Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Service Business Templates

Service Business Plan Templates: What Do Lenders Want to See From a Service Business?

When the business is you, the lender has one worry: what happens when you get sick, burned out, or booked solid?

Show them a price that works, a customer base you can grow, and a plan that does not depend on one person. These templates start from your average sale and your customers.

Find Your Service →

Not sure where your service fits? Call or text (321) 948-9588.

Last Updated: 11/07/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA

Find Your Service Template

A daycare prices by the child. A car wash prices by the wash. An event planner prices by the event.

Events and Photography

Event Planning (by the event) and Photography. $50 each.

Coaching, Tutoring, Training

Business Coach, Tutoring, Personal Trainer. $50 each.

Insurance and Bail Bonds

Insurance Broker (sales and renewals) and Bail Bondsman. $50 each.

Childcare

Priced per child. Play equipment included. $100.

Pet Services

Dog Daycare and Pet Grooming. $50 each.

Auto Services

Auto Mechanic $100. Car Wash and Car Detailing $50 each.

Laundromat and Apps

Laundromat and Smartphone App (sales and downloads). $50 each.

Not a service business? See all business plan templates by industry.

What a Service Business Has to Prove

No inventory, no truck, often no building. Lenders look at three things instead.

  1. A price that covers your time. Your hours, your costs, and profit, not just the going rate.
  2. Enough customers to fill a week. How many you can actually serve, and where they come from.
  3. A business bigger than one person. Staff, systems, or a plan to add them.

Credit still counts. The plan shows the lender everything else.

Showing all 15 results

What the Service Models Calculate

You set the price and the customer count.

  1. Revenue starts from how you charge. Event Planning by the average event, Daycare by the price per child, Pet Grooming by average grooming sales, Car Wash by the average wash, Insurance Broker with renewals. The rest from average customer sales.
  2. Startup costs for service businesses. Build-out, equipment (camera gear, play equipment, wash equipment, or software), supplies, advertising, and working capital.
  3. Statements from your inputs. The monthly profit and loss (P&L), a 5-year income statement, and a summary with charts.
  4. A Word plan for your service. Your market, your pricing, and your funding request.

Questions Lenders Ask Service Owners

Have these answered in the plan.

  1. How did you set your price? Costs and profit, not just the market rate.
  2. How many customers can you serve? Your hours set a ceiling.
  3. What if you are out for a month? Lenders worry about one-person businesses.
  4. Where do customers come from? Referrals, contracts, ads, or a location.

Example: Pricing an Hour of Your Time

Round numbers, illustration only. Your costs and hours will differ.

LineExample
What you want to pay yourself a year$60,000
Yearly costs (insurance, software, ads, vehicle)$18,000
Profit target$12,000
Total the business must bring in$90,000
Billable hours a year (30 a week, 48 weeks)1,440
Minimum price per billable hourAbout $63

Charge $40 because a competitor does, and you lose money on every hour you bill. In the template, the model shows whether your price and customer count leave a profit.

Get the Service Plan Off Your List

Fill it in between clients, or let Dr. Paul handle it.

FEATURED

Business Plan Templates

The service plan in Word and the model in Excel, built around your price and your customers. From $50.

Find your template →

Business Consulting

Booked solid and still not getting ahead? Dr. Paul's Organize-Plan-Grow™ Strategy gets the business side under control.

See consulting options →

Business Plan Writing

Every hour is billable? Dr. Paul writes the plan and projections for you.

Start your plan →

Small Business Education

Free lessons and the Fabled Forest Business School books on strategy, pricing, and growth.

Start learning →

Service Plans Lenders Push Back On

Dr. Paul has reviewed 1,000+ plans. Service owners repeat these.

  1. Matching the cheapest competitor. A full calendar and an empty bank account.
  2. More hours than a week holds. Check your projections fit a real schedule.
  3. No owner pay. If you deliver the service, pay yourself.
  4. No slow months. Many services have seasons.
  5. One big client. Show how you add more.

Service Business Template FAQ

Daycare or dog daycare?

Daycare is childcare, priced per child. Dog Daycare is pet care. Different licensing, different costs.

Does it work for a one-person business?

Yes. Enter your own customers and costs.

My service is not listed.

Pick the closest match or call Dr. Paul.

Want the background first?

Read Daycare, Pet Grooming, Car Wash and Detailing, Auto Repair, or Laundromat.

Do I need Microsoft Office?

Yes. The files are Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx). They do not work in Google Docs or Apple Numbers.

Watch a Service Template Walkthrough

How to use a Business Plan Template▶

How to use a Business Plan Template

How to use a Financial Projection Template in Excel for a Business Plan▶

How to use a Financial Projection Template in Excel for a Business Plan

How to fill in the plan and the model. Each product page has its own videos.

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA

Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA

Every service template here started as a real plan Dr. Paul wrote for an owner who sells their time and skill. Dr. Paul holds a DBA from National University and an MBA with a focus on Finance from Webster University. He has written business plans for 1,000+ small business clients over 14+ years, and he wrote Dr. Paul's Fabled Forest Business School series.

Questions? Call or text (321) 948-9588.

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