COMPANY PROFILES

What Is a Company Profile?

A company profile is a professional summary of the business and its activities. You
need a company profile if you want to raise capital and win investors, but you can also
use it to inform other stakeholders, including clients.
You will find many variations and lengths for a company profile. Some businesses may
not have grown enough yet and have profiles that are just two pages long. On the other
hand, some might include awards, certifications, and a large client portfolio, topping
out at 30 pages.
The bottom line with both situations, as well as those in between, is that a company
profile is your business’s time to shine.
Do your best to comprise a well-written document so that it is clear, concise, and
correct. Check your spelling and grammar, look for typos, and be sure to read it several
times.
What to Include in Your Company Profile?
■ The Business Details
When you begin, gather the details listed below. These items should
appear at the beginning of your company profile. Keep them accurate
and up-to-date.
– Company name
– Established date
– Physical address per location
– Phone and fax numbers
– Website URL
– Email address
■ The Company Basics
These items will vary depending on your business type. So, just keep in mind that
they may not all apply to your company, but you should include those that do.
– Description of the business including the mission and/or vision
– Product descriptions
– Description of services
– History, expansion, and growth
– Public relations
– Advertising
– Industry information
– Safety, health, and environmental policies
– Core team details
– Client portfolio
■ The Highlights
The next set of items also will not apply to every company. These are some
of the types of notable achievements and accomplishments that you
should include:
– Awards
– Certifications
– Special programs and projects
– Testimonials
– News or media recognition
■ Optional Items
You may see the following items in other company profiles or within the
samples and templates below. If you feel that any of these is noteworthy for
your business, then you should include them.
– Annual sales
– Financial targets
– Number of employees
– Partners
– Photographs
10 Steps In Writing a Company Profile:
Whether you’re a small start-up or a company powerhouse, you’ll need to create
your very own company profile. And what you might think is super interesting for
you can be an utter snooze fest for the reader, making you miss the chance of
successfully marketing your brand.
To ensure you’ve got all the right information to entice your reader, you need to
turn the traditional business profile on its head and think more about your
audience than yourself.
And to help you do that, we’ve outlined the most important steps you need to
follow to create a captivating company profile.
Identify the Profile’s Purpose

Many businesses use company profiles for different scenarios, including

company websites, trade portfolios and investment plans. So, before you even
put pen to paper, it’s vital to identify the sole purpose of the profile. You can
adapt it at a later stage if needed!
Let’s say your profile is for your business website. Make a list of topics you’d
want to know as a reader and make sure the tone used when writing matches
your target audience. You don’t want to make it sound stuffy by bombarding a
timeline of facts, because – quite frankly – no one will care (other than yourself,
of course)!
Decide on a Style

Now that you’ve established what kind of tone you should set for your profile,
it’s time to identify how you will present this information. Do you want a typical
style broken down by different sections or do you want it presented in the form
of a timeline? Some companies even choose to tell their story by using images,
like Philips.
That said, you shouldn’t be afraid of being different and swaying away from the
norm, as long as it ties in your brand. For example, if you’re an accounting firm,
it would probably be best to stick to the traditional format, which will also
include details of recent awards and achievements.
Tell a Story

When you’re trying to encourage people to pay attention to your business, you
need to create a captivating story. It’s no use simply listing dates and figures;
you need to make sure your reader is on board by transferring them through the
same story.
It doesn’t matter whether you started working on a lemonade stand or you grew
up in the family business. What’s important is the way you put this across. After
all, not everyone’s story is going to be as exciting as the other.
Outline Your Mission Statement
If you don’t have a mission statement already, it’s time to get down to the nitty-
gritty of things and write an appealing statement about your business’s values,
ethos and niche. You need to let your readers know what you offer and how you
plan to grow as a business, essentially letting them know why they should choose
you above a competitor.
Disney’s mission statement encourages you to believe, that they will provide you
with the most creative entertainment experience in the world:
‘The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world’s leading
producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of
brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to
develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences
and related products in the world.’
Keep a Clear Format Throughout

Some creative souls can let their imagination run wild when it comes to writing
their business profile template. So, if you happen to be one of those people,
listen carefully to the following advice!
You need to ensure your format is clear and clean throughout, including the
same font and size for the body text and headers. Don’t overpower your profile
with irrelevant visuals and funky colours. Stick to those that are in line with the
rest of your brand. For example, at Shopee has specific fonts and colours (black
and orange) which are transferred throughout all materials, including social
media.
Write the Company History in
Chronological Order
Jumping from the past to the present and back again will only confuse your
reader, which is why you need to list the company’s history in a chronological
format. Whether this is done in the form of a timeline or paragraphs is entirely
up to you. What’s critical is to make sure that it flows and that it makes sense to
the reader.
When doing so, it’s essential not to get bogged down by too many details.
Instead, you should list key achievements to show how your company got to
where it is today. If you’re a small business, you can write information about the
establishment and development of the brand.
Include Testimonials

Any good testimonial can add value to your brand, simply by giving consumers
feedback from another customer. It’s no longer your word (that may be biased),
but that of another person that is in the same position as they are.
In a B2B company, testimonials from your biggest clients are ideal. In a B2C
organisation, on the other hand, short quotes with feedback that ties in with
your values is best. You want to hit the reader with real feedback, without
seeming too promotional.
Include Your Contact Information

Now that you’ve got the important parts out of the way, it’s time to add in some
useful information! If your company profile is to be used offline, be sure to
include your address, telephone number, email and fax (if necessary) at the top
of the document.
Meanwhile, if this is for a website or other online forum, you can simply add
your hyperlinked contact information at the bottom of the page.
Add a Call to Action

If you really want to add that finishing touch to your company profile (and, who
doesn’t?!), be sure to end with a call to action. This could be something along
the lines of: ‘To find out more, visit our website” or “For further information,
contact XXXXXX’.
Essentially, you should be leaving the reader with some food for thought and a
way for them to find the answers to their questions.
Proofread It

Finally, it’s vital to proofread your corporate profile to ensure there aren’t any
mistakes. It is one of the most important pieces of writing that is linked to your
business! Oftentimes, it’s easy to miss minor errors when you’ve been staring at
the same piece of text for hours on end, which is why you should get an extra
pair of eyes to skim over the text.
And don’t forget to update this regularly! Many entrepreneurs write their
company profile and forget about it a year down the line. To ensure you don’t do
the same, add a yearly calendar reminder where you set aside some time to
update your profile to keep in line with the way your business is expanding.