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As you create your Executive Summary, ask yourself, “Who’s going to read my business plan?” You can improve your chances of getting a positive reaction if you keep your potential business plan reader in mind as you write.

Remember, your reader is only going to spend a few minutes on your Executive Summary. They’re going to hone in on the issues that concern them most. If you understand their priorities, you’ll be better able to craft it to push just the right buttons.

Do some homework to discover the interests and concerns of your likely business plan reader. Then put those issues near the top of your Executive Summary. A venture capitalist might want to see that you have groundbreaking new technology, and an angel investor might want to see that you’ve identified an easily reached target market, while a banker wants to know that the company owners are investing their own money in the business. Give more emphasis to those aspects that concern your reader most.

QUICKTIP

What Sets You Apart?

Think about the number of business plans your readers must plow through each day, especially if they’re investors or bank lenders. (An average venture capitalist, for instance, usually sees about 1,000 plans a year.) What distinguishes yours from the rest of the stack? Early on in your Executive Summary, highlight the qualities that set you apart from all the other businesses. Put your winning concept up front and make sure your readers get it.

Of course, you might not be able to identify the particular person who’s going to read your plan. In that case, you can focus on the type of person and their concerns. For instance, a banker is likely to look for aspects of your business plan that minimize risk, since they want to make sure their loan will be secure. An investor, on the other hand, looks for aspects that increase the chance that your company will grow large, since they will get a piece of the action. Refer to the interviews with investors and lenders in The Experts Talk on pages 168-182 to get a better idea of how each type of reader reviews business plans.