One of the most significant elements of your business plan is “writing an executive summary” which is an overview of all the main sections.

It should allow the reader to quickly identify your company's main competencies, strengths, prior accomplishments, strategic emphasis, and direction, as well as an explanation of how these aspects differentiate your company.

An executive summary should explain why you prepared the report in a few sentences, highlight your conclusions and suggestions, and contain the key data that supports those conclusions.

Your executive summary should be able to stand alone and communicate the entire story without having to read the entire business plan.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: WHAT TO INCLUDE

Consider your executive summary to be a brief introduction to your company. Include:

·         your mission statements

·         company details and management team

·         growth highlights • products/services

·         financial data

·         the market and your customer

·         market potential

·         marketing and sales

·         competition and your chance to compete

·         business operations

·         financial predictions and plans

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Make it interesting. This part is read first by investors and lenders, and you want them to keep reading. If you're pitching a company idea to investors, for example, give highlights that will entice them to continue reading. This might be tied to your company's growth rates, your competitive advantage, or cutting-edge new technology.
• Concentrate on giving a summary. The specifics will be included in the business plan itself. Keep it brief and sweet, but make sure you explain why you came to the conclusions you did. One to three pages is the recommended length.
• Don't add anything to the presentation that isn't already in the business plan.
• Arrange it in the order in which the information is given in the overall plan.
• After you've finished the strategy and agreed on your recommendations, write it.
• To maintain consistency, use terms from the primary plan.
• Even though it will be the final component you write, place the executive summary as the first part, following or before the table of contents.
• Make the summary by rephrasing material rather than copying and pasting it.
• In the body of the plan, including the major principles of the proposed business, including financial consequences.
• State the plan's goal and include at least the most important recommendations or requests.

Be well-articulated, upbeat, rational, succinct, and to-the-point.

When applying for a loan or financing with an executive summary and business plan, describe clearly and definitively:

• how much you want
• how you'll spend it
• how the money will make your firm more successful
• how you'll return the loan.

Finally, remember to end with a strong concluding line or two that answers the reader's main question: "Why is this a successful business?"