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Making a Risk Management Plan for Your Business
It’s impossible to eliminate all business risk. Therefore, it’s essential for having a plan for its management. You’ll be developing one covering compliance, environmental, financial, operational and reputation risk management. These guidelines are for making a risk management plan for your business.
Developing Your Executive Summary
When you start the risk management plan with an executive summary, you’re breaking apart what it will be compromised of into easy to understand chunks. Even though this summary is the project’s high-level overview, the goal is describing the risk management plan’s approach and scope. In doing so, you’re informing all stakeholders regarding what to expect when they’re reviewing these plans so that they can set their expectations appropriately.
Who Are the Stakeholders and What Potential Problems Need Identifying?
During this phase of making the risk management plan, you’re going to need to have a team meeting. Every member of the team must be vocal regarding what they believe could be potential problems or risks. Stakeholders should also be involved in this meeting as well to help you collect ideas regarding what could become a potential risk. All who are participating should look at past projects, what went wrong, what is going wrong in current projects and what everyone hopes to achieve from what they learned from these experiences. During this session, you’ll be creating a sample risk management plan that begins to outline risk management standards and risk management strategies.
Evaluate the Potential Risks Identified
A myriad of internal and external sources can pose as risks including commercial, management and technical, for example. When you’re identifying what these potential risks are and have your list complete, the next step is organizing it according to importance and likelihood. Categorize each risk according to how it could impact your project. For example, does the risk threaten to throw off timelines or budgets? Using a risk breakdown structure is an effective way to help ensure all potential risks are effectively categorized and considered. Use of this risk management plan template keeps everything organized and paints a clear picture of everything you’re identifying.
Assign Ownership and Create Responses
It’s essential to ensure a team member is overseeing each potential risk. That way, they can jump into action should an issue occur. Those who are assigned a risk, as well as the project manager, should work as a team to develop responses before problems arise. That way, if there are issues, the person overseeing the risk can refer to the response that was predetermined.
Have a System for Monitoring
Having effective risk management companies plans includes having a system for monitoring. It’s not wise to develop a security risk management or compliance risk management plan, for example, without having a system for monitoring. What this means is there’s a system for monitoring in place to ensure risk doesn’t occur until the project is finished. In doing so, you’re ensuring no new risks will potentially surface. If one does, like during the IT risk management process, for example, your team will know how to react.
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Writing a Business Plan

While it may be tempting to put off, creating a business plan is an essential part of starting your own business. Plans and proposals should be put in a clear format making it easy for potential investors to understand. Because every company has a different goal and product or service to offer, there are business plan templates readily available to help you get on the right track. Many of these templates can be adapted for any company. In general, a business plan writing guide will recommend that the following sections be incorporated into your plan.
Executive Summary
The executive summary is the first section that business plans open with, but is often the last section to actually be written as it’s the most difficult to write. The executive summary is a summary of the overall plan that highlights the key points and gives the reader an idea of what lies ahead in the document. It should include areas such as the business opportunity, target market, marketing and sales strategy, competition, the summary of the financial plan, staff members and a summary of how the plan will be implemented. This section needs to be extremely clear, concise and engaging as you don’t want the reader to push your hard work aside.
Company Description
The company description follows the executive summary and should cover all the details about the company itself. For example, if you are writing a business plan for an internet café, you would want to include the name of the company, where the café would be located, who the main team members involved are and why, how large the company is, who the target market for the internet cafe is, what type of business structure the café is, such as LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, what the internet café business mission and vision statements are, and what the business’s short-term objectives are.
Services and Products
This is the exciting part of the plan where you get to explain what new and improved services or products you are offering. On top of describing the product or service itself, include in the plan what is currently in the market in this area, what problems there are in this area and how your product is the solution. For example, in a business plan for a food truck, perhaps there are numerous other food trucks in the area, but they are all fast –food style and unhealthy so, you want to introduce fast food that serves only organic and fresh ingredients every day. This is where you can also list your price points and future products or services you anticipate.
Market Analysis
The market analysis section will take time to write and research as a lot of effort and research need to go into it. Here is where you have the opportunity to describe what trends are showing up, what the growth rate in this sector looks like, what the current size of this industry is and who your target audience is. A cleaning business plan, for example, may include how this sector has been growing by 10% every year due to an increase in large businesses being built in the city.
