A business plan provides a detailed overview of your business model, company goals and strategies. It can be turned into a pitch deck when marketers and business owners want to seek financing from investors or form strategic partnerships.

Business plan presentations convey the essential message, purpose and objectives of a company to an audience through a series of visual slides. So, there are two important aspects to consider—what goes into a great business plan, and what makes an effective presentation.

Engage your audience and showcase your business offering with our tips for how to present a business plan. Edit and create professional presentation templates online with Adobe Express.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a document that details the goals and objectives of a company and the strategy its leaders will put in place to deliver on those. Whether it’s a startup or a pitch for expansion, business plans introduce what a company does and where it’s heading financially—hopefully, with a little help from customers and investors.

Business plans typically offer a detailed overview of the business, including:

• Products and services
• Target audience
• Company mission
• Financial projections
• Resources
• Marketing and sales strategies
• Competitors
• Growth objectives
• Future business demands
• Organisational structure.

Having a detailed and organised business plan can also help marketers focus on goals and ambitions. But in many cases, they’re often used to present your business offering in a nutshell. And the better your business plan, the better the chance of getting your business off the ground and reaching your goals.

What is a business plan presentation?

A business plan presentation is your business plan demonstrated through visual slides—sometimes known as a pitch deck. If you’re starting a business, seeking investment, or trying to build partnerships, a business plan presentation can help to engage, inform and persuade your audience.

By this stage, you’ll likely have a solid plan ready to translate into digestible slides. But your business plan presentation must be compelling and user-friendly, both in its visual design and in how you present it back.

You’ll break down the essential elements of your business model or proposition, slide by slide, and share with your audience. This might be an in-person meeting or online, via video call.

Like your business plan, an effective business proposal presentation will illustrate what you do, your target market, and your business strategy. It might also include an ‘ask’—such as how much money you need people to invest.

What should you include in a business plan presentation?

Business strategy presentations can vary depending on the industry or sector, and on the type of pitch. For example, you could be pitching your business offering overall, marketing a new product, or sharing your long-term vision and roadmap.

Key components for your business plan presentation include:

Basic company information.

Introduce your business succinctly with a title slide. Include your company name, logo and a quick, one-line business overview. Think of this as your mission statement or elevator pitch.

Your business objectives and USPs.

Emphasise the value of your business offering by identifying the problems it aims to solve and how your objectives will target them. It’s important to be personable here. Your problem and solution need to be realistic, relatable and compelling.

Your financial position and approach.

Outline how your business aims to achieve its goals and remain within its budget. You might also want to summarise your position in the market, any competitive analysis and early evidence of success.

Your operating plan and strategies.

Explain your operating plan and the steps you’ll take to achieve your business goals. Summarise your marketing and sales strategy and outline your resources. This might also include explaining your business model—how you make money.

Your team or organisation structure.

Introduce your team members and key leadership figures. Outline their roles and responsibilities in the context of your business plan.

Timeline and projections.

Briefly summarise your business timeline and how your financial projections line up. Stick to the highlights and use engaging infographics such as sales forecasts and profits charts.

Free business plan presentation examples from Adobe Express.

7 tips to create a business plan presentation.

Presenting your business plan to investors and potential business partners with confidence and clarity is key to delivering a successful pitch.

So, whether you’re showcasing your business using PowerPoint or crafting a dynamic online pitch deck, explore our tips for how to present a standout business plan.

1. Tell a compelling brand story.

Your brand is one of your biggest assets. Hook your audience with a persuasive story and connect the problem with the solution, highlighting the value of your business offering. Brand storytelling can help you connect with your audience on an emotional level, building trust and adding the human touch.

Leading your pitch with a great story can help to reinforce your brand values and make an impression on potential partners and investors, ultimately supporting your call to action—or your ‘ask’.

2. Focus on the main highlights of your original business plan.

Your business plan slides don’t need to run through your whole business plan document—just the essential details. Keep your presentation concise and intentional. Focus on key points to avoid overloading your audience. Too much content can be overwhelming and see people zone out.

3. Use a mix of clear visuals and text – not just lots of copy.

Pay attention to the visual experience of your presentation. Don’t overcomplicate it. Find a balance between visuals and text to convey your message. Limit the text on your slides and make every word count—you can elaborate on key points verbally.

Consider engaging visuals such as stock images, infographics for data visualisation, and original marketing assets.

You should also stick to a specific colour scheme across your pitch for consistency and subtle branding. With Adobe Express, you can edit and create professional presentations with your own branding and logos, ready to use time and time again.

4. Ensure fonts are easy and large enough to read.

Choose a large and readable font for your business presentation slides. No one wants to strain to read your content. This will also help to keep slides concise.

One or two fonts is enough—one for titles and one for body content. Using fonts, colour and design can help introduce your brand to your audience. Choose from unlimited fonts when you create a business plan presentation template with Adobe Express or upload your own custom fonts and branding with just a few clicks.

5. Tailor the content to your audience.

Knowing your audience is key to excellent delivery. Craft your pitch around their needs and concerns to make it as relevant as possible.

Whether you’re engaging with industry experts, potential partners, customers or investors, use the right language to cater to their interests.

If you share a common industry, using familiar terminology can work in your favour. However, if your audience is less familiar with your field, technical jargon can make pitches disengaging and inaccessible.

6. Proofread and polish until it shines.

Appearances matter, from the clothes you wear to the tone and confidence with which you deliver your pitch. When refining and editing your business plan slides for clarity, it can be helpful to adopt a belt-and-braces approach.

Have an experienced team member proofread your presentation for any final typos and ambiguities. This ensures your message is delivered clearly and accurately.

7. Practice makes perfect.

Even the most experienced presenters can benefit from rehearsing their slide decks. Practising your presentation can help clarify timing to keep you on schedule. Find a natural pace, practice your transitions and prepare for any questions.

An engaged audience is the goal. Rehearsing your pitch can limit your dependence on notes and help you feel more relaxed in your delivery.

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Good to know.

How do you present a small business plan?

Presenting an effective small business plan involves the same key elements as that for businesses of other sizes. While you may operate on a smaller scale, it’s just as important to pitch your business offering in a concise and engaging way. Highlight the problems and gaps in your market and how you aim to solve them. All the while, substantiate your proposition with evidence, financial forecast charts and business objectives.

How long should a business plan presentation be?

How long your business plan presentation should be can vary depending on the circumstances. How long do you have to summarise your proposition? Who are you presenting to?

Your presentation should be punchy and impactful at around 10 to 20 slides. However, some short-form pitches may only run for 10 minutes or less, so be sure to adjust slides to emphasise quality over quantity.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 2GB of storage. See our  pricing page for details and to compare plans.