Although the specific parts of a business plan may differ slightly - and sometimes the name or label of a part may not be the same - when we talk about the introduction, we're talking about the part that gives a general overview, the "bird's eye view."

Your introduction should contain a two or three page management overview of the business. It should cover such items as a description of the business as well as the goals of the business and why the business is a good venture to start.

The other parts of the business plan, like the management team outline, the financial plan, the marketing plan, etc., are all going to provide the reader an intense look at the business: the "ground floor view" of how the business will succeed.

But the introduction should take all the parts of the business plan and highlight or summarize them very quickly. So, this section of the business plan should probably be done first, and last. It can be started first to capture a general overview and it should be completed lasted to make sure that you've hit on all the critical points.

Your introduction should briefly talk about what you want to accomplish in the business and how you see it working. For example, a business plan for a coffee shop might talk about how the market has made specialty coffee shops very popular right now and how the location you've selected is perfect for one. You don't have to give details here (that's taken care of in the individual analysis sections that will come later) but rather you simply provide an overview that is meant to get the reader excited.

So your coffee business, for example, can talk about the high profit margin of coffee and how the shop will be run by a coffee expert and an expert marketer and will serve the people in the area.

With this section of the plan you are trying do a few things:

• Answer: "Why this business?"
• Answer: "Why now?"
• Answer: "Why should I run it?"
• Answer: "Who's going to buy?"
• Answer: "What's the buying and selling process look like?"
• Answer: "How will my business be different than the competitor's?"

Again, these items might be answered in detail later in the business plan but the introduction is meant to give a general overview of the plan and excite the reader to get them interested and to keep them reading.

Readers of your business plan - whether you're looking for investors or money from a bank - will be able to tell very quickly whether you've done your homework and actually researched the business or whether this is just a whim. So you don't have to give all the facts, but you should be clear and correct in your overview.

Remember, this is the second thing your potential investor will read and they may not be as convinced about the business opportunity as you are so ultimately the introduction should answer the bottom line question that its reader will be asking: will this business be profitable and make money from my investment?