example of company background assignment

 How to Write a Company Background in Your Company Profile

by Editorial Staff | Business , Copywriting

Almost all Malaysian companies, incorporated or not, have at least a company profile.

A company profile introduces your business and creates a positive impression on prospective buyers or stakeholders. It often includes information on its ownership and management, mission statement, future goals, products and services, and other relevant details.

However, this article will focus on the company background, one of the most prominent elements in a company profile.

What is a Company Background?

A company background is a powerful tool to help build an inspiring narrative around your business.

Additionally, it gives readers a glimpse into the enterprise’s history and the people involved in establishing it. Understanding the company’s history helps consumers feel more confident in the brand and fosters loyalty.

Although it’s one of the shortest parts of a company profile, how you tell this story will positively impact your brand’s public image and engagement!

Importance of Company Background

Company background is a valuable asset that provides several benefits to a business, including:

• Adding Authenticity to the Company’s Message

Consumers often view businesses as impersonal entities solely focused on sales and profit.

However, behind every enterprise, there is a story detailing how it was established from scratch to its present stature. When customers research a company’s background, they can get an insider’s look at how it was founded and developed.

Therefore, it provides a greater sense of connection with the goals and people behind the company, augmenting the brand’s authenticity.

• Develop a Company Culture

From its roots to the relationships it builds, a company culture is a powerful tool in conveying an organisation’s essence. It reflects the core values and virtues upon which it was founded. 

Certainly, fostering a positive company culture means preserving history while inspiring growth.

Company culture can be particularly influential when engaging with other businesses by demonstrating one’s principles and practices through their actions.

• Build Trust with Customers

For any business to thrive, trust is an essential element between the company and its customers. Branding and marketing are fundamental tools for building confidence.

Your company’s background offers insights into its journey in the industry.

This reputable history, in turn, can provide credibility among potential customers, building trust and familiarity with your brand.

Elements of a Company Background

The company background is an integral part of your company’s profile.

Hence, it should be concise, informative, and interesting enough to keep your readers’ attention. Here is a brief list of a company background’s elements:

• Company’s Purpose

The reason behind the start of your company is a crucial part of establishing a mission statement and values. Besides, it helps establish an initial perception among audiences about your business.

• Overview of Founders

Providing a profile of the founders can give your company a human face. Moreover, you can include the timeline of the foundation of your company in the overview.

• Founding Values and Vision

Establishing founding values for your company helps you define what makes your company unique and distinctive. Besides, it offers insight into your company culture, which will help improve your employer branding .

• Key Events or Milestones

Include key events and milestones of your company in the company background. 

As such, you can demonstrate how those events and milestones have affected the current establishment of the company. Moreover, they can be the testaments to your company’s legitimacy.

• Contributions and Achievements

Remember to include your accolades, media coverage, and proofs of community engagements to your company background. This is due to the positive image and reputation you can derive from all these achievements and contributions.

Get a jump-start on your writing task with some preliminary planning.

Gather critical details and ideas so you can easily craft an engaging, comprehensive company background. Having the initial groundwork done allows for a streamlined creative process!

Tips on Writing a Company Background

Now that we have reviewed the basics, here are some tips we gathered to write a compelling company background.

• Identify Themes

Uncovering a core theme is the foundation of creating a convincing company background.

Therefore, you should review your draft and identify patterns or commonalities to help define your business’ image . For instance, if perseverance stands out as an essential thread running throughout, ensure this idea comes across clearly in all communication about your firm.

Google’s commitment to ‘innovation’, for example, has been integral in establishing itself as one of the most significant search engines worldwide.

• Determining a Tone

Time to set the tone for your company background?

You must consider how this information will be used and ensure it resonates with your target audience . Your chosen voice should align with that of the brand.

Brands like Julie’s Biscuits, for example, opt for a friendly, conversational style due to their playful nature.

• Design a Compelling Company Background

These days, visual appeal is paramount to communicating your narrative effectively.

Hence, incorporate imagery and videos – or even a graphic timeline of events – for an engaging read to captivate your audience! Your timeline can do a better job of conveying your company’s key events and milestones than mere words.

Walk Production

If you want to create a lasting impression with corporate partners, potential customers and employees alike, look no further than Walk Production.

Our comprehensive service package includes consultation sessions, professional copywriting services, and artistic design tailored specifically to your company profile needs. Partner up now for an exceptional experience in creating the perfect profile!

Related Concepts to Explore:

Company Profile Design

Company Profile Copywriting

What is Corporate Identity

Corporate Identity Elements

Corporate Branding

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How to Write a Company Overview for a Business Plan

Page Grossman is a freelance writer.

Sally Lauckner is an editor on NerdWallet's small-business team. She has over 15 years of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet in 2020, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content and specializing in business financing. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She is based in New York City.

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

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

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

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What is a company overview?

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

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

Why do I need a company overview?

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

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

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

What should I include in a company overview?

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

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

Basic company information

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

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

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

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

Ownership and management team

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

Company history

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

Mission statement

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

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

Product/service and customer

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

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

Future goals

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

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

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

Tips for writing a company overview

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

Start with the elevator pitch

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

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

Stick to the basics

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

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

Be passionate

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

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

Keep it succinct

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

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

Have structure

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

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

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

Write it later

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

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

Get a test reader

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

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

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Company overview examples

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

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

Starbucks company profile .

Puma company page .

TaskRabbit About page .

Peloton company page .

Nestlé About page .

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

Entrepreneurship

• Oct 17, 2023
• 14 min read

How to Write a Company Profile in 10 Simple Steps + Samples

It’s your chance to make your brand stand out.

Electra Michaelidou

Career and Lifestyle Writer

Reviewed by Chris Leitch

Whether you own a small startup or an international company, having a company profile is a must. However, what you consider interesting could be an utter snooze-fest for the reader, making you miss the chance to  market your brand  successfully.

If you want to ensure that you’ve got all the correct information to entice your reader, you need to turn the traditional business profile on its head and consider what your audience wants to know about your company.

To help you do that, we’ve outlined the most critical steps you need to follow to create a captivating company profile, as well as why it’s crucial that you get it right.

What is a company profile?

A company profile is a document (print or digital) or a dedicated section on your website that introduces your brand, team and products to the world. It summarizes who you are and what you do, providing an opportunity to establish an even stronger connection with existing clients and win over new ones, as well as attract potential investors to your company or brand. It can also appeal to working professionals and entice them to join your team.

In terms of length, company profiles vary. It’s generally best, however, to keep it concise and impactful. As researchers from the Technical University of Denmark have found, our collective attention span seems to be getting narrower due to the staggering amount of information that’s presented to us daily.

Why do you need a company profile?

Think back to when you first started your business . It must have been an exciting time, right? That’s the sort of emotion you want to evoke in your reader, too: that you’re passionate about what you do, have something unique to offer, and are taking planned-out steps to keep getting better, all the while honoring your brand’s values and mission.

This unique side of your company is what makes your brand relatable to your readers, which then contributes to establishing a sense of trust between you and your audience, be that a prospective customer, employee or investor. This is vital if you want to keep growing your brand, which, given that you’re here, you most certainly do.

What to include in a company profile

To create an impactful company profile, make sure that you tick off the following sections in your writing:

• Your story. This is how, why and when your organization began; what drove you to do what you’re doing.
• Your mission. That is: what your overall goal is, what sort of world you envision and how you’re going to contribute to its creation.
• Information about your products or services. Briefly explain what it is that you offer and what makes it one of a kind.
• Any awards or recognition you’ve received. This is important in establishing yourself as an expert in your field, worthy of both investors’ and clients’ trust.
• Information about your workforce. Share some insights into your overall workforce demographics and introduce top-level executives .

How to write a company profile

As we’ve seen, an effective company profile is essential in growing your business. Below, we’ll discuss in more detail how you can go about crafting your own.

Step 1: Identify the profile’s purpose

Businesses use company profiles for different scenarios, including company websites, trade portfolios and investment plans. So, before you even put pen to paper, it’s vital to identify the profile’s purpose. Don’t worry — you can adapt it at a later stage if needed!

Let’s say your profile is meant to go on your business website. Create a list of points your readers would want to read about regarding your business and create a structure for your content.

You should also make sure that the content’s tone matches your target audience. For example, you don’t want to make it sound stuffy by bombarding a  timeline  of facts because — quite frankly — no one will care (other than yourself, of course)!

Step 2: Decide on a style

Now that you’ve established what kind of tone you should set for your profile, it’s time to identify how you will present this information. Do you want a typical style broken down by different sections, or do you want it presented in the form of a timeline? Some companies even choose to tell their story through a more visual approach, like  Philips .

That said, you shouldn’t be afraid of being different and swaying away from the norm, as long as it’s compatible with your brand and industry. For example, if you’re an accounting firm , it would probably be best to stick to the traditional format, including details of recent awards and achievements.

Step 3: Tell a story

When you’re trying to encourage people to pay attention to your business, you need to create a captivating story, not churn out a dry company description. It’s no use simply listing dates and figures; you need to make sure your reader is on board while walking them through your company’s story.

Whether you started by working at a lemonade stand or you grew up in the family business, the way you put your story across is the most important part. After all, not everyone’s story is going to be as exciting as the other.

Take a look at  Zappos ’s take for some inspiration, as this popular brand has mastered the art of storytelling.

Step 4: Keep a consistent format throughout

Some creative souls can let their imagination run wild when it comes to writing their business profile. So, if you happen to be one of those people, listen carefully to the following advice!

You need to ensure your format is consistent. For example, use the same font and size within the body of your text and your headers. Don’t overpower your profile with irrelevant visuals and funky colors, and instead stick to those that are in line with the rest of your brand.

For example, here at CareerAddict, we have specific fonts and colors (black and orange), which are used throughout our materials, including our social media channels.

