Business plan: GCSE Business Definition

Lisa Eades

Written by: Lisa Eades

Reviewed by: Steve Vorster

Published

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1 minutes

What is a business plan?

In GCSE Business, a business plan is a detailed document that sets out the key goals, strategies and financial projections of a business.

The main aim of producing a business plan is to reduce the risk associated with starting a new business. It can help the owners raise finance and identify the resources needed to set up and operate the business effectively. Producing a business plan forces the owner to think about every aspect of the business before they start, which should reduce the chance of failure.  

Contents of a business plan

Although the contents of business plans can vary, they typically include the following elements:

Diagram of business plan elements with central blue circle linking ten green circles: business idea, aims, target market, financial forecasts, and marketing.
The most common elements of a Business Plan

Business Plan Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

Save My Exams has a great range of resources to explore the topic of business plans further. 

Read our GCSE Business revision notes on Business Planning or test your knowledge of elements of the business plan with our exam questions to improve your grades. 

Explore GCSE Business Revision Resources

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Lisa Eades

Author: Lisa Eades

Expertise: Business Content Creator

Lisa has taught A Level, GCSE, BTEC and IBDP Business for over 20 years and is a senior Examiner for Edexcel. Lisa has been a successful Head of Department in Kent and has offered private Business tuition to students across the UK. Lisa loves to create imaginative and accessible resources which engage learners and build their passion for the subject.

Steve Vorster

Author: Steve Vorster

Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.

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