business plan for microsoft

Powerful business plan templates

Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

Put your ideas to work with simple templates for every business plan

Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

Which Microsoft 365 plan is right for your business?

Your business has unique needs, which is why there are several Microsoft 365 plans to choose from, so you get the apps and features you need. Many of the plans sound similar, so we'll guide you through the options to help you find the plan that will best support you to run your business.

If you want a full breakdown and comparison of features in each plan, check out more here .

You can also take a quick 2-minute assessment to get a recommendation on which plan is best for you.

Microsoft 365 for business  is a subscription service that lets you run your organization in the cloud while Microsoft takes care of the IT for you. It connects employees to the people, information, and content they need to do their best work, from any device.

The most popular plan and what is recommended for most businesses is Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

If you have other needs, choose one of the options below:

We already have Word and Excel, but we're interested in email and Microsoft Teams

If your business already has licenses of Microsoft Office, you might only want to get business-class email that gives you a custom email domain address and Microsoft Teams for online meetings. If this is the case, then Microsoft 365 Business Basic would be your best option. 

Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Host email with a 50GB mailbox and custom email domain address.

1TB of cloud storage to store and share files.

Facilitate online meetings and video calls for up to 300 users and create a hub for teamwork using Microsoft Teams.

Manage appointments with Bookings and manage projects with Forms, Lists, and Planner.

Click here if Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the right option.

My business and employees just need apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel

If your business only needs desktop apps like Word or Excel, Microsoft 365 Apps for business will be your best option.

The latest desktop versions of Microsoft 365 apps: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote (plus Access and Publisher for PC only).

Automatic updates to your apps with the latest features and capabilities.

1 TB of cloud storage to store and share files.

Each license lets you install Microsoft 365 apps on five mobile devices, five tablets and five PCs or Macs per user.

Click here if Microsoft 365 Apps for business is the right option.

What add-ons are there for my business plan?

There are a plenty of add-ons to choose from, but two that we recommend you consider are Microsoft Defender for Business and Teams Phone.

Help keep your devices and servers secure from online threats such as ransomware and malware. Defender for Business is an easy-to-use cybersecurity solution to help protect against, detect, and respond to cyberattacks.

Learn more about Microsoft Defender for Business

Help administrators keep your organization connected with Microsoft Teams calling solutions. Empower employees in remote, in-office, or hybrid work environments with the flexibility of Teams Phone and devices that fit the way you work.

Learn more about Microsoft Teams Phone

Check out  Buy or manage add-ons for Microsoft 365 business plans to learn how to add new features to enhance your subscription.

How do I change subscriptions?

If you chose a plan for your business, but later want to change it, check out Upgrade or change to a different Microsoft 365 for business plan to read how you can switch your plan.

Buy Microsoft 365 for your small business

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Sign up for a Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription

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Check out all of our small business content on Small business help & learning .

Want to sign up for a Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription?

There are a couple of ways to get started:

• Buy Microsoft 365 Business Standard and complete your own setup . To purchase Microsoft 365 Business Standard, follow the sign up steps below .
• For Microsoft partners : If you're a partner, see Get Microsoft 365 Business .

Sign up for Microsoft 365 for business

Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscriptions are for commercial use and are intended for business and enterprise customers.

Sign up steps

To sign up and purchase Microsoft 365 Business Standard, complete the following steps.

The person who signs up for Microsoft 365 for business (usually the business owner) automatically becomes the technical administrator of the organization. You can add other people as admins if you want help managing your Microsoft 365 services. Check out Assign admin roles for more info.

On the Microsoft 365 for business page , select See plans & pricing .

On the next page, find out the monthly cost, and then scroll down the page to find out more about what's included in Microsoft 365. Under Microsoft 365 Business Standard, select Buy now .

On the Thank you for choosing Microsoft 365 Business Standard page, enter your information to get started. Select Next .

Enter an email address that you already use. This email address can be any address you want Microsoft to use to communicate with you during setup. It's also the address where we send you information about your bill and renewals. Then select, Set up account .

Enter your name, business phone number, business size, company name, and location. Select Next .

We display your company name in the admin center. This is where you manage Microsoft 365 users, licenses and other features and services. We also include it in any internal SharePoint site URLs.

Enter a number that we can use to reach you and select Send Verification Code . You'll receive a text. Enter your code and select Verify .

Decide how you want to sign in to Microsoft 365. You can create a new business email account by adding a domain or sign in with your current personal email .

Choosing the right business subscription

When signing up for Microsoft 365 Business Standard, you have 2 options for how to get started. Evaluate three key factors to choose which best meets your needs:

Which apps and services do you want to use straight away?

How much technical skill do you have?

Do you need Microsoft to act as a processor for your data?

The table below outlines each choice.

Use these three factors to determine which of the two options is best for your business needs.

Option 1: Sign in with your Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or other email account

Sign in to Microsoft 365 with this email address. For example, [email protected].

Create a password on the next page, and select Create account to continue. On the next page, read about how we handle your data and select whether you want Microsoft Partners to contact you. Select Next .

Select how many Microsoft 365 Business Standard licenses you want for your organization and select Add payment method and continue with checkout to Place order .

On the Confirmation details page, we'll give you some more info about your subscription. You can now go to the Microsoft 365 admin center to add users, install Microsoft 365 apps, invite your team to use Microsoft 365 and more. We'll also send you an email with set-up steps for Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

Remember this option doesn't provide branded email, admin control for use of the services by other users, or industry specific compliance support. Subscribers don't have any access or control over other users' (employees) usage or documents under this option users may choose not to transfer data created in storage such as OneDrive/Teams to your upgraded, enterprise-level domain account should you not choose option 2 immediately.

