Business Planning Templates

1. Executive Summary
Month Day, Year
John Doe, CEO
jdoe@email.com
(555) 555-555

2. Executive Summary
Executive Summary
“COMPANY VISION”
Company Overview: (1-2 paragraphs, single spaced)
[Your company overview is your “opening statement.” Establish what your business will do as clearly as possible.
You should describe your product/service, identify your customer, explain the market you intend to serve, and
include your vision statement.
You may choose to write the company overview as a spearhead, but it also makes sense to use it to sum up the
entire executive summary once you’ve established the other components. Each segment is important, and each
can either hurt or help you when it comes to making an impression on an investor.]
Industry Overview: (2 paragraphs, single spaced)
[If you’re looking to catch fish, you need to first see what the waters look like. Explain in detail what your market
is, and include these key elements:
You need to show that you’re knowledgeable about your industry and that you understand who your competitors
are, so describe them. How are they different from or similar to your company? How do you foresee them
reacting to your entry? How will you respond to them? Are there any competitors that you might even consider
partnering with?]
Marketing & Sales Strategy: (2-3 paragraphs, single spaced)
[How will you generate revenue? How will you attract customers? How do you plan to retain customers so that
they become long-time and loyal buyers? This is where you’ll describe the nuts and bolts of your marketing and
sales strategy.
Paint a picture of who your customers are, explain their decision-making process and how you’ll be able to create
value for them. Illustrate your unique selling proposition and why your customer will choose your company over
your competitor(s).]
Operating Model: (2 paragraphs, single spaced)
[Your operating model maps out how you plan to operate your business, your expenditures, what needs to be
accomplished before your company is up and running, and how you plan to run your business. It may be wise to
explain your product/service in detail when describing how you intend to sell that product or service.]
Financial Plan: (1 paragraph, singled spaced, including summary profit & loss statement)
[Demonstrate with your financial plan that you understand the basics of entrepreneurial finance. Make reasonable
sales projections, assess what your bottom-up growth will be, and describe the estimate of your intended costs.
Emphasize that you have a sound grasp on the financials and your assumptions.]
Management Team: (1-2 paragraphs, single spaced)
Copyright 2010, COMPANY NAME. All rights reserved.

3. Executive Summary
[Who’s on your team, and what is everyone’s role? Investors want to see motivated, enthusiastic, and adept
individuals running your company. Emphasize that every member of your team embodies the entrepreneurial
spirit, and everybody brings something unique to the table.
You don’t need to write lengthy bios, but you should include your management team’s experience, education, and
professional achievements/awards/degrees. Additionally, you can describe how long you have known each other
and why your team works well together.]
Capital Requirement: (1 paragraph, single spaced)
[This where you’ll describe how much investment you’ll need, and you need to support this with sound reasoning.
Answer these questions: How much capital do you need to jump-start and run your venture? What is your
potential market value?
Describe your capitalization table and any funding that you’ve already raised. Also, consider the capital structure
restrictions you might have. This segment should also include a summary of your long-term funding plan and exit
strategy.]
Copyright 2010, COMPANY NAME. All rights reserved.