Lender-Ready. Investor-Ready.
Built the Canadian Way.
Business plans written for what Canadian reviewers actually want to see — not repurposed US templates. We've built plans that unlocked BDC loans, CSBFP financing, Futurpreneur approvals, Ontario PNP files, SR&ED narratives and VC term sheets. If your last plan got rejected, we can usually tell you why on the discovery call.
What a Canadian Business Plan Actually Needs to Do.
A business plan is a written document that describes your company's model, market, operations, management team and 3-year financial projections. In Canada, the plan's real job is to answer one question for whoever is reading it: will this business generate the cash flow needed to justify what is being asked for?
For BDC, the Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP), Futurpreneur, and every major Canadian bank, that question is about debt service and collateral. For Ontario PNP and the federal Start-Up Visa, it is about business viability, investment justification, adaptation to Canada and job creation. For an investor, it is about market size, unit economics, defensibility and the credibility of the founding team.
Every reviewer type has its own format, its own required narrative, and its own disqualifying red flags. This is why a plan written for a US audience — or worse, a template downloaded from a generic site — fails so often in the Canadian market. A BDC adjudicator does not want a Silicon Valley pitch. An immigration reviewer does not want a bank loan plan. And a VC does not want either.
Every Ledgerive business plan is written by a senior team that already knows what your specific reviewer looks for — because we've built dozens of plans for the same programs you're applying to. Every plan is CPA-supervised, custom-written from scratch (never templated), and includes the financial projections, use of funds and sensitivity analysis the reviewer will actually check.
Nine Signs You Need a Professional Business Plan.
Some of these are obvious. Some are the ones founders realise too late — after the first rejection.
Applying for a BDC or bank loan
Every major Canadian lender requires a written business plan with 3-year projections. Templated or thin plans get rejected — often without explanation.
Applying for Futurpreneur or CSBFP
Both programs have their own required format. Futurpreneur wants a business model + mentorship narrative. CSBFP has strict rules on eligible use of funds.
Filing an Ontario PNP or SUV application
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Entrepreneur Stream and federal Start-Up Visa both require a detailed plan reviewed by immigration officers, not lenders.
Raising a seed or Series A round
Investors want a plan (or pitch deck memo) that answers market size, unit economics, GTM, competitive moat, team, and use of proceeds — in that exact order.
Applying for SR&ED or IRAP
SR&ED narratives need a specific technological-uncertainty framing. IRAP needs the innovation and technology-risk story. Neither is a business plan template exercise.
Franchise, acquisition or buy-in
Buying an existing business or franchise requires a plan showing you understand the target's economics — and can operate it better than the previous owner.
Previous plan was rejected
A rewrite is often faster than starting over. Bring us the rejection letter — we usually spot the fatal flaw in the first 15 minutes.
Building an internal 3-year roadmap
Not every plan is for an outside reviewer. Sometimes founders need a strategic plan with real financial teeth — for the board, the leadership team, or their own thinking.
Applying for a provincial grant
Digital Main Street, Ontario Together Trade Fund, WES, Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund — each has its own scoring rubric that a generic plan will fail.
What Every Ledgerive Business Plan Includes.
Every plan we write includes the ten deliverables below as standard. Scope, page count and turnaround are confirmed on the discovery call — pricing depends on plan type, reviewer and rush requirements, and we quote a fixed project fee in writing before you commit.
Executive Summary Tuned to the Reviewer
The first two pages a reviewer reads — and often the only ones. Written specifically for whoever is on the other side: BDC adjudicator, immigration officer, VC partner, grant reviewer.
Company & Product Overview
Legal structure, ownership, incorporation status, product / service description, business model and unit economics — laid out in the exact order Canadian reviewers expect.
Market & Competitive Analysis
Canadian market data (StatCan, Industry Canada, IBISWorld), addressable market sizing, competitive landscape, positioning and pricing analysis — with real sources, not scraped statistics.
