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How to Effectively Pitch a Business Idea

• 27 Aug 2020

You’ve identified an underserved need and validated your startup idea . Now it’s time to talk about your business to potential investors. Yet, how do you effectively communicate your idea’s promise and possible impact on the market?

Pitching a business idea is one of the most nerve-wracking parts of any entrepreneur’s journey. It’s what stands in the way between your vision and the financing needed to turn it into a reality. Although daunting, there are steps you can take to ensure a greater chance of success.

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What Makes a Great Pitch?

To make a successful pitch, entrepreneurs must exhibit several characteristics to convince investors to fund their innovative ideas .

Every entrepreneur needs an intricate understanding of their idea, target market, growth strategy, product-market fit , and overall business model . This differentiates your business concept and solidifies the steps needed to make it a reality. The perfect pitch shows investors your proof of concept and instills confidence that they can expect a return on investment .

Another crucial component of a successful pitch is understanding the venture capital (VC) ecosystem.

“It’s critical for entrepreneurs to understand the background and motivations of venture capitalists so when entrepreneurs seek them out to help fund their venture, they know what to prioritize in a firm and how to build a strong, trusting relationship,” says Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Bussgang in the online course Launching Tech Ventures .

To secure funding and support, here are essential steps to ensure your pitch is effective.

How to Pitch a Business Idea

1. know who you’re pitching.

Some entrepreneurs try to get in front of every investor, despite their industry expertise or firm’s investment stage. Consider that, when you accept an investment, it’s about more than money; you enter a partnership. You must perform your due diligence and research potential investors before making your pitch.

When researching, ask yourself:

What industries do they invest in?

A VC firm’s industry focus depends on what the partners’ niche is and where their passions lie. Some firms specialize in a particular sector, such as financial technology (fintech) or education technology (edtech).

For example, Rethink Education is a venture capital fund that invests in early- and growth-stage edtech startups, while Blockchain Capital is dedicated to financing companies innovating in the crypto market. Others are generalists and span several industries.

Knowing the types of companies the firm invests in can help you tailor your pitch and zero in on their presumed priorities.

What stage do they invest in?

If you’re in the earliest stages of business development, you won’t receive growth equity, which is reserved for mature companies that need capital to expand operations, enter a new market, or acquire another business. Before making your pitch, have a rough estimate of the money and resources you need to launch, and then align yourself with investors who can help at that particular stage.

What’s the investor’s track record?

Dig deeper into the investor’s experience and investment history to determine the types of companies they typically finance, the background knowledge they might already have, and whether your personalities will mesh. This information will enable you to modify your pitch and determine if this is the right person or fund to partner with.

“The best venture capitalists become trusted partners and advisors to the founders and team,” says HBS Professor William Sahlman in the online course Entrepreneurship Essentials . “They help recruit key employees. They introduce the company to potential customers. They help raise subsequent rounds of capital. In some cases, they signal that the firm they've backed is a winner, which helps make that assertion true.”

Given the benefits and high stakes, the more you know going into a pitch, the better.

2. Consider How You Present Yourself, Not Simply Your Idea

Although your ideas and skills matter , your personality is equally as important. According to research published in the Harvard Business Review , venture capitalists’ interest in a startup “was driven less by judgments that the founder was competent than by perceptions about character and trustworthiness.”

Investors also want to know they’re entering a partnership with the right people. Jennifer Fonstad, co-founder of Aspect Ventures , acknowledges in Entrepreneurship Essentials that her investment firm “thinks about team and team dynamics as being very critical.”

Investors want to know whether the founders have worked together before, if your startup’s early hires have complementary skill sets, and whether you’ll be flexible, open-minded, and willing to embrace different perspectives.

Think about this as you prepare your pitch. If investors poke holes in your idea, will you get defensive? When they ask for financial projections, will you exaggerate the numbers? Hopefully, your answers are “no”—firms want to partner with founders they can trust who are open to guidance and mentorship—but if you’re second-guessing your reactions, consider what you might be asked and practice your responses.

As Sahlman reinforces in Entrepreneurship Essentials : “Most experienced investors look at the people first and the opportunity second. Even when a team is young and inexperienced, an investor depends on them to make the right decisions.”

3. Tell a Story

When describing your business idea, zero in on the problem you address for your target audience and how you solve it better than the competition. You could do this by presenting a real-life scenario in which you describe the pain point a current or prospective customer faced and how your product or service fixed the issue. This can help engage investors on a personal level and inspire them to see your idea’s potential.

By complementing your spreadsheets and charts with a compelling story, you can paint a fuller picture of your startup’s future and more effectively highlight its business opportunity.

4. Cover the Details

While it’s important to set the stage, you also need to cover the specifics. In your pitch deck, concisely define your value proposition and share a memorable tagline for investors to leave the meeting with.

According to Bussgang in Launching Tech Ventures , every pitch to an investor should contain the following:

• Intro: Focus on answering important questions like who you are, why you’re asking for funding, and what your founder-market fit is.
• Problem: Talk about your ideal customer’s pain point and how you plan to solve it.
• Solution: Explain how your idea is a compelling solution and why it’s better than existing solutions.
• Opportunity and Market Size: Provide your total addressable market (TAM), serviceable addressable market (SAM), and serviceable obtainable market (SOM) through research.
• Competitive Analysis: Understand your unique differences in the market that can help you sustain a competitive advantage.
• Go-to-Market Plan: Clarify how you’re going to reach your customers.
• Business Model: Describe how you’re going to make money.
• Financials: Define what your financial projections are and how you’re going to provide returns for investors.
• The Ask: Detail how much funding you need, how long it will last, and what milestones you hope to achieve.

“VCs will expect entrepreneurs to clearly define the milestones they need to achieve with each round of funding,” Bussgang continues. “Entrepreneurs should know what experiments they will run to reach these milestones and what they expect the results will be.”

5. Show the Roadmap

Although you’re in your business’s early stages, investors want to know how they’ll cash out in the end.

“To truly understand the motivations behind VC firms, remember that they are professional investors,” Bussgang explains in Launching Tech Ventures . “Their objective is to generate the maximum return for their limited partners with a dual fiduciary duty to their investors and the company.”

To clinch your pitch, highlight your exit strategy and the options available.

The most common exit strategies include:

• Acquisition: When one company buys most or all of another company’s shares to gain control of it
• Merger: When two existing companies unite into one new company
• Initial Public Offering (IPO): When a private company issues its first sale of stocks to the public and can start raising capital from public investors

Related: What Are Mergers & Acquisitions? 4 Key Risks

3 Kinds of Pitches for Entrepreneurs

While all effective pitches share foundational elements, you should use different types depending on the scenario. To increase your chances of success, tailor your pitch to your audience and the available time frame.

1. The Elevator Pitch

This is one of the most popular pitches. Use this when you need to communicate their startup’s value in 60 seconds or less.

An effective elevator pitch should be concise, convincing, and convey your startup’s value proposition and differentiators. For tech business ideas, mention the innovative technology that sets your concept apart. At the end, include a call to action, such as the amount of capital required to launch.

2. The Short-Form Pitch

You should portray your business idea’s value to prospective clients and investors as efficiently as possible. This means summarizing the most important elements of your idea in a way that makes them want to hear more. Highlight the market size, how you’ll create barriers for competition, your plan to monetize the business, and how much financing you need.

Short-form pitches can run from three to 10 minutes; if you’re pitching in a competitive setting, note any length requirements. These shorter pitches can pique investors’ interest and earn you the chance to present a long-form pitch.

3. The Long-Form Pitch

Sometimes, you’re fortunate enough to have more than a few minutes to pitch your idea. If this opportunity presents itself, it’s crucial to make the most of your time and address every aspect of your business plan.

“You’re not just trying to start any business,” Bussgang says in Launching Tech Ventures . “You’re trying to create a business that’s profitable, sustainable, and valuable.

Zero in on your story and share a real-life scenario. Detail the market size to illustrate demand and clear examples of how you’ll attract and retain customers, particularly in light of competitors. This will show you’re planning for—and ahead of—future challenges.

You should also have a blueprint for testing product-market fit and early results, along with a detailed monetization plan. Lastly, share your exit strategy and the amount of capital needed to, one day, achieve it. Your long-form pitch should communicate your business concept clearly and concisely, open the possibility for follow-up questions, and capture the investors’ interest.

Consider preparing all three pitch lengths to be ready for any opportunity. It’s important to stay agile so you can modify your pitch to fit specific length requirements.

Landing the Pitch

Every investor prioritizes different data and information. Yet, if you start by choosing the right investor and then align their needs with your proposed market opportunity, value proposition, and exit strategy, you have a chance at landing the pitch.

“In some ways, startup success depends just as much on whether your hypothesis about the future is right, as it does on whether your idea is a good one,” Bussgang explains in Launching Tech Ventures .

As a result, it’s important for you to do your due diligence before pitching your business idea to investors.

If you’re interested in learning more about what investors look for and how you can create value, explore Entrepreneurship Essentials and Launching Tech Ventures , two of our entrepreneurship and innovation courses . Not sure which is the right fit? Download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

This post was updated on July 28, 2023. It was originally published on August 27, 2020.

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How to Make a Successful Business Pitch: 9 Tips From Experts

You’ve just had your lunch, and you’re about to get back to work. 

While making your post-lunch tea (or coffee), you can’t stop thinking about being your own boss. 

You wonder if it’s about time for you to turn your side hustle into a full-time business and become an entrepreneur. 

Or perhaps you want to propose the idea of a four-day workweek to your CEO. 

If you want to introduce investors and prospects to your business idea and convince them to take the plunge with you,  you need a strong and persuasive business pitch. 

How to create a persuasive business pitch according to experts 

The good news — it’s possible to craft a convincing and successful business pitch. 

Even better news: This Piktochart business pitch guide shows you how. 

Grab your drink of choice and take notes as we explore the different ways to pitch business ideas (from a sales-style elevator pitch to an innovative workplace pitch), as well as understand what makes a great business pitch. You’ll also get a glimpse into our business pitch templates, and learn expert advice from those who have pitched their way to success (and failure too). 

You can also watch the video below if you don’t have time to go over this guide. It’s also easier to follow along if you sign up for a free Piktochart account and edit the templates yourself (learning by doing).

What is a business pitch? 

A business pitch is a presentation of a business idea to a group of people who can help turn your idea into a reality.

You can pitch to: 

• Investors who can help fund your idea
• Potential customers who will pay for your product or service
• Advocates who will support your idea

In some cases, a business pitch doesn’t have to be all about presenting a new idea. You could be asking for more funding or continued support for an already established business venture. 

Whether through an investment, purchase, or advocacy, a business pitch becomes successful if you can convince people to believe in your idea or pique their interest and get them to learn more. 

Now that you understand what a business pitch is, let’s take a closer look at the different types of business pitches. 

Types of pitches in business

Your business pitch can be narrowed down to the following five types of presentations: 

1. Investor pitch

In this type of business pitch, you present a  persuasive presentation or pitch deck to a group of potential business partners and/or investors. 

Sign up for a free Piktochart account to get started on creating professional-looking pitch deck templates that you can edit in minutes.

An investor business pitch should typically last for 45 minutes . The best practice for this type of pitch is 20-30 minutes of presentation followed by discussion or a Q&A afterward.

Alternatively, business pitch competitions follow a different best practice. These presentations should last around five to 10 minutes and focus on pitching to investors.

Lastly, the most stringent type of business pitch is most commonly referred to as an ‘elevator pitch’, and should only last around 30-60 seconds.

Let’s dive in so you can learn how to make the perfect business pitch!

2. Sales pitch 

The goal of a sales pitch is to answer the question “What’s in it for me?” from the lens of the potential customer. 

The best and most effective salespeople can make a sales pitch in as short as one minute. Also known as the ‘ elevator pitch ‘, this type of business pitch should be able to be delivered in a single elevator ride (30-60 seconds on average). In this format, a short sales pitch should include four key components:

• Your unique product name and category
• The specific problem you are trying to solve
• The innovative solution you offer
• the unique selling point of benefit to your solution

3. Product pitch 

A product pitch is similar to a sales pitch, however, the spotlight should be on the product and/or solution itself. 

For example, a sales pitch for an email automation software will highlight one or two of its benefits. Meanwhile, a product pitch of the same automation software will focus more on its features, how it works, and how you can integrate the software into your existing setup. 

In a product pitch, you should aim to:

• Explain your product or offering clearly and concisely
• Identify and address the target audience and/or industry your product supports
• Specify the problem the aforementioned faces and how your solution can solve it
• Provide a realistic example of your solution in action
• Make sure to use accurate facts backed up by relevant and recent data

4. Job pitch 

If you’re applying for a job or internship and you’re wondering how you can stand out from the crowd (consisting of your peers and other qualified applicants), consider pitching yourself to a prospective employer. 

Applying the same logic used for a sales or product pitch deck; sell yourself!

A job pitch or personal summary pitch should be concise, personalized, and consistent. In a job pitch you should include:

• A brief introduction to you
• An explanation as to why you’re a great fit for the company and role
• Relevant experience and achievements
• Your goals and career aspirations

“It’s not about bragging or showing off — it’s about giving the other person evidence that you can actually do what you say you can do,” assures Starla Sampaco , TV news anchor at KCTS 9 and founder of Career Survival Guide .

5. Workplace pitching 

Do you have an idea or initiative that will help your colleagues and help boost the company’s profitability?  Pitch it internally within your workplace, to your team or boss! 

For example, you can pitch a  remote-first culture  or the four-day workweek to your HR, and/or the rest of the leadership team.

Another workplace pitch example? Maybe you might want to propose the creation of a new role in your team which can help advance your career and address a challenge in the organization at the same time. 

To do this, simply create a pitch deck including your main points, the benefits, and proposed next steps to turn your idea into a reality. Piktochart’s workplace pitch decks can help you get your point across through our workplace templates.

The structure of a successful business pitch 

If creating a business pitch sounds intimidating, the team at Piktochart has your back. 

You can address this worry by making sure that you have a business pitch structure that is sure to succeed, using our tips & templates. 

When you have a formulated pitch deck structure, template, and agenda, you’ll know exactly what you’re going to say next, taking the bulk of the stress out of presenting. Additionally, these best practice presentation structures make your business pitch more memorable to your audience and leave a lasting impression. Statistically, it turns out that people retain structured information up to  40 percent more accurately  than information presented in freeform. 

The WHAC Method

Whether you’re pitching to a group of potential investors or you’re selling real estate, use the WHAC method when structuring your perfect business pitch. 

The WHAC method is introduced in  The 3 Minute Rule   by Brandt Pividic, an award-winning film director and television producer. He wrote the book to detail his experience and tips as he made hundreds of pitches in Hollywood. 

This well-known WHAC method stands for: 

What is it and what do you offer? 

You start your business pitch by answering the questions: what is it, and what do you offer? 

At this point, you share your business plan and quickly outline the problem and solution you offer. For example, let’s say that you want to pitch the idea of having a UX researcher on your product team. 

You list down existing problems and challenges that your team and/or organization are currently experiencing without a dedicated UX researcher. Afterward, you propose your solution — hiring someone who can step in and do user research. 

How does it work? 

Next, explain your proposal. Provide a quick summary of the benefits of your solution. In our example, share how the UX researcher will help the product team accomplish its objectives.

It can be tricky explaining how your business idea works. Figuring out how to deliver this information in an entertaining and simple manner can turn potential investors into partners, as we’ve seen from some of the best startup pitch decks .

Since you don’t have much time and attention spans are short, the key is to boil down how your idea works into a few key points. Explain how it works from a high-level overview and weave this in as part of your compelling story.

