Executive Summary

What is the Executive Summary?

The executive summary is a condensation of the entire plan. A lot of thought has to go

into the executive summary as it is the pivot upon which the entire proposal exists. The executive summary should appear immediately after the title page. The executive summary serves the purpose quickly informing and selling the plan and to address key people such as, such as management, employees, or prospective investors.

Executive Summary Guide

1. Be concise as possible. Almost all prospective investors, especially major financiers will have only about ten minutes for any one proposal. They will usually read only the title page and the executive summary. Together these should be in the range of three to six pages. Therefore only the business highlights should be included.
   
2. Be prepared on all facts contained in the executive summary all prospective questions will come mainly from the executive summary. In any document the summaries are the most read section. It is very important to accurately condense the plan.
   
3. Keep the summary plan clear, plain and simple. Weigh every word. Make each word count.
   
4. Be well tuned to the interest of the audience. Identify the audience key interests. Address those interests.
   
5. Briefly cover the functional areas of the business especially when they relate to financial matters.
   
6. If the audience is predominantly financial people they will immediately look for a at least a brief cash flow projection, return on investment (ROI) key expense item schedule. Indicate funds needed and when these are to generate profits and be repaid.
   
7. Link the executive summary to the rest of the report, show how each part fits. Take extra effort to show that you are not hiding any key facts. Be open in all the statements made in the report this is essential to build reader confidence. Investors are usually suspicious of everything, take extra effort to make them trust you.

Executive Summary Format

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