Nate LiaBraaten gave this presentation to the Jefferson Grapevine on Wednesday, January 18, 2012.

1. Your Business Pitch

2. What is a Business Pitch?
To the entrepreneur… To the audience…
 An interview  An investment
 A first impression opportunity
 A performance  Sales opportunity for
 Story-telling service providers
 A commercial  Entertainment
 Building awareness

3. 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint
 10 - No more than ten slides in your
presentation; supplemental slides okay
 20 - Presentation should last no longer than
20 minutes; be prepared for shorter
presentations too
 30 - Only use font size 30 or larger

4. 10 Recommended Slides
1. Problem 6. Competition
2. Solution 7. Team
3. Business Model 8. Projections &
4. Underlying Milestones
Magic/Technology 9. Status & Timeline
5. Marketing & Sales 10. Summary &
Call to action

5. 1. Problem
 What is the specific pain in the
market?
 What are the details of this pain?
 Set the stage for your solution.

6. 2. Solution
 Describe your solution in the most
efficient way possible.
 Think 30 second commercial.
 If you know your market like you
should, this should be easy.
 Less is more!

7. 3. Business Model
 How does your business make
money?
 What are the primary sources of
revenue?
 If there are other sources of revenue,
remember to mention them as well.
 This is one of the most overlooked parts
of a business pitch!

8. 4. Underlying
Magic/Technology
 What, specifically, is your “Secret Sauce”,
“Wow Factor”, “Competitive Advantage”?
 Why is your product or service the best
solution?
 Why won’t your competition be able to
replicate it?
 IP, trade secrets, industry expertise, 1st
mover advantage, etc…

9. 5. Marketing & Sales
 You may have a great product, but how
are you going to get people to buy it?
 How, specifically, will the product be
marketed, distributed, and sold?
 Size of market, market demographics
 What about customer development?
(not just product development…)

10. 6. Competition
 Who specifically is your competition?
 A competitor matrix can help show your
competition and how you differ.
 Show the audience that you know your
market.
 DO NOT SAY YOU HAVE NO
COMPETITION!!!

11. 7. Team
 It’s time to brag.
 What experiences have you had that
are applicable to your venture?
 Who is on your management team?
 Who is on your advisory team?
Hint: The answer is not “TBD”.

12. 8. Projections & Milestones
 What 2-3 metrics will you use for success?
 How will you reach these goals?
 Break financials into bite-size pieces
 What research and assumptions are built in?
 The more specific, the better
(are you sensing a theme here?)

13. 9. Status & Timeline
 What milestones have you accomplished?
 Be positive and proud of your
accomplishments no matter how big or small.
 Map out when you will reach other goals and,
specifically, what that means for the status
of your company.
Include your exit strategy!

14. 10. Summary & Call to Action!
 Touch on the problem/solution and
main highlights once more.
 What do you want from your audience?
ASK FOR IT!
 You have the attention of a room full of
potential investors, business partners,
and referral sources.
USE IT!

15. Final Thoughts…
 Would I invest in my company?
 Business pitches should be entertaining.
 Confidence is key.
 Practice, practice, practice!
Then Practice more!

16. Recommended Reading

17. nate@conceptureconsulting.com