Written and developed exclusively or in collaboration with the Wisconsin Technology Council, the Wisconsin Angel Network and the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, the BPC templates contained in this section are meant to demystify the expectations and written processes of the contest and aid you in effectively presenting your idea to the contest’s judges.

We hope that the documents contained in this section are helpful to you as you move through the various phases of the competition.  It is important to note that these templates are only samples of what submissions in the various phases of the competition could look like.  They are intended for informational purposes only.  You may choose to follow them closely or not at all; neither option guarantees your success in the competition

Contestants advancing to Phase 2 of the competition will be asked to write a 1,000-word or less Executive Summary of their business plan.  Once you have logged in, you will be able to enter, view and edit your Executive Summary.

Note that you will be asked to discuss your Executive Summary across eight topics.  Some topics have sub-topics that you will also be asked to complete.  You may choose to distribute the 1,000 words allotted equally or unequally across the eight topics, but you are required to write something under every topic.  Click here to view a sample* entry.

*Sample answers are meant only to serve as an example of what a 1,000-word Executive Summary could look like.  Replicating the written elements of this sample Executive Summary will not necessarily guarantee your success. 

Those contestants advancing to Phase 3 of the competition will be asked to write a final Business Plan that is no more than 20 pages long, including a cover page with all pertinent contact information for the contestant or lead contestant, all charts, graphics and appendices. Each written page should be double-spaced, written in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1” margins.

Additionally, you will submit your plan using this website. All plans must be in ".pdf" format. The BPC website will not except anything but .pdf documents. If you do not have the ability to create .pdf's, Adobe offers a free on-line trial that is valid for 5 free document conversions. Follow this link for the free trial.

In your Final Business Plan, you will elaborate on information from the same eight categories that were featured in your Executive Summary. In this round, it will be important to focus on delivering more detail in each of the categories. 

In this round you should do more to identify what compelling advantage is provided. How does your plan specifically meet the market need? Can you quantify how that need is met? Why is your plan a good value proposition for investors? Would someone be interested in investing in your company or idea?  Validating assumptions and better identifying your competitive edge will be important.

Click here to view a business plan template developed by Brian Pope, president of Clear Advantage Research and Consulting, LLC.  NOTE:  This template does NOT follow all of the formatting requirements of the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.  It is meant only to serve as a guide to writing a business plan.