Free download
A business plan template built to be used, not filed
A complete, free business plan: prompts under every heading, tables for your real numbers, three-year financials, a funding request and a stress test that shows where the plan is thin. Free, in Word, with nothing to sign up for.
Why this business plan template is different
Most templates ask you to fill in boxes. This one asks the questions an experienced outside advisor would ask, then shows you what a strong answer looks like. Every section opens with prompts, includes a short “what good looks like” guide and a note on how an outside reader will see it, and has a fictional example so you can see the level of detail we mean. It covers customer research and positioning, three-year profit, cash flow and balance sheet, the funding request, repayment capacity and a tested downside, so it stands up in front of a bank or investor and is just as useful if you never ask anyone for money. Choose your currency (New Zealand, Australian, US or UK) on the cover page.
It is also honest about gaps. You are encouraged to write “unknown” and move on, because a gap you can see is far more useful than a number you invented.
What is inside the template
Seventeen parts, in the order a bank or investor expects to read them:
- How to use this template, in five steps
- Executive summary and business at a glance
- The business: structure, ownership and objectives
- Products and services, with unit economics
- Market and competition
- Customers and positioning: how you will find out about your customers, and the idea you want to own
- Marketing and sales
- Operations and systems
- Management and people
- Legal, compliance and insurance
- Financial history
- Financial projections: assumptions, three-year forecasts and break-even
- Funding and investment, use of funds and security (if relevant)
- Financial strength: debt service cover and the ratios readers test
- What could go wrong, and your safeguards, with downside scenarios
- The Four Questions stress test
- Milestones, KPIs and review rhythm
- Appendices: supporting documents checklist, handshake register, glossary and second-opinion page
Built-in stress test
Section 15 puts your draft through the four questions we ask every owner: where does the money actually go, what only works because you are in the room, what is still running on a handshake, and what decision is coming that the business is not ready for. It takes about an hour and it is the part owners tell us they value most.
Want the thinking behind it first? Read how to write a business plan, step by step.
Free download
Get your copy
Word format, forty pages including worked examples. Choose New Zealand, Australian, US or UK currency. No email required. Free to use as a general planning aid; see the notice inside.
Business plan template questions, answered
Is the business plan template free?
Yes. It is a free Word document with no sign-up. Download it, fill it in and keep it.
What is the best format for a business plan?
Word is the most practical: you can write in it, share it with an advisor and revise it every quarter. The template is a Word document with prompts, tables and examples built in.
How long does it take to complete?
Most owners complete a first draft in a few focused sessions. Answer the prompt questions first, fill in the tables with honest estimates, and complete the one-page snapshot and the stress test last.
Is this template suitable for any kind of business?
Yes. It is built around how owner-led businesses actually run, not around an industry, so the prompts work whatever you sell.
What if I get stuck or want it reviewed?
Mark what you do not know and keep going. When the draft is done, a confidential conversation is the easiest way to get a second set of eyes on it.
Can I use this business plan if I am not borrowing?
Yes. It is built to the depth a bank or investor would expect, but every part is useful for running the business, planning a sale or bringing in a partner. Skip the funding section if it does not apply. No template guarantees that any bank or investor will accept it, so if you are raising money, use it alongside their own forms.
Can I choose my currency?
Yes. Choose New Zealand dollars, Australian dollars, US dollars or British pounds on the cover page, then use that currency throughout.
Is the template really free, and is there a catch?
It is free, with nothing to sign up for. It is a general planning aid, not legal, tax or financial advice. Using it without our consultancy does not make Nesko Partners liable for any incorrect or inappropriate use of it, so check anything important with your own accountant or lawyer.
Let’s talk
Finished the draft and not sure it holds up?
Bring it to a confidential conversation. We will tell you plainly where it is strong, where it is thin and whether we can help.