- A plan is a roadmap more than a document. Write the one you will use.
- Pick your trade for sections that matter in it, like EPA certification for HVAC or fall protection for roofing.
- Price your own startup costs. The plan totals them and turns your revenue goal into jobs a week.
Why a trade business needs a plan
The SBA says a good business plan guides you through each stage of starting and managing your business, and that you will use it as a roadmap for how to structure, run and grow it. For a one-truck trade business, that roadmap answers a few hard questions before they cost money: what you will charge, how many jobs a week that takes, and what you need to buy before the first one.
Most owners never need a fifty-page plan. A bank, a landlord or a partner may ask for one; even then, a clear plan with real numbers beats a long one with guesses.
Traditional or lean: which plan to write
The SBA describes two kinds of business plan. Traditional plans are more common, use a standard structure and go into detail in each section; the SBA says they tend to take more work up front and can run dozens of pages. Lean startup plans also use a standard structure but summarize only the most important points; the SBA says they are typically one page.
This generator sits between the two. It follows the traditional order (summary, company, services, market, pricing, marketing, operations, costs, goals) but keeps each part to what a trade owner actually knows before opening: what you will do, for whom, at what price, and what it costs to start. If you are asking a bank or investor for money, the SBA adds a funding request section that explains how much you need and what it is for; add it in Word after you download.
What goes in the plan
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Executive summary | Written for you from your name, area, services, goal and startup total |
| Company description | Name, owner, legal structure, service area, start date |
| Services | One line per service |
| Customers and competition | Who you serve, who else does the work, why customers pick you |
| Pricing | How you set prices, your hourly rate and average job |
| Marketing plan | How customers find you |
| Operations | How the work gets done day to day |
| Licenses and insurance | Which licenses, permits and insurance the business holds or will get. |
| Startup costs | Each item you priced, and the total |
| Financial goals | Revenue goal, and the jobs and hours a week it takes |
| Milestones | The steps for the first year |
Pick a trade in the generator and it swaps in that trade's own sections. There are templates with example text for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, lawn care, cleaning, painting, pest control, pressure washing, handyman, remodeling and tree service.
How to fill in startup costs
The startup cost table starts with lines for your trade and no amounts. That is deliberate: what you spend depends on what you own, new or used, and where you buy. Call a dealer or supplier for each line, type the price you are quoted, and add lines for anything else. The total shows at the top of the green card and in the plan.
Two lines catch most new owners out: insurance (get quotes before you set prices, not after) and the first months of software, phone and marketing. Our start a business guides list what moves the cost in each trade.
From a yearly goal to a weekly number
The goals section turns one big number into a weekly one, using only what you type:
- Revenue a month is the first-year goal divided by 12.
- Jobs a year is the goal divided by your average job, rounded up.
- Jobs a week is jobs a year divided by the weeks you will work.
- Billable hours are the goal divided by your hourly rate, a year and a week.
If the jobs a week look impossible for one person, that is the plan doing its job. Raise the average ticket, add a recurring service, or plan a hire. To set the rate itself, use the labor rate calculator; to see how many jobs a month cover your fixed costs, the break-even calculator.
Word, Google Docs and PDF
Download for Word saves a real .docx file built in your browser. It opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs (upload it to Drive and open it), Apple Pages and LibreOffice, with headings and tables you can edit. Print or save as PDF prints the plan alone, without the page around it; pick Save as PDF in the print window for a file. Your draft is kept in this browser so you can come back to it, and nothing you type is sent to Koira.
Last checked October 9, 2026.