Pitching VCs & Retailers Feels Like an Insiders Club

Feel like pitching #venturecapitalists and #retailers is an exclusive club, and everyone seems to know the answers but you? ??

You're not alone. 99% of my clients have expressed this thought to me. Our thoughts create our reality, so this isn't getting you where you want to go. ??

But this thought makes sense! You're job is to build a kick-ass #alternativeprotein business, not to spend endless hours deciphering what Benjamin at [Insert Your Goal Partner] wants to hear. ??

Founders Spend Ages on Pitch Prep

Every founder I talk to has at least 15 versions of their deck.? That’s NORMAL!? Preparing to pitch often creates lots of churn - different team members following leads for each slide, a million data points you don’t know how to convey concisely, and sometimes no data points where you need them most.

In Seed and Series A startups in particular, the coordination work falls to the founders.? But you’re not experts in pitch preparation, you’re experts in your product!??

So - I’ll say it again - it’s NORMAL to feel overwhelmed.? To wonder how all your peers seem to have done this without breaking a sweat (they didn’t).?

But I have good news - you already have the knowledge you need to create a rock solid pitch WITHOUT all this churn.

Founders DON’T NEED to Spend Ages on Pitch Prep

Pitching is, at the end of the day, crafting a compelling argument.? There’s no secret bullet that your competitors know making them better than you.? There’s no secret formula for getting a “yes.”

But there are a few key tenants you already have in your back pocket:

1. What makes your startup UNIQUE
2. How do you want to PARTNER with those you’re pitching
3. What does SUCCESS look like?

Start by laying this out on paper. Plain and simple. BOOM - you’ve got the basis for your pitch!

The Key Is Precision, Delegation, and Thoughtwork

Precision:

What do you really want to say, at the core? Make sure it all comes back to the above points.? Clearly articulate your advantage, your plan, and your size of prize.? Leave out all the fluff.

Delegation:

A lot of founders struggle with this one.? I get it, your startup is your baby!? But delegation is vital to making you the best leader you can be by giving you the time and space to think.? When it comes to pitch prep, assign experts certain aspects - like financial projections or technology explanation - and edit it later on.? You are the master storyteller.

Another great way to delegate here is bringing in outside help.? Again, it all comes down to time.? The time saved by bringing in someone who knows exactly what’s needed to get you those clear answers is worth so much in your own human capital.? This can immediately cut out months of churn that you will instead spend making money.

Thoughtwork:

Your thoughts create your reality, so the fear and anticipation around pitching needs just as much work as the deck itself.

If you want to show up confidently, to present yourself as a business partner to trust, then you have to believe it yourself.? You have to see yourself as an equal - as a partner - to those you’re pitching.

This is a lot of the work I do with clients that they don’t expect at the beginning, but that pays off the most in their meetings.

If you’d like to work together on any of these aspects, please reach out! I promise, this doesn’t have to be hard. Hope to speak soon.