What are they for? From where I see it the business plan is only ever used for two reason, to gain funding (as investors want to see if its a viable business) or as a small business to get bank funding.
When you present the business plan that you have spent weeks constructing, fine tuning, getting proof read, then rewriting, only to give it to some obnoxious bank member who’s only interest is the commission, yet their dummies guide for handing out loans states they need to see a business plan, which they will not read or digest. If your business goes badly or very well 6 months later, do the bank call you to ask if you are sticking to the business plan, do pigs fly?
Likewise large funding organisations when your businness is profitable and client rich will want a plan for the next level. They will probably read this with a fine tooth comb and ask for some adjustments before even get close to agreeing to funding. And rightly so as they are just about to give you a lot of money.
Finally do you as a business owner go back and look at the Business Plan, dusting of the layer of dust and cobwebs from the drawer each time you do. Of course you dont! I am not dissing Business Plans as mentioned above they will come in useful for funding if required and the right situation.
So what can you do instead, what you need is something you can refer to, something you can update regularly as your business grows and you may need to take a slightly different path. Two of the best methods I have seen come from Mike Michalowicz (http://www.mikemichalowicz.com/resources/) and his Prosperity Plan which is outlines more in his book, the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (http://www.mikemichalowicz.com/books/) . It might just be one sheet, but its one sheet thats says a lot about your company and you can keep going back to it as your company grows, to tweak it accordingly.
Another similar approach is the Battle Plan by Lonnie Sciambi “The Entrepreneur’s Yoda.” (http://www.thesmallbusinessforce.com/blog/989/early-stage-entrepreneurs-dont-need-a-business-plan-they-need-a-battle-plan/)
I am looking into more of this style to come up for the correct approach, I will also look into business plans, but hold them on the back burner until I have someone wanting to invest in my company. But the Prosperity/Battle Plan method seems the way to go for now.
Once it is built i will post a sample but not the actual one here.
ticket2launch 