10 Tips for Crafting Your Executive Summary

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exec summaryYour executive summary is essentially the cover letter to your business plan: its goal is to get the reader to check out your business plan and, hopefully, to set up a meeting. Think of your executive summary as the halfway point between your elevator pitch and your business plan—you have about 2 pages (give or take) to communicate your value proposition and get you to the next stop on your startup journey.

Here’s how to write an executive summary with impact:

1. Do it yourself.

Sure you can get help, but the exercise of creating your executive summary is an important one. The act of distilling your business down to its core will not only result in a compelling story, but it will help you to identify your greatest strengths and focus your company. Just as I don’t recommend you outsourcing the writing of your business plan, I wouldn’t pass on this task.

2. Keep it short and simple. 

The executive summary isn’t called a “summary” for nothing! If you can’t summarize what your company does in just a few pages, there’s a problem. Don’t worry about fitting it into a specific format (e.g., it doesn’t have to be exactly 2 pages), but do think about how you can strip away extraneous content to focus on the core message. Any layperson who reads your executive summary should clearly understand what your company does. A good check is to have someone from outside your circle read your draft and reflect back to you what they got out of it. If they can’t, take a step back and try again. And remember, bulleted lists are your friend!

3. Start with a bang.

What’s going to grab a potential investor and inspire them to read on? What’s the most compelling thing about your company? What are you doing that nobody else is? You want to pull in your reader from the very beginning.

4. Problem—Solution—Opportunity.

These three things are essential. This is the meat of your executive summary: what problem does your company solve, how does it solve it, and what’s the real market for your solution (not a trumped up top-down projection).

5. Focus on what makes you stand out.

If your startup is introducing some sort of new technology, focus on this. If your company has already shown real traction, you’re acquiring a significant customer base, or you’re earning substantial revenue, make this the focus of your executive summary. Stellar management team – push it hard. Whatever it is that makes your company unique should be at the heart of your executive summary. This is what matters.

6. Sell don’t tell.

Your executive summary doesn’t have to outline everything that’s contained in your business plan. It needs to compel the reader to check out your business plan. This isn’t a book report; it’s more of a promotional brochure.

7. Include a financial summary.

Again, keep it brief, but your executive summary should include some financials, in particular your valuation, history of revenue, cash, expenses (including headcount), losses/profits, and some key drivers,. At this point, potential investors just wants to get an idea of what returns they can expect. It’s your job to show that your investor will win on this investment.

8. Speak in your own voice.

There’s no one right style or tone for an executive summary. Just try to make your executive summary be a true reflection of you and your company. Speak in the first person or first-person plural (“I” and “we”) and let your personality come through. Authenticity is compelling.

9. Ask for what you need.

You are asking for money, so be upfront about how much funding you are seeking. What amount will help you to get to your next milestone, and what is that milestone? Also, if you foresee future rounds, project out to how much you expect you will be looking for in the future. Always tie these rounds to your milestones.

10. Keep your end-goal in mind.

No startup has ever received a check as a result of a fantastic executive summary. It’s not going to happen. The executive summary is just a tool. Remember that its goal is just to get potential investors to want to know more. This is a great guiding principle. With every sentence that you write, give it the test: Will this make a VC want to know more? If not, delete and try again.

Do you think you have an effective executive summary? What makes it so? Tell us about it in comments below. Images Via Shutterstock

David Ehrenberg

David Ehrenberg is the founder and CEO of Early Growth Financial Services (EGFS), a financial services firm that serves companies at every stage of the development process by providing a complete suite of outsourced financial services including accounting, financial strategy, taxes, and corporate governance support. David is a financial expert and startup mentor whose passion is helping businesses to focus on what they do best.

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