The idea is there, the first customers are in sight, and then comes the question: can I really make a living from this? A business plan (ondernemingsplan) helps you find out. You put on paper who you are, what you are going to do, who your customers are and how much money is needed. According to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK), that is how you find out whether your plans are feasible, and you immediately have a step-by-step plan to turn your idea into a business. It takes some time, but you see in advance whether the price and the customer base add up.
Below you can read what a business plan is and when it is required, which parts belong in it and how the financial plan works. After that: five steps to write the plan, where to find an example or template and how the figures from the plan carry over into the business account.
Key points:
- Making a business plan means describing the plans for your business in one document: your idea, your customers and your figures.
- You do not need a plan to register with the KVK. If you need a loan or have a benefit (uitkering), it is required according to the KVK.
- The KVK names four parts: you as an entrepreneur, your business, the marketing plan and the financial plan.
- The financial plan consists of four sub-budgets: investment, financing, operating and liquidity. A private budget is often added, so you see whether you earn enough to live on.
What is a business plan?
What is a business plan? The KVK describes it as a document in which you set out the plans for your business: details about you as an entrepreneur, your business idea and how you will make that idea a success, with a financial plan attached. In Dutch it is called an ondernemingsplan, businessplan or bedrijfsplan. The plan is first and foremost for yourself, says ROZ Ondernemerspunt: it forces you to think carefully about why you are starting the business and how you will achieve that. Others read it too, such as a bank or investor you ask to lend money.
Is a business plan mandatory?
You do not need a business plan to register with the KVK, and according to the KVK writing one is usually not required. That changes in two situations: if you need a loan, or if you have a benefit, making a business plan is required. ROZ Ondernemerspunt adds that with a loan from a bank or other lender, the financial plan is also part of the business plan. If you do not plan to write one, the KVK says you should at least calculate whether you can earn enough money with your business.
The parts of a business plan
On the parts of a business plan the KVK is clear: four parts must not be missing. You work out who you are, what you are going to do, who your customers are and how much money you need. As an overview:
| Part | What it contains |
|---|---|
| You as an entrepreneur | Personal details, education and work experience, and why you want to be an entrepreneur |
| Your business | The idea, the legal form, the business name, the location, insurance and plans for later |
| Marketing plan | Market research, target group, marketing goals and the marketing mix |
| Financial plan | Investment, financing, operating and liquidity budget |
You as an entrepreneur
When drawing up a business plan you start with yourself. Who are you, and why do you want to start a business? Write down your personal details, such as your name, address, education and work experience, and which skills make you a good entrepreneur. According to the KVK, a bank or investor also looks at your suitability as an entrepreneur when you apply for a loan. If you start a business together, you fill in this chapter for each entrepreneur. Keep it short and to the point, in plain language. The ROZ Ondernemerspunt template also asks about your current financial situation in this chapter; it shows what is needed privately while the business is still getting started.
Your business
This part is about your business idea and how you organise it. If you can describe the idea in a few lines, the rest of the plan becomes easier, because you have more focus. Then you describe how you will get to work with the idea: what are the goals, and what have you already arranged? According to the KVK, that is how you find out whether your plans are feasible. Points to cover include:
Marketing plan
The marketing plan describes how you bring your product or service to the attention of future customers. The basis is market research: are there customers for what you offer, and how many competitors do you have? For that, the KVK points to the KVK Marktscan. Other important parts are research into your target group and customers, your marketing goals and the marketing mix: product, price, promotion and place. Some templates work with six P’s and add people and presentation. Anyone who wants to know where the business stands in the market also makes a SWOT analysis: the strengths and weaknesses of the business and the opportunities and threats in the market.
The financial plan
The financial plan in the business plan is about the money side of your business. It shows whether the idea is financially feasible, and anyone who wants to borrow money uses it to convince investors, according to the KVK. The financial plan consists of four sub-budgets:
The investment budget lists what you buy at the start, such as a laptop, a website or tools. The operating budget sets the expected revenue against the costs, such as purchasing, rent and insurance, and shows what is left. The liquidity budget looks at the moment money comes in and goes out: if a customer pays only after a month, there must be enough in the account in the meantime. Often you also make a private budget, so you can see whether you earn enough to live on. For a first estimate of what you can earn, the KVK refers to the KVK Verdiencheck. Work with realistic assumptions: revenue you can back up with agreements or quotes says more than revenue you hope to achieve.
A plan for a loan or investor
If you write the plan for a loan or an investor, others read it with a critical eye. The model business and early-stage plan from RVO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, gives a few pointers that are also useful for a smaller plan. Start with a summary of the whole plan. Use current data to support the plan, and write so that someone without specialist knowledge can follow it. In the market analysis you describe the customers, market developments and competitors, and you explain what the revenue model is and which margins you expect. Financing includes the question of what own contribution has been made, and you attach the cash-flow forecast for the coming years as an appendix.
