There is a clear structure in starting out your legit business idea. This post is going to give you the basics of what you must have in place to get your feet off the ground.

1. Executive Summary
2. Market Analysis
3. Company Description
4. Organization & Management
5. Marketing & Sales Management
6. Service or Product Line
7. Funding Request
8. Financials

The Executive Summary

The executive summary is deemed the most important of your business plan. This should provide an overview of the entire plan with a history of the company. This section tells where the company is and where the company plans on going in the future. This is the first thing visible, therefore grabbing interest within this section is most important. Most importantly, it says why this business idea will be successful.

This should be the last section written. After all details have been figured out, you’ll be in good position to summarize.

Contents of Executive Summary

• The Mission Statement

  A brief explanation of the purpose of the business. This should be as direct as possible, usually within two to three sentences. This should be clear and easy to understand.

• Date Business Began

• Names and Functions of Founders

• Number of Employees

• Location and Branches / Subsidiaries

• Description of facilities

• Products / Services Rendered

• Banking Relations / Investor Information

• Summary of Financial Growth

• Summary of Managements Future Plans

All information with the exception of the Mission Statement should be highlighted in a brief, bulleted layout. This information will be in a more in-dept way later in the business plan.