5 Documents that every start-up business needs

Documents

Start-up businesses need to have certain documents in place to ensure compliance as well as provide a roadmap for their growth. Here at Adworth, we’ve put together an easy-to-use document template set aimed to make your life easier.

Read on for what these documents are and how to use them:

Business Plan Document Template

Every entrepreneur needs a business plan in place and its importance can’t be overstated. The purpose of a business plan is to help communicate a roadmap to starting your business. It provides important insights into what resources you’ll need, steps to be taken and what gaps exist in the market. 

We suggest that you update your business plan annually to navigate new opportunities and to highlight areas that need improvement.

What's in the Adworth Business Plan Document Template?

This powerhouse template is easily editable in Word. Its purpose is to guide you in your business venture and plan your next steps.

Important sections include:

  1. Company Overview
  2. Industry Analysis
  3. Customer Analysis
  4. Competitive Analysis
  5. Marketing Plan
  6. Operations Plan
  7. Financial Planning

And more!

The next document that all entrepreneurs should have as part of their arsenal is a partnership agreement. In the next section we’ll discuss why this is important-

Ordinary Partnership Agreement Template

When partners go into business, it’s prudent to set up an agreement to protect all parties’ investments in the company. The Partnership Agreement covers various eventualities that may impact the partners within the course of business.  

What's in the Adworth Partnership Agreement Template?

This template is for an ordinary partnership and is easily editable in Word. 

Important sections include:

  1. Constitution of the partnership
  2. Duration and termination
  3. Contributions and Capital Accounts
  4. Loan Accounts
  5. Duties of Partners
  6. Profits, Losses and Liquidation

And much more.

Now that the Partnership Agreement is in place, you’ll need a Non-Disclosure Agreement to ensure you protect your business assets-

Non-Disclosure Agreement Template

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (or NDA) is typically required when a business approaches potential investors, creditors, clients or suppliers. This document is vital in protecting your business interests and should be used whenever confidential business information is disclosed to someone outside the organisation. 

What's in the Adworth Non-Disclosure Template?

This simple template helps you protect your intellectual property and is easily editable in Word. 

The document includes the purpose of the document as well as the non-disclosure terms.

We’ve also included references for more information in the document.

If your business is co-owned, then you’ll need a Buy & Sell Agreement Template. This is important because owners need to know which parameters exist for the sale of their interests. Read on for more information on this-

Buy and Sell Agreement Template

Every co-owned business needs a Buy & Sell Agreement. Contrary to the name, this agreement has very little to do with buying and/or selling the business. The document instead controls the parameters in which co-owners can sell their interests, who can purchase the owner’s interest and pricing of sale.

What's in the Adworth Buy and Sell Agreement Template?

This template covers various eventualities and can be edited in Word.

Important sections include:

  1. Rights of First Refusal
  2. Rights to Force Buyouts
  3. Agreement Price
  4. Payment Terms

Certain sections also include various options for you to choose from, giving you more flexibility in customising the document to your needs.

The last document we’ve developed in this set is a share certificate template-

Share Certificate Template

Easy to edit in Word and imperative to your business. The Share Certificate proves ownership of shares and helps you keep track of shareholdings in your business.

CIPC Information for Start-ups

We’ve included this free resource in the pack as it offers some great insights into the Companies Act 2008. You can download that here.

Looking to purchase this document template set?  

Do you have any questions about this start-up document template set? Reach out to us here and we’ll respond within 24 hours. 

Hey, I'm Kalyn. I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

If you want our team’s assistance, reach out here

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