Marketing and Sales
What is a business profile how to make one, highlight your company by making its resume. learn what a business profile is and how to write a great one. plus, read up on some best practices to follow..
Imagine delivering the perfect elevator pitch about your coaching business –– including a concise company description that covers your services, vision, and mission –– and it hits the mark.
And this is only possible through a well-crafted business profile, which summarizes your experience, values, and goals and tells potential clients what sets your coaching practice apart.
Draft a precise piece of write-up you can use on your coaching website and other marketing platforms, and invite a wealth of clients to your practice.
Here’s everything you need to know about what a business profile is and how to create one.
What is a business profile?
A business profile tells a story about the founder(s), what inspired them to build the business, the company’s vision and mission, and more. It should also outline the company’s goals and achievements, such as the number of clients served, retention rate, and awards (if any). It’s typically available on a company website’s “About Us” page.
Your coaching bio may hit many of the same points, but company profiles differ, thanks to their strong focus on values and objectives.
As such, company profiles are not only attractive for clients but also investors. Strong annual metrics and positive testimonials create confidence among the investor community.
How to make a business profile
Organize your thoughts and perfect your coaching business’ marketing message by writing your company profile. Here’s how:
- Determine your profile’s purpose: Perhaps you’re trying to raise money from investors. Or maybe you want to attract new customers. Your profile’s intent can change during your company’s development, but try to pinpoint why you’re writing this document. That said, don’t share it on your website. The purpose should stand to guide you.
- Share your story: Write an honest recap of your history. It’s acceptable to be vulnerable in this section. You’re trying to emotionally connect with your future clients in a company profile, not just share facts about how far you’ve come. Tell them what makes you different and how hard you work. If you’re a solo-prenuer, include your education and training at the beginning of this description.
- Write a tight mission statement: Tell the reader your work, target clientele, and unique selling points (USPs). There’s no need to wax poetic. Keep this section to a sentence or two for maximum impact.
- Tell your business’s story: Include a chronological summary of your coaching business. Talk about how you opened and grew your business. Remember, your business profile differs from a coaching bio and a business plan. In a profile, you’re trying to paint a picture of your company. A bio focuses on personal and professional accomplishments. And a business plan includes strategizing marketing, sales, and operations.
- List your coaching services: Tell the reader about your one-on-one programs, coaching packages, and group programs. Mention your proprietary coaching method (if any).
- Include a good word: If you have testimonials from previous coaching clients, include them. Your words will undoubtedly go far in describing your business and mission, but the feedback from others provides a unique, first-hand perspective on your coaching skills.
Additional ideas for your coaching profile
- Brag a little: Let’s break a myth –– you don’t seem pompous when flexing your accomplishments; rather, it adds value to your profile. Include milestones such as writing a book, starting a successful blog, or receiving awards.
- Include a call to action (CTA): If you post your business profile on your webpage, invite viewers to contact you for more information, follow your social media accounts, or receive a free coaching orientation call.
- Add contact information: If you include a CTA or are using your profile in marketing materials or on your professional site, be sure to provide contact information, such as phone number, email address, physical address, and website link. Give potential customers or investors multiple avenues to reach you.
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Tips for effective profile writing
Take your profile from good to great with the following tips:
- Read business profile examples: Check out the about pages of your favorite brands for business profile inspiration. For instance, Starbucks provides a strong example of a profile that’s exceptionally brief, lists the most essential business details, and represents the company's voice. Nike shows how to break information into unique sections, links to pages that provide more detail, and uses a visually impactful business profile format. If you’re looking for a stellar business description example from the coaching industry, check out Cortney McDermott’s page . She tells her story in a captivating and personal way. Or, take a look at personal trainer and coach Michelle Lavergne’s webpage . She explains her strengths through punchy and encouraging sentences, pushing potential clients to take the first step toward fitness.
- Make the profile easy to digest: Make your business profile readable –– textually and visually. Cut insider terms that only a coach would know and won’t resonate with your clients or investors. Scrape back the language and leave out excess words. Try to be as direct as possible. And when you publish the profile on your website or in marketing or investor materials, use fonts and spacing that are easy on the eyes. Avoid long paragraphs without breaks.
- Keep it relevant: Your business profile is an opportunity to explain your practice thoroughly. While the description doesn’t have to be overly brief, it should be pertinent. Avoid repetition or unnecessary material.
- Update your profile regularly: As your business changes, regularly update your description to reflect shifts, especially costs and packages. This eliminates future conflicts with clients. Also, include information about new certifications, ways your practice has grown, and services you’ve added to your offering.
Take your coaching business to the next level
Writing a business profile is an excellent step toward formalizing and marketing your coaching practice. It instills confidence and trust in clients.
You can also up the professionality of your company by using a customer relationship management (CRM) tool . Practice’s platform , designed with coaches and small business owners in mind, allows you to securely store client data, send messages and documents, and securely receive payment. Try it today .
