Free business plan software, Enterprise Allowance, etc.

Not_Another_Username

I have been considering setting up a small business and I want to put a business plan together.

I am currently under the Job Centre and in receipt of Universal Credit. I am in that 'black hole' between benefits and I am getting into some debt with rent and council tax. I have also had to take out a loan of Universal Credit to keep me going in the meantime, but this has run out, so you'll understand that I have no money at all. (I have also been receiving food parcels from the local food bank.)

The Job Centre recommend I apply to go on the New Enterprise Allowance scheme. This is something I attended many years ago and I didn't know it was still in existence.

I will certainly need some financial assistance, such as Working Tax Credits, if they still exist, but nobody at the local job centre will give me any advice until I submit a business plan. Or would there be a better way to start up a business? Perhaps with a grant or other scheme, bypassing the Job Centre altogether?

When it comes to creating anything like a business plan or a profit and loss forecast, I am hopeless. Any kind of form-filling fills me with dread. So I was wondering if there is any free software which will guide me through this? i.e. one where I fill in the blanks. I know I am going to need a lot of help. Everything I have found online comes with fees of one kind or another. I know I am asking for freebies, but I do not have any money, plus I also have some existing debt. Ending on a slightly negative note, I know none of this is going to be easy and I wonder if I am leaving one fire, only to end up in the proverbial frying pan.

Thanks.

John.