Sick of generic business plans?
Struggling to craft a strategic roadmap that excites investors?
This guide shares the best ChatGPT prompts for creating customized, high-impact business plans that convey your vision compellingly and attract funding.
Benefits of Using ChatGPT for Business Plans
Using ChatGPT to create business plans offers several advantages:
- Saves time by automating research and content creation
- Provides personalized prompts tailored to your specific business
- Generates well-written, structured sections that flow logically
- Includes relevant data and statistics to back up strategy
- Helps create professional, investor-ready documents quickly
- Allows easy iteration and refinement of business plan drafts
- Offers unbiased input to strengthen and enhance your plans
Key Sections to Include in a Business Plan
A comprehensive business plan generally contains the following core sections:
Executive Summary
This high-level overview summarizes the key points of your plan.
It should provide a short description of your business, products/services, objectives, and competitive advantages.
Company Overview
This section provides background on your company’s history, vision, mission, values, operations, and team.
It explains what problem your business aims to solve.
Products and Services
Here you describe your product and service offerings in detail.
Explain the benefits and features that set your offerings apart from competitors.
Market Analysis
Analyze the market landscape, including market size, trends, customer demographics, and competitive analysis.
This provides a rationale for your business opportunity.
Competitive Analysis
Compare your company to competitors and explain how you’ll differentiate.
Analyze competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
Marketing Plan
Outline your strategies for pricing, distribution, advertising, and promotions.
Explain how you’ll attract and retain customers.
Operations Plan
Describe the key operational aspects of your business, including production, technology, equipment, suppliers, processes, and intellectual property.
Management Team
Introduce your leadership team and explain why they make your business likely to succeed.
Highlight team skills and experience.
Financial Plan
Provide financial projections, including income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and funding requirements.
Explain key assumptions driving the numbers.
90 Best Prompts for Each Section of a Business Plan
Below are suggested ChatGPT prompts to help generate content for the core sections of your business plan:
A. Executive Summary Prompts
- Please write an engaging opening paragraph summarizing my startup’s mission and value proposition in 50 words or less. The company provides [describe offering and target customers in 10 words].
- Please write a one-paragraph executive summary for my business plan that effectively summarizes my startup’s offering, target market, competitive advantages, and growth strategy. Limit the summary to 125 words. My startup provides [describe offering and target customers in 10 words].
- Please write 3-4 concise sentences summarizing the core elements of my business plan, including the problem we’re solving, our solution, target customers, business model, and competitive edge. Limit to 50-75 words total.
- Please briefly summarize my startup’s products/services, target customers, market opportunity, competitive differentiation, marketing strategy, operations, management team, and financial projections in 5-7 bullet points with 1-2 sentences each.
- Please write a one-page executive summary for my business plan that concisely covers the company overview, products/services, target market, growth strategy, operations, management team, and financial projections. Assume the full plan is 15 pages.
- Please write an engaging opening paragraph for my business plan’s executive summary that highlights the attractive market opportunity and our company’s unique value proposition. Limit to 50 words.
- Please compose a hard-hitting opening sentence for my business plan’s executive summary that will grab the reader’s attention. Emphasize our company’s competitive edge and value proposition in 15 words or less.
- Please draft a closing paragraph for my business plan’s executive summary that urges the reader to explore the full plan while summarizing the company’s significant upside potential in 50 words or less.
- Please write a final sentence for my executive summary that provides a memorable, succinct call to action for potential investors/partners to engage with my company. Limit to 20 words.
- Please create a bulleted list of 4-5 key takeaways from my business plan that I can include at the end of the executive summary to reinforce the main points.
B. Company Overview Prompts
- Please write a company overview section for my business plan that provides background on our founding story, mission statement, and core values in 250 words or less. My company provides [describe offering and target customers in 10 words].
- Please draft 2-3 paragraphs providing an overview of my startup’s origins, current state, and future vision for the Company Overview section of my business plan. Information about my company: [share key facts about history, location, team size, funding, stage of growth, etc.].
