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.

Have you ever had someone just look you straight in the eye and ask: “Enough telling me about who you are, what you are going to do, and the market size; tell me why is THIS COMPANY and project going to be successful? How am I assured that I will get my money back and more?”

In this section of the executive summary, you should list all the reasons the company will be successful and will pay back the investors.  Rather than just write that, the following list of key questions can be answered, and help build a compelling story for the investors: 

1. What key management experience will be used for this?
2. What key management decisions (i.e. focus of the company) will enable this company to be successful?
3. How will the budget/cost be managed successful and affect the profitability?
4. Where (channels, markets, etc) will the profits come from?
5. What is the compelling need of the market? What is the PROOF of this need?
6. Who are the customers? Include demographics of the largest segment. How big and what is their purchasing power?
7. What makes this company and product unique or special?
8. What barriers to entry exist (from outsiders and competitors)?
9. Are there other reasons that this project will be successful (i.e. short ROI, short payoff of capital expenditures, key contracts)?

Notice that there are many sections of the business plan incorporated into this one section: marketing, management, sales, operations, finance.  These questions pull in the key winning points from each section. When these questions are compiled into a single story, the investor will see that another company making the same or similar product/service will not be as successful.  It can be simply stated as a bullet point list with the header: “How We Will Be Successful”.  This section delivers the key idea that this company will be the next big winner.  More importantly, it addresses how the investors will win with this company in their portfolio.