Organization and Management
Marketing and sales are the part of the business plan where you explain how you will attract and retain clients. How are you reaching your target customers and what incentives do you offer that will keep them coming back? For a dry cleaner business plan, perhaps if they refer customers, they will get 10% off their next visit. In addition, you may want to explain what needs to be done in order for the business to be profitable. This is a great way of showing that you are conscious about what clear steps need to be taken to make a business successful.
Financial Projections & Appendix
The financial business plan section can be a tricky one to write as it is based on projections. Usually what is included is the short-term projection, which is a year broken down by month and should include start-up permits, equipment, and licenses that are required. This is followed by a three-year projection broken down by year and many often write a five-year projection, but this does not need to be included in the business plan.
The appendix is the last section and contains all the supporting documents and/or required material. This often includes resumes of those involved in the company, letters of reference, product pictures and credit histories. Keep in mind that your business plan is always in development and should be adjusted regularly as your business grows and changes.
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- Writing A Business Plan

Writing your business plan
You'll find it helpful to put together a business plan to plot the future of your business – from where you are now, to where you want to be in the future, and how you intend to get there.
On this page
1. why write a business plan, 2. what to include in your plan, 3. the essentials of your plan, 4. sample business plan.
When you write a business plan it forces you to evaluate the details of your own business proposal and identify what you need to do to make it happen. It will quickly show up any flaws or potential stumbling blocks, allowing you to make your mistakes on paper rather than in your actual business.
A well-thought-out business plan will:

Business planning isn't just for when you're setting up – you should keep reviewing and updating your plan regularly. A plan is always a useful asset for persuading others to invest time, money and effort in your business, and keep your plans on track.
To write an effective business plan you'll need to answer these four questions:
- What is the purpose of your business? (Your mission statement).
- What do you want to achieve with it? (Your objectives).
- How will you achieve your objectives? (Your strategy).
- How much will it cost? (Your budget).

Top-line summary
Open your business plan with a top-line summary to help readers gain a quick understanding. You can write this last.
The language
Make sure your plan is clear and concise, free of jargon, well-researched and achievable.
If you don't have all the information you need you can still make a start, then add more as details become available.
Your business plan’s structure
Try setting out your plan into four sections:
- Your current situation. Describe the type of business you're in and the products and/or services you provide, including details of your growth so far if relevant.
- Where you would like to be and by when – describe your vision.
- How you plan to get there (your strategies).
- What should be done by whom and by when?
In each section take a look at:
- cashflow and profit
- positioning
- your business profile.
Avoid using very detailed figures as these will be more likely to change and date your plan.
Take a look at our sample business plan for ideas on how to put your own together.
Download our guide – Sample business plan (PDF, 240KB)
Start-up success
Check out our five tips to start-up success.
- Five steps to success Information about making your Start-up a success
Ready to grow? We’ll guide you through the process of exploring funding options.
- Funding growth guide More about Funding growth for your business
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- Business Plan Template
Business Plan template
What is a business plan.
A Business Plan is a written document that describes your core business objectives and how you plan to achieve them over a set period of time. It is designed to help you, and others, understand how you plan to generate money and make your business sustainable. A Business Plan often includes information about your goals, strategies, marketing and sales plans and financial forecasts. Read on below for more information about the key sections of a Business Plan.
Download your copy of the Business Plan template now. The document includes a Personal Survival Budget template and a Cash Flow Forecast template, which are also required for your application:
The guide is an annotated version of the Business Plan template with notes from our Business Advisers about what type of information, examples and evidence to include in order to help us understand you and your business. While we encourage you to use this Business Plan template, it is not mandatory and you are welcome to submit your own Business Plan template provided it details similar information.
Please note, the following documents should open on any device with a document viewer and editor but for the best user experience, we recommend editing this Business Plan template on a desktop.
Why is a Business Plan important?
There are many great reasons why it is worth your time creating a Business Plan – even if you’re not quite ready to apply for a Start Up Loan. Here are just seven:
A Business Plan:
- Provides a structured way of organising your thoughts and clarifying your idea.
- Helps you set out your goals and spot any potential problems in achieving these goals.
- Gives you a clear strategy to follow when things get busy.
