A business plan is a prerequisite for founders who want to turn a business idea into reality. From financial planning to designing initial marketing campaigns, a business plan structures all the key aspects of setting up a startup. A business plan is often required when companies seek funding from a bank. It also gives founders clarity about their financial and strategic planning.
A business plan is crucial to the success of your startup. It serves as a guide and helps you to define your business idea clearly and to gauge the feasibility of your project. A completed business plan will enable you to convince potential investors, partners and banks of your concept. The business plan also acts as a roadmap for the first few years of your business, as it sets out clear steps and milestones. You can identify risks early and act in good time. A good business plan improves your chances of securing financial backing and serves as an internal tool for tracking and managing your company’s growth. Thus, a business plan should therefore cover all these aspects.
How do founders create a business plan?
Creating a business plan requires careful planning and a clear structure. Start with a concise summary of your business model, goals and your business idea’s unique selling points. This should be followed by detailed sections on your business idea, market analysis, target groups and analysis of the competition. When drafting the business plan, describe your products and services, explain your marketing and sales strategies and draw up a plan with sales forecasts, profit and loss account and capital requirements. A good business plan template can help you to take all these aspects into account and to structure it clearly. Lastly, you should develop an implementation plan with milestones and timelines. Each section should be well-researched and clearly phrased to win over potential investors and serve as a guide for yourself.
A business plan template can help you to create a structured and comprehensive plan. These offer predefined sections and guiding questions that cover all the key aspects of your business idea. The business plan templates save you time, and give you an overview of the required information and analyses. A well-designed template helps you to organise your thoughts and define goals.
Development of company concept/ business plan/ financial plan
Develop your own business plan, with detailed assistance and practical examples as well as support from an IHK expert.
Unternehmenswerkstatt Hamburg
Realisation of a business idea
Practical tips on how to proceed, relevant key questions, implementation and industry data as well as market information
Firmenhilfe
Businessplan: Checklist
Detailed checklist, divided into relevant areas and what is important for each of them
Existenzgründungsportal des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie
Components of a business plan
What belongs in a business plan and which documents are required
Handelskammer Hamburg
Business model review
How to review a business model with a focus on the ‘Business Model Canvas’ (BMC) method
Firmenhilfe
Practical tips
Summary of success criteria for creating a business plan and practical examples
Existenzgründungsportal des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie
Lean Startup - Practical report
Helpful tips and experiences for startups
Praxisbericht
Software & Templates
Tools, documents & templates for business plan development
Work aids, manuals, business plan templates and exclusive software for creating the figures section of the business plan
Gründungswerkstatt Hamburg
Online-Tool & App
Templates and illustrative examples help you to draw up a business plan and plan your finances
Existenzgründungsportal des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK)
H.E.I.P. – The canvas of hei.
Is intended to offer founders a real alternative to the elaborate business plan
hei. Hamburger ExistenzgründungsInitiative
Business-Model-Canvas - Template
Two business model canvas templates: a blank template and a completed illustrative example
Firmenhilfe
Create a complete business plan
Software that supports the creation of the business plan (full version free for 30 days)
SmartBusinessPlan
Consulting & Coaching
Business startup counselling before drawing up a business plan
General orientation meeting: The appointment can be made by telephone or in person (by appointment)
hei. Hamburger ExistenzgründungsInitiative
Startup counselling
Contact point for startup projects for general, cross-industry information (also on the business plan)
Handelskammer Hamburg
GründerGeist competition
Annual business plan competition: Experienced practitioners review the business idea and provide each participant and application with individual feedback and free pitch training. The three best applications receive cash and non-cash prizes.
GründerGeist
hei. seminar programme -calendar of dates
Overview of all hei. dates and seminars from the hei.scheckheft programme. The hei.scheckheft is a compilation of various seminars that are relevant for founders. Participation in the hei. seminar programmes is subsidised with a voucher of € 500.
hei. Calender
Consultancy/coaching
Individual counselling for business startups with a focus on e.g. concept development or business plan
WIRTSCHAFTS-SENIOREN-BERATEN e.V.
Networks
Business Startup Committee of the Junior Chamber of Commerce
This committee of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce supports Hamburg founders through voluntary events and projects such as the monthly Gründer:innentreff or the GründerGeist competition.
Entrepreneur Initiative
Bucerius Law School's Entrepreneur Initiative is an association of students and graduates of the university who are interested in business and entrepreneurship and who are involved in startup topics.
Last accessed: Feb 2025