| An executive summary summarizes your entire | | | | - Section Three - Company Goals and Vision |
| business plan in two or three pages. This is a tall | | | | - Section Four - Company Mission Statement |
| order and can be very difficult to accomplish. You | | | | - Section Five - Company Description |
| want the summary to be concise and brief, yet | | | | - Section Six - Company Purpose |
| complete, encompassing and inclusive. This article will | | | | - Section Seven - Company Situation |
| show you how to write an summary that is | | | | - Section Eight - Founders, Management and Principals' |
| effective, concise, yet adequately covers your entire | | | | Capabilities |
| plan. This article will also provide an overview on the | | | | - Section Nine - Products and Services |
| sections of a plan which are important to include in | | | | - Section Ten - The Competition |
| your executive summary and explain different uses | | | | - Section Eleven - Keys to Success |
| for an executive summary. | | | | - Section Twelve - Finance |
| Process | | | | - Section Thirteen - Growth and Expansion Goals |
| First, you must complete your business plan before | | | | - Section Fourteen - Return on Equity and |
| writing your executive summary. Then pick out the | | | | Investment |
| important sections of the plan to put in the summary. | | | | Uses |
| Order the sections in a format that makes logical | | | | The executive summary gives the user a quick |
| sense and outline the important parts of each | | | | overview of the important facts contained in your |
| section. With the outline in hand, write your first draft | | | | business plan. The long version can be used as a |
| executive summary. This first draft will typically be | | | | standalone document, i.e. a mini business plan, or to |
| ten to twenty pages long. Take the draft and | | | | succinctly explain your business and generate interest |
| condense it into five to seven pages in length. We | | | | in your opportunity, products and services. The long |
| will call this your long version executive summary, | | | | version summary can be sent to a investor or |
| which is really a mini-version of your business plan. | | | | venture capital firm, accompanied by a venture and |
| Working off the long version, you will condense it | | | | investment overview to generate and gauge initial |
| into the final two to three page summary, hitting on | | | | interest. If the VC firm or investor indicates interest, |
| the most important aspects of your business plan. It | | | | you can then send your custom tailored, to their |
| will take at least three renditions of outlining, writing | | | | investment objections and requirements, funding |
| and condensing to develop an summary. Later in this | | | | business plan which contains the shorter version |
| article I will explain the different uses of the long and | | | | summary. Long and short versions of your summary |
| short versions of the summary. | | | | can be used as a sales document; to approach new |
| Organization | | | | suppliers and customers; or to accompany a loan |
| Here is a suggested fourteen section executive | | | | package to a lender; to accompany your marketing |
| summary format to use. Amend it for your particular | | | | plan or strategic plan. It is an initial stand-in for your |
| use. | | | | business plan. The executive summary is not just an |
| - Section One - Company Information | | | | overview, but a tool to be used to accomplish your |
| - Section Two - Business Plan Purpose and | | | | business goals. |
| Objectives | | | | |