How to Write a Business Plan

A business plan is not written for formality. It exists to help you make clear decisions before committing time, money, and resources. A well-prepared plan helps you choose the right business activity and structure, price your offering realistically, and avoid expensive trial and error.

It is also commonly requested by banks, investors, and licensing-related authorities when assessing whether a venture is viable and financially sound. The UAE Ministry of Economy highlights business planning as an essential foundation for sustainable growth and compliance across the country.

Most importantly, a business plan creates clarity. If you can explain your business idea clearly in under a minute, you usually understand it well enough to build it. In this article, we break down how to write a practical, Dubai-ready business plan that supports confident decision-making without unnecessary complexity.

The 60-second, one-page business plan (write this first)

Before writing a detailed business plan, start with a single page. This one-page version forces clarity and helps you confirm whether your idea is workable before you expand it further. Many banks, investors, and advisors look for this level of clarity early on, as it shows you understand your business at its core.

This page should answer the most important questions in simple terms:

What you sell
Describe your product or service in one clear line, without jargon.
Who you sell to
Define a specific customer type, not a broad audience. Clarity here affects pricing, marketing, and licensing choices.
Why they would choose you
Identify one strong reason a customer would pick you over alternatives. This could be convenience, price, quality, speed, or expertise.
How you will reach them
List your top two customer acquisition channels, such as social media, partnerships, walk-ins, marketplaces, or referrals.
Pricing
Provide one clear pricing example that reflects how you will actually charge customers.
Monthly costs
Separate fixed costs (rent, licences, salaries, software) from variable costs (materials, delivery, commissions).
Your first 90-day target
Set realistic numbers, such as revenue, customers acquired, or contracts closed.
High-level setup notes
Note your expected jurisdiction and business activity type at a high level, as this affects licensing, banking, and operational requirements in Dubai.

If you can complete this page clearly, you already have the foundation of a strong business plan. The sections that follow simply expand on each of these points in more detail, with real-world context and practical guidance.

Executive summary (write this last, keep it short)

The executive summary is a brief overview of your entire business plan. Even though it appears at the beginning, it should be written last, once all other sections are clear. This ensures it accurately reflects your business, not assumptions.

For many readers—such as bank officers, investors, or advisors—this is the first and sometimes only section they read. It should clearly explain what your business does, who it serves, and how it makes money, without unnecessary detail.

What to include

Business name and what you do
A simple, one-line description of your business activity.
Customer and problem solved
Who your customer is and the specific problem you help them address.
Business model
How the business generates revenue, including pricing logic at a high level.
90-day milestones
What you aim to achieve in the first three months, such as revenue targets, customer acquisition, or operational setup.
Funding requirement (if any)
Whether external funding is needed and what it will be used for.

Mini example
“We help boutique cafés in Dubai increase weekday footfall through monthly content and loyalty programmes, priced at AED X per month, with a target of achieving Y customer visits within the first 90 days.”

A strong executive summary sets expectations quickly and encourages the reader to continue. The goal is clarity, not persuasion—if the business makes sense here, the details will support it in the sections that follow.

The problem and your solution (this is where plans become real)

This section is where your business plan moves from ideas to reality. Instead of describing a “market gap,” focus on a real, everyday problem your customer faces. In Dubai, customers value speed, reliability, and clear outcomes, so the problem should reflect a genuine operational or commercial pain point, not an abstract opportunity.

What to write

The problem
Describe a daily challenge your customer regularly encounters, such as high operating costs, low weekday demand, inconsistent leads, long turnaround times, or lack of visibility in a competitive market. Keep it practical and specific.
Your solution
Explain exactly what you provide to solve that problem. Focus on actions, not features. What do you deliver, how often, and in what format?
The result
Clearly state what changes for the customer once your solution is in place. This could be time saved, revenue improved, costs reduced, or operations simplified.

Quick checklist

Problem: 2–3 sentences describing the real, daily pain your customer experiences
Solution: 2–3 sentences explaining what you actually deliver to fix it
Proof: 1 sentence explaining why your business is credible to solve this problem (experience, expertise, results, or unique approach)

Example structure

Many small cafés in Dubai struggle with low weekday footfall despite high fixed costs and intense competition. Marketing efforts are often inconsistent, making it difficult to attract repeat customers.

We provide a monthly content and loyalty programme that drives regular engagement and encourages repeat visits during quieter days. The service includes scheduled promotions, customer incentives, and performance tracking.

Our team specialises in F&B-focused marketing, with experience working directly with independent cafés in competitive urban areas.

When written this way, the problem and solution section shows that your business exists for a clear reason—and that customers will understand its value immediately.

Your customer in Dubai (make it narrow, not broad)

A common mistake in business plans is trying to appeal to everyone. Clear customer definition leads to better pricing, clearer marketing, and faster decision-making. The more specific your customer profile is, the easier it becomes to design your offer and reach the right people.

