Write a Business Plan That Banks and Investors Take Seriously: Step-by-Step Guide + 9 Ready-to-Use Tools

Write a business plan that banks, SACCOS and investors take seriously, even if you have never written one before.

Most business plans are turned down not because the idea is bad, but because the plan is vague, too optimistic or missing the numbers a lender needs to see. This kit walks you through every section of a strong plan, step by step. It follows one Tanzanian business, a bakery in Sinza, Dar es Salaam, from idea to loan request, and gives you ready-to-use tools that do the hard calculations for you.

What you get (a 50-page guide + 9 tools)

• Illustrated PDF guide (50 pages, 16 chapters): the 13 sections of a strong business plan in the order you should write them, what lenders and investors look for (the 5 Cs of credit), 12 mistakes that sink business plans, and a 30-day plan to finish yours.
• 8 editable Word tools: Business Plan Template (all 13 sections with prompts), One-Page Business Plan, Market Research and Customer Survey Worksheet, Competitor Analysis and SWOT Worksheet, Marketing and Sales Plan Worksheet, Team Profile Template, Risk Register and Contingency Plan, and a Final Review Checklist.
• Excel Financial Planner with 7 linked sheets: startup costs, funding and loan repayments, sales and cost assumptions, a 12-month cash flow, a 3-year profit and loss, break-even analysis and a best/base/worst-case stress test. Pre-filled with a worked example so you can see how it works before you enter your own figures.

You will learn how to

• Estimate your market from the bottom up, with sources a lender can check
• Calculate exactly how much money you need, including the working capital reserve most people forget
• Prove that your cash flow can repay a loan, month by month
• Find your break-even point and test what happens in a bad month
• Write an executive summary that makes a busy reader want to read on

Perfect for entrepreneurs seeking a bank, SACCOS or microfinance loan, business owners planning to expand, applicants for grants, competitions, tenders or investment registration, and consultants who write plans for clients.

Written by Juma Killaghai, Business Consultant and Writer, Wellbiz Solutions, Dar es Salaam. Works in Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Docs and Sheets, and LibreOffice.