Simple Excel business plan template free : here is an friendly and easy-to-use BP for your company project. Download it now with one simple click!
Every entrepreneur knows that making a business plan is a staple when starting a new business, especially if you’re looking for funding.
The quality and relevance of your financial plan will determine the positive or negative response from your bank, money lenders or private investors.
It’s not so easy to make a business plan. You can go through an chartered accountant or write it by yourself.
Actually, it’s good to try to create financial projections by yourself in order to train yourself. It will help you to understand the ins and outs of such a document.
To help you with this exercise, we have created a unique and simple Excel business plan template, easy to understand and use, while respecting the financial rules.
Whether you have a financial profile or not, whether you master accounting or not, this document is made for you. All you will have to do is fill in the blue cells.
This document is the perfect opportunity to ask yourself the right questions about your business model.
The Excel file available below can be downloaded without registration, with one simple click, for free. The estimated filling time is 15 minutes.
Click below to download your free Simple Excel business plan. You won’t need to register or to leave your e-mail address.
Simple Excel business plan template: download it now, it’s free!
Click below to download your free 3-year simple Excel business plan template:
Before starting to use it, please read the following.
The document has two main sheets:
- in the first sheet, you will have to fill in the cells to with your data, personal info and figures. Carefully read the mentions and the messages that appear next to the cells, this is the key to success,
- your business plan will appear in the second sheet: all you have to do is print it!
Free Excel financial plan: how to fill it out?
Let’s go step by step. It is important that you understand how a 3-year business plan is made.
You will have to ask yourself a few very important questions.
1) What are your startup needs?
This is the first step in order to efficiently use your simple Excel business plan. Let’s start costing out the expenses and investments that you will have to make beforehand, that means before starting the activity.
These expenses are made once and for all: they will not appear again in the following months. These are start-up costs, which prepare the launch of your business.
List all the expenses and investments exclusing VAT, e.g. :
- Business registration,
- Software,
- Training,
- Patent, trademark and design rights,
- Franchise fees, entry fees,
- Acquisition of business goodwill,
- Leasehold rights,
- Lease deposit and advance rent,
- Application fee,
- Solicitor and accountant fees,
- Advertising, first promotion costs,
- Office purchase,
- Restoration works,
- Equipment, tools, vehicles,
- Office equipment,
- Raw materials and supplies,
- Starting cash flow, additional cash,
- etc.
Try to list the expenses without forgetting anything. Also plan a starting cash flow as it is important to start your business with a bit of money on your bank account.
Regarding the depreciation period of the goods and equipments that you’re about to buy, you can write 5 years for example. That means you think the equipments will last 5 years, so you will have to replace them in 5 years time. Their cost will therefore be spread over 5 years.
2) How will you finance your startup costs?
It is now about financing all the expenses you have listed above. You have to cover exactly the needs.
Indicate your startup capital. Typical financing sources are : personal contribution, family money (« love money »), bank borrowing, etc.
In case of financial gap, an alert will appear in red.
3) What are your current expenses?
This is an important part of your simple Excel business plan. In this part you will have to list your current expenses. These costs are returning costs, in other words recurring expenses like :
- Insurance,
- Postage, telephone, internet hosting,
- Subscriptions,
- Motor vehicule expenses,
- Travel expenses,
- Electricity, water and gas,
- Transport/courier cost,
- Stationery,
- Repairs and maintenance,
- Cleaning,
- Advertising,
- Rental costs,
- Accounting / legal fees & costs,
- Bank charges,
- Taxes,
- etc.
Fill out this table for the first three years of activity. Plan for an increase from one year to the next.
Add other charge labels if necessary.
4) What level of turnover?
Turnover is sales. To help you estimate the sales for your first year of activity, we suggest that you enter an average turnover per day, which will be multiplied by the number of days worked each month.
You will have to make a distinction between sale of goods and sale of services. Sale of goods implies purchase of raw materials (or products for resale), and therefore a sales margin (see below).
You will also have to define a percentage increase in sales from one year to the next: be realistic not pessimistic.
Note: Month 1 is the first month of activity, not the first month of the calendar year.
5) What are your variable costs?
Variable costs are corporate expenses that vary in direct proportion to the quantity of sales. Unlike fixed costs, which remain constant regardless of output, variable costs are a direct function of production volume. Examples of common variable costs include raw materials, packaging, distribution costs…
All you have to do is indicate the average cost of goods, as a percentage of the sell price.
For example, if you spend $3 to produce a jar of jam that you will resell $6, you should indicate 50%.
Another example, if you buy phone cases for $7.5 and resell them for $10, you should indicate 75%.
If you sell services only, this box does not apply to you.
6) What is your working capital need?
« Working capital » is one of the important financial concepts you will find in this simple Excel business plan template.
Working capital represents the difference between a company’s current assets and current liabilities
This concept is about the risk of gap regarding financial flows coming in and out.
Indeed, even if your activity is profitable (comfortable margin, low fixed costs), you could experience financial difficulties if you have to pay your suppliers before your customers pay you. This lag could increase further if you have to store your goods for a long period or time before processing and selling them.
Here, enter the average duration of customer credits and supplier liabilities.
7) What wages will you have to pay?
Try to estimate the wages you will have to pay as well as your own remuneration and social costs/insurance. Be careful, your staff size must be in-line with the turnover you expect!
When finished, go to the next sheet and have a look at your free simple Excel business plan!
Well done !
