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Lean Business Plan Template

If you're in the middle of starting a business, have a business idea that you want to get down on paper, or have a business you want to optimize better, a lean business plan template can help you make that happen.

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Download a lean business plan template

Create a lean business plan simply and effectively with your own lean business plan template. This template can help you simplify the business planning process – it is preformatted so that you can easily add the information that makes sense for your business. Download a copy of our template!

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What is a lean business plan?

A lean business plan is a short one-page document in bullet points, tables, and charts defining your company, business partners, business strategy, tactics, and critical metrics. A lean business plan is agile and should be revisited monthly or quarterly to ensure the business is on the right track.

Benefits of a lean business plan

A lean business plan isn’t as formal as a traditional business plan, but it has its benefits. Here is how your business can benefit from using a lean business plan:

  • Better team management and increased productivity
  • Efficient business processes
  • Effective management of changing priorities
  • Trackable progress the whole team can see
  • Clearer marketing strategy
  • Better time management at the leadership level
  • Better visibility for investors
  • Cost reduction
  • Better predictability

How to create a lean business plan

To create your lean business plan, you’ll start by putting down an overview of what your business does and how it does it. Keep in mind that your lean business plan is for the management team, so it should focus on the dynamics of creating efficient processes. It should cover these key elements:

  • Strategy
  • Implementation
  • Goal/Schedule

To make the process easier, download a template to guide. If you already have a conventional business plan, the easiest thing to do is pull information to use in your lean business plan. Highlight your goals/milestones and the schedule you are following to achieve them. Include your strategy and how you will implement it.

What to include in a lean business plan

In your lean business plan, you’ll want to include:

  • Your company’s value proposition
  • Product/Services
  • Key activities
  • Key resources
  • Business channels
  • Target customers and customer segments
  • Financial needs and cost structure
  • Revenue streams and financial projections

Lean business plan templates: the answers you need to get going

How long should a lean business plan be?

Your lean business plan only needs to be one page long. Since it’s a quick overview that is easily editable and used to keep the management team on track with goals and milestones, it doesn’t need to cover everything.

How do lean business plans differ from conventional business plans?

Creating a conventional business plan can take days, weeks, and months. A lean business plan is a quick overview. It can keep the management team on track and within budget. A conventional business plan is often used to show investors how to get funds, whereas a lean business plan is usually used inside the company.

What is a benefit of a lean business model?

The most notable benefit of the lean business model is that it focuses on maximizing the company’s time and resources to provide better value to the customer. It will help you focus your efforts and have a more successful business.