Investors

• A business plan is created to help attract investors to your company, according to the Highland Capital Partners website. It acts as the resume for your business to prospective lenders, investors and business partners. It reveals enough about your business so that you get an investor's interest, but not so much that the investor can get turned off to the idea of putting money into your company. Your business plan acts as the introduction of your company that opens the door to a more detailed discussion.
  
  

Marketplace

• When you develop your business plan, you will dedicate a large portion of it to market analysis that includes identifying your target audience, the trends that could change your marketplace and a competitive analysis of the other companies in your industry, according to the Small Business Administration website. The purpose of marketplace information is to determine how to market your products against the competition, what advertising methods will best reach your target audience and how to maximize your exposure to the marketplace.
  
  

Projections

• When you write your business plan, you will include revenue and sales projections, according to the Gaebler website. You create these projections based on the market analysis you have done and the sales you expect to generate among your target audience. As your business moves forward, the projections you created in your business plan become the measuring stick you will use to mark your company's success. If you perform in line with your projections, or better than your projections, then you gain confidence in your execution of the business plan. If you perform below your projections, then you need to reevaluate your business plan to see where changes need to be made.
  
  

Budgeting

• One of the key elements of your business plan is the budgets you prepare for your startup phase and your ongoing expenses. The budgeting sections of your business plan are critical to the way you approach financing your business, the amount that you attempt to get from investors and lenders and the amount of risk you are willing to take to allow your company to proceed. The business plan covers every aspect of budgeting, including personnel costs, production costs, office overhead and the sales and marketing budget. Without a business plan, you have no way of accurately determining your business costs.