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How to Write an Effective Executive Summary of a Business Plan

Most management and business planning experts have a massive sway in determining a project's worth when it comes to its funding. Further, these individuals mainly look at the executive summary of a proposal to make their decisions. It therefore implies an executive summary as the most crucial part of a business plan. So how can you write this section effectively? What does it entail?

An executive summary describes the crucial aspects, financial specs, and basic details of a specific business idea. It aims at motivating potential investors into investing in you rather than describing the business. So what should you consider to come up with a brilliant business plan’s executive summary?

Guidelines for Writing a Brilliant Executive Summary

  • Make it specific and accurate and try to avoid making conceptual and abstract. It has to give a short project description for the reader’s comprehension purposes besides knowing the business specs.
  • The summary should provide solutions to potential investor questions, especially the critical ones responsible for swaying their decision-making on investing in you.
  • Every statement contained in the executive summary has to have evidence besides extensive descriptions upon request by the investor. It can include market attractiveness, company description, price justification, technology description, etc. It should have numbers and facts to justify and back your arguments.

Structural Elements of a Business Plan’s Executive Summary

You have to adhere to some fundamental elements to ensure that your summary structure proves and remains sound. The elements include;

  • Company description. The section proves crucial to a business plan’s summary of whether your business proves registered or not. Outline the list of products, history, assets, facilities, and services when the business proves established.
  • Project description. It should provide a flawless description of the business project, idea, service, and product.
  • Business goal. Develop your business' strategic goals besides indicating a way of realizing them. Use the SMART concept in doing this.
  • The problem besides its solution. The section proves vital as it presents your plans, especially in offering a solution (product or service) to the existing problem.
  • Market opportunities. Most investment decisions get influenced by the market size. Investors become interested in the evidence of your market understanding, especially the size, segments, driving forces, etc.
  • Tech overview. It proves a crucial segment for companies with developing tech as investors view such tech as a revolutionizing market aspect thereby influencing their investment decisions. 
  • Business model. In this section, you have to describe your business project in how it will create revenue, cash flows, profit, etc. You can also discuss your method of doing business concerning competitive advantage and methods of growing your business. 
  • Budget and key development stages
  • It comes as the set business goals an entity has to achieve from funding or the operating activity. It should represent a significant development such as successful research, working prototype, specific sale, etc. Additionally, give a budget that proves realistic and a timeline of achieving each development.
  • Project risks. You have to describe the kind of risks that can prove a hindrance to a successful project implementation. Conduct a swot analysis concerning the project investment and subsequent benefits. 

Conclusion

The executive summary of your business plan should prove a separate entity and one that can open an investment door. You have to become careful and elaborate in writing this section.

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