In this article
- Accessing the sample plan library
- How do I download a sample business plan from the library?
- Can I edit the sample plans in LivePlan?
Accessing the sample plan library
Please take a look at our extensive collection of over 500 sample business plans to get inspired for your plan. You can review our high-quality sample plans to get ideas and examples to help you get started. Our sample plans are designed to provide realistic sample content for all types of businesses. You'll see examples of how to write a compelling executive summary, plan marketing activities, forecast your financials, and much more.
Note: The sample plans provided are for reference only. While they cannot be imported for use in LivePlan, you may copy and paste sections from a sample plan into LivePlan to use as a starting point for editing.
To access our free library of sample plans:
First, click on the LivePlan Learning menu near the bottom-right of your LivePlan window:
Next, select Sample Business Plans from the LivePlan Learning menu:
The library will open in a separate tab in your web browser, so you'll have your LivePlan account in one tab and the library in another. This makes it easy to switch between them.
How do I download a sample business plan from the library?
If you want to view any plans offline in our sample plan library, you can download any sample plan as a Word document.
- Visit www.bplans.com
- Click on Sample Business Plan Gallery
- Find the sample plan you want to download and click on it.
- Right-click within the plan's text, and you'll receive a popup that reads, "Don't bother with copy & paste. Get this complete sample business plan as a free text document."
- Click the Download for free button, then complete the form on the right side of the screen and click DOWNLOAD NOW:
- Your plan will automatically download to the default download location on your computer
If you need to download multiple sample plans or the "Don't bother with copy and paste" window has been dismissed, open a new incognito or private browser tab for each plan you intend to download.
Can I edit the sample plans in LivePlan?
Our library of over 500 sample business plans is intended as a resource for general inspiration. These plans aren't meant as industry-specific templates, but you can use the LivePlan template to create a plan for your unique business and market.
Why is the outline of the sample plan different?
The sample plans in our library were created with Business Plan Pro, our original Windows software. Business Plan Pro used a document outline that was different from LivePlan, so you may notice that the sample plans' structure differs from what you see in LivePlan. This is completely okay - the LivePlan outline contains every topic you need to start writing a plan for any business. And you can easily customize it for your unique business and market.
We don't recommend replicating the sample plan outline exactly - that can be a laborious process, and there's just no need. Instead, start with the plan outline in LivePlan and use the instructions and examples to help you formulate your content. The sample plans offer a helpful view into how companies like yours have approached writing their plans, which can greatly help your writing.
If you are looking for a faster way to start your plan, try our Pitch tool. It's designed to help you quickly identify the key components of your business and express them in a condensed infographic format. If you haven't tried it yet, here's how to get started.