Business Plan

Templates
Set up for success with strategic planning frameworks, including
Lean Canvas, SWOT Analysis, Pirate Funnel, and more.
Create a Business Plan
with a Lean Canvas

Lean canvas is a one-page business plan template created by Ash Maurya. It’s designed
to create a snapshot of your business idea, distill the essence of your product or service,
and break it down into key parts. Check out a completed example on the next page and
then try filling out the blank lean canvas for your own business on the page after that
Problem Solution Unique Value Unfair Advantage Customer
What problems are people How will you solve these
Proposition What separates you from Segments
facing? List their top 3 problems? Write down a How will you turn an unaware competitors? What makes Create 3 to 4 personas of the
frustrations. solution for each problem. visitor into an interested you ahead of the pack? people you can help. Visualize
customer? Create a clear and these people who will turn to
compelling one-liner message you for solutions.
you want to send across.

Existing High Level Early Adopters

Alternatives Key Metrics Concept Channels What are the specific
How will you measure the How will you reach your characteristics of your early
How are these problems How does your product or
success of your product or target consumers? Direct adopters?
solved today? This can be a service fit into the grand
direct competitor to what you service? List the key metrics. scheme of things? marketing, social media, ads,
are offering or the existing partnerships — identify the
ways people are employing to effective ways to reach them.
address their problems.

Cost Structure Revenue Streams

What are the fixed and variable costs to launch your product or service? Consider the cost What money sources will grow your money? How will you generate income? Show a
at each stage from setting up a website, hiring employees, production, marketing, and pricing model of your product or service and include other revenue sources, such as sales
bringing them to consumers. and subscription fees.
Find Your Strengths
What advantages does
Weaknesses
What areas can you
Competitive your company have? What
do you do better than
improve on? What does
your company lack? What

Position with a anyone else? What are

your unique selling points?
things do your
competitors do better than

SWOT Analysis you?

A SWOT analysis maps out your company’s

Opportunities Threats
path towards your goals by identifying strengths What changes in What are the obstacles to
and weaknesses (internal attributes) and technology, policies, and your company’s growth?
opportunities and threats (external conditions).
social patterns can be a Who are your
Uncover your company's competitive position
growth opportunity for the competitors? What
with these guiding questions. Use the blank
framework on the next page to start filling out company? changing factors can
your own SWOT analysis. threaten your company's
position?
Visualize Your
Company's Weak Points
with a Pirate Funnel

The Pirate Funnel is a customer-lifecycle framework by Dave McClure that shows what you
need to focus on to optimize your marketing funnel. It is called a Pirate Funnel because the
first letters spell out AAARRR for Awareness, Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral,
and Revenue. Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own pirate
metrics.
Awareness Retention
How will you introduce your company to your potential How many of your customers are you retaining? Why are
customers? Examples: impressions, click-through rate, you losing others? Examples: customer acquisition rate and
visits, and social media metrics. customer churn rate.

Acquisition Revenue
Where are your potential customers coming from? What How can you increase revenue? What’s your monetization
channel is driving the most valuable traffic for your plan? Examples: customer acquisition cost and customer
company? Examples: new leads, email subscribers, lifetime value.
resource downloads, support and sales chats.

Activation Referral
How will your potential customers try your product or How can you turn your customers into advocates? What’s
service for the first time? How will you make them realize your systematic process to generate referrals consistently?
the true value of your product or service? Examples: new Examples: Net Promoter Score, referrals, and social shares.
trial signups, product sales, activation after app download.
Position Your 4PS OF MARKETING

Product or The 4Ps of Marketing illustrates how

product, price, place, and promotion
work together when a product or service

Service with is launched to customers. It is created

by Neil Borden in the 1950s to
demonstrate the ways companies use

the 4Ps of advertising and marketing techniques to

convert potential buyers into actual
customers. Use the blank framework on

Marketing the next page to start filling out your

own 4Ps of Marketing.
Product Product refers to the good or Price Price is what customers pay for a
service you are offering to product or service and it takes
BRAND PRICE
customers. What needs does this into account the cost of
FEATURES DISCOUNTS
product fulfil? What frustrations production. What is the value of
PACKAGING BUNDLING
does it address? What makes it DEALS
the product or service to
compelling to customers such CREDIT TERMS customers? Are there established
that they will believe they need to price points for this product or
have it? service in the market? How will
this price compare with
competitors?