Are you sure? 

Once you have provided the solution, the people listening to your elevator pitch are likely saying to themselves, “will it really work?”

This is the point where you have to provide solid proof in your pitch. You can use testimonials, a short case study, or statistics.

You should also mention financial projections in order to leave a positive impression. If your manager or potential investors will provide funding for your idea, they’ll want to know what the ROI is.

Can you do it? 

The final part of your pitch should answer this question.

Now that your audience has heard you talk about the problem, solution, and proof that it works, you need to show them how you’re going to implement the solution. Think of this point as the “actionable” part of your pitch. You can even provide steps to break down how this can be achieved in a certain timeframe.

“Show how you have thought about how to turn your idea into a commercial outcome or true partnership. This is really an opportunity to start or continue building trust and showing that you care about creating real value for the people in the room is the best way to put you on the right foot,” shares Michael Rosenbaum , CEO of Spacer ,  one of the biggest parking marketplaces in the U.S. 

Like any good sales pitch, you need to show how achievable the results are. At this particular stage, you need to tie in any additional information to show what resources or specific and unique skills are required to make it happen.

Being transparent about what’s required can build trust with potential investors.

How to persuade your audience with your business pitch 

Now that you know the best practice structure of a successful business pitch, take note of the following tips to help make your business pitch more interesting, relatable, and most of all, convince your audience to say “yes”. 

1. Understand what your audience wants from you 

It’s standard advice across all facets of industry to “know your audience”.  

However, if you’d like to become better at your business pitches, go the extra mile by understanding what your audience wants from you. 

There’s a  difference between understanding and knowing  your audience. Instead of just  knowing  where your client comes from, try to  understand  their pain points, goals, and motivation. 

How do you do this? 

Talk to them in advance, read about the things they publish online (tweets, blog posts), and understand what excites them. By doing so, you’ll be able to tailor your business pitch to their needs, wants, and preferences. 

For example, if you’re pitching to potential clients and investors who are eco-conscious at the same time, it makes sense to highlight how your idea can positively impact the environment. 

Stephen Keighery , CEO of Home Buyer Louisiana and Founder of Bald Eagle Investments USA, shares this tip when it comes to customizing your pitch to your audience: 

“Learn ahead and research about the company or the client you’ll be pitching to, just be sure that every information you obtain is for public knowledge. You can also observe their behavior and their words during the transaction; and perhaps while pitching, use the jargon they use to establish connection and a favorable impression to them.”

2. Have your elevator pitch ready 

Imagine this. You just bumped into Mark Cuban of Shark Tank at the airport lounge, and you can’t believe that you’re sitting next to him! He looks at you and asks you about yourself and what you do. 

This is when you need your elevator pitch handy! 

The Asana team recommends the following  elements of a good elevator pitch : 

• Introduction
• Value proposition
• CTA (call to action)

You don’t have to follow the exact formula. You can mix it up based on the situation, your personality, and the audience you’re pitching to. 

It’s also worth noting that you might not immediately notice the benefit of your elevator pitch.  Think of it as an opportunity for you to make a great first impression. 

3. Use visual aids

If you have the chance to present beyond the elevator pitch, you should never pitch with a presentation that’s filled with texts, numbers, or endless rows of data. 

As humans, our  brains are hardwired to love visuals   — from photographs to infographics to icons. 

When pitching an idea, product, or service, get your audience’s attention (and support!) by telling a story visually and adding a bit of creativity to your PowerPoint slides. 

Images trigger empathy  which in turn can make your audience understand your pitch better. 

The more they understand your idea, the greater the likelihood of angel investors, venture capitalists, and potential customers supporting or advocating for you. 

Another added benefit is that  visuals can elicit emotions  and emotions play an important role in decision-making. 

Watch these 10 legendary pitch decks for visual inspiration.

4. Explain your business model clearly

When pitching to investors, imagine them asking, “what’s in it for me?”. 

After learning about how your idea can help solve a problem, they’re interested in how you’re going to advertise to your target market and generate revenue consistently. 

Johannes Larsson , CEO of  Financer.com  explains that being able to articulate their business model was what made them successful in getting business partners on board. 

“We were relatively unknown in the industry, so it took us quite a few tries before we signed our first deal. After that, however, things became much easier — not just because we were building up a name for ourselves but also because we improved our approach. We learned that being able to clearly explain our business model was the key to earning potential partners’ trust. Once we mastered that, we focused on providing proof of fruitful partnerships. It was obvious that this information was what our affiliates cared about, so we made sure to gather evidence of our success and present it in every pitch.”

5. Weave your passion or story with your pitch

Your business pitch doesn’t have to sound like you’re reading it straight from a script that someone else wrote for you. 

When appropriate, add a bit of your personal touch.  In short, humanize your pitch and slide deck. 

It will not only improve your relatability factor but also make you feel less nervous. After all, you’re talking about something that you’re passionate about. 

Take it from Debbie Chew, an SEO Specialist at  Dialpad .

“As part of my hiring process, I had to pitch a marketing campaign idea. I started brainstorming a list of potential ideas and their projected impact to decide which one to go with. While doing this, one idea kept coming back to me, and I realized I was most passionate about pitching a campaign related to video meetings. People now spend so much of their time in video meetings, but how much time? And how can we have better meetings? So I built my pitch around this concept and really enjoyed pitching my idea (which also helped me feel less nervous),” shares Chew.  If you can share a personal story or something you’re passionate about in your pitch — while also tying it back to your audience — they won’t forget it. And yes, I got the job!” 

6. Put the spotlight on benefits

Once you have your audience’s attention, circle back to how your product or service will address customer needs and benefit business partners. 

For  Carsten Schaefer  of  Trust.io , it boils down to being able to share the benefits of your product or service from the get-go. 

“When I first had to get funding for my product, I had to deliver a sales pitch in front of a board of investors. It didn’t succeed, and I learned a lot from it. “Investors want cold, hard facts and the benefits to the end-user. In the end, they want to see if it makes money for them or not. I’m glad I failed because I learned that for an effective sales pitch, you really need to put yourself in the shoes of someone thinking about profit and pure common sense from a business perspective.

Create a successful business pitch

Select a template that sparks your imagination. Clone, add or delete blocks. Visualize concepts, processes, lists, timelines and data. Use charts and graphs. Sync them with spreadsheets. Export the visual in PDF or PNG format. Start for free.

7. Highlight why you’re different from the competition

Your business pitch is also an opportunity for you to explain what sets you apart from other businesses or organizations, and essentially explain your unique selling point. What makes your idea different? Why is your business model unique? 

It also helps to address relevant competition head-on in your pitch. For  Brogan Renshaw  of Firewire Digital, this tactic shows clients and investors that you’re an expert on what you are talking about, giving them confidence in your offering.

“I notice that this is a part of my business pitches that completely wins the client over because it answers their questions and concerns on the market position of competitors,” says Renshaw. 

8. Share the story behind your team

Investors and business partners are also curious about the people, employees, as well as the team behind your idea. When creating this presentation slide in your pitch deck, don’t forget to include information highlighting your team and each team member’s relevant skills. 

“Investors want to know whether the founders have worked together before, if your startup’s early hires have complementary skill sets, and whether you’ll be flexible, open-minded, and willing to embrace different perspectives, “  writes  Lauren Landry ,  associate director of marketing and communications for Harvard Business School Online.

9. Have an impressive one-pager

As its name implies, a one-pager is a one-page document outlining your business plan and mission. Think of it as a business brochure . With Piktochart’s online brochure maker , you can easily create one within minutes.

Imagine that an investor or client is too busy to listen to your pitch, you can simply email or hand out your one-pager; your entire business pitch in an easy-to-digest format.  

According to Greg Cullen , Sr. Account Executive at Dialpad, your one-pager should have these three components: 

• What is the business pain?
• How the solution you’re positioning can solve said business pain
• The value of the solution accompanied by the resulting positive impact by moving forward with the platform

“This one-pager condenses everything that is important succinctly into an easy-to-digest easy to digest format for everyone to read – and it ensures that all parties are on the same page. And most importantly, this can be used by the champion you’re working with to sell this internally, whether it’s to the CEO, procurement, etc. The better you make this one-pager, the better the result you’ll have,” recommends Cullen. 

Get funding, win clients, and gain support with Piktochart’s pitch deck creator 

While it may be nerve-wracking, particularly if it’s the first time that you’re creating a business pitch, use the expert tips above as your guideposts for a successful pitch. 

You’ll eventually find your very own unique style and approach to business pitching as you do it more frequently.

If you need help creating any type of business or personal pitch deck, create your pitch deck quickly with Piktochart’s pitch deck creator. The first step is to get your free Piktochart account .

Want additional insight on how to better prepare and deliver a business pitch that you’ll be presenting online? Go to our guide to stress-free, engaging Zoom presentations .

We’re rooting for you and your business!

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8 Expert Tips for Pitching to Investors

Published: July 06, 2021

So you have a million-dollar idea. Naturally, you're thrilled and ready to make your bold, big-time vision a reality — that much you're clear on. What's less clear is how, exactly, you're going to get the funding you need to set your plans in motion.

New businesses generally can't kickstart and sustain the momentum they need to thrive solely through elbow grease and power of will — they usually need some serious cash to get things going. So when you're looking to push a bold new idea, business plan, or strategy that needs capital to move forward, you need to have some idea of how to secure it.

That's why any aspiring entrepreneur has to understand how to pitch to investors. Here, we’ll go over some tips, tricks, and tactics that will help you pitch your ideas and business plans confidently and effectively. Let’s take a look!

How to Pitch an Idea to Investors

When you have that light bulb moment, it can be tempting to reach out with a couple of halfway fleshed-out ideas and a dream, but investors are too savvy and practical to bite on that.

They need to know they’ll receive a promising return on their investment — and ideas and dreams aren’t all that compelling when it comes to demonstrating that potential.

That’s why you need to consider these steps before you start pitching.

1. Tailor an Elevator Pitch

Seasoned comedians generally have something known as a “tight 10” rehearsed and ready — it’s a solid, reliable, short set of jokes they can count on to make people laugh. And while there might not be a ton of overlap between business and comedy, new business owners can still take a cue from that strategy.

New and aspiring entrepreneurs should have an intriguing, informative elevator pitch on hand — a 30-or-so second description of the nature of your business, offering, and value proposition, designed to help you earn a second conversation with a potential investor or network connection.

2. Narrow Down Your Target Audience

Preparation is half the battle when it comes to pitching — your efforts can only do so much for you if they’re not tailored to suit the investors on the other end of the table. That's why you need to thoroughly research who you’re going to be talking to.

Take a close look at the other types of businesses they invest in and the degree to which they tend to be involved in those companies' operations. Get a feel for how new they are to investing. And see if you can learn more about their individual personalities.

This step will be much easier with some firms than others. Many investors will have a lot of public information available, but several tend to keep their efforts and preferences closer to the chest. Still, you can’t skimp here — do everything you can to approach your meeting as well-prepared and thoughtfully as possible.

3. Market Research

One of the best ways to prepare an effective pitch is to have your market research done and organized. Being able to demonstrate an ability to compile, analyze, and draw meaningful conclusions from market data shows investors that you’re dedicated, incisive, and trustworthy.

It can make your idea seem sounder. If you can show that market trends are conducive to your offering’s success, you’ll make your pitch significantly more interesting than it would be if it was based on conjecture.

4. Create a Business Plan and Model

If you want investors to take you seriously, you can’t just walk in with an idea and nothing else. Even the most exciting concept means nothing without concrete plans behind it.

At the end of the day, investors are investing to make money — you need to demonstrate that you have the framework and courses of action in place to deliver on that.

You also need to give them an outline of the return they can expect to see on their investments. A sound business plan isn’t impressive if you can’t show accurate, attainable, intriguing results that will stem from it.

5. Prepare a Demo

Whether you’re looking to fund a physical product or digital services, prepare a demo and be sure to work out all the technical issues before appearing in front of investors.

Make sure the product model works as intended and any electronics or batteries are operating and fully charged. For digital products or services, make sure everything is in working order even minutes up to the pitch.

How to Pitch a Business Plan to Investors

Pitching an idea to investors goes hand-in-hand with pitching a business plan to investors, so always come prepared with a business plan when you want to pitch your idea.

1. Make it thorough and thoughtful.

The business plan will include the nuts and bolts of the business — that means providing a picture of what you are selling, the need your offering will fulfill, your target audience, plans for marketing and operations, budget, expected revenue, and any other market research data you collect. You want to be detailed and transparent when presenting your business plan, so investors know you have done the research and are trustworthy.

2. Show the data.

Explain current data and how it applies to your business plan, and be as open as possible. Share how many customers you currently have and how many new ones are coming to you each month or quarter. Discuss exactly how the business plan will generate revenue and how much revenue you expect to see, going forward.

3. Put a pitch deck together.

Once you’ve collected the data, it’s time to organize it in a clear, easy-to-follow pitch deck. Learning how to write a pitch deck is simpler than you might think. After compiling all the data for your business plan, break it down into different segments of the pitch deck, which can be presented easily in a slideshow.

You’ll start by explaining who you are, introducing any team members, and explaining the problem you want to solve with your business. Like an elevator pitch, you’ll share why your business is different from your competitors.

Explain the product or service, and include a pause to implement your product or service demo. Share your target audience, expected revenue model, and your budget. Conclude the pitch deck with contact information, so investors can reconnect later if they are interested.

Prepare to Get Funded

Having a brilliant idea is just the start of making your dream business a reality. Even before your company starts, you have to conduct research and make comprehensive plans if you want to attract investors.

The more research you prepare, the more confident and transparent you can be in your pitch — showing investors you are dedicated to knowing your business inside and out and helping them boost their ROI.

Don't forget to share this post!

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What is Business Pitching? A Comprehensive Guide

What is a business pitch, 5 types of pitches in business, 1. investor pitch, 2. sales pitch, 3. product pitch, 4. job pitch, 5. workplace and networking pitches, why you should create business pitch, attracting investment and funding, gaining new customers, establishing your brand, networking and partnerships, strategic planning and clarity, 6 key skill you need for effective business pitching, 1. communication and public speaking, 2. research and data analysis, 3. strategic thinking and planning, 4. problem solving and creativity, 5. leadership and team collaboration, 6. emotional intelligence and empathy, 15 tips for creating successful business pitch, 1. start with a clear understanding of your audience, 2. develop a concise and compelling elevator pitch, 3. emphasize the problem and your unique solution, 4. showcase your business model and financial projections, 5. include a strong go-to-market strategy, 6. present a compelling story with real customer experiences, 7. introduce your team and their expertise, 8. address the competition with a competitive analysis, 9. practice and perfect your delivery, 10. use visuals to enhance your pitch, 11. be ready for questions and feedback, 12. leverage social proof and testimonials, 13. highlight scalability and long-term vision, 14. demonstrate market knowledge and trends, 15. discuss risk management and contingency plans, the bottom line, your idea 💡 can change the world 🌎, let's make it a reality, ignite your vision, gain momentum, sustain and innovate, comparisons.

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Crafting a winning business pitch: a comprehensive guide to captivate investors

In today’s competitive business landscape, securing funding from investors is both an art and a science. A well-prepared business pitch can be the difference between launching your dream venture and watching it fade into obscurity. Discover the crucial secrets behind captivating investors as we delve into the artistry and methodology that lie at the heart of a winning business pitch.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of crafting a business pitch that not only impresses investors but also convinces them of your venture’s potential. From understanding the essence of a business pitch to delivering it with confidence, we’ve got you covered.