- Please compose a 120-150 word section explaining the specific problem my startup is working to solve in the Company Overview portion of my business plan. My company provides [describe offering and target customers in 10 words].
- Please write a Company Overview section for my business plan that describes my startup’s unique value proposition and competitive positioning in the market in 200 words or less.
- Please summarize my startup’s mission, vision, values, and overarching strategic goals in a concise 4-5 sentence paragraph for the Company Overview section of my business plan.
- Please provide 3-4 bullet points highlighting the major milestones my startup has achieved to date that I can include in the Company Overview section of my business plan.
- Please write 2-3 sentences describing my startup’s current stage of operations, including locations, size of the team, and state of product development for the Company Overview section of my plan.
- Please explain my startup’s general growth strategy in 3-4 concise sentences that I can add to the Company Overview section of my business plan.
- Please draft 1-2 paragraphs providing an overview of my startup’s legal structure, ownership breakdown, and intellectual property holdings for the Company Overview portion of my business plan.
- Please summarize my startup’s core capabilities that enable our competitive advantage in 5-6 bullet points for the Company Overview section of my business plan.
C. Products/Services Prompts
- Please write a 150-word overview of my startup’s core product or service offering, including the key benefits and features we provide customers.
- Please explain the specific problem my product/service solves for customers and how it adds unique value in 100-125 words for the Products/Services section of my plan.
- Please describe my product/service offering in 3-4 concise bullet points highlighting the key attributes and customer benefits for the Products/Services portion of my plan.
- Please draft 2-3 sentences summarizing how my startup’s offering delivers superior quality, cost savings, convenience, or other advantages compared to competitive or alternative solutions.
- Please write a 75-100 word paragraph explaining how my startup’s intellectual property, proprietary technology, or special sauce gives our product/service a sustainable competitive advantage.
- Please provide 3-4 bullet points I can use to illustrate the current stage of development of my product/service offering in my business plan.
- Please compose a 50-100 word section describing my product/service roadmap and future innovations I have planned over the next 1-3 years.
- Please write 1-2 paragraphs providing an overview of my production methods, supply chain, distribution channels, and other operational details related to delivering my product/service.
- Please explain any strategic partnerships, key vendors, or other external relationships that are vital to developing and distributing my product/service offering.
- Please summarize the different revenue streams and pricing models my startup employs for its core products and services in 125 words or less.
D. Market Analysis Prompts
- Please write a market analysis section for my business plan that assesses the size, growth trajectory, and other relevant characteristics of my startup’s target market in 300 words or less. My company serves [describe target customers in 10 words].
- Please draft 2-3 paragraphs examining the major customer segments within my startup’s target market, including demographic information and purchasing behaviors. My company serves [describe target customers in 10 words].
- Please write a 125-150 word section covering the key needs, pain points, and purchasing factors influencing my target customers that my startup aims to address. My company serves [describe target customers in 10 words].
- Please explain the main market trends impacting customer demand for products/services like mine, as well as growth opportunities my startup can capitalize on in 200 words or less.
- Please provide 5-6 bullet points highlighting the key takeaways from my startup’s market research that indicate an attractive opportunity worth pursuing.
- Please compose a 50-75 word assessment of the total addressable market size for my startup’s offering including citation of any relevant market research.
- Please draft 1-2 paragraphs summarizing the competitive landscape and other dynamics in my startup’s target market that influence our go-to-market strategy and positioning.
- Please write 2-3 sentences assessing the bargaining power of buyers/customers and the likelihood they will pay the prices I expect for my startup’s offering.
- Please explain the major threat of new market entrants or product substitutes that could disrupt my startup’s success in the target market. Limit response to 100 words.
- Please provide a 75-100 word evaluation of the level of competitive rivalry among existing players in my target market and how fierce the competition is.
More ChatGPT Prompts:
E. Competitive Analysis Prompts
- Please analyze my startup’s competitors and their offerings in a 250-word competitive analysis for my business plan. My company provides [describe offering and target customers in 10 words].
- Please write a competitive analysis section assessing my startup’s 3-4 main competitors, including details about their products/services, pricing, strengths, and weaknesses. Limit response to 300 words.
- Please provide a table comparing my startup’s product/service offering to competitors across 5-6 dimensions like pricing, features, quality, support options, etc.
- Please explain how my startup will differentiate itself from competitors based on factors like superior product performance, quality, customer service, or price in 150 words or less.
- Please draft 1-2 paragraphs analyzing the competitive landscape to identify potential gaps or consumer needs my startup can serve better than rivals.
- Please write 2-3 sentences about the competitive advantage my startup has over incumbents due to proprietary technology, special expertise, distribution access, brand power, or other factors.
- Please provide 4-5 bullet points I can use in my business plan to illustrate my startup’s sustainable competitive edge relative to key players in the market.
- Please summarize the core strategic implications of my competitive analysis for my startup’s positioning and go-to-market approach in 100 words or less.
- Please compose 50-75 words analyzing the barriers to entry for new competitors in my startup’s target market.
- Please explain the biggest challenges and threats my startup faces from current competitors and assess our vulnerabilities in 100-125 words.
F. Marketing Plan Prompts
- Please provide an overview of my startup’s marketing strategy including key channels, customer acquisition plans, and general promotional tactics in 300 words or less for my business plan.
- Please describe my startup’s value proposition and positioning statement in 100-150 words for the marketing plan section of my business plan. Our company provides [describe offering and target customers in 10 words].
- Please draft 2-3 paragraphs detailing my customer acquisition strategy including tactics for reaching, engaging, and converting ideal target customers for my startup’s business plan.
- Please write a 125-150 word section explaining my startup’s plans for building a loyal customer base and maximizing customer lifetime value through retention and engagement tactics.
- Please provide 5-6 bullet points outlining the key online and offline marketing channels my startup will leverage to promote and sell our product/service.
- Please compose a 50-75 word positioning statement for my startup that summarizes our target audience, frame of reference, point of difference, and reason to believe as part of the marketing plan.
- Please create a table comparing my startup’s planned pricing model to competitors’ pricing for similar products/services.
- Please describe my startup’s distribution strategy including online sales, retail partnerships, and other sales channels in 100-125 words for the marketing plan portion of the business plan.
- Please provide 4-5 bullet points detailing the main elements of my startup’s promotional strategy, such as advertising, PR, referrals, promotions, etc.
- Please summarize my startup’s strategies for building our brand and growing awareness among target customers in 100 words or less for the marketing plan.
G. Operations Plan Prompts
- Please write a 300-word operations plan for my business overviewing facilities, production, technology, equipment, sourcing, inventory, distribution, and other key operational aspects for my startup’s business plan.
- Please summarize my startup’s physical business locations, facilities, and layout in 125-150 words for the Operations Plan section of my business plan.
- Please describe my startup’s production methods, workflow process, quality control procedures, and capacity in 200 words or less for the operations portion of my plan.
- Please explain the fulfillment and distribution process my startup will use to deliver our product/service to customers in 100-125 words.
- Please draft 1-2 paragraphs providing an overview of my startup’s technology infrastructure, hardware, and software systems for the Operations Plan section of my business plan.
- Please list 4-5 bullet points detailing the major equipment, machinery, or specialized tools my startup will utilize in delivering our core product/service.
- Please write 2-3 sentences summarizing my startup’s plan for handling inventory management, including details on suppliers, stocks, and logistics.
- Please compose a 50-75 word summary of my startup’s critical partnerships with vendors, suppliers, and contractors that enable our operations.
- Please outline the main risks, contingencies, and mitigation strategies related to my startup’s operations in 150 words or less.
- Please provide 5-6 bullet points highlighting the key operational milestones my startup needs to achieve over the next 1-2 years.
H. Management Team Prompts
- Please draft 2-3 paragraphs providing an overview of my startup’s leadership team and their expertise for the Management Team section of my business plan. Provide details on 4-5 key team members.
- Please compose 125-150 word bios highlighting the background and relevant experience of my startup’s 2-3 founding team members for our business plan.
