how to write a kick ass executive summary
Post on 19-Oct-2014
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SECURE YOUR FIRST INVESTOR MEETING:
CRITICAL HOW TO’S
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TODAY’S BIG PROMISES
Nothing Held Back
The Critical Stuff to Get Your First Meeting
One Time Opportunity at The End
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Are you in the right place?
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If you’re...
Starting or grow your own businessPursuing your passion for a new business
Creating or growing a real businessBuilding a world class business
Finding business funding
...then you are in the right place!
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It all started with this magic ingredient!
Beginning: Before the key discoveries - Two parts of the puzzle
Great ideaPassion to start my own business
I was working a 18 hour a day job whole I was putting it together
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Beginning: Before the key discoveries - Two parts of the puzzle
Great ideaPassion to start my own business
I was working a 18 hour a day job whole I was putting it together
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So what did I do?
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Created an email surveyWent to the stores to check out the competitors products
Created a prototypeWrote a business plan
Sent emails to everyone who I thought could helpMade calls
Then I waited....
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...then sent more emails...
and more....
and....
Well, you get it...
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...made more calls....
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...and waited some more...
...then the months of coffee shop meetings started...then
emails
emails
emails
Business Plan 1
Business Plan 2
Business Plan 3
Business Plan 4
Calls Calls
Executive Summary 1 Executive Summary 16
CallsCalls
Pitch Deck1
Pitch Deck47
Spent More than 14 months lost in the wilderness,looking for investors....
Waiting for even one investor to see the light...
I was ready to QUIT!
After a critical Mind shift.......and some good advice
I went from no investorsTo raising $250K in a few months
...then another $250K...then $6M
....then Ms more
WHY ARE YOU DOING IT?
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Why the Two Jobs?Why The Sacrifice?
Why take the Hard Way?Why Take the Risk?
SOME OF THE REASONS OTHER FOUNDERS HAVE GIVEN ME
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You have a Vision For Your FutureTo Create Wealth for You, Your Family and Your Community
To Have Freedom to Live Life Your WayTo Have a Fantastic, Exciting, Contributing Life
To Create JobsBecause You Have a Burning Passion to Do Something
WHY ARE YOU HERE?
Get Your First Investor Meeting...You Want Investors To:
‘Get’ What You Do
Understand How Great Your Opportunity is
Are Compelled to Meet You
SO LETS DO IT TOGETHER
How?You Need A
Kick Ass Executive Summary
To Make Sure InvestorsAre Desperate to Meet You
#1 GOAL
A Kick Ass Executive Summary Should:
Cover the Key Elements of Your Opportunity (And No More)
Help Qualify the Investors (In & Out)
Move You Quickly to the First Meeting with Qualified Investors
#1 Goal: Get You Your First Meeting
WHAT IT IS
A Kick Ass Executive Summary Is:
The ‘Essence’ of Your business in 1-2 pages
The Most Compelling Elements of Your Business
A succinct way to communicate the info investors most often want to read to qualify initial opportunities
WHAT IT ISN’T
A Kick Ass Executive Summary Is NOT:
Your One Chance to ‘Sell’ an Investor
The Opportunity to tell them EVERYTHING about your business
A license to bore them (every word needs to count...)
WHY LEARN THIS?
Why bother?
Executive Summaries are relatively ‘standard’ - learn it once and use it forever
Its a recognized way to get your foot in the door - know the formula and you can engage any investors
Its a No BS doc to help you connect with the Right Investors for You - and securing a life long business partner
NEXT
Executive Summary - Winning Best Practices
Format
Key Elements - Broken Down
Best Practices
CRITICALThere’s a format that works...
Executive Summaries cover JUST the key elements Investors want to know before they’ll take the next step
We’ll cover the key elements of a what a Kick Ass Executive Summary should include
Get It Right - and the Right Investors for You will WANT to meet for your First Meeting
Get it Right - and the Wrong Investors WON’T WANT to meet so you won’t waste your time pursuing them - NB: its better this way...because you either can’t or shouldn’t ‘close’ the wrong investor - its just bad news...
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TEST
What’s Your #1 Goal?
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#1 GOAL
Get Your First Meeting
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KEY ELEMENTS
Company OverviewThe OpportunityThe SolutionThe MarketThe CompetitorsYou Business ModelThe TeamCurrent ProgressCapital RequirementsCall to Action
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For a Kick Ass Executive Summary
COMPANY OVERVIEW
This is Your Introduction
Outlines What Your Business Does with Impact
How You Address a Key Demand or Need
Hook the Investor by addressing how Big an idea or Market this could be for the right Company and Team
...with as little hyperbole as possible
....avoid a gazillion dollar market estimates
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THE OPPORTUNITYThis Tells Them What and How Big Your Opportunity Is
Key Elements to Communicate:
This is a Huge Opportunity (Size / Gap / Problem / Need)
You Really Understand the Space (Interactions / Experience)
You’ve Done Your Homework (Ref. Customer feedback)
Don’t Get Caught up in the Data or showing your expertise (Entice the Investor)
Don’t Bore The Investors
Succinct but Impactful
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THE SOLUTIONThis Tells Them How You and Your Team will Address the Huge
Opportunity
Key Elements to Communicate:
Summary of Your Solution (Sound Bite / Big Idea)
Your Key Elements Addressing Need/Problem/Opportunity
Strong Close and Transition to Market Size
Don’t Get Carried Away with the “HOW”, emphasize the “WHY”
Good to reference Initial Customer or Consumer Feedback / Market Insights
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THE MARKETThis Tells Them What Space You Will be Competing in and
Reinforces the Opportunity
Key Elements to Communicate:
How BIG Your Market Is; How You Calculate it
Market trends - Hyper Growth? Growth? Decline?
The Channel Composition: Where’s the Power?
Market Size - Big enough to show upside, not too big to be unrealistic
Overview key Competitors as part of landscape discussion - go into depth on competitors in the next Section
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THE COMPETITORSThis Tells Them If The Market Is Worthwhile and The Difficulty
of Penetration
Key Elements to Communicate:
Top 3- 5 Competitors (Size / Longevity / Offerings)
Competitor Weaknesses (Ideally from Customer Feedback)
Barriers to Entry You Can Create After Launch / Growth
Common Mistakes: Telling the Investors there are no real competitors. There are always competitors, even if its just for mind share or share of wallet
Competitors are good - they validate a market.
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YOUR BUSINESS MODELThis Tells Them How You Create Value and Extract it from Your
Market
Key Elements to Communicate:
Business Model Overview (Value Proposition Sound Bite)
How You Make Money (Focus on 1, mention others)
Who Will Buy Your Product or Service (Target Consumers / Customers / Partners)
The More Real Proof That People are Prepared to Pay - the better your Valuation (Risk Mitigators Vs. Risk Takers)
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THE TEAMThis Tells Them Who Is Going to Achieve Your Vision, Goals and
Milestones
Key Elements to Communicate:
Who They Are (Name, Function, Snapshot of Experience)
Why the Investor Should have Confidence / Why This Team?
Track Record (Esp. in the Space/Market)
Note: Negatives can be positives
Gaps: Show You Are Aware and Have a Plan to Fill
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CURRENT PROGRESSThis Tells Them How Far You Have Taken This Business So Far
Key Elements to Communicate:
Progress Overview
Customer Progress: Contract? Commitment? Test? First Meet
Consumer Progress: Paying? Beta Testing? Letters of Intent?
Product Progress: Concept, Prototype, Beta, V1, Finished
Team Building: Key Hires, Outstanding Hires
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CAPITAL REQUIREMENTSThis Tells Them How Much You Will Raise and Key Milestones to
be Achieved with Funds
Key Elements to Communicate:
Capital Funding Required
Key Milestones to be achieved with Funds: Customer / Consumer / Product / Team / Infrastructure
Common Mistakes: Including Your Expected Valuation
Common Mistakes: Allocating a significant amount to marketing in an effort to ‘create the market’
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CLOSEThis Tells Them You Will Follow Up to Schedule The First
Meeting
Key Elements to Communicate:
When You Will Contact Them (Within the next 7 Days)
How (Call / Email)
If they would like to follow up - Your Contact Details
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3 COMMON MISTAKES
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Why Some Executive Summaries Aren’t Kick Ass
Try to Cram In Too Much TextCreate your Draft (using our Software if you have it), make sure you meet the format guidelinesPay Yourself $5 for every word you can cut out without changing the meaningThe Pay Someone Else $5 to do the same :)Every word is an excuse to stop reading - cut out BS. If its 8 pt font, this is YOUR problem!
Not Enough ‘Proof ’ i.e. too theoreticalFocus on proof e.g Paying customers, beta testers, experienced team, market expertiseWithout these (Ideas): Customer surveys, strong advisory board, letters of intent, customer verbatim / meetings
You Forget the GoalYour #1 Goal is to Get a Meeting Scheduled! Not To Close!
ENGAGING INVESTORS
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WHAT TODAY GAVE YOUThe Critical Elements to Create Your Own Kick Ass Executive
Summary: This is a MUST HAVE!
Once You Know How to Create a Kick Ass Executive Summary:
You can Now get a Face-To-Face meeting with Any Investors - if they’re potentially the ‘Right’ Investors
You Now Can Successfully Start the Fund Raising Process for the Rest of Your Entrepreneurial Career
You Can realize your entrepreneurial Ambitions and Vision for Your Future
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CONGRATULATIONS!You’ve Done It!
You Have Covered all the Key Elements:
You know what’s included in a Kick Ass Executive Summary
The Winning Best Practices and Format
3 of the Common Challenges to Avoid
If you have Questions or Follow Up Requirements, we’ll outline a couple of additional options next...
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REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE DOING IT...
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You have a Vision For Your FutureTo Create Wealth for You, Your Family and Your Community
To Have Freedom to Live Life Your WayTo Have a Fantastic, Exciting, Contributing Life
To Create Jobs
TODAY
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Focused on:
Helping Passionate Founders Start, Grow and Get Ideal Investors for their Businesses through:
Coaching & Training
Workshops
Products (Funding Academy)
ADVICEThis Kick Ass Executive Summary Information is the Core of
What You Need
Additional Help is Available
Kick Ass Executive Summary Software
“Done For You” Choices:
Choice 1: We’ll Work with You to Create Your Executive Summary
Choice 2: I’ll Work with You to Create Your Executive Summary
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I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU
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Create Your Kick Ass Executive Summary Together
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Kick Ass Executive Summary Software
www.thefundingguru.com/go/kicksoft
THANKS
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Funding Academy
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