Understanding the essence of a business pitch for investors

At its core, a business pitch is a presentation crafted by an entrepreneur to offer an overview of their business plan to potential investors. It’s a brief, comprehensive snapshot of your business, aiming to persuade investors that your venture is worth their time and financial backing.

An investor pitch is more than just facts and figures. It’s a powerful narrative that paints a vivid picture of your business’s past, present, and prospective future. It’s a story that highlights your unique value proposition, showcases your understanding of the market landscape, and underlines your strategy for growth and profitability. It is vitally important.

A winning business pitch is a symphony of passion, data, and persuasion, orchestrating the path to your entrepreneurial dreams.

Techniques for delivering an outstanding pitch

Now that we understand what a business pitch is, let’s delve into the techniques that can help transform what would otherwise be a generic presentation into a captivating narrative.

Craft a visually engaging and compelling product pitch deck

An engaging and visually striking product pitch deck is a key tool for presenting your business idea. It should resonate with your investors’ values and expectations, providing a clear and concise narrative of your business journey. The design should be clean, professional, and aligned with your brand identity, while the content should be organized, informative, and persuasive. By combining engaging visuals with compelling storytelling, the pitch deck can enhance the overall impact of your business pitch. A haphazardly and hastily glued-together pitch deck will no doubt make investors skeptical, to say the least, which will significantly affect your chances.

Pique interest with a hook

Just like the opening line in a novel or a film, your pitch should start with a strong hook — an engaging and exciting statement or question that piques the audience’s curiosity and holds their attention. This could be a compelling story, an astonishing fact, a significant achievement, or an innovative solution to a widespread problem. Starting the pitch with a captivating statement or question will set the stage for an engaging and memorable presentation.

Grasp the mindset of your potential investors

Understanding your potential investors is crucial. Before the pitch, conduct thorough research on their investment history, sector preference, and business ethos. All these little things might just come up at the right time, helping you look proactive and thoroughgoing. By showcasing a deep understanding of the investors’ needs, aligning your pitch with their interests and values, and demonstrating how your business can meet those needs, you can tailor your narrative to resonate more powerfully with them.

Implement the correct structure

To ensure optimal impact, the pitch should follow a well-organized structure. As we’ve already mentioned, it typically starts with the hook to grab attention, followed by an introduction to the company, product, or service. The value proposition, market analysis, competitive advantage, business model, and execution strategy are then presented, highlighting the unique strengths and potential of the business. The pitch concludes with a clear and compelling call to action, which could be a request for funding, a follow-up meeting, or further discussions. 

By following a logical and coherent structure, you can guide the investors through the pitch, enabling them to easily grasp the key points and value proposition.

Highlight your unique value proposition

Your value proposition is the unique solution or benefit that sets your product or service apart from the competition. Clearly articulate this value proposition in your pitch, focusing on the problem you are solving, the unique solution you offer, and the potential market for it. By properly communicating the value proposition, you, as an entrepreneur, should be able to effectively convey your business’s potential and convince investors to support it.

Craft a pitch that paints a vivid picture of your venture’s future, captivating investors with the promise of success and innovation.

Conduct a thorough market analysis

Presenting a thorough market analysis shows investors that you understand your industry, target audience, and competition. It involves presenting data on the size and growth potential of the market, identifying the target customer profile, analyzing market trends, and explaining how the product or service fits into this landscape. By showcasing a thorough market analysis, you can build credibility and instill confidence in investors that the business has a solid foundation in a viable market.

Exhibit your competitive advantage

The competitive advantage is what sets your startup apart from its competitors. It could be a unique feature, a patented technology, superior service, or a cost advantage. Clearly showcasing the competitive advantage in the pitch highlights the business’s strengths and positions it as a compelling investment opportunity. By emphasizing the aspects that give the business an edge in the market, you can effectively differentiate the venture and increase its appeal to investors, and that’s incredibly important.

Illustrate a robust business model

Your business model outlines how you create, deliver, and capture value. Investors want to see that you have a sound business model that can drive growth, scalability, and profitability over time. They want to see a well-defined and sustainable business model that ensures long-term success and will scrutinize your every word. By presenting a comprehensive and well-thought-out business model, you can reassure investors about the venture’s viability and its potential to generate returns, drastically improving your chances of receiving funding.

Describe your execution strategy

Your execution strategy should clearly outline the steps you plan to take to achieve your business objectives. This includes your sales and marketing strategy, operational plan, key milestones, and risk mitigation strategies. By presenting a well-defined execution strategy, it’s possible to showcase your ability to turn the business plan into action and achieve the projected results. This will build investor confidence in your capabilities and enhance the overall credibility of the pitch. Without a clear, coherent, and, most importantly, feasible execution strategy, securing funding would be extremely challenging.

Clarify your monetization strategy

An effective monetization strategy is the foundation of your business’s financial viability. Outline how you will generate revenue, considering factors such as pricing, sales channels, cost structure, and revenue projections. An effective monetization strategy demonstrates the business’s financial viability and its ability to generate sustainable revenue streams. By providing a clear and well-thought-out monetization strategy, you can address major investors’ concerns about the business’s profitability and return on investment. If, at the end of your pitch, investors are left with lingering doubts about the feasibility of your monetization strategy, the likelihood of them taking the risk to invest in your startup will be quite low.

Provide an up-to-date demo or mockup of your product

If possible, provide an up-to-date demo or mockup of your product, as offering a hands-on experience can be a game-changer during your pitch. It allows investors to see the product in action, understand its functionalities and benefits, and gauge its market appeal. By providing a tangible demonstration of the product, or at least the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) , you can bring it to life and create a more engaging and memorable pitch experience.

For a more comprehensive guide on product development, consider exploring our dedicated product development process article. This resource will further enrich your understanding of the strategic steps involved in bringing a successful product to market, which can help you greatly with your pitch.

Rehearse and refine your pitch

Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to pitching. Rehearse your pitch multiple times to ensure smooth delivery. Recording and reviewing your performance allows for self-assessment and identification of areas for improvement. Ultimately, this will lead to a smoother, more impactful delivery that could captivate the audience and significantly affect the chances of success.

In the competitive world of pitching, aligning your narrative with investors’ interests and values unlocks the door to funding opportunities.

Use humor strategically

While maintaining a professional tone, strategically inserted humor can lighten the atmosphere, make your pitch more memorable, and build rapport with investors.

Get a fresh perspective

Invite others to listen to your pitch and provide feedback. Fresh perspectives can reveal blind spots, suggest improvements, and help refine your presentation.

End with a clear call to action

Conclude your pitch with a compelling call to action. Whether it’s a request for funding, a follow-up meeting, or further discussions, ensure your call to action is clear, persuasive, and aligned with your pitch goals.

Prepare for tough questions

Investors will likely probe into every aspect of your business. Anticipate potential questions and prepare concise, convincing answers. A well-handled Q&A session can significantly boost your credibility.

Wrapping up

Preparing a winning business pitch requires a combination of a compelling narrative, a thorough understanding of your market, a robust business model, and an engaging delivery. Just remember, your business pitch is an evolving document. As your business grows and changes, the pitch should adapt to reflect new developments, achievements, insights, and requirements. Staying true to your vision and remaining adaptable are key, but it’s also essential to draw on quality support to continue engaging your audience on your business journey.

As a comprehensive design and development agency, we offer a unique blend of creativity, technical proficiency, and business acumen to help startups succeed. Our services range from creating visually captivating pitch decks, promotional designs, product demos, and mockups to full-scale development of apps and entire platforms.

Whether you’re preparing for your initial pitch or have already achieved a track record of successful investment rounds, our team is here to provide expert assistance and support. 

In any case, we hope you’ve found this guide useful, and we would like to wish you good luck in your business endeavors!

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How to write a business pitch: 10 best ways.

A business pitch is a version of your business plan that’s meant for potential investors. Depending on the format, it may be written, a multimedia presentation, or a personal pitch delivered face to face.

On the one hand, writing a business pitch is a lot like writing a proposal for clients . You’re trying to convince someone to put their hard-earned money into your company.

On the other hand, pitching to investors is different. With a client, you’re pitching your work or your product. With an investor, you’re pitching not just the product but your entire business model. Put another way, most clients don’t care whether or not your company is profitable; investors do.

Here’s how to craft a successful business pitch that will have investors lining up to put money into your company.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

10 Steps to Creating Your Pitch

Key takeaways, 1. start with the elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is the shortest, most basic type of pitch. It gets its name because it should be succinct enough to get across during an elevator ride. Imagine you hop in an elevator, and you find yourself standing next to Jeff Bezos. In one minute or less, how do you convince him to invest in your company?

The elevator pitch is important because it’s the distillation of your business plan. If you can sum up your vision in such a short period, you’re not going to lose someone’s interest. And if your elevator pitch is well-crafted, you can use it as the opening for a longer pitch.

2. Focus On the Business Opportunity

Entrepreneurs and investors think in terms of providing a solution to an existing need. Before they know anything else about your business, they want to know two things. First, what need have you identified that isn’t being met? Second, how are you going to take advantage of that business opportunity?

3. Research the Competition

If you have a serious business plan, you’ve most likely already done extensive competition research. Don’t wait for potential investors to ask you about this research. Include it in your pitch, and use it to your advantage. Show investors that you’ve built a better mousetrap by comparing it to the current model.

4. Know Your Target Audience

Another thing investors want to know is who your target audience is. This is another basic question any entrepreneur should be able to answer before you go to market. After all, this is your dream! If you don’t know who your potential customers are, there might not be any.

5. Know Your Marketing Strategy

It’s important to have marketing plans before you launch your brand. Once again, this is something investors are going to want to hear about. How do you plan to get the word out about your product or service? If the marketing plan involves expenses like TV advertising, you’d better be able to show investors that the juice is worth the squeeze.

6. Demonstrate Financial Savvy

Investors are trusting you with their money. Just as pricing is important for clients , investors want to know that their money is being wisely allocated. They’re going to want to see your profit and loss statement, and they’ll expect you to know it inside and out. Show them you know where every penny is going, and they’ll give you more dollars.

7. Sweat the Small Stuff

Go over your pitch to make sure all the details are right. This is especially true for written pitches. When you’re working on a third draft at 2 in the morning, it’s easy to mix up words like estimate, quote, bid, and proposal . Make sure you’ve dotted your I’s and crossed your T’s before handing over anything in writing.

8. Set Realistic Expectations

Would-be investors are used to entrepreneurs selling them on wild financial fantasies. Take a long, hard look at your business, and where you realistically expect to be in five to ten years. Base your projections on your past experience and your knowledge of the field. Investors will appreciate your candor.

9. Make It a Team Effort

Unless your business is a one-person operation, you have either a partnership or a leadership team. If you’re pitching in person, bring them along, and have them participate in the presentation. This will demonstrate to investors that the entire team is committed to the company’s ongoing success.

10. Consider Making a Multi-Level Pitch

A multi-level pitch involves creating two versions of the pitch: one longer and one shorter. The shorter version provides a birds-eye view of the business and a compelling case for its offerings. The longer version goes into more depth, and shows investors the nitty-gritty details of the business.

Crafting a compelling pitch won’t guarantee you a flock of investors. But combined with a good business plan and market opportunity, it’s an essential element of success. So roll up your sleeves and get started on that first draft. Everything else will follow.

Find more guides for your small business on our resource hub .

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How to Perfectly Pitch Your Business Plan in 10 Minutes A minute-by-minute approach to what to say and when to say it.

By Eric Butow • Oct 27, 2023

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

This is part 11 / 11 of Write Your Business Plan: Section 1: The Foundation of a Business Plan series.

Delivering a good pitch for your business is as much about conveying emotion as conveying information. The saying "They don't care what you know until they know that you care" is good advice to follow.

A pitch doesn't need to be long; your audience will appreciate it if you keep it as brief as possible. With that in mind, you can assemble a pitch in ten minutes broken down into one topic every minute.

Related: The Only Business Plan Book You Need

• Minute 1: Make a personal introduction . Let the audience know that you personally care about the people and the problem you are trying to solve.
• Minute 2: State the problem. People with this problem have emotions invested. They may be struggling, irritated, angry, and/ or disenfranchised. Keep human emotions real. Break down the problem into its component parts accompanied by a diagram.
• Minute 3: Present the solution. Show excitement and passion for your business's solution. Walk the audience not only through how the solution works but also through the great benefits of the solution.
• Minute 4: Show your business model. Now is the time to tell the audience how you will make money. Explain how you are going to charge people for the solution you are offering.
• Minute 5: Talk about your competition. Do not talk about how you're better than the competition. Instead, focus on how you're different. Your attitude toward the competition gives the audience a peek into your business soul. Are you dutifully respectful of their presence and power or are you arrogant enough to think your little startup will have no problem beating them? Err on the side of humility.
• Minute 6: Talk about your market and how you'll sell to them. Get excited as you talk about how many potential customers are out there and how you're going to get them. Take the audience through the market data, your chosen point of entry, and your sales and marketing strategy.
• Minute 7: Tell the audience about how much money you'll make. Talk about how selling to your market shows the unit economics of a single customer (price), and the size of the market shows how many potential deals are out there (quantity). Armed with this information, you can describe how revenue builds over time.
• Minute 8: Introduce your team. It's important to introduce your team in the context of the business so the audience understands why it is what it is. If you introduce the team up front, you will have to circle back to describe their roles later, which wastes time.
• Minute 9: Prove your business has traction. You need to show results to get investors and customers to buy in. So, answer important questions such as: What has the team accomplished? Does the company have revenue ? Are the customers happy?
• Minute 10: Ask for the buy-in. You need to spend the last minute asking for people to buy into your business and your vision, no matter if that's asking investors for money or asking someone to work for you. In this last minute, paint a clear picture of what you need from the audience and what investing with you will look like.

Related: Pitching For Profits Delivering A Presentation to Investors

More in Write Your Business Plan

Section 1: the foundation of a business plan, section 2: putting your business plan to work, section 3: selling your product and team, section 4: marketing your business plan, section 5: organizing operations and finances, section 6: getting your business plan to investors.

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A complete guide to pitching.

In this guide, we will explore the key elements of a successful pitch and provide tips and techniques for mastering the art of pitching your business ideas.

The science of pitching

Research and preparation.

Before you can even begin to craft a pitch, you must have a solid understanding of the market, competition, and potential customers for your business idea. This requires thorough research and analysis. Here are some key steps to take in order to gain a deep understanding of your market:

• Identify your target market: Who are the people or businesses that will be most interested in your product or service? What are their needs, wants, and pain points? Consider creating a customer persona map.
• Analyze your competition: Who are your main competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How does your idea compare to theirs in terms of features, pricing, and target market?
• Conduct market research: Gather data on the size, growth, and trends of your market. Use this information to create projections for your own business and to identify potential opportunities and threats.

Once you have a solid understanding of your market, you can begin to craft a compelling pitch that addresses the needs and pain points of your target audience and highlights the unique value proposition of your idea.

The big 3 pitching formats

There are several different formats that you can use when pitching your business idea, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most common formats include:

• Elevator pitch: This is a short, concise pitch that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator – typically under 90 seconds. It's perfect for networking events or informal meetings where you don't have a lot of time to make an impression.
• Pitch deck: This is a visual presentation that can be delivered in person or online. It's a great way to provide an overview of your idea and to highlight key data and statistics. Think of it as a takeaway for your audience to revisit.
• Business plan: This is a detailed document that provides a comprehensive overview of your idea, including information on market research, competition, financial projections, and more. It's typically used when seeking funding from investors or support from incubators and accelerators.