If you don’t have a design team on hand, you can use effective tools like  HubSpot’s color palette generator , Adobe’s Color Wheel or Canva’s Color Palette Generator .

Step 5: Outline your mission statement

If you don’t already have a mission statement, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of things and write an appealing statement about your business’s values, ethos and niche. You need to inform your readers what you offer and how you plan to grow as a business, essentially telling them why they should choose you over a competitor.

For example,  Disney’s mission statement  encourages you to believe that they will provide you with the most creative entertainment experience in the world:

“The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.”

Step 6: Write the company history in chronological order

Jumping from the past to the present and back again will only confuse your reader, which is why you need to list the company’s history in chronological order. Whether this is done in the form of a timeline or paragraphs is entirely up to you. What’s critical is to make sure that it flows and that it makes sense to the reader.

When doing so, it’s essential not to get bogged down by too many details. Instead, you should list key achievements to show how your company got to where it is today. If you’re a small business, you can write information about the establishment and development of the brand.

Step 7: Include testimonials

A good testimonial can add value to your brand by giving potential clients feedback from another customer.

In a B2B company, testimonials from your biggest clients are ideal. In a B2C organization, on the other hand, short quotes with feedback that ties in with your values are best. You want to hit the reader with real feedback without seeming  too  promotional.

Step 8: Include your contact information

Now that you’ve got the important parts out of the way, it’s time to add some useful information! If your company profile is to be used offline, be sure to include your address, telephone number, email and (if necessary) fax number at the top of the document.

Meanwhile, if your company profile is meant for a website or other online forums, you can simply add your hyperlinked contact information at the bottom of the page.

Step 9: Add a call-to-action

If you want to add that finishing touch to your company profile, be sure to end with a call-to-action. This could be something along the lines of “To find out more, visit our website” or “For further information, contact us”.

Essentially, you should be leaving the reader with some food for thought and a way for them to find the answers to their questions.

Step 10: Proofread, proofread, proofread

Finally, it’s vital to proofread your corporate profile to ensure there aren’t any mistakes. After all, it’s one of the most important pieces of writing linked to your business!

Often, it’s easy to miss minor errors when you’ve been staring at the same piece of text for hours on end, which is why you should get an extra pair of eyes to skim over it.

And don’t forget to update your company profile regularly! Many entrepreneurs write their profile once and forget about it a year down the line. To ensure you don’t do the same, add a yearly calendar reminder where you set aside some time to update your profile to keep in line with the way your business is expanding.

Company profile template

To make sure that you don’t leave any important information out of your profile, use our template below for reference. It will remind you of what should be included from beginning to end!

[Company name]

[Company website]

Contact information: [Share your company address, phone number, email address and social channels]

Mission: [Describe the purpose of the company and the goals of its operations]

About: [Describe the founding of the company, and share key milestones and information]

Team: [Introduce your executives, and share information about your workforce]

Products and/or services: [List and describe your products and services]

Financial information: [Describe the company's financial performance and objectives]

Awards and distinctions: [List your awards, certifications and notable mentions]

Testimonials: [Direct quotes from customers or employees, including their name and title]

If you need something more polished to get you started, you could opt for a more aesthetically pleasing company profile template — like seen over at visme.

Company profile examples

1. starbucks.

This is a great example of what a company profile should look like. Starbucks opens up with a short story inspired by their company background: where the brand began and how it has evolved over the years. It also includes its trusted mission statement to ensure that all employees and customers can relate to Starbucks’s ethos.

The coffee brand manages to stand out from the crowd with a powerful brand identity and goal, which is highlighted in this company profile. “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit” — and they do just that through various branding and  philanthropic schemes . They go beyond your average coffee shop and have established themselves as a place that brings people of all different ages, nationalities and backgrounds together.

Nike does a perfect job at proving that they’re an inclusive brand within their company profile. From the minute you open their page, which is one of the most creative examples for company profiles we’ve seen, you can see that Nike is far beyond a generic sports clothing company. They want their customers to feel like they’re part of a community when they wear one of their products.

Moreover, they highlight the fact that they’re an inclusive employer with a diverse team very early on and show that they give back to their community through charity work. Working for Nike is like joining part of a big family with a strong mission — something that every employee would be eager to get involved in.

Like Starbucks, Zappos begins their company profile by sharing the story of where they began and how they have evolved over the years. Their story alone is inspirational for anyone who has a dream to build something of their own.

With their dedicated sections, Zappos identify who they are as a brand, their motto, and why company culture is at the forefront of everything they do. They prove that they’re way more than an eCommerce store and more of an online community that everyone should be a part of.

Feature your company profile on CareerAddict

CareerAddict Jobs , our very own job board, gives employers like you the opportunity to create a free profile and reach thousands of jobseekers fast. Whether it’s interns , part-timers, freelancers or full-time employees you’re looking for to broaden your workforce, our hassle-free posting can help you fill your positions quickly.

Besides putting your company page in front of a vast talent pool, you’ll also receive quick and dedicated support should you have any queries about setting up your profile, getting started or responding to candidates.

When you’re looking to create a great profile, it’s important to know both what you should do as well as what you should avoid . To point you in the right direction, we’ve answered some common questions people have when creating their company profiles.

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

A big mistake when writing anything is failing to consider who you’re writing for. Who is your audience and what would they want to know about you?

If you receive FAQs from customers, use them as inspiration. If you’re writing for prospective investors or employees, emphasize your mission, awards and financial performance more. As always, ensure that your writing is concise, free of errors, and easy to read and understand.

How technical should I get in my company profile?

Generally, it’s good to avoid using industry jargon in your profile. Although you might think that complex terminology can make you appear more professional, it can actually result in your audience losing interest. Unless you want to make your profile ineffective, ensure your writing is accessible to all.

Can I include images in my company profile?

As you’d expect, presentation is important! Visual elements like images, charts and graphs can make your company profile content more memorable, engaging and easier to follow. So, where you can, communicate any key points you’d like to make with visual representations.

How can I create a company profile PDF?

There are many ways to do this. For example, if you search for “company profile” on Canva, you’ll find templates that you can fill in and download in PDF format. Alternatively, download a template from a website like Freepik , edit it in a compatible software like Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft PowerPoint, and export it as a PDF.

Watch our video which explains how to write a company profile:

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Key takeaways

By following these tips and taking inspiration from the company profile samples above, you can ensure that your profile ties in with your branding strategy. This will help communicate the ethos of your business and, ultimately, draw in new customers as well as potential employees.

To summarize:

• Think of your company profile as an engaging overview of your history, vision, achievements and unique value proposition.
• Always consider who your target audience is and what set of questions they might be seeking answers to before you start writing.
• Depending on the layout you pick, use headings or separate pages to divide your content into easy-to-digest chunks of information.
• Never, ever forget to proofread or have a professional writer go over your document before making it available to the public.
• Linking to your Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media accounts in the “Contact us” section of your profile can encourage consumers and jobseekers to connect and stay in touch with you.

Do you have any more tips on how to make a company profile engaging and impactful? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Originally published on November 2, 2018. Contains contributions by Joanna Zambas.

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How To Write the Company Summary in a Business Plan

Company Overviews Show How the Pieces of a Business Work

What To Include in Your Company Summary

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

Image by Theresa Chiechi © The Balance 2019

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

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

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

Key Takeaways

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

The company summary section of a business plan should include:

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

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

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

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

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

Consulting Firm

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

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

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

Starbucks Coffee Company Overview

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

"Our Heritage"

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

"Coffee & Craft"

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

"Our Partners"

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

"Pursuit of Doing Good"

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

Tesla Inc. Business Overview

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

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

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

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

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

Competition

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

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

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

Intellectual Property

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

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

Mission Statement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do you write a company overview?

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

What should an organizational overview include?

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

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

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

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

Starbucks Coffee Company. " Our Company ."

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

How to Write the Company Overview for a Business Plan

10 min. read

Updated January 17, 2024

What does your business structure look like? Who is involved? What’s your history?

These are all important questions that you’ll answer by writing the company overview section of your business plan. 

We’ll explain what to include, how to write it, and provide completed examples for you to reference.

• What is a company overview?

The company overview (or business overview) section of your business plan briefly explains the legal structure, management team, and history of your business. 

The company overview is typically the shortest chapter of your plan and works as a sort of company record. 

It’s incredibly important if you’re seeking investment as it explains how the business is legally structured and who is involved from an ownership and management perspective.

However, you likely don’t need a company overview if you don’t plan on presenting or sharing the plan with someone outside of your business.

• What to include in the company overview

What’s included in your company overview depends on how you intend to use your business plan. 

For example , if you don’t intend on sharing your plan with anyone outside of your organization, you can likely skip documenting simple legal information.

For this guide, we’ll cover the basics that most businesses should include in their company description.

Business structure

First, you’ll want to define what type of organization your business is registered as. The most common business structures in the US include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Take some time to understand the differences. Your business structure will impact how you file your taxes , your liability for business debt, and the type of insurance you’ll need. 

For the purposes of this section, it provides context for how your business legally operates. Consider adding an explanation of why you chose this specific structure and how it impacts your business.

Read More: Types of Business Structures Explained

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You’ll also need to outline the ownership stake in your company. Just list out who owns what percentage of your business, even if it’s just you. 

It may also be useful to include how each individual is involved in your business. 

However, if an investor or equity holder is involved in day-to-day operations, you may want to go more in depth on the management portion of your company overview, detailing each member’s experience and qualifications.

Location(s)

Include basic logistical information about where your business is located , additional locations the business owns, and any locations that may be acquired in the near future.

Don’t worry about going overly in-depth regarding each location’s facilities and operational functions. You will cover those details as part of the operations section of your business plan .

Company history

Your company background or history is the “Once upon a time…” of your business plan. At a minimum, you should include:

• When it was founded
• Who was involved
• Major milestones up to this point

The details in this section will vary depending on who this business plan is being presented to and the stage of your company. 

