Helping entrepreneurs

Jinesh Vohra's post earlier today about helping entrepreneurs made me think a little bit more about my own response. I’ve been helping the CEO of an Indian company in the utilities sector find appropriate funding for their next stage. They are a solid business with excellent growth but still find themselves somewhat between stools and things weren’t straightforward.

In particular, we were working on the investor slide deck, and as the discussion progressed, the following thoughts around the deck structure struck me. Guy Kawasaki’s famous slide deck is great, but some overarching ideas need to be in place no matter what:

• Make sure your deck is engaging and visually appealing. Investors look through 20-30 such decks every week and you need yours to stand out in an attractive way. Can’t draw? Can’t afford an expensive designer? Not being able to get around those relatively small obstacles won’t tell a good story about how you’ll cope with larger problems down the road.
• Catch your readers’ attention early - don’t be shy about your successes and be clear about who you are and where you are early in the deck! Get your investor on board with where you’re heading and how and why you are going there.
• Put yourself in the investor’s shoes - what questions are they looking for answers to? Would they like to know how you are going to make good use of their money, or would they like to see 15 slides with technical details about your products? (Hint: it’s not the latter)
• Be a tease - not a clever clogs. Don’t try to answer all the questions right from the get-go - leave some of the juicy stuff for later. You want to build a story compelling enough to make the investor feel they are missing out by not asking further questions - which is how you win that first or second meeting.
• Make the investor feel important. You need to be clear about how their capital, knowledge or network will help unlock potential that you have carefully built up. Like anyone, they are looking to make a difference - not just be wanted for their deep pockets.

In short - like sales, hooking an investor is much about storytelling. Understand their frame of mind and get them hooked on your journey. 

Still unsure about your own story? Get in touch - I’d gladly help.