How to Make a Business Plan Presentation

by Brian Hill, Demand Media Presenting your business plan is an important step in raising capital. Making a presentation to prospective investors is stressful for nearly all entrepreneurs. Even if they are confident their business plan is well thought out, they still worry that they will not be able to e press the most important aspects of their plan and engage the investors! interest in the short time allotted for the in"person presentation. #he keys to a successful presentation are advance preparation and rehearsal until your delivery is smooth and polished. Preparing the Presentation $tep % &utline the presentation. Many times, the presentation is done with computer software slides. 'sing these can ensure you don!t forget anything important during the presentation. (reate an outline of what points you want to make on each slide. $tep ) *ntroduce yourself, your company and its products. Describe the markets you serve, the customer issues you solve and why your solution is a significant advancement on anything else available at the present time. #his information should encompass the first two to three slides. $tep + Demonstrate the si,e of the market for your products- e plain that it is a large or rapidly emerging market and how it will increase within the three to five year time frame of your business plan. $tep . $how the competitive advantages your venture has that will lead to outstanding revenue growth and profitability. *nclude a chart that shows pro/ected revenues and preta profits for the ne t three to five years. #hese slides get your audience e cited about the investment potential of your venture early in the presentation. $tep 0 Discuss your marketing strategies. Describe your distribution channels, or how you will get the products to the customers, and sales strategies, or how you will convince the customers to purchase your products. $tep 1 *ntroduce the management team and advisory board members. 2ou only have time to make one or two points about each person!s background and e perience. #ell your audience how each person on the team brings a critical element necessary for your company!s success.

$tep 3 Prepare a slide that shows the total amount of capital you need and a short list of ma/or e penditures. Rehearsing and Presenting $tep % Determine how long the presentation will be, including time for 4uestions. *f you are meeting with venture capitalists, they will provide you with a time frame. *f you are presenting to an angel group or a venture capital forum, they will provide a time limit for your presentation and, 4uite often, a suggested outline. $tep ) 5ehearse your presentation with colleagues. *nvite members of your management team or trusted associates into a conference room and conduct a dress rehearsal of the presentation. 6et their feedback on what parts of the presentation might need editing or clarification. #ime your presentation and cut it down if necessary. 5ehearse the presentation several more times on your own. $tep + 5ela and be yourself at the presentation. #he investors want to learn about you as well as your business plan. Perform deep breathing e ercises in order to rela prior to going into the meeting. 5emember to engage potential investors with eye contact. $mile and present an image of confidence. Be enthusiastic about your venture!s prospects for success. 5emember not to rush your presentation. Tip

(lose the presentation with a sense of urgency. $how why now is the right time for your company to enter the market. #iming is often critical with early stage companies. Warning

Don!t try to fit your entire business plan into the presentation. #oo many slides can result in information overload for the people you are presenting to, and they will not remember the most important pieces of information. #en to twelve slides is sufficient.

About the Author

Brian Hill is the author of four popular business and finance books7 8#he Making of a Bestseller,8 8*nside $ecrets to 9enture (apital,8 8:ttracting (apital from :ngels8 and his latest book, published in );%+, 8#he Pocket $mall Business &wner<s 6uide to Business Plans.8