Welcome to the quick course pitch deck, creating a presentation that impresses, I'm glad you're here, it means you're serious about what it takes to start a real new business, and that you want to know more about how to begin creating a great new business. It also means you're in a hurry. So in this course, I'm going to quickly help you figure out how to create a presentation of your idea one that impresses let's get going. The term pitch deck refers to a collection of PowerPoint slides that you use to tell your story about your cool business idea. It sounds simple, but the challenge is to make it impressive. Impressive means you get your audience to watch, react and respond as you desire.
Your pitch deck can be used to engage several groups of people could be a new business investor or a candidate you're thinking of hiring, or perhaps an influential blogger. Let's get started by examining what you need to begin with. Good pitch deck begins with a good idea, one you've thought through and are confident of. For more in this, take a look at quick course. good ideas, you'll find it at start onenote.com. Creating a pitch deck calls for more than just an idea in your head.
That means you've done enough work, at least to be able to document a few pages or slides so that you have some form of a plan for beginning your pitch deck. It's aimed at telling how you'll make a business out of your good idea. And like building an impressive house, it's tough to accomplish without a good plan. A good pitch deck is also best created with a handful of people that you're going to build the company with. They'll help you refine the initial idea and figure out how to put cash in the bank, hire the good people and get the buzz going. So assemble your core team and with them start to openly to Got your thoughts, doubts, hopes and dreams.
Begin with some documentation. Move your initial sketch forward, start typing adding facts, findings, and financials. Insert meaning and emotion into those short sentences. The bullets, the verbal paragraphs, add a few compelling graphics. Aim for completing this task with an expanded attractive story. An elevator pitches a very short story about your cool idea one presented in 30 seconds or so before the other person gets off the elevator.
It will contain some of the clever things that make a pitch deck attractive to strangers. So that's worth creating before you start, at least before you start your first draft of your pitch deck. For more on this, take a look at the quick course about an elevator pitch. It'll help you get going. If you worked a bit on the executive summary, a few pages long perhaps That'll help you also craft your pitch deck. good ones in finished form or two to four pages long, not shorter, not longer.
That's the document you'll send to someone who says, Hey, after your elevator pitch, send me something I want to know more about your idea for a new business. Or more on this take a look at the quick course about executive summary. Yes, there is a lot there to help you. This is another example. Executive Summary. A pitch deck is not a substitute for a plan for your business experience.
Entrepreneurs create at least a draft of a business plan in writing before they start their pitch deck. They use it to craft an important topic or two that will be presented in the pitch deck come back and finally flesh out what the important items are to present. After the pitch deck is complete, they'll return to the business plan and refine it further. The primary purpose of the pitch deck is to get the money. Yes, it's used for other purposes. Such as recruiting but main uses for attracting the financing you require.
And you use that financing to hire the people you need to get started. This is what the pitch deck is all about your answer to the person's request to tell me more about your startup idea. startup is based upon a story being told to listeners, that listener expects you to present a story, a story that captivates the audience, emotions and excitement included. An experienced venture investor will listen to your story quietly looking for something important. It's about how you plan to build a very strong competitive advantage as you enter a very attractive Fresh Market. Veteran venture capitalists and angels are looking for ideas that could become so strong that your competition complains that's unfair.
Hopefully your stories about your plan to dominate or at least lose lead in a lucrative new market. The grand goal is to become the gorilla of that fresh space. Google and search Facebook and social networking, Uber and ride sharing. I think you get it. You can think of the pitch deck is what is used to attract the antsy investors and people you need for your business plan to succeed. It directs them to what is ahead.
Then they go for the sugar it's part of a sequence a process tickle with the elevator pitch track with the executive summary. Present your plan that's where the pitch deck comes in successes getting the sugar money from investors a yes from a person to be hired. So sugar at the end of the trail could be anything on this list. Each person is something your business needs. Each must be attracted by your pitch deck. So many people's so you need to get something from each of them.
