I often get the question: do you offer services for writing business plans? It's not a service I offer on a one-off basis, but I often review the business plans of the clients I work with on a comprehensive basis to see if they generally correspond to what is expected by the French authorities. Although I don't write their business plans, I notice that they have this common block: they don't know where to start.
They're entrepreneurs or generally have the entrepreneurial drive, but some have never written a business plan and don't know what to include to get started.
In this article, I present four tools I would have used to write my business plan if I were starting from scratch.
P.S. There is no affiliation, this article is only intended to help you get out of writer's block.
Bplans
Bplans is a site that offers hundred of free business plan templates. The templates are categorized by business theme and downloadable free of charge, which is a real plus.
It's also very useful for understanding what needs to be included in each part of a traditional business plan (required for the entrepreneur visa in France).
The only drawback is that if you want to download a template in Word format and start writing, you'll need an e-mail address, but downloading is generally free. You can explore the different templates right now.
SBA - Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration (SBA) site isn't 100% focused on business plans, but I like their simple, accessible approach to explaining what a classic business plan should include. Even if they're targeting the American market, their advice is largely applicable in France, and you can download their template for free, with no registration required. An advantage over the first site.
Enloop
The advantage of Enloop over its predecessors is that you can write your business plan directly online, section by section, which makes things much simpler. The first two websites allow you to understand the different structures, and this one allows you to take action.
Frankly, I might have started there if I was having trouble getting a section started. The site even offers a section annotation and areas for improvement.
The free version lets you create up to 3 business plans with a 7-day trial period - more than enough time to get started if your project is already well defined. Given its ease of use, this is a website I'd recommend trying out if you're stuck, and as an alternative to the last one.
Chat GPT
Why reinvent the wheel? Chat GPT can be a great writing assistant, and the most versatile there is to clarify and organize your ideas.
Business plans generally follow the same structures. To get started, you can choose a business plan template from those uploaded above, and then add your own ideas to give it the right context.
With the right ideas and a clear structure, it can cover 90% of your work. Then all you have to do is adjust the text to suit your tone and style.
I recommend this tool for beginners above all others, as it reduces the friction of writing and lets you skip the first few lines.
It can also help with translation.
Thatâs it! Pick your tool and start. If you're not inspired, take a look at the templates above and get started.
In my next newsletter, I'll talk in more detail about all the key elements a business plan should contain to optimize your chances of obtaining a French entrepreneurial visa or residence permit.
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Jeremy | Way 2 France
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