How to Write a Business Profile

A business profile contains basic information about a company.

Companies often place their profiles in online and print business directories. Submission for most directories is form-based and allows inclusion of only specific information. However, companies may wish to take the completed form and expand on it for use in marketing documents, business plans or financing proposals. A creative marketing person can turn the "year established" field into a creative story that will interest clients in your company. But before that can happen, the basic information on your business must be collected.

Instructions

1. State the name of the business. If the operating name is different than the corporation name, write "Corporation Name dba Operating Name" (dba stands for "doing business as"). If the company is publicly-traded, provide the company's New York Stock Exchange identifier.

2. State the address of the operating headquarters. If the company uses a different mailing address, list that address as well. Give the phone number and website address for the business. Some companies opt to provide names, contact numbers and email addresses for key contacts such as media & public relations, real estate enquiries, human resources, etc.

3. State the company structure. This may be: non-profit corporation, s-corporation, c-corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, etc. State whether the company is publicly traded or privately held. Also state whether it is a foreign or domestic company. If foreign, state the country in which the parent company is located.

4. List statistics. Provide the number of manufacturing, shipping and retail facilities. State the total number of workers employed at all facilities. State the year in which the company was formed.

5. Provide revenue information for the most recent reporting year. This step is optional, but most publicly-traded companies provide this information because the information is in the public domain anyway. Many privately-held companies opt to keep revenue data private.

6. Briefly describe the company's service or product offerings. Include competitive points of differentiation. For example, if your company operates one of only three special types of presses in the country, say so. You may also include the company mission statement to give readers a feel for your corporate culture.

References

• Connexions: Company Profile Template
• Allison Bliss Consulting: How To Write a Company Profile: Keys to Succeed

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish