How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Business Plan (2025)

November 2025 update

Why use ChatGPT for a business plan?

Because a strong plan is structured thinking. ChatGPT turns scattered notes into tight sections, keeps tone consistent, proposes numbers and scenarios you can verify, and accelerates iteration. You stay the decision-maker; ChatGPT is your drafting partner and calculator scaffold.

The 12-section plan (and the exact prompts to generate each one)

Pro tip: Draft sections 2–12 first. Write the Executive Summary last.

1) Executive Summary (1 page)

Goal: What you do, for whom, why you’ll win, traction, business model, funding ask, and next milestones.
Prompt:

Using the sections below, draft a one-page executive summary with subheads: Problem, Solution, Market & Customer, Business Model, Traction, Competitive Advantage, Go-to-Market, Team, Financial Highlights, Funding Ask, Next Milestones. Skimmable paragraphs + 1–2 bullet lists.

2) Problem & Solution

Goal: Show a costly pain and a differentiated fix.
Prompt:

Turn these notes into a crisp “Problem” (3–5 sentences) and “Solution” (3–5 sentences). Avoid buzzwords. Emphasize cost, speed, convenience, or outcome deltas vs. status quo.

3) Market Sizing (TAM / SAM / SOM)

Goal: Prove a big market and a realistic slice.
Prompt:

Estimate TAM, SAM, and SOM using both top-down and bottom-up logic. List all assumptions. Provide three cases (base/optimistic/conservative) in a mini-table. Include a sentence on how we reach SOM within 24–36 months.

4) Industry & Competitor Analysis

Goal: Show you understand forces and differentiation.
Prompt (Five Forces):

Rate each force Low/Med/High with one-line rationale. End with 3 implications for pricing, partnerships, or barriers.
Prompt (Competitor grid):
Build a matrix: 5–7 competitors vs. 8–10 buying criteria (price, switching cost, integrations, support, brand trust, etc.). Highlight our 3 wedge differentiators.

5) Target Customer & Segmentation

Goal: Pinpoint buyers, budgets, objections.
Prompt:

Create 2–4 personas with job-to-be-done, pains, triggers, budget owner, buying criteria, objections, and proof points we should show each persona during a demo.

6) Business Model & Pricing

Goal: Clarify how money flows and margins hold.
Prompt:

Describe revenue streams (subscription, per-unit, services, add-ons), pricing tiers, expected gross margin, and unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback). Add a short sensitivity table showing how churn and ARPU shifts affect LTV/CAC.

7) Go-to-Market (GTM)

Goal: Acquisition → conversion → retention math.
Prompt:

Propose a 3-phase GTM plan: (1) Beachhead (channels, offers, CAC target), (2) Scale (partners, outbound, upsell), (3) Moat (community, data, switching costs). Map funnel with target conversion rates and the KPIs we’ll review monthly.

8) Operations & Delivery

Goal: Reliable execution—people, processes, tools.
Prompt:

Outline our operating model: key activities, roles, vendors, SLAs, and quality checks. Provide a RACI for the next 2 quarters and a simple fulfillment/service flow.

9) Product & Roadmap

Goal: Show what ships when and why.
Prompt:

Create a 4-quarter roadmap with themes, customer outcomes, and success metrics. Note compliance or certification milestones if relevant.

10) Team & Gaps

Goal: Why you can win; what hires you need.
Prompt:

Write 2–3 line bios focusing on scope, relevant wins, and domain expertise. List 3 priority hires, capabilities, and impact on the roadmap.

11) Financial Plan (36 months)

Goal: Credible numbers and runway clarity.
Deliverables before you build the spreadsheet:

• Assumptions tab: pricing, volume, conversion, churn, seasonality, payment terms.

• Unit economics: CAC, LTV, gross margin, payback.

• Statements: monthly P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, plus break-even.

Prompt (assumptions):

List all revenue and cost assumptions for 36 months. Separate fixed vs. variable costs. Include hiring plan with start dates and fully loaded costs.
Prompt (statements scaffold):
Using the assumptions, outline monthly P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet structures with line items and formulas I can paste into a spreadsheet. Include break-even and runway under base/optimistic/conservative cases.

12) Risks, Dependencies & Mitigations

Goal: Show you’ve pressure-tested reality.
Prompt:

List the top 8–12 risks (market, product, team, operational, regulatory, financing). For each, give likelihood, impact, leading indicators, and a concrete mitigation.

Prefer to start light? Use a Lean Canvas first

Generate a one-page Lean Canvas to align on assumptions, then expand.
Prompt:

Produce a Lean Canvas from my notes. For each block—Problem, Customer Segments, Unique Value Proposition, Solution, Channels, Revenue Streams, Cost Structure, Key Metrics, Unfair Advantage—write 1–2 bullets. Flag the 3 riskiest assumptions.

