The executive summary is an overview of your business concept and what service / product you will be offering to the consumer. This is often regarded as the most vital component to your business plan. It will be the first (sometimes only) section a potential investor will read and should entice and engage the reader.

The executive summary should include aspects from each section within the business plan, but should be snappy and concise. The aim is to inform the reader of you idea and provide snapshots of why it will be successful. This section should be written once the rest of the business plan has been completed.

Within this section you should detail your business function, its position within the marketplace, its competitors and what it has to offer within your vision.

You should start with a current overview of the business determining what stage the business is at. It should include:

-    structure of the business; name, formation, organisational & legal structure

-    the date (or future date) you plan to start trading

-    the industry sector and evaluation of the marketplace

-    brief history of the company (if any)

-    strategic vision