Words crammed together into small spaces are uncomfortable to read. Nobody worries about having to turn to the next page. Use page breaks to separate sections and to separate charts from text and to highlight tables.Only a few of the more readable fonts are fine at 10 points most of them are better at an 11 or 12 point size. For the body text, you should probably use a standard text font, like Century, Times Roman or Book Antigua. The font you use for headings should be a simple sans-serif font, such as Arial, Tahoma or Verdana. Aside from the wording, you also want the physical look of your text to be simple and inviting. If source numbers aren't completely obvious in the summary tables, make sure you specify which appendices contain the detailed numbers. Don't use a chart without referencing it in the text.And never leave a business plan reader unable to find the source numbers of a chart. Always put the source numbers close to the charts in a summary table so readers can reference them quickly and recognize the numbers in the charts.Show only the major tasks and milestones, because too many details make these charts hard to read. Show tasks and milestones as horizontal bars with labels on the left and dates along the top or bottom.Use pie charts for market share and market segments.If your sales divide into segments, stack the bars to show the total. Stacked bars make totals easier to visualize.Three-dimensional bars look slicker, but two-dimensional bars are usually easier to read.Use bar charts to show, at a minimum, sales, gross margin, net profits, cash flow and net worth by year.Make the related details easy to find in the appendices. Use summary tables and simple business charts to highlight the main numbers. Make your important numbers easy to find and easy to understand. Product shots, location shots, menus, blueprints, floor plans, logos and signage photos are useful. The graphics made the plan longer, but they added real value.
I recently saw a plan for a chain of coffee shops, for example, that included photos of the proposed location, mock-ups of menus and maps of other proposed locations. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. If you've got a plan that's more than 40 pages long, you're probably not summarizing very well.
#Plan your again keep it simple plus#
You can probably cover everything you need to convey in 20 to 30 pages of text plus another 10 pages of appendices for monthly projections, management resumes and other details. The average length of most business plans is shorter now than it used to be. Unexplained bullet points can be frustrating. Flesh them out with brief explanations where explanations are needed. They help readers digest information more easily. Use simple, straightforward language, like "use" instead of "utilize" and "then" instead of "at that point in time.".You may know that NIH means "not invented here" and KISS stands for "keep it simple, stupid," but don't assume anybody else does. Short sentences are fine, and they're easier to read. Don't use long complicated sentences, unless you have to for meaning.When you're crafting your plan, remember these tips: Save the deep prose for the great American novel you'll write later. People will skim your plan-they'll try to read it while talking on the phone or going through their e-mail. Effective business writing is easy to read. With that in mind, let's get down to some specifics when it comes to simplifying your plan. You're keeping it simple so you can get your point across quickly and easily to whoever's reading it. The reason you're keeping it simple isn't because you haven't developed your idea fully. Keep the wording and formatting straightforward, and keep the plan short.īut don't confuse simple wording and formats with simple thinking. Don't confuse your business plan with a doctoral thesis or a lifetime task.
If you want people to read the business plan you develop-and most people do-then my best advice to you is keep it simple. An "easy to read quickly" format is more important than ever. Or it could be because people have less time to waste wading through documents!įor whatever reason, the trend in business plans these days is to go back to the fundamentals, with good projections and solid analysis. It might also be a matter of trends among bankers and investors who read business plans. That might be because business plans are more common than they used to be-they're used more and more often and by more people.
When I first started working with business plans back in the late 1970s, the average plan was much longer and more complex than what I see today.
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