Key aspects of a business plan

A business plan does not always have to be 40 pages long. We recommend that you keep your business plan as concise as possible and as detailed as necessary. Among other things, the focus depends on the following factors:

Your project

If you are setting up as a freelancer, a simple plan is often enough. Setting up a commercial enterprise, requiring investments, inventories, etc., often requires a somewhat more detailed plan. For industrial projects or business ideas in growth areas (e.g. internet, mobile, high-tech), a detailed plan is essential due to the complexity and/or size.

The development phase

Is the company a classic start-up, a young company or an established firm? When drawing up a plan for an established firm, you can fall back on past experience. With completely new business ideas or models, you can use analyses and experiences in related fields to arrive at a realistic prognosis.

Addressees

Are you looking for investors, potential partners or just want to check your own plans? If you are drawing up the plan just for yourself, you can consider the individual chapters as a ‘toolbox’ that you can use as needed. Investors, on the other hand, expect a complete, well-founded and formally flawless business plan.

The diagram shows the business plan recommended by startups.ch. Startups should start with a basic plan and then improve it continuously.

Do not plan your business in complete isolation and then try to implement this plan strictly – planning and operational activities should always go hand in hand. This is the only way to ensure that your valuable experience and information are incorporated into a realistic plan.

Not all business plans are the same: the scope, preparation and weighting of the individual chapters of the plan depend on your industry and your ambitions. With our innovative TAKE-OFF concept, we provide you with a standardised model for creating business plans. Simply work through the points step by step!

Read more

Creating your own business plan can seem complex at first. That's why we have put together the most important tips and what you should consider and avoid.

Read more

Financial planning shows you how the company's financial situation will develop if all the objectives are achieved as planned. To do this, go through the six steps outlined.

Income statement

Start by creating the profit and loss statement. Begin with sales planning and estimate your expected income from products sold or services provided. Then consider your expenses and also try to record them with values – individual expenses (e.g. depreciation or interest expenses) cannot yet be quantified at this point.

Capital requirement

The capital requirement shows what costs, investments (including depreciation) and liquid funds are needed to achieve the planned turnover.

Financing

Once you know how much funding you need, you have to decide whether to finance it through equity or debt. This results in interest expenses and dividend payments, among other things, which in turn complete the income statement.

Liquidity

Cash flow planning is one of the most important types of budgeting, particularly in view of the numerous insolvencies of many companies in the early years. It can be derived from the profit and loss statement.

Balance sheet and key figures

An opening and closing balance sheet and any key figures round off the financial planning.