Lenders read a business plan to answer one question: can the business repay the money? This small business plan template puts that answer first, with a summary, the company history, the loan request, a three-year cash flow forecast, the security on offer, the repayment plan and the owner's background. Each claim about demand or margin is followed by its source or its assumption, so the lending officer can test the numbers rather than trust the story.

The sample is for Dovecote Services, a fictional catering business asking for $260,000 over seven years to open a second kitchen. It shows year-one revenue of $1.1M, a 48 per cent gross margin, profit from year two, and closing cash above $100K in every year. Replace the company, figures, security and owner details with your own, check that cash never goes negative in your monthly forecast, and delete the chapters your lender does not need.