business plan review checklist

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A Complete Business Plan Checklist - Key Points to include in your Business Plan and Track Progress

Creating an effective business plan requires addressing specific strategic and tactical questions with a high level of detail.

After you complete writing your business plan, how will you make sure that your business plan is complete and you did not miss any important details?

The best and easy way is to check your business plan with a standard business plan checklist.

Business plan checklist is the list of most important sections of the business plan that you should include into your business plan in the same order.

This checklist will guide you through the step-by-step process of writing an effective and successful business plan for your startup.

Business Plan Checklist

Please check the sections that you have included in your business plan from below list and track your  business plan progress .

Explore our 400+ sample business plans prepared for a wide variety of industries to help you start writing and planning your business plan.

Business plan checklist will also help you to write your business plan table of contents and outline of your business plan.

This business plan checklist is a general guideline for any standard business plan. But you should also keep in mind the purpose of your business plan and include specific details accordingly.

For Example, if you are writing a business plan for a loan from a particular bank, you should learn about their mandatory or specific criteria and must include that details into your business plan.

This business plan checklist prepared here will help you to think through your business and document it in a way that investors and other readers fully understand about your business.

Make your plan in half the time & twice the impact with Upmetrics.

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How to Write a Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated May 7, 2024

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

• The basics of business planning

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that planning helps you: 

• Raise money
• Grow strategically
• Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After completing your plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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• What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

Your executive summary should include:

• A summary of the problem you are solving
• A description of your product or service
• An overview of your target market
• A brief description of your team
• A summary of your financials
• Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

This is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

The operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

• Supply chain management
• Manufacturing processes
• Equipment and technology
• Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

• A description of each task
• The proposed due date
• Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

• Website launch date
• Store or office opening date
• First significant sales
• Break even date
• Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

• Conversion rates
• Customer acquisition costs
• Profit per customer
• Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

Last, but certainly not least, is your financial plan chapter. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

• Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
• Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
• Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
• Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
• Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

• Company logo
• Business name
• Value proposition (optional)
• Business plan title
• Completion and/or update date
• Address and contact information
• Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI for your business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

• Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information to include in a business plan is sometimes not quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

There are plenty of great options available (we’ve rounded up our 8 favorites to streamline your search).

But, if you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template , you can get one right now; download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

• Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
• Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
• Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
• Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
• Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

• Did you meet your sales goals?
• Is spending following your budget?
• Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

Free business plan templates and examples

Kickstart your business plan writing with one of our free business plan templates or recommended tools.

Free business plan template

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How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Having a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

• Write a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services.
• Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
• Outline your organizational structure and management team.
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
• Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

• 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
• Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
• Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
• Failing to establish a sound business model.
• Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

• How will your business make money?
• Is there a need for your product or service?
• Who are your customers?
• How are you different from the competition?
• How will you reach your customers?
• How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan: The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

Business model canvas: The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Use AI to help write your plan
• Common planning mistakes
• Manage with your business plan
• Templates and examples

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Business plan outline - 23 point checklist for success.

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If you’re looking for funding for a new or existing business, you need a business plan. Your business plan gives lenders and investors the information they need to determine whether or not they should consider your company.

Your business plan outline is the first step in organizing your thoughts. And, when you follow the outline below, you ensure your business plan is in the format that prompts investors and lenders to take action.

In the business plan outline below, you will see the ten (10) sections common to business plans, and the twenty-three (23) sub-sections you must complete. Also, to help you out, here is my proven business plan template , that allows you to quickly and easily complete all the sections of your business plan.

Section I - Executive Summary

1 - Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is the most important part of your business plan. Because if it doesn’t interest readers, they’ll never even get to the rest of your plan.

Start your Executive Summary with a brief and concise explanation of what your company does. Next, explain why your company is uniquely qualified to succeed. For example, does your management team have unique competencies? Do you have any patents? Are you the first mover in your market? Does a huge, unmet market opportunity exist? Etc.

Finally, include a synopsis of your financial projections in your Executive Summary. Specifically, include your expected revenues, expenses and profits for each of the next five years, how much funding you are seeking, and the key uses of these funds.

Section II - Company Overview

2 - Company Overview

The Company Overview section provides a brief history of your company.

Here you will answer questions such as when and how your organization was formed, what type of legal entity you are, and accomplishments to date.

Importantly, your past accomplishments are perhaps the best indicator of potential future success, so be sure to identify and include all key milestones your company has achieved to date.