Well that's why it's so important to construct an impressive pitch deck This is typical of the sections that are going into a complete pitch deck. You might want to pause the video and read them more carefully. In addition to the words, you'll find a few numbers, for instance, the size of the market you're entering, plus some financial numbers that hints at how successful the business might be. Perhaps the capital you're going to require number of employees a number on how big the sales could be, and when you might get to be profitable. Begin your pitch deck by introducing yourself and others who may be with you, even if they're not presenting. Who are you the core team is vitally important to your audience, whomever they may be.
So begin with a short paragraph of words in each person, introducing them in the beginning of your presentation and tell the audience the status of your company are you before incorporation Angel funded and so on. Then cover the basis suggested here and with some numbers, especially financials and keep that for the conclusion and keep it brief. You are central to this idea. So talk about yourself and the rest of your core team that's going to help you convert your idea into an amazing success. You'll be expected to mention something about the CEO and each of your core team, especially who will bring the business know how that's needed. If you have very little prior business experience.
Do you expect to be the CEO lead forever and so on? Those are management questions and as serial entrepreneurs have learned, startups are all about people and how they'll manage the business. So craft the management section of your pitch deck carefully. serial entrepreneurs include a quick summary of these four numerical metrics and I recommend you do the same. Try to create estimates for the numbers over five years. Yes, that's a long time, but at least do it through the first year after you've launched your first product.
The dollars of sales are operating profit both in dollars and as a percent of sales, the number of people you employ and all the capital you need to fuel your business to that point. The advantage of a five year numerical sketches it displays the estimate of the size of the business. Everyone wants to know how big could this be? If that sounds tricky, it is even serial entrepreneurs agree but a pitch deck that impresses is worth all the hard work. Be sure to keep it short. People will be expecting you to talk for around 20 minutes max on interrupted it must be exciting and has to stir the emotions of the person reading it.
Yes, it's more than words and numbers make it exciting. It must be complete many business plan document in a collection of short paragraphs verbally. words on the slides will be very very short. It will all depict just the essentials of you Your plan for the business. This is not an in depth business plan. display your innovative skills and your pitch deck use the words that are bold as you tell your story about your cool idea and include a graphic that grabs attention.
Take time to craft this well delete the buzzwords instead, stand out using solid words that have clear meaning and use at least one graphic that gets the reader thinking. If you're required to present using only one graphic, that's the one and do a fine job with your financial numbers get the help you need use the tools that make it quicker and easier. model like quick up makes your work much easier and faster. You'll get it at start when now calm. You need only input a few numbers, outcome the financial statements in professional form telling you how profitable your business will be. What's your balance sheet and income statement?
Look Like and the cash you will need. Finally prepare a plan to divide the ownership shares of your business. Who's going to get what percent of the company and why? And what do you think your business will be worth? What's its valuation today, five years from now? This can be fun to do, even if it's your first time.
And it's very important to do before you proceed further. ownership and well sharing are vital to get right for a startup. Here's a fine set of what not to do with your PowerPoint slides. It's rather humorous, as well as very helpful I recommend you head there. And here's an example of good slides to use. Lindsey did a super job or work is excellent here.
It shows what to do, right. Like so many important tasks, practice makes perfect. I've seen serial entrepreneurs present without any slides. They do their story that well, that means they're fluent. And they got the money and the people. Well, here we are.
That was quick, wasn't it? Here's what to keep in mind as you set out to craft your pitch deck. Keep it short. This is not a 500 page novel condensed into an hour of you talking. Be as innovative as you need to be to get your story across to your audience. show how creative your plan is to get the business off the ground and successful.
Take time to craft it. Well, it's important. It takes time to do it well. And be sure it's exciting. Stir those emotions. Congratulations, you finished the course in the pitch deck.
That was quick, wasn't it? Now, while this is fresh in that sharp mind of yours, start documenting your thoughts. early ones are often the most creative. I wish you the best on your adventure. I have other things that can help you a lot. Along the way, especially for people in a hurry like you, you'll find other quick courses at start one now that calm, I'll look for you there.
That's where I'm headed right now.