Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Don’t dwell on this slide for ever. If I have an hour with you I want to maximise the time we have a discussion so I want to get through the slides quickly. It’s in their personality type.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Here are the ten slides you need: Problem and market need. Here is how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Explain how you will make money and who pays you (real customer).

Slides 99

Slides Competition Sample Sales 99

TechEmpower

JULY 31, 2023

How does it meet customers’ needs? One way to approach that last question is to use this simple model: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) How will your business reach prospects? Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) How much money will your business generate from each converted customer? What does the business do?

Metrics 260

Metrics Startup Slides Technical Review 260

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 20, 2013

It’s a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs. In any speech I do that is information rich I often have a summary slide at the end with the key points I want them to remember.

Slides 399

Slides Startup Conference Writing 399

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2011

Remember that most people are visual thinkers and Powerpoint slides simply help frame the conversations. Progress to date of your company (when started, key milestones, what shape is the product in, any pilot / beta customers, financing). You should have 10-12 slides and anything else that is detailed should be in your appendix.

Venture Capital 340

Venture Capital Slides Doc Startup 340

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 19, 2009

The company had less than $5 million in revenue yet we had a multi-tab spreadsheet doing activity-based costing on our customer service staff, operations and technology. We missed our sales target by more than 66% for the year but we had great slides explaining why. After a few board meetings I finally spoke up. Nobody seemed shocked.

Entrepreneur 414

Entrepreneur Technical Review Slides CTO Coach 414

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

Simply, this is identifying a customer need which has economic value to them if they can solve it. ” and if you can’t persuade enough potential customers they have some pain that needs fixing you probably should stick to your day job. Teams usually start with terminology that is very insular and less relevant to customers.

Sales 336

Sales Startup Competition Customer 336

Tech Zulu Event

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Deka, a startup that manufactures Bluetooth headsets with interchangeable custom faceplate has launched a new Indiegogo campaign to raise $100,000. Custom 3D Printed Headsets. The campaign will help Deka create custom 3D printed headsets and launch a number of stylish designs and colors. January 2014 launch. Deka works simply.

Customer 89

Customer Custom Slides Design 89

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

It’s a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs. They had slides with moving images and music. This was evident at the Twiistup pre-event company pitch last week at UCLA.

Startup 362

Startup Twiistup Slides Screening 362

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2010

They care about the quality of what is build more than they care about end customers. As you head into the phase where you’ve had real customers paying real money for a period of time you’ll have a whole new set of issues. You still have some leeway to hire above them if need be.

CTO Hire 400

CTO Hire Fractional VPE Startup Outsource Development 400

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 5, 2011

- SoCal CTO , January 13, 2010 5 Lessons from 150 startup pitches - A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks , July 11, 2010 9 Reasons Why Many Smart People Go Nowhere - Life Beyond Code , March 29, 2010 No Accounting For Startups - Steve Blank , February 22, 2010 Startup Advice In Exactly Three Words - #StartupTriplets - OnStartups , January (..)

Startup 378

Startup Venture Capital Blogging CTO Coach 378

InfoChachkie

OCTOBER 5, 2011

As such, simply refuse any and all requests for confidential information (especially financial data) from prospective customers, partners, suppliers, etc. If the other party asks you to send them your slides, find out why they need them. At the end of the call, he requested that we, “send him the slides and a proposal.”.

Startup 216

Startup Slides Resource Organization 216

socalTECH

OCTOBER 14, 2013

We''ve put a spin on this, where you can use your own personalization or custom designs for your own Bluetooth headset, just like you would create a personalized case for your smartphone. Our quality is up there with the top makers, but we''re different because no one else is putting a spin on this with fashion and customization.

Startup 241

Startup Slides Orange County Design 241

SoCal CTO

OCTOBER 8, 2009

In many cases, I can break it down into: Customer Acquisition Cost – how will you reach prospects, how will you convert them and how much will it cost to convert them Customer Lifetime Value – how much will you make off of each converted customer This very simple model works for a surprising number of business models.

Metrics 225

Metrics Startup Web 2.0 Slides 225

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2009

.&# They know instinctually how customers buy and how to excite them. Because they’re street smart, most great entrepreneurs tend to prefer getting out and talking with real customers rather than sitting in a cubicle all day doing beautiful PowerPoint slides. They have a sixth sense for the competitors’ weaknesses.

Entrepreneur 306

Entrepreneur Startup Outsource Development Customer 306

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2010

So here goes … As much as I like to occasionally make fun of having been a consultant early in my career (although I built computer systems rather than just PowerPoint slides), I realize upon reflection that I did learn a lot of great management practices from working in such a large and well-structured organization as Accenture.

Slides 342

Slides Help Ideas Venture Capital 342

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

And VC’s are tough customers. If you have beta customers, new pricing plans, different positioning, more market insights, good press coverage – whatever – these are all signs that the ball is moving forward. Because management is so important I always tell people to make the bio slide the first in your deck.