Section III - Industry Analysis

Your Industry Analysis section has two sub-sections as follows:

3 - Market Overview

The Market Overview section discusses the size and characteristics of your market. For example, if you are a restaurant, you would include the size of the restaurant market, a brief discussion of sectors (e.g., fast food versus fine dining) and market trends.

4 - Relevant Market Size

The relevant market size is a much more specific calculation of your market size. It is the annual revenue your company could attain if it attained 100% market share. Your relevant market size is calculated by multiplying 1) the number of customers who might be interested in purchasing your products and/or services each year and 2) the amount these customers might be willing to spend, on an annual basis, on your products and/or services.

Section IV - Customer Analysis

Your Customer Analysis section has two sub-sections as follows:

5 - Target Customers

Your Target Customers section precisely identifies your current and/or intended customers. Include as much demographic data on your target customers as possible, such as their gender, age, salary, geography, marital status and education.

6 - Customer Needs

In this section of your business plan, specify why customers want or need your products and/or services. For example, do customers care most about speed, quality, location, reliability, comfort, price, value, etc.?

Section V - Competitive Analysis

Your Competitive Analysis section has three sub-sections as follows:

7 - Direct Competitors

Direct competitors are companies that fill the same customer need you fill with the same solution. For example, if you operate an Italian restaurant, other Italian restaurants would be direct competitors.

In this section of your business plan, outline who your direct competitors are, and their strengths and weaknesses.

8 - Indirect Competitors

Indirect competitors are companies that fill the same customer need you fill with a different solution. For example, if you operate an Italian restaurant, a French restaurant would be an indirect competitor.

In this section of your business plan, outline who your indirect competitors are, and their strengths and weaknesses.

9 - Competitive Advantages

Importantly, identify your Competitive Advantages in this section. Specifically, state what is it about your company that will allow you to effectively compete (and win) against both direct and indirect competitors.

Section VI - Marketing Plan

Your Marketing Plan section has four sub-sections as follows:

10 - Products & Services

Here is where you give the details of the products and/or services your company offers.

11 - Pricing

Detail your pricing here. In particular, discuss how your pricing relates to competition. For example, are you the premium brand? The low cost brand?

Discuss your expected branding based on your chosen pricing model.

12 - Promotions Plan

Your promotions plan details the tactics you will use to attract new customers. For example, you might choose radio advertising, or online pay-per-click ads, or press releases, and so on. In this section, detail each form of promotions you will use.

13 - Distribution Plan

Your Distribution Plan outlines the ways in which customers can buy from you. In many cases, they can only buy directly from you, perhaps at your physical location or web address. In other cases, you might have distributors or partners who sell your products or services. In such a case, detail this structure.

Section VII - Operations Plan

Your Operations Plan section has two sub-sections as follows:

14 - Key Operational Processes

Your Key Operational Processes are the daily functions your business must conduct. In this section, you will detail these functions. For example, will you maintain a Customer Service department? If so, what specific role will it fill?

By completing this section, you’ll get great clarity on the organization you hope to build.

15 - Milestones

In this section of your business plan, list the key milestones you hope to achieve in the future and the target dates for achieving them.

Here is where you set goals for specific and critical undertakings, such as when a new product will be created and launched, by when you plan to execute new partnerships, etc.

Section VIII - Management Team

Your Management Team section has three sub-sections as follows:

16 - Management Team Members

This section details the current members of your management team and their backgrounds.

17 - Management Team Gaps

Particularly if you’re a startup venture, you will have holes in your team; roles that you’d like to fill later. Identify such roles here, and the qualifications of the people you will seek later to fill them.

18 - Board Members

If you maintain a Board of Advisors or Board of Directors, detail your Board members and their bios in this section.

Section IX - Financial Plan

Your Financial Plan section has four sub-sections as follows:

19 - Revenue Model

As simple as it seems, this section of your business plan gives clarity on how you generate revenues. Do you sell products? Do you sell advertising space? Do you sell by-products, like data? Do you sell all of the above?

20 -  Financial Highlights

Your full financial model (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement) belong in your Appendix, but in this section you’ll include the highlights. For instance, include your revenues, key expenses, and projected net income for the next five years.

21 - Funding Requirements/Use of Funds

If you are seeking funding for your company, detail the amount here, and importantly for what you will use the funds.

