# Business plan.  Finance Dopers please reply.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-plan-finance-dopers-please-reply/201532>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 14, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-plan-finance-dopers-please-reply/201532 "2003-09-14T06:50:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-plan-finance-dopers-please-reply/201532/1 "2003-09-14T06:50:20Z")

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I’ve just spent a couple of hours discussing a new business with a friend of mine. I don’t want to go into details because other people are involved, and in any case the idea is still embryonic.

I need to come up with a business plan. I know the “mission statement”. I know the objective. I know many of the steps we will need to take in order to reach the objective. I will need to do more research, but I think the cost of business will be about $2 million per year.

I want to write the business plan and then take it to a finance professor at a university, whom my friend has talked to on another matter. So the plan will go through a professional before it is submitted to a financial institution. But I do want to make it as complete as possible before we go to the professor.

Can someone tell me where (preferably on the net) I can find a boilerplate/template/example business plan that I can use to write my own business plan?

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-plan-finance-dopers-please-reply/201532/2 "2003-09-14T07:02:03Z")

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[http://www.businessplans.org/mootcorp.html](http://www.businessplans.org/mootcorp.html)

> [@](#):
>
> The MOOT CORP® Competition simulates entrepreneurs asking investors for funding. MBAs from the best business schools in the world present their business plans to panels of investors. The investors then choose the best new venture. All participants benefit from the opportunity to:
> 
> - crystallize their thinking in preparing to present to the investors,
> 
> - receive feedback and advice from distinguished investors, entrepreneurs, and support professionals,
> 
> - network with fellow MBA entrepreneurs
> 
> - become more skilled in analyzing, writing, and presenting business plans
> 
> The following business plans were presented at MOOT CORP® Competition. Read the details of any of these plans or select from the list below the best example of each specific topic.

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-plan-finance-dopers-please-reply/201532/3 "2003-09-14T07:05:54Z")

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Didn’t mean to hit “submit” quite so soon.

That site give some pretty good sample business plans, and it’s not trying to sell you some proprietary software or anything. Worth a look.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-plan-finance-dopers-please-reply/201532/4 "2003-09-14T13:55:39Z")

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Thanks! I’ll check it out.