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Writing a Businessplan (business plan) that convinces German funding bodies (such as the Jobcenter, Agentur für Arbeit, banks or private investors) requires a professional structure and compliance with certain standards that match the expectations of the German market – especially in terms of seriousness, realism, and financial analysis.
Below are the detailed steps for writing a convincing business plan:
1. Deckblatt (Cover Page)
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Name of the project or business.
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Your name, address and contact details.
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Company logo (if available).
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Date.
2. Executive Summary
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A brief but compelling overview of your idea.
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What makes your project special or unique?
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What exactly are you asking for? (Funding? Start-up support? Partnership?)
Tip: Write the executive summary at the very end, but place it at the beginning of the document.
3. Geschäftsidee (Business Idea)
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What exactly do you want to offer? (Product or service?)
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Who is your target customer?
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Which need in the market does your offer address?
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What sets your idea apart from the competition?
Explain clearly your USP – Unique Selling Proposition.
4. Gründerprofil (Founder Profile)
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Your professional and educational background.
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Any relevant work experience in this field.
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Your personal motivation and why you are the right person for this project.
5. Marktanalyse (Market Analysis)
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Who are your customers? How many are there? What are their characteristics?
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What is the current state of the market? Growth or stagnation?
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Who are your competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
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Which opportunities and risks can be identified in the current market situation?
Use official data sources whenever possible (e.g. Statista, IHK or other institutions).
6. Marketing & Vertrieb (Marketing and Sales)
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How will you reach your customers? (Online? Direct sales? Through partners?)
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What is your pricing strategy?
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Which marketing channels will you use? (Social media, paid ads, PR, flyers, cooperations, etc.)
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How will you convince customers to actually buy your product or service?
7. Organisation & Personal (Organisation and HR)
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Who will run the project on a daily basis? (You alone? A team?)
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Will you hire employees? From when and in what roles?
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What does your organisational and management structure look like?
8. Standort & Ausstattung (Location and Equipment)
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Where will your business be located?
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Do you need a shop, an office, a warehouse, or will you work from home?
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What are the essential pieces of equipment you need? (Furniture, IT, machines, tools, software, etc.)
9. Rechtsform & Genehmigungen (Legal Form and Permits)
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Which legal form will you choose? Einzelunternehmen (sole trader)? UG? GmbH?
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Which permits, registrations or approvals are necessary?
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e.g. Gewerbeanmeldung (business registration)
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Approval from the health authority (Gesundheitsamt), if applicable
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Handwerkskarte or other professional licences, if required
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10. Finanzplanung (Financial Planning)
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Kapitalbedarf (capital requirements):
How much money do you need to start your project? -
Umsatzplanung (sales forecast):
Expected revenues (monthly and annual). -
Kostenplanung (cost planning):
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Fixed costs (rent, insurance, software subscriptions, salaries, etc.)
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Variable costs (goods, production, shipping, marketing, etc.)
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Rentabilitätsvorschau (profitability forecast):
Is your project profitable? From when do you expect to generate profits? -
Liquiditätsplanung (cash flow planning):
How will inflows and outflows of cash develop over time? Will you be able to meet your ongoing obligations at all times?
All figures must be realistic and well-founded.
It is recommended to present your financial planning in clear tables and, if useful, charts.
11. Risikoanalyse (Risk Analysis)
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What are the main risks and challenges your project might face?
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How do you plan to deal with these risks?
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Plan B
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Insurance solutions
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Diversification of income streams
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Cost management, etc.
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12. Anhang (Appendix)
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Your CV.
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Relevant professional or educational certificates.
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Quotations, official enquiries, marketing concepts, photos of the location or product.
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Any other documents that help build trust in you and your project.
Important tips:
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Use a professional, clear and objective language, without exaggeration.
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Make sure the plan is well structured and visually organised (tables, paragraphs, subheadings).
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If the business plan is addressed to German institutions, it should preferably be written in German.
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As a rule of thumb, your plan should not exceed 20–25 pages, unless another format is explicitly requested.
The authors and editorial team of the website strive to provide accurate information based on extensive research and various sources. Nevertheless, errors may occur or some details may remain uncertain. Therefore, please regard the information in these articles as an initial reference only and always consult the relevant authorities and professional advisors for binding, official guidance.