22 - Exit Strategy

Particularly if you are seeking equity funding, detail your expected exit strategy. The most likely exit strategy is to sell your company to a larger firm. If so, detail the types of firms that might be interested in purchasing you and why. List the specific names of potential acquirers if applicable.

Section X - Appendix

23 - Supporting Documentation

As mentioned above, your full financial model (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement) belong in your appendix.

Likewise, include any supporting documentation that will help convince readers your company will succeed. For example, include customer lists, awards, and patents received among others.

I hope this business plan outline has helped you organize your thoughts and answer the key questions needed to start and grow a successful business. While twenty-three sections seems like a lot, if you complete them one at a time, you can make progress and finish your entire plan quickly and effectively. Likewise, feel free to use my proven business plan template to complete your business plan.

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Business Plan Checklist

• By Jake R Brady on Dec 22, 2011

• Gather your basic financial statements
• Provide documentation Financial statements are ;formal records of your business' financial activities. There are four basic statements:
• Income statement: Your bottom line subtracting costs from revenue to come up with net profit
• Balance sheet: A financial snapshot that shows what you own, what you owe, and what your company is worth
• Cash flow statement: A cash monitor that follows the flow of cash in and out of your company
• Budget: Your financial forecast that indicates where you plan to make and spend money
• Determine your audience
• Identify customers and the competition This is a critical part of a successful business plan. ;Incorporate research on both groups.
• Ask these questions of customers: Who is buying, what do they buy, and why ;do they buy?
• Ask these questions of competitors: How big are they, which customers are they after, and what is their strategy?
• Incorporate these elements
• Executive summary
• Company overview
• Business environment
• Company description
• Company strategy
• Financial review
• Action plan
• Consider these topics
• Plans: Company mission, vision, goals, and objectives that all work together
• Organization: A structure for your company that makes sense
• Procedures: Efficient and effective ways of doing things
• Leadership: An ability to influence and encourage others around you
• Skills: The talents and expertise your people need to succeed
• Culture: Beliefs and attitudes that lead to doing the right thing
• Consider the other factors on this list of business-planning essentials:
• Get everyone involved in setting goals and objectives
• Learn all you can about your customers
• Understand who your competitors are
• Identify your strengths and weaknesses relative to opportunities and threats
• Determine which capabilities you absolutely need to succeed
• List all the things you do that add customer value
• Make sure that you do your financial homework
• Imagine several different versions of your company's future
• Avoid business failure
• Do your research, and prepare If you're not prepared, your business will likely fail.
• Establish a long-term company vision Be sure to establish and follow clear goals and objectives to meet the vision.
• Prepare for change Stay flexible and you will succeed.
• Focus on the customers And whatever you do, don't underestimate the competition.
• Be a strong leader Communicate well, and often.
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A well-developed business plan is critical for any start-up business. To develop a thorough business plan, research your customers and competition; avoid mistakes that lead to business failure; and know how to implement a business plan and make it work. Your business plan should include a basic financial statement, all major pieces of a business plan, and information from your business-planning checklist.

• Keep your focus on these three things:
• Cut costs to the bone
• Offer something unique
• Focus on one customer group

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• Business Strategy Review and Planning Checklist

The Business Strategy Review and Planning Checklist is a comprehensive tool to help businesses evaluate their current business strategies and plan for their future. It includes questions to assess current strategies and resources, set strategic objectives and identify opportunities for improvement. The checklist also includes steps to develop a business plan, create a strategy map and measure progress against goals. It is designed to help businesses review their existing strategies, develop plans for growth and assess the potential for success in the future. With this tool, businesses can ensure that their strategies are aligned with their long-term objectives and are optimally deployed to achieve their desired outcomes.

• Not Applicable (N/A)
• Set Clear Goals: Identify and define your goals, both short and long term.
• Evaluate Current Performance: Review your current performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Analyze Your Environment: Identify the external factors that may affect your business strategy.
• Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses: Analyze your internal strengths and weaknesses.
• Design Your Strategy: Develop a comprehensive plan to reach your business goals.
• Assess Resources: Analyze potential resources that may help you reach your goals.
• Monitor Progress: Monitor and adjust the strategy as needed to ensure that it remains effective.
• Review and Adjust: Regularly review the strategy and adjust it to changing circumstances.

Checklist Category

• Year End Essentials

You may be also interested in

• Business Model Audit Checklist
• Business Risk Assessment Checklist
• Business Performance Review Checklist
• Business Analysis Checklist
• Business Financial Analysis Checklist
• Business Process Improvement Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a business strategy review and planning checklist, a business strategy review and planning checklist is a tool used to assess an organization’s current strategy, identify areas needing improvement and create a plan to improve performance. the checklist typically includes topics such as mission and vision, competitive analysis, market trends, customer needs, financial goals, and organizational structure., how often should a business strategy review and planning checklist be used, the frequency of use of a business strategy review and planning checklist should depend on the organization’s business cycle and the type of changes it is trying to achieve. generally, it is recommended to use the checklist at least annually, or whenever there is a major organizational change., what should be included in a business strategy review and planning checklist, a business strategy review and planning checklist should include topics such as mission and vision, competitive analysis, market trends, customer needs, financial goals, and organizational structure. additionally, it should include an assessment of performance measures and key stakeholders, as well as objectives and action plans., what are the benefits of using a business strategy review and planning checklist, the main benefit of using a business strategy review and planning checklist is that it helps organizations identify goals and formulate plans to improve performance. additionally, it provides a framework to measure progress and ensure that strategies are aligned with the organization’s mission and vision..

Plan Review Checklist

Identify objectives of the plan, detail out the components of plan, establish the criteria for plan success, check for any deviations from standard guidelines.

• 1 Regulatory requirements
• 2 Industry standards
• 3 Best practices

Approval: Deviation from Guidelines

• Check for any deviations from standard guidelines Will be submitted

Perform Risk Assessment

• 1 Minor impact
• 2 Moderate impact
• 3 Severe impact
• 1 Avoidance
• 3 Mitigation
• 4 Acceptance

Evaluate Potential Plan Outcomes

Ensure information is understandable and accurate.

• 1 Section 1
• 2 Section 2
• 3 Section 3
• 4 Section 4
• 5 Section 5

Review if goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)

Check for the availability of resources needed for plan implementation, approval: resource availability.

• Check for the availability of resources needed for plan implementation Will be submitted

Assess the scope and limitations of the plan

Review the budget of the plan, approval: budget review.

• Review the budget of the plan Will be submitted

Determine the time frame for plan implementation

Review if plan aligns with overall strategic goals, finalize and document the plan details, approval: final plan review.

• Review if goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) Will be submitted
• Review if plan aligns with overall strategic goals Will be submitted
• Finalize and document the plan details Will be submitted

Create a method for tracking plan progress

Submit plan for formal approvals, take control of your workflows today., more templates like this.

How to Create or Revise a Business Continuity Plan [Checklist]

Written by Will Aderholt on April 4, 2022

Businesses rarely get advanced notice that a disaster or business interruption is about to strike. That’s why a business continuity plan is vitally important to all businesses.

A business continuity plan is a series of protocols designed to ensure that business operations can continue during a disruptive event.

It typically covers processes and procedures for communicating with employees and clients, recovering lost data, repairing failed systems or technologies and quickly resuming typical business functions.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, few business continuity plans were designed with a global pandemic in mind. In fact,  66% of businesses  said they had a business continuity plan in place before the  COVID-19 pandemic , but 76% of those businesses said their plan didn’t apply to the challenges they faced as a result of the pandemic, rendering their business continuity plans ineffective.

So how can you create a business continuity plan that accounts for any type of disaster or unforeseen circumstance so that your business is prepared no matter what comes your way?

Join the thousands of business leaders who receive a monthly email with our trusted advisors’ latest insights, designed to help you make the best decisions for your organization. Subscribe here. 

Business Continuity Planning Overview

Many businesses have a disaster recovery plan and therefore believe they’re equipped for business continuity.

However, disaster recovery plans largely focus on restoring IT infrastructure after a crisis, and they typically don’t address areas such as human resources, sales, marketing and customer relations. Disaster recovery is critical, but it’s just one component of a complete business continuity plan.

Whether the pandemic convinced you to implement a business continuity plan or your current plan needs an update, we’ve outlined a business continuity plan checklist to help you create an effective plan—no matter what business interruption may strike.

A Business Continuity Plan Checklist

Every business is unique, so every business continuity plan should address the specific people, processes and technologies that are essential to the organization.

Still, the following business continuity plan checklist can offer general steps that any company should take to institute crisis-averting measures.

Creating and maintaining a business continuity plan is no small feat, but the process will ensure your organization is safer today and ready for any future disruptions or disasters that may occur.

1. Assess your business processes

Assessing your business’s operations and determining which processes are vulnerable in the event of a disaster is the best start to any business continuity plan checklist. This helps you set the scope of your plan and identify the departments and staff members who need to be involved in creating it and carrying it out.

2. Conduct a business impact analysis

What risks would your company face if any significant disruption were to occur? Consider physical, financial and operational implications of a disaster. Create a list of potential impacts, such as damage to the company’s reputation, loss of sales, regulatory fines, etc. Whenever possible, quantify these risks with a cost.

3. Create prevention strategies

Based on your business impact analysis, detail any preventative measures that can be taken before a disruptive event occurs. This may include identifying remote working solutions and ensuring critical data is on the cloud.

4. Identify critical equipment

In your business continuity plan, specifically identify the equipment necessary to sustain business operations, such as generators, laptops, servers, cell phones, personal protection equipment, facilities, specialized machinery or equipment, emergency medical supplies and more.

Determine whether you can have that equipment at hand or access it quickly from a vendor in the event of a disruption.

5. Determine how to access crucial data

Resuming business operations requires access to essential data, so you must know where and how that data is stored. Consider instituting policies that allow for consistently backing up your data, securing your data and cloud computing.

6. Plan to communicate with employees

In the event of a disruption or disaster, the organization’s leaders must communicate with employees and be transparent about the risks and plans at hand.

Identify in your business continuity plan who will be responsible for messaging, who will be in charge of reaching out to employees and how the organization will contact staff members during different scenarios (email, phone, video conferencing, social media, etc.). Regular, transparent communications in a crisis build trust and motivate employees to remain productive.

7. Plan to communicate with clients and customers

Address how you will distribute information to and collect information from clients during and following a disaster.

In some cases, your customers and clients may be facing the same disruption event. How will you focus on recovering your own operations while also dealing with higher volumes of calls, emails and client needs?

It’s crucial to maintain open lines of communication and keep customers apprised of any impacts on product or service delivery.

8. Provide ongoing training and conduct annual reviews

Any business continuity plan checklist is incomplete without training and reviews.

Once your business continuity plan is complete, make sure all employees have the training they need to carry out the plan. Training should include a basic overview of procedures, as well as exercises to test them out.

At least annually, review your plan to ensure it is still aligned with your current people, processes and technologies.

Go Beyond a Business Continuity Plan Checklist to Create a Course Specific for Your Organization

If you don’t yet have a business continuity plan, now is the time to put one in place. If you already have a plan, don’t forget to test it and continue to think proactively about how you can be better prepared for future uncertainties.

This business continuity plan checklist can only go so far to guide your organization towards creating the right course of action for you. Because business continuity plans are specific to each organization and their financial, physical and operational scenarios, the process of creating one can feel very abstract.

If reviewing this business continuity plan checklist leaves you questioning what your next move should be, Warren Averett’s trusted advisors can help. Contact your Warren Averett advisor today for guidance on the business continuity and disaster recovery planning process, or  ask a member of the team to reach out to you .

This article was originally published on August, 25, 2020 and most recently updated on April 4, 2022.

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First 100 days: The start-up checklist every new business needs

Our experts

Written and reviewed by:.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a start-up cheat sheet for budding business owners? Well, now there is!

With the help of some of the country’s top start-up businesses, we’ve compiled an essential checklist of the key tasks and activities that need to be considered in the first 100 days of starting any business.

As most people aren’t familiar with the steps to start a business, this checklist covers everything you need to know pre-launch and post-launch; from market research to domain names and business banking. If you’ve got a business idea, then this checklist will help ensure your start-up hits the ground running…

Don’t quit the day job until you have to

There are a number of benefits to starting a business part-time while working. Retaining a guaranteed income reduces the usual start-up risk and means you won’t necessarily have to secure start-up capital straight away. What’s more, by being involved in two jobs at the same time you’ll know for sure whether you’re truly committed to your business idea.

Talk to business owners and peers that you know and trust

Qudini CEO and co-founder Imogen Wethered’s cores advice is to talk about your idea in the early stages. Wethered: “A lot of people hide things due to fear of having people condemn or steal it, [but] you need to get real, honest feedback, and long term execution matters most.” Equally, as carwow co-founder James Hind explains “you don’t have to take the advice of others but other people who have been where you are now may have some interesting insights. It’s better to learn from their mistakes than to have to make your own!”

Consider a co-founder

On Startups, we’ve profiled a number of successful sole founder and co-founder businesses so there’s no one “right” path but Laundrapp co-founder Ed Relf advocates getting a co-founder on board. Don’t be reluctant to get others involved and give up a stake in the company, he says. 100% of a business worth nothing is nothing. Three is a magic number and a great basis for a founding team as it allows for a healthy mix of skill sets and – for the more ambitious start-up – de-risks the investment for would-be future backers who are often put off by the perceived high risk of solo founders. Onfido COO Eamon Jubbawy also believes that three “is the magic number” for co-founders: “Businesses require creativity, planning and implementation; having someone who comes up with the ideas, someone who plans them out and someone who makes them happen allows each of us to focus on one of those things.”

Join an online business community

As well as talking to people you know and trust, joining an online business community such as Bizcrowd , which has around 35,000 members will open the door to connecting with others who have faced similar quandaries. Pose questions or ask for feedback on your plans to get a sense of whether you’re on the right track.

Define your customer profile

You need to know who you’ll be selling to so draw up a customer profile by considering attributes such as age, gender, income, relationship status, hobbies, car ownership, housing type, and more.

Research the market

Rebel Kitchen founder Tamara Arbib says it’s integral that you “do your homework, sense check your idea, research the market place and make sure you get impartial advice.” Snaptrip head of marketing Sean Thompson encourages start-up entrepreneurs to “list all the assumptions you make and don’t risk going forward without validating them.”

Assess the competition

Try out potential rivals as a customer to gauge their costs, what they do and the service they offer, and use this background research to find out whether your idea already exists. Qudini’s Wethered says this process can be scary as you don’t want to find you can’t do your “great idea” but says “it’s better to do it now than find this out later”. At the same time, Wethered says not to let competitors deter you: “Remember that if you thought about an idea, something in the atmosphere/contemporary times influenced this so there’s always someone else who thought of doing it too. The trick is to get out there and execute ASAP.”

Draw up a brief business plan

PROPERCORN co-founder Cassandra Stavrou: “It sounds obvious but draw up a business plan which considers what a successful year would look like. It will constantly evolve but having goals to measure yourself against will keep you in check.”

Choose a business name

You’ll need to think carefully about this from legal and marketing purposes . Check the Companies House web service to find out whether your business name is already taken and then check domain name providers to find out if there is a domain available which fits with your company name. You’ll want your name to match your brand identity but Qudini’s Wethered says you shouldn’t spend too long thinking about a name, rather “start with one and you can change it later”. Make sure you read our guide on how to choose a business name .

Register a website (or two)

Once you’ve decided upon your business name, you should register your web address (also known as a domain name). Given that you might want to change your company name, you may want to look at purchasing more than one web address to give you more flexibility down the line.

Check out the UK’s best website builders for small businesses today.

Make a list of suppliers and distribution partners

One of the most fundamental challenges to get your business idea off the ground, particularly if you’re a product business, will be sourcing suppliers and distributors. Google is a great starting point for sourcing local or European suppliers, while websites such as Alibaba.com list a range of international manufacturers and wholesalers. It’s also worth looking at stockists of competitor businesses.

Make something you can show people – an MVP

Such as a service outline or product prototype. In the words of Powered Now co-founder Ben Dyer: “You can’t create a successful start-up without having a product that people want.” Laundrapp co-founder Relf says: “Launching a minimum viable product (MVP) as quickly as possible is the only goal of an early stage start-up. You’re in a fight for survival, you’ve jumped off the cliff and you’re scrambling to build a parachute on the way down, if you’re not embarrassed by your MVP then you’ve already launched too late!”

Find your first customers

RefME founder Tom Hatton asserts that you should “choose your early adopters and focus on them.” Snaptrip’s Thompson agrees: “Let your customers know you’re starting out and invite their feedback. Honesty goes a long way.” Thompson also recommends building an email list to track your progress.“Make it easy for [customers] to sign up and keep communicating with them here.” It may also be worth creating an Instapage , an online landing page for your business.

Look for small business grants and/or consider raising investment

As referenced in our first point, you might not need – or want – to raise finance as you may have a salaried income or savings to tide you over. However, if you’re looking to grow quickly then often the easiest way to do this is through small businesses grants and/or external finance such as equity investment and crowdfunding. VentureFounders advises you to “figure out your finances, consider how much money you think you’ll need and double it”. If you do secure investors then Flubit co-founder Bertie Stephens says you should consider your investors as your “number one customer”. Stephens elaborates: “If something goes wrong […] these are the guys and girls who will be deciding if they’ll pump more cash into your business. Update them constantly, talk openly to them, show them the vision.”

