Why it is worth making the plan carefully
According to Suomi.fi's entrepreneur guide, a business plan describes how a company puts its business idea into practice. It helps to structure the idea and reveals gaps in it. Funders and other stakeholders get an overall picture from it, and it is usually essential when applying for a start-up grant or other funding.
You can choose the scope of the plan according to your needs. According to Finnvera, what matters is not the length of the plan but that the entrepreneur shows they have familiarised themselves with their business in a versatile way. A concise plan and realistic calculations are more convincing than a thick, generic document.
What the start-up grant provider asks for
The conditions, amount and application schedule of the start-up grant are covered in our separate start-up grant guide. Here we focus on what attachments are needed. For example, the City of Helsinki requests the following as mandatory attachments to a start-up grant application:
- a business plan and a sales, financing and profitability calculation
- a tax debt certificate, which you can get from OmaVero
- a statement that the financing required for the operation has been arranged
- an up-to-date CV
What the bank and Finnvera look at
According to Finnvera's guidance, a starting business attaches a business plan and an income plan to the financing application. It is worth building the sales target on your own production capacity and inputs, since Finnvera notes that costs are usually easier to estimate than turnover. The financing need includes, besides the initial investments, working capital until enough money accumulates in the till.
Financing talks usually start with your own bank. If the bank needs additional security, it can ask Finnvera for a guarantee on the company's behalf. According to Finnvera, financing can be applied for even before the company is established, but it can take effect only once the company has been entered in the Trade Register.
Calculations: four basic parts
The credibility of a plan is decided in the calculations. Suomi.fi and the City of Helsinki's business advisory service name four calculations:
- Financing plan: how much start-up capital is needed and where it comes from. According to Suomi.fi, working capital is set aside for wages and running costs for 2–3 months.
- Profitability calculation: how much you need to sell to cover fixed and variable costs and the target profit needed to live on.
- Sales calculation: what is sold, to whom, at what price and how much per month.
- Cash flow statement: when money comes in and goes out month by month, so that liquidity is maintained.
Template: business plan outline
The outline below follows the sections listed by Suomi.fi. Copy it into a word processor and replace the parts in square brackets. The example entrepreneur Maija Meikäläinen is fictional.
1. Summary: [company name], [legal form], [start date]. A one-paragraph summary: what is sold, to whom, and why the customer chooses this particular company.
2. Entrepreneur and expertise: Maija Meikäläinen, [education], [work experience in the field], [strengths]. What expertise is missing and how it will be acquired.
3. Business idea: [product or service], [customer group], [way of operating]. How money is made: [earning logic].
4. Products and pricing: [product 1, price], [product 2, price]. Comparison with competitors' price levels and justification for your own price.
5. Customers: [target group], [buying habits], [how customers are reached]. Any letters of intent or first orders.
6. Market and competition: [state of the industry], [competitors, 3–5], [how I stand out].
7. Marketing and sales: [channels], [first-year actions], [budget].
8. Resources: [premises], [equipment], [staff], [bookkeeping], [insurance], [required permits and notifications].
9. Risks: [risk 1 and contingency], [risk 2 and contingency], [risk 3 and contingency].
10. Calculations attached: financing calculation, profitability calculation, sales calculation and monthly cash flow calculation for the first year.
11. Goals: [1-year goal], [3-year goal] and how progress is monitored.
Ready-made templates and free help
Job Market Finland's tools for entrepreneurship include a free business plan tool and financial calculations, and the plan can be created directly as an attachment to the start-up grant application. On its website, the City of Helsinki shares a Word template for a business plan and an Excel template for calculations, and many other regions have similar templates.
Free advice is available from your local start-up centre or development company and from Yritys-Suomi advisory services. According to the City of Helsinki, a plan finalised with an adviser often improves the chances of getting a start-up grant. If you also apply for grants after the plan, Tutkat.fi's paid Grant Application Template helps shape the project from the same source information.
Keep the plan updated after the business is established too. When you apply for an extension of the start-up grant or for additional funding, actual figures are compared with the original plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a business plan be?
No length is prescribed. According to Finnvera, what matters is not the length but that the entrepreneur shows they are familiar with their business and the calculations are realistic.
Is a business plan needed for the start-up grant?
Yes. For example, the City of Helsinki requires a business plan and sales, financing and profitability calculations as attachments.
Where can you get a free business plan template?
From Job Market Finland's tools for entrepreneurship and from the business advice pages of many cities, such as the City of Helsinki. New Enterprise Centres also help free of charge.
Calculate it yourself
Ready-made tools
- Grant application template · Application template, budget template and checklist
- Invoice template and invoice register · Invoice with all mandatory details, VAT breakdown, reference number and outstanding receivables
Sources
- Suomi.fi: Business plan
- Suomi.fi: Financing and profitability calculations
- Job Market Finland: Tools for entrepreneurship
- City of Helsinki: Draw up a business plan
- City of Helsinki: What is start-up money?
- Finnvera: Business planning pays off
- Finnvera: Applying for financing for a starting business
The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.
Other guides
- Applying for business support 2026: Business Finland and the Vitality Centre
- Start-up grant 2026: how much, for whom and how to apply
- Foundation grants for associations and companies: how to apply
- Starting a sole proprietorship in 2026: notifications, YEL and VAT
Other free templates and bases
- Open application: when it is worthwhile and a template
- Car bill of sale: template and what to record in it
- Logbook: tax authority requirements and template 2026
- Job application: structure, example and free template 2026
- CV template and résumé: how to write a good CV
- Resigning: template message and notice period
- Certificate of employment: template and right to a certificate of employment
- Shift schedule: template, rules and notice periods
- Event safety plan: template and instructions
- Request for quotation: template and content
- Claim to the airline: template message for EU 261 compensation
- Cottage rental agreement: template and key terms
- Pay rise request: template message and arguments
- Invoice template: mandatory invoice details and a sample
- Household budget template: how to make a budget
- Complaint about renovation: template and deadlines
- Terminating a tenancy agreement: template and notice period
- Returning a rental deposit: template claim and deadlines
- Rent increase 2026: how much can rent be raised and when
- Tenancy agreement template: free template for a residential tenancy agreement 2026