{"id":8400,"date":"2021-11-10T01:27:55","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T01:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/?page_id=8400"},"modified":"2025-11-05T15:30:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T15:30:44","slug":"business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan","title":{"rendered":"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\nul>li {\n        padding-bottom: 20px;\n    }\nol>li {\n        padding-bottom: 20px;\n    }\n<\/style>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8402\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/The-Business-Planning-Process-5-Steps-To-Creating-a-New-Plan-2.png\" alt=\"The Business Planning Process 6 Steps to Create a New Plan\" width=\"1078\" height=\"427\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In this article, we will define and explain the basic business planning process to help your business move in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Business Planning?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Business planning is the process whereby an organization\u2019s leaders figure out the best roadmap for growth and document their plan for success.<\/p>\n<p>The business planning process includes diagnosing the company\u2019s internal strengths and weaknesses, improving its efficiency, working out how it will compete against rival firms in the future, and setting milestones for progress so they can be measured.<\/p>\n<p>The process includes writing a new business plan.  What is a business plan? It is a written document that provides an outline and resources needed to achieve success. Whether you are writing your plan from scratch, from a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/products\/business-plan-template\"> simple business plan template<\/a>, or working with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/business-plan\">experienced business plan consultant<\/a> or writer, business planning for startups, small businesses, and existing companies is the same.<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<div class=\"relatedpost\" style=\" width:85%; background-color: #e6e6ff ;  padding-bottom:0px\">\n<p id=\u201ccta\u201d><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" class=\"bi bi-exclamation-circle-fill\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\">\n  <path d=\"M16 8A8 8 0 1 1 0 8a8 8 0 0 1 16 0zM8 4a.905.905 0 0 0-.9.995l.35 3.507a.552.552 0 0 0 1.1 0l.35-3.507A.905.905 0 0 0 8 4zm.002 6a1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0-2z\"\/>\n<\/svg>   <b>Finish Your Business Plan Today!<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to quickly and easily complete your business plan, download <a href=\"https:\/\/businessplantemplate.growthink.com\/?utm_source=business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan&#038;utm_medium=growthink&#038;utm_campaign=seo\" target=\"_blank\" re=\"nofollow\">Growthink\u2019s Ultimate Business Plan Template<\/a> and complete your plan and financial model in hours.<\/div>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Better Business Planning Process<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The business plan process includes 6 steps as follows:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Do Your Research<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Strategize<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Calculate Your Financial Forecast<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Draft Your Plan<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Revise &amp; Proofread<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Nail the Business Plan Presentation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We&#8217;ve provided more detail for each of these key business plan steps below.<\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Do Your Research<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Conduct detailed research into the industry, target market, existing customer base,\u00a0 competitors, and costs of the business begins the process. Consider each new step a new project that requires <a href=\"https:\/\/cpoclub.com\/tools\/best-product-planning-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">project planning<\/a> and execution. You may ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">What are your business goals?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">What is the current state of your business?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">What are the current industry trends?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">What is your competition doing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are a variety of resources needed, ranging from databases and articles to direct interviews with other entrepreneurs, potential customers, or industry experts. The information gathered during this process should be documented and organized carefully, including the source as there is a need to cite sources within your business plan.<\/p>\n<p>You may also want to complete a SWOT Analysis for your own business to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential risks as this will help you develop your strategies to highlight your competitive advantage.<\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Strategize<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Now, you will use the research to determine the best strategy for your business. You may choose to develop new strategies or refine existing strategies that have demonstrated success in the industry. Pulling the best practices of the industry provides a foundation, but then you should expand on the different activities that focus on your competitive advantage.<\/p>\n<p>This step of the planning process may include formulating a vision for the company\u2019s future, which can be done by conducting intensive customer interviews and understanding their motivations for purchasing goods and services of interest. Dig deeper into decisions on an appropriate marketing plan, operational processes to execute your plan, and human resources required for the first five years of the company\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<div class=\"greyBG\" style=\"margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><strong>Quickly and easily complete your business plan with <a href=\"https:\/\/businessplantemplate.growthink.com\/?utm_source=business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan&#038;utm_medium=growthink&#038;utm_campaign=seo\" target=\"_blank\" re=\"nofollow\">Growthink\u2019s Ultimate Business Plan Template<\/a> and complete your plan and financial model in just hours.<\/div>\n<p><\/center><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Calculate Your Financial Forecast<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>All of the activities you choose for your strategy come at some cost and, hopefully, lead to some revenues. Sketch out the financial situation by looking at whether you can expect revenues to cover all costs and leave room for profit in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>Begin to insert your financial assumptions and startup costs into a financial model which can produce a first-year cash flow statement for you, giving you the best sense of the cash you will need on hand to fund your early operations.