Register your business with Companies House

If you’re forming a limited company then this can be formed directly with Companies House and you will need to submit these documents . There are a number of reliable Company Formation Agencies such as Made Simple that can help you with this process.

You’ll need to create a logo that properly represents your business and there a number of logo design options available to new business owners.

Build a website

Whether you plan to sell your product or service online or offline, in today’s world it’s more important than ever that you have a digital presence – starting with a website. There are a number of affordable website builders that you can use or, depending on your budget, you could hire a developer to create a bespoke site.

Bikmo founder David George believes it’s important to get your “social real estate” in order earlier rather than later. “Once you choose your brand, get your social handles and say hello to the world. Even if you’re not going to start communicating now, you will be soon and it’s a chance for people to find you.”

Get a business bank account

You’ll need to set up a business bank account to deposit payments, pay suppliers and staff, and complete all of the other financial transactions involved in the everyday running of a business. Banks such as RBS offer good deals for small businesses.

Days 81-100

Make your first hire(s) if you can afford to.

Many entrepreneurs launch a start-up with the mindset that they can do everything themselves – from sales to marketing to HR – but this simply isn’t the case. Rebel Kitchen’s Tamara Arbib, Currency Cloud CEO Michael Laven, RefME’s Hatton, and SMARTech Energy  managing director Stuart Pearce have all made a case for hiring in the first 100 days:

• Arbib: “Recruitment is key; hire like-minded people that share your passion and drive and make sure their skill set complements yours.”
• Hatton: “Build a team with uniquely different skills and knowledge which will […] accelerate growth. Remember that new businesses are […] full of highs and lows, successes and pitfalls, so having a team that can persevere is very important in the first 100 days.”
• Laven: “Great people make a great company. And for a business that is just getting off the ground with little money, strategy or even product in place, having the right people on the ground floor is even more essential. When hiring for a new company, it’s more important to find someone who actually learned from their last job than someone with a stellar résumé.”
• Pearce: “By developing a strong team you can build your new business far faster than by doing it all on your own – learn to delegate.”

Get an accountant or purchase accountancy software

carwow’s Hind says that for any start-up “a good accountant is worth their weight in gold”. Hind explains: “It’s important to set off on the right foot, and ensuring you have a good accountant will help to overcome any initial hurdles and stop you making costly and difficult mistakes.” If you’re unable to afford an accountant then there are a range of reliable and affordable small business accountancy services on the market. Powered Now’s Dyer says that “keeping financial records, watching VAT requirements and complying with PAYE rules are musts, and although they shouldn’t dominate things, time must be allowed to lay the foundations”.

Test, measure and iterate your business concept

As Housekeep founder Avin Rabheru explains, in the first 100 days you should “do things that don’t scale”. Rabheru continues: “Don’t worry about problems that have solutions at scale, worry about problems you have right now. We cleaned dozens of houses before we had a website or could even take payment for the cleans!” In essence, prove the concept.

Develop stories

Pobble founder Jon Smith: “Become a storyteller and practice your pitch at every opportunity, whether this is to investors, future team members, founders, friends, family and even partners! All will need to be convinced of what you are saying without actual proof!”

Lastly, make sure you can walk before you run!

RefME’s Hatton says you need to focus on being flexible in the first 100 days while carwow’s Hind advises you to “set your [business] up in a logical order and leave room for growth as you become more successful”. Rebel Kitchen founder Arbib has some final words of wisdom: “Know that you can always pivot or alter plans if your original decision turned out not to be the best or the landscape changes (it often does!), so don’t get too attached to a specific idea or concept. If something doesn’t work you have to let it go and change your strategy.”

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9 places to nosh on bagels in southern Maine

From old-school spots to foodie favorites, there's a 'hole' lot to try.

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Bread and bagels at The Works Cafe in downtown Portland. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

From New York-style boiled bagels to Montreal-inspired wood-fired ones, there’s lots of great bagels in southern Maine and several shops have the accolades to back that up.

In 2023, Bon Appetit named bagels from Rose Foods and Rover Bagel among the best in the country.

Two years before that,  Food & Wine Magazine put Rover, Forage and Scratch Baking Co. on its list of best bagels in the U.S.

Whether you like yours toasted with cream cheese or as the bread for your breakfast sandwich, you can find plenty of styles and flavors from Biddeford to Brunswick.

BEACH BAGELS

The offerings at Beach Bagels include a French toast and marble bagel, and the cream cheese menu comprises spreads like strawberry, olive and honey walnut. Along with breakfast sandwiches, Beach Bagels has hearty breakfast options like omelets and pancakes. Best of all, you’re steps away from a beach stroll. Just don’t let the seagulls steal your bagel. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily WHERE: 34 Old Orchard St., Old Orchard Beach. beachbagels.yolasite.com ______________

Dutchman’s opened in 2022 as a pop-up housed at Nomad pizza in Brunswick’s Fort Andross building. It’s since become a permanent fixture there and uses the pizzeria’s wood-fired ovens to bake its bagels. The hand-shaped, honey-boiled bagels come in plain, roasted garlic, poppy and a bagel-of-the-day flavor.

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday to Sunday WHERE: Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. dutchmans.me ______________

FORAGE MARKET

Making bagels at Forage Market involves a two-day aging process. The bagels are naturally leavened with wild yeast starter and baked next to a hardwood fire. There are usually five flavors available, including sesame and garlic. Breakfast sandwiches (including vegan options) are available. Forage also has a location in Lewiston. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 123 Washington Ave., Portland. foragemarket.com _____________

MISTER BAGEL

There are 10 or so Mister Bagel locations in Maine, including South Portland and Falmouth. It all began with the Portland location, which was the first bagel shop to open in Maine. The late Rick Hartglass started Mister Bagel in 1977, and it is still a family business. Music fans will appreciate the breakfast sandwich menu, which includes The David Bowie (bacon, egg and American cheese), the Jimmy Buffett (egg with roast beef and cheddar) and The Lady Gaga (avocado, salt and pepper, with or without egg).

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 599 Forest Ave., Portland. misterbagelforestave.com ______________

At Rose Foods, the menu varies depending on the day, but there are usually six to eight flavors available. For example, should you pop in on a Friday, you’ll find a poppy and onion bialy (a cousin of the bagel that is not boiled). Rose Foods also makes a number of bagel sandwiches, including the Classic Nova with Nova lox and the Classic Whitefish. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily WHERE: 428 Forest Ave., Portland. rosefoods.me

______________

ROVER BAGEL

At Rover Bagel, you’ll find wood-fired plain, poppy, sea salt, sesame and everything bagels available most of the time, and the spread game here is strong with cream cheese options like lemon-thyme-honey cream and chili-garlic.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 10 West Point Lane Suite 10-204, Biddeford (Pepperell Mill). roverbagel.com

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SCRATCH BAKING CO.

You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the line of devoted fans waiting for Scratch Baking Co. to open, especially on weekend mornings. Along with the popular Maine sea salt, plain and other everyday flavors, Scratch has a daily special bagel. There’s honeyed rosemary on Wednesday and jalapeno cheddar on Thursday. Scratch is also famous, at least to locals, for its P-Cheese spread. It’s a pimento cheese recipe made with cheddar, mayo, roasted red peppers and seasoning and was passed down to co-owner and head baker Allison Reid by her grandmother, Mern.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 416 Preble St., South Portland. scratchbakingco.com ___________

THE MAINE BAGEL

The Maine Bagel is a drive-thru with several breakfast and other kinds of sandwiches available. With a bagel list that features egg and bialy among the standards, the family-owned spot is the perfect place to stop on your way to Pine Point Beach. The Maine Bagel really shines with a dozen kinds of cream cheese spreads, including raisin-walnut, lox, strawberry, cranberry-nut and bacon-chive.

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. WHERE: 117 Route 1, Scarborough. themainebagel.com Advertisement

THE WORKS CAFE

The Works Cafe is an institution on the edge of the Portland’s Old Port. It opened in 1990 as Bagel Works before it changed its name in 2002. The original shop in this regional chain opened in Manchester, Vermont, in 1988, and there are 11 locations around New England, though just the one in Maine. Gone are the ’90s-era banana-walnut bagels and cold pizza cream cheese, but The Works Cafe is still a reliable place to grab a salt, multigrain or cinnamon raisin bagel, among others. The menu also has bowls, sandwiches and smoothies.

WHEN: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily WHERE: 15 Temple St., Portland. workscafe.com

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