First impressions are everything, especially when it comes down to crafting a compelling business plan executive summary for investors. Since this document will most likely be read first, before investors will dig deeper into your full business plan, you’ve got to make it count. Think of your business plan summary like a 30-second infomercial that should reel in the right angel investors in like a moth to light.
Your business executive summary is best written once you have your business plan is completed, because it encompasses your entire vision. Once you have your business plan established, you’ll want to get started on the design of a business plan executive summary that will inspire and entice angel investors from the moment they read it. You need that special “wow” factor to make it work. Do this well, and you’ll have many investors vying for your attention in very little time.
5 Steps to Creating a Compelling Business Plan Executive Summary
- Start out with an attention grabbing statement. While you want to avoid sounding too much like a sales pitch, your business plan executive summary is essentially a tool for selling your great idea in a way that gets others excited. Your opening line is very important as it’s how you make that very first impression with the reader. A possible example could include. “XYZ Company has been launched by a team of experts in the ____ industry who have found a better way to _____, at a significant savings to consumers and businesses alike.”
- Identify clearly a specific problem, and then a solution to the problem. This is where you get investors to learn more about your expertise and what makes your idea better than others. It also helps the investor to relate to you, from a practical business standpoint, establishing you as an innovator. For example, “How many times have you encountered a lack of _____services in your community? We have designed an on-demand ____ service that will solve that problem.”
- Spell out the opportunity for rapid advancement. It’s your job to explain in your business executive summary how you’ve been able to single-out an opportunity in the market you specialize in. You will want to share information about the market segmentation, it’s actual size and scope, as well as how rapidly it’s expanding. Provide meaningful percentages and market trends, rather than speculation. In this way you will show you’ve done your homework – this will impress potential investors.
- Explain why you are better than others. If you want to stand out from the crowd while writing a business plan executive summary, then you have to demonstrate why you are better than everyone else. While there are millions of new businesses started every day, there are many others that fail within the first year because a competitor came up with something better. You need to show investors you are worth the risk, by sharing what makes you unique in the target industry.
- Provide concrete financial projections and goals. Investors are all about numbers; therefore it makes perfect sense that your business executive summary should include a brief reference to what revenue and growth projections you can make. Keep it short and to the point, by sharing your past revenue success and where you will be in one to five years.
Remember to proof-read your business plan executive summary to make sure it isn’t too wordy, and give it that extra punch by leaving the reader with a call-to-action statement. Invite investors to set up a personal meeting with you to learn more about the greatest business idea of the century…and you will be well on the road to successfully landing the capital you need now.
If you need help with drafting a business executive summary that can get you the right attention from angel investors, you are welcome to search through the many investment resources here at FindVenture. We welcome your comments and questions below!
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