I still remember sitting at my kitchen table with my laptop open to a blank Google Doc titled “Business Plan (draft 1),” feeling completely stuck. I’d typed “Executive Summary” as a header and then just… stared at it. What was I even supposed to write? I wasn’t running some startup with investors waiting on a pitch deck. I just had an idea, a little bit of savings, and absolutely no clue where to start.
So I did what a lot of us do — I googled “how to write a business plan,” and within five minutes I had eleven tabs open, all promising a “complete guide” that somehow ended up being 20 sections long, full of terms like “competitive landscape analysis” and “market positioning matrix.” I closed my laptop. Not that day, folks.
Here’s what I wish someone had told me back then: a business plan doesn’t need to sound like it was written by someone with an MBA. It needs to answer a few honest questions about what you’re building. That’s it. I eventually figured out a version that actually worked for me — simple enough to finish in a weekend, but still useful enough that I actually go back and look at it. That’s the version I’m sharing with you today.
Why Bother With a Plan At All?
I get it — when you’re excited about an idea, sitting down to “plan” feels like the boring homework part before you get to the fun part of actually building something. I felt that too. But here’s what changed my mind.
About a month into my first attempt at selling online, I realized I had no idea who I was actually trying to sell to. I was just… posting stuff and hoping. My candles (yes, I started with candles, very original, I know) weren’t selling, and I couldn’t figure out why. Turns out, when I finally sat down and forced myself to answer “who is this for,” I realized I’d been marketing an $18 candle to broke college students on a platform full of them, when the actual person who’d pay for a handmade, non-toxic candle was more like a 35-year-old parent redoing her living room. Completely different person. Completely different platform. Completely different words to use when talking about it.
That’s what a plan does. It’s not there to impress anyone. It’s there so you don’t waste three months guessing.
What You Actually Need Before You Start
Nothing fancy. Seriously.
- A notebook, a Google Doc, or the free template I’m giving you below — whatever you’ll actually use
- A weekend, or really just a few honest hours split across two days
- Coffee, tea, or whatever gets you thinking clearly (mine’s usually a large iced coffee, don’t judge)
And one more thing — permission to write something messy. Nobody’s grading this. Your first draft doesn’t need full sentences. It just needs your real answers.
The Weekend Business Plan (Here’s Exactly What I Do)
I’m going to walk you through this the same way I actually do it myself, section by section, so grab your coffee and let’s go.
Saturday Morning: What Are You Actually Doing? (30 minutes)
Start stupid simple. In one or two sentences, what does your business do?
When I did this for the candles, mine was something like: “I make handmade, non-toxic candles for people who want a cozy home without harsh chemicals.” That’s it. Not fancy. But writing that one sentence made me realize — wait, I hadn’t actually been saying any of that in my posts. I was just posting pretty pictures with no explanation of why my candles were different. Huge miss.
Write your version. Don’t overthink the wording — you’re not publishing this, you’re clarifying it for yourself.
Saturday, Part Two: Who’s Actually Going to Buy This? (about an hour)
This is the section I skipped the first time around, and it cost me. Don’t skip it.
Ask yourself:
- Who is this person? Not “everyone,” an actual person. Age range, lifestyle, what their day looks like.
- What are they doing right now instead of buying from you?
- Why would they pick you over whatever they’re currently doing?
I’ll be honest, this part can feel a little uncomfortable at first, like you’re making assumptions about strangers. But it’s not about being exact — it’s about having a clear enough picture that when you sit down to write a caption or a blog post, you know who you’re talking to.
Saturday Afternoon: What Are You Actually Selling? (about an hour)
List out your actual product or service. What makes it different? And — this one’s important — what will you charge?
I know pricing feels like the scariest part (we’ll go deeper on that in another post), but for now, just put a rough number down. You’re not locking yourself into it forever. You’re giving yourself a starting point.
Sunday Morning: How Will People Even Find You? (about an hour)
Here’s a mistake I made that I see so many beginners make too: trying to be everywhere at once. Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, a Facebook group, an Etsy shop, a newsletter — all launched in the same week. I burned out in about ten days flat, and none of it got the attention it needed.
Pick one, maybe two, places where your actual customer already hangs out. That’s it. You can always add more later once the first one is working.
Sunday, Part Two: The Money Part (about an hour)
I know, I know — nobody loves this part. But grab a scrap piece of paper and jot down:
- What will it cost you to actually get started? (Supplies, a website, tools, whatever applies)
- What’s a realistic sales goal for your first three months? Realistic, not hopeful.
- Roughly how much do you need to sell just to break even?
These don’t need to be perfect numbers pulled from a spreadsheet wizard. Rough is fine. The point is getting them out of your head and onto paper, because “I’ll figure out the money stuff later” is exactly how a lot of us end up avoiding it entirely.
Sunday Evening: Your Actual First Month (30 minutes)
Wrap up by writing down 3 to 5 specific things you’ll do in the next 30 days. Not vague stuff like “market my business” — actual actions. Mine looked like: “Post on Pinterest 3x a week,” “Reach out to 10 people I know personally about buying a candle,” “Set up a simple email list.”
And that’s the whole plan. Six sections, one weekend, done.
Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To
- I tried to make it perfect the first time. It doesn’t need to be. Mine was genuinely messy, half in bullet points, half in full sentences, and it still worked.
- I skipped the “who’s buying this” section entirely at first. Huge mistake, cost me months of guessing.
- I avoided writing down real numbers because they felt scary. Vague numbers in your head aren’t more comforting than rough numbers on paper — they’re just less useful.
- I never looked at the plan again after writing it. Don’t be like early-me. Check back in monthly. Yours will change, and that’s completely normal.
What Comes After Your Plan Is Done
Once I had my plan actually written out, the next thing that felt intimidating was making everything official — figuring out whether I needed an LLC, how to register my business name, all that paperwork stuff that feels like it requires a lawyer to understand.
Honestly, this is the part where I’d recommend not trying to figure it all out solo through government websites at midnight (been there). Something like ZenBusiness handles the LLC filing and paperwork side of things for a reasonable fee, so you can focus your energy on the part you actually started this for — building the thing.
A Few Questions I Get Asked a Lot
Do I really need a business plan if I’m not looking for funding?
Yes, honestly, maybe even more so. When there’s no investor asking you questions, you’re the only one keeping yourself accountable — the plan does that job.
How long should mine actually be?
Mine was about a page and a half. Don’t feel like you need 20 pages of “market analysis.” That’s for a different stage, not this one.
Can I change it later?
Please do. Mine barely resembles what I wrote in that first weekend. That’s not failure, that’s just what learning looks like.
If you write yours this weekend, I’d genuinely love to hear how it goes — what part felt hardest, what surprised you. That’s usually the “who’s actually buying this” section, if my experience is anything to go by.
Next up: [LLC vs. Sole Proprietorship: Which Is Right for You? (SOON)] — the paperwork part I mentioned above, explained without the legal jargon.