As an entrepreneur, you need to leave an excellent first impression on potential customers and investors. A concise way to summarise your business and its benefits is with a one-pager. This can be used to showcase your brand, pitch a project idea or provide information about your. This article focuses on the making of a startup one-pager. 

If you don’t know what a one-pager is or how to make one, just keep reading. All you need to know about a stunning one-pager is here. 

What is a One-pager?

As its name suggests, a one-pager is a single page document, usually on an A3 or A4 paper. The document contains all the information you want to present in a well-organised form. A business one-pager should give the readers an overview of your company. The information usually include:

• Business concept
• Mission statement 
• Vision statement
• Business model
• Product mix
• Value proposition
• Company analysis (e.g. SWOT analysis, competitor analysis, product analysis)
• Long-term goals
• Milestones
• Key initiatives
• Financials
• Your team

You’re most likely not able to stuff all the above-mentioned information in one page, so choose ones that deliver your message. If you want to attract customers, add your mission statement, product description, value proposition, and long-term goals. If you’re making a one-pager for an investment meeting, include the business concept, value proposition, company analysis, key initiatives, financials, and team. 

Types of One-pager

A one-pager can serve many purposes. There are different types, such as:

• Business one-pager. If you want people to know more about your company, a business one-pager is the way to do so. You can put your mission / vision statements, value proposition, company analysis, long-term goals, and team here. 

• Marketing one-pager. It is a tool to increase sales and promote the brand. You can use a marketing one-pager to attract potential customers, business partners, and investors. Rather than being limited to a particular group of readers, this is a marketing strategy meant to increase exposure. A marketing one-pager usually contains a vision statement, value proposition, benefits, and call-to-action.

• Product one-pager. When launching a new product, a product one-pager helps you introduce it to the target customers. You can use it as a tool to bridge the gap in the customer journey. A product one-pager typically includes a positioning statement, solutions to customers’ pain points, special features, and benefits. Don’t forget to upload a photo of your product. 

• Investor one-pager. In an investment meeting, you need a pitch deck accompanied by an investor one-pager. Its purpose is to pique the interest of investors enough to pay attention to your pitch deck. So be sure to include your core value, competitive advantages, strategies, and financials. 

• Startup one-pager. When you start your business with limited visibility, you need a startup one-pager to introduce your brand. This is a tool for you to build awareness and recognition in the market and the industry. The format is similar to a business one-pager. 

Make sure to tailor your one-pager for different occasions. 

Why Are One-pagers Important?

Despite having different types, all one-pagers have a common goal: to capture the readers’ attention with a succinct but informative overview. Whether it’s for marketing purposes or investing purposes, you’re selling your business to the readers. Here is how one-pager helps you do so:

• Clear and Concise. One-pagers allow you to explain a long business proposal or product launch presentation in a condensed format. Meaning, you can only focus on the utmost important points that best convey your message. 

If the content is inconsistent or easy-to-understand, you know there might be a loophole. One-pager improves your ability to present in a quick and concise manner without compromising clarity. 

• Time-saving. To fit all essential information on one page, you must summarise your business incisively. You save readers a lot of time by explaining your points in this manner. 

It’s vital to grab the attention of your audience at first glimpse. Not many people have the time nor interest to go through every detail, especially when you don’t have much recognition.

• Flexible. You can customise your one-pager however suits your purpose. It’s a creative way to pitch a company or ideas. Not only the content is flexible but also the design. There is no standard form for a one-pager. You can tailor it based on your target readers’ preferences. It helps you engage the audience and arouse their interest. 

How to Make a Startup One-pager?

As mentioned above, a startup one-page’s main objective is to increase visibility and attract potential customers, investors, and business partners. You need to provide descriptions of your business and the reason to join you. Here, you can find out how to make each section of an impressive startup one-pager.

Business Concept & Mission Statement

This is where you describe your business: how it generates profits and how it benefits customers. This section is made of 1 or 3 short sentences. It is the condensed version of your executive summary. You should include what you’re pitching and what your company has to offer. This is probably what the audience read first on a one-pager. The business concept statement has to be clear and intriguing. So, readers can get a glimpse of the company and where it fits in the industry / market. 

Your mission statement should be a simple sentence that concludes what your business aims to do for the customers.

Value Propositions

You might not be able to put a detailed value proposition canvas on your one-pager, but you can simplify it or use short sentences to describe it. Another way is to illustrate your solutions with visuals. Visual aids usually grab more attention than words. 

Either way, your value propositions section needs to highlight the benefits or solutions of your offerings. What are you trying to improve or solve? What are your unique selling points? Why should people use your brand? This is where you differentiate your company from competitors and prove the readers it’s worth purchasing or investing in. 

Company Analysis

If the primary goal of your startup one-pager is to attract investors or business partners, then a SWOT analysis or competitor analysis can help with that. After all, people only like to work with those who understand what they’re doing and what they need to improve. 

What is SWOT?

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your company. Remember that strengths and weaknesses are internal, such as an expertise or low brand equity. Whereas opportunities and threats are external, such as the rising attention to sustainability or fluctuating supply cost. You can just list them with bullet points without additional explanations. 

With a competitor analysis, you compare unique selling points with your competitors and show where you stand in the competition. This is another way to differentiate from other brands with similar offerings. It’s a compressed competition slide in a simpler chart. You can also integrate the analysis with the value proposition, so there’s no overlapping information. 

Remember to do your research on your top competitors. False information is considered deceiving.

A product analysis comes in handy when you try to attract customers with your one-pager. This is where you put the examination result of your products. The aspects can be the quality, features, costs, or availability. The results can be some positive customer reviews or certifications on the effectiveness of your products. Because your purpose here is to increase sales and recognition, you might want to keep the most attractive results only. 

Long-term Goals & Key Initiatives

It’s worth adding your long-term goals on your one-pager, so the readers know you have plans for the future. You can include information like when you’re going to break even with the financial projections. Listing things you’re going to achieve can arouse interest from your readers too. For instance, how do you diversify your product mix or how do you expand your business. 

You can list your goals along with some key initiatives you’ve done so far or intend to take in the future. So it serves as a traction too. Having your plan laid out shows people you are prepared. But only emphasise the crucial one to your business success because you have limited space.

Team

Last but not least, show the readers what you have. In this section, you introduce your team members with their roles and complementary expertise. If their background complements their current position, showcase them. This is where you let the audience know you got the right people on board. That the team is capable of leading the company to success. If a bad day comes, they can lead the business out of a predicament.

Conclusion

A one-pager is an effective tool to outline your business in a compelling way. Remember to keep it clear and easy-to-read. It should have an eye-catching design that’s tailored for your target audience, and a call-to-action at the end. Don’t forget to put your brand name, logo, and contact details on the one-pager. If you do it right, one glance at your one-pager can intrigue people enough to care. Follow the above-mentioned tips and go make a stunning one-pager of your own!