EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Executive Summary should be written last after you have finished the remainder of the plan. It is an overview (no more than one page long) of your business including the problem you think you aim to solve, why your solution is different, and the expected results. You should provide a high-level and optimistic description of your company. If you are seeking investment, include your startup costs, where you will put it to use and how it will make the business more profitable or mitigate risk as a way to save money.
Think of this as the first thing a potential investor reads so it must capture their interest in the first five minutes.
You may choose to organize it using some of the headings below.
Opportunity: What problem are you going to solve?
Mission: Identify what the company aims to do for customers, employees and owners.
Your Solution: How will your product or service uniquely solve the problem identified?
Market Focus: What market and ideal customers will you target?
Expected Returns: What are the key milestones for revenue, profits, and customers? How quickly will the investment be returned?
Company description (introduction) First section
Provide a brief summary of your intended business including what it uniquely delivers, your mission, how you got started, market positioning, operational structure and financial goals. After reviewing this section, the reader should have a broad understanding of what your business is setting out to do and how it is organized. This section is not meant to be lengthy. Keep it short and succinct. This is the snapshot of your business.
Depending on the type of business you are operating, you may or may not need the following sections. Only include what you need and remove everything else.
Company Summary: This is the introductory section to the company. Think of it as the elevator pitch of what your company stands for and is setting out to do. Include the company’s goals and some of the near-term objectives.
Mission Statement: A concise statement on the guiding principles of your company (mission) as well as the vision of the company.
Present situation: Summary of existing conditions that need change. Provide the back story, especially the personal story of why the business plan is being proposed. Bring the reader up to date on where the company is now in terms of market presences, target population.
Markets, Products and Services: Outline the market and the needs that your company will address. Include brief descriptions of products and services you will offer and what markets and target population you will address. You will provide more details on this in a later section of this plan.