Option 2: Create a new business email account and attach a domain

With this option, you're able to use Microsoft 365 Exchange as your professional, branded email provider. All your users have a shared domain email address. For example, their username, followed by @contoso.com . You and your users sign into Microsoft 365 with this new email address. When you follow this process (add a domain and create new business email accounts), you'll get access to all the features provided in Microsoft 365 Business Standard. For steps on how to buy or add a domain, see Set up Microsoft 365 Business Standard .

This option provides immediate access to the full suite of features in your Microsoft 365 Business subscription but may require technical steps to be completed up front.

If you would like to add a domain and create a business email account, you can follow the steps in the articles below:

• Add a domain to Microsoft 365
• Finish setting up

Terms of service update for Simplified Sign Up mode

Applies to: Existing subscribers of Microsoft 365 Business Standard who previously purchased using Simplified Sign-up mode .

If you previously used Simplified Sign Up mode to purchase a business subscription before October 2021 without adding a business domain you may need to accept new terms of service for uninterrupted service and usage of the Microsoft 365 apps. You may be sent emails or you'll see in-app prompts when you sign in to Microsoft 365 admin center.

The Simplified Sign Up terms of use have been recently updated, and notably they clarify licensing and data ownership for multi-user business subscriptions. For continued service of your business subscription, you may either visit the Microsoft 365 admin Center and stay using Simplified Sign Up (and agree to use the Microsoft Services Agreement Supplemental), or visit the Microsoft 365 admin Center and add a business domain (and use the Microsoft Online Services Agreement). To help you choose which of these two modes best suits your needs, consult the table at the top of this article.

Should you choose not to accept the updated terms for Simplified Sign Up or to add a business domain, your subscription will not automatically renew, and at the end of your current subscription contract, you'll lose access to the Office apps. Your OneDrive data will be retained for 90 days for you to make copies of it, and then it will be deleted.

Frequently asked questions

What is a business email and what are the advantages to setting one up.

A business email is an email that uses your own domain name. For example, if you own the domain name contoso.com , you can build a website using the url www.contoso.com , but you can also have a custom email address such as [email protected]. This is referred to as a branded business email as it gives your email a professional look.

How do I get a new business email address?

There are three options for getting a business email.

• You can use a suggested onmicrosoft.com domain for free ([email protected]).
• You can buy a new domain to have a more compact email address ([email protected]).
• You use a domain name that you already own.

Why might I need to verify my domain to create a business email?

If you choose to use a domain you already own, you can use it for your email address with Microsoft 365. As part of sign-up process, we ask you to verify the domain so you can send emails via Microsoft 365. This confirms that you are the owner of the domain that is sending emails with that identity, which enhances security and prevents fraudulent activity.

Is there a benefit to paying monthly vs annually?

To provide customers with the greatest amount of flexibility, different payment options are available.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Apps for business, Business Standard, and Business Premium plans are available for monthly commitment payment or annual commitment payment.
• Monthly commitment payment: You pay month by month, and you can cancel at any time.
• Annual commitment payment: You sign up for a one-year subscription, but you can choose to pay month to month or pay for the entire year at the time you sign up. There is a discount for using this payment option.

How does recurring billing work?

When recurring billing is on, your subscription will continue to be billed each year on the day you subscribed. You can turn it off or back on again in the admin center if your subscription is active. Learn more at Manage recurring billing in the Microsoft 365 admin center .

What do I do if I want to change my business name?

Contact our small business support experts who can help you change your business name. Learn more at Get support .

Related articles

Set up Microsoft 365 Business Standard with a new or existing domain Invite users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard

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Additional resources

Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now available for small and medium-sized businesses.

Find the best Microsoft 365 plan for your business

Choose between plans with and without microsoft teams., microsoft 365 business basic.

Originally starting from AU$9.00 now starting from AU$9.00

AU$9.00 AU$9.00

(Annual subscription–auto renews) 1

Apps and services to kick-start your business, including:

Identity, access, and user management for up to 300 employees

Custom business email ([email protected])

Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

Chat, call, and video conference with Microsoft Teams

1 TB of cloud storage per employee

• 10+ additional apps for your business needs (Microsoft Bookings, Planner, Forms, and others)

Automatic spam and malware filtering

Anytime phone and web support

 Copilot for Microsoft 365, available as an add-on 3

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

Originally starting from AU$18.70 now starting from AU$18.70

AU$18.70 AU$18.70

Everything in Business Basic, plus:

Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

Webinars with attendee registration and reporting

Collaborative workspaces to co-create using Microsoft Loop

Video editing and design tools with Microsoft Clipchamp

Copilot for Microsoft 365 available as an add-on. 3

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Originally starting from AU$32.90 now starting from AU$32.90

AU$32.90 AU$32.90

Everything in Business Standard, plus:

Advanced identity and access management

Enhanced cyberthreat protection against viruses and phishing attacks

Enterprise-grade device and endpoint protection

Discover, classify, and protect sensitive information

Microsoft 365 Apps for business

Originally starting from AU$13.00 now starting from AU$13.00

AU$13.00 AU$13.00

Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook:

 Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

1 TB of cloud storage per user

Add Copilot to your Microsoft plan 3  

Sign in to add Copilot to your existing Microsoft 365 business plan.

If you’re not an existing customer, buy a Microsoft 365 plan to get started.

