When writing a small business plan, particularly when it’s to be read by lenders or others you want to enlist — for example, investors, keep in mind that the executive summary may be the ONLY thing that people read.
Catch their attention and interest right from the beginning, since the summary is what will either turn people on about your business idea, or stop them cold. If the executive summary doesn’t scream “READ ME”, then it’s unlikely that readers will do anything more than skim the remainer.
Content To Include In The Plan
The executive summary provides an overview of the key points in the business plan. A business plan may range from 15 to 200-plus pages; the summary represents the “business at a glance.” Normally it includes a sentence or two from each major section of the plan document. Only the most relevant and important details should be presented in the executive summary. It should provide enough information to interest the reader in reading the rest of the plan.
Here are a few questions to help guide you in writing your executive summary.
- Who will be the most important people reading the plan?
- What will be their main concerns?
- What information will they want most?
- What information can I put in the summary to both grab interest and give needed answers quickly?
Answer these questions from the point of view of the reader and you’ll be more likely to get a full “hearing”.