When choosing a format for your pitch, consider the audience and the purpose of the pitch. For example, if you're meeting with potential investors, a detailed business plan may be more appropriate than an elevator pitch. If you're networking at a conference, an elevator pitch may be more effective. A pitch deck might work best for sales leads or in-person presentations.

Structuring your pitch

When it comes to structuring your pitch, two popular frameworks that can be used are the PAS and AIDA formats.

PAS stands for Problem, Agitate, Solve. This structure focuses on identifying a problem that your audience is facing, agitating it to create a sense of urgency, and then presenting your solution as the answer to that problem.

AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. This structure focuses on capturing the attention of your audience, creating interest in your idea, building desire for it, and encouraging them to take action by investing or supporting your idea.

Both PAS and AIDA are effective structures for pitching, but the one that you choose will depend on the audience and the purpose of the pitch. Look out for an upcoming post on using PAS and AIDA formats to structure your pitch in detail.

The Art of pitching

Communicating your idea.

Once you have done your research and preparation, it's time to craft a pitch that will inspire others to invest in or support your idea. Here are some key elements to consider when crafting your pitch:

• Tell a story: People are naturally drawn to stories, so use your pitch to tell a compelling tale about the problem you're solving, the solution you're offering, and the potential impact of your idea. By weaving a story into your pitch, you can create an emotional connection with your audience and help them to see the potential impact of your idea.
• Make it visual: Use images, diagrams, and other visual aids to help explain your idea and to make it more memorable.
• Keep it simple: Avoid jargon and technical terms, and use language that is easy for non-experts to understand.
• Be passionate: Show enthusiasm for your idea and let your passion shine through in your delivery.
• Practice, practice, practice: Rehearsing your pitch is crucial to delivering it with confidence and credibility.
• Be prepared for Q&A: Anticipate questions and objections that may come up and be ready to address them.

Body language

Body language is an important aspect of your pitch that can communicate just as much as your words. Some investors claim that body language is the X factor that sets you apart from the competition.

When delivering your pitch, it's important to pay attention to your posture, facial expressions, and gestures. To convey confidence, stand up straight and maintain eye contact with your audience. Use open, confident gestures such as pointing and using your hands to emphasize key points. Avoid fidgeting or crossing your arms, as this can convey a sense of defensiveness.

Having a clear call-to-action

One of the most important aspects of any pitch is having a clear call to action. This is the point at which you ask your audience to take a specific action, such as investing in your idea or supporting it in some way.

When crafting your call to action, be specific and make it clear what you want your audience to do. Use language that is action-oriented and make it easy for them to take the next step. Also, be prepared to follow up with your audience after your pitch to ensure that they have taken the desired action.

Mastering the art of pitching requires both a deep understanding of your market and the ability to convey that understanding in a compelling way. By following the steps outlined in this guide and practicing your pitch, you can increase your chances of success in getting your business ideas off the ground.

Practicing your pitch

Practice makes perfect. A well-rehearsed business pitch can help you to make a great impression on your audience. Before you’re ready to pitch try recording yourself or getting feedback from colleagues and friends. The idea is to keep improving your pitch until you’ve covered all basis. Visit our blog page to get more tips on rehearsing your pitch .

Pitching a business idea is both an art and science. It requires a deep understanding of the market, competition, and potential customers, as well as the ability to convey that understanding in a compelling way that inspires others to invest in or support your idea. With proper research and preparation, and by mastering the art of communicating your idea, you can increase your chances of success in getting your business ideas off the ground. Remember to make it visual, simple, passionate and practice, practice, practice. Be prepared for Q&A and always have a backup plan.

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Creating the perfect pitch deck and business plan: Examples and best practices [2022]

• January 7, 2022

I know you’ve probably been told that a good pitch deck and business plan are essential in the world of startups. It’s true — they are — but there is a LOT of conflicting advice out there on how to create them. (Hint: There isn’t just one right way.) I want to share some ideas based on solid research and real-world experience so you can create something that works for you.

What is a pitch deck?

What is its purpose, do you need a pitch deck and a business plan, who should create the pitch deck, how do you create a pitch deck, what is a financial model, what is a financial forecast, how accurate does a startup financial model need to be, what to include in an early-stage pitch deck, what should i avoid putting into my pitch deck, slide #0 – title, slide #1 – executive summary, slide #2 – trends, slide #3 – problem, slide #4 – solution, slide #5 – business model, slide #6 – market, slide #7 – competition, slide #8 – go to market, slide #9 – traction, slide #10 – team, slide #11 – investment proposal (the ask), keep it simple, stick to a consistent layout, make it easy to read, use a pitch deck template, beautiful.ai, key takeaways.

In this article, I’ll discuss what a pitch deck is, explain its purpose and its importance in the outreach process, give you tips and practices to create your perfect pitch deck, and what to include in it. We’ll also look at an example of a pitch deck template, using slides from startups that have raised hundreds of millions from VCs. We’ll also explore why you must build a financial model alongside your pitch deck.

Before we get started, remember that pitching on stage and building your pitch deck are two very different things. Pitching is a form of art. Anyone can present a business plan or startup idea to another person, but only a few pitches are memorable and truly capture the interest of investors.

Practice makes perfect, and the better you get at pitching, the more likely you are to succeed. So sign up to pitch competitions, put yourself out there, and get feedback. The more you pitch, the better you will become at it. It’s better to make mistakes when it doesn’t matter than pitch unprepared to critical investors and risk disaster.

Now let’s dive into what it takes to build a great pitch deck!

Pitch decks are an essential document for every founder to master, but there is a lot of conflicting information out there, and no one-size-fits-all template.

To help you get started, we’ve pulled together pitch deck examples and best practices for new founders and early-stage startups.

Using this information to guide you, you’ll be able to create a pitch that will wow investors and get you the funding that your business needs.

A pitch deck is a condensed business plan that communicates your business idea to investors or partners. It should be clear, concise, and well-organised so that it promotes a conversation, not just information that needs to be digested. The pitch deck is used as an elevator pitch during your outreach process and should highlight the key aspects of your startup in a way that gets investors excited about working with you.

The pitch deck itself isn’t going to fund or run your startup — it’s just one piece of the puzzle — but it’s an important one. As Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva, former Chief Evangelist at Apple, and author of The Art of the Start puts it .

The purpose of a pitch is to stimulate interest, not to close a deal.

While the pitch deck is an information-packed overview of your startup, it should be more than just numbers and figures. A winning pitch deck also captures the imagination by telling a story and getting the audience emotionally involved. People don’t buy products, they buy stories — pitch decks help people to see your startup as a compelling narrative instead of just an idea on paper.

A pitch deck helps you generate interest from investors so that they will fund or work with your company in some way. It is a way to quickly pitch your business idea and get feedback, without having to go through the entire business plan. The pitch deck should be used as a tool to start a conversation with potential investors so that you can get their feedback and determine if they are interested in what you’re doing.

For an early-stage startup, the pitch deck and financial model are the business plan. There are too many uncertainties to waste time writing a 100-page business plan. Founders should use tools like the Lean Canvas to help them think through the different aspects of their business, but a pitch deck and financial model are essential when trying to raise money and get investment.

The pitch deck should be created by the founder or co-founder of the company. They are the ones who know the most about their business and can best pitch it to investors. Remember, the pitch deck isn’t what wins you the investment, but it will start the conversation and get people interested in what you’re doing.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for this question, as the pitch deck needs to be tailored to your specific startup and its investors. However, there are some best practices that you can use to make sure your pitch deck is as compelling as possible.

Financial Model

The pitch deck should always include a financial model, typically as a supporting document, that shows financial projections for the next three to five years. This will help investors understand how you will manage the financial risks associated with your startup.

A financial model is a document that shows how your business will make money and what kind of return investors can expect on their investment. It includes projected revenue, expenses, and profits over a specific period of time.

Investors will expect to see a three to five-year financial forecast, broken down by year and month.

The financial model should also include a section on the startup’s burn rate – how much money the company is spending each month and how long it can continue to do so before running out of funds.

A financial forecast is a projection of future income, expenses, and profits. It typically covers a period of three to five years and breaks down revenue, expenses, and net cash flow by month.

The financial model doesn’t need to be complex, but it should show a realistic understanding of the numbers behind your startup.

It is important to remember that venture capitalists and angel investors do not expect your financial forecasts to be 100% accurate – they simply want to see that you have put thought into your business, that your operational plans are accounted for, and that you understand the basics of financial forecasting.

Pitch Deck Structure

As a founder, you’ll quickly learn that you’ll need more than one pitch deck. Different pitch decks are used for different purposes, and you may end up using a pitch deck that is specific to your target investor, the stage of investment, or the format in which you’ll be pitching.

This means that there is no magic formula for your pitch deck structure. However, there are a few essential slides that should be in every business pitch deck.

• Title or cover slide
• Market size and opportunity

These slides will give the pitch deck a good structure and focus on the key elements that you want to talk about. There may be more slides depending on your company, but those are the main ones that should always appear somewhere in every pitch deck.

Early-stage startup pitch decks are used to spark interest in your idea and the founding team. Venture capital firms and angel investors will be comfortable with greater uncertainty and higher risk in this pitch deck, so there is more leeway to experiment with different ideas and concepts. This doesn’t mean that you should just throw in everything without a thought though!

At this early stage, there will be multiple unknowns that you are setting out to solve, including exactly how you’ll build your solution to the problem, how you’ll find your scaleable route to market, and maybe even how you’ll convert users to paying customers.

It’s normal to not have all the answers to these questions, and that’s OK! It doesn’t mean that you should pitch an idea if you don’t know how it will work yet. All of this is just a reality check for potential investors — they need to see that you have a realistic idea of what you need to do and a plan for how you might do it.

It’s a common mistake for first-time founders to try to put too much information into their pitch decks. This can include everything from detailed financial models to a full history of the company’s founding story. While it’s important to have all this information ready, it’s best to save it for when you’re actually speaking with investors.

Your pitch deck should be focused on your idea and the current state of your company. It should be set up in a way that clearly lays out who you are, what problem you’re solving, and how you plan to solve it. You want investors to see the actual value in investing in your startup so avoid including anything that’s not absolutely necessary for them to understand this concept.

– Do not include unnecessary information or graphics

– Keep your pitch deck to a maximum of 20 slides

– Stick to clear and concise language

– Make sure all the data is accurate and up to date

Be cautious about adding in anything that doesn’t support your pitch deck theme or the key points you want to make. If it isn’t relevant, remove it! You don’t have time for extra fluff when pitching investors; be direct and focus on what matters most.

Early-Stage Pitch Deck Example

The following pitch deck template is a good example of how you can tell a story that builds investor confidence in your startup idea. Using this format will set a great first impression and can help you with raising capital.

This is the most important slide in the whole deck, you need to grab the attention of the investor with a title slide that convinces them to keep reading. Your title slide must:

• Showcase your logo and brand name.
• In one phrase, state your value proposition.
• Engage the reader by promising them an interesting pitch.

It’s important to make your startup feel credible and trustworthy. Just as people will judge a book by the cover, investors will judge your pitch deck in less than five seconds, so make sure you have a strong first impression!

A common mistake that founders make with the title slide is not making the most of the opportunity. Taking inspiration from other industries, a prize-winning sticker on a book cover or a wine bottle has a tremendous impact on sales. What can you do to make your pitch deck stand out?

After catching your audience’s attention, you should include a company summary on slide one. Investors are unlikely to know anything about you or your company, so this is where you need to tell them what you do, where you’re going, and why they should care.

In just a few sentences, you should be able to concisely state the following:

• What your company does
• The stage you’re at
• The traction you’ve made so far
• Where you’re heading

If the title slide is about grabbing attention, the executive summary is about keeping it.

You need to get investors hooked and hungry for more information.

With the investor’s attention now captured, it’s time to give them some context. What industry are you in? What trends are happening in that industry?

Trends are the market conditions that you have zero influence over. But, by showing how you understand them and how they impact your startup, you can demonstrate that not only is your startup inevitable, but that the risk of failure is also reduced.

Your goal with the trends slide is to show that your startup idea isn’t some crazy gamble, it’s obvious and inevitable, and that the market is about to change in a big way.

In the context of startup ideas, the important things to consider about trends are whether they are weak or strong, societal and cultural, or technological.

Weak Trends: These are usually easy to spot and include things like the aging population, increasing internet penetration rates, or a growing demand for a new product or service.

Strong Trends: These are hard to argue against. They will be big and happening quickly. They could be something like the rise of mobile payments, a technology reaching critical mass, or a new way of thinking about an old problem.

Technological Trends: These trends focus on the development of new technologies. For instance, the rise of drones, Web3, and artificial intelligence technologies are all technological trends that would be relevant to an investor pitch deck when combined with a startup idea.

Societal and Cultural Trends: These trends are about the way people are living their lives, and integrating new technologies into them. A good example of this is the trend towards health and wellness. This could be anything from the increasing popularity of mindfulness to people taking more interest in their food.

It’s important to consider societal trends alongside advances in technology, just because a technology is possible, doesn’t mean that people will want to use it (remember Google Glass?).

Building into emerging trends can lead to you raising millions without even having a pitch deck , like Hopin, or still whilst the world is in lockdown and your app is still in beta – like Clubhouse.

Now that you’ve got the pitch deck rolling, it’s time to talk about your startup idea. What problem are you solving? What is happening right now? What are people not happy with?

When it comes to the problem slide, be specific. Don’t just say that there is a problem. Tell them what it is and make your audience feel the pain; they should be able to recall having had it themselves or easily empathise with those that do.

As a founder, you need to prove that you have a deep awareness and understanding of the problem you’re solving. You need to demonstrate that you can stand in the shoes of your customers and see the problem as they do.

Ideally, you should be able to summarise all of this into a problem statement. This is a simple one or two-sentence explanation that describes the problem, identifies the pain points, and explains why it needs solving.

Providing data to back up your problem statement is also important, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. You’re not trying to show the size of the market, just the severity of the problem.

Having built up an understanding of the problem, you now need to explain how you plan on solving it. What is your solution? How will your startup solve this problem? What makes your product or service different?

Your solution slide should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. You should have a brief paragraph explaining what your startup does, followed by supporting information in the form of screenshots, images, or diagrams.

Remember, during live pitching or conversations, you may be able to talk about your solution in more detail – maybe even showcase a live demo – but in your pitch deck, you need to keep it simple.

If you’re having trouble boiling down your complex solution then consider how you would sell it to a potential customer. If you can pitch it to them in a way that they understand and see the value, then your pitch deck will be able to do the same.

With the problem and solution explained, it’s time to move on to your business model. This is a critical slide for any pitch deck as it demonstrates how you plan to make money from your startup idea. It’s showing your investors that you understand the business side of things and that you have a plan for growth.

This slide can be a little tricky to get right, as you don’t want to overload your audience with too much information (especially at idea stage, when you don’t have a fully formed business model). However, you need to convey that the unit economics make sense and that there is a path to profitability.

There are lots of different ways to structure this slide, but the most common model breaks it down into a one-paragraph pitch of your business model, followed by one or two diagrams showing the relationships between your costs and revenue. By using simple visuals, you can convey complex ideas far more effectively than words alone.

Unfortunately, pitch decks don’t have the space to explore every aspect of your business model. It’s a good idea to create a separate document for this, which you can then share with interested investors or partners.

Now it’s time to move on to the all-important question of market size. Market sizing for early-stage startups can be a contentious issue.

Many entrepreneurs think that they need to show huge total addressable markets (TAM), and pitch themselves as the next billion-dollar startup. However, most sophisticated investors how that for most early-stage startups this is not appropriate.