For example: if you’re a relatively young business, don’t assume you have no history. 

It may not be a lengthy epic, but you have the history of who came up with the idea , how they came up with it, and how and why other people joined. 

This can matter to potential investors.

So, stay flexible when describing your history. Always keep your specific business purpose and your target reader in mind. 

If you share your plan with a third party, focus on presenting a strong track record of success and good decision-making. If you have a longer history, there are likely highlights to include and some key points you want to make. 

Just make sure not to bore them by overloading your plan with lengthy information that doesn’t connect back to your key business decisions.

Management team

The management team section of your business plan is where you showcase your team and their finest attributes.

Be sure to include details about yourself and your employees , including: 

• Work experience
• Past successes
• Degrees or other credentials 

Professional gaps and planned hires

There may be team members you know you’re lacking. In that case, mention these roles and your plans to fill them.

Include which people might be taking on multiple responsibilities to fill the current gap. Additionally, if you have specific people in mind, include them, even if they aren’t currently on staff.

It’s worth pulling in supporting data from your personnel forecast that’s part of your financial plan . It doesn’t have to be overly detailed. It can just be a simple personnel table with reference to where the full financial exploration is located.

Board of advisors

If you have mentors or board members who aren’t directly involved, but help you to define your vision and overall strategy—they’re also worth mentioning. 

This can bolster your credibility through association with well-respected and experienced individuals. 

Just like with your management team and staff, include their name, position, credentials, experience, and any other important information that showcases why their involvement is valuable.

Similarly, if you are working with a lawyer , accountant, or other supporting professional—include them.

• How to write your company overview

The company overview is one of the more straightforward sections when writing a business plan. You already know what to include, so here’s how we recommend you approach the writing process.

1. Cover the basics

Start by listing and grouping your business information into the appropriate sections. 

Depending on what you intend to do with your plan, this may be all you need for now. This is a high-level overview of your business; the most important thing is having all the necessary information in one place.

Focus on brevity. 

You can always reference other areas of your plan and house additional documents (like resumes, articles of incorporation, legal documents, full company timeline, etc.) in your appendix .

2. List the high points of your history

Take the time to accurately reflect your company history. Avoid creating a vague story or an overly long narrative documenting every small decision you’ve made. 

Like everything else in this section, keep it short and sweet. Highlight key dates, milestones (like a product or service launch), and other crucial events that impacted the trajectory of your business.

Remember, you can always point to other areas of your plan when necessary.

3. Adjust to your target audience

While we recommend keeping this section simple, it may require updates depending on who is reading your plan. That typically means adding more context or reasoning for why your business is set up as it is.

For example: You start as a partnership and include your business structure as a formality. However, you are now planning to apply for a loan . It would be worth revisiting the overview at this stage to add a brief statement about why you chose this structure and how it impacts your business.

• Company overview examples

Even if you know what to include, it can still be helpful to review completed business overview examples to confirm you’re on the right track. 

Agriculture farm company overview example

Ownership & structure.

Botanical Bounty is an Oregon L.L.C. owned by David and Susan Nealon. The L.L.C. business structure has been chosen as a strategic way to shield the Nealons from personal liability.

Botanical Bounty has been in operation for two years. It started as a hobby where Susan could use her plant biology skills while covering some of the costs. The Nealons were able to achieve this lifestyle due to a windfall that David received as a result of exercising stock options. 

After the second year, the Nealons decided that although they had the money to live on for many years, it would be irresponsible to needlessly spend it so they got serious about the business and made a concerted effort to become profitable.

Botanical Bounty has chosen the Willamette River Valley as an ideal place to grow perennials and owns 10 acres of land used for production. During several of the winter months, production is moved into their greenhouse for propagation. Botanical Bounty employs a drip irrigation system for all of the plants.

Botanical Bounty will be led by the husband and wife team of David and Sue Nealon. David brings a wealth of business and project management skills to the company. 

While working at Yahoo!, David was responsible for the successful launch and market lead capture of Yahoo!’s driving directions section. David will be responsible for the business operations of the farm. 

Sue, with a background in plant biology, will be the driving force of the operation, growing the highest active ingredient content plants in the country. Additionally, because of her wealth of knowledge, she will lead the sales department.

Nursing home company overview example

Ownership & structure.

Bright House is chartered as a nonprofit 501(C)(3) corporation in Middletown, CT, with the goal of providing holistic and respectful assisted living and skilled nursing home care to a small group of elderly residents. 

Our primary location is the old Wayfield Bed and Breakfast on Farmer’s Road, which we have spent the last five months converting into a two-building nursing home facility in line with Eden Alternatives “Greenhouse” model for enlightened elder living.

Management Team

Bright House offers a different management structure from that of the typical hospital-model nursing home. Our primary caregivers, the 6 Elder Assistants, work as a self-managed team. They meet with the Medical Director and the nurse on-call every morning to coordinate care for the coming day.

The Medical Director has the ultimate responsibility for the health and well-being of all residents and visitors. However, the nursing and caregiving staff have unique knowledge about the residents’ physical, social, and mental well-being. They are expected to note, discuss, and recommend courses of action for all residents who, in their combined estimation, need help.

Our compensation packages, management structure, and caregiving requirements are designed to continually remind our LPNs and Elder Assistants how very valuable they are. 

Dr. Mildred Johnson is our Medical Director

Dr. Johnson has served as the head of Gerontology for six years at The Connecticut Hospital and oversaw the creation last year of their Elder Assistant training program, which provides certification for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) to provide in-home hospice and respite care. 

Dr. Johnson has 20 years of experience working with elderly patients in this area and has been integral in designing the physical layout, management structure, and priorities of Bright House.

The rest of our already-hired caregiving staff brings a whopping 75 years of professional experience in caring for elderly patients.

Financial Management

Madeleine Morgan has been overseeing the financial management of nonprofit organizations in Connecticut for 27 years. 

She became involved in our project when her mother developed a long-term care plan with Dr. Johnson which included home-based hospice care.

“I wish everyone could have the same love and attention Dr. Johnson showed to my mother,” Madeleine said. 

Ms. Morgan will be in charge of all financial operations at Bright House, overseeing billing, personnel payment and benefits, and development efforts.

Advertising and Marketing

We are fortunate to have a skilled public relations officer in our group. Janice Ruthers is a retired ad executive living in Middletown with her husband (a professor at the university). 

She will be working 20 hours per week in our offices as a volunteer for the first two years of our plan, helping us design advertisements and brochures and plan events like our Open House in December to let the public see the results of our efforts.

Management Team Gaps

We still need to hire one swing-shift LPN and one Elder Assistant. We are currently recruiting through Dr. Johnson’s connections at The Connecticut Hospital and expect to complete our team by mid-December at the latest.

• Explore more business plan examples

Want to see more examples like these? Check out our library of over 550+ sample business plans to see how other real-world businesses structured their company overview sections. 

You can also download a free business plan template to ensure you cover all the necessary details. It includes step-by-step instructions to make writing quick and easy.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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How to Write a Company History

A well-written company history can entice prospective customers, investors and employees.

Table of Contents

The story of your company’s evolution may seem uninspiring to you, but it can play an important role in building trust and respect, especially among younger generations of employees and customers — Gen Zs deeply care about an organization’s background and impact. 

Every company has been shaped by moments of inspiration, perseverance, courage or luck.  Your company history should feature the most compelling highlights of your entrepreneurial journey, along with significant achievements, such as patents and major wins.

You should include your history in your business plan and employee handbook and on your website’s “about us” page. Some companies write a book about their corporate story that is presented to employees and others on special occasions. The message behind your corporate milestones can become your brand’s cornerstone.

What should your company history include?

Although the details of your company history are unique to your business, there are four key elements that every company history should include:

• Why your company was started, including your values and company mission .
• A brief profile of the founders.
• Major turning points in your company’s life.
• Amusing and inspirational events that have occurred along the way.

How to write a company history

Follow these six steps to write a compelling company history that accurately and informatively describes your business.

1. Read other company histories.

Get inspired by seeing how other companies have recounted their background. For example, Microsoft tells its multifaceted success story with a few articles that recount some of the company’s most noteworthy achievements over the last decade. Seeing how other companies share their history will give you an idea of what you do and don’t want yours to look and sound like.

2. Dig for industry and company highlights.

Did you make a mark on your industry with a breakthrough product or a new twist on an old concept? Explain your company’s achievements in the context of your industry’s history. These events and milestones help form a picture of how your organization got to where it is today. It gives customers, employees and other key stakeholders a sense of where you’ve been and where you might be headed. It can help build your brand’s image and market your organization to the right people.

3. Elicit memories.

Bring history to life by including anecdotes from employees and customers who were there when your company was just starting out. Ask these folks if you can interview them about their experiences. Effective storytelling is a great way to draw your audience to your organization and make them feel connected.

4. Create a timeline.

After gathering your historical facts, record each event on a timeline. This timeline should contain all the important details of your company’s history, organized chronologically.

5. Consult corporate history professionals.

If you prefer, you can hire a professional to research and write your history. However, since your company history is a critical part of your organization’s image, you will likely still want to be involved in its creation in some capacity.

6. Picture it.

Use photos to illustrate your company’s history. Include old snapshots of the founders and snap photos of today’s employees while they work. While at it, take photos of historical documents and other corporate artifacts — they also help tell your story .

Tips for Writing a Successful Company History

Your company history can serve as a marketing tool. There are a few things to keep in mind when writing a company history.