- Please write a 150-200 word section assessing the strengths of my startup’s management team and how our combined experience makes us well-positioned to execute our business plan.
- Please provide bullet point profiles of my startup’s key team members summarizing their names, roles, previous companies, and domain expertise in 3-5 points each.
- Please explain how my startup’s leadership team combines complementary skills across areas like technical, marketing, financial, and operational expertise in 100-125 words.
- Please write 2-3 sentences describing any strategic advisors, board members, or other key partners who provide guidance and support to my startup’s management team.
- Please summarize my startup’s plan to build out our management team by hiring talent in key roles as we scale in 100-125 words.
- Please compose a 50-75 word section highlighting the cultural values, work ethic, and team dynamics that will drive my startup’s management team.
- Please provide 4-5 bullet points I can use to illustrate the impressive credentials of my startup’s management team members, such as degrees, certifications, awards, etc.
- Please draft 1-2 paragraphs summarizing the critical gaps in experience or capabilities my startup still needs to fill in our management team at this stage.
I. Financial Plan Prompts
- Please write a 250-word financial plan overview for my business plan including expected startup costs, funding needs, revenue projections, and key financial goals for the first 3 years of business.
- Please create a basic 3-year profit and loss projection for my startup including realistic estimates for revenue, costs of goods sold, operating expenses, profits, losses, and cash flow.
- Please provide 3-4 key assumptions and metrics that drive the financial forecasts and projections in my business plan in concise bullet point format.
- Please draft 1-2 paragraphs explaining my startup’s funding needs, use of funds, and details of any existing or required outside financing I should include in my plan.
- Please compose a risk assessment section for the financial portion of my business plan analyzing the sensitivity of forecasts to changes in key assumptions. Limit to 150 words.
- Please summarize my startup’s projected financial performance over the next 3 years in terms of revenue growth, profit margins, and other relevant metrics in 100-125 words.
- Please provide 4-5 quantitative milestones related to revenue, customers, costs, profitability, or other metrics my startup will target over the next 1-3 years.
- Please create a simple Break Even Analysis for my business plan, detailing the monthly revenue required to cover startup costs and operating expenses.
- Please draft 2-3 sentences explaining how my startup’s business model leverages recurring revenue streams and attractive unit economics that will facilitate growth and profitability.
- Please compose a 2020-word section detailing the primary risks to my startup’s financial projections, including worst-case scenarios and contingency plans should revenues or funding fall short.
Tips for Using ChatGPT for Business Plan Creation
Here are some best practices to leverage ChatGPT most effectively as you develop your startup’s business plan:
- Proofread each section carefully, looking for any information that seems generic, irrelevant, or unrealistic for your business. Refine prompts to make the content more customized.
- Iteratively develop your plan by taking the samples ChatGPT provides, editing them to fit your needs, and then using those edits to improve prompts for the next draft.
- Ask for citations of any data, statistics, or research referenced to ensure credibility.
- Request prompts to help craft any complex financial models to verify accuracy. Review meticulously.
- Use ChatGPT to generate a table of contents and ensure all sections have a logical flow before finalizing.
- Ask ChatGPT to review and proofread your finished plan to identify any areas that need clarification or improvement before sharing.
- Remember that ChatGPT’s input requires careful human review. Leverage its writing capabilities but verify everything applies specifically to your business.
- Create an organized system to track different versions/iterations as you refine your plan prompts with ChatGPT.
- Proactively address any potential objections or concerns investors may have about your projections or assumptions.
- Keep a human voice by editing ChatGPT’s formal language into a more conversational and approachable tone where appropriate.
Final Thoughts
ChatGPT provides an invaluable tool to streamline the creation of powerful, professional business plans tailored to your startup.
With the right prompts and iterative process, it can help craft compelling plans efficiently.
But always diligently review ChatGPT’s output for relevance and accuracy.
Combining its writing with your business knowledge results in plans that impress.
I have been working with AI prompts for over 5 years, and I have published several articles and books on the topic. I am passionate about the potential of AI prompts to help people create better content. I am also a frequent speaker at AI conferences, where I share my knowledge and expertise with others.
