Business Plan

Templates
Set up for success with strategic planning frameworks,
including Lean Canvas, SWOT Analysis, Pirate Funnel, and more.
Create a Lean canvas is a one-page business plan
template created by Ash Maurya. It’s

Business Plan
designed to create a snapshot of your
business idea, distill the essence of your
product or service, and break it down into

with a Lean
key parts. Check out a completed example
on the next page and then try filling out
the blank lean canvas for your own

Canvas
business on the page after that
Problem Solution Unique Value Proposition Unfair Advantage Customer Segments
What problems are people How will you solve these What separates you from Create 3 to 4 personas of the
facing? List their top 3 problems? Write down a How will you turn an competitors? What makes people you can help.
frustrations. solution for each problem. unaware visitor into an you ahead of the pack? Visualize these people who
interested customer? Create a will turn to you for solutions.
clear and compelling one-
liner message you want to
send across.

Existing Alternatives High Level Concept Early Adopters

Key Metrics How does your product or Channels What are the specific
How are these problems How will you measure the service fit into the grand How will you reach your characteristics of your early
solved today? This can be a success of your product or scheme of things? target consumers? Direct adopters?
direct competitor to what you service? List the key metrics. marketing, social media, ads,
are offering or the existing partnerships — identify the
ways people are employing effective ways to reach them.
to address their problems.

Cost Structure Revenue Streams

What are the fixed and variable costs to launch your product or service? Consider the What money sources will grow your money? How will you generate income? Show a
cost at each stage from setting up a website, hiring employees, production, marketing, pricing model of your product or service and include other revenue sources, such as
and bringing them to consumers. sales and subscription fees.
 Strengths
Find Your What advantages does your company have? What do you do better

Competitive
than anyone else? What are your unique selling points?

Position with a Weaknesses

What areas can you improve on? What does your company lack?

SWOT Analysis
What things do your competitors do better than you?

A SWOT analysis maps out your company’s path

Strengths
towards your goals by identifying strengths and What changes in technology, policies, and social patterns can be a
growth opportunity for the company?
weaknesses (internal attributes) and opportunities and
threats (external conditions). Uncover your company's
competitive position with these guiding questions. Use
Threats
the blank framework on the next page to start filling
What are the obstacles to your company’s growth? Who are your
out your own SWOT analysis.
competitors? What changing factors can threaten your company's
position?
Visualize Your Company's Weak
Points with a Pirate Funnel

The Pirate Funnel is a customer-lifecycle framework by Dave McClure that shows what you need to focus on to
optimize your marketing funnel. It is called a Pirate Funnel because the first letters spell out AAARRR for
Awareness, Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, and Revenue. Use the blank framework on the next
page to start filling out your own pirate metrics.
 How will you introduce your company to your potential customers? Examples: impressions, click-
Awareness through rate, visits, and social media metrics.

Where are your potential customers coming from? What channel is driving the most valuable traffic
Acquisition for your company? Examples: new leads, email subscribers, resource downloads, support and sales
chats.

How will your potential customers try your product or service for the first time? How will you make
Activation them realize the true value of your product or service? Examples: new trial signups, product sales,
activation after app download.

How many of your customers are you retaining? Why are you losing others? Examples: customer
Retention acquisition rate and customer churn rate.

How can you increase revenue? What’s your monetization plan? Examples: customer acquisition cost
Revenue and customer lifetime value.

How can you turn your customers into advocates? What’s your systematic process to generate referrals
Referral consistently? Examples: Net Promoter Score, referrals, and social shares.
Position Your
Product or
Service with The 4Ps of Marketing illustrates how product,
price, place, and promotion work together when a
product or service is launched to customers. It is

the 4Ps of created by Neil Borden in the 1950s to demonstrate

the ways companies use advertising and marketing
techniques to convert potential buyers into actual

Marketing customers. Use the blank framework on the next

page to start filling out your own 4Ps of Marketing.
 Product Product refers to the good or
service you are offering to
• BRAND Price Price is what customers pay for a
customers. What needs does this product or service and it takes into
• FEATURES
• PRICE
• PACKAGING product fulfil? What frustrations account the cost of production. What is
• DISCOUNTS
does it address? What makes it • BUNDLING the value of the product or service to
compelling to customers such that DEALS customers? Are there established price
• CREDIT TERMS
they will believe they need to have points for this product or service in the
it? market? How will this price compare
with competitors?