• Focus on your significant achievements: Unless you plan to publish a book about your company, don’t let your story get bogged down with too much detail. You can still add interesting anecdotes from employees and customers to bring it to life while focusing on major milestones.
• Be honest about how your company got to where it is: Telling the truth about your company’s history can foster trust among your employees, customers and key stakeholders. When mentioning failed product launches or other less-than-flattering events, you can tie them to essential lessons you or the founders learned that contributed to later success.
• Highlight your company culture: Your company history should give readers a sense of your company culture . Ask employees if they have a special fondness for certain company traditions. Look back at how you have celebrated your company’s birthdays and other special occasions.
• Keep organized records of your company history: Whether you or someone else is writing your company history, keep organized records of your history. Document where you found each piece of information you expect to include in your history since you’ll need to refer back to these sources while writing.

Your company’s story doesn’t end when you have completed your corporate history project. Maintain a file of significant events so that as your company grows, you can update its story.

Examples of company histories

If you are struggling to write your company history, there are several well-known organizations you can look to for company history examples. Each company overview is as unique as the business it describes.

Starbucks ‘ company history is both informative and easy to read. It includes a brief profile of the founders, the company background and mission statement and the foremost company turning points. It does all this while using descriptive and imaginative language. The casual and friendly tone of the company history matches the atmosphere it strives to bring to coffee lovers each day.

“Our story begins in 1971 along the cobblestone streets of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market,” the company wrote on its website. “It was here where Starbucks opened its first store, offering fresh-roasted coffee beans, tea and spices from around the world for our customers to take home.”

Starbucks goes on to detail where its name came from, where it first expanded to and how its chairman and chief executive officer, Howard Schultz, was drawn to the company. Starbucks also includes its mission statement.

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”

Scrolling down the page, you are presented with vivid coffee imagery, along with details about coffee as a craft, Starbucks partners, its company culture and sustainability measures.

Source: Starbucks

Adidas takes a unique approach to its company history. The forward-thinking sports brand is all about power, speed and achievement. This mission is conveyed in its company profile. Instead of relying solely on the written word, the company intersperses its history with vivid imagery highlighting its purpose, mission and attitude. By highlighting this information with images that evoke emotion, readers get an immediate feel for the sport-centric company.

Source: Adidas

American Airlines

As your company grows, you should tailor your company history to match current marketing conventions. For example, American Airlines has been around for almost 100 years. It tailored its company history to a brief, one-paragraph overview, with an expandable interactive timeline that covers seminal events in the company’s history.

Source: American Airlines

Additional reporting by Judy Artunian.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What to Include in Your Company Profile

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

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

1. The Business Details

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

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

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

2. The Company Basics

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

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

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

3. The Highlights

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

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

4. Client Portfolio

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

5. Optional Items

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

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

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

Company Profile Samples and Templates

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

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

1. Keeping Your Business Profile Format Short and Sweet

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

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

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

2. A Slightly More Involved Company Introduction

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

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

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

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

3. Telling It Like It Is: The Full Monty

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

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

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

Write a Perfect Company Profile: First Impressions Matter a Lot

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

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

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7 Business Plan Examples to Inspire Your Own (2024)

Need support creating your business plan? Check out these business plan examples for inspiration.

Any aspiring entrepreneur researching how to start a business will likely be advised to write a business plan. But few resources provide business plan examples to really guide you through writing one of your own.

Here are some real-world and illustrative business plan examples to help you craft your business plan .

7 business plan examples: section by section

The business plan examples in this article follow this template:

• Executive summary.  An introductory overview of your business.
• Company description.  A more in-depth and detailed description of your business and why it exists.
• Market analysis.  Research-based information about the industry and your target market.
• Products and services.  What you plan to offer in exchange for money.
• Marketing plan.   The promotional strategy to introduce your business to the world and drive sales.
• Logistics and operations plan.  Everything that happens in the background to make your business function properly.
• Financial plan.  A breakdown of your numbers to show what you need to get started as well as to prove viability of profitability.
• Executive summary

Your  executive summary  is a page that gives a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. It’s easiest to save this section for last.

In this  free business plan template , the executive summary is four paragraphs and takes a little over half a page:

• Company description

You might repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page, social media profile pages, or other properties that require a boilerplate description of your small business.

Soap brand ORRIS  has a blurb on its About page that could easily be repurposed for the company description section of its business plan.

You can also go more in-depth with your company overview and include the following sections, like in the example for Paw Print Post:

• Business structure.  This section outlines how you  registered your business —as an  LLC , sole proprietorship, corporation, or other  business type . “Paw Print Post will operate as a sole proprietorship run by the owner, Jane Matthews.”
• Nature of the business.  “Paw Print Post sells unique, one-of-a-kind digitally printed cards that are customized with a pet’s unique paw prints.”
• Industry.  “Paw Print Post operates primarily in the pet industry and sells goods that could also be categorized as part of the greeting card industry.”
• Background information.  “Jane Matthews, the founder of Paw Print Post, has a long history in the pet industry and working with animals, and was recently trained as a graphic designer. She’s combining those two loves to capture a niche in the market: unique greeting cards customized with a pet’s paw prints, without needing to resort to the traditional (and messy) options of casting your pet’s prints in plaster or using pet-safe ink to have them stamp their ‘signature.’”
• Business objectives.  “Jane will have Paw Print Post ready to launch at the Big Important Pet Expo in Toronto to get the word out among industry players and consumers alike. After two years in business, Jane aims to drive $150,000 in annual revenue from the sale of Paw Print Post’s signature greeting cards and have expanded into two new product categories.”
• Team.  “Jane Matthews is the sole full-time employee of Paw Print Post but hires contractors as needed to support her workflow and fill gaps in her skill set. Notably, Paw Print Post has a standing contract for five hours a week of virtual assistant support with Virtual Assistants Pro.”

Your  mission statement  may also make an appearance here.  Passionfruit  shares its mission statement on its company website, and it would also work well in its example business plan.

• Market analysis

The market analysis consists of research about supply and demand, your target demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape. You might run a SWOT analysis and include that in your business plan. 

Here’s an example  SWOT analysis  for an online tailored-shirt business:

You’ll also want to do a  competitive analysis  as part of the market research component of your business plan. This will tell you who you’re up against and give you ideas on how to differentiate your brand. A broad competitive analysis might include:

• Target customers
• Unique value add  or what sets their products apart
• Sales pitch
• Price points  for products
• Shipping  policy
• Products and services

This section of your business plan describes your offerings—which products and services do you sell to your customers? Here’s an example for Paw Print Post:

• Marketing plan

It’s always a good idea to develop a marketing plan  before you launch your business. Your marketing plan shows how you’ll get the word out about your business, and it’s an essential component of your business plan as well.

The Paw Print Post focuses on four Ps: price, product, promotion, and place. However, you can take a different approach with your marketing plan. Maybe you can pull from your existing  marketing strategy , or maybe you break it down by the different marketing channels. Whatever approach you take, your marketing plan should describe how you intend to promote your business and offerings to potential customers.

• Logistics and operations plan

The Paw Print Post example considered suppliers, production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory.

Financial plan

The financial plan provides a breakdown of sales, revenue, profit, expenses, and other relevant financial metrics related to funding and profiting from your business.

Ecommerce brand  Nature’s Candy’s financial plan  breaks down predicted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then dives deeper into the financials to include:

• Funding needs
• Projected profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet
• Projected cash-flow statement

You can use this financial plan spreadsheet to build your own financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash-flow statement.

Types of business plans, and what to include for each

A one-page business plan is meant to be high level and easy to understand at a glance. You’ll want to include all of the sections, but make sure they’re truncated and summarized:

• Executive summary: truncated
• Market analysis: summarized
• Products and services: summarized
• Marketing plan: summarized
• Logistics and operations plan: summarized
• Financials: summarized

A startup business plan is for a new business. Typically, these plans are developed and shared to secure  outside funding . As such, there’s a bigger focus on the financials, as well as on other sections that determine viability of your business idea—market research, for example.

• Market analysis: in-depth
• Financials: in-depth

Your internal business plan is meant to keep your team on the same page and aligned toward the same goal.

A strategic, or growth, business plan is a bigger picture, more-long-term look at your business. As such, the forecasts tend to look further into the future, and growth and revenue goals may be higher. Essentially, you want to use all the sections you would in a normal business plan and build upon each.

• Market analysis: comprehensive outlook
• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Marketing plan: comprehensive outlook
• Logistics and operations plan: comprehensive outlook
• Financials: comprehensive outlook

Feasibility

Your feasibility business plan is sort of a pre-business plan—many refer to it as simply a feasibility study. This plan essentially lays the groundwork and validates that it’s worth the effort to make a full business plan for your idea. As such, it’s mostly centered around research.

Set yourself up for success as a business owner

Building a good business plan serves as a roadmap you can use for your ecommerce business at launch and as you reach each of your business goals. Business plans create accountability for entrepreneurs and synergy among teams, regardless of your  business model .

Kickstart your ecommerce business and set yourself up for success with an intentional business planning process—and with the sample business plans above to guide your own path.

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Business plan examples FAQ

How do i write a simple business plan, what is the best format to write a business plan, what are the 4 key elements of a business plan.

• Executive summary: A concise overview of the company's mission, goals, target audience, and financial objectives.
• Business description: A description of the company's purpose, operations, products and services, target markets, and competitive landscape.
• Market analysis: An analysis of the industry, market trends, potential customers, and competitors.
• Financial plan: A detailed description of the company's financial forecasts and strategies.

What are the 3 main points of a business plan?

• Concept: Your concept should explain the purpose of your business and provide an overall summary of what you intend to accomplish.
• Contents: Your content should include details about the products and services you provide, your target market, and your competition.
• Cashflow: Your cash flow section should include information about your expected cash inflows and outflows, such as capital investments, operating costs, and revenue projections.

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How to Write a Business Case (with Examples & Template to Help)

You have a great idea. Now, you want to gather an expert team and show stakeholders that your project is viable.

But how exactly do you do that?

Before your idea is approved, you need to cover how you will finance and sustain your project. That’s where a business case comes in.

A business case shows key stakeholders exactly how you will execute your idea. It’s important because research shows that ineffective business cases can cause projects to fail .

