With TSB and Emerald Group further growing their consulting practices, assisting numerous startups and early-stage companies to seeking investments, we thought we would pen down some useful points to help you hit the right spot with investors and get your pitch over the line!
It all starts with your investment teaser. The investment teaser, as the name suggests, is simply a page or two (or a slide or two) about your business which includes the underlying idea, the founders and their vision for the company, information about your offerings and your scaling strategy. The purpose of the teaser is simply to highlight your company and convince a potential investor that they want to know more about you and what you do!
Once your teaser is circulated, investors may express an interest to know more about your company and this is exactly where your business plan and investor pitch deck comes in handy.
Make sure you understand your business, your numbers (and projections) are realistic and your strategy for the short, medium and long term is clearly spelt out. The investor deck must be clear; it should be a lucid document that is precise, not too long and gives a clear idea about every aspect of your business.
The next step is the pitch itself. While many consulting firms assist with only the first two steps, but TSB also go that extra mile to ensure that you are pitch ready. Our teams work with the founders and the key stakeholders of your company to ensure that your company come across as ‘investible’.
Remember, it is very easy to mess up the perfect pitch. Thus, you need to be calm and confident. A hint of nervousness is understandable; the first 30 minutes or so, that you get with an investor, is the most instrumental in shaping the growth of your company. Always remember your key numbers, all assumptions behind your projections, your positioning in the market and of course, every aspect of your offering. You need to be humble as we’ve seen numerous investors getting turned off by overconfident entrepreneurs!
Finally, if you’ve cleared all these steps, and your investor still wants to talk, it means that you’re much closer to securing the investment. This is where various rounds of due diligence starts. Make sure you’re on the right legal standing, all your numbers add up, your background checks check out, and there is no red flag that might worry the investor.
The whole process from start to finish could take as little as a couple of months to as much as a year (or more). At TSB, we assist you through the entire range of steps, right from getting your investor pitch and business plan ready, to pitching, coaching, and assisting with your due diligence. To know more about how we can assist you, drop us a line at
consult@thestrategyboutique.com
.