Business plan executive summary

Business plan executive summary is the most important section of the business plan and is often best written last. It summarizes your business plan and is placed at the front of the document.

It is vital to give this summary significant thought and time, as it may well determine the amount of consideration the private equity investor will give to your detailed proposal. It should be clearly written and powerfully persuasive, yet balance “sales talk” with realism in order to be convincing.

It needs to be convincing in conveying your company’s growth and profit potential and management’s prior relevant experience. It needs to clearly encapsulate your company’s unique selling point – why people should buy your product or service as distinct from your competitors.

The summary should be limited to no more than two to three pages (i.e. around 1,000 to 1,500 words) and include the key elements of a business plan as below:

1. The market
2. The product or service
3. The management team
4. Business operations
5. Financial projections
6. Amount and use of finance required and exit opportunities

Other aspects that should be included in the Executive Summary are your company’s “mission statement” – a few sentences encapsulating what the business does for what type of clients, the management’s aims for the company and what gives it its competitive edge.

The mission statement should combine the current situation with your aspirations. You should also explain the current legal status of your business in this section.

You should include an overall “SWOT” (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis that summarizes the key strengths of your proposition and its weaknesses and the opportunities for your business in the marketplace and its competitive threats.

Business plan executive summary when best written is best selling point to private equity firms.