Startup 360

Startup Venture Capital Invest Slides 360

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 28, 2010

And having frameworks is a useful way to standardize your customer studies so that highly intelligent, inexperienced young people can crank out PowerPoint slides with such authority and beautiful consistency. I mean Porter’s Five forces is a useful framework but it’s basically microeconomics with a pretty wrapper.

Startup 378

Startup Framework Slides Coach 378

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 21, 2023

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. I outlined what investors expect to see in an old article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch.

Slides 147

Slides Funding Technical Review Startup 147

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

It could be that a larger competitor has met with its customers, promising to extend its product line into this very niche. So, do your homework especially well by putting yourself into the minds of your potential customers. If you are raising funds, list “do nothing” as a viable competitor in your slide deck.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Let’s assume you run a Customer Support software company. Do you simply begin by asking, “I’d love to understand what your objectives are in customer support? You need to identify a customer problem and talk about how your solution meets the needs of that problem. Where are your current pains?&#.

Sales 314

Sales Startup Venture Capital Customer 314

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2020

It allows investors to come into alignment with customers. Focus relentlessly and passionately on the customer. Bezos asserts that the advantage of being customer focused is that customers are always dissatisfied. Bezos asserts that the advantage of being customer focused is that customers are always dissatisfied.

Slides 137

Slides Customer Custom .Net 137

Eric Greenspan

DECEMBER 13, 2009

The first slide was entitled, “Once Upon a Time in Jorts&# as I found an old picture of myself and Jeremy Anticouni (we’ve worked together for 14 years, 3 companies) and sadly, I was wearing a pair of jorts. We talked about “ON IT,&# as a means to responding NOW to every customer request. It was a great day!

News 172

News Social Media Santa Barbara Customer 172

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 29, 2009

But it got me thinking about how often entrepreneurs overplay their PR so I thought I’d try to offer some advice and how to play PR with VCs (or more broadly with customers or business development partners). Put up your slide with the 5-6 logos of journals that have covered you. And only go back if you’re asked to.

Venture Capital 291

Venture Capital Press News Startup 291

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. Have minimums but a sliding scale. It’s basically an excuse for you to have a regular meeting with your customer.

Startup 298

Startup Sales Slides Metrics 298

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. I outlined what investors expect to see in an old article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch.

Startup 118

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 118

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 3, 2010

Packaging, pricing & discounts – In the early days of my first company we always had “list prices&# we quoted to customers and of course we were always willing to negotiate based on who the client was, how important the business was to us, who the competition was and how well the deal was negotiated. I was the laggard.

Sales 296

Sales Pricing Startup Customer 296

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 10, 2021

In the last few years I have seen a popular business model emerging which embodies a greater focus on social and environmental responsibility, and a new requirement for trust and sharing, as well as customer and community collaboration. Customers and team members must be inspired, rather than pushed.

Customer 140

Customer Custom Slides Commerce 140

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. Your potential customers could choose “do nothing.”. So, do your homework especially well by putting yourself into the minds of your potential customers. If you are raising funds, list “do nothing” as a viable competitor in your slide deck.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Sales Research 120

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

Fool A Fool – I sold surgical robots from PowerPoint slides in the early 1990’s, before the robots existed. As such, I understand the degree to which hand waving and vaporware can influence investors and potential customers. An interface that is engaging can fool customers into trying a sub-par product.

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

There are a million ways to make graphics lighter or resize your file without a huge impact on the quality of the slides?—?after after all you aren’t presenting this at TED. What should be in your deck? What should not be in your deck?

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Email 239

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 27, 2012

The Innovators Dilemma – which means that if you have large customers with big profit margins it’s impossible to throw that all away to destruct your industry. As per my video, think about the data in the following slide. I described that here in this post. And a Final Note on Whether Silicon Valley Opportunities Remain.

Technical Review 299

Technical Review Venture Capital Yammer Google 299

SoCal Tech Calendar

JULY 30, 2020

Join JJ Richa in a fireside chat with Scott Fox, CEO of the OC Startup Council, for a discussion of the top mistakes that early stage entrepreneurs make when pitching their startups for funding.

Entrepreneur 100

Entrepreneur Slides Startup Venture Capital 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. I outlined what investors expect to see in an old article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch.

Slides 105

Slides Technical Review Startup Research 105

socalTECH

MARCH 18, 2009

But it turns out that parents who used the site only wanted basic features, like the ability to see a picture of their kids sliding into third base. After your launch, you can improve the business by listening to your customers. Brian suggests taking Guy Kawasakis advice. When you launch, dont worry. Continued.).

Mixergy 113

Mixergy Slides Company Companies 113

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Another mistake many consultants make is to charge by the hour, and customers lose track and lose confidence as things change. Results” these days are not PowerPoint slides, or theories and recommendations. Have "customers", not "clients." This is a minor semantic point, but an important one to the customer.

Startup 150

Startup Slides Email Customer 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. I outlined what investors expect to see in another article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch.

Angel 102

Angel Funding Slides Technical Review 102