Whenever you start a new business, the first thing you need to do is write a good business plan. And yeah, truth be told, it’s a time-consuming task. But, what is the real benefit of a business plan? Typically, people write business plans because it helps clarify how to make money or find customers.
It also forecasts the growth of your business for the future. So, regardless of if your business is in the early or late stage, it’s a good idea to write a business plan. This is, however, easier said than done as not only can it be time-consuming, but it’s also difficult to choose the exact format as well as decide on the information that’s to be included.
If you want to save time on writing your business plan, there are lots of free business planning tools that will make it easier for you, and that’s what we’ll be talking about today.
LivePlan
LivePlan is a cloud-based business plan tool covering all planning stages. With LivePlan, you can easily write a solid business plan in half the time through engaging tutorials and examples.
LivePlan was designed for startups and entrepreneurs who don’t have the time or budget; thus, you don’t need any prior experience with professional business planning. Its user-friendly website helps you focus and build presentation-ready plans while keeping your data safe and 100% accessible.
You can easily import financial data from other platforms like QuickBooks and Xero and use them directly in LivePlan. In addition, this tool is perfect for collaboration and your small business team members. For example, you are able to lock any section and prevent two users from editing the same section at the same time.
Pricing:
- Pay as you go for $15/month for the first three months
- Annual subscription for $15/month
Enloop
Enloop is another business writing and planning software. It comes with all standard features, but the emphasis is on its two special features: autowrite and text sync.
The autowrite feature provides a greater structure for business plans than other solutions reviewed in this roundup. On the other hand, the text sync feature automatically updates and syncs the “data bubbles” whenever you change the numbers. As a result, you don’t have to go back to a business plan chapter to edit the data manually.
Pricing:
- Free 7-day trial
- Premium starts from $19.95/month
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-style project management tool used for managing multiple businesses. It helps you manage workflows and improve the collaboration of businesses of any size.
In addition, teams can easily collaborate and share files, notes, and tasks. Therefore, every project member can keep up with the changes and progress of the project. If you need, you can additionally share presentations, images, and PDF files with your colleagues and work on the content simultaneously through version control and a customizable approval process.
Another feature that is needed to point out is advanced reporting. Advanced reporting makes it easy for you to extract and use only the most important information from multiple sheets and merge them into a single report. When it comes to logs and security, you can use the activity log tool to check who and when is accessing reports.
Additional to the logs, you can extend the core functionality of this software with resource, digital asset, and portfolio management capabilities. Therefore, you will always be able to access project budgeting, time tracking, advanced reports and analytics, forecasting tools, and more.
Pricing:
- Free trial
- The Pro version starts from $9 per user/month
Business Sorter
According to statistics, businesses are roughly 30% more profitable when previously planned out. This is what the Business Sorter tool was made for.
Business Sorter simplifies and completes the business planning and implementation process in under two hours. The great thing about it is that 90% of the work is done for you. Therefore, you don’t need to develop a plan from scratch because the content is right there in front of you. All you are have to do is identify and set the top priorities in your business.
In addition, you can delegate tasks, set timings and budgets, and monitor progress. You can use Business Sorter on all your devices and access your plan anytime and anywhere.
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial
- Premium plan starting from $10 for three users/month
Conclusion
Next time you start a business or a project, we recommend you use any of these tools that will help you write a business plan more effectively and save you a ton of time.