Writing a Winning
Executive Summary
An executive summary
outlines your strategy for
creating, launching and
managing a new venture.
It answers the questions
of What, Why, Who,
When, Where and How.
Success begins with a true opportunity.
A viable opportunity exists when:



You have unique knowledge of an industry
(products, services, competitors, customers’
needs, missing pieces)
You find a way to meet a need that is not
being met, or a better way to meet a need
You can execute a viable business in the
industry (growing market, healthy margins,
customers ready to buy, early cash flow, a
strong team, high profit potential)
Frieda Caplan
Gail Frankel
Stroll’r Hold’r
Hoop N Hold
Tubbly Bubbly
Squeezer Feeder
Shampoo Visor
Robin Petgrave
Mary Ellen Sheets
Sean Nygren
Judi Sheppard Missett
Components of the Summary
Cover Page
 Company Overview
 Market Description
 Product or Service
 Sales & Marketing Strategy
 Management Team
 Student Involvement
 Financial Plan

Cover Page
Name of new business
 Names of team members
 Contact information
 Date of plan

Company Overview
Product or service provided
 Market need or pain point
 Market niches/target customers
 General business model/strategy

Market Description
Overall size and health of market
 Market growth rates and drivers
 Current trends relevant to business
 How product or service meets the
needs of the target customer
 Barriers to entry and exit
 Analysis of major competitors
 Overall competitive advantage

Product or Service
Detailed description of product/service
 Current stage of development
 Market differentiation for product
 Prices and costs for the product
 Any intellectual property to protect

Sales & Marketing Strategy
Channels for product distribution
 Sales and marketing strategies
 Target customers and/or companies
 Customer acquisition strategy
 Key partnerships and relationships

Management Team
Members of the management team
 Specific role of each team member
 Organizational structure of business
 Future personnel needs for growth

Student Involvement




Roles of student(s) in product development
Role of student(s) in market research
Role of student(s) in business strategy
Role of student(s) in writing summary
Financial Plan
Capital requirements for the launch
 Source(s) of capital for the launch
 Staged funding required if needed
 12 month pro-forma income statement
 3 to 5 year pro-forma income statement

Summary Judging Guidelines
Company Overview
 Market Description
 Product or Service
 Sales & Marketing Strategy
 Management Team
 Student Involvement
 Financial Plan
 Overall Quality of Plan

5%
15%
15%
15%
10%
10%
15%
15%
Sample business plans can be
viewed on the following
websites:
www. bplans.com
www.businessplans.org