In this post, we’ll break down everything you need to build a business case that will impress your stakeholders and help your project succeed. We’ll even provide a few examples and give you a template to help.

What is a Business Case?

Business cases often accompany or follow a project proposal and help show why your project is worth the company’s or client’s time, money, and resources.

When writing a business case, always define the scope and include an executive summary, detailed info about finances, and an overview of the project’s structure. Each member of the project team should contribute to the business case.

Overall, the business case should be concise and only include relevant information. It should cover the benefits, costs, potential risks, and an assessment of how the team will handle any setbacks.

The Most Important Components of a Business Case

A business case should convince key stakeholders of the importance and viability of your project. Be sure to include these things to create an effective business case:

An executive summary, which is a concise overview of your project’s definition and goals. Use this section to briefly explain the problem and how you’ll solve it.

The problem statement. Although you already addressed it in the executive summary, take some time to dive deeper into the problem. Share any relevant research that helps frame the problem as a story, and make sure you draw a strong connection to the company’s goals or mission.

Share any relevant research that helps frame the problem as a story, and make sure you draw a strong connection to the company’s goals or mission

An analysis supported by research and data to show the project is necessary. This is also a good place to include information about the team members involved in the project.

A projection of financial needs. Explain how much money you need and exactly how it will be used. This is one of the most important parts of the business case.

A strong recommendation. Explain the project you’ve chosen to pursue and why you think this is the best solution. You should also address the risks for this recommendation.

Discussion of other possible options. Offer multiple solutions to the problem. The key stakeholders will review your data and business case to help decide the best course of action.

Business Case Examples

Before you write your own business case, let’s look at a few examples.

This example from Expert Program Management is a concise and effective business case. It includes an executive summary, financial information, analysis, and risks. It could be used for a business case in any industry. This quick overview is a great option to send to key stakeholders before meeting to discuss the project further.

In some cases, you need a longer document to present your business case. This sustainability business case from the National Environmental Education Foundation offers an in-depth look at the project. It includes detailed research and examples from other sustainability projects.

Making an Effective Business Case

A business case is an important part of a successful project. By creating a business case, you show key stakeholders exactly how you plan to solve a problem.

Download the template above as a guide for a business case for your next project. As you work on your business case, focus on explaining your solutions and how you will work toward the goal throughout the entire project.

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

Published: July 01, 2024

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

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

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

Table of Contents

Business Plan Types

Business plan format, sample business plan: section by section, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ultimately, the format of your business plan will vary based on your goals for that plan. I’ve added this quick review of different business plan types that achieve differing goals.

For a more detailed exploration of business plan types, you can check out this post .

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1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas. If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

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

2. Feasibility Studies

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

3. Internal Use

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

4. Strategic Initiatives

A strategic business plan is another business plan that's often shared internally. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

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

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

I’m going to focus on a startup business plan that needs to be detailed and research-backed as well as compelling enough to convince investors to offer funding. In my experience, the most comprehensive and convincing business plans contain the following sections.

Executive Summary

This all-important introduction to your business plan sets the tone and includes the company description as well as what you will be exchanging for money — whether that’s product lines, services, or product-service hybrids.

Market Opportunity

Information about gaps in your industry’s market and how you plan to fill them, focused on demand and potential for growth.

Competitive Landscape Analysis

An overview of your competitors that includes consideration of their strengths and how you’ll manage them, their weaknesses and how you’ll capitalize on them, and how you can differentiate your offerings in the industry.

Target Audience

Descriptions of your ideal customers, their various problems that you can solve, and your customer acquisition strategy.

Marketing Strategy

This section details how you will market your brand to achieve specific goals, the channels and tactics you’ll utilize to reach those goals, and the metrics you’ll be using to measure your progress.

Key Features and Benefits

This is where you’ll use plain language to emphasize the value of your product/service, how it solves the problems of your target audiences, and how you’ll scale up over time.

Pricing and Revenue

This section describes your pricing strategy and plans for building revenue streams that fit your audiences while achieving your business goals.

This is the final section, communicating with investors that your business idea is worth investing in via profit/loss statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets to prove viability.

Okay, so now that we have a format established, I’ll give you more specific details about each section along with examples. Truthfully, I wish I’d had this resource to help me flesh out those first business plans long ago.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. It is essentially an overview of and introduction to your entire project.

Write this in such a way that it grabs your readers' attention and guides them through the rest of the business plan. This is important because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary: your company description and your products and services.

Company Description

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

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

Need some extra help firming up your business goals? I’d recommend HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set meaningful goals that matter most for your business.

Products and Services

Here, you will incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive, as it is just a chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business. I recommend including snippets of information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here as well.

Keep in mind that you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. The executive summary should be clear and brief, only including the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template . What makes this executive summary good is that it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Our Mission

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels offers gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position.

The Company and Management

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten-free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, MA, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her bagel shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

• Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications, Ltd.
• Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP.

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment with opportunities for open mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the North Shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling point. Additionally, our market research [see Section 3] has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

Example 2 :

Marianne and Keith Bean have been involved with the food industry for several years. They opened their first restaurant in Antlers, Oklahoma in 1981, and their second in Hugo in 1988. Although praised for the quality of many of the items on their menu, they have attained a special notoriety for their desserts. After years of requests for their flavored whipped cream toppings, they have decided to pursue marketing these products separately from the restaurants.

Marianne and Keith Bean have developed several recipes for flavored whipped cream topping. They include chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon almond, and strawberry. These flavored dessert toppings have been used in the setting of their two restaurants over the past 18 years, and have been produced in large quantities. The estimated shelf life of the product is 21 days at refrigeration temperatures and up to six months when frozen. The Beans intend to market this product in its frozen state in 8 and 12-ounce plastic tubs. They also intend to have the products available in six ounce pressurized cans. Special attention has been given to developing an attractive label that will stress the gourmet/specialty nature of the products.

Distribution of Fancy's Foods Whipped Dream product will begin in the local southeastern Oklahoma area. The Beans have an established name and reputation in this area, and product introduction should encounter little resistance.

Financial analyses show that the company will have both a positive cash flow and profit in the first year. The expected return on equity in the first year is 10.88%

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

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

For more guidance, check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary .

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market. Ask and answer: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, SOM analysis , a SWOT analysis , and perform market research on your industry to get some insights for this section. More specifically, here’s what I’d include.

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

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

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

Example: The market for Doggie Pause is all of the dog owners in the metropolitan area and surrounding areas of the city. We believe that this is going to be 2/3 of the population, and we have a goal of gaining a 50% market share. We have a target of a 20% yearly profit increase as the business continues.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

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

3. Competitive Landscape Analysis

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you‘ll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are. After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you’ll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

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

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

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are. It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location. This demonstrates useful experience in the industry, helping to build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Competitive Environment

Currently, there are four primary competitors in the Greater Omaha Area: Pinot’s Palette Lakeside (franchise partner), Village Canvas and Cabernet, The Corky Canvas, and Twisted Vine Collective. The first three competitors are in Omaha and the fourth is located in Papillion.

Despite the competition, all locations have both public and private events. Each location has a few sold-out painting events each month. The Omaha locations are in new, popular retail locations, while the existing Papillion location is in a downtown business district.

There is an opportunity to take advantage of the environment and open a studio in a well-traveled or growing area. Pinot’s Palette La Vista will differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a premium experience in a high-growth, influential location.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

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

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience? I’d recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear about why you're targeting them. Here are some questions I’d ask myself:

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

Target Audience Business Plan Example

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

The Audience

Recognize that audiences are often already aware of important issues. Outreach materials should:

• Emphasize a pollution-prevention practice
• Tell audience a little about how to prevent pollution
• Tell audience where they can obtain information about prevention.

Message Content

• Focus the content for outreach materials on cost savings, such as when and where pollution prevention is as cheap as or cheaper than traditional techniques. Include facts and figures.
• Emphasize how easy it is to do the right thing and the impacts of not engaging in pollution prevention.
• Stress benefits such as efficiency or better relations with government, for businesses not primarily concerned with public image.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

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

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you‘ll discuss how you’ll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier. I’d suggest including these details:

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

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler. In my opinion, it works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

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

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

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How to Write a Business Case (Template Included)

Table of Contents

What is a business case, business case template, how to write a business case, key elements of a business case, how projectmanager helps with your business case, watch our business case training video.

A business case is a project management document that explains how the benefits of a project overweigh its costs and why it should be executed. Business cases are prepared during the project initiation phase and their purpose is to include all the project’s objectives, costs and benefits to convince stakeholders of its value.

A business case is an important project document to prove to your client, customer or stakeholder that the project proposal you’re pitching is a sound investment. Below, we illustrate the steps to writing one that will sway them.

The need for a business case is that it collects the financial appraisal, proposal, strategy and marketing plan in one document and offers a full look at how the project will benefit the organization. Once your business case is approved by the project stakeholders, you can begin the project planning phase.

Our business case template for Word is the perfect tool to start writing a business case. It has 9 key business case areas you can customize as needed. Download the template for free and follow the steps below to create a great business case for all your projects.

Projects fail without having a solid business case to rest on, as this project document is the base for the project charter and project plan. But if a project business case is not anchored to reality, and doesn’t address a need that aligns with the larger business objectives of the organization, then it is irrelevant.

The research you’ll need to create a strong business case is the why, what, how and who of your project. This must be clearly communicated. The elements of your business case will address the why but in greater detail. Think of the business case as a document that is created during the project initiation phase but will be used as a reference throughout the project life cycle.

Whether you’re starting a new project or mid-way through one, take time to write up a business case to justify the project expenditure by identifying the business benefits your project will deliver and that your stakeholders are most interested in reaping from the work. The following four steps will show you how to write a business case.

Step 1: Identify the Business Problem

Projects aren’t created for projects’ sake. They should always be aligned with business goals . Usually, they’re initiated to solve a specific business problem or create a business opportunity.

You should “Lead with the need.” Your first job is to figure out what that problem or opportunity is, describe it, find out where it comes from and then address the time frame needed to deal with it.

This can be a simple statement but is best articulated with some research into the economic climate and the competitive landscape to justify the timing of the project.

Step 2: Identify the Alternative Solutions

How do you know whether the project you’re undertaking is the best possible solution to the problem defined above? Naturally, prioritizing projects is hard, and the path to success is not paved with unfounded assumptions.

One way to narrow down the focus to make the right solution clear is to follow these six steps (after the relevant research, of course):

• Note the alternative solutions.
• For each solution, quantify its benefits.
• Also, forecast the costs involved in each solution.
• Then figure out its feasibility .
• Discern the risks and issues associated with each solution.
• Finally, document all this in your business case.

Get your free

Use this free Business Case Template for Word to manage your projects better.

Step 3: Recommend a Preferred Solution

You’ll next need to rank the solutions, but before doing that it’s best to set up criteria, maybe have a scoring mechanism such as a decision matrix to help you prioritize the solutions to best choose the right one.

Some methodologies you can apply include:

• Depending on the solution’s cost and benefit , give it a score of 1-10.
• Base your score on what’s important to you.
• Add more complexity to your ranking to cover all bases.

Regardless of your approach, once you’ve added up your numbers, the best solution to your problem will become evident. Again, you’ll want to have this process also documented in your business case.

Step 4: Describe the Implementation Approach

So, you’ve identified your business problem or opportunity and how to reach it, now you have to convince your stakeholders that you’re right and have the best way to implement a process to achieve your goals. That’s why documentation is so important; it offers a practical path to solve the core problem you identified.

Now, it’s not just an exercise to appease senior leadership. Who knows what you might uncover in the research you put into exploring the underlying problem and determining alternative solutions? You might save the organization millions with an alternate solution than the one initially proposed. When you put in the work on a strong business case, you’re able to get your sponsors or organizational leadership on board with you and have a clear vision as to how to ensure the delivery of the business benefits they expect.

One of the key steps to starting a business case is to have a business case checklist. The following is a detailed outline to follow when developing your business case. You can choose which of these elements are the most relevant to your project stakeholders and add them to our business case template. Then once your business case is approved, start managing your projects with a robust project management software such as ProjectManager.

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary is a short version of each section of your business case. It’s used to give stakeholders a quick overview of your project.

2. Project Definition

This section is meant to provide general information about your projects, such as the business objectives that will be achieved and the project plan outline.

3. Vision, Goals and Objectives

First, you have to figure out what you’re trying to do and what is the problem you want to solve. You’ll need to define your project vision, goals and objectives. This will help you shape your project scope and identify project deliverables.

4. Project Scope

The project scope determines all the tasks and deliverables that will be executed in your project to reach your business objectives.

5. Background Information

Here you can provide a context for your project, explaining the problem that it’s meant to solve, and how it aligns with your organization’s vision and strategic plan.

6. Success Criteria and Stakeholder Requirements

Depending on what kind of project you’re working on, the quality requirements will differ, but they are critical to the project’s success. Collect all of them, figure out what determines if you’ve successfully met them and report on the results .

7. Project Plan

It’s time to create the project plan. Figure out the tasks you’ll have to take to get the project done. You can use a work breakdown structure template  to make sure you are through. Once you have all the tasks collected, estimate how long it will take to complete each one.

Project management software makes creating a project plan significantly easier. ProjectManager can upload your work breakdown structure template and all your tasks are populated in our tool. You can organize them according to your production cycle with our kanban board view, or use our Gantt chart view to create a project schedule.

8. Project Budget

Your budget is an estimate of everything in your project plan and what it will cost to complete the project over the scheduled time allotted.

9. Project Schedule

Make a timeline for the project by estimating how long it will take to get each task completed. For a more impactful project schedule , use a tool to make a Gantt chart, and print it out. This will provide that extra flourish of data visualization and skill that Excel sheets lack.

10. Project Governance

Project governance refers to all the project management rules and procedures that apply to your project. For example, it defines the roles and responsibilities of the project team members and the framework for decision-making.

11. Communication Plan

Have milestones for check-ins and status updates, as well as determine how stakeholders will stay aware of the progress over the project life cycle.

12. Progress Reports

Have a plan in place to monitor and track your progress during the project to compare planned to actual progress. There are project tracking tools that can help you monitor progress and performance.

Again, using a project management tool improves your ability to see what’s happening in your project. ProjectManager has tracking tools like dashboards and status reports that give you a high-level view and more detail, respectively. Unlike light-weight apps that make you set up a dashboard, ours is embedded in the tool. Better still, our cloud-based software gives you real-time data for more insightful decision-making. Also, get reports on more than just status updates, but timesheets, workload, portfolio status and much more, all with just one click. Then filter the reports and share them with stakeholders to keep them updated.

13. Financial Appraisal

This is a very important section of your business case because this is where you explain how the financial benefits outweigh the project costs . Compare the financial costs and benefits of your project. You can do this by doing a sensitivity analysis and a cost-benefit analysis.

14. Market Assessment

Research your market, competitors and industry, to find opportunities and threats

15. Competitor Analysis

Identify direct and indirect competitors and do an assessment of their products, strengths, competitive advantages and their business strategy.

16. SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis helps you identify your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strengths and weaknesses are internal, while the opportunities and threats are external.

17. Marketing Strategy

Describe your product, distribution channels, pricing, target customers among other aspects of your marketing plan or strategy.

18. Risk Assessment

There are many risk categories that can impact your project. The first step to mitigating them is to identify and analyze the risks associated with your project activities.

ProjectManager , an award-winning project management software, can collect and assemble all the various data you’ll be collecting, and then easily share it both with your team and project sponsors.

Once you have a spreadsheet with all your tasks listed, you can import it into our software. Then it’s instantly populated into a Gantt chart . Simply set the duration for each of the tasks, add any dependencies, and your project is now spread across a timeline. You can set milestones, but there is so much more you can do.

You have a project plan now, and from the online Gantt chart, you can assign team members to tasks. Then they can comment directly on the tasks they’re working on, adding as many documents and images as needed, fostering a collaborative environment. You can track their progress and change task durations as needed by dragging and dropping the start and end dates.

But that’s only a taste of what ProjectManager offers. We have kanban boards that visualize your workflow and a real-time dashboard that tracks six project metrics for the most accurate view of your project possible.

Try ProjectManager and see for yourself with this 30-day free trial .

If you want more business case advice, take a moment to watch Jennifer Bridges, PMP, in this short training video. She explains the steps you have to take in order to write a good business case.

Here’s a screenshot for your reference.

Transcription:

Today we’re talking about how to write a business case. Well, over the past few years, we’ve seen the market, or maybe organizations, companies or even projects, move away from doing business cases. But, these days, companies, organizations, and those same projects are scrutinizing the investments and they’re really seeking a rate of return.

So now, think of the business case as your opportunity to package your project, your idea, your opportunity, and show what it means and what the benefits are and how other people can benefit.

We want to take a look today to see what’s in the business case and how to write one. I want to be clear that when you look for information on a business case, it’s not a briefcase.

Someone called the other day and they were confused because they were looking for something, and they kept pulling up briefcases. That’s not what we’re talking about today. What we’re talking about are business cases, and they include information about your strategies, about your goals. It is your business proposal. It has your business outline, your business strategy, and even your marketing plan.

Why Do You Need a Business Case?

And so, why is that so important today? Again, companies are seeking not only their project managers but their team members to have a better understanding of business and more of an idea business acumen. So this business case provides the justification for the proposed business change or plan. It outlines the allocation of capital that you may be seeking and the resources required to implement it. Then, it can be an action plan . It may just serve as a unified vision. And then it also provides the decision-makers with different options.

So let’s look more at the steps required to put these business cases together. There are four main steps. One, you want to research your market. Really look at what’s out there, where are the needs, where are the gaps that you can serve? Look at your competition. How are they approaching this, and how can you maybe provide some other alternatives?

You want to compare and finalize different approaches that you can use to go to market. Then you compile that data and you present strategies, your goals and other options to be considered.

And then you literally document it.

So what does the document look like? Well, there are templates out there today. The components vary, but these are the common ones. And then these are what I consider essential. So there’s the executive summary. This is just a summary of your company, what your management team may look like, a summary of your product and service and your market.

The business description gives a little bit more history about your company and the mission statement and really what your company is about and how this product or service fits in.

Then, you outline the details of the product or service that you’re looking to either expand or roll out or implement. You may even include in their patents may be that you have pending or other trademarks.

Then, you want to identify and lay out your marketing strategy. Like, how are you gonna take this to your customers? Are you going to have a brick-and-mortar store? Are you gonna do this online? And, what are your plans to take it to market?

You also want to include detailed information about your competitor analysis. How are they doing things? And, how are you planning on, I guess, beating your competition?

You also want to look at and identify your SWOT. And the SWOT is your strength. What are the strengths that you have in going to market? And where are the weaknesses? Maybe some of your gaps. And further, where are your opportunities and maybe threats that you need to plan for? Then the overview of the operation includes operational information like your production, even human resources, information about the day-to-day operations of your company.

And then, your financial plan includes your profit statement, your profit and loss, any of your financials, any collateral that you may have, and any kind of investments that you may be seeking.

So these are the components of your business case. This is why it’s so important. And if you need a tool that can help you manage and track this process, then sign up for our software now at ProjectManager .

Deliver your projects on time and on budget

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Small Business

The Business Background: (Portion of a Business Plan)

Your business plan spells out your company’s origins, history, mission, and vision, among other things. One of the most crucial portions of this document is the Business Background that allows you to tell clients how you can up with the idea for your business and why you are uniquely placed to solve the pain points that your brand addresses.

When sharing your company’s background, you are doing more than recounting your you developed an idea and launched it into a business. You are also convincing prospective investors that you have the right set of strengths, skills, experience, and personal history to succeed in your business’s mission. You are answering the question, ‘why should I invest in your idea?’

What Is a Business Background?

The business background portion of a business plan is a section that traditionally follows the executive summary. It describes the inspiration behind your business and crucial details about the company itself, such as the location, size, purpose, and mission. Generally, it sets out the direction and focus of your brand, helping potential investors, partners, and lenders understand who you are and what you do.

When you present your business plan to prospective investors, they will turn to the business background portion to check whether your core values align with their beliefs. Think of it as a way to itch your business through words on a page.

What it Includes

The length and content of your company background will depend on how far along you are in your business. As your business grows, so does your background and history. That said, an effective business background should review the following:

Origin: Your company’s origin is the story of how you came up with your business idea and may include details like what inspired you. It should also outline the progress you have made, including relevant milestones, the limitations you have come across, and how you have handled them.

Tip: Sharing your business’s struggles might seem counterproductive, but it actually humanizes your brand and endears you to the reader.

Target Market: Next, your business background should include a summary of your brand’s target market, including your reason for pursuing the opportunity and plans for reaching that market. This is where you get to distinguish yourself from companies producing the same product or service as you.

Qualifications: Lastly, the document should explain why you are the best person to pursue your business idea and what qualifies you to get results. The focus can be your professional experience, but if that is in short supply, you can highlight research that supports the viability of your idea.

For a Brand New Business

As already mentioned, how long your business background is and what it entails will depend on how long your business has been in operation. This is not to mean that you should not work on it if your company is still relatively new, as investors will want to know where you picture your business going. It only means that you might have to switch focus from your company’s successes to your personal history and qualifications. Here are some things to include:

• Your academic qualifications
• Businesses you have launched in the past and how they have faired
• Your professional background (previous employers and job titles)
• Your abilities and technical skills
• Your weakness areas and plan to overcome them
• The professional associations, organizations, or clubs you belong to – must be relevant to your industry.

How to Write a Company Background

Knowing what to include in the document is only the first step in writing the perfect Business Background. The following step-by-step guide should help you through the rest of the process:

Step 1: Summarize Your Story in a Captivating Pitch

The first paragraph of the business background will convince the reader to keep reading or give up on your idea. To achieve the former, start with a section that summarizes all the necessary details about your business and expresses your vision. Think of this part as a pitch.

Step 2: Give an Overall View of the Company

Usually, some of the topics highlighted in this section will be expounded on in subsequent business plan segments. Therefore, keep such topics brief and only provide a summary.

Step 3: Infuse Excitement into Your Tone

Use a tone that conveys the passion you have for your business and its future. As the reader reads this segment, they should be able to tell how dedicated you are to your company’s vision and mission.

Step 4: Check the Length

Writing about something you are passionate about can easily get away from you, resulting in a good but too-long segment. Read through your business background and eliminate any irrelevant or repetitive lines.

Step 5: Proofread

Finally, hand over your draft to a neutral party that hasn’t been present during the writing process and ask them to check it for grammatical or spelling errors and any flaws in the flow. Correct these problems to create a final draft.

Tips for Being Creative

While the backbone of a good business background is information, your tone and presentation play a huge role in how this information is consumed. Overall, you want to share details about your company in an engaging way that draws an investor to keep reading. Here are some tips to help you do this:

• Use images and illustrations to tell your business’s origins and history.
• When illustrating milestones, accompany data with graphs and charts.
• Include news experts that feature your business when establishing the uniqueness of your business approach.
• Use testimonials from satisfied customers to show how your target audience perceives your business.
• Share some of your business’s struggles and how you overcame them. This will make you more relatable to your target audience.

You don’t have to incorporate all these approaches into your business background; in fact, doing so will have the opposite effect. So instead, find one or two tips that work for you and use those.

Final Thoughts

Drafting the Business Background portion of a business plan is usually the most fun and engaging step in the process. This is because it allows you to talk about the history, inspiration, struggles, and successes behind your business idea. More than tell the client how your business came to be, this portion tells them how you plan to achieve your original goals and serve them in the process. When drafting it, keep the description short, simple, engaging, and specific to your brand.

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Blog Business How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

How to Write Business Proposal (Examples + Free Templates)

Written by: Aditya Sheth Jan 25, 2024

The great Mark Cuban once said, “Sales cure all.” If a business doesn’t sell, it doesn’t make money and by extension the business fails. That’s why you need to write business proposals .

A well-written business proposal can often mean the difference between winning or losing a prospective client.

In this in-depth guide to creating business proposals, we show you how to close more deals, make more sales and crush your business goals — all by using easy-to-edit professional business proposal templates .

Here’s what this guide will cover (click to jump ahead):

What is a business proposal, what are the components of a business proposal.

• How to write a business proposal step by step

What should you include in a business proposal?

What are the types of business proposals, more business proposal examples + writing and design tips.

• FAQs about business proposals

Looking for a shortcut? Watch this quick video for an overview of everything to include in your business proposal:

A business proposal is a document designed to outline a business plan to convince potential client, investor or partner to engage in a business agreement with you or your company. It’s basically a sales pitch in writing to persuade potential clients to show them benefits of working with you or your company for their business success.

A business proposal outlines what your business does and what you can do for your client . It can be general like this business proposal example:

Or it can be more specific, like this business proposal template which focuses on proposing a project for the Newton Center Rail:

Or this business proposal sample, which presents a plan for a social media strategy and campaign:

To design a business proposal that holds the client’s attention, identify their pain points . Then provide your buyer with the right solution to alleviate those frustrations.

Working on a new project? These project proposal examples might come in handy for you.

The components of a business proposal can change depending on the field, company size and client needs. While details may differ, strong proposals typically introduce your company, explain the problem, offer a solution and its benefits, highlight your team’s skills, and outline timeline, cost and next steps.

How to write a business proposal step by step

Before you start creating your business proposal template, you need to understand the business proposal format. At a high level, your effective business proposal should include the following:

• Create a compelling business proposal title
• Build a table of contents
• Craft the executive summary
• Write a detailed problem statement
• Propose your solutions
• Showcase your team’s expertise
• Create a realistic timeline
• Present your payment structure
• Specify the terms and conditions
• Receiving the decision

Below, you can see business proposal examples that demonstrate how to include these 10 sections.

1. Create a compelling business proposal title

A compelling title could mean the difference between someone reading your proposal or ignoring it in favor of a competitor’s . 

What makes a good title page? Here are the essential elements to include: 

• Your name along with your company’s name
• The name of the prospect (or their business) 
• The date you’re submitting the proposal

The gray business consulting proposal template above contains all the details a prospect would want to know. The title also offers a strong tangible benefit to the prospective buyer. Honestly, “Who doesn’t want to grow their business?”

2. Build a table of contents

The table of contents is a fundamental part of every winning business proposal template. It makes your proposal scannable and easy to read.

The people you will be pitching to are usually C-level executives like the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), COO (Chief Operating Officer), or fractional executives who work part-time. These are busy people who don’t have time to read your entire proposal in one go.

That’s why most of the business proposal examples in this list include a table of contents.

Adding a table of contents to your document makes it easy for them to go through it at their own pace. They can also skim through parts of the proposal that they deem more important. You can see how this abstract business proposal template uses the table of contents:

You can also make your business proposal template easier to navigate by adding hyperlinks to the document, particularly in the table of contents. This way your clients can jump to specific sections without having to scroll through the entire document. Ensuring your business plan format follows a clear structure can greatly enhance readability and comprehension for potential investors or partners.

It’s easy to add hyperlinks in the Venngage editor. Select the text you’d like to turn into a link, then click the link icon in the top bar. From there, select the page you want to link to! Then download your completed design as an Interactive PDF .

3. Craft the executive summary

The executive summary is a staple in all kinds of annual reports , leadership development plan , project plans and even marketing plans . It is a concise summary of the entire contents of your document. In other words, write a business proposal outline that is easy to glance over and that highlights your value proposition.

The goals of your executive summary are:

• Introduce your company to your buyer
• Provide an overview of your company goals
• Showcase your company’s milestones, overall vision and future plans
• Include any other relevant details

This gray business proposal example has a detailed yet short executive summary including some social proof in the form of clients they’ve worked with:

Take note of how precise this business proposal example is. You want to keep your executive summary concise and clear from the get-go. This sets the right tone for the rest of your proposal. It also gives your buyer a reason to continue reading your proposal.

Crafting an executive summary and keeping it concise and compelling can be challenging. but you can use an AI summarizer online to generate an executive summary. Such tools are trained on relevant AI models that can extract core points from a given text. You can get such a point either in bullet form or in abstract summary form.

Pro Tip: Try to write an executive summary such that, even if your prospective client doesn’t read the entire proposal (with a good executive summary, they most likely will), they should have a clear idea about what your company does and how you can help them.

4. Write a detailed problem statement

The point of writing a business proposal is to solve a buyer’s problem. Your goal is to outline the problem statement as clearly as possible. This develops a sense of urgency in your prospect. They will want to find a solution to the problem. And you have that solution.

 A well-defined problem statement does two things: 

• It shows the prospect you have done your homework instead of sending a generic pitch
• It creates an opportunity for you to point out a problem your prospect might not be aware they had in the first place. 

This bold business proposal template above clearly outlines the problem at hand and also offers a ray of hope i.e. how you can solve your prospect’s problem. This brings me to… 

5. P ropose your solutions

The good stuff. In the proposed solution section, you show how you can alleviate your prospective buyer’s pain points. This can fit onto the problem statement section but if you have a comprehensive solution or prefer to elaborate on the details, a separate section is a good idea.

Spare no details regarding the solution you will provide. When you write a business proposal, explain how you plan to deliver the solution. Include an estimated timeline of when they can expect your solution and other relevant details.

For inspiration, look at how this business proposal template quickly and succinctly outlines the project plan, deliverables and metrics :

6. Showcase your team’s expertise

At this point, the prospect you’re pitching your solution to likes what they’re reading. But they may not trust you to deliver on your promises. Why is this?

It’s because they don’t know you. Your job is to convince them that you can fix their problem. This section is important because it acts as social proof. You can highlight what your company does best and how qualified your team is when you write a business proposal for a potential client.

This free business proposal template showcases the company’s accolades, client testimonials, relevant case studies, and industry awards. You can also include other forms of social proof to establish yourself as a credible business. This makes it that much more likely that they will say yes!

Pro Tip: Attaching in-depth case studies of your work is a great way to build trust with a potential client by showcasing how you’ve solved similar problems for other clients in the past. Our case study examples post can show you how to do just that.

7. Create a realistic timeline

To further demonstrate just how prepared you are, it’s important to outline the next steps you will take should your buyer decide to work with you.

Provide a timeline of how and when you will complete all your deliverables. You can do this by designing a  flow chart . Or add a  roadmap  with deadlines. Pitching a long-term project? A timeline infographic would be a better fit.

If you look at this abstract business proposal template below, even something as simple as a table can do the trick.

The timeline is not always set in stone, rather it’s an estimation. The goal is to clarify any questions your potential client might have about how you will deliver for the underlying B2B sales process.

8. Present your payment and terms

On this page, you can outline your fees, payment schedule, invoice payment terms , as well as legal aspects involved in this deal. You can even use the  Excel Invoice Template  to create professional-looking invoices (including brand logo and other elements) and add them to this page.

The adoption of invoice templates is beneficial for small businesses as it streamlines the invoicing process and maintains professionalism in financial dealings. Also, by utilizing small business invoice templates , you can efficiently manage invoicing tasks while upholding a polished and structured approach to financial transactions.

The key to good pricing is to provide your buyer with options. A  pricing comparison table can help with this. You want to give your client some room to work with. Make sure you’re not scaring off your client with a high price, nor undervaluing yourself. 

Breaking up your pricing in stages is another great way to make sure your potential client knows what he’s paying for. Look at how this simple business proposal template does this:

The legal aspects can slot right into the terms and conditions section. Alternatively, you can add them to the signature section of the proposal to keep things simple.

9. Specify the terms and conditions

Summarize everything you have promised to deliver so far. Include what you expect from your prospective buyer in return.   Add the overall project timeline from start to end, as well as payment methods and payment schedule, incorporating these details into an online digital project management tool. This way, both of you will be clear on what is being agreed on.

This step is very important as it outlines all the legal aspects of the deal. That is why the terms and conditions section of your proposal needs to be as clear as possible.

I recommend consulting a lawyer or your legal team when working on this section of the business proposal. If you’re a business veteran and understand the legalities of your business, you can use the same terms and conditions across all your proposals.

10. Receiving the decision

The final step of this whole process. Your client has read your business proposal and they want to buy what you have to offer.

Add a small section at the end of your proposal to get the necessary signatures. This way, you and your client can sign the proposal and the partnership becomes official.

Be sure to also include your contact information in your business proposal template. It acts as a gentle prompt to your client to contact you in case they have any questions. A professional way of doig that would be to include an e-business card with your contact details, email i.d and any other social links you want to share. You can go through this article for the best digital business cards .

A business proposal usually aims to answer the following questions: 

• Who you are and what your company does
• The problem your buyer is facing
• The solution your company offers to alleviate the problem
• How your company will implement this solution effectively
• An estimate of resources (time, money, etc) required to implement the solution

You can see how this sample business proposal template covers the above points.

Notice how this proposal template addresses the same project like in one of the previous templates, but uses a completely different design style (more retro, while the previous business proposal template is more modern and minimalistic).

Generally, there are three types of business proposals:

1. Formally solicited 

A formally solicited business proposal is made when you respond to an official request to write a business proposal.

In this scenario, you know all the requirements and have more (if not all) information about a prospective buyer. You simply need to write the business proposal for your buyer to evaluate so you can begin the sales process .

2. Informally solicited 

Informally solicited business proposals are written when there isn’t an official request for a proposal. A prospective buyer is interested in your services and asks for a proposal so they can evaluate it.

An informally solicited proposal requires a lot more research from your end. These types of proposals are usually created out of informal conversations. They are not based on official requests which often contain more detail.

3. Unsolicited 

Think of this as a marketing brochure or a cold email . Unsolicited business proposals will often take a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to business proposals. Unsolicited proposals lack any understanding of the buyer or their requirements.

But with additional  market research , personalization and identifying customer pain points , you can propose a customized solution based on your buyer’s needs. This can be a very persuasive approach, such as in this business proposal example:

Now that you know how to write a business proposal, let’s look at how you can optimize your proposal to deliver results!

Below you’ll find some winning business proposal templates and examples to get you started. I’ve also included some design tips to keep in mind when you’re creating your next business proposal: 

1. Know your audience 

If you have some clarity on who your ideal buyer is — their pain points, their budget, deadlines, among other things — you’ve already won half the battle.

If you are a business that helps clients with everything from running giveaways or helping grow their blog , identify which customers to pitch. This is a sure-shot way to close the deal.

Mapping user personas  for your ideal buyer can help bring some clarity. It will also help you position your business proposal correctly. This improves the chance of your buyer moving your business proposal to the “Yes!” pile.

2. Put your brand front and center

If your company follows certain brand guidelines, incorporate them in your business proposal templates. Consider how business proposal examples like the one below highlight brand identity :

From the color palettes to the company logos , everything follows their brand guidelines. The result: a business proposal that’s consistent across the board.

Pro Tip: Switching this template to match your brand assets is actually pretty easy. Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature allows you to import your color palettes, logos as well as font choices. Any Venngage template can now be your template.

You can also consider this sample business proposal template:

App design companies sure do know their design. They did a phenomenal job keeping their brand colors consistent while opting for a black design. This unique color scheme also makes their white logo prominent throughout the proposal.

3. Try less text, more visuals

Have you ever read a proposal and thought to yourself, “Wow, this is all text and has no images, I love it!”? Yeah, me neither.

The free business proposal template below is a perfect example of the “less is more” principle. It does a phenomenal job of communicating what it needs to. By substituting some of the text with icons and visuals, you get a clean business proposal that’s much more scannable.

Want to keep things strictly professional? Instead of icons, you can always add your team’s headshots. This shows your buyer exactly who they’ll be working with.  

Check out this formal business proposal format for some inspiration:

4. Switch up your business proposal designs

It doesn’t hurt to go above and beyond once in a while. Jazz up your business proposal template with some extra colors. This helps make your business proposal more engaging. It also helps your buyers retain information faster.

The business proposal example alternates between black, white and grey backgrounds. It still manages to maintain consistency in its branding . Just switching up your backgrounds once in a while can also bring in some variety to an otherwise standard business proposal.

This SEO business proposal sample proves that it’s possible to switch up the colors in every other page. But it still maintains the same color scheme across the entire proposal just like a professionally designed website : 

Pro Tip: Not a color expert? Our guide on picking colors can help you pick the right color scheme for your proposals.

FAQ about business proposals

What is the purpose of a business proposal.

A business proposal aims to streamline the B2B sales process (which is often complex ) between you as a seller and a buyer.

It does this by serving the dual purpose of acting as a source of information. The proposal also acts as a sales pitch aimed at convincing your buyer why they should buy what you have to offer.

What are the best practices for business proposal design?

• Do a thorough spell-check. The goal of your business proposal is to convince your buyer why you’re the perfect person for the job. A proposal with typos or grammatical errors communicates the opposite. A thorough spell-check before you send your proposal is a must.
• Keep things clear and readable: Clarity is an important aspect that you have to ensure in your business proposal. If you want your proposal to hit home and make an impact on the buyer, you have to write it in an understandable way. To keep things clear and readable, there are a couple of things that you can do. You can, for one, take care to use easy wording and segmented sentences from the get-go. You can also try paraphrasing the hard parts of your proposal once you are done writing it.
• Let your brand shine. As discussed before, writing a business proposal is all about knowing your ideal buyer and focusing on their pain points. But that doesn’t mean your business proposal template has to be boring. Demonstrate how different you are compared to other companies. You can do this through your brand guidelines , by using more visuals, switching up your proposal design or showing off your personality in your writing . 
• Create a business proposal PDF. Downloading your business proposal in PDF format allows you to attach other collaterals with your business proposal. These can include a company explainer video or case studies showcasing the work done with past clients. Also, who doesn’t love saving paper?

How long should your business proposal be? 

The length depends on the scope of the work as well as the complexity of the project. Here is a one-page business proposal template:

Can your business proposal template really be one page? Yes, as long as you understand who your buyer is and their pain points. You should also have the ability to communicate everything your ideal buyer needs to know about your business in a succinct manner.

Or if you’re feeling adventurous how about just two pages? Often, clients prefer if you go straight to the point and avoid all the fluff.

For example, this green modern marketing proposal template wastes no time in getting down to brass tacks:

Need more inspiration? Check out this blog on the 5 marketing proposal examples that’ll help elevate your business.

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to deciding how many pages you should include in your business proposal template. And at the end of the day, “the only rules are the ones you set for yourself”.

At the end of the day, writing winning business proposals that sell is all about you understanding your buyer, their potential pain points and positioning yourself as someone who can alleviate those pain points. 

Now that you know how to write compelling business proposals, what are you waiting for?

Take action and start creating your own business proposals to close more deals and grow your business today!

More business communications templates + writing tips you might be interested in…

• 31 Consulting Proposal Templates to Close Deals
• 20+ Professional Business Letterhead Templates + Branding Tips
• How to Write a White Paper [Tips & Templates]

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