Operations & Delivery Plan
How the business actually runs day to day — location, staffing plan, technology stack, supplier relationships, key operational risks and the controls that mitigate them.
Management Team & Governance
Founder and leadership bios written to support the ask — showing why this team can execute this plan, plus advisory board and governance structure where relevant.
Marketing & Sales Plan
How customers are acquired, at what cost, and with what expected conversion — with a customer acquisition cost (CAC) analysis that stands up in reviewer questions.
3-Year Financial Projections
Full P&L, balance sheet and cash flow — monthly detail for Years 1 and 2, annual for Year 3. Driver-based (not hardcoded), so every assumption can be defended in a Q&A.
Funding Request & Use of Funds
Exactly what you're asking for, exactly how it will be spent, and exactly when. Structured to match the reviewer's specific eligibility rules (CSBFP eligible equipment, SUV investment thresholds, and so on).
Sensitivity & Scenario Analysis
Base, downside and upside cases — because every experienced Canadian reviewer will ask "what if revenue is 30% lower than projected?" We answer it before they ask.
Professional Design & Delivery
Every plan delivered as a professionally-designed PDF (branded to your business), plus editable source files. Reviewer-friendly formatting, real charts, appendix-ready structure.
Which Business Plan Do You Actually Need?
Every plan below is written differently. Format, length, tone, financial detail — all tuned to what the specific reviewer wants to see.
BDC & Bank Loan Business Plans
Lender-ready plans for BDC, the Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP), and every major Canadian bank — CIBC, RBC, TD, BMO, Scotia, HSBC and regional credit unions.
- 15–25 pages + financial appendices
- Monthly projections for Years 1–2
- Personal net worth statement support
- Use of funds mapped to lender rules
Immigration Business Plans (PNP & SUV)
Immigration plans for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Entrepreneur Stream, the federal Start-Up Visa (SUV), and other provincial nominee programs.
- Investment justification & job creation
- Adaptation-to-Canada narrative
- Designated entity coordination (SUV)
- Immigration lawyer / consultant collaboration
Investor Plans & Pitch Decks
Seed and Series A ready plans, pitch decks and one-pagers — built for how Canadian and US VCs actually evaluate deals. Bundled with financial models on request.
- 10–15 page investor plan / memo
- Pitch deck (10–15 slides)
- 3-statement financial model add-on
- Cap table & use-of-proceeds modeling
Grant & SR&ED Business Plans
Program-specific plans for SR&ED, IRAP, Digital Main Street, Ontario Together Trade Fund, WES, Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund and other Canadian grant programs.
- Reviewer rubric mapping
- SR&ED technological uncertainty narrative
- IRAP innovation & risk framing
- Eligibility check before we start writing
Franchise & Acquisition Plans
Plans for buying an existing business, joining a franchise system, or executing an owner buy-in. Focused on target economics, integration and post-close operations.
- Target business economics review
- Post-close operational plan
- Franchise system compliance
- Financing structure & earnout modeling
Strategic & Internal Business Plans
Not every plan is for an outside reviewer. These are internal 3–5 year strategic plans built for boards, leadership teams and founders' own decision-making.
- 3–5 year strategic roadmap
- KPI targets & scorecards
- Board / leadership working sessions
- Financial model integration
What Each Canadian Reviewer Actually Wants to See.
Every reviewer type reads a plan differently. Sending the wrong format to the right program is a top-three reason plans get rejected in Canada.
Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
- Plan length
- 15–25 pages + appendices
- Financial detail
- 3 years, monthly Y1–2, annual Y3
- Key emphasis
- Cash flow & debt service coverage
- Red flags they hate
- Optimistic-only projections, no sensitivity analysis, weak management team narrative, use of funds that don't match declared purpose
- Success signal
- Clean 3-scenario sensitivity showing debt service works even in downside
Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP)
- Plan length
- 15–20 pages + itemized use of funds
- Financial detail
- 3 years, monthly Y1
- Key emphasis
- Eligible use of funds (equipment / leaseholds / real property only)
- Red flags they hate
- Working capital dressed up as eligible costs, missing quotes for capital purchases, plans routed to the wrong CSBFP lender
- Success signal
- Line-by-line use of funds matching quotes, cleanly categorized as eligible
Futurpreneur Canada
- Plan length
- 10–20 pages, business-model focused
- Financial detail
- 2-year monthly cash flow
- Key emphasis
- Business model clarity, founder story, coachability, mentorship fit
- Red flags they hate
- Generic template plans, no personal skin-in-the-game, no cash flow rigor, founder narrative missing
- Success signal
- Clear model + monthly cash flow + a founder story that shows why you will make this work
Canadian Banks (CIBC, RBC, TD, BMO, Scotia, HSBC)
- Plan length
- 15–25 pages, traditional format
- Financial detail
- 3 years + 2 years historicals
- Key emphasis
- Historicals, collateral, personal guarantee, industry norms
- Red flags they hate
- Missing 2 years of clean financials, unexplained margin variance, weak collateral, industry data that contradicts bank's internal risk model
- Success signal
- Historicals that tell a consistent story + industry benchmarks that support your projections
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) — Entrepreneur Stream
- Plan length
- 25–40 pages, immigration-officer readable
- Financial detail
- Investment justification + 3-year projections
- Key emphasis
- Investment threshold justification, job creation, active management, adaptation to Canada
- Red flags they hate
- Passive investment framing, unrealistic job creation, business model that doesn't require the applicant's presence in Ontario
- Success signal
- Clear active-management narrative + defensible job creation + investment tied directly to business needs
Federal Start-Up Visa Program (SUV)
- Plan length
- 20–30 pages, innovation-forward
- Financial detail
- 3-year projections + funding path
- Key emphasis
- Scalability, innovation, designated entity relationship, IP ownership
- Red flags they hate
- Lifestyle businesses dressed up as startups, no clear designated entity relationship, IP owned outside Canada without justification
- Success signal
- Genuine innovation + clean IP structure + engaged designated entity + credible scale story
Venture Capital & Angel Investors
- Plan length
- 10–15 pages + pitch deck
- Financial detail
- 3-year driver-based model + cap table
- Key emphasis
- Market size, unit economics, GTM traction, team, defensibility
- Red flags they hate
- Hockey-stick projections with no supporting math, market size claims that don't survive 60 seconds of scrutiny, missing competitive analysis
- Success signal
- Bottom-up TAM + clean unit economics + traction that supports the growth curve
SR&ED & IRAP (NRC-IRAP)
- Plan length
- Program-specific templates
- Financial detail
- Eligible cost breakdown + budget
- Key emphasis
- SR&ED: technological uncertainty + systematic investigation. IRAP: innovation, technology risk, market potential
- Red flags they hate
- Routine engineering framed as SR&ED, marketing tasks claimed as R&D, IRAP applications with unclear tech risk or weak market case
- Success signal
- Genuine uncertainty narrative + systematic investigation evidence + eligible-cost discipline
Ledgerive vs the Alternatives.
The five ways Ontario founders typically get a business plan written. Each is a real trade-off.
| DIY Template | AI Chatbot Draft | Cheap Freelancer | Ledgerive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for Canadian reviewers | US templates dominant | Generic global output | Sometimes | Yes — primary specialty |
| BDC / CSBFP / Futurpreneur fluency | You research it | Superficial | Rare | Dozens of prior plans |
| CPA-supervised financials | — | — | Rarely | Yes, on every plan |
| Sensitivity & scenario analysis | You add it | Cosmetic | Basic | Base / down / up as standard |
| Immigration (PNP / SUV) capability | — | — | Uncommon | Yes, distinct specialty |
| Rejection rewrite & diagnosis | Start over | Start over | Usually declines | Common engagement |
| Turnaround | Your evenings | Hours (unreliable) | 1–3 months | 2–4 weeks (rush available) |
| Turns into an investor-ready model | — | — | — | Add-on from same team |
From Discovery Call to Final PDF in 2–4 Weeks.
