Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Step 9 · 1,000+ Plans Written
How to Write an Executive Summary for a Business Plan, in Four Short Parts
The executive summary is the first page a lender reads and the last one you should write. Dr. Paul writes every summary the same way: copy from the plan, trim to one page, check the numbers. Here is the method, with real samples.
Last Updated: 10/30/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Watch First
Watch: How to Write an Executive Summary
The Short Answer
What Is an Executive Summary in a Business Plan?
The executive summary is a one page version of your whole business plan. It covers four things: the company and product, the target market, the financial highlights, and the funding request. It sits on page one of the plan, but you write it last.
Lenders and investors read the summary first. Many decide right there whether to read the rest. That is why it has to be short, specific, and match the plan word for word on the numbers.
Dr. Paul has written 1,000+ plans, and every summary he writes is a trimmed version of the plan itself. Think of it as two documents: the summary, and the full plan behind it.
Rather Have Dr. Paul Write It With You?
Write It Last
Why Do You Write the Executive Summary Last?
You cannot summarize a plan you have not written. Owners who start with the summary end up rewriting it every time the plan changes. Owners who save it for last write it once, in about an hour, because every sentence already exists.
In Dr. Paul's ten step order, the executive summary is Step 9. Only the appendix comes after it. When you print the plan, move it to page one.
The Four Parts
What Goes in an Executive Summary?
- 1
Company and product
Two short paragraphs: who you are, what you sell, where, and what makes you different.
- 2
Target market
One or two sentences naming your primary buyer. No explanation of why.
- 3
Financial highlights
About four lines: first year revenue, costs, net profit, and profit margin.
- 4
Funding request
How much, from whom, on what terms, and how it gets repaid. Same wording as the full plan.
Part by Part
How Do You Write Each Part of an Executive Summary?
1. Company and product: copy, paste, then delete
Dr. Paul copies the company summary and product description from the plan and pastes them under the executive summary heading. Then he deletes lines until about a paragraph is left. The second paragraph summarizes the rest of the company description: competitive advantage, hours, staff size, and anything a lender should see up front.
ABC Retail is a limited liability company located in Orlando, Florida. The firm sells gadgets online and in its retail store, and specializes in same day delivery inside its delivery area and same day shipping for online orders. The firm uses best value pricing, is open 8 AM to 10 PM seven days a week, and has a staff of about twenty, including the owner.
2. Target market: name it and stop
The full plan explains why you chose this buyer. The summary does not. One sentence is enough.
The primary target market is young blue collar workers, women between the ages of 25 and 35.
3. Financial highlights: tell the money story in four lines
Keep it to the next twelve months. Start with revenue, subtract costs, land on net profit, and finish with the profit margin. That order reads like a story, and a loan officer gets the whole picture in seconds.
The financial projections are based on market research and an examination of the local restaurant industry. For the next year, the business projects revenue of about $2,738,224 and expenses of $2,210,798. After taxes, net profit is estimated at $527,426, a profit margin of about 19.3%.
4. Funding request: copy it from the plan
This is the one part you do not shorten. Lenders want to know how much you need and how they get paid back, so use the same wording as the funding section of the plan. Leave out the startup cost breakdown.
To start operations, funding of $1,500,000 in debt or equity from a bank or investor is required. Debt funding is expected to carry a term of 15 to 20 years at an interest rate between 8% and 10%, with monthly principal and interest paid from business profits. Investors will be offered a negotiated percentage of ownership, with semiannual dividends after the second year of profitability.
Check the Math
How Do You Check the Financial Highlights?
The four numbers in your summary must tie to each other and to the full plan. Here is the check on the sample above.
| Line | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | From the twelve month profit and loss | $2,738,224 |
| Expenses | From the same statement | $2,210,798 |
| Net profit | $2,738,224 − $2,210,798 | $527,426 |
| Profit margin | $527,426 ÷ $2,738,224 | 19.3% |
A summary number that does not match the financial section is the fastest way to lose a lender's trust. Update the summary every time the projections change, and check it last before you send the plan.
Using AI
Can AI Write Your Executive Summary?
The executive summary is the best job in the whole plan to hand to AI, because it is a copy and condense task. Once the plan is finished, paste it in and ask for a one page summary covering the company, the target market, the financial highlights, and the funding request. Then read it aloud and edit it into your own voice.
A prompt that works: Condense this business plan into a one page executive summary with four parts: company and product, target market, financial highlights for the next twelve months, and the funding request. Keep every number exactly as written.
Then check every number against your plan. AI rounds, guesses, and occasionally invents. The summary is the first page a lender reads, and it should sound like a confident owner, not a machine.
The University of South Dakota's Beacom School of Business hosts the state SBDC, with regional offices in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Free advising helps, and the South Dakota business plan writer turns it into a finished plan.
Avoid These
What Are the Most Common Executive Summary Mistakes?
- Writing it first. You will rewrite it every time the plan changes.
- Making it too long. One page. If it runs two, cut the company section first.
- Explaining the target market. Name the buyer. Save the reasoning for the full plan.
- Numbers that do not match. Revenue, costs, and profit must tie to the financial section exactly.
- A vague funding request. Amount, source, terms, and repayment. Every time.
Real World Use
How an Owner Uses This Method
A 32 page plan turned into one page in an hour
Say an owner finishes a 32 page plan for a $250,000 equipment loan on Tuesday night. The bank meeting is Friday.
She copies the company summary and product description under the executive summary heading and trims them to two paragraphs. She names her target market in one sentence. She pulls revenue, expenses, and net profit from the twelve month projection and adds the margin. She pastes the funding request word for word.
Total time: about an hour. On Friday, the loan officer reads page one, sees numbers that match the financial section, and turns to the projections. That is the job of a summary.
The University of Maryland, College Park hosts the state SBDC network, with regional offices offering free advice. Get more from those sessions by bringing a draft built with Maryland business plan help.
Keep Going
More Executive Summary Videos
How to Customize the Executive Summary Section of a Business Plan Template
Dr. Paul fills in the executive summary of a template, line by line. (9:06)
Bar and Lounge Business Plan: Executive Summary and SWOT
A real industry example of an executive summary and SWOT analysis. (8:42)
Questions
Executive Summary Questions Owners Ask
How long should an executive summary be?
Should the executive summary be written first or last?
What is the difference between an executive summary and a company description?
What financial information goes in an executive summary?
Can I use AI to write an executive summary?
The executive summary is Step 9 of 10.
How to Write a Business Plan in Ten Steps, Fifth Edition walks through every section in order, with a full sample plan, a fill in template, and a Using AI box in each step.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, current college professor, business consultant, and author with 14+ years and 1,000+ businesses served.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice.