Many business owners have written a long business plan at some point, usually for a bank or an investor, and then never looked at it again. The plan did its job for the meeting, but it didn’t help run the business.
A one-page plan is different. It’s short enough to keep on your desk, review every few months and share with your team. Here’s a simple structure you can use.
Key points
- A one-page plan is a working tool, not a document for the drawer.
- Start with where you want the business to be in a year, in one or two sentences.
- Be specific about your customers and why they choose you.
- Put a few key numbers on the page, and check them against your accounts.
- Finish with a short list of actions, each with an owner and a date.
On this page
Why one page works
Keeping the plan to one page forces you to decide what really matters. You can’t list everything, so you pick the few goals and actions that will make the biggest difference. It also makes the plan easy to revisit. A page you can read in two minutes is a page you’ll actually look at.
You may still need a full plan if you’re applying for finance or bringing in investors. GOV.UK has guidance on how to write a business plan, including templates. The one-page version sits alongside it, as the plan you use day to day.
A simple structure
1. Where you want to be. In one or two sentences, describe where you want the business to be in a year’s time. Be concrete: the kind of work you want to be doing, the size of the team, how you want the business to feel to run.
2. Your customers. Who are they, what problem do you solve for them and why do they choose you over the alternatives? If you have more than one type of customer, note the one or two that matter most.
3. What you offer. List your main products or services, and mark the ones you want to grow. If some are less profitable, say whether you plan to change them, reprice them or stop offering them.
4. How you’ll reach customers. Note the few ways that bring you most of your work, such as referrals, your website, social media or partnerships, and what you’ll do to strengthen them.
5. Key numbers. Pick a handful of figures that tell you whether the plan is working. That might be sales, gross margin, number of customers, average order value or cash in the bank. Write down where you are now and where you want to be. Base the starting figures on your latest accounts, so the plan starts from reality.
6. Risks. Note the two or three things most likely to knock the plan off course, and what you’d do if they happened.
7. Actions. Finish with a short list of things you’ll do in the next three months. Give each one an owner and a date.
Keeping it alive
The value of a one-page plan comes from using it. Put a date in the diary every quarter to review it. Check the key numbers against your management accounts, tick off the actions you’ve completed and add new ones. If something has changed, such as a new customer, a lost contract or a change in costs, update the plan rather than starting again.
Share it with your team too. When everyone can see the goals and the numbers, it’s easier for them to understand why certain decisions are made, and to suggest ideas of their own.
Common pitfalls
- Too many goals. If everything is a priority, nothing is. Keep it to a few.
- Numbers without a source. Targets plucked from the air are hard to believe. Start from your actual figures.
- Actions without owners. An action nobody is responsible for rarely happens.
- Writing it once and forgetting it. A plan that isn’t reviewed is just another document in the drawer.
Sources
Our main sources are HMRC and GOV.UK:
Talk to us about planning for your business
We can help you put real numbers behind your plan, from your latest accounts to a forecast for the year ahead, and review progress with you each quarter. Call us on 020 7164 0225, send us a WhatsApp message or email us at info@ibandco.co.uk.
You can also read about our business plan and advice and strategic and business planning services.
First published 10 September 2024. Tax content checked on 9 October 2026. This article reflects the rules at the date it was first published. Where something has changed since, we’ve added an update note. Rules and rates change, so please check with us before acting.
Please note: this article is general information based on our understanding of UK tax rules at the date shown above. It is not advice for your circumstances, and tax rules and rates can change. Please speak to us before acting on it.