Promotion Promotion is how you will get the Place Place refers to how and where
word out about your product or your customers will look to see
ADS STORES
service to your target customers. your product or service. It also
PR WEBSITE
It includes advertising, public considers how you will deliver the
SOCIAL MEDIA ONLINE
EMAIL
relations, and promotional MARKETPLACE
product or service to them. Will it
SEARCH ENGINE strategies. be in a physical store or online?
VIDEO What will be the distribution
channels?
Establish Product-Market fit is a concept coined
Marc Andreessen and refers to your
Your Product's start-up being in a good market with a
product that can satisfy that market.

Appeal with a Finding Product-Market fit is the

difference between struggling to find
customers and having them knocking

Product-Market down your door for your product. This

framework will help you identify target

Fit Pyramid
customers and their underserved needs
and test and change your key market
hypotheses to arrive at product-market
fit. Use the blank framework on the next
page to start filling out your own
Product-Market Fit Pyramid.
 UX

Feature Set

Value Proposition

Product-Market Fit

Underserved Needs

Target Customer
1. Identify your target customer
4. State your MVP feature set
Use market segmentation and create personas to get a picture of
Build only what is needed to create enough value for your target
the people you are targeting. No need to be precise. A high-level
customers to validate the direction of your product.
hypothesis is enough to start testing, and revise as you go.

5. Make your MVP prototype

2. Know “undeserved” needs
Create a version of your product to test your MVP hypotheses with
What needs do they have that are adequately met? your customers. Apply user experience principles to receive
feedback and to bring your feature set to life for your customers.

6. Test it out to your customers

3. Define your value proposition
Ensure you are testing with your target market so feedback
How you will meet your customers needs better than your
received will help iterate your product in the right direction.
competitors? Of all the needs you can address with your product,
Making your test group answer a survey is a great way to ensure
which ones will you focus on?
they possess the attributes of your target customer.
Know the Stages A Marketing Funnel maps your
company’s marketing activities at each

of the Customer stage of the customer journey. It starts

with making your target audience aware
of your solution, then guiding them

Journey with a through an evaluation process and

finally leading them to make a purchase.
The goal is to create a system, which is

Marketing Funnel measurable at every level of the journey.

Use the blank framework on the next
page to start filling out your own
marketing funnel.
 Social media post and ads
TOFU (Top of the Funnel)
Email marketing
Activities that facilitate awareness. Make your target audience aware Promotional video
of the problem you’re addressing and how you’re solving it. Press Release

Discounts
MOFU (Middle of the Funnel)
Exclusive offers
Activities that facilitate evaluation. Convert those who are aware into Free trial
leads. Event

Demo
BOFU (Bottom of the Funnel)
Feedback
Activities that facilitate conversion. Guide the leads in making an Success stories
informed purchase decision. Comparison sheets
State Your Company's
Mission, Vision, and
Values

Clearly defining your company’s mission, vision and values is a powerful way to align your team and reach your
goals.Use the blank framework on the next page to start filling out your own mission, vision, and values.
 Mission
Mission is the reason why your company exists. It is the
visible and tangible effect you want your company to create
for your customers and the world.

Mission, Vision
Vision and Vision is what success looks like for your company. It is
what your company aspires to be in the future. It is how the

Values
world will look like once you've accomplished your mission.

Values
These are the guiding principles that will influence your
actions to fulfill your company's mission and vision.
Illustrate Your
Company's Strategy,
Tactics, and Execution
A strategy, a list of tactics, and knowing how to execute them are integral in the
attainment of your company goals. Use the blank framework on the next page to start
filling out your own strategy, tactics, and execution
 Strategy
Strategy is how your methods, time, and resources come
into play to fulfil your company mission and vision.

Strategy,
Tactics, Tactics
Tactics are the specific methods, resources, and techniques
and you will need to accomplish your strategy.

Execution Execution
Execution is how you will employ the tactics you’ve chosen.
It includes measurable outcomes, such as timelines and
deliverables.
Develop Deep Buyer personas are semi-fictional
representations of your target customers.
Insights About Your These personas are based on market
research and real data about the people

Customers Using you are targeting. Two to three buyer

personas are ideal. The more detailed the
buyer persona, the better. Use the blank

Buyer Personas framework on the next page to start filling

out your buyer personas.
Demographics Buying Roles Goals and Needs
(Gender, age, marital (Decision makers, Responsibilities
status, employer) influencers)

Objections

Frustrations Buyer's Channels Sources of

Journey (Social media, other digital information
activities,non-digital
(Awareness, (Content that influences
activities)
consideration, purchase, purchasedecisions)
advocacy)
Free
Resources
Use these free and recolourable
icons and illustrations in your
Canva design.