In short: the financial plan consists of four budgets and shows whether your business is financially feasible, also for anyone who needs to borrow money.
Writing a business plan in 5 steps
How do you write a business plan without getting stuck on a blank document? Start small and build the plan up in layers, from a short sketch to a full plan with figures. This is how to go about it:
Put the idea, the customer and the revenue model briefly on paper. A plan on one A4 page, such as a Business Model Canvas, gives an immediate overview and shows where the gaps still are.
Find out who your customers are, what they buy now and how many competitors there are, for example with the KVK Marktscan. Use current data, because the rest of the plan builds on it.
Work out you as an entrepreneur, your business and the marketing plan, briefly and in plain language. Start with the chapters you can already fill in and add the rest later.
Make the four sub-budgets and a private budget, and check whether revenue covers the costs and your own income.
Let family, friends or an adviser read along; they often see things you do not. Update the plan when your business changes.
Business plan example and template
A business plan example makes writing easier: you fill in rather than start from a blank page. According to the KVK you can find example plans online to download, for example from Qredits or some freelancer organisations. Some municipal entrepreneur desks also offer an example business plan; ROZ Ondernemerspunt has one in Word and a financial plan in Excel.
A business plan template is a beginning, not an end point. Adapt the chapters to your own business, leave out what does not fit and add what is missing. The ROZ Ondernemerspunt template says so itself: remove the fields that do not apply to your situation, so that it really becomes your own plan and makes a professional impression on a lender. Anyone who first wants only the broad outline can, according to ROZ Ondernemerspunt, start with a plan on one A4 page, such as a Business Model Canvas.
An example table of contents
What an example business plan looks like is shown by the ROZ Ondernemerspunt template. The first chapter is about the entrepreneur: CV, personal motives and qualities, and the current financial situation. If there are several entrepreneurs, as in a vof or bv, each of them fills in that chapter. The second chapter describes the business, including the legal form, the organisation, risks and insurance, the administration and the general terms and conditions. The third chapter, market and marketing, works out the marketing mix with six P’s: besides product, price, place and promotion, also people and presentation. Then come the competition, the distinctive qualities and a SWOT analysis. The financial plan is in a separate document.
Example for an eenmanszaak
Anyone who only wants to put things in order for themselves can, according to the municipality of Dijk en Waard, write a short plan. For an eenmanszaak (sole proprietorship) or freelancer without a loan or benefit, that can be a practical start. An example business plan for an eenmanszaak then contains: why you think you can earn an income in this market, your strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats in the market, a budget for the next 2 years and the actions that will make your plans happen. That way a business plan for a freelancer stays short and still gives a useful overview of the idea, the market and the figures.
Good to know: a business plan is not a one-off document. Update it when the figures or the plans change.
From plan to business account
When you make a business plan you fix the figures; after that they also have to add up in practice. A separate business account keeps the money flows from the financial plan apart from private ones. An eenmanszaak opens it in the owner’s own name, a bv in the company’s name. With Vivid, the following helps you keep track of the budget:
That way you compare the operating budget from the plan with what actually comes in and goes out, and you see in time whether the assumptions still hold. You manage the account in the Vivid Business & Personal App and on the web platform.
Vivid in short: a business account with sub-accounts, invoices and exports to the bookkeeping, so the financial plan stays easy to follow.
The plan in practice
Open a business account with a Dutch IBAN online and keep track of the figures from your plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is a business plan?
A document in which you describe the plans for your business: yourself as an entrepreneur, your business idea, your customers and your finances. In Dutch it is also called a businessplan.
Is a business plan mandatory?
Usually not, and you do not need one to register with the KVK. If you need a loan or have a benefit (uitkering), it is required according to the KVK.
Which parts does a business plan have?
The KVK names four parts: you as an entrepreneur, your business, the marketing plan and the financial plan.
What is in the financial plan?
Four sub-budgets: the investment, financing, operating and liquidity budget. A private budget is often added.
Where can I find an example business plan?
According to the KVK, online, for example from Qredits or some freelancer organisations. Some municipal entrepreneur desks also offer examples and templates, such as ROZ Ondernemerspunt with a business plan in Word and a financial plan in Excel.
How long is a business plan?
That depends on the purpose. For yourself, a short plan or one A4 page can be enough; for a loan a full financial plan belongs with it, and others read the plan with a critical eye. Then write so that someone without specialist knowledge can follow it.
Do you need a business plan for the KVK?
No. You do not have to hand in a KVK business plan when you register: according to the KVK you do not need a business plan for that, but it is smart to put the ideas for your business in order.
This article provides general information and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The parts and rules mentioned are as published by the KVK, RVO and municipal entrepreneur desks, and may change. Vivid’s payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., an electronic money institution authorised and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg; its Dutch branch is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) as an electronic money institution.