<\/p>\n<p>A full set of financial statements provides the details about the company\u2019s operations and performance, including its expenses and profits by accounting period (quarterly or year-to-date). Financial statements also provide a snapshot of the company\u2019s current financial position, including its assets and liabilities.<\/p>\n<p>This is one of the most valued aspects of any business plan as it provides a straightforward summary of what a company does with its money, or how it grows from initial investment to become profitable.<\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Draft Your Plan<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>With financials more or less settled and a strategy decided, it is time to draft through the narrative of each<a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/key-components-business-plan-part-ii\"> component of your business plan<\/a>. With the background work you have completed, the drafting itself should be a relatively painless process.<\/p>\n<p>If you have trouble writing convincing prose, this is a time to seek the help of an experienced business plan writer who can put together the plan from this point.<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<div class=\"relatedpost\" style=\" width:85%; background-color: #e6e6ff ;  padding-bottom:0px\">\n<p id=\u201ccta\u201d><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"currentColor\" class=\"bi bi-exclamation-circle-fill\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\">\n  <path d=\"M16 8A8 8 0 1 1 0 8a8 8 0 0 1 16 0zM8 4a.905.905 0 0 0-.9.995l.35 3.507a.552.552 0 0 0 1.1 0l.35-3.507A.905.905 0 0 0 8 4zm.002 6a1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0-2z\"\/>\n<\/svg>   <b>Finish Your Business Plan Today!<\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to quickly and easily complete your business plan, download <a href=\"https:\/\/businessplantemplate.growthink.com\/?utm_source=business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan&#038;utm_medium=growthink&#038;utm_campaign=seo\" target=\"_blank\" re=\"nofollow\">Growthink\u2019s Ultimate Business Plan Template<\/a> and complete your plan and financial model in hours.<\/div>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<h3><b>5. Revise &amp; Proofread<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Revisit the entire plan to look for any ideas or wording that may be confusing, redundant, or irrelevant to the points you are making within the plan. You may want to work with other management team members in your business who are familiar with the company\u2019s operations or marketing plan in order to fine-tune the plan.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, proofread thoroughly for spelling, grammar, and formatting, enlisting the help of others to act as additional sets of eyes. You may begin to experience burnout from working on the plan for so long and have a need to set it aside for a bit to look at it again with fresh eyes.<\/p>\n<h3><b>6. Nail the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-presentation-mistakes-avoid\">Business Plan Presentation<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n<p>The presentation of the business plan should succinctly highlight the key points outlined above and include additional material that would be helpful to potential investors such as financial information, resumes of key employees, or samples of marketing materials. It can also be beneficial to provide a report on past sales or financial performance and what the business has done to bring it back into positive territory.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Business Planning Process Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Every entrepreneur dreams of the day their business becomes wildly successful.<\/p>\n<p>But what does that really mean? How do you know whether your idea is worth pursuing?<\/p>\n<p>And how do you stay motivated when things are not going as planned? The answers to these questions can be found in your business plan. This document helps entrepreneurs make better decisions and avoid common pitfalls along the way. \u200b<\/p>\n<p>Business plans are dynamic documents that can be revised and presented to different audiences throughout the course of a company\u2019s life. For example, a business may have one plan for its initial investment proposal, another which focuses more on milestones and objectives for the first several years in existence, and yet one more which is used specifically when raising funds.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/ai-business-plan-generator\">Business plans<\/a> are a critical first step for any company looking to attract investors or receive grant money, as they allow a new organization to better convey its potential and business goals to those able to provide financial resources.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"bluepost\">\n<p id=\"greencta\"><strong>Finish Your Business Plan in 1 Day!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your business plan?<\/p>\n<p>With Growthink\u2019s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/businessplantemplate.growthink.com\/?utm_source=business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan&#038;utm_medium=growthink&#038;utm_campaign=seo\" target=\"_blank\" re=\"nofollow\">Click here to finish your business plan today.<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You<\/h2>\n<p>Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/business-plan\">Click here<\/a> to see how Growthink <a href=\"\/business-plan\">business plan consultants<\/a> can create your business plan for you.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top: 20px;\">Other Helpful Business Plan Articles &#038; Templates<\/h2>\n<div class=\"free-business-plan-articles-flex\">\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/products\/business-plan-template\" title=\"Download a Free Business Plan Template\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" style=\"height: 135px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"Use This Simple Business Plan Template\" width=\"300\"\/>Use This Simple Business Plan Template<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/how-to-write-a-business-plan\" title=\"How to Make a Successful Business Plan\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-to-write-a-business-plan-to-secure-funding-thumb.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"How to Create a Great Business Plan\" width=\"300\"\/>How to Create a Great Business Plan<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-examples\" title=\"75 Sample Business Plans To Help You Create Your Plan\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/75-Business-Plan-Examples-Thumbnail.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"100 Free Business Plan Examples\" width=\"300\"\/>100 Free Business Plan Examples<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/business-plan\" title=\"Expert Business Plan Consultants\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-consultant-thumb.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"Business Plan Consulting Services\" width=\"300\"\/>Business Plan Consulting Services<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-layout-how-design-your-plan\" title=\"The Perfect Business Plan Layout for a Great Plan\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Business-Plan-Layout-How-to-Design-Your-Plan-Thumbnail.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"The Perfect Business Plan Layout for a Great Plan\" width=\"300\"\/>The Perfect Business Plan Layout for a Great Plan<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-format-how-structure-your-business-plan\" title=\"Use This Business Plan Structure to Expertly Write Your Plan\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Business-Plan-Format-Thumb.