Standard turnaround. Rush turnaround of 5–7 business days available when a lender or immigration deadline demands it.
Free 30-minute discovery call
We walk through your business, the reviewer you're targeting, the ask, and the deadline. If you've been rejected before, we ask for the letter. We tell you honestly on the call whether we can meet your timeline.
Written proposal within 48 hours
Scope, page count, deliverables, timeline and a fixed project fee — all in writing. Rush surcharges (when applicable) stated upfront. If you want changes, we revise once for free.
Discovery interview & document intake (Days 1–3)
NDA signed. 60–90 minute working session with the founding team to extract everything the plan needs. Prior financials, market data, contracts, quotes, resumes all collected.
First draft delivered (Days 4–14)
Full first draft including all sections, financial model and appendices. Delivered as a professionally-designed PDF plus editable source files. You review and mark up.
Revisions & final delivery (Days 15–28)
Two rounds of revisions included as standard. Final PDF, source files, and — where relevant — a briefing document to prep you for reviewer questions. Rush deliveries collapse this timeline into 5–7 business days.
What Ontario Founders Actually Get.
Anonymized outcomes from real Ledgerive business plan engagements — approved plans, closed rounds, immigration approvals.
Mississauga restaurant group had been rejected twice by BDC. We rewrote the plan, rebuilt the financial model to Canadian lender standards, and coached the meeting. Approved on the next submission for the full ask.
Restaurants · MississaugaToronto-based immigrant entrepreneur, previously rejected by OINP for weak business plan. We rewrote the plan around active management, job creation and adaptation-to-Canada narratives. Nomination granted on the second submission.
OINP Entrepreneur · TorontoB2B SaaS founder came to us three months before a Series A raise with no investor plan and a shaky model. We built the plan, pitch deck and 3-statement model as a bundle. Round closed 40% above initial target.
SaaS · TorontoOntario Industries & Cities We Serve.
Every business plan is written by a senior lead who already knows your vertical and your local market.
Industries served
Business plan experience across 25+ Ontario verticals. Pick yours for a dedicated industry page.
Ontario cities served
Active business plan coverage across the 12 largest cities in Ontario.
What Ontario Founders Say After Submission.
Rejected twice by BDC before we came to Ledgerive. Their team rewrote the plan and financial model in three weeks. Approved on the third try — for more than we originally asked for.
My OINP file was rejected on the business plan alone. Ledgerive rewrote it around what the immigration officer actually needed to see. Nomination granted six weeks later.
Bundled our investor plan, pitch deck and model together. Closed our Series A 40% above target, six months later. I don't want to know what my previous half-finished deck would have raised.
Futurpreneur plan delivered in four days on a rush. Approved on the first review. Their team clearly writes these all the time — no re-explaining anything, no wasted rounds.
Business Plan Questions Ontario Founders Ask.
Straight answers to the questions that come up on nearly every discovery call.
What is a business plan and why do Canadian lenders require one?
How long does it take to write a professional business plan?
How long should a Canadian business plan be?
Can Ledgerive write a business plan for BDC financing?
Can you write an Ontario PNP or Start-Up Visa business plan?
What if my previous business plan was rejected?
Do you help with the pitch deck and financial model too?
Do you write plans for grants like IRAP, Digital Main Street or SR&ED?
How quickly can you get started?
Do you use templates, or is every plan custom?
How do you handle pricing?
Do you sign an NDA before the discovery call?
Ready to write a plan the reviewer will actually approve?
30 minutes. No pitch. Just a real conversation about your ask, your reviewer and your deadline — and whether we're the right team to write it.