Looks matter: Why your business plan needs style 👚

We talk often about why business plans are essential to providing you the information required to find the right space and right deal. But like many things in our TikTok-attention-span world, the style and appearance of your business plan are going to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

If we're really being honest, not many people are going to read your entire business plan. My mom will, and she'll happily point out every grammatical error, but she's not your target audience. Anyone who you need to say "yes!" to your business plan is most likely going to skim your plan and read only the sections they're most interested in.

This means that your plan has to land on desks (or inboxes) and make an impression right from the start.

You've got to capture someone's attention right away and hold their attention long enough to make them say, "okay, yes, this person has their stuff together."

So what are the key elements here?

1. Completeness: Are all the expected sections of the plan there? Marketing strategy? Operations? Growth and Exit Plan? Ensuring that your plan has all the right sections (even the ones that bore you) shows effort and commitment. It also shows that you have a fundamental understanding of your business. Missing sections are red flags. 🚩🚩

2. Design: Does the plan look good -- like, literally, is it visually attractive? Does it browse and read easily? Is there a table of contents, and does the formatting and page design make it easier to consume? You're not writing a business plan for a medical device (if so, you're in the wrong place), and in retail, showing attention to the customer experience is CRITICAL. So treat your readers like your first customers, because they really are!

3. Details: Are there obvious proofreading or formatting mistakes? Would my mom find any? Small errors cause disruption in the flow of reading and comprehension which are (at best) distracting and (at worst) an indication that you're sloppy and careless. How do I trust that your cafe's bathrooms are going to be clean if your plan is littered with proofreading mistakes? A flawless document shows attention to detail and thoroughness.

4. Passion: Does the entire package, overall tone, and visual presentation convey your passion for this project? You'll bring yourself -- your vision and your drive -- to the plan in more than one section, but you really want the entire package to ✨ radiate ✨ with your passion. It should be obvious to anyone who looks at your plan that you are serious about your business, and you are willing to do the hard work to make it work.

Even if you're not a great writer, proofreader, or graphic designer, you can still nail a compelling plan. There are easy-to-use design tools like Canva and copyeditors and designers galore on work-for-hire sites like Upwork, so don't skimp on investing in help where you might need some.

Your business plan will enter rooms before you do -- and in many cases, it'll go without you -- so you want it to turn heads!