Give your clients a simple and professional experience
Simple client management designed for teams, free form templates from practice.
An Initial Connection Call Template for professionals to use with their clients. Easily customize the template to meet your needs and get your client relationships started off on the right foot!
Get your clients started on the right path to success with this simple and easy-to-use weight loss client intake form template!
This Between-Session Accountability Form Template helps professionals keep their clients accountable and on track. Keep your clients focused with this simple and easy to use template!
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How to Write the Company Overview for a Business Plan
10 min. read
Updated January 17, 2024
What does your business structure look like? Who is involved? What’s your history?
These are all important questions that you’ll answer by writing the company overview section of your business plan.
We’ll explain what to include, how to write it, and provide completed examples for you to reference.
- What is a company overview?
The company overview (or business overview) section of your business plan briefly explains the legal structure, management team, and history of your business.
The company overview is typically the shortest chapter of your plan and works as a sort of company record.
It’s incredibly important if you’re seeking investment as it explains how the business is legally structured and who is involved from an ownership and management perspective.
However, you likely don’t need a company overview if you don’t plan on presenting or sharing the plan with someone outside of your business.
- What to include in the company overview
What’s included in your company overview depends on how you intend to use your business plan.
For example , if you don’t intend on sharing your plan with anyone outside of your organization, you can likely skip documenting simple legal information.
For this guide, we’ll cover the basics that most businesses should include in their company description.
Business structure
First, you’ll want to define what type of organization your business is registered as. The most common business structures in the US include:
- Sole proprietor
- Partnership
Take some time to understand the differences. Your business structure will impact how you file your taxes , your liability for business debt, and the type of insurance you’ll need.
For the purposes of this section, it provides context for how your business legally operates. Consider adding an explanation of why you chose this specific structure and how it impacts your business.
Read More: Types of Business Structures Explained
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You’ll also need to outline the ownership stake in your company. Just list out who owns what percentage of your business, even if it’s just you.
It may also be useful to include how each individual is involved in your business.
However, if an investor or equity holder is involved in day-to-day operations, you may want to go more in depth on the management portion of your company overview, detailing each member’s experience and qualifications.
Location(s)
Include basic logistical information about where your business is located , additional locations the business owns, and any locations that may be acquired in the near future.
Don’t worry about going overly in-depth regarding each location’s facilities and operational functions. You will cover those details as part of the operations section of your business plan .
Company history
Your company background or history is the “Once upon a time…” of your business plan. At a minimum, you should include:
- When it was founded
- Who was involved
- Major milestones up to this point
The details in this section will vary depending on who this business plan is being presented to and the stage of your company.
For example: if you’re a relatively young business, don’t assume you have no history.
It may not be a lengthy epic, but you have the history of who came up with the idea , how they came up with it, and how and why other people joined.
This can matter to potential investors.
So, stay flexible when describing your history. Always keep your specific business purpose and your target reader in mind.
If you share your plan with a third party, focus on presenting a strong track record of success and good decision-making. If you have a longer history, there are likely highlights to include and some key points you want to make.
Just make sure not to bore them by overloading your plan with lengthy information that doesn’t connect back to your key business decisions.
Management team
The management team section of your business plan is where you showcase your team and their finest attributes.
Be sure to include details about yourself and your employees , including:
- Work experience
- Past successes
- Degrees or other credentials
Professional gaps and planned hires
There may be team members you know you’re lacking. In that case, mention these roles and your plans to fill them.
Include which people might be taking on multiple responsibilities to fill the current gap. Additionally, if you have specific people in mind, include them, even if they aren’t currently on staff.
It’s worth pulling in supporting data from your personnel forecast that’s part of your financial plan . It doesn’t have to be overly detailed. It can just be a simple personnel table with reference to where the full financial exploration is located.
Board of advisors
If you have mentors or board members who aren’t directly involved, but help you to define your vision and overall strategy—they’re also worth mentioning.
This can bolster your credibility through association with well-respected and experienced individuals.
Just like with your management team and staff, include their name, position, credentials, experience, and any other important information that showcases why their involvement is valuable.
Similarly, if you are working with a lawyer , accountant, or other supporting professional—include them.
- How to write your company overview
The company overview is one of the more straightforward sections when writing a business plan. You already know what to include, so here’s how we recommend you approach the writing process.
1. Cover the basics
Start by listing and grouping your business information into the appropriate sections.
Depending on what you intend to do with your plan, this may be all you need for now. This is a high-level overview of your business; the most important thing is having all the necessary information in one place.
Focus on brevity.
You can always reference other areas of your plan and house additional documents (like resumes, articles of incorporation, legal documents, full company timeline, etc.) in your appendix .
2. List the high points of your history
Take the time to accurately reflect your company history. Avoid creating a vague story or an overly long narrative documenting every small decision you’ve made.
