An ANZ business plan template is a structured document for explaining your business, customers, operations and financial assumptions. You can use the printable template below to prepare a clear draft, but check directly with ANZ about any requirements for the particular application or service you have in mind: a general template does not guarantee acceptance.
What an ANZ Business Plan Template Is
People searching for an ANZ business plan template may be looking for a form supplied by ANZ, or simply a plan suitable for discussion with the bank. Those are not necessarily the same thing. A reusable business plan gives you sections to complete; a lender, adviser or other organisation may also request its own forms, supporting documents or level of detail.
ANZ operates in more than one market, and requirements can depend on the country, the type of request and the circumstances of the business. Do not assume that a template found online is an official ANZ document or that it reflects the latest requirements. Before submitting anything, confirm the current instructions through an appropriate ANZ channel and ask whether there is a prescribed format.
A useful plan is specific to your business rather than a polished collection of generic claims. It should make the connection between what you sell, who will buy it, how you will deliver it and how the business expects to meet its costs. If you are still developing the idea, mark uncertain information clearly instead of presenting assumptions as established facts.
How a Plan Can Help a Bank Review a Business
A business plan helps a reader understand the reasoning behind the business and identify questions that need clarification. For a bank, a plan may form part of a broader conversation or application, but it is only one piece of information. The relevant process and documents depend on the specific product and circumstances, so the plan should not be treated as a promise of approval.
Readers commonly look for a consistent account across the main sections. For example, if a café expects to serve office workers at lunchtime, its location, opening hours, staffing, menu, and sales assumptions should make sense together. If the plan describes a large customer base but gives no explanation of how the business will reach those customers, the gap is likely to prompt follow-up questions.
Use the document to explain evidence as well as intentions. Distinguish confirmed arrangements, such as a signed lease, from plans that are still being explored. Where figures are estimates, state the period covered and the assumptions used. This makes it easier for another person to understand what is known, what remains uncertain and what could change.
Printable ANZ Business Plan Template
Copy or print this generic template and complete the response column. Add pages where a short answer is not enough. The prompts are a starting point, not a statement of ANZ’s current application requirements.
| Section | Prompt | Your response |
|---|---|---|
| Business overview | Business name, location, ownership and current stage | |
| Purpose | What does the business do, and what is this plan for? | |
| Products or services | What will you sell, and what customer need does it address? | |
| Customers and market | Who are the intended customers? What evidence supports your view? | |
| Competition | What alternatives do customers have, and how will your offer differ? | |
| Sales and marketing | How will customers find, assess and purchase the offer? | |
| Operations | Where and how will you operate? Note suppliers, equipment and processes. | |
| People and responsibilities | Who will do the work, and what skills or external support are needed? | |
| Milestones | List key actions, responsible people and target dates. | |
| Risks and responses | Identify important uncertainties and practical ways to monitor them. | |
| Financial information | Record setup costs, ongoing costs, sales assumptions and cash-flow estimates. | |
| Supporting documents | List relevant evidence attached, such as quotes, registrations or research. |
Fictional sample: Harbour Bicycle Repairs is an imaginary mobile repair service for residents in a coastal town. Its plan says it will serve customers by appointment, explain its service area and booking process, and compare its proposed offer with local repair options. A milestone is to confirm a suitable storage arrangement before taking bookings. These details demonstrate the level of specificity to aim for; they are not facts about a real business.
How to Fill In the Main Sections
Start with a short overview that names the business activity, its location or service area, its stage and the purpose of the plan. Write this after drafting the other sections if you find it difficult to summarize the idea at the outset. Keep the description concrete: “repairs bicycles by appointment in the northern suburbs” tells a reader more than “provides excellent service.”
Describe customers in a way that can guide decisions. Instead of saying “everyone,” explain the group you expect to serve, the problem they have and how you learned about it. Useful evidence might include conversations, enquiries, trial sales or publicly available market information. Say what the evidence can and cannot establish; a handful of conversations, for example, is not proof that every person in a wider group will buy.
Explain the competition broadly. Customers may choose another business, do the task themselves, delay buying or use a different type of solution. Compare relevant factors such as convenience, location, range, service or price only where you have a reasonable basis for the comparison. Avoid claiming that there is no competition simply because no business offers an identical product.