Explore Microsoft 365

Help me choose the right Microsoft 365 plan

Learn more about microsoft 365 for business, learn more about microsoft 365 for enterprise, get just the microsoft 365 desktop apps, other suggested products.

Visio: Flowchart software. Different plans available Project: Project management software. Different plans available

Frequently asked questions

What is microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 is the productivity cloud designed to help everyone achieve what matters, in their work and life, with best-in-class Microsoft 365 apps, intelligent cloud services, and advanced security.

On how many devices can I install Microsoft 365 apps if I have a Microsoft 365 business plan?

Install Microsoft 365 apps on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets, and five mobile devices. Hybrid Windows devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro, count as either a PC or a tablet.

What forms of payment can I use?

All major credit cards are accepted. When paying with a credit card, your subscription amount will appear on your credit card statement. Existing customers may be eligible to pay by invoice and can contact support to check their eligibility for this payment method.  Learn more about paying by invoice . For Microsoft 365 business plans, depending on your choice of service, you'll be billed monthly or annually.

What's the difference between monthly, annual, and annual commitment payments?

To provide you with the greatest amount of flexibility, different payment options are available.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Apps for business, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium plans are available for monthly commitment payment or annual commitment payment.

• Monthly commitment payment:  Pay month by month and cancel at any time.
• Annual commitment payment:  Sign up for a one-year subscription and benefit from a discount for using this payment option. By default, your billing plan will be set to monthly billing. After your purchase, you can change your billing plan to annual billing within the Microsoft 365 admin center.  
• Annual commitment payment:  Sign up for a one-year subscription and choose to pay monthly or for the entire year at the time you sign up.

Can I convert my trial to a paid subscription and retain all my settings and files?

Yes. If you purchase Microsoft 365 licenses for the accounts you create during your free trial, the information and configuration for these users' accounts will remain intact. Once your free trial expires, you’ll have an additional 30 days to purchase Microsoft 365 before your account information is erased. Once your trial account information has been erased, it can’t be retrieved.

Does Microsoft 365 work when I'm not connected to the internet?

The Microsoft 365 apps that you install on your PC or Mac—such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook—are available to you when you’re not online. 

With OneDrive in Microsoft 365, get file storage that you can access when you’re offline. When you make changes while offline, they’ll be synced to OneDrive and across the rest of your devices when you reconnect.

With Outlook, read emails already delivered to your inbox, or draft new emails and meeting requests. Your inbox and outbox will sync across the rest of your devices when you reconnect.

What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription?

Your data is yours. If you decide to cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription, download your data—for example, your email and documents on team sites—and save it to another location. You should save your data before you cancel. After you cancel your subscription, data associated with your Microsoft 365 account will be available to your administrator(s) in a limited function account for 90 days.

Where can I find more answers to frequently asked questions?

Find more answers to frequently asked questions on the  Microsoft 365 for business FAQ page .

What is Microsoft Defender for Business?

Microsoft Defender for Business is an endpoint security solution designed to help businesses with up to 300 employees. It helps protect against cybersecurity threats, including malware and ransomware, in an easy-to-use, cost-effective package. Microsoft Defender for Business is included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium and is available as a standalone product.  Learn more .

How many users can I host for online meetings and video calls using Microsoft Teams?

With Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscriptions that have a Microsoft Teams license, you can host online meetings and video calls for up to 300 people.

With Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, Microsoft 365 A3 and A5, and Microsoft 365 Government G3 and G5 subscriptions that have a Microsoft Teams license, this limit increases up to 1,000 people. Learn more . 

For IT providers, what are the options to manage more than one customer at a time?

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) who are part of Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider program can use Microsoft 365 Lighthouse as one central place to secure, manage, and grow their customers using Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, Defender for Business, and Microsoft 365 for enterprise and education products.  Learn more .

Copilot for Microsoft 365 frequently asked questions

Find more answers to frequently asked questions. Learn more .

• [1] Once your paid subscription begins, cancellation policies vary based on your status as a new customer and your product and domain selections on Microsoft. Learn more . Cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription any time by going to the Microsoft 365 admin center. When a subscription is canceled, all associated data will be deleted. Learn more about data retention, deletion, and destruction in Microsoft 365 .
• [2] After your one-month free trial ends, your subscription will automatically convert into a 12-month paid subscription and you will be charged the applicable subscription fee. Cancel anytime during your free trial to stop future charges. Credit card required to sign-up. Learn more .
• [3] Copilot for Microsoft 365 may not be available for all markets and languages. To purchase, customers must have a qualifying plan for enterprise or business .
• [4] Availability of mobile apps varies by country/region.

Connect with Microsoft 365 :

• Chat with sales
• Contact sales

Available M-F 8 AM to 8 PM AEST.

Microsoft 365 Business Plans Compared

In April 2020 Microsoft changed the names of the Office 365 Business plans to Microsoft 365 Business. Before this name change, we had only Microsoft 365 Business, but now we have Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Apps for Business.

Only the names have changed, the price and the features of the plans have stayed the same. In this article, we are going to take a look at the differences between the Microsoft 365 Business plans . We are going to start with a comparison table so you can quickly compare the most important details between the different plans.

Microsoft 365 for Business Plans Compared

In the table below you will find all the details of the Microsoft 365 business plans compared. You can find the prices for your country here at Microsoft.com . Keep in mind that all Business plans are limited to 300 users.

Note Microsoft added new plans without Teams wich are only available in the European Union. These plans are less expensive. Read everything about it in this article

Tip You can mix Microsoft 365 Business plans with Enterprise plans, so if you have more than 300 users, you buy Office 365 E3 plans for the other users.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan, formerly known as Office 365 Business Essentials, is the perfect plan if you don’t work a lot in Word, Excel, or Outlook.