- Is often essential for securing external finance for your business (and is required if you’re applying for a Start Up Loan).
- Allows you to measure your progress as you go along.
- Ensures all of your team are working towards the same vision.
- Helps you plan for the future.
Key sections of a Business Plan:
A Business Plan can include whatever information you feel is required to best convey how you are planning to make your business sustainable and, when it comes to applying for a Start Up Loan, the following are the core sections we require.
Your business and key objectives: A brief description of your business and its core products or services. This section also includes a clear and concise overview of the goals your business is trying to achieve over a set period of time. Sometimes these are broken down as short, mid and long-term goals, but it helps if they’re measurable (how will you know if you have achieved this?) and realistic (can you achieve this with the money, resources and time you have?).
If you are applying for a Start Up Loan, you will of course also need to detail how you intend to use the money if you’re successful. Our Loan Assessment team will want to see that the Start Up Loan will support your overall business objectives.
Your skills and experience: An overview of your experience as it relates to your business. If you’ve previously worked in a similar business, or have experience running another business, this will help provide confidence that you are in a good position to start up. Even if this is all brand new to you, think about any transferable skills you’ve developed, life experiences you’ve had or training you’ve completed that may be useful.
Your target customers, market and competition: A summary of key insights that demonstrate you have a strong understanding of your customers (and how to identify them), your market (and how to position yourself within it) and your competitors (and how to differentiate yourself from them on factors like price, quality, brand etc).
Your sales and marketing plans: This section is all about how you are planning to attract customers. You might include information about where you’ll distribute your products, what your branding and logo will be and what pricing you’ll apply. Additionally, you will need to demonstrate how you will spread the word about your product/services in order to generate demand, such as using social media, exhibiting at a trade conference or investing in online advertising.
Your operational plans: This will be different depending on your business model, but may include information on where you’ll trade (like a home office or external premises), the number of staff you’ll need to employ, what their roles will be and any equipment or tools you’ll need to run your business. You can also use this section to detail any processes that are important to your operations, as well as any industry, tax or legal regulations related to your business. It’s also good to think about any risks you may face, how you will overcome them and what you will do if things don’t go to plan.
Financials Many business plans include a financial section, which outlines how you’ll fund all of the activities you’ve outlined and what revenue you expect to generate. Because we ask you to complete a Cash Flow Forecast as part of your Start Up Loan application, we don’t require too much detail on this in your Business Plan. Rather, these two documents should be complementary.
Check out our Cash Flow Forecast guide and template >>
Writing a Business Plan – our top tips:
The tips below have been prepared by our Business Advisers and Loan Assessment team to help you understand some of the key things that will strengthen your application. For more in-depth advice, read our guidelines on how to write a Business Plan .
- Demonstrate that you understand your market and customer. For our Loan Assessment team to feel comfortable that your business plans are viable, they will want to see that there is a market who wants and needs your product/service, that you have thought about how you’ll set yourself apart from competitors and that you know how to attract your customers. Any market research you can do, like a simple online survey, looking up industry reports or interviews with potential customers will help.
- Use evidence and examples to back up any statements you make. It’s always more powerful when you can prove what you’re saying with hard facts, whether it’s with a strong statistic, a customer quote, examples of similar activity or other research. It doesn’t have to be detailed – sometimes it will be sufficient to include a link to further information – but it will help our loan assessment team feel more confident that your business plan is viable.
- Make sure everything ties together by linking every strategy to your core objectives. The purpose of a Business Plan is to show what your goals are and how you’re going to achieve them so remember to put your objectives at the heart of your plan. For example, if one of your goals is to generate 10 new sales per month, then in your marketing section you’ll need to think about how many sales each promotional channel needs to deliver in order to support this objective.
- Consider any risks you face and how you will overcome them. Every business has risks so don’t shy away from referencing these in your business plan. Demonstrating that you are aware of your key risks. Having a clear plan for how to reduce or overcome these is something that will set your business plan apart and give our loan assessment team confidence that you’re ready for the challenge.
- Be as clear and concise as possible and avoid waffle. Remember, we’re not looking to see every single detail about how your business will operate, rather we just need to know enough information to give us confidence that you have a clear plan in place. You might like to use bullet points, graphs, tables and subheadings to help you keep your content focused and help you avoid the temptation to go into too much detail.