Promotion Promotion is how you will get the word

Place Place refers to how and where your
out about your product or service to your
• ADS customers will look to see your
target customers. It includes advertising, • STORES
• PRS product or service. It also considers
• SOCIAL MEDIA public relations, and promotional • WEBSITE
• EMAIL • ONLINE how you will deliver the product or
strategies. •
• SEARCH MARKETPLACE service to them. Will it be in a
ENGINE physical store or online? What will
• VIDEO
be the distribution channels?
Establish Product-Market fit is a concept coined Marc
Andreessen and refers to your start-up being in
a good market with a product that can satisfy

Your Product's that market. Finding Product-Market fit is the

difference between struggling to find customers
and having them knocking down your door for

Appeal with your product. This framework will help you

identify target customers and their underserved
needs and test and change your key market

aProduct-Market hypotheses to arrive at product-market fit. Use

the blank framework on the next page to start
filling out your own Product-Market Fit

Fit Pyramid Pyramid.

 1.Identify your target customer
Use market segmentation and create personas to get a picture of the people you are
targeting. No need to be precise. A high-level hypothesis is enough to start testing,
and revise as you go.
UX
2.Know “undeserved” needs
What needs do they have that are adequately met?
Feature Set 3. Define your value proposition
How you will meet your customers needs better than your competitors? Of all the
needs you can address with your product, which ones will you focus on?
Value Proposition
4. State your MVP feature set
Build only what is needed to create enough value for your target customers to
validate the direction of your product.
Product-Market Fit
5. Make your MVP prototype
Create a version of your product to test your MVP hypotheses with your
customers. Apply user experience principles to receive feedback and to bring your
Underserved Needs
feature set to life for your customers.

6. Test it out to your customers

Target Customer Ensure you are testing with your target market so feedback received will help
iterate your product in the right direction. Making your test group answer a survey
is a great way to ensure they possess the attributes of your target customer.
 Know the Stages of the Customer
Journey with a Marketing Funnel

A Marketing Funnel maps your company’s marketing activities at each stage of the customer journey. It starts
with making your target audience aware of your solution, then guiding them through an evaluation process and
finally leading them to make a purchase. The goal is to create a system, which is measurable at every level of the
journey. Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own marketing funnel.
 • Social media post and ads
TOFU (Top of the Funnel)
• Email marketing
Activities that facilitate awareness. Make your target audience aware of the • Promotional video
problem you’re addressing and how you’re solving it. • Press Release

• Discounts
MOFU (Middle of the Funnel)
• Exclusive offers
Activities that facilitate evaluation. • Free trial
Convert those who are aware into leads. • Event

• Demo
BOFU (Bottom of the Funnel)
• Feedback
Activities that facilitate conversion. Guide the leads in making an informed • Success stories
purchase decision. • Comparison sheets
State Your Company's
Mission, Vision, and Values

Clearly defining your company’s mission, vision and values is a powerful way to align your team
and reach your goals.Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own
mission, vision, and values.
 Mission, Vision, and Values
1 2 3

Mission Vision Values

Mission is the reason why Vision is what success looks These are the guiding
your company exists. It is the like for your company. It is principles that will influence
visible and tangible effect you what your company aspires to your actions to fulfill your
want your company to create be in the future. It is how the company's mission and vision.
for your customers and the world will look like once
world. you've accomplished your
mission.
 Illustrate Your
Company's Strategy,
Tactics, and Execution

A strategy, a list of tactics, and knowing how to execute them are integral in the attainment of your company
goals. Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own strategy, tactics, and execution
 Strategy, Tactics, and Execution
1 2 3

Strategy Tactics Execution

Strategy is how your methods, Tactics are the specific Execution is how you will
time, and resources come into methods, resources, and employ the tactics you’ve
play to fulfil your company techniques you will need to chosen. It includes measurable
mission and vision. accomplish your strategy. outcomes, such as timelines
and deliverables.
Develop Deep Buyer personas are semi-fictional
representations of your target customers.

Insights About These personas are based on market

research and real data about the people you
are targeting. Two to three buyer personas

Your Customers are ideal. The more detailed the buyer

persona, the better. Use the blank
framework on the next page to start filling

Using Buyer out your buyer personas.

Personas
Demographics Buying Roles Goals and Needs
(Gender, age, marital status,
(Decision makers, Responsibilities
influencers)
employer)

Objections

Frustrations Buyer's Journey Channels Sources of

(Awareness, consideration, (Social media, other digital information
purchase, advocacy) activities,non-digital
(Content that influences
activities)
purchasedecisions)
Free
Resources
Use these free, recolourable
icons and illustrations in
your Canva design.