Guide
How to write an executive summary
The executive summary is not an introduction. It is the whole plan compressed into one page, written last, and read first by everyone who matters.
A good executive summary states the business, the customer, the market logic, the numbers, the ask and the use of funds — in that order, on one page. It is written last because it summarises decisions, not intentions.
The six blocks
| Block | What it answers | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What the business does | In one sentence a non-specialist understands | 2–3 lines |
| 2. Who buys and why | The customer and the problem | 3–4 lines |
| 3. Market logic | Why this can reach enough customers | 3–4 lines |
| 4. The model | How revenue is generated and what margin looks like | 3–4 lines |
| 5. Headline numbers | Revenue, profitability, funding requirement | A short table |
| 6. The ask | Amount, use of funds, what it achieves | 3–4 lines |
A structure that works
Opening sentence. Name the business, the customer and the offer in plain language. No adjectives.
Paragraph two. The problem and the current alternative. This is where a reader decides whether the business is necessary.
Paragraph three. The operating model: how the business makes money, at what margin, through which channels.
Paragraph four. The evidence. What has been tested, built, sold or signed.
Paragraph five. The numbers, in a compact table.
Paragraph six. The ask: amount, allocation, and what it buys.
The table that belongs on the page
| Item | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | |||
| Gross margin % | |||
| Operating costs | |||
| Net result | |||
| Funding required |
Four rows are enough. The detail belongs in the financial section.
Mistakes that weaken the page
- Starting with history. "Founded in 2024, the company..." is not a reason to read on.
- Adjectives instead of numbers. "Significant growth potential" says nothing.
- Burying the ask. The reader should not have to search for the amount.
- Inconsistency. If the summary says 22% margin and the model says 18%, the document loses authority immediately.
- Writing it first. A summary written before the model is a wish list.
The ninety-second test
Give the page to someone who does not know the business and ask three questions: what does it sell, to whom, and how much money does it need? If they cannot answer all three, rewrite it.
How it connects
The summary is derived from the sections explained here and the financial model. Writing the summary before those exist is the most common reason it reads as vague.
Before and after
Weak opening: "Our company is a modern food and beverage concept that aims to revolutionise the casual dining experience in the Kingdom."
Strong opening: "The business operates a 60-cover breakfast and lunch restaurant in a Jeddah office district, serving a fixed menu to weekday workers within a five-minute walk."
The second version tells a reader what the business is, where it is, who it serves and what constrains it. It also makes the financial section testable: 60 covers, weekday trade, a defined catchment.
The numbers paragraph
After the narrative, one short paragraph should carry the financial shape:
The plan projects revenue of SAR 1.4 million in year one, rising to SAR 1.9 million in year three. Gross margin is 61%, and operating costs are held at 54% of revenue. The business reaches operating break-even in month nine. The funding requirement is SAR 620,000, of which SAR 410,000 is fit-out and equipment, SAR 160,000 is working capital and SAR 50,000 is contingency.
Four sentences, six numbers, and a reader knows whether to keep reading.
The final check
Read the summary and ask: if this page were the only thing a lender saw, would they know what decision they were being asked to make? If the answer is no, the page is still an introduction rather than a summary.