LivePlan

LivePlan is a comprehensive, cloud-based business planning and management software designed to guide entrepreneurs and small business owners through every stage of their journey, from ideation to growth. It transforms the often daunting task of creating a business plan into a streamlined, manageable process. By leveraging AI and a wealth of expert resources, LivePlan empowers users to not only craft a compelling plan but also to track their performance and make smarter, data-driven decisions.

At its core, LivePlan is more than just a document writer; it's a strategic system for planning, funding, and growing a business. It has been trusted by over a million business owners to turn their vision into a reality. The platform's proven methodology helps companies that plan and track their progress grow 30% faster than those that don't.

How to use LivePlan

Using LivePlan is an intuitive, step-by-step process designed for users of all experience levels:

1. Start with a Pitch: Begin by clarifying your business idea in just 30 minutes with the One-Page Pitch builder. This helps you organize your core concepts and create a concise summary for potential investors.
2. Build Your Plan: Follow the guided Business Plan Builder. The software asks you simple questions about your business, and you provide the answers. The AI-Powered LivePlan Assistant is available at every step to help you overcome writer's block, generate text, and refine your writing for tone and clarity.
3. Get Inspired: If you're unsure where to start, browse the library of over 550 real-world sample business plans from a wide range of industries. Use them as a template and a source of inspiration.
4. Create Financial Forecasts: Forget complex spreadsheets. LivePlan automates financial projections. It guides you through creating sales forecasts, expense budgets, and cash flow statements. The AI assistant can even suggest revenue and expense figures based on your industry.
5. Track Your Performance (Premium): Connect LivePlan to your QuickBooks Online or Xero account. The Performance Dashboard visualizes your key financial data, comparing your actual results against your plan's forecasts. This helps you spot trends, manage cash flow, and make informed strategic decisions.
6. Collaborate and Share: Invite team members, partners, or advisors to collaborate on your plan in real-time. When you're ready, export your plan into professional, lender-ready documents or presentations with customizable themes.

Core Features of LivePlan

• AI-Powered LivePlan Assistant: Generates text for any section of your plan, rewrites content, provides financial analysis, and suggests forecast data to eliminate writer's block.
• Guided Business Plan Builder: A step-by-step process that simplifies writing a professional, lender-ready business plan.
• Automatic Financials: Creates detailed financial statements (profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow) without requiring any spreadsheet knowledge.
• 550+ Sample Plans: An extensive library of real business plans across various industries to use as examples and templates.
• One-Page Pitch Builder: A tool to quickly create a concise, single-page summary of your business idea.
• Performance Dashboard: Integrates with QuickBooks and Xero to provide real-time insights into your financial performance against your goals.
• Financial Forecasting & Scenarios: Allows you to create detailed forecasts and model "what-if" scenarios to see how decisions might impact your future financials.
• Industry Benchmarks: Compare your financial projections against data from over 1,000 industries to ensure your goals are realistic.
• Collaboration Tools: Work with partners, team members, and advisors on your plan within the platform.

Use Cases for LivePlan

LivePlan is versatile and serves a wide range of users:

• Startups and Entrepreneurs: Creating a comprehensive business plan to secure loans from banks or attract investment from venture capitalists and angel investors.
• Existing Small Businesses: Developing a strategic growth plan, managing budgets, forecasting cash flow, and tracking performance to improve profitability.
• Business Consultants and Advisors: Collaborating with clients to build robust business plans and financial models, providing more value and streamlining the advising process.
• Non-profits: Planning for sustainability, applying for grants, and presenting a clear strategic vision to their board and stakeholders.
• Students and Educators: A practical tool for business and entrepreneurship courses, helping students understand the fundamentals of business planning.

Advantages of LivePlan

LivePlan offers significant advantages over traditional methods. It saves immense time by automating financials and providing guided writing prompts. It simplifies complexity, making financial forecasting accessible to everyone. The platform provides expert guidance through its built-in instructions, videos, and AI assistant. By connecting planning with real-time performance tracking, it enables smarter, data-driven decisions. Finally, it produces professional, polished documents that build confidence with lenders and investors.

Pricing and Plans

LivePlan offers two main subscription packages, both with a 35-day money-back guarantee:

• Standard Plan: Priced at $20 per month (paid monthly). This plan is ideal for anyone who needs to create a professional business plan. It includes the step-by-step builder, lender-ready statements, full financial forecast, one-page pitch builder, 550+ sample plans, and the AI-powered writing assistant.
• Premium Plan: Priced at $40 per month (paid monthly, with occasional promotions). This plan is designed for businesses that need financial tools to operate and grow. It includes all Standard features plus advanced tools like Performance Dashboards, real-time profit & cash forecasting, integration with QuickBooks Online & Xero, "what-if" scenarios, and industry research.