What to include

Primary customer (who pays)
This is the person or business that makes the final purchase decision. Be specific about their role, lifestyle, or business type.
Secondary customer (who influences)
This could be a spouse, business partner, manager, child, or internal decision-maker who influences the purchase but does not pay directly.
Buying trigger
Identify the moment or situation that pushes them to act. This could be a problem becoming urgent, a deadline, a seasonal shift, or a visible opportunity.

Key details to define clearly

Who: A specific group, such as “working parents in Dubailand,” is far more useful than a broad category like “families.”
Where: The online and offline touchpoints they use, such as social media, search, malls, community groups, or business districts.
When: Timing matters. Many buying decisions in Dubai are influenced by seasonality, including Ramadan, summer travel periods, back-to-school months, and year-end planning.
How they decide: Understand what matters most to them—speed, convenience, trust, price sensitivity, or perceived prestige.

Simple prompt to guide your thinking

“They buy when ____ happens, and they usually compare ____ before choosing.”

When you define your customer this clearly, your marketing becomes more efficient, your pricing feels more confident, and your overall business plan becomes easier to execute.

Competitors (a simple way to understand who you are up against)

Every business in Dubai operates in a competitive environment. The goal of this section is not to prove that competition does not exist, but to show that you understand it. A simple and effective way to do this is by identifying three direct competitors and three indirect competitors.

Direct competitors are businesses that sell the same product or service to the same customer type as you. Indirect competitors may not offer the same thing, but they solve the same problem in a different way, such as alternatives, substitutes, or in-house solutions.

Focusing on both helps you price correctly, position your offer clearly, and avoid unrealistic assumptions.

Competitor snapshot (use this format for each one)

Price range: What customers typically pay for a similar product or service in the market
What they do well: One or two strengths, such as brand recognition, location, scale, speed, or service quality
Your advantage: The single gap you plan to win on, such as faster delivery, clearer communication, better customer experience, or more flexible pricing

When written this way, the competitors section shows that you are realistic, prepared, and intentional about where your business fits in the Dubai market—without overcomplicating the analysis.

Business model (how your business makes money)

This section explains how your business generates revenue in a clear and sustainable way. It should leave no doubt about how customers pay you, how often they pay, and how cash flows through the business. A strong business model is simple to explain and easy to operate.

What to include

Revenue streams
List up to two or three ways your business earns money. Keeping this limited helps maintain focus and reduces operational complexity, especially in the early stages.
Pricing logic
Explain why your pricing makes sense for your customer and the market. This could be based on value delivered, cost structure, competitive benchmarks, or convenience.
Payment terms
Clarify when and how you get paid. Payment timing is critical for cashflow, particularly for service-based businesses and B2B contracts in Dubai.

Key details to define clearly

One-time or recurring revenue: Specify whether customers pay once, monthly, or on an ongoing basis
Average order value or monthly retainer: The typical amount a customer pays
Expected repeat rate: How often customers return or renew
Refund, returns, or cancellation terms: Any conditions that affect revenue predictability

A well-defined business model makes your financial projections believable and helps banks, partners, and investors understand whether the business can sustain itself over time.

Go-to-market plan

A go-to-market plan explains how customers will discover your business, trust it, and decide to buy. In Dubai’s fast-moving and highly competitive market, clarity and consistency matter more than complex strategies. This section should focus on what you will actually do, not every option available.

Structure (keep it simple)

Primary acquisition channel
Identify the main channel you will use to reach customers. This could be Meta ads, Google search, partnerships, walk-ins, referrals, marketplaces, or community-based outreach. Choose the channel that best matches where your customer already spends time.
Secondary (backup) channel
Define one additional channel that can support or replace your primary channel if performance slows. This reduces dependency and improves stability.
Trust builder
Explain what makes people comfortable choosing you. In Dubai, trust is often built through social proof, visible credibility, and clear communication. Examples include testimonials, case studies, samples, guarantees, industry experience, or recognised affiliations.

First 30 / 60 / 90 days

First 30 days: build proof and generate initial leads
Focus on visibility, early outreach, and collecting feedback. The goal is to validate demand and gather your first testimonials or results.
By 60 days: refine the offer and drive repeat sales
Improve pricing, messaging, or delivery based on real customer responses. Strengthen what is working and reduce friction in the sales process.
By 90 days: stabilise a monthly revenue target
Aim for consistent lead flow and predictable income. This is where the business starts moving from experimentation to structured growth.

A simple, realistic go-to-market plan shows that you understand your customer’s behaviour and have a clear path to revenue without relying on guesswork.

A good business plan is not something you write once and forget. It is something you return to as your understanding improves and your business evolves. What matters most is not perfect wording or complex forecasts, but whether the plan helps you move forward with confidence.

If the sections in this article are clear to you, then your business idea is clear enough to begin. The details will improve with experience, feedback, and time, but clarity is what gets you started.