How to Write an Effective Executive Summary

The executive summary is a staple of every business plan. Typically, it makes the first impression on an audience and is critically important for capturing the reader’s attention. No matter how strong the rest of your business plan might be, a weak summary can dissuade a potential investor or stakeholder from reading further. So your executive summary should knock it out of the park.

What is an executive summary, and what should one include?

An executive summary is, like it sounds, a high-level summary at the beginning of your business plan. It summarizes your plan and should be able to stand alone, if needed. It should be brief, easy to understand, and compelling.

Someone who knows nothing about your industry should be able to glean the following from reading your executive summary: what your business does, what makes you unique, and why you’re going to succeed.

Watch the length

To start, a strong executive summary should be no more than two pages. Although it can be challenging to summarize your entire business in so little space, it’s also a powerful exercise. You’ll often get only 30 seconds to capture someone’s attention anyway, so being able to succinctly pitch your business, while focusing on key points, is a…