How to Write an Effective
Executive Summary
Pitch
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1
First
Your business plan will be a pitch
Create your presentation first
Your executive summary is a concise
write-up of your presentation
It should truly summarize your entire
business plan
Assume it is all the investor will read
What to
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The context
The opportunity
Your business model
The people
Risks and rewards
2
Cover
The Context
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Every opportunity exists within a context
What is going on in the world to create
your opportunity?
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There may be a gap
There may be a change occurring
There may be a problem that needs solving
What circumstances make your
opportunity timely?
The Opportunity
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Explain the need/problem/demand that
your business will address
How do existing offerings by others fall
short?
Or, if your idea is something entirely new,
why customers will want it?
How large is the potential market?
Your Business
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3
Model
Value proposition
Value creation and delivery
Value capture
Value Proposition
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Your offering
Your target market
Your basic strategy and approach to
competitive advantage: why will customers
want to buy this from you?
Value Creation and Delivery
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Your value chain: what activities you will
undertake?
Your position in the value network: how will
you reach key suppliers, complementors,
and customers
Key resources and capabilities: what do
you have or are good at that enables you
to deliver your value proposition?
Value Capture
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Sources of revenue
Economics of your business: cash flow
and margins
The People
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Identify each team member and key
advisers
What do they know?
Who do they know?
How well known are they?
Risks and Rewards
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Projected sales and net income
What are your key assumptions?
What could go wrong?
What will you do?
How much money do you need?
How will investors be rewarded?
References
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The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
“How to Write a Great Business Plan” by
William Sahlman, Harvard Business
Review, July-August 1997
“The Business Model Framework” by
James Richardson, jamesr@hawaii.edu
“Executive Summary Guide” on the
PACE website