- Presentation matters: proof read, review and format your document. As with most things in life, first impressions count. Use clear headings, structure your document in a clear order and check you’ve used consistent fonts throughout. Remember, you don’t have to be a writer or a designer to prepare a professional looking document. Most importantly, double check that you haven’t made any spelling or grammatical errors. It can be a good idea to have someone proof read your work for you once you’re finished to pick up anything you might have missed.

Learn new skills
Start Up Loans has partnered with the Open University to offer a range of free courses.
A Business Plan can include whatever information you feel is required to best convey how you are planning to make your business sustainable and, when it comes to applying for a Start Up Loan, the following are the core sections we require (our Business Plan template includes them).
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When you need to put it down in black and white.
When you’re starting up in business a good business plan can help you succeed. It acts as a route map to follow, showing you where you are now and where you want to be in the future, and helping you navigate your way there.
It’s a vital tool when discussing your business with your bank manager or potential investors. It shows that you’ve taken a realistic look at your prospects and you understand the environment your business operates in.
The benefits of a business plan
The essentials of your plan, further help & guidance, what to include in your plan, sample business plan.
When you write a business plan it forces you to evaluate the details of your own business proposal and identify what you need to do to make it happen. It will quickly show up any flaws or potential stumbling blocks, allowing you to make your mistakes on paper rather than in your actual business.
A well-thought-out business plan will:
- set a direction for the business and help you create an action plan
- help you and your staff focus on what’s important
- show your commitment to banks, investors, colleagues and employees
- help you to spot problems early on and tackle them effectively
- set targets and evaluate your success
- help you attract better-qualified staff.
Business planning isn’t just for when you’re setting up – you should keep reviewing and updating your plan regularly. A plan is always a useful asset for persuading others to invest time, money and effort in your business, and keep your plans on track.
To write an effective business plan answer these four questions:
- What is the purpose of your business? (Your mission statement)
- What do you want to achieve with it? (Your objectives)
- How will you achieve your objectives? (Your strategy)
- How much will it cost? (Your budget)

In a few sentences, state why your business exists. Summarise what you want your business to achieve apart from generating a profit.
You may have several different objectives – some more important than others – but they should all be SMART:
- Specific – detail what you want to achieve. For example, you want to land 10 new orders each month in your first year.
- Measurable – you must be able to figure out if you are meeting your objectives so that you can take appropriate action.
- Achievable – can you meet your objectives or make changes to ensure you do?
- Realistic – are your objectives reasonable given the skills and resources you have?
- Timed – when are you aiming to meet your objectives by?
Base your strategy on good market research, but keep it flexible enough to adapt to changes in the market or the economy. Think about:
- prospective customers and potential competitors
- the condition of the economy and your market
- how trade operates in your chosen business sector
- who your suppliers will be
- the type of staff, facilities and equipment you’ll need
- which trends and emerging technologies could affect your market.
Strengths and weaknesses
Analyse your strengths:
- Why will customers buy from you instead of your competitors?
- What does your business do better than your rivals?
- What makes you stand out from the competition – your unique selling point (USP)?
And your weaknesses:
- Why would customers buy from your competitors rather than you?
- What do your competitors do better than you?
Opportunities and threats
What are the opportunities open to your business? Are you taking advantage of them? Also, what are potential changes that could adversely affect your business?
This type of SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats – can help you make better sense of market research.
To succeed, your business needs to make a profit, so bear in mind that your potential investors will look closely at your budget.
Cashflow forecast
Cash flows in and out of a business, so you should include a 12-month cashflow forecast to make sure your business stays solvent. You’ll need to know what sort of cashflow you can expect – how much cash will be coming in and going out, who will be paying it, who needs to be paid and when?
Money being paid into your business could come from sales or investment – that includes capital you pay in yourself. Money flowing out could be for stock, equipment, salaries or tax.
Calculate your profit
Profit is the money left in your business after you’ve paid expenses, costs and taxes. Be sure to include a two-year profit forecast in your plan.
Separate your cashflow and profit into monthly figures, and show the main areas where you’re receiving income and spending money. You should also add contingencies to each area to cover any unforeseen costs. Be realistic with your projections – it’s safer to be cautious than over-optimistic.
Your business end-game
If you’re hoping to grow your business and then, maybe, sell it off and move on, you could outline your proposed 'exit strategy'. It shows you’re being thorough.
Top-line summary
Open your business plan with a top-line summary to help readers gain a quick understanding. You can write this last.
The language
Make sure your plan is clear and concise, free of jargon, well-researched and achievable.
If you don't have all the information you need you can still make a start, then add more as details become available.
Your business plan’s structure
Try setting out your plan into four sections:
- Your current situation. Describe the type of business you’re in and the products and/or services you provide, including details of your growth so far if relevant.
- Where you would like to be and by when – describe your vision.
- How you plan to get there (your strategies).
- What should be done by whom and by when?
In each section take a look at:
- cashflow and profit
- positioning
- your business profile.
Avoid using very detailed figures as these will be more likely to change and date your plan. Remember that downloading a free copy of Sage Planning for Business software can give you some practical help.
Take a look at our sample business plan for ideas on how to put your own together. Download our Sample business plan (PDF, 241KB)
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Guide to writing a business plan for a mobile app business
✓ Last checked and updated on 25 January 2023

Mobile app business plans
Thinking of developing a mobile app? Done properly, app development requires a significant investment of time, money and resources. And therefore some careful consideration before you proceed.
Writing a business plan for a mobile app business, in advance of any development, can really help to clarify your vision as well as identify the steps you need to take to maximise the return on your investment.
We’ve written about how to make an app . But in order to make sure your app pays for itself and provides an income , you really need to make sure you have an app business plan in place.
How to write a business plan for an app:
Make sure you’ve taken the right factors into account
What problem are you aiming to solve with your app?
It’s vital to understand what your competitors are already doing – and how your app will improve on this
Think about your app’s USP and how it benefits your users
No matter how good your mobile app business idea, good financial management will ultimately be key to its success
You will need to give some considerable thought to how you plan to market your app
1. Decide what to consider when writing a mobile app business plan
Mobile apps are continuing to grow in popularity year on year – in fact, mobile apps are projected to hit $188.9 billion in revenue by 2020 – up from just $88billion in 2016 ( Statista ).
It doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable to wonder what the future holds for mobile apps – and whether the market is already saturated.
And yet technology is constantly changing (think about the rise of voice-based apps such as Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri for instance) along with consumer habits and expectations.
So there is no doubt that the demand is still there for apps that can genuinely be shown to be more innovative and more engaging than their competitors.
Whatever your business, writing a business plan takes time. But it’s an iterative process can and one that can be hugely helpful in clarifying exactly what you want to achieve in the development of your own app.
So what are some of the key points you might want to consider when putting together a business plan for your mobile app?
To get you started, here is a app business template:
App business plan template
- Executive summary
- Company overview and business goals
- Industry analysis
- Customer analysis
- Competitive analysis and market research
- Marketing strategy plan
- Operational plan
- Management team (if you have one!)
- Financial plan and forecast
2. Define what kind of app do you want to develop
It is tempting to rush into the development of an app simply because other businesses similar to yours already have one.
But it’s worth giving some genuine thought to the ‘problem’ that you aim to solve with the creation of an app.
Businesses build apps for all sorts of reasons, such as branding, improving customer engagement, direct marketing etc.
But as online publishing platform Medium says “Ultimately an effective mobile strategy involves more than just a mobile friendly website.”
3. Research your market
Once you have identified why the marketplace needs you to develop the app, it is vital to understand what your competitors are already doing – and how your app will improve on this.
When conducting market research , you should look at both primary and secondary data and consider key information such as include the size of your market as well as a thorough understanding of pricing.
A SWOT analysis can be useful for understanding your business’ Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
LivePlan explains “Strengths and weaknesses are internal to your company—things that you have some control over and can change. Examples include who is on your team, your patents and intellectual property, and your location.
“Opportunities and threats are external—things that are going on outside your company, in the larger market. You can take advantage of opportunities and protect against threats, but you can’t change them. Examples include competitors, prices of raw materials, and customer shopping trends.”
Building on this, there is also a value in conducting a PEST analysis to look at macro economic factors that may influence your business. These are opportunities and threats due to Political, Economic, Social, and Technological forces.
Pestle Analysis explains these four areas in more detail:
- Political Here government regulations and legal factors are assessed in terms of their ability to affect the business environment and trade markets. The main issues addressed in this section include political stability, tax guidelines, trade regulations, safety regulations, and employment laws.
- Economic Through this factor, businesses examine the economic issues that are bound to have an impact on the company. This would include factors like inflation, interest rates, economic growth, the unemployment rate and policies, and the business cycle followed in the country.
- Social With the social factor, a business can analyze the socio-economic environment of its market via elements like customer demographics, cultural limitations, lifestyle attitude, and education. With these, a business can understand how consumer needs are shaped and what brings them to the market for a purchase.
- Technological How technology can either positively or negatively impact the introduction of a product or service into a marketplace is assessed here. These factors include technological advancements, lifecycle of technologies, the role of the Internet, and the spending on technology research by the government.
4. Define your app’s unique selling point (USP)
So what problem does your app actually solve? What makes it different from all the other apps out there? Any why will someone download your app rather than another, similar one?
Identifying your app’s unique selling point (USP) is a useful exercise in really understanding what you plan to do that’s different to everyone else.
It can also help you develop an ‘ elevator pitch ’ – a 20 second, one or two line summary that comprehensively explains your product. And which could, as the phrase suggests, be articulated to a potential investor between the floors of a buildings – should you be lucky enough to find yourself in a lift with someone on the lookout for your product!
5. Understand your budget and how your app will make money
No matter how good your mobile app business idea, good financial management will ultimately be key to its success.
How, for instance, are you going to make money from your app? You might decide on a freemium model, where basic features are free but full functionality is hidden behind a paywall. You might prefer in-app advertising. Or your app might be for solely for in-app purchases.
It is reassuring to know that it is possible to develop a mobile app on a tiny budget – but that budget still needs careful management.
Alongside all the usual business plan financial headings, you should also consider costs that are specific to app development.
These can include customer acquisition cost, which Appster elaborates as cost per app install or CPI, suggesting “If you want to go one level deeper and be more exact, find out the cost per activation, keeping in mind that there will be a percentage of users who might install the app, and then uninstall it without engaging with the app.”
6. Decide how you plan to market your app
Developing an app is one thing but getting it to arguably saturated marketplace, with good take up is quite another.
You will therefore need to give some considerable thought to how you plan to market your app once it is built (and possibly even before you have launched it).
And so taking the time to put together a marketing plan for your mobile app business can pay dividends after launch.
Looking for a hand with writing a business plan for your mobile app business?
If you would like a steer developing a business plan for your mobile app business, then the team at Creative.onl would love to help.
We are a friendly bunch with expertise across all of the following areas:
- Digital strategy
- UX design
- App development
- Web development
- Responsive web design
- Graphic design
- Video animation
- Marketing support
And we would love to help you with any aspect of your digital marketing strategy.
Whatever you are looking for, get in touch with Creative.onl to talk through the creative process.
App business plan FAQ
A mobile app business plan is exactly what is sounds like: a business plan, created specifically for a business based on launching a mobile app. Any startup business should have a business plan, and mobile app businesses are no exception.
Follow our 6-step process, and include the following 9 sections: • Executive summary • Company overview and business goals • Industry analysis • Customer analysis • Competitive analysis and market research • Marketing strategy plan • Operational plan • Management team (if you have one!) • Financial plan and forecast
If you feel that you have the expertise then you can go ahead and write your own app business plan yourself, without spending a penny: totally free. Or if you’d like some professional help, you can commission an app launch specialist like Creative.onl to write one for you: this might cost anything from £500 to £5000, depending on the level of support needed.
Every business is unique, whether it’s a mobile app business or otherwise. So this means that every mobile app business plan is also one-of-a-kind of tailored specifically to the business in question. But having said that, most app business plans follow the rough format we detailed, with emphasis added or removed from each section.
Send us an email to [email protected] and let us know what you need, we should be able to provide you with a PDF template.
Important – The information provided in our articles is intended to be for general purpose use only, and not advice for you or your business. We strive to publish accurate information, but encourage you to fact-check and seek expert guidance. You should always speak to a qualified professional to get tailored advice about how to operate your business under your specific requirements and circumstances.

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