{"id":9366,"date":"2019-11-28T18:37:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-28T18:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/?p=9366"},"modified":"2020-06-22T19:19:08","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T19:19:08","slug":"how-to-write-an-effective-executive-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/zh\/how-to-write-an-effective-executive-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Effective Executive Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"

The executive summary is a staple of every\u00a0business plan<\/a>. Typically, it makes the first impression on an audience and is critically important for capturing the reader\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

What is an executive summary, and what should one include?<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019re going to succeed.<\/p>\n

Watch the length<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s also a powerful exercise. You\u2019ll often get only 30 seconds to capture someone\u2019s attention anyway, so being able to succinctly pitch your business, while focusing on key points, is a valuable skill.<\/p>\n

Write a compelling first paragraph<\/h3>\n

The first paragraph can be seen as the executive summary to the executive summary. It should be compelling and give the audience an immediate sense of what your company does. The sooner your reader arrives at that \u201caha\u201d moment, where what you\u2019re working on and why clicks, the better.<\/p>\n

The intro should hook the reader. It can include aspects of what led to the company\u2019s creation. The rest of the executive summary should mirror the chronology of your full business plan. Include brief sections on things you might want to explore in more depth later on in the plan.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget these important points<\/h3>\n

With such limited space, you have to be deliberate about what to include. It depends on the size of your business and who is reading your executive summary, but common pieces to include are<\/p>\n