Operations, People and Milestones
The operations section shows how the promise in the business overview will be delivered. Describe the premises or service area, the steps involved in providing the product or service, and any important dependencies. Depending on the business, these could include equipment, stock, suppliers, delivery arrangements, booking systems or permissions. Mention arrangements that are not yet confirmed so the plan does not imply they are settled.
Set out who is responsible for important tasks. A small business may have one owner covering sales, service and administration; a larger team may divide these responsibilities. Note any skills the business needs and how gaps are being addressed, without overstating qualifications or commitments. Milestones are more useful when they name an action and a target date, such as “obtain supplier quotes by 15 March,” rather than a broad hope such as “grow the business.”
Consider what could interrupt operations and how you would notice the problem. A supplier delay, equipment failure or seasonal drop in demand may be relevant in one business and immaterial in another. Focus on risks that could affect customers, delivery or cash availability, and describe realistic monitoring or response steps. A risk list is not a guarantee that a disruption can be prevented.
Financial Information and Supporting Evidence
A plan often includes setup costs, expected operating expenses, sales assumptions and cash-flow estimates. Keep the time period clear and explain the basis for estimates. For example, a sales estimate might be built from the number of appointments the business expects to handle and the average charge per appointment. State that these are assumptions, and show how changes in demand, prices or costs could affect the picture rather than presenting a single estimate as certain.
Separate one-off setup items from recurring costs, and make sure the written description and figures use the same assumptions. If the plan says the business will open five days a week, the staffing and sales assumptions should not quietly rely on seven days of activity. Where you do not yet know a figure, label it as an estimate to confirm and note what information you need, such as a supplier quote.
Attach only relevant supporting material and identify it in the plan. Depending on the purpose, useful items may include a price list, supplier quotation, lease information, customer research summary, owner résumé or evidence of an existing contract. Check what is actually requested before sending sensitive or unnecessary records. If your situation requires financial, tax or legal advice, ask a qualified professional.
Common Problems to Avoid
- Using a generic description: Replace broad claims with details about the actual offer, customer and service area.
- Presenting assumptions as facts: Label estimates, explain their basis and update them when better information becomes available.
- Ignoring alternatives: Describe how customers solve the problem today, including indirect competitors or doing nothing.
- Leaving gaps between sections: Check that staffing, operating hours, delivery capacity and sales assumptions agree.
- Overloading the plan: Keep the main document readable and put detailed evidence in clearly labelled attachments.
- Treating a template as approval: A completed plan does not replace the requirements for a particular application, nor does it establish an outcome.
Before sharing the document, proofread names, dates, units and totals, and confirm that every attachment is mentioned in the plan. Ask a reader who is unfamiliar with the business to identify anything unclear. Their questions can reveal where you have relied on background knowledge that a bank or other reader may not share.
Adapting the Template to Your Purpose
A plan for a new business idea may need more explanation of customer research, startup tasks and unconfirmed assumptions. An established business may instead focus on its current activities, recent changes, operating capacity and the purpose of the document. A plan prepared for internal use can include open questions and working notes; a version intended for external review should be organized, dated and clear about what is final.
Keep a simple version record so that you know which draft you shared. If circumstances change, update related sections together: a new service can affect staffing, suppliers, marketing and costs. If ANZ has provided a form or checklist for your specific request, follow that rather than assuming this generic template covers every required field. Confirm any questions about document format or supporting information with the relevant contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ANZ provide an official business plan template?
Requirements and resources can vary by market and purpose. Check directly with ANZ whether an official form or checklist applies to your situation; do not assume a third-party template is an ANZ document.
Can I use this template when applying for business finance?
You can use it to organize business information, but it may not include every item needed for a particular application. Confirm the current application instructions and any supporting-document requirements with ANZ.
How long should an ANZ business plan be?
There is no single length that fits every business or purpose. Include enough detail to explain the idea, customers, operations and assumptions clearly, then use relevant attachments for supporting evidence.
What should I include in the financial section?
Common items include setup costs, regular expenses, sales assumptions and cash-flow estimates, with dates and explanations of how estimates were formed. Confirm which information is required for your particular purpose.
Can I submit a business plan without forecasts?
A plan can describe the business without forecasts, but a reader may ask for financial information depending on the request. Check the applicable instructions rather than assuming forecasts are either always required or never needed.