Writing a Business Plan
The Executive Summary
The executive summary is the second page of your business plan, coming right after the title page. The executive summary must capture the attention of the reader, and make the reader want to know more about your venture. The process I use when writing an executive summary is to write a few draft pages about the business, what are you planning, what are your hopes, dreams, wishes, what are you planning to achieve, and so on. You are trying to answer who, what, where, when, and why questions. After you write the rest of the business plan come back to your original draft pages, and write the executive summary. The rest of the business plan spells out in detail how you will do what is in the executive summary.
I broke this example down as to the questions you are trying to answer.
Business Plan Example:What? Explain what your business is about?
Johnny Q's Bar-B-Q Restaurant will operate as a restaurant and catering business. We will offer mouth watering Barbecue beef, chicken, ribs, turkey, sausage, ham as well as pies, cakes, and fried chicken, along with chopped Barbecue beef sandwiches, sauces and related side dishes and condiments all served cafeteria style for quick service. A drive up window will be available for take-out orders. Customers will be able to order by the plate or by the pound. Frozen and refrigerated Barbecue will be offered for do-it-your self-catering. We will offer catering on site or off site for any size event. With our custom made catering trailer we will be able to cater indoor or outdoor events and keep the food hot in the event of delays in serving time. Custom cooking will be available for holiday periods such as Thanks Giving and Christmas.
Where? Where will you operate?
The restaurant will be located on the main highway in Taft Texas to take advantage of the weekend highway traffic to the coastal beaches and the farm and oil field catering opportunities. We have a two-year lease with four two-year renewal options.
When? The Restaurant is scheduled to open in January 2008
Why? Why are you doing this?
Bar-B -Q is a Texas tradition and popular at catered events. Ours will be the only restaurant of this type the trade area. We have developed a special Barbecue sauce recipe and will Barbecue Boston butt cuts of beef for our main meat course and use back-strap beef cuts for our chopped Barbecue sandwiches, both of these meat cuts are not traditionally used for Barbecue but offer a superior dinning experience that will make us different and better then other similar restaurants. We will also offer the traditional barbecued brisket on the menu.
Whom? Who is doing this?
I have six years experienced in the barbecue business and three years catering experience, the recipes and cooking methods have been tested and perfected during this time.
Objectives? What are you planning to achieve?
It is our goal to be the best Barbecue establishment in the county and offer food so good that the customer will come back for seconds. We plan to develop a mail order sauce business as well as a frozen chopped Barbecue business to complement our restaurant's transit trade and to leverage our customer base. It is our goal to have sales of a million dollar with in five years.
Investment: How much money?
An investment of $250,000 will be needed to redecorate the rented space, construct and or repair the cooking pits, build a catering trailer, purchase the catering equipment, purchase the dinning room seating and buy the kitchen equipment. This amount includes ninety days operating expense.
Ownership:
Johnny Q's Barbecue restaurant will operate as a sole proprietorship.