At the end of the day, we all need our hard-earned money to earn us more money or stay put.
How to impress an investor? Let’s dial back a little. A raw idea needs to be processed and packaged before hitting the high-rise corner office. Contrary to popular perception, most of the branding activity happens before you design the first pitch deck. It grows, changes, and evolves over time but the journey begins with envisioning the idea. Why build a brand before realizing any semblance of your idea becoming a business? Simply put, it’s all in your head.
You have the idea, you know how it works, you have envisioned and built an entire business around your concept, you know how to make the bucks. Although your confidence and infectious enthusiasm might seem like it’s winning people’s belief in your idea, it might not exactly win you the investment. The not a hit or a miss or the elusive lucky angel. It’s effort. Use every resource at your disposal to make sure the investor can visualize your business, not your dream!
This brings us to the pitch deck. An invaluable tool that forges the first image of your business in a potential investor’s mind. The 10-slide presentation needs to be able to make them visualize the returns 10-years down the line. The numbers you’ve churned up are not going to be in the impactful first slide. So, it falls upon the presentation to open with the same enthusiasm, passion, and unrelenting ambition as your business idea. Let’s go through the pitch deck one slide at a time. Create, correct, and capture your vision in the best way possible.
A Business Logo is the strong first impression that anchors the business identity, creating the first image of a brand that can weather the storms.
Pitch Deck is your wingman. For you to take the center-stage and score the deal, you need hype. As much as you can afford to get. First impressions are real. It’s not climate change. Who best to talk you up, if not your wingman? There might be times he gets to pitch your ambitions in the high-rise corner office all by himself. Equip him with the same gravitas and smooth-talking abilities as you. It’s your job to make him look good. How to make him look good? Well, you see... that’s kind of my job. If you find my work slightly above your budget, I still got you covered.
At the end of the day, just as any loyal wingman would, he needs to shine the spotlight on the best features of your business. To do that, he needs to understand and help others, recognize your business. What’s an asset that best represents a business? A Brand. It is so much more than choosing a logo, typeface, and color palette. It’s a being you create, give it an identity, a purpose, a story, a personality, and most importantly a voice. Once you know the difference, the 10-slide presentation is surely a cake walk. It just needs the 5Ws & 1H. Here’s the order.
Make sure you get the order right. If you are feeling the creative urge to switch the order, think again!
Slide 1: Home Run
The opening slide needs to hit home. Logo & Tagline – the two key components visualize the core purpose of your business. Make sure the tagline summarizes the purpose of your business without overpromising or undervaluing. There are a million articles about designing the right logo, choosing the typeface, and color palette. Do your design homework, please! If you don’t find the time, you can always ask. But help is not free, I’ve got bills to pay too.
Slide 2: The Why?
You need to reign your wingman in from hyping your business and explain why the world needs it in the first place. The problem that you intend to address and eventually solve. This will be later known as the brand story. Maximum of 4 sentences. 2 for highlighting the problem and 2 for the solution. Period. Don’t ramble on like a super villain saving the universe with shiny jewelry. Your wingman is getting axed out there.
Slide 3: The What?
We don’t cram all information into one slide. Let the wingman loose for this one, you need all the hype you can get. What makes your business unique? Find the one true purpose for your business, it’s corner stone. These two lines would later be known as the Brand Purpose. Keep it simple and present supporting material to back your claim. Do not clutter the space.
Slide 4: The How?
This is the most difficult slide of the lot. So, pay attention. All the hype from your wingman might, just might, come across as tall claims. So, you need to show that this is serious business and reign it in once more. How are you planning to achieve your claims? Your Business Model. They just need an outline of the core operation as a condensed capsule that shows logic, precision, and forethought.
Slide 5: The Where?
A fresh idea might be appreciated but doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Wingman needs some reinforcement. Find the best way to emulate your existing numbers and stats. You can always add a hyperlink that opens the complete spreadsheet. Make it visual and inviting.
Slide 6: The Who?
The business idea might be original but even the most disruptive businesses fit into existing sectors. Figure out who is in the same course of business as you within the sector. Chart your competitors and present a visual analysis of where you might fit into the picture. The unique value your business brings to the table.
Slide 7: The When?
Let your wingman paint a beautiful picture. Let him paint the town red with your vision for the future. When do you plan to achieve your dream? Find a unique and inquisitive angle, and competitive advantage to tell your story. How will life be easier for your intended end-consumer in the future, when your product is out in the world?
Slide 8: The Progress
Prepare your wingman for the big ask. Show your financial projections and the progress your business intends to achieve in future in an inquisitive way that builds confidence upon you and your business. Give them the right reasons to invest in your business and trust in your brand values.
Slide 9: The Big Ask
Drumroll. You’ve reached the ninth episode. The big ask needs to be simple, straightforward, and honest. How much do you need? What are you offering in exchange?
Slide 10: Anchor the Ask
What makes an investor trust your business? Familiarity and Experience. Present your core team members and the relevant experience to anchor the deal.
Every Pitch Deck is unique, not to the business but to the investor. Every investor is on the lookout for a proposition that adds value and benefit to their existing deck. Make every pitch unique. Funding is an arduous uphill journey, begin your journey with a confident and resourceful wingman.
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