1. Introduction

This section introduces Free-Plan and its sister product, Biz-Plan. Here is what DOWNLOAD.COM said in two reviews of Biz-Plan (aka Free-Plan):

Writing a good business plan is the first step to success. But what if you don't know where to start? Never fear; Biz-Plan can help. This Word template provides the outline of a business plan along with an excellent help file (in CHM and PDF format) containing detailed instructions and important hints. The template itself has helpful comments in each section. Colors and fonts greatly facilitate text editing, as does the automatically updated table of contents. Best of all, Biz-Plan is free; you just have to register by e-mail. Whether you follow it to the letter or draw on it for ideas, Biz-Plan is a great resource for getting a business off the ground.

This Word template aims to help novices write a sensible business plan. Biz-Plan holds your hand throughout the process. First, the concise white paper offers brief directions and important hints. The template itself is commented in detail and has an extensive tutorial in the appendix. Colors and fonts greatly facilitate text editing, as does the automatically updated table of contents. Novice business people will benefit from this program's advice.

2. Download Links & Instructions for Use

To Download Free-Plan:
Click an appropriate link below. To download Exl-Plan Free for business financial projections (which includes a copy of Free-Plan), go here instead.
Important: Free-Plan requires Microsoft Word.

To Set Up Free-Plan:
If you downloaded the ZIP file, unzip and open it and place the files* in an appropriate folder (e.g. call it Free-Plan) on your PC. If you need an unzip utility, download WinZip.

If you downloaded the EXE file, run it to install the Free-Plan files*.

To Use Free-Plan after Installation:
If you downloaded the ZIP file, just open the supplied files.

If you installed from the EXE file, use Start | Programs | Free-Plan and select Free-Plan Template. Alternatively, go to the folder where you placed Free-Plan and click on FREE-PLAN_TEMPLATE.DOC. Both approaches will start Microsoft Word and load the Template which can be used as the basis for your business plan. The current release of Free-Plan (downloadable using the links above) does NOT require any registration - if you have an older release that requires registration, see below.

The detailed Guide can be opened via Start | Programs | Free-Plan (if you used the EXE) or by clicking FREE-PLAN_GUIDE.CHM (HTML style help file). Open FREE-PLAN_GUIDE.PDF if you'd like a printable copy of the Guide (this requires the widely-used free Acrobat Reader).

To Uninstall Free-Plan:
Use Add or Remove Programs within the Control Panel (access via Start | Settings) if you used the EXE file, or simply delete the ZIP file and its contents.

3. Registration Instructions (Only relevant for earlier releases of Free-Plan)

IMPORTANT:
The current release of Free-Plan (downloadable using the links above) does NOT require registration - so ignore these instructions.

The following instructions are for users who acquired an earlier release of Free-Plan which requires registration. As an alternative to registration, you can download a copy of the latest release of Free-Plan which does not need registration using the links above. This may be faster and more convenient for most users.

1. First, you must download, install and run the Free-Plan or Biz-Plan DOC file using Word.
   
2. Register by sending us a special serial number (a) using the form below or (b) within the body of an email to <freeplan@planware.org>.
   You will find this serial number inside the box/table on the first page (click thumb opposite for guidance) of FREE-PLAN_TEMPLATE.DOC once you have opened it with Microsoft Word.
   Note: With earlier releases of Free-Plan and Biz-Plan, this box will only become visible once Word has been set to View | PageLayout (Word 6, 95 or 97) or View | Print Layout (Word 2000, XP or 2003).

Depending on your time of day, time zone and day of week, allow between one and twelve hours to secure your registration code by email (in plain text with no attachments). Note that:

1. Our Privacy & Security Statement applies to all users.
2. If you don't hear from us within 24 hours, make contact again but double-check your email address - wrong email addresses are a problem! If you have just recently registered, please don't register a second time - it won't speed up the process. In common with most Internet-based businesses, we operate extensive spam-filtering. If we don't respond to your request, check your original message to ensure that it is not 'all caps', overly HTML-intensive or contains other spam-related elements, and then resend it.
3. If your own email system uses aggressive anti-spam filtering, you may not receive our email containing your registration code. You should temporarily add emails from '@planware.org' to your white or friends list, or allow messages containing the phrases 'Free-Plan' and 'Biz-Plan' to pass through your filters. Do this before you seek registration.

If you intend to register Exl-Plan Free (which includes Free-Plan), download it from here and/or register it here - there is no need to separately register Free-Plan as you'll be given codes for both packages when you register Exl-Plan Free.

4. Registration Form (Only relevant for earlier releases of Free-Plan)

IMPORTANT:
The current release of Free-Plan (downloadable using the links above) does NOT require registration - so ignore these instructions.

This Registration Form is for users who acquired an earlier release of Free-Plan which requires registration. As an alternative to registration, you can download a copy of the latest release of Free-Plan which does not need registration using the links above. This may be faster and more convenient for most users.

Instead of sending an email, you can use the Registration Form below to register either Free-Plan or Biz-Plan.
You may wish to bookmark this page to return to it once you have accessed Free-Plan or Biz-Plan to secure its serial number.

Allow between one and twelve hours to secure the Unlock Code. Please register just once!

If you wish to make a comment or get help, use this Contact Form.

Top of Page