In this series of installments I am discussing the executive summary and how to make it stand out.  The executive summary should present the compelling reason for the investor to buy into the company.

Investors invest in people.  More than one company can come up with the same idea, but the difference between them is the way they execute it and handle the ups and downs along the way.

The executive summary needs to show proof that these people are the right people. I look at six key points and then come up with a concise story covering what the investors need to know:

1. Which top management and key members will be integral to the company’s performance?
2. What experiences or types of products have they done, that the experience will be integral to the company’s performance?
3. How long has the company or team been working on this project together?
4. What major accomplishments (milestones) has the company hit in achieving their goals?
5. What is the current state of the product/service line?
6. What validation exists that this team can sell the product/service line?

When looking at this list it starts off with the information about the company, and the accomplishments. It ends with questions about the product line and the future of the company.  With this information, you build your case that this team not only has achieved success so far, but can continue to do so with the advantages they have.  Item 6 also includes outside forces that further validate that this team has formed in the right place at the right time to make this successful.  Items 5 and 6 can also be used later in discussing other elements (like what is the money going to used for and how will it be marketed) but the focus in this section is how this management team as opposed to another management team will take advantage of the situation.

This may be the most important section as the investor will want to keenly observe how this management operates and then determine whether or not they will be successful.