Most guides to writing an executive summary miss the key point: The job of the executive summary is to sell, not to describe.
The executive summary is often your initial face to a potential investor, so it is critically important that you create the right first impression. Contrary to the advice in articles on the topic, you do not need to explain the entire business plan in 250 words. You need to convey its essence and its energy. You have about 30 seconds to grab an investor's interest. You want to be clear and compelling.
Forget what everyone else has been telling you. Here are the key components that should be part of your executive summary:
You should be able to do all this in six to eight paragraphs, possibly a few more if there is a particular point that needs emphasis. You should be able to make each point in just two or three simple, clear, specific sentences. This means your executive summary should be about two pages, maybe three.
Source: Anthony Cerminario, http://bizzbangbuzz.blogspot.com/2005/06/how-to-write-executive-summary.html This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.