In the Business Basic plan, you don’t get the desktop apps , so you can’t install Word, Excel, Outlook, etc on your desktop. But you can use those applications online in your browser.

The browser versions of these apps work perfectly for light usage. Outlook Online is great to work with, it has all the important features just like the Outlook app. Word and Excel Online also work fine if you need to write an occasional letter or spreadsheet.

What makes the Business Basic plan so great is that you get Exchange Online with 50Gb mailboxes OneDrive and SharePoint. So you can use all the benefits of Office 365 (safely storing your data in the cloud, easily working together and sharing documents, etc.), for only $5 per month.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

This is basically the default Microsoft 365 plan for small businesses ( hence the name 😉 ). Microsoft 365 Business Standard , formerly known as Office 365 Business Premium, contains everything a small business needs.

It comes with desktop apps so that you can install Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. on your desktops, and it comes with a lot of online business apps.

The desktop apps have of course a lot of advantages over the online versions, but the most important ones are that you can use add-ins (for your business applications for example) and macros . Something that is not possible with the online versions.

Business Standard comes with a couple of Online Business Applications that are only available in Standard and Premium.

• Outlook Customer Manager – a Lite CRM system based on Outlook
• Microsoft Teams Shifts – Built-in Microsoft Teams to plan shifts and tasks
• Microsoft Bookings
• Microsoft Invoicing

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Business Premium is an original Microsoft 36 plan, it was formerly known as Microsoft 365 Business. It comes with everything that Business Standard has with the addition of a couple of security features/services and a Windows 10 Pro license.

Windows 10 Pro License

The Windows 10 Pro license is a pretty strange one compared to the other plans, so let me explain it a bit. Some of the advanced security features that come with Business Premium don’t work on older versions of Windows or on Windows 10 Home.

So to make full use of the security features, you get a Windows 10 Pro license. Now to be clear, you can only upgrade Windows 7 or 8 Pro to Windows 10 Pro. You can’t upgrade Windows 10 Home to Pro.

Advanced Security Features

The advanced security features help you to stay protected against cybersecurity threats. It protects you from phishing emails and ransomware.

Another important feature is the Azure Information Protection. If you are working with a lot of sensitive data, then you absolutely don’t want the data to be accidentally shared with others. With Information Protection you can classify, label, and encrypt data so it can’t be shared accidentally.

Keep in mind that settings up these features require some knowledge about Office 365, so it might be a good idea to get an IT/Office 365 Consultant to help you set it up correctly.

Microsoft Intune

The last important addition to this Premium Microsoft 365 Business plan is Intune. With Microsoft Intune, you can manage and protect your mobile devices. Keep in mind data mobile devices are easily getting lost or stolen, so you want to make sure that those are fully protected and easily can be wiped clean when lost.

Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

This plan doesn’t really belong here in this comparison, but I have put it in because of the name and the confusion it might cause. You should actually really compare this plan with just buying Office 2019 in my opinion.

Basically, Apps for Business is only the Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) with the advantage that you also get Online versions, continuous updates, and 1Tb OneDrive storage. But you don’t get SharePoint or Exchange Online.

So you will have to host your email somewhere else, store your files locally (or in OneDrive) and you won’t get any of the advantages of Office 365.

The Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan is for most businesses the best plan to choose. It comes with the Office apps, and all the cloud features and it’s reasonably priced. If you are still in doubt, you can always start with a trial of Business Standard .

Make sure you also check the following articles:

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Office 365 E3
• Office 365 Branding
• Setup Multi-Factor Authentication in Office 365

You may also like the following articles

How to use High Volume Email in Microsoft 365

How to use Passkeys in Microsoft Authenticator for Microsoft Entra ID

New Outlook Feature – Follow a Meeting

5 thoughts on “microsoft 365 business plans compared”.

M365 Business Premium comes with Windows 10 Business, not Pro. Win 10 Pro is a requirement for Business.

Hi Can M365BP be combine with M365Standard or basic after BP has exceed the 300 limit ?

So 300MBP and 50MBS and so on.

Yes, that is possible.

your statement on Win 10 pro is wrong. Premium CANNOT upgrade a home to pro. I asked microsoft directly to confirm.

“Windows 10 Pro License The Windows 10 Pro license is a pretty strange one compared to the other plans, so let me explain it a bit. Some of the advanced security features that come with Business Premium don’t work on Windows 10 Home. In small companies, you see more Windows 10 Home devices, because people are using a (former) personal device or buy the more affordable computers with Windows 10 Home on it.

So to make full use of the security features, you get a Windows 10 Pro license. Installing it is pretty simple, all you need to do is change the license key and your Windows 10 Home installation will be upgraded to Pro.”

You are correct. I have updated the article.

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Free Business Plan Templates in Excel

By Joe Weller | September 27, 2020

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In this article, we’ve rounded up an extensive list of free business plan templates and samples for organizations of all sizes. You can download all of the plans in Excel. 

Included on this page, you’ll find business plan templates in Excel , business plan checklists in Excel , business plan financial templates in Excel , and more.

Business Plan Templates in Excel

These Excel business plan templates are designed to guide you through each step of a well-rounded strategy that supports your marketing, sales, financial, and operational goals.

Business Plan Template in Excel

This Excel business plan template has all the traditional components of a standard business plan, with each section divided into tabs. This template includes space to provide the executive summary, target audience characteristics, product or service offering details, marketing strategies, and more. The plan also offers built-in formulas to complete calculations for sales forecasting, financial statements, and key business ratios.

Download Business Plan Template

Excel | Smartsheet

One-Page Business Plan in Excel

To check the feasibility of your business concept, use this single-page business plan template. The template allows you to jot down the core details related to your idea. This template also includes room for you to provide concise information about what you do, how you do it, why you do it, who your idea serves, your competitive advantage, your marketing strategies, and your success factors. At the bottom of this one-page plan, you’ll find a table to conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Find more downloadable single-page plans and examples at “ One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide .”

Download One-Page Business Plan

Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet

Sample 30-60-90-Day Business Plan for Startup in Excel

This 90-day business plan is designed for startup companies to develop a 90-day action plan. This template gives you room to outline the following: main goals and deliverables for each 30-day increment; key business activities; task ownership; and deadlines. This template also includes a built-in Gantt chart that adjusts as you enter dates. Visit “ 30-60-90-Day Business Plan Templates and Samples ” to download more free plans.

Download 30-60-90-Day Business Plan for Startup

For more free business plans in a wider variety of formats, visit “ Simple Business Plan Templates .”

Business Plan Checklists in Excel

These business plan checklists are useful for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to organize and track the progress of key business activities.

Business Planning Checklist with Timeline in Excel

Use this checklist to keep your business planning efforts on track. This template enables you to add tasks according to each phase of your plan, assign an owner to each task, and enter the respective start and end dates. The checklist also enables you to create and color-code a visual timeline when you highlight the start and end dates for each task.

Download Business Planning Checklist with Timeline Template

Business Plan Checklist with SWOT Analysis in Excel

Use this business plan checklist to develop and organize your strategic plan. Add the name of the business activity, along with its status, due date, and pertinent notes. This template also includes a separate tab with a SWOT analysis matrix, so you can evaluate and prioritize your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Download Business Plan Checklist with SWOT Analysis - Excel

Business Startup Checklist in Excel

This checklist template is ideal for startup organizations. It allows you to list and categorize key tasks that you need to complete, including items related to research, strategic relationships, finance, development, and more. Check off each task upon completion to ensure you haven’t missed or overlooked any important business activities. Find additional resources by visiting “ Free Startup Plan, Budget & Cost Templates .”

‌Download Business Startup Checklist Template

Business Plan Financial Templates in Excel

Use these customizable templates to develop your organization’s financial plan.

Business Startup Costs Template in Excel

Use this template to estimate and track your startup and operational costs. This template gives you room to list line items for both funding and expenses; you can automatically calculate totals using the built-in formulas. To avoid overspending, compare budgeted amounts against actual amounts to determine where you can cut costs or find additional funding.

Download Business Startup Costs Template

Small-Business Budget Template in Excel

This simple business budget template is designed with small businesses in mind. The template helps you track the income and expenses that you accrue on a monthly and yearly basis. To log your cash balances and transactions for a given time frame, use the tab for cash flow recording.

Download Small-Business Budget Template - Excel

Startup Financial Statement Projections Template

This financial statement projections template includes a detailed profit and loss statement (or income statement), a balance sheet with business ratios, and a cash flow statement to analyze your company’s current and future financial position. This template also comes with built-in formulas, so you can calculate totals as you enter values and customize your statement to fit the needs of your business.

‌ Download Startup Financial Statement Projections Template

For additional templates to help you produce a sound financial plan, visit “ Free Financial Templates for a Business Plan .”

Business Plan Marketing and Sales Templates in Excel

Use these downloadable templates to support and reinforce the marketing and sales objectives in your business plan.

Sales Forecast Template in Excel

This sales forecast template allows you to view the projected sales of your products or services at both individual and combined levels over a 12-month period. You can organize this template by department, product group, customer type, and other helpful categories. The template has built-in formulas to calculate monthly and yearly sales totals. For additional resources to project sales, visit “ Free Sales Forecasting Templates .”

Download Sales Forecast Template

Marketing Budget Plan in Excel

This marketing budget plan template helps you organize and plan your campaign costs for key marketing activities, such as market research, advertising, content marketing , and public relations. Enter the projected quantity and cost under each campaign category; the built-in formulas enable you to calculate projected subtotals automatically. This template also includes a graph that auto-populates as you enter values, so you can see where your marketing dollars are going.

Download Marketing Budget Plan Template

Other Business Plans in Excel

Use these business plan templates to conduct analyses and develop a plan of action that aligns your strategy with your main business objectives.

Business Action Plan Template in Excel

Use this basic action plan template to develop a roadmap for reaching your goals. Add a description of each action item, assign the responsible party, and list the required resources, potential hazards, key dates, and desired outcome. You can use this template to develop an action plan for marketing, sales, program development, and more. 

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Business Plan Rubric in Excel

Once you complete your business plan, use this rubric template to score each section to ensure you include all the essential information. You can customize this rubric to fit the needs of your organization and provide insight into the areas of your plan where you want to delve more deeply or remove unnecessary details. By following these steps, you can make certain that your final business plan is clear, concise, and thorough.

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Competitive Analysis Template in Excel

This template enables you to analyze the competitive landscape and industry for your business. By providing details related to your company and competitors, you can assess and compare all key areas, including the target market, marketing strategies, product or service offerings, distribution channels, and more.

Download Competitive Analysis Template

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For additional free templates for all aspects of your business, visit “ Free Business Templates for Organizations of All Sizes .”

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Microsoft's growth could top $10 billion. Mount Pleasant had site ready for failed Foxconn

The value of Microsoft's Mount Pleasant data center could in time top $10 billion given the amount of land it controls in the village's Wisconsin Innovation Park.

The timing of the company's announcement last week that it will spend $3.3 billion by 2026 to build a first phase of the project, a three-fold increase from the $1 billion it initially said it would spend, surprised village officials, but there were already plenty of signs that Microsoft was on pace to blow past its early spending estimate.

The $1 billion number dated to early 2023, when Microsoft bought its first 315-acre parcel in the Wisconsin Innovation Park and unveiled plans for two data center buildings. Then, in December the company bought an additional 1,030 acres, and Microsoft sought approval this year to begin grading property for two additional buildings west of where the first building is under construction.

"We're obviously thrilled," Mount Pleasant City Attorney Chris Smith said. "To hear Microsoft's continued investment, it's consistent with what they've already demonstrated ‒ that they have a long term commitment to the region, and its investments will be a transformation."

Village officials nonetheless expected the company to stick to what has been its mantra: "under promise and over deliver." They weren't expecting Microsoft President Brad Smith and President Joe Biden to announce the additional $3.3 billion investment.

More: President Biden touts Microsoft's Racine County 'comeback project,' contrasts it with Foxconn failure

Given the 2 square miles it now owns, the company could, over the next two decades, easily spend $10 billion or more, people familiar with the development said last week.

"One thing that I've just always believed is important for this site, perhaps in particular, is to under promise and over deliver rather than the opposite, recognizing a little bit of the history associated with it," Microsoft president Smith said during an interview with the Journal Sentinel.

"Plus, I just think, you know, having been born and raised in Wisconsin and the Midwest it's just a better way to go through life."

Microsoft's arrived in the shadow of disappointing Foxconn deal

The history Smith spoke of was a reference to Foxconn International Holdings, the Taiwan-based company for which the business park was created.

To bring Foxconn to the state, the village, Racine County and the state spent $1.4 billion to develop the business park and the state wheeled out nearly $3 billion in subsidies based on the company's promise that it would spend $10 billion to build a large-screen LCD manufacturing operation that would create 13,000 jobs.

Foxconn quickly scrapped that plan. The company confirmed last week it now employs about 1,000 people who make data servers. Foxconn called its Mount Pleasant plant "a key manufacturing site" in a global operation that makes about 40% of the world's data servers.

It's investment goal in Mount Pleasant was reduced to $672 million under a revised tax credit agreement negotiated with Gov. Tony Evers in 2021 that recognized that Foxconn would not come close to what it initially promised. That agreement reduced the company's maximum state subsidy from $285 million to $80 million.

More: Microsoft Racine County data center expansion, new AI training focus of Biden visit to state

Microsoft deal adds insurance on debt, with limited local subsidy

Foxconn's reduced investment also raised questions about whether the company would continue to make the property tax payments needed to pay off the $252 million in debt Mount Pleasant still owes from creation of the business park. Under its development agreement Foxconn must pay taxes equal to the minimum $1.4 billion in taxable value.

The $3.3 billion in spending may have got the headlines, but that minimum $1.4 billion in taxable value is what for now matters most to village planners. That's the value needed to fully cover the district's debt by 2047, and that's why it also appears in Microsoft's development.

As Microsoft's plans for Mount Pleasant evolved, any concerns about paying off the district's debt have been replaced by expectations that the debt will be paid off early, bringing a surge of additional tax revenue to the village, county and school district earlier that had been expected. A consultant last year said that the combined revenue from Microsoft and Foxconn, assuming Foxconn continues to honor its deal, would allow the village to retire the district as early as 2037.

That will be possible due, in part, to the limited amount of local subsidies Microsoft sought from the village.

The development agreement for the first parcel the company bought included a 42% property tax rebate, capped at $5 million a year. That would result in a tax subsidy of about $114 million over the life of the taxing district. However, Microsoft did not seek any tax concessions or other givebacks from the village in the development agreement that accompanied its second, larger land purchase.

The state, however, did step in to sweeten the deal last year when it became one of about 30 other states to approve a sales tax exemption for data center equipment . The exemption was included in the 2023-25 state budget, It is unclear how much the exemption will save Microsoft over time.

Smith and Gov. Tony Evers said last week that tax break was a key part of encouraging Microsoft to expand its plan for Mount Pleasant.

Microsoft's fast track is a result of solid company, local partnership

Less than a year ago, the Microsoft site was vacant land. Today, the contractor, Walsh Construction, is building the superstructure of the first building, a data center and connected administrative office, at County KR and 90th Street. To the north, storm water management systems are being installed and grading is being done to prepare an area that will be used to store construction materials for the building before it, too, becomes a building site. And to the west, access roads are already under way to prepare the site for two additional buildings. In all, there's activity on about 400 acres.

Village officials said Microsoft's rapid pace reflects a partnership in which Microsoft is bringing its experience from the more than 300 data centers it has built worldwide and a concerted effort by Mount Pleasant before Microsoft's arrival to update zoning codes and put systems in place to quickly review plans, Community Development Director Sam Schultz said.

"Microsoft moves fast and the village can move fast, and that makes for a very good partnership," he said.

Smith said the village's investment in the industrial park, when it was created for Foxconn attracted the company to Mount Pleasant and made it possible to move quickly after it began to buy land.

"We benefited from the work that had been done before, the ability to start to acquire large amounts of land and things like a substation that exists there already," he said.

That the park and Mount Pleasant could become a magnet for other tech companies was among the arguments used to bolster the case for developing it for Foxconn.

"Obviously, if we did not complete the infrastructure and all the things we did before, going back to Foxconn, you know, we wouldn't have Microsoft here, or the odds would have been maybe slimmer," said Claude Lois, the village's project manager for the taxing district.

Microsoft announces $3.3 billion investment in Wisconsin data centers at Foxconn site

STURTEVANT, Wisconsin - President Joe Biden on Wednesday touted Microsoft's planned $3.3 billion investment in its Mount Pleasant data center as a product of his administration's economic growth agenda, contrasting it with the unfulfilled promise of the neighboring Foxconn International Holdings development deal that was negotiated during Donald Trump's presidency.

Biden joined Microsoft President Brad Smith and Gov. Tony Evers Wednesday at Gateway College's Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Center to announce the expansion of Microsoft's data server complex, and the tech giant's plans to add about 2,000 permanent jobs over time. The new value of the development is more than three times what was announced a little more than a year ago when Microsoft signed its first deal to buy land in the village's Wisconsin Innovation Park.

Microsoft has aggressively been expanding its data center footprint, including several properties in central Ohio.

Biden said the Microsoft development is a "comeback story," playing out across Wisconsin and the nation, that stands in contrast to the 2017 efforts of Trump and state Republican officials to bring Foxconn to Mount Pleasant. Microsoft is building its data center on land that Foxconn was initially expected to use for a $10 billion LCD manufacturing plant that Trump touted as the "eighth wonder of the world." Neither the investment nor the 13,000 jobs Foxconn promised materialized.

"Foxconn turned out to be just that," Biden said. "A con."

Visit comes as Biden, Trump locked in close race

Biden's stop in Sturtevant, his fourth trip to the state this year, comes as he is locked in a tight presidential race with presumptive GOP nominee Trump, who held a narrow, 51-49 percentage point lead among Wisconsin's registered voters and likely voters, according to the most recent Marquette Law School Poll . On economic issues, the poll found voters favored Trump 52-34.

Biden referenced Trump and Foxconn early in his 20-minute speech before an audience of about 200, using that experience to contrast with the more than 700,000 jobs that he said have been added in Wisconsin under his watch.

That growth, he said, stems from his " Investing in America " initiative, a package of bills passed in late 2021 and early 2022 that aims to encourage investments in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure, accelerate the nation's transition to clean energy, and create new, well-paying jobs.

"On my watch we make promises and keep promises," he said.

Microsoft workforce development efforts praised

Biden and Smith also highlighted Microsoft's expanded commitment to workforce development, business assistance and training and other initiatives designed to position the state as a hub for artificial intelligence-powered economic activity by helping workers and businesses adapt to working AI. That initiative includes a plan to help 100,000 workers learn new skills by 2030.

"What I want you to know is this isn't just about building a building. It is not just about manufacturing jobs today," Smith said. "More than anything, this project is about using the power of AI to fuel the future of manufacturing companies and jobs and skills across the state of Wisconsin and around the country. That is what we are building together."

The new value of the development reflects the torrid pace at which Microsoft has moved since it bought a 315-acre parcel in the business park in early 2023. It began construction of the first of two data center buildings just a few months later and by December had finalized a deal to acquire another 1,030 acres, for $176 million.

In April, Microsoft received preliminary approval from the village to begin grading land to the west of the construction site to prepare it for two additional buildings. In the near term, the construction project is expected to employ 2,300 union workers.

In Ohio, Microsoft has been accumulating land in Pataskala and New Albany , spending about $90 million to buy nearly 500 acres of land.

Microsoft is expected to build a data center on property along Beech Road has acquired in New Albany. The company did not say what exactly it planned for property it bought in Pataskala, but suggested that it would also be for data centers.

Smith in an interview said the fast movement in Wisconsin was made possible with the cooperation of local, regional and state agencies who help smooth the permitting process and had premade large investments to develop the business park and ensure it was ready for construction. He acknowledged that preparation was done for Foxconn.

AI training for 100,000 workers promised

Microsoft's push in southeast Wisconsin isn't only focused on buildings. Smith said it will also make a multimillion-dollar investment in training programs that will teach business and technical leaders how best to adapt AI and transform work culture, support start up businesses, prepare hundreds of students for careers as data center technicians, and provide boot camp-style training for more than 100,000 people who need new skills to work in the artificial intelligence economy.

The effort builds on Microsoft's previous investments in business and workforce development in Wisconsin and brings in many of the same partners, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Connected Systems Institute , the Green Bay Packers and the Titletown Tech business development center, the Madison startup accelerator gener8tor, United Way and Gateway Technical College.

To support it, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. will provide $500,000 to TitletownTech, the Green Bay-based Packers-Microsoft venture capital and business development partnership. The funds will help TitletownTech set up a Milwaukee office at UWM's Connected Systems Institute , a research and education center focused on advanced industrial processes. 

Microsoft also intends to open an  AI Co-Innovation Lab lab at the Connected Systems Institute to help Wisconsin manufacturers, entrepreneurs and other business connect with Microsoft AI experts for guidance on implementing AI technology to grow their businesses. WEDC will provide an additional $500,000 to cover capital expenses associated with the initiative.

"Looking to the future, we could not be more excited that Microsoft chose Wisconsin for its new and most important AI innovation." Evers said. "Located in UWM's Connected Systems Institute, the Wisconsin AI co-innovation lab will focus on bringing AI skills and capability to manufacturers to strengthen thus vital sector."

One of only three such labs in the country, the lab will be Microsoft's first east of the Rocky Mountains and the only lab that is both run in partnership with a university and also focused on manufacturing businesses. Staff at the lab are expected to work with at least 60 manufacturers a year.

Wisconsin Republicans accuse Biden of trying to 'hijack' credit for project

Local Republican officials walked a line between praising the Microsoft announcement and deriding Biden on a call with reporters ahead of the event.

“Microsoft's announcement of private-sector jobs in Racine is good for workers, and it's all the more important when workers and families find themselves falling further and further behind due to the reckless inflation brought on to us by the Biden administration,” said U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, whose district includes the Racine area.

Steil also noted that data centers use a large amount of electricity, and said Wisconsin will need a “solid domestic source of energy” going forward. He pointed to We Energies’ plans for a new $1.2 billion natural-gas powered generating plant in Oak Creek as a positive step in that direction.

“It's imperative that we continue that investment in our infrastructure, in particular, transitioning the Oak Creek facility to natural gas, but in doing so, we're going to have to make sure that the pipeline of natural gas is actually built,” Steil said.

State Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, and Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming echoed Steil’s thoughts. Bradley characterized Biden’s visit as an attempt to “hijack” an “awesome” announcement for Wisconsin workers because he’s “failing everywhere else.”

“Joe Biden is limping back to Racine today to look for a ‘Racine reset,’” Schimming said, noting that Republican former President Donald Trump carried Racine County in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

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Sony and Apollo’s Plan for Paramount: Break It Up

CBS and other well-known properties would be sold if Sony and Apollo were able to buy Paramount. But the new owners would keep the movie studio.

By Benjamin Mullin and Lauren Hirsch

Shari Redstone helped build Paramount Global into a media empire, but if Sony Pictures Entertainment and the private-equity giant Apollo Global Management succeed in acquiring it, they plan to break it all up, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The plan would include auctioning off CBS, cable channels like MTV and the Paramount Plus streaming service, said the people, who asked not to be identified sharing private details. Paramount Pictures — home to blockbusters like “The Godfather,” “Top Gun” and the “Mission: Impossible” franchise — would be combined with Sony’s business.

Sony and Apollo, which made a nonbinding expression of interest in acquiring Paramount for $26 billion last week, are also likely to keep Paramount’s library of films and TV shows and the rights to well-known characters, including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob SquarePants. They have not yet outlined this plan to Paramount or its advisers.

A breakup of Paramount would represent a major changing of the guard in the entertainment industry. CBS and Paramount have been controlled by the Redstone family for decades, since the media mogul Sumner Redstone assembled the conglomerate in a series of audacious deals. His daughter, Ms. Redstone, championed a 2019 deal to reunite it, and she remains Paramount’s controlling shareholder.

Sony and Apollo are now engaging with Paramount’s financial advisers on next steps in their proposal, the people said. The two companies have not yet signed formal nondisclosure agreements or begun due diligence reviews, a process that could take weeks.

Though it’s still early, the two bidders have already begun to envision how a deal for Paramount could unfold. The two would likely operate the company as a joint venture controlled by Sony, with a minority stake owned by Apollo, the people said. Sony would look to combine the marketing and distribution functions of the Paramount movie studio with its own operations, and divest the rest of the properties.

Over time, Apollo could sell its stake in the joint venture back to Sony or to another buyer. It’s not yet clear just how large a stake Apollo would hold in the business, though the company plans to invest billions in the deal, one person said.

A breakup of Paramount is not a preferred outcome for Ms. Redstone, who would prefer the company to pass on to another buyer intact, a person familiar with her thinking said. But it wouldn’t necessarily be a dealbreaker if the offer was compelling, the person said.

There are other suitors. Skydance, a media company founded by the tech scion David Ellison, has been in discussions with Paramount for months about a potential deal. Exclusive negotiations between Skydance and Paramount lapsed last week, shortly after Sony and Apollo put in their expression of interest. But Skydance remains interested.

Sony and Paramount have different approaches to the entertainment business, and a deal would probably result in a U-turn for Paramount. Unlike Paramount, which streams its content on Paramount+, Sony licenses its movies and TV shows to companies like Netflix and Disney. Sony would probably not change that approach in a deal with Paramount and would most likely look to combine Paramount+ with a rival service, such as Comcast’s Peacock or Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max.

Sony has long pursued Paramount’s movie studio. Several years ago, Sony executives reached out to Paramount to see if the company would be willing to sell Paramount Pictures or merge it into a joint venture, but Paramount signaled it was interested only in a deal for the whole company. So when Apollo made a bid for all of Paramount this year, Sony decided to team up.

Any deal by Sony would face regulatory hurdles. Regulations restrict foreign owners from holding licenses for U.S. broadcast stations, which could prevent Sony — which is owned by the Japanese-based Sony Group — from owning CBS-affiliated TV stations. But they could divest the stations immediately, or have Apollo apply for the license. They are also considering other options for the stations.

The deal would also most likely require clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the panel in Washington that scrutinizes acquisitions by foreign owners.

Sony and Apollo believe that when they decide to sell the Paramount assets , there could be many logical buyers, the three sources said. Warner Bros. Discovery, which does not own a broadcast network, could be a suitor for CBS. TV station groups like Nexstar and Tegna could be logical buyers for CBS’s owned and operated TV stations.

The hardest asset to sell would most likely be Paramount’s cable networks, like MTV and Nickelodeon, but those could be sold to a TV programmer looking for greater scale in negotiations with cable companies like Charter and Comcast.

Benjamin Mullin reports on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact Ben securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or email at [email protected] . More about Benjamin Mullin

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch