Business planning templates

You wouldn’t build a house without a detailed blueprint of your plans, a set of tools and a clear idea of the costs. We feel the same way about building a business. That’s why we require our applicants to provide a range of key business documents with your Start Up Loan application. Our free downloadable templates are designed to help you organise your business idea, develop your plans and figure out how to make your start up work.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is the blueprint for your business and is a great tool for focusing your thinking. It helps us understand your goals and how you plan to achieve them, how well you know your market (your customers and your competitors) and what resources you’ll need to deliver and promote your products or services. Importantly, it tells us how you plan to make money and ensure your business is sustainable.

What is a cash flow forecast?

A cash flow forecast is an estimate of the money you expect your business to bring in and pay out over a period of time (we require a 12-month forecast). It reflects all of your revenue sources (like sales or other payments from customers) compared to your expenses (like supplier payments, premises rental and tax payments). It helps us understand how sustainable your plans are and allows you to predict the financial performance of your business. It also includes sales assumptions to help you work out your anticipated sales and cost of sales for your business for the next 12-months.

What is a personal survival budget?

Your personal survival budget is a list of all the money you earn or receive in an average month (like a salary, benefits payments or other family allowance) minus a list of all the costs you incur that month (like your rent, your utility bills and your monthly grocery bill). It helps us determine whether you will be able to manage your monthly loan repayments and whether your business will be able to support your lifestyle.