Executive summary template
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The document provides guidance on writing an effective executive summary, including key sections to cover. It recommends briefly highlighting something unique about the business in the "Grab" section to attract readers. The next sections should explain the "Big Problem" the business solves, its "Unique Solution", the "Market Potential" and size, the "Unique Selling Proposition" that sets it apart, and experience of the "Management Team". It also provides tips on clearly outlining the "Business Model" and how the business will generate "Product Sales" and "Online Advertising Revenues" to become "Profitable". The document concludes by advising the writer to "Request" the desired investment or funding to reach upcoming milestones based on the
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Executive summary template
- 1. Company Name or Logo Company Snapshot Year Founded: The Grab – This section is probably the most important part of your entire executive summary. In two or three sentences tell the reader why your Industry: business is special. Maybe you have Michael Jordan as a customer and he has promoted your product on twitter for free. Maybe you just signed a partnership with Google. Maybe you were just awarded a patent, Annual Sales: or maybe you just made your first big sale. Whatever it is ask yourself “so what” if it sounds reasonable to say so what then you didn't do a good enough job. Obviously if you just signed a partnership agreement with Google no one would say “so what” so grab their Growth Rate: attention. Big Problem – The first ingredient of a good business idea is a Big Problem, so explain the Big Investment Requested: Problem that your product addresses. For instance, there is too much traffic in Chicago and everyone hates traffic. Everyone in the room should be saying “yeah I hate that”. Unique Solution – The big problem is the easy part. Now you have to convince the reader that you have come up with a unique solution to the big problem. If you have these two ingredients you have a good business idea. Maybe you developed a new traffic control system that will save 1 minute for every person in Chicago each day during their commute. 1 minute each day is valuable when you are talking about a couple million people. Market Potential – Elaborate on the big problem, by providing stats for your industry. How much is spent annually on similar products or services and how fast is it growing. Maybe you operate a in home health care service company and with all of the Baby Boomers getting older and sicker each day you have a very large market potential with a rapidly growing market. Unique Selling Proposition – This is where you elaborate on your unique solution. What specifically gives your product or service an advantage over the competition? Maybe your home health care service actually sends Doctors to the home instead of just nurse practitioners. Or maybe you guarantee same day visits so that you don't have to schedule ahead of time. Just point out why you are special. Management Team – Depending on what industry you are in this can be the most important parts of your executive summary or one of the least important parts. Regardless your investors or bankers are putting trust in the team not the idea. Ideas are easy to come by, but executing on those ideas can only be accomplished through a strong team. Quickly show why your team has the experience and know-how to execute your business plan.
- 2. Business Model – In this section it is vitally Product Sales important that you communicate clearly and concisely how you are going to make money. Not only how are you going to create sales revenue, but how will your sales be profitable. Often times the best way to do this is by using a diagram. Maybe something like the diagram shown to Online Advertising Revenues the right. Yes that is simple, but at least it gives readers an understanding of how you think you will make money and then hopefully the rest of the Executive Summary convinces them that you can make that Profitability business model successful. 12 Financial Projections - Based on your market, your business model and, your 10 historical performance you need to develop 8 a bottom up financial forecast. If your plan is for a group of investors don't spend too 6 Column 1 much time on this section because you Column 2 know and they know that you really have no Column 3 4 idea how much money you might make. Investors typically won't make a go / no go 2 decision based on your financial projections. They will essentially make their own 0 financial projections. That being said you Row 1 Row 2 Row 3 Row 4 should have some sort of graph or table with current sales and projected sales going forward for at least 3 years. Request – Now it is time to request either an investment, loan, or sales contract depending on the purpose of the executive summary. You should restate why your company provides value. Remind the reader of the big pain that you are solving and your market potential. Finally reemphasize your team and its ability to get the job done. Ask for the dollar amount that you need to reach the next major milestone for your business. Don't disclose how much equity you are willing to give up or what interest rate you are willing to pay. This should be done later through face to face negotiation. Visit www.theexecutiveplan.com for more information on Executive Summaries. Simply email me at adam@theexecutiveplan.com to get your free copy of my 11 page report on How to Write a Powerful Executive Summary.