. Even when investors ask for a detailed document, chances are that they won’t actually read every word. They may read certain sections, but often just want to see if you’ve thought through the details of your business, how it will operate, and how it will grow.

8. Useful for any business stage

A one-page plan is useful for business owners that are mulling over ideas, just starting, actively managing, or looking to grow a business. It can help validate a business idea, work as an internal strategy document, or as a flexible management tool that can be adapted over time.

Resources to help write your one-page plan

Check out our guide for quickly writing a one-page plan and download our free one-page plan template to kickstart the writing process.

How to write your one-page plan in under an hour

Still feeling a bit overwhelmed about creating a business plan? Check out this step-by-step guide to write a useful one-page business plan in as little as 30 minutes.

One-page business plan template

Download a free one-page business plan template to make the plan writing process simple and easy.

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Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Why start with a one-page plan

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45+ Business Cover Page Templates (Reports, Proposals)

A business cover page template is used in the corporate world to describe the essential information about your business. It is the first and most important page in a business plan to give an overview of your business. If you want to grab the attention of the reader, then it is vital to design it efficiently by downloading free business plan cover page templates available in a variety of designs that you find nowhere else. In this article, you can find everything about the cover page and well-designed templates to create a fantastic cover page for your business.

Table of Contents

• Accounting Templates
• Art & Media
• Budget Templates
• Business Templates
• Calendar Templates
• Certificates
• Education Templates
• Inventory Templates
• Invoice Templates
• Letter Templates
• Medical Templates
• Personal Templates
• Project Plan Templates
• Timesheet Templates

What is a Business Cover Page?

Cover pages describe some important things related to a specific object. A cover letter is commonly used with resumes, reports, and business plans. A resume cover letter provides additional information about your skills, experiments, and other information that shows you are perfect for this job. It is also called a letter of introduction or a motivational letter.

In this way, the first page of a business plan, the cover page, gives the reader an overview of your business. It should contain the business company’s name, logo, contact details, and other key information that helps the reader know about your business. A well-formatted and well-designed cover page engages the reader with a business plan document.

Download Free Business Cover Page Templates

The business plan cover page is usually designed to present the purpose of this document to the investor. It should be written in a clear, concise, and professional way. You can get free business cover page template designs in different formats. If you are writing a business plan or proposal, make sure it should be written according to a standard format like MLA formatting. The cover page is important in many documents; for example, if you are applying for an accountant job, you should download an accounting cover letter template to place additional information about your skills and expertise.

Key components of the business cover page

If you want to take advantage of a business cover page, ensure it has all the key information about your business. The cover page is usually placed after the table of contents before starting the document. The document’s purpose depends on what should be included on the cover page. The things that should be included on the cover page:

• Title of the document
• The subtitle of the document
• Name of your business company
• It should include the logo of your business company.
• Address and contact details of your company, such as phone number, email address, and web address.
• The date when this document is complete.
• A statement that describes the purpose of this document.

The cover page is a way to give an overview of your business and state what’s inside this document. Including all the above components on your cover page is standard, but you can add more things to make it more detailed while creating a business report cover page. You can find a business report cover page template to make it more effective.

Benefits of the business cover page

A cover page in business matters a lot for a report or plan. It is one of the most important and critical components of a document. There are different types of business cover page templates for various purposes, which we discuss in the next section. There are significant benefits to it. Some of these are as follows:

• Give an overview: When you present a business plan to the investor or bankers for investment, then it is necessary to give a brief description of your business. Sometimes the overview of your business is enough. The business cover page provides critical information about your business to the reader. The reader must know about the presentation of the business plan; the cover page is the best way to do that.
• Gain attention: A cover letter written clearly, concisely, professionally, and appropriately grabs the reader’s attention and engages him to read the whole document.
• Shows professionalism: A well-formatted and well-designed business cover page shows professionalism. The best way to do this is to brand your business with a few description lines.
• Help to stand out: The competition is so high in the corporate world. But your company can stand out with a well-designed cover page to grab the investor’s attention and help you achieve your desired goals.
• Positive impact on the reader: The primary purpose of the cover page is to provide information about your business in a professional manner. A slight introduction to your company has a good impact on the reader.

How to format business cover page in Word

Sometimes it is tedious to format a business cover page, but ready-made templates simplify and simplify your work. Writing a formal cover page for business proposals and presentations is necessary. Get a business proposal cover page template in your favorite format. Below we share some points that help you to format it efficiently in Word.

• Open Microsoft Word. Click on the “Blank Document,” and a document will open on your screen.
• Go to the “Insert” tab and click on the “Cover page.” A list of well-designed cover pages will appear on your screen. Select any of these that are perfect for you.
• The first step in branding your business is adding your company logo. Go to the Insert tab, click “Picture, ” and add your company logo to the cover page.
• Write the title of your document by selecting different colors and font styles.
• Write your company’s name, which must be smaller than the document’s title.
• Please provide contact details such as the company’s office address, phone number, Email address, and web address if you have them.
•  Enter the date when this cover page is completed with months and years.
• After that, write a line that describes the purpose of this document.

Things to focus on while writing a business cover page

If you write a useful cover page, you’ll receive all its advantages that help you make something better for your business. The things that you must consider while writing it are as follows:

• Keep it short and simple: The cover page’s design should be simple, and the content should be easy to read and understand. The company name, contact details, and logo are enough to give an overview of your business.
• Be professional: It should be formatted appropriately. Try to include essential information about your business that engages the reader.
• Keep it focused. Make sure it includes related information about your business. A few lines provide an excellent overview of your company.
• Avoid spelling mistakes: Edit and edit again to eliminate the spelling and grammar mistakes from your document.
• Clearly defined: Everything on the cover page must be clearly and concisely written so that everyone can easily understand it. Try to write things clearly to grab the attention of the investors.

Different types of cover page templates

As we discussed above, various types of cover pages exist for different purposes. You can see the cover page for business proposals, business plans, and resumes, which have different types of content. Commonly used cover page templates are as follows:

• Essay cover page: The essay cover page is the first page of the essay and includes essential information about the content and author. You can find the best essay cover page templates to make the title of your essay incredible. The reader usually gets quick ideas from this title page.
• Report cover page: This is the first page of the report, which defines the name of the person who drafted it and states its purpose with a date. A report cover page template is used to quickly design an impressive cover page for the report. It is commonly used in academic and professional areas.
• Portfolio cover page: A portfolio cover page describes the abilities, expertise, and skills of your documents and gives the reader an idea of what he/she will find inside. You can download the cover page for the portfolio template to easily make it.
• Cover page for resume: If you want to get hired for a job, use the resume cover page to get the employer’s attention in the recruitment process. It includes your skills, abilities, expertise, and other information that engages the employer to see your CV.

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Free Business Plan Cover Page Template

Free Download this Business Plan Cover Page Template Design in Word, Google Docs, PSD, InDesign Format. Easily Editable, Printable, Downloadable.

Compose a professional front page for your strategic plans with this customizable Business Plan Cover Page Sample. Edit your logos, layouts, and other graphical elements to get your creative business plans available in Microsoft Word format. Impress your co-workers and yourself by getting a cover sheet of your style and design.

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