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When Should You Write the Executive Summary of Your Business Plan?

Guest post by: MIchael Daley

Article Overview: Write the Executive Summary after you have completed the full business plan.

When Should You Write the Executive Summary of Your Business Plan?

Although the Executive Summary of your business plan appears first, it should be written after you have done all the research and completed the plan. If you try to write the Executive Summary first then it will be 20 pages long and become your business plan. Optimally, it should be no more than 2 pages and contain the salient facts as to why and how this business will be successful.

The Executive Summary should include the following information:

• What the organization is and does. This includes such things but not limited to: the location, the number of employees, the ownership structure, and most of all, why is there a need for this business.
• Who will purchase the product or service?
• Why am I uniquely skilled and qualified to manage and run the business
• What are the financial results expected?
• How much capital is required, what will it be used for, and where will it come from?
• An assessment of risks and how they will be overcome.

The Executive Summary is a very important part of your business plan. It is the first impression for an investor and it should be constructed so that the investor or lender will want to read further. Remember, first impressions are lasting.

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Article Tags: business plan, executive summary, small business



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