Like everything else in this section, keep it short and sweet. Highlight key dates, milestones (like a product or service launch), and other crucial events that impacted the trajectory of your business.
Remember, you can always point to other areas of your plan when necessary.
3. Adjust to your target audience
While we recommend keeping this section simple, it may require updates depending on who is reading your plan. That typically means adding more context or reasoning for why your business is set up as it is.
For example: You start as a partnership and include your business structure as a formality. However, you are now planning to apply for a loan . It would be worth revisiting the overview at this stage to add a brief statement about why you chose this structure and how it impacts your business.
- Company overview examples
Even if you know what to include, it can still be helpful to review completed business overview examples to confirm you’re on the right track.
Agriculture farm company overview example
Ownership & structure.
Botanical Bounty is an Oregon L.L.C. owned by David and Susan Nealon. The L.L.C. business structure has been chosen as a strategic way to shield the Nealons from personal liability.
Botanical Bounty has been in operation for two years. It started as a hobby where Susan could use her plant biology skills while covering some of the costs. The Nealons were able to achieve this lifestyle due to a windfall that David received as a result of exercising stock options.
After the second year, the Nealons decided that although they had the money to live on for many years, it would be irresponsible to needlessly spend it so they got serious about the business and made a concerted effort to become profitable.
Botanical Bounty has chosen the Willamette River Valley as an ideal place to grow perennials and owns 10 acres of land used for production. During several of the winter months, production is moved into their greenhouse for propagation. Botanical Bounty employs a drip irrigation system for all of the plants.
Botanical Bounty will be led by the husband and wife team of David and Sue Nealon. David brings a wealth of business and project management skills to the company.
While working at Yahoo!, David was responsible for the successful launch and market lead capture of Yahoo!’s driving directions section. David will be responsible for the business operations of the farm.
Sue, with a background in plant biology, will be the driving force of the operation, growing the highest active ingredient content plants in the country. Additionally, because of her wealth of knowledge, she will lead the sales department.
Nursing home company overview example
Ownership & structure.
Bright House is chartered as a nonprofit 501(C)(3) corporation in Middletown, CT, with the goal of providing holistic and respectful assisted living and skilled nursing home care to a small group of elderly residents.
Our primary location is the old Wayfield Bed and Breakfast on Farmer’s Road, which we have spent the last five months converting into a two-building nursing home facility in line with Eden Alternatives “Greenhouse” model for enlightened elder living.
Management Team
Bright House offers a different management structure from that of the typical hospital-model nursing home. Our primary caregivers, the 6 Elder Assistants, work as a self-managed team. They meet with the Medical Director and the nurse on-call every morning to coordinate care for the coming day.
The Medical Director has the ultimate responsibility for the health and well-being of all residents and visitors. However, the nursing and caregiving staff have unique knowledge about the residents’ physical, social, and mental well-being. They are expected to note, discuss, and recommend courses of action for all residents who, in their combined estimation, need help.
Our compensation packages, management structure, and caregiving requirements are designed to continually remind our LPNs and Elder Assistants how very valuable they are.
Dr. Mildred Johnson is our Medical Director
Dr. Johnson has served as the head of Gerontology for six years at The Connecticut Hospital and oversaw the creation last year of their Elder Assistant training program, which provides certification for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) to provide in-home hospice and respite care.
Dr. Johnson has 20 years of experience working with elderly patients in this area and has been integral in designing the physical layout, management structure, and priorities of Bright House.
The rest of our already-hired caregiving staff brings a whopping 75 years of professional experience in caring for elderly patients.
Financial Management
Madeleine Morgan has been overseeing the financial management of nonprofit organizations in Connecticut for 27 years.
She became involved in our project when her mother developed a long-term care plan with Dr. Johnson which included home-based hospice care.
“I wish everyone could have the same love and attention Dr. Johnson showed to my mother,” Madeleine said.
Ms. Morgan will be in charge of all financial operations at Bright House, overseeing billing, personnel payment and benefits, and development efforts.
Advertising and Marketing
We are fortunate to have a skilled public relations officer in our group. Janice Ruthers is a retired ad executive living in Middletown with her husband (a professor at the university).
She will be working 20 hours per week in our offices as a volunteer for the first two years of our plan, helping us design advertisements and brochures and plan events like our Open House in December to let the public see the results of our efforts.
Management Team Gaps
We still need to hire one swing-shift LPN and one Elder Assistant. We are currently recruiting through Dr. Johnson’s connections at The Connecticut Hospital and expect to complete our team by mid-December at the latest.
- Explore more business plan examples
Want to see more examples like these? Check out our library of over 550+ sample business plans to see how other real-world businesses structured their company overview sections.
You can also download a free business plan template to ensure you cover all the necessary details. It includes step-by-step instructions to make writing quick and easy.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.
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