This presentation, discussing four important aspects of communicating a business idea, was given during the 2012 Entrepreneurship Day in Idaho.

1. Communicating Your
Business Idea
Business Plans
Executive Summaries
Elevator Pitches
Investment Pitches
by

2. The Elevator Pitch

3. You are a human.
Talk like one.

4. Be Succinct.
• Your first two sentences are the most important.
• Your listener has already decided whether to
continue listening or tune you out.

5. Get to the point.
• It’s not about you. Focus on your business.
• Mention values and goals, not a laundry list of
skill sets.

6. Watch your words.
• Cut out unnecessary words and passive verbs.
• Leave out the jargon and platitudes.
• CRM, SEO, SKU, OMG – they have no place
here.
• Every business is “customer-oriented” and
“results-driven”.

7. Be creative!
• Have fun with what you say. Fun is infectious.
• Describe what you do in unique terms.

8. Practice, practice, practice.
• An elevator pitch does no good staying on paper.
• Words may sound different in your head than
they do aloud.
• Practice with family and friends. Get their
feedback.

9. Exercises
Harvard Business School’s
Elevator Pitch Builder:
140 characters
Try the Twitter Challenge or less!

10. The point of the elevator pitch is not to answer their
question, but to inspire them to ask for more.

11. The Investment Pitch

12. What investors want to know:
Why should I invest in this idea?
How will this become a profitable venture?
How is this a unique opportunity?
Where’s the proof?

13. The problem
• What is your product or service solving?
• Empower your audience to empathize and
understand the need.

14. Market size and competitors
• How big is your market? Who are your
competitors?
• How are you doing things different?
• What is your “unfair advantage”?

15. Business model and management
• How are you going to make money?
• Who are your key team members?

16. Marketing and promotion
• How will you get the word out? What mediums
will you use?
• What are your distribution channels?
• Have you formed any partnerships?

17. Financials
• How much do you need and how will you spend it?
• How does this translate to the investor?
• How soon will their investment pay off?
• What are your sales projections? Graph jam!

18. Expect it.
• Don’t let smart phones, iPads or lunch steal the show.
• Make your pitch engaging.
• Prepare to be interrupted with questions.

19. Know your deck.
Know your business.
Know your audience.

20. The Executive Summary

21. Executive summaries
Summaries are for people who don’t want their time wasted. people who
are for
don’t want their time
wasted.
“The purpose of the
executive summary is to
sell, not to describe.”
--Guy Kawasaki

22. Set the stage
• The first two sentences will set the tone for the rest
of your summary.
• Grab your reader or listener’s attention.

23. Answer their questions
• Why is this important?
• What is your solution?
• How will you get there?

24. The Big Ask
• How much do you need to reach your next
milestone?
• Give your audience a clear idea of what you need.
Include down-the-road projections, too.

25. Other considerations
• Four pages. Max.
• Use positive language. Negativity does not inspire.
• Write different summaries from different
audiences.
• Seek advice from others!

26. What’s yours?

27. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without strategy is
the noise before defeat.”
- Lao Tzu

28. 2010 Survey of 3,000 Business Owners
64%
Grew my business
43%
Secured investment 36%
capital Business Plan
18%
No Business Plan
36%
Secured a loan
18%
Source: Palo Alto Software (http://timberry.bplans.com/2010/06/real-data-on-the-success-of-business-planning.html)

29. Essential Elements Executive
Summary
Financial
Company
Analysis
Market
Organization
Analysis
Business
Plan
Products &
Operations
Services
Marketing
Competition
Strategy

30. Seek advice from others.
Use your plan as an
internal resource.

31. Communication is key.
Christy Rezaii
Web Strategist. Digital Copywriter.
Rooter for the Underdog.
me@christyrezaii.com
@crezaii