What “good” looks like (content standards)

• Skimmable: Short paragraphs, bullets for numbers.

• Specific: Duties become outcomes with metrics.

• Consistent: Same tone across all sections.

• Defendable: Assumptions called out and testable.

• Comparable: Numbers presented in base/optimistic/conservative cases.

Prompt (polish pass):

Rewrite the section below to be skimmable for lenders/investors: tighten sentences, move numbers to bullets, remove jargon without losing meaning.

90-minute build sprint

1. Minutes 0–15 — Inputs
   Paste: problem, buyer, price, competitors, channels, costs, and 5 measurable wins.

2. Minutes 15–30 — Lean Canvas
   Draft and pick the 3 riskiest assumptions.

3. Minutes 30–60 — The Big Three

   • TAM/SAM/SOM with assumptions.

   • GTM funnel with stage conversions and CAC target.

   • Unit economics (LTV, CAC, payback).

4. Minutes 60–85 — Full Sections
   Company, Product, Team, Operations, Risks, 36-month Financials outline.

5. Minutes 85–90 — Executive Summary
   Pull highlights into one page.

Numbers decision-makers expect (and how to present them)

• Market size: TAM, SAM, SOM with transparent assumptions.

• Unit economics: CAC, LTV, gross margin, payback (aim for <12–18 months in many models).

• Financials: P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, break-even, runway.

• Competitive context: Five Forces snapshot and a competitor grid with 2–3 clear wedges.

Appendices that boost credibility

• Customer interview summaries or pilot data

• Pricing tests and win/loss notes

• Technical architecture & security notes (if relevant)

• Supplier letters or distribution agreements

• Detailed hiring plan and org chart

• Full 36-month financial model with assumptions tab

Prompt (appendix pack):

Create an appendix outline listing exhibits that most de-risk this business model. For each exhibit, include a one-line purpose and the exact data/source I should compile.

Ready-to-paste prompt bundle

Master builder (end-to-end):

You are my business plan copilot. Produce an investor- and lender-ready plan with: Executive Summary; Problem; Solution; Market Sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM); Industry & Competitors (Five Forces + matrix); Target Customer; Business Model & Pricing; GTM; Operations; Product Roadmap; Team & Gaps; Risks & Mitigations; and a 36-month Financial Plan (P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, break-even). Use my inputs below. Keep language concrete, highlight metrics, and list assumptions.
Inputs: [product], [customer], [price], [channels], [competitors], [costs], [team], [traction].

Financial assumptions scaffold:

Build a monthly assumptions table for 36 months: price, units, conversion, churn, refunds, COGS per unit, fixed costs by category, headcount with start date & fully loaded cost, payment terms, seasonality index (0.8–1.2). Then write formulas I can paste into a spreadsheet for revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, cash burn, and runway.

Five Forces & implications:

Rate each force Low/Med/High with a one-line reason; then list 3 strategic implications (pricing power, partner strategy, or entry barriers).

TAM/SAM/SOM trio:

Calculate TAM/SAM/SOM using top-down and bottom-up logic. Present base/optimistic/conservative cases with the assumptions behind each.

Debuzz & humanize:

Remove jargon and clichés from this text while keeping every metric. Make it sound like a smart practitioner. Vary sentence length, keep verbs strong.

Common mistakes (and fast fixes)

• Vague market numbers → show bottom-up SOM math (leads × conversion × ARPU).

• Jargon soup → run a debuzz prompt and swap in concrete verbs.

• Hand-wavy financials → include all three statements, plus break-even and runway.

• No GTM math → show funnel stages, conversions, CAC, and payback targets.

• Misaligned story → ensure headline, About, and Experience (if repurposing for your profile) all reinforce the same niche.

Final assembly checklist

• One-page Executive Summary with hard numbers

• TAM/SAM/SOM with explicit assumptions and three cases

• Competitor grid + brief Five Forces and implications

• GTM with funnel math and KPI set

• Operations plan (RACI, SLAs, vendors)

• Team bios + next key hires

• 36-month financials (P&L, cash flow, balance sheet, break-even, runway)

• Risk register with mitigations

• Appendices that de-risk your claims

Bottom line

Treat ChatGPT as your structured drafting engine: you supply facts, it supplies clarity, scaffolds, and speed. Force assumptions into the open, iterate quickly, and back every claim with data you can defend. You’ll finish with a plan that’s easy to read, easy to update, and ready for banks, partners, or investors—without wasting weeks.