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"How to Expertly Format a Business Plan\" width=\"300\"\/>How to Expertly Format a Business Plan<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-plan-writer-when-and-when-not-hire-one\" title=\"Expert Business Plan Writing Services\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Business-Plan-Writers-For-Hire-Thumbnail.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"Expert Business Plan Writing Services\" width=\"300\"\/>Expert Business Plan Writing Services<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/businessplan\/help-center\/key-components-business-plan-part-ii\" title=\"10 Main Parts of a Business Plan\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Components-of-a-Business-Plan.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"10 Main Parts of a Business Plan\" width=\"300\"\/>10 Main Parts of a Business Plan<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"column\"><a href=\"\/one-page-business-plan-template\" title=\"How to Write a One Page Business Plan with Template\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/One-Page-Business-Plan-Template-Thumbnail.png\" target=\"_blank\" alt=\"How to Write a One Page Business Plan with Template\" width=\"300\"\/>How to Write a One Page Business Plan with Template<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we will define and explain the basic business planning process to help your business move in the right direction. &nbsp; What is Business Planning? Business planning is the process whereby an organization\u2019s leaders figure out the best roadmap for growth and document their plan for success. The business planning process includes diagnosing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"parent":8361,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8400","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.7 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Business Planning Process: Steps To Creating Your Plan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the 6 steps of the business planning process to help you develop a great business plan to start, grow or raise funding for your business.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn the 6 steps of the business planning process to help you develop a great business plan to start, grow or raise funding for your business.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Growthink\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-05T15:30:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"philfrost\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/afbd1ba1950934c813b7e7990bb462f5\"},\"headline\":\"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-10T01:27:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-05T15:30:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\"},\"wordCount\":1326,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\",\"name\":\"The Business Planning Process: Steps To Creating Your Plan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-10T01:27:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-05T15:30:44+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn the 6 steps of the business planning process to help you develop a great business plan to start, grow or raise funding for your business.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png\",\"width\":2400,\"height\":938,\"caption\":\"business plan template\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Business Plan Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Help Center\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/\",\"name\":\"Growthink\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Growthink\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-cropped-growthink_logo-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-cropped-growthink_logo-1.png\",\"width\":214,\"height\":61,\"caption\":\"Growthink\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/afbd1ba1950934c813b7e7990bb462f5\",\"name\":\"philfrost\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/one-user-avatar\/assets\/images\/wpua-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/one-user-avatar\/assets\/images\/wpua-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"philfrost\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Business Planning Process: Steps To Creating Your Plan","description":"Learn the 6 steps of the business planning process to help you develop a great business plan to start, grow or raise funding for your business.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan","og_description":"Learn the 6 steps of the business planning process to help you develop a great business plan to start, grow or raise funding for your business.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan","og_site_name":"Growthink","article_modified_time":"2025-11-05T15:30:44+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan"},"author":{"name":"philfrost","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/afbd1ba1950934c813b7e7990bb462f5"},"headline":"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan","datePublished":"2021-11-10T01:27:55+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-05T15:30:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan"},"wordCount":1326,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan","url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan","name":"The Business Planning Process: Steps To Creating Your Plan","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png","datePublished":"2021-11-10T01:27:55+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-05T15:30:44+00:00","description":"Learn the 6 steps of the business planning process to help you develop a great business plan to start, grow or raise funding for your business.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/business-plan-template-growthink.png","width":2400,"height":938,"caption":"business plan template"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center\/business-planning-process-5-steps-creating-new-plan#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Business Plan Resources","item":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Help Center","item":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/businessplan\/help-center"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Business Planning Process: 6 Steps To Creating a New Plan"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/","name":"Growthink","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#organization","name":"Growthink","url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-cropped-growthink_logo-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-cropped-growthink_logo-1.png","width":214,"height":61,"caption":"Growthink"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/afbd1ba1950934c813b7e7990bb462f5","name":"philfrost","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/one-user-avatar\/assets\/images\/wpua-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/one-user-avatar\/assets\/images\/wpua-96x96.png","caption":"philfrost"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8400"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35422,"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8400\/revisions\/35422"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}