7 steps to a winning investor

pitch

Source: inc42.com

Ditch Google, start with youAvoid the many free and similar looking templates floating around on the Web. Your story is unique, which can’t be put in a standard container. Say bye to the template and start with your own personal story.

Plan in analog, stay away from powerpoint

Pull out the pen that you haven’t used in a while now. Let your thoughts flow freely as you write them on a paper. You can use a whiteboard too. A powerpoint will stifle creative thinking and stop you from seeing the bigger picture. Think clearly and see the bigger picture first.

Develop your content- more the merrier

What is it that you want to tell the investor? Write down everything on that whiteboard. Yes, you heard it right, everything. This is not the time for restraint. It’s like brainstorming. Do not worry about the flow of content right now. Keep writing.

Return of the business plan template

The reason we shunned the template earlier was to start with a fresh mind, devoid of any bias and idea of what is right or what is wrong. Now that we have our content up there, we will listen to the experts. Open the business plan templates just to check if you have missed out anything. By the end, you have solid content in place.

Editing – lesser the better

Before you start to edit, take a break. Then start removing what is peripheral. If you had only 1 minute, what will you tell the investor? Put a * next to that content on whiteboard. This is your elevator pitch. If you had only 3 minutes, now what will you tell the investor? Put a * near all of that content on the whiteboard. These are your key messages. Keep expanding the time to 20 minutes and you’ve just the right content you need in place.

Structure the content logicallyThe content is down to 15-20 minutes. Figure out the flow of content. What will you say first? What next? Will you start with the team or talk about the team at the end? The answer will vary depending on your stage of business and your style.

Time to open the powerpointYour content is now ready and you know the flow as well. Open your software and start preparing your slides. You will now need a fraction of the time in preparing slides as you already know the content inside out and the flow as well.