Pitching a large TAM isn’t going to impress investors, they’ve seen it all before, but pitching yourself as the best company in your segment will demonstrate that you have a great understanding of your industry and the opportunity at hand.

It’s most important to be able to show that there is a market for your product or service, that it’s growing, and that there is room for you to compete. You don’t need to pitch yourself as a billion-dollar company, just pitch that you have a good understanding of the market segment, that people are spending money solving this type of problem, and that you’re going to be one of the best companies in your space.

For example, if your idea is to launch the next big analytics platform, don’t pitch a market size that includes every business in the world. Instead, focus on a specific industry or sector and show how behaviours in that industry are changing, paving the way for your product or service.

Again, you don’t need to go into too much detail in your pitch deck. A one-paragraph pitch of your market size is usually enough, followed by a simple diagram showing the trends that are opening up opportunities for your startup.

This is another key slide for any pitch deck, as it demonstrates that you have done your research and that you understand the competitive landscape.

Start by defining the market segment you are targeting, and then show the key points of differentiation when compared to your primary competitors.

Describe how they fit into the customer’s perspective of the market, show where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and how you plan to compete with them.

This isn’t the place for a full analysis of your competitors, but you should be able to pitch yourself as the best company in your space, with a clear understanding of how you’re going to win.

There are two common ways to visualise your competitor analysis, the magic quadrant (or 2×2 matrix) and a comparison table.

The magic quadrant is a way of plotting your competitors on two axes, based on two factors that you’ll pluck from thin air. These visualisations are rarely credible unless you have a lot of experience in the market you are analysing, or they’ve been produced by large consultancies like Deloitte or Gartner.

On the other hand, comparison tables can be very effective as they’re easy to digest, position you alongside recognisable brands, and allow you to highlight the key differences between your company and your competitors. By comparing factors that are demonstrably important to customers, you’ll come across as more credible and able to back up your pitch with cold, hard facts.

Now it’s time to talk about marketing and sales strategy, or how you’re going to get your product or service in front of customers. This is where you’ll pitch your go-to-market strategy. Your go-to-market slide should include the following elements:

• The channels you will use to reach your target audience
• The actions you will take to put your product in front of potential customers
• The milestones you will hit as you progress through your go-to-market plan
• The resources you will require to reach your target successfully

Start by describing your target market and how you plan to reach them. This might include explaining your distribution channels, sales strategy, or marketing approach. You can also use this slide to talk about any partnerships you have in place, or how you plan to leverage them.

Next, explain the actions you will take to reach your target audience, and how you plan to measure success. These actions should fit within each of the channels that you’ve already identified. For example, if you’re using digital marketing, your actions might be things like website development, SEO, or social media campaigns.

Lastly, list the key milestones you will hit as you progress through your go-to-market plan, and identify the resources you will require to achieve them. You can include your team, budget for marketing activities, or specific assets like signage.

As a startup, traction is key. Investors want to see that you’re making progress and that your product is resonating with customers. This slide is often one of the trickiest for startups at idea-stage, as it can be difficult to show commercial progress and it will be too early for product-market fit.

There are a few different ways to pitch traction, and you need to choose the one that works best with your company and the stage you’re at. Some options include user base, revenue growth, or market validation.

If you’re focusing on your user base, you’ll want to pitch a clear and compelling story about your customer base. If you have a small data set, it’s worth showcasing your first 100 customers as this makes the numbers seem more real.

If you have a large customer base, pitch your exponential growth in terms of percentage or absolute figures. For example, pitch how many customers you signed in the past quarter or year.

Revenue Growth

If you’re focusing on revenue growth, pitch your current (or projected) sales figures. You can also pitch the average ticket size or value of your deals. Alternatively, pitch your revenue growth (in terms of percentage or absolute figures) over the past year.

Market Validation

If your product is still at idea-stage and still has a long way to go before it’s ready for market, pitch your progress in terms of real-world validation. For example, pitch the number of people who have registered to use your product or service, or pitch the number of companies that have expressed interest during interviews.

Most importantly, be honest about your progress. If they are interested, investors will dig into your traction claims and you’ll need to back them up with data – if it turns out that you’ve lied or embellished the facts, you’ll not only lose trust and credibility, you’ll probably lose the investment too.

Having set the scene in which your startup operates, it’s time to introduce the management team behind your startup. Investors will be keen to learn about who is leading your company and how they will transform your idea into a profitable business.

The focus here must be you and your co-founders. People invest in people, so you’ll need to show how you have the vision, experience, and motivation required to deliver on your pitch.

Keep your team slide short and sweet. You’ll want to include the founding team, highlighting their relevant experience in the industry or field that you’re operating within.

Pictures help to make your presentation more personal, so make sure you have a good quality headshot of each team member, consistently formatted so that everyone appears the same size and in focus.

The team slide should only include the founding team, though it is acceptable to include key team members, as well as notable advisors or investors if beneficial. If you do this, ensure that there is a clear visual separation between the two groups.

This is the big one. The pitch deck wouldn’t be complete without a clear proposal of what you’re asking for from your investors. This slide should clearly state the amount of money you’re seeking, as well as what you plan to do with it.

It’s important to remember that investors are looking for a return on their investment (ROI), so your proposal must be realistic and demonstrate how you will use the funds raised to reach key growth milestones.

To convince investors, your “Ask slide” will need to answer these three questions:

• How much are you seeking to raise?
• What will you do with the money?
• What do you intend to accomplish with the funds?

Always remember to pitch the ask in terms of how it benefits the investor – not just you. For example, if you’re seeking a £100,000 investment, explain how that money will help you reach a specific milestone that will create value for your investors.

Be specific about how much you need to raise, and where you plan to deploy the money. This will show that you’ve done your homework and understand how you will grow your business.

A simple pie chart with the breakdown of how you plan to use funds can go a long way towards demonstrating to investors that you’re serious about using their money wisely. For example, if 25 percent goes towards marketing spend, 30 percent for technology development, and 45 percent for new hires, that’s a good indication you have your priorities straight.

It’s unlikely that you will be profitable before the next round of funding, but it is usually worth highlighting the key numbers from your financial projections to give investors an idea of the scale and trajectory of your business.

Perhaps the most important factor in your investment ask is demonstrating that you understand how much capital you require to hit key growth milestones without requiring further funding rounds for at least 12-18 months. This is something that almost every investor will expect you to have a solid plan for.

Pitch Deck Design

Whether you’re sharing your deck by email or presenting on stage, the design of your pitch deck matters. However, you can’t afford to hire a professional pitch deck designer to help. So, what do you do?

KEEP. IT. SIMPLE.

Your pitch deck is not the place to show off your design skills – or highlight any lack of expertise in this department! The only goal of your pitch deck is to communicate information clearly and concisely so that investors understand what you’re pitching and can get excited about it.

Keep your presentation simple, use bold typography, highlight key information, and stick to a maximum of two or three colors. Resist the urge to use lots of graphics and animations, as these can be distracting and take up valuable space on your slides.

How to design a better pitch deck

There are a lot of things to consider when designing your pitch deck presentation. Below are some tips on how to make your pitch more effective:

The average investor has a short attention span, so keep your deck concise and easy to follow. Use clear language, avoid complex graphs and charts, and stick to a maximum of 15 slides.

Use the same fonts, colors, and layouts throughout your pitch deck to create a cohesive look.

Slides that are crowded with text and images will be difficult for your audience to read and comprehend.

A pitch deck template is a great way to ensure that your pitch deck looks professional and follows the proper design guidelines.

Pitch deck design tools

Today, there is a huge selection of online design tools and no-code builders to help you build your perfect deck. Below are just a few of the design platforms that can help you craft your pitch.

An easy-to-use platform that allows startups to build a beautiful slide deck without any special design skills. Start from scratch or create your slides using predefined pitch deck templates.

https://slidebean.com/

Offers a wide range of design tools and templates for creating professional pitch decks. The free version includes limited features, while the paid plans start at $12/month.

This pitch deck design app is great for startups and entrepreneurs who need to create a pitch deck quickly. The basic plan starts at $12/month (billed annually) but there is a 14-day free trial.

https://www.beautiful.ai/

The tools provided by Pitch allow you to quickly produce a high-quality pitch. Even if you’re not a designer, you can create a strong pitch deck that looks great. The basic plan is free, but you’ll need to upgrade to the paid plans for more features.

https://pitch.com/

While these design tools can be extremely powerful, it still pays to follow the same basic guidelines to ensure that your pitch deck is easy for investors to understand; Keep it simple, avoid animation, stick to a consistent layout, and make sure your text and images are easy to read.

When you’re trying to capture investors’ attention and raise equity funding, you need to show them that you have a good plan. But startups aren’t traditional businesses and they don’t use traditional business plans.

like the Holy Grail, the business plan remains largely unattainable and mythological. Most experts wouldn’t agree, but a business plan is of limited usefulness for a startup because entrepreneurs base so much of their plans on assumptions, “visions,” and unknowns. Guy Kawasaki

This is why pitch decks are the perfect approach to sharing a startup business plan.

Fundamentally, your pitch deck is used to share your vision, attract investors, and start conversations. As a founder, you should be prepared for investors who may not “get” your pitch deck right away — this doesn’t mean that they aren’t interested in what you’re doing.

Be prepared to answer questions and have an engaging conversation about your startup. Investors want to see that you have a clear understanding of your business, the problem you’re solving, and how you plan on making money. They also want to know that you’re capable of executing your vision.

Remember, pitch decks are just one part of the overall investment process. If you’re able to create a pitch deck that effectively communicates your idea and leaves investors wanting more, then you’re on the right track!

Home Blog Business How to Create a Winning Business Pitch

How to Create a Winning Business Pitch

Do you have a bright business idea that you want to get off your vision board? “Just do it” – a famous shoe company would advise. However, it doesn’t mean you should stubbornly take the plunge alone. To turn your visionary concept into a thriving business, you need more than an innovative idea and a passion for success. You need to gather a strong support system to back you up, which begins with a business pitch.

A business pitch can open many doors, whether you want to attract investors, secure partnerships, or gain customers. It’s your opportunity to communicate your vision, passion, and the potential of your idea.

If you are a budding entrepreneur, read on as we delve into the nitty-gritty of creating a winning business pitch.

Table of Contents

What Is a Business Pitch?

Investor pitch, sales pitch, internal pitch.

• Elevator Pitch
• 10/20/30 Presentation
• The Pecha Kucha Technique
• Product Demo
• Audio-Visual Pitch
• Customer Testimonial Pitch

How to Create and Present a Business Pitch

A business pitch is a persuasive presentation that outlines the critical elements of a business idea, product, or service to an audience. It is used in various contexts, including:

• Seeking funding from investors
• Attracting potential customers or clients
• Securing business partners or collaborators

That being said, a business pitch is not limited to startups. Established companies often use business pitches to present and gain buy-in for new projects, product ideas, or process improvements within their organizations since they acknowledge the difference between a business pitch and a presentation . A quote by Peter Coughter in “The Art of the Pitch: Persuasion and Presentation Skills that Win Business” summarizes the concept in very clear terms:

“The secret to selling great work is to sell the idea of the work before you sell the work.”

In other words, a business pitch is any effort to convince someone to support or back an idea about a business.

Components of a Business Pitch

The elements to include in pitching correlate to the type of business pitch you deliver.

Investors are typically interested in knowing how you would generate income for them, so your presentation should prove a return on investment (ROI) in pouring resources into your business proposition. Your pitch should encompass your business plan , providing salient insights into your:

• Market Opportunity
• Competitive landscape
• Business model
• Financial projections

Customers won’t care much about your plans for the next 5 years. What would they want from you is something that will fulfill the specific need or desire they have at the moment. A sales pitch will cover:

• Value proposition
• Competitive advantage
• Social proof
• Call to action

The purpose of an internal pitch is to suggest process improvements or propose new projects within an organization. This type of business pitch can lead to the development of innovative ideas, which is why some companies organize internal pitch events, allowing employees to share their ideas for ways to improve their organization. Internal pitches would typically answer the following questions:

• What is the problem or opportunity?
• What is the solution or idea?
• Why is it important?
• What are the resources needed?
• How will it be implemented? 

Types of Business Pitch Techniques

Not all your audience members might be able to sit in for a 30-minute-long pitch or attend in-person presentations, so you must tailor your pitches according to the scenario. Here are some business pitch techniques that you can use to convey your ideas effectively.

1. Elevator Pitch

Business pitches can happen anytime and anywhere – over coffee, in a subway, or even in a lift. This is the idea behind an elevator pitch , a very brief pitch (usually 30 seconds) that succinctly conveys the essence of your idea. It’s designed to grab attention quickly and provide a high-level overview of your proposition.

Of course, a few seconds to a minute might not be enough to gain buy-in, but it can be a starting point to get your prospects to want to know more and agree to a follow-up presentation.

2. 10/20/30 Presentation

We can think of the 10/20/30 presentation as the expanded version of the elevator pitch. This format extends the duration and depth of the pitch while maintaining a focus on brevity and clarity. The idea is to limit your presentation to 10 slides, a maximum of 20 minutes for delivery, and at least a 30-point font size in the pitch deck.

The 10/20/30 rule in delivering a business pitch emphasizes prioritizing the most critical content and avoiding overwhelming the audience with excessive details.

3. The Pecha Kucha Technique

You will often encounter the Pecha Kucha technique in storytelling events, but you can also incorporate its elements in your pitches. In a traditional Pecha Kucha presentation, 20 slides are displayed for 20 seconds, resulting in a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds. This technique is most effective during pitch competitions, where you must present your business ideas within a fixed time limit.

4. Product Demo

Demonstrations, or demos, are particularly valuable when you have a tangible product, software application, or service to pitch to the public. For example, you will frequently see consumer electronic companies use demonstrations to introduce new products, like Apple introducing their iPhones at WWDC.

5. Audio-Visual Pitch

Ventures with video pitches can double their valuations. That’s the finding of a research by Elsevier . You will often see individual fundraisers on crowdfunding websites accompanied by a video pitch. This technique helps the audience put a face on the campaign and create a stronger connection between the fundraiser and the audience.

A video pitch can be as simple as you, the presenter, speaking to a webcam. You may also upload a minimum viable product (MVP) video to showcase its functionality and benefits to potential backers before production.

A textbook example of an audio-visual pitch is the explainer video of Dropbox , where its founder, Drew Houston, demonstrated the feature of the Dropbox prototype. This video helped the company gain attention and secure initial funding.

6. Customer Testimonial Pitch

The most convincing pitch comes from your most loyal customers. When people speak positively about your product or service, it carries significant weight with potential customers and investors. Testimonials from real customers provide social proof and serve as independent, third-party endorsements of your product or service, which can be more trusted than claims made by the business itself.

Customer testimonials come in different formats: video, online reviews, email, surveys, etc.

1. Know who you’re pitching to

This may seem an overworked phrase, but knowing who you are presenting to cannot be overstated, especially in an event as crucial as a business pitch. So, ask yourself during the planning stage: Am I pitching to potential investors, customers, partners, or internal stakeholders ?

When you are familiar with your audience, you can effectively tailor your pitch to their specific needs, choose the right approach, and, in effect, improve your chances of success. 

For example, a founder scheduled to pitch their health and fitness app to a group of angel investors should primarily discuss the business’s financial viability. On the other hand, they should focus on the app’s benefits if they have to pitch to the potential users.

2. Tie it with a story

While data, facts, and figures provide the foundation for your pitch, the emotional appeal often seals the deal. A study suggests that 90 percent of our decisions are guided by emotions, with logic used to justify those decisions. One way of tapping into your audience’s emotions is by telling a personal story.

A well-crafted narrative can leave a lasting impression on the audience. When you infuse your pitch with compelling stories, you add authenticity to your presentation and forge a connection with your listeners. That said, there is a right way to use personal stories. A very simple structure you can follow is:

Problem + Solution + Outcome

Here’s a hypothetical example of how storytelling can be used during a pitch:

Company Name: SwimAway

Company Description: SwimAway is an eco-friendly swimwear brand that creates stylish, sustainable swimwear made entirely from recycled plastics.

“I was in Phuket, Thailand, last July for a freediving session when our group encountered a heartbreaking scene. We faced a sea turtle struggling because of a plastic straw stuck in its nostril. Thankfully, we removed that plastic straw and set the turtle free.

But this encounter reminded me of the sad trend worldwide – plastic pollution killing marine life. I knew I could do something, so I founded my swimwear brand called SwimAway as a commitment to our oceans.

We craft our swimwear entirely from recycled ocean plastics. We partnered with organizations dedicated to cleaning our oceans, collecting plastic waste, and transforming it into high-quality fabric.

When you wear SwimAway, you’re not just wearing swimwear; you become part of a movement.”

3. Mention your Successes

If you are a fan of Shark Tank, a U.S. reality show where entrepreneurs present their business ideas, you’ll notice one question arises every time: how much sales were you able to make so far? That’s because showcasing your successes, not limited to your sales revenue, is critical to many business pitches. Your successes, or their lack, may help people decide whether to support you.

For example, in a sales pitch, dedicating a slide to highlight the awards and commendations your offerings have may reinforce the credibility of your brand. 

4. Prepare for the Difficult Questions

No matter how well you think you delivered a pitch, it’s likely that you will still end up facing tough questions. Investors or customers ask questions to test your credibility and understand your plans.

You may anticipate common questions like inquiries about competition, scalability, and revenue projections. However, the best way to prepare for the Q&A is to know the inside out of your business. When you know your pitch by heart, backing up your answers with data and analyses will be second nature.

5. Mix and Match Business Pitch Techniques

Mixing and matching different business pitch techniques can make your presentation more engaging and persuasive. By incorporating various approaches, you can cater to different aspects of your audience’s cognitive and emotional processes, ensuring that your message resonates effectively.

For example, combining a product demo with customer testimonials can create a dynamic and persuasive pitch that not only showcases the functionality of your offering but also validates its effectiveness through real customer experiences.

6. Prepare a Pitch Deck

Preparing a pitch deck is distinct from creating the pitch itself, although the two are closely related. A pitch deck involves structuring slides that cover key content and information you want to convey. This activity involves compiling your financial projections, market size, growth rates, and more using graphics and images with a consistent visual theme.

Depending on your budget, you may hire a pitch deck designer or download and use editable pitch deck templates online.

7. Practice, Practice, Practice

The best way to perfect your pitch delivery is to practice and practice again. The more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you’ll become with your presentation.

Record yourself delivering the pitch using video or do a mock delivery in front of a mirror. Keep your posture and timing in check. Practice seamlessly transitioning between your speech and visuals. And if possible, seek feedback from your peers or mentors.

We’ve explored the essential elements and strategies for creating a successful business pitch. Throughout this process, one golden rule is to tailor your business pitch to your audience. When you can select the right people to present your idea to and align your pitch to their needs, you are well on your way to transforming your vision into a reality!

1. Executive Pitch for Business PowerPoint Template

Get your hands on all the tools required for creating a business pitch! Just customize these slides to include your organization’s information, change the color scheme to match your branding, and you’re one step closer to success.

Use This Template

2. Company Pitch Presentation Template for PowerPoint

Sometimes you intend to deliver your business pitches in a couple of well-crafted slides. If that’s your aim, meet a slide deck that can captivate your audience while you focus on introducing key information in style.

3. Minimalistic Business Pitch Deck Template for PowerPoint

With clean graphics and the option to upload our tailored backgrounds, this set of 14 slides has every tool to answer the question of how to make a business pitch. Its aesthetic can captivate small startups looking for visual aids in their presentation but intending to get the audience’s interest through their talk rather than extremely catchy graphics. Take a look and craft your next business pitch presentation!

4. Company Growth Business Pitch Template

This presentation template is designed for entrepreneurs looking for funding to achieve the next stage in their venture. Present highly relevant information such as your Business Model Canvas, your target KPIs, Market Size, Competitor Analysis, and more in a selection of 13 slides intended to summarize complex information easily. Ideal to create printables out of your presentation.

5. Colorful Business Pitch Deck for PowerPoint

Owners of businesses in the creative industry can reflect on their style and speak about their achievements with this extremely visual pitch for business slide deck. This template contains 19 slides featuring most of the tools mentioned in this article, plus some extra added value that can speak of the professionalism of your business pitch. Incorporate your data and generate quality, editable graphics in just seconds.

6. Elevator Pitch PowerPoint Template

We’ve seen this template in the article, as it clearly possesses all the qualities required for a powerful elevator pitch. Gather your data and use this selection of 12 business pitch PPT to create memorable but concise presentations.

7. Creative Business Pitch PowerPoint Template

Finally, for those looking to create a different aesthetic in their presentations, this template is intended for those looking at how to write a business pitch for a restaurant business. Yet, still, it applies to many creative industries and services. Deliver a presentation that clearly reflects your style with the help of this business pitch presentation template.

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Business Presentations, Pitch Deck Filed under Business

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Business Pitch Template

Present your business plan in a visually appealing format, making complex concepts easy to understand with the Business Plan Template.

Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies

About the Business Pitch Template

A well-crafted pitch can make all the difference in today's fast-paced business environment. Whether you're seeking investment, partnerships, or simply want to articulate your business vision, our template is designed to seamlessly guide you through the process.

The Business Pitch Template streamlines the process of creating your business pitch. It comprises five essential sections:

Business Plan: Clearly outline how your concept will generate revenue and sustain itself over time.

Experience: Provide a snapshot of your relevant experience, condensing your expertise into a concise statement.

Goals: Hook your audience with a powerful goal statement, clearly communicating what you are asking for.

Solution: State your idea for achieving the identified goal, offering a glimpse into the problem-solving aspect of your pitch.

Plan: Delve deeper into your goals and solution, offering a detailed and specific plan for execution.

How to use the Business Pitch Template

Edit with ease: Customize the template with just a few clicks to align it with your specific brand needs.

Content editing: Double-click on any section to seamlessly add and edit content, ensuring a tailored pitch.

Contextual artifacts: Enhance your pitch by incorporating relevant artifacts on the Miro board, providing additional context to your audience.

Why should you use a Business Pitch Template?

Time efficiency: Streamline the pitch creation process and save valuable time.

Visual clarity: Leverage a visually appealing format to enhance the clarity and impact of your message.

Consistency: Ensure a consistent and professional presentation style across all your pitches.

Adaptability: Effortlessly tailor the template to different business scenarios and audiences.

Collaborative edge: Facilitate collaboration by using Miro, allowing team members to contribute and provide feedback in real-time.

Can I customize the template to match my brand's aesthetics?

The template is fully customizable, allowing you to align it with your brand identity effortlessly.

Is the template suitable for different types of pitches, such as investment or partnership pitches?

Yes, the template is versatile and can be adapted to various pitch scenarios, ensuring relevance for different purposes.

Get started with this template right now.

BCG Matrix Template

Works best for:.

Strategic Planning

Use the BCG matrix template to make informed and strategic decisions about growth opportunities for your business. Assign your portfolio of products to different areas within the matrix (cash cows, dogs, question marks, stars) to prioritize where you should invest your time and money to see the best results.

Supply and Demand Graph Template

Market Research, Mapping, Diagrams

How do you price your product so that you make a profit while keeping customers and manufacturers happy? By finding a fair price. A supply and demand diagram is a graph that visualizes how much demand there is for your product and how many products you need. This, in turn, helps you with product pricing.

Project Canvas Template

Project Management, Documentation, Project Planning

A project canvas is a management tool that helps you summarize, visualize, and share all necessary information about your project. It can be used by all team members—from facilitators to project management professionals—at every stage of project development. The project canvas template allows you to keep all stakeholders in the project development process in the loop. By using a single platform for all project-related discussions, you can build a clear project overview and improve collaboration.

Presentation Template

Presentations, Education

At some point during your career, you’ll probably have to give a presentation. Presentations typically involve speaking alongside an accompanying slide deck that contains visuals, texts, and graphics to illustrate your topic. Take the stress out of presentation planning by using this presentation template to easily create effective, visually appealing slides. The presentation template can take the pressure off by helping your audience stay focused and engaged. Using simple tools, customize a slide deck, share slides with your team, get feedback, and collaborate.

Business Model Canvas Template

Leadership, Agile Methodology, Strategic Planning

Your business model: Nothing is more fundamental to who you are, what you create and sell, or ultimately whether or not you succeed. Using nine key building blocks (representing nine core business elements), a BMC gives you a highly usable strategic tool to develop and display your business model. What makes this template great for your team? It’s quick and easy to use, it keeps your value proposition front and center, and it creates a space to inspire ideation.

Value Chain Analysis Template

Leadership, Strategic Planning, Workflows

First coined by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter, the value chain analysis helps your team evaluate your business activities so you can find ways to improve your competitive advantage. A value chain is a set of activities that a company performs in order to deliver a valuable product from start to finish. The analysis itself allows your team to visualize all the business activities involved in creating the product—and helps you identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and miscommunication within the process.

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Blog Business

10 Business Pitch Examples for Your Next Client Meeting

By Letícia Fonseca , Oct 30, 2023

We tell presenters that it’s okay to feel scared during your upcoming sales pitch because investors will always be a pressing and intimidating bunch.

Great elevator pitches are similar to memorable stories. They intertwine visuals and narrative to keep the audience engaged. And it needs to be completed in the duration of an elevator ride.

In this guide, we share 10 business pitch examples you’ll want to use in your next investor or client meeting.

You don’t need design experience to create a business or sales pitch. Create an engaging presentation in just minutes with Venngage’s professionally designed pitch deck templates !

What is a business pitch?

A business pitch is a concise and compelling presentation that is delivered to potential investors, clients or partners to communicate the value proposition of a business idea , product or service.

The main goal of a business pitch is to persuade the audience to take a particular action, such as investing in the business, partnering with the company or purchasing the product or service.

When creating a business pitch, always remember that a well-crafted business pitch should be clear, concise and tailored to the specific needs and interests of the target audience. It should effectively communicate the value proposition and potential of the business idea, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

To help smoothen the process for you, I’ve curated 10 business pitch deck examples you can use for your next client meeting. Keep scrolling to find out!

10 business pitch examples you can use:

Choose a simple and short elevator pitch template, guy kawasaki elevator pitch examples for business, modern pitch deck example, effective startup elevator pitch examples.

• Business idea pitch deck

Dark marketing pitch deck

Classic airbnb pitch deck.

• Statement yellow elevator pitch example
• Short franchise elevator pitch example

Nonprofit pitch deck

Your elevator pitch needs to address the biggest business concern: the sales funnel .

This simple pitch deck example gets to the heart of the business problem within just 12 slides. It’s short, sharp and to the point, enough to keep prospective clients interested.

This is a great sales pitch deck template to accompany a brief presentation. You can easily share your business model with investors or clients.

Customize this template by adding your branding and business information. Include data about your target audience and team members. This is information that potential investors need to know.

With a Venngage business account, you can access the My Brand Kit feature, including the Autobrand tool.

Add your website when prompted and the editor will import your logos, fonts and brand colors . You’ll be able to add your branding to all your designs with a single click.

Related:  How to Create an Effective Pitch Deck Design [+Examples]

The Guy Kawasaki method for elevator pitch templates has been successful for numerous businesses. The minimal text keeps investors focused during the entire pitch.

Presenters can fully concentrate on sharing the key metrics and pain points of their target market. The pitch deck includes overviews that guide investors’ thoughts.

Venngage has two versions of the conventional Guy Kawasaki elevator pitch format. This gradient version is a bit more modern. It certainly draws the eye without overwhelming the design.

The template’s simple and minimalist-inspired design makes it easy to customize for any brand completely. You can swap out the gradient panels and add brand-relevant product images instead.

You can also use this non-gradient pitch deck template. This is an ideal way to highlight your brand colors.

Make the easily customizable pitch deck examples shared above your own by adding your text, data and graphs.

Creating a pitch deck  just got easier. Venngage’s real-time collaboration  allows multiple members to work on a design at once. Share instant feedback and design a winning sales pitch.

This unconventional pitch deck uses icons to tell a compelling narrative. Visuals can spice up presentation decks and give make them aesthetically pleasing.

This template works well for startups and small businesses demonstrating to investors their brand’s potential.

If the deck is too dark, you can switch out the panel colors and icons. Add your own research to make your sales pitch convincing.

Related:  Everything You Need to Know About Picking and Using Brand Colors

Elevator pitch decks focus on quick, one-minute proposals to convince potential investors that you have something valuable.

This investor pitch deck example is excellent for a startup elevator pitch. With just five slides, this deck makes it easy to breeze through your business model.

The added charts make the proposal and presentation much more convincing. You can share the necessary details that investors will want to know about.

Import your data from Google sheets into the Venngage editor and easily create charts for your presentation.

Related:  Everything You Need to Know About Pie Charts

Business idea pitch deck

How do you highlight your business model to a potential customer? You start with your value proposition.

The below pitch deck example opens with the business’ value proposition in the first slide. It also includes many elegant ways to showcase the brand. Plus, it provides essential business data to investors simultaneously.

You can use the business idea pitch deck template above as a guideline for a good sales pitch of your own or modify and adjust it to your branding needs.

The marketing pitch deck example below has a dark but unique personality. It works well in a product launch setting or as an elevator pitch deck for marketers.

The color combination is unusual but striking. Not to mention, on-trend. Bold colors are one of the resurgent graphic design trends  of the past few years.

You can use the above marketing pitch deck example as inspiration for numerous business presentations.

Art and multimedia businesses can also use it as a template for client presentations.

Related:  20+ Business Pitch Deck Templates to Win New Clients and Investors

We all know what Airbnb is and how much the business has grown over the past few years.

One of the best pitch deck examples you’ll see is Venngage’s version of the Airbnb pitch deck.

It uses sample data, addresses the core customer problem and outlines the business plan to capture the audience’s attention.

The pitch deck example above is one of the standard elevator pitch decks but manages to be sophisticated. There’s a finesse to this pitch deck design . That’s why it was so successful.

Statement yellow elevator pitch example

The yellow motif of this artistic pitch deck will immediately hold the audience’s attention.

The color is bright and bold but isn’t overpowering. Instead, only two slides use the background color across the whole slide.

The majority of the slides only include hints of yellow or use it as a highlight.

This template works for companies that use one prominent color across their branding. It’s also a professional pitch deck for small businesses, startups, or software companies.

Short franchise elevator pitch example

Pitch decks don’t depend on length to make a point. Instead, it uses fewer headers as overviews and depends on presenters to share pitch details with investors.

This is one of the best pitch deck examples for a short and classy presentation. It uses a small number of icons and bullet points to draw the eye and keep the presentation flowing.

As an elevator pitch, this is an effective method for maintaining the audience’s focus.

Related:  A Complete Guide to Line Charts

This elevator pitch example for nonprofits uses minimalism and icons to keep potential investors engaged throughout the presentation.

The subtle use of color and icons asserts the brand’s personality. This template can work for businesses in the graphic design sector.

Alternatively, the nonprofit pitch deck example above can also work for digital marketing agencies that want a cutting-edge appeal to make themselves attractive to clients.

Famous sales pitch decks to inspire your pitch

Minimalist airbnb pitch deck.

This minimalist design of the Airbnb elevator pitch example shared above is perfect for startups.

You can easily add product or location photos and adjust the colors to suit your branding, alongside your logo and fonts.

Buffer pitch deck

The real Buffer pitch deck was confusing for investors. You can read more about it in our round-up of the best pitch decks .

Venngage designed a cleaner version using icons and charts. This makes the information easier to understand. You aren’t bombarding your audience with too many details.

Facebook pitch deck

The winning Facebook pitch deck was text-heavy. But what made it stand out was how many popular schools had already signed up with it.

Plus, the deck was nothing short of ambitious, with a clear expansion plan. It is no surprise that Facebook is the behemoth it is today.

How to write a business pitch deck

Creating a compelling business pitch deck is essential for effectively conveying your business idea to potential investors or partners. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you write a business pitch deck:

• Cover slide: Include the name of your company and a visually appealing image that represents your business.
• Problem statement: Clearly define the problem your product or service solves. Use statistics or real-life examples to emphasize the significance of the problem.
• Solution: Describe your product or service and how it addresses the identified problem. Use visuals, such as product images or diagrams, to help illustrate your solution.
• Market opportunity: Present market research data to showcase the size, growth potential and trends of the target market. Use graphs, charts, or infographics to make the information more engaging.
• Business model: Explain how your business will generate revenue. Describe your pricing strategy, sales and distribution channels and any key partnerships or collaborations that will contribute to your business model’s success.
• Traction and milestones: Highlight any significant achievements, milestones, or partnerships that demonstrate the progress and potential of your business. This can include user metrics, revenue growth, or notable endorsements.
• Competitive analysis: Analyze your competitors and illustrate how your product or service stands out in the market. Highlight your unique selling points and any barriers to entry that provide your business with a competitive advantage.
• Go-to-market strategy: Outline your marketing and sales plan. Describe how you will reach and acquire customers, including your marketing channels, customer acquisition strategy and sales approach.
• Financial projections: Present your financial forecasts, including revenue projections, cost structures and expected profitability. Use charts or graphs to display key financial data and assumptions.
• Team: Introduce your team members and highlight their relevant expertise and experience. Emphasize how the team’s skills and strengths contribute to the success of the business.
• Use of funds: Explain how you plan to use the funds you are seeking. Provide a breakdown of how the investment will be allocated across different aspects of the business.
• Conclusion and call-to-action: Summarize the key points of your pitch and clearly state what action you want the investors to take. Encourage questions and provide your contact information for further discussions.

Remember to keep your pitch deck concise, visually appealing and easy to understand. Use high-quality visuals and compelling storytelling to make your business pitch deck engaging and memorable for your audience.

Four tips for creating a great elevator pitch

Here are four easy ways to recreate the pitch deck examples above or build your own pitch from a template.

Create a visual style for your sales pitches

A visual style or theme creates flow and sophistication in any presentation. These involve using recurring elements in a subtle and obvious manner.

For example, this Venngage template uses our color gradient along with elegant and bright icons.

Choose visual elements whose characteristics become the pitch deck’s focal point. Great pitch decks use the brand’s colors and visual motifs to keep the brand top of mind.

Give an overview of your business model

Pitch decks act as content anchors that guide your client toward your topic’s main points.

All the other information in your pitch deck or the explanations in your presentation will be aimed at supplementing that data.

Like this Uber elevator pitch template that emphasizes customer pain points and how the business will solve them.

Examples of added data include situational examples, charts and graphs and case studies .

Focus on your unique proposition

Your pitch deck has a central idea that is its unique selling proposition. Pitch deck creators build their pitch ideas around this aspect.

As a result, they’ll have a solid, communicative and persuading pitch deck that convinces investors.

Simplify hard concepts in your sales pitch

Scientific knowledge is enriching to those who understand its meaning.

Hard concepts, long-running and poorly constructed sentences and jargon make reading challenging for investors who have a very short time to spare.

This deck ensures that information isn’t overwhelming, either in the overview or the traction slide.

Make sure to simplify hard concepts and use simple words. That’s what the best pitch decks do.

Use templates to create successful pitch decks and win over investors

Delivering a good elevator pitch can be overwhelming. The pressure to get the tone right and impress investors is huge.

We’ve shared 10 elevator pitch examples that you can use as inspiration.

And with Venngage’s pitch deck templates, you get a competitive advantage. With no design experience, you can create elevator pitches that win over investors.

• Business  / Personal finance

Pitching To Funding And Having Plan B For Start-Up: How To Pitch Your Business Ideas To Investors

The path from a mere idea to a successful start-up involves several crucial steps, from pitching your concept to securing funding and, importantly, having a back-up plan.

By: Subhojit Sarkar | Updated at : 17 Apr 2024 06:55 PM (IST)

Pitch Your Business Ideas To Investors: A well-thought-out business plan is essential for attracting investors and guiding your start-up's growth. ( Image Source : Getty )

Entrepreneurial journey can be both exhilarating and challenging. The path from a mere idea to a successful start-up involves several crucial steps, from pitching your concept to securing funding and, importantly, having a back-up plan. Hence, launching a start-up is testing yet rewarding endeavour that requires careful planning. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to set a winning pitch for investors.

Crafting a compelling pitch

The first step in starting a start-up is to articulate your idea concisely and persuasively. Your pitch should clearly outline the problem you're solving, your unique solution, target market, competitive advantage, and potential for scalability. Practice your pitch until it's polished and can be delivered confidently in various settings, whether it's a formal presentation or an informal networking event.

Sridhar Samudrala , founder of Hecta, emphasised on a good pitch deck that explains the problem statement that they are solving and the design the product or service that solves the problem. "If you wish to get funding from Angels or VCs, then they look at size of the market and how technology or AI is being planned to scale up the business. Capturing this in a pitch deck is a process in itself, which will help sharpen the idea and think of the 'Art of Possible'.

Pitching ideas

Market validation.

Before seeking funding, it's essential to validate your idea in the market. Conduct thorough market research to understand your target audience, their pain points, and whether your solution resonates with them. Collect feedback from potential customers and iterate on your idea based on their insights. Demonstrating traction or early validation can significantly increase your chances of securing funding.

Hatching a solid business plan

A well-thought-out business plan is essential for attracting investors and guiding your start-up's growth. Your business plan should include a detailed analysis of the market, competitors, revenue model, marketing strategy, operational plan, and financial projections. It should also outline your team's expertise and roles. Continuously refine and update your business plan as your start-up evolves.

Building a strong team

Surround yourself with a talented and diverse team that shares your vision and complements your skills. A strong team can help overcome obstacles, bring fresh perspectives, and drive innovation. Invest in building a positive company culture that fosters collaboration, creativity, and accountability.

Seeking funding

Once you have a compelling pitch and a solid business plan, it's time to seek funding to fuel your start-up's growth. There are various sources of funding available, including bootstrapping, angel investors, venture capital, crowdfunding, and government grants. Research the pros and cons of each option and choose the one that aligns best with your start-up's stage and goals. Be prepared to pitch your idea to potential investors and demonstrate why your start-up is worth investing in.

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Having a Plan B

Despite your best efforts, not every start-up succeeds, and setbacks are inevitable. That's why it's crucial to have a Plan B – a contingency plan in case things don't go as expected. This could involve having alternative revenue streams, pivoting your business model, or even winding down the start-up if necessary. Being adaptable and resilient is key to overcoming challenges and navigating through uncertainty.

Yashraj Bhardwaj , co-founder, Petonic Infotech, tells the aspiring entrepreneurs to start with a persuasive pitch that will demonstrate the unique value of your product or service in the marketplace. "Present your business plan to potential investors, highlighting your vision, target audience and scalability. Focus on making good money, managing your work schedule and managing finances wisely. However, always prepare a Plan B that includes additional revenue and discounts to weather challenges or unexpected changes in the market. Always reiterate your strategy based on feedback and performance for long-term success."

Prerana Agarwal Saxena , founder and CEO at Theme Weavers Designs and WedEase, on the other hand, said, "Remember, a Plan B isn't a fallback; it's a strategic pivot point. Embrace the process of refining, pitching, funding, and evolving—each step a brushstroke on the canvas of innovation."

Iterating and adapting

The start-up journey is a continuous learning process, and it's essential to iterate on your idea based on feedback and market dynamics. Stay agile and be willing to pivot if needed. Keep a close eye on industry trends, customer needs, and competitive landscape, and adapt your strategy accordingly.

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How to Pitch Your Business Plan in Just 10 Minutes

D elivering a good pitch for your business is as much about conveying emotion as conveying information. The saying "They don't care what you know until they know that you care" is good advice to follow. A pitch doesn't need to be long, and your audience will appreciate it if you keep the pitch as brief as possible. In the updated second edition of our best-selling book Write Your Business Plan , Eric Butow, CEO of online marketing ROI improvement firm Butow Communications Group, explains how you can put together a pitch in ten minutes that's broken down into one topic every minute.

Order Write Your Own Business Plan Now and Get 1 Month of Free Access to Business Planning Software Liveplan Premium

• Easy step-by-step business plan generator
• Built-in financial calculators
• 500+ sample plans and templates

10-Minute Pitch Planner

• Minute 1: Personal introduction. Let the audience know that you personally care about the people and the problem you are trying to solve.
• Minute 2: State the problem . People with this problem have emotions invested. They may be struggling, irritated, angry, and/ or disenfranchised. Keep human emotions real. Break down the problem into its component parts accompanied by a diagram.
• Minute 3: Present the solution. Show excitement and passion for your business's solution. Walk the audience not only through how the solution works but also through the great benefits of the solution.
• Minute 4: Show your business model. Now is the time to tell the audience how you will make money. Explain how you are going to charge people for the solution you are offering.
• Minute 5: Talk about your competition. Do not talk about how you're better than the competition. Instead, focus on how you're different. Your attitude toward the competition gives the audience a peek into your business soul. Are you dutifully respectful of their presence and power or are you arrogant enough to think your little startup will have no problem beating them? Err on the side of humility.
• Minute 6: Talk about your market and how you'll sell to them . Get excited as you talk about how many potential customers are out there and how you're going to get them. Take the audience through the market data, your chosen point of entry, and your sales and marketing strategy.
• Minute 7: Tell the audience about how much money you'll make . Talk about how selling to your market shows the unit economics of a single customer (price), and the size of the market shows how many potential deals are out there (quantity). Armed with this information, you can describe how revenue builds over time
• Minute 8: Introduce your team. It's important to introduce your team in the context of the business so the audience understands why it is what it is. If you introduce the team up front, you will have to circle back to describe their roles later, which wastes time.
• Minute 9: Prove your business has traction. You need to show results to get investors and customers to buy in. So, answer important questions such as: What has the team accomplished? Does the company have revenue? Are the customers happy?
• Minute 10: Ask for the buy-in. You need to spend the last minute asking for people to buy into your business and your vision, no matter if that's asking investors for money or asking someone to work for you. In this last minute, paint a clear picture of what you need from the audience and what investing with you will look like.

Write Your Own Business Plan is available now at Entrepreneur Bookstore | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Use as many charts, tables, and other graphic elements as it takes to get your point across. But don't count on lavish visuals to sway a skeptical reader. Some readers actually are put off by plans that seem to be trying to wow them through the presentation.

To dig deeper, buy Write Your Own Business Plan and get 1 month of free access to business planning software Liveplan Premium.

Small Business Trends

How to create a business plan: examples & free template.

This is the ultimate guide to creating a comprehensive and effective plan to start a business . In today’s dynamic business landscape, having a well-crafted business plan is an important first step to securing funding, attracting partners, and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship.

This guide has been designed to help you create a winning plan that stands out in the ever-evolving marketplace. U sing real-world examples and a free downloadable template, it will walk you through each step of the process.

Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or launching your very first startup, the guide will give you the insights, tools, and confidence you need to create a solid foundation for your business.

Table of Contents

How to Write a Business Plan

Embarking on the journey of creating a successful business requires a solid foundation, and a well-crafted business plan is the cornerstone. Here is the process of writing a comprehensive business plan and the main parts of a winning business plan . From setting objectives to conducting market research, this guide will have everything you need.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary serves as the gateway to your business plan, offering a snapshot of your venture’s core aspects. This section should captivate and inform, succinctly summarizing the essence of your plan.

It’s crucial to include a clear mission statement, a brief description of your primary products or services, an overview of your target market, and key financial projections or achievements.

Think of it as an elevator pitch in written form: it should be compelling enough to engage potential investors or stakeholders and provide them with a clear understanding of what your business is about, its goals, and why it’s a promising investment.

Example: EcoTech is a technology company specializing in eco-friendly and sustainable products designed to reduce energy consumption and minimize waste. Our mission is to create innovative solutions that contribute to a cleaner, greener environment.

Our target market includes environmentally conscious consumers and businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. We project a 200% increase in revenue within the first three years of operation.

Overview and Business Objectives

In the Overview and Business Objectives section, outline your business’s core goals and the strategic approaches you plan to use to achieve them. This section should set forth clear, specific objectives that are attainable and time-bound, providing a roadmap for your business’s growth and success.

It’s important to detail how these objectives align with your company’s overall mission and vision. Discuss the milestones you aim to achieve and the timeframe you’ve set for these accomplishments.

This part of the plan demonstrates to investors and stakeholders your vision for growth and the practical steps you’ll take to get there.

Example: EcoTech’s primary objective is to become a market leader in sustainable technology products within the next five years. Our key objectives include:

• Introducing three new products within the first two years of operation.
• Achieving annual revenue growth of 30%.
• Expanding our customer base to over 10,000 clients by the end of the third year.

Company Description

The Company Description section is your opportunity to delve into the details of your business. Provide a comprehensive overview that includes your company’s history, its mission statement, and its vision for the future.

Highlight your unique selling proposition (USP) – what makes your business stand out in the market. Explain the problems your company solves and how it benefits your customers.

Include information about the company’s founders, their expertise, and why they are suited to lead the business to success. This section should paint a vivid picture of your business, its values, and its place in the industry.

Example: EcoTech is committed to developing cutting-edge sustainable technology products that benefit both the environment and our customers. Our unique combination of innovative solutions and eco-friendly design sets us apart from the competition. We envision a future where technology and sustainability go hand in hand, leading to a greener planet.

Define Your Target Market

Defining Your Target Market is critical for tailoring your business strategy effectively. This section should describe your ideal customer base in detail, including demographic information (such as age, gender, income level, and location) and psychographic data (like interests, values, and lifestyle).

Elucidate on the specific needs or pain points of your target audience and how your product or service addresses these. This information will help you know your target market and develop targeted marketing strategies.

Example: Our target market comprises environmentally conscious consumers and businesses looking for innovative solutions to reduce their carbon footprint. Our ideal customers are those who prioritize sustainability and are willing to invest in eco-friendly products.

Market Analysis

The Market Analysis section requires thorough research and a keen understanding of the industry. It involves examining the current trends within your industry, understanding the needs and preferences of your customers, and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.

This analysis will enable you to spot market opportunities and anticipate potential challenges. Include data and statistics to back up your claims, and use graphs or charts to illustrate market trends.

This section should demonstrate that you have a deep understanding of the market in which you operate and that your business is well-positioned to capitalize on its opportunities.

Example: The market for eco-friendly technology products has experienced significant growth in recent years, with an estimated annual growth rate of 10%. As consumers become increasingly aware of environmental issues, the demand for sustainable solutions continues to rise.

Our research indicates a gap in the market for high-quality, innovative eco-friendly technology products that cater to both individual and business clients.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis in your business plan offers a comprehensive examination of your company’s internal and external factors. By assessing Strengths, you showcase what your business does best and where your capabilities lie.

Weaknesses involve an honest introspection of areas where your business may be lacking or could improve. Opportunities can be external factors that your business could capitalize on, such as market gaps or emerging trends.

Threats include external challenges your business may face, like competition or market changes. This analysis is crucial for strategic planning, as it helps in recognizing and leveraging your strengths, addressing weaknesses, seizing opportunities, and preparing for potential threats.

Including a SWOT analysis demonstrates to stakeholders that you have a balanced and realistic understanding of your business in its operational context.

• Innovative and eco-friendly product offerings.
• Strong commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
• Skilled and experienced team with expertise in technology and sustainability.

Weaknesses:

• Limited brand recognition compared to established competitors.
• Reliance on third-party manufacturers for product development.

Opportunities:

• Growing consumer interest in sustainable products.
• Partnerships with environmentally-focused organizations and influencers.
• Expansion into international markets.
• Intense competition from established technology companies.
• Regulatory changes could impact the sustainable technology market.

Competitive Analysis

In this section, you’ll analyze your competitors in-depth, examining their products, services, market positioning, and pricing strategies. Understanding your competition allows you to identify gaps in the market and tailor your offerings to outperform them.

By conducting a thorough competitive analysis, you can gain insights into your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to develop strategies to differentiate your business and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Example: Key competitors include:

GreenTech: A well-known brand offering eco-friendly technology products, but with a narrower focus on energy-saving devices.

EarthSolutions: A direct competitor specializing in sustainable technology, but with a limited product range and higher prices.

By offering a diverse product portfolio, competitive pricing, and continuous innovation, we believe we can capture a significant share of the growing sustainable technology market.

Organization and Management Team

Provide an overview of your company’s organizational structure, including key roles and responsibilities. Introduce your management team, highlighting their expertise and experience to demonstrate that your team is capable of executing the business plan successfully.

Showcasing your team’s background, skills, and accomplishments instills confidence in investors and other stakeholders, proving that your business has the leadership and talent necessary to achieve its objectives and manage growth effectively.

Example: EcoTech’s organizational structure comprises the following key roles: CEO, CTO, CFO, Sales Director, Marketing Director, and R&D Manager. Our management team has extensive experience in technology, sustainability, and business development, ensuring that we are well-equipped to execute our business plan successfully.

Products and Services Offered

Describe the products or services your business offers, focusing on their unique features and benefits. Explain how your offerings solve customer pain points and why they will choose your products or services over the competition.

This section should emphasize the value you provide to customers, demonstrating that your business has a deep understanding of customer needs and is well-positioned to deliver innovative solutions that address those needs and set your company apart from competitors.

Example: EcoTech offers a range of eco-friendly technology products, including energy-efficient lighting solutions, solar chargers, and smart home devices that optimize energy usage. Our products are designed to help customers reduce energy consumption, minimize waste, and contribute to a cleaner environment.

Marketing and Sales Strategy

In this section, articulate your comprehensive strategy for reaching your target market and driving sales. Detail the specific marketing channels you plan to use, such as social media, email marketing, SEO, or traditional advertising.

Describe the nature of your advertising campaigns and promotional activities, explaining how they will capture the attention of your target audience and convey the value of your products or services. Outline your sales strategy, including your sales process, team structure, and sales targets.

Discuss how these marketing and sales efforts will work together to attract and retain customers, generate leads, and ultimately contribute to achieving your business’s revenue goals.

This section is critical to convey to investors and stakeholders that you have a well-thought-out approach to market your business effectively and drive sales growth.

Example: Our marketing strategy includes digital advertising, content marketing, social media promotion, and influencer partnerships. We will also attend trade shows and conferences to showcase our products and connect with potential clients. Our sales strategy involves both direct sales and partnerships with retail stores, as well as online sales through our website and e-commerce platforms.

Logistics and Operations Plan

The Logistics and Operations Plan is a critical component that outlines the inner workings of your business. It encompasses the management of your supply chain, detailing how you acquire raw materials and manage vendor relationships.

Inventory control is another crucial aspect, where you explain strategies for inventory management to ensure efficiency and reduce wastage. The section should also describe your production processes, emphasizing scalability and adaptability to meet changing market demands.

Quality control measures are essential to maintain product standards and customer satisfaction. This plan assures investors and stakeholders of your operational competency and readiness to meet business demands.

Highlighting your commitment to operational efficiency and customer satisfaction underlines your business’s capability to maintain smooth, effective operations even as it scales.

Example: EcoTech partners with reliable third-party manufacturers to produce our eco-friendly technology products. Our operations involve maintaining strong relationships with suppliers, ensuring quality control, and managing inventory.

We also prioritize efficient distribution through various channels, including online platforms and retail partners, to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner.

Financial Projections Plan

In the Financial Projections Plan, lay out a clear and realistic financial future for your business. This should include detailed projections for revenue, costs, and profitability over the next three to five years.

Ground these projections in solid assumptions based on your market analysis, industry benchmarks, and realistic growth scenarios. Break down revenue streams and include an analysis of the cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and potential investments.

This section should also discuss your break-even analysis, cash flow projections, and any assumptions about external funding requirements.

By presenting a thorough and data-backed financial forecast, you instill confidence in potential investors and lenders, showcasing your business’s potential for profitability and financial stability.

This forward-looking financial plan is crucial for demonstrating that you have a firm grasp of the financial nuances of your business and are prepared to manage its financial health effectively.

Example: Over the next three years, we expect to see significant growth in revenue, driven by new product launches and market expansion. Our financial projections include:

• Year 1: $1.5 million in revenue, with a net profit of $200,000.
• Year 2: $3 million in revenue, with a net profit of $500,000.
• Year 3: $4.5 million in revenue, with a net profit of $1 million.

These projections are based on realistic market analysis, growth rates, and product pricing.

Income Statement

The income statement , also known as the profit and loss statement, provides a summary of your company’s revenues and expenses over a specified period. It helps you track your business’s financial performance and identify trends, ensuring you stay on track to achieve your financial goals.

Regularly reviewing and analyzing your income statement allows you to monitor the health of your business, evaluate the effectiveness of your strategies, and make data-driven decisions to optimize profitability and growth.

Example: The income statement for EcoTech’s first year of operation is as follows:

• Revenue: $1,500,000
• Cost of Goods Sold: $800,000
• Gross Profit: $700,000
• Operating Expenses: $450,000
• Net Income: $250,000

This statement highlights our company’s profitability and overall financial health during the first year of operation.

Cash Flow Statement

A cash flow statement is a crucial part of a financial business plan that shows the inflows and outflows of cash within your business. It helps you monitor your company’s liquidity, ensuring you have enough cash on hand to cover operating expenses, pay debts, and invest in growth opportunities.

By including a cash flow statement in your business plan, you demonstrate your ability to manage your company’s finances effectively.

Example:  The cash flow statement for EcoTech’s first year of operation is as follows:

Operating Activities:

• Depreciation: $10,000
• Changes in Working Capital: -$50,000
• Net Cash from Operating Activities: $210,000

Investing Activities:

•  Capital Expenditures: -$100,000
• Net Cash from Investing Activities: -$100,000

Financing Activities:

• Proceeds from Loans: $150,000
• Loan Repayments: -$50,000
• Net Cash from Financing Activities: $100,000
• Net Increase in Cash: $210,000

This statement demonstrates EcoTech’s ability to generate positive cash flow from operations, maintain sufficient liquidity, and invest in growth opportunities.

Tips on Writing a Business Plan

1. Be clear and concise: Keep your language simple and straightforward. Avoid jargon and overly technical terms. A clear and concise business plan is easier for investors and stakeholders to understand and demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively.

2. Conduct thorough research: Before writing your business plan, gather as much information as possible about your industry, competitors, and target market. Use reliable sources and industry reports to inform your analysis and make data-driven decisions.

3. Set realistic goals: Your business plan should outline achievable objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Setting realistic goals demonstrates your understanding of the market and increases the likelihood of success.

4. Focus on your unique selling proposition (USP): Clearly articulate what sets your business apart from the competition. Emphasize your USP throughout your business plan to showcase your company’s value and potential for success.

5. Be flexible and adaptable: A business plan is a living document that should evolve as your business grows and changes. Be prepared to update and revise your plan as you gather new information and learn from your experiences.

6. Use visuals to enhance understanding: Include charts, graphs, and other visuals to help convey complex data and ideas. Visuals can make your business plan more engaging and easier to digest, especially for those who prefer visual learning.

7. Seek feedback from trusted sources: Share your business plan with mentors, industry experts, or colleagues and ask for their feedback. Their insights can help you identify areas for improvement and strengthen your plan before presenting it to potential investors or partners.

FREE Business Plan Template

To help you get started on your business plan, we have created a template that includes all the essential components discussed in the “How to Write a Business Plan” section. This easy-to-use template will guide you through each step of the process, ensuring you don’t miss any critical details.

The template is divided into the following sections:

• Mission statement
• Business Overview
• Key products or services
• Target market
• Financial highlights
• Company goals
• Strategies to achieve goals
• Measurable, time-bound objectives
• Company History
• Mission and vision
• Unique selling proposition
• Demographics
• Psychographics
• Pain points
• Industry trends
• Customer needs
• Competitor strengths and weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Competitor products and services
• Market positioning
• Pricing strategies
• Organizational structure
• Key roles and responsibilities
• Management team backgrounds
• Product or service features
• Competitive advantages
• Marketing channels
• Advertising campaigns
• Promotional activities
• Sales strategies
• Supply chain management
• Inventory control
• Production processes
• Quality control measures
• Projected revenue
• Assumptions
• Cash inflows
• Cash outflows
• Net cash flow

What is a Business Plan?

A business plan is a strategic document that outlines an organization’s goals, objectives, and the steps required to achieve them. It serves as a roadmap as you start a business , guiding the company’s direction and growth while identifying potential obstacles and opportunities.

Typically, a business plan covers areas such as market analysis, financial projections, marketing strategies, and organizational structure. It not only helps in securing funding from investors and lenders but also provides clarity and focus to the management team.

A well-crafted business plan is a very important part of your business startup checklist because it fosters informed decision-making and long-term success.

Why You Should Write a Business Plan

Understanding the importance of a business plan in today’s competitive environment is crucial for entrepreneurs and business owners. Here are five compelling reasons to write a business plan:

• Attract Investors and Secure Funding : A well-written business plan demonstrates your venture’s potential and profitability, making it easier to attract investors and secure the necessary funding for growth and development. It provides a detailed overview of your business model, target market, financial projections, and growth strategies, instilling confidence in potential investors and lenders that your company is a worthy investment.
• Clarify Business Objectives and Strategies : Crafting a business plan forces you to think critically about your goals and the strategies you’ll employ to achieve them, providing a clear roadmap for success. This process helps you refine your vision and prioritize the most critical objectives, ensuring that your efforts are focused on achieving the desired results.
• Identify Potential Risks and Opportunities : Analyzing the market, competition, and industry trends within your business plan helps identify potential risks and uncover untapped opportunities for growth and expansion. This insight enables you to develop proactive strategies to mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities, positioning your business for long-term success.
• Improve Decision-Making : A business plan serves as a reference point so you can make informed decisions that align with your company’s overall objectives and long-term vision. By consistently referring to your plan and adjusting it as needed, you can ensure that your business remains on track and adapts to changes in the market, industry, or internal operations.
• Foster Team Alignment and Communication : A shared business plan helps ensure that all team members are on the same page, promoting clear communication, collaboration, and a unified approach to achieving the company’s goals. By involving your team in the planning process and regularly reviewing the plan together, you can foster a sense of ownership, commitment, and accountability that drives success.

What are the Different Types of Business Plans?

In today’s fast-paced business world, having a well-structured roadmap is more important than ever. A traditional business plan provides a comprehensive overview of your company’s goals and strategies, helping you make informed decisions and achieve long-term success. There are various types of business plans, each designed to suit different needs and purposes. Let’s explore the main types:

• Startup Business Plan: Tailored for new ventures, a startup business plan outlines the company’s mission, objectives, target market, competition, marketing strategies, and financial projections. It helps entrepreneurs clarify their vision, secure funding from investors, and create a roadmap for their business’s future. Additionally, this plan identifies potential challenges and opportunities, which are crucial for making informed decisions and adapting to changing market conditions.
• Internal Business Plan: This type of plan is intended for internal use, focusing on strategies, milestones, deadlines, and resource allocation. It serves as a management tool for guiding the company’s growth, evaluating its progress, and ensuring that all departments are aligned with the overall vision. The internal business plan also helps identify areas of improvement, fosters collaboration among team members, and provides a reference point for measuring performance.
• Strategic Business Plan: A strategic business plan outlines long-term goals and the steps to achieve them, providing a clear roadmap for the company’s direction. It typically includes a SWOT analysis, market research, and competitive analysis. This plan allows businesses to align their resources with their objectives, anticipate changes in the market, and develop contingency plans. By focusing on the big picture, a strategic business plan fosters long-term success and stability.
• Feasibility Business Plan: This plan is designed to assess the viability of a business idea, examining factors such as market demand, competition, and financial projections. It is often used to decide whether or not to pursue a particular venture. By conducting a thorough feasibility analysis, entrepreneurs can avoid investing time and resources into an unviable business concept. This plan also helps refine the business idea, identify potential obstacles, and determine the necessary resources for success.
• Growth Business Plan: Also known as an expansion plan, a growth business plan focuses on strategies for scaling up an existing business. It includes market analysis, new product or service offerings, and financial projections to support expansion plans. This type of plan is essential for businesses looking to enter new markets, increase their customer base, or launch new products or services. By outlining clear growth strategies, the plan helps ensure that expansion efforts are well-coordinated and sustainable.
• Operational Business Plan: This type of plan outlines the company’s day-to-day operations, detailing the processes, procedures, and organizational structure. It is an essential tool for managing resources, streamlining workflows, and ensuring smooth operations. The operational business plan also helps identify inefficiencies, implement best practices, and establish a strong foundation for future growth. By providing a clear understanding of daily operations, this plan enables businesses to optimize their resources and enhance productivity.
• Lean Business Plan: A lean business plan is a simplified, agile version of a traditional plan, focusing on key elements such as value proposition, customer segments, revenue streams, and cost structure. It is perfect for startups looking for a flexible, adaptable planning approach. The lean business plan allows for rapid iteration and continuous improvement, enabling businesses to pivot and adapt to changing market conditions. This streamlined approach is particularly beneficial for businesses in fast-paced or uncertain industries.
• One-Page Business Plan: As the name suggests, a one-page business plan is a concise summary of your company’s key objectives, strategies, and milestones. It serves as a quick reference guide and is ideal for pitching to potential investors or partners. This plan helps keep teams focused on essential goals and priorities, fosters clear communication, and provides a snapshot of the company’s progress. While not as comprehensive as other plans, a one-page business plan is an effective tool for maintaining clarity and direction.
• Nonprofit Business Plan: Specifically designed for nonprofit organizations, this plan outlines the mission, goals, target audience, fundraising strategies, and budget allocation. It helps secure grants and donations while ensuring the organization stays on track with its objectives. The nonprofit business plan also helps attract volunteers, board members, and community support. By demