Don’t describe yourself.

“How else will they know why I’m there? Silly Ashley.”

But think about it! They know you’re there.

Unless you’ve stormed the building and interrupted a meeting in the manner of a 1980s blockbuster, that conversation is part of a natural, growing relationship… but this pitch, your product— this is why you’re there!

The first few moments of a pitch are precious. This isn’t time to waste. Stop using that time to talk about your life story.

You aren’t meeting to talk about your passions as a person, you’re there to discuss a problem and how you plan to take the solution and make a shitton of money for the investors who entrust you with their capital.

So. Listen up.

When you’re wondering what to talk about after the title slide is out of the way and you’ve presented any disclaimers, listen closely. You’re going to be tempted to discuss who you are, and how you came to be. But resist!

Don’t describe yourself. Describe the problem.

This does not count as an applicable problem for your pitch deck. But we’re on the right track..

Take your story – and find the data that can support why it’s a problem with a market. If you saw a trend happening when you were going through a specific problem, when you look at the slide, think about that problem as a whole – not just your story.

You as a presenter are going to bring the passion and any emotion – the deck needs to show a specific plan, because it’s a visual support of the story you bring.