How to Write a Business Plan for your Software Company

Many people think writing a business plan is unnecessary for small or even medium businesses, and that strategic planning is something meant only for big businesses or for those looking for funding. This is not the case... particularly in the current times of changing software business models.

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Strategic planning is about finding a match between the strengths of your business and the business opportunities. Given the rise of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and other service-based models, it is critical that software companies of all sizes take strategic planning seriously and write a software development business plan that works.

Perhaps a purely SaaS business model is the right one for your business, or maybe a more traditional software license approach, or even a custom software consulting plan. Either way, you need to consider the options, develop your strategy, and put it in writing.

To create an effective plan, you need to gather and analyze information about your business environment and about your own business: usage models, customers, competitors and your own strengths and weaknesses. You must develop a clear mission, goals, and objectives. Click here for more information on these four critical input parameters to developing a strong software services strategy.

It can be a real challenge to create a compelling plan from scratch... and who likes to reinvent the wheel! This NoLo guide on How to Write a Business Plan is a real time saver. I've personally used a number of NoLo guides, and always found them extremely valuable with actionable information not padded with fluff.

While writing your plan, it is critical to be realistic in the process, despite the fact that you know your software and your current business so well. With the changing software business marketplace, competition may come from an unexpected direction and radically change your market.

As business is becoming more global, technology and competition have made the business environment less stable and less predictable, making strategic planning all the more important. If your software business is to survive and grow, you must identify the niches and those business models in which you are most likely to succeed, and you must identify the resources and skills that are required to make that happen.

We have compiled a number of templates and resources, including a free sample plan that you can use to develop the plan for your software/services business. Click here to access the software business plan templates and sample plan. We also offer a fixed price consulting service to review and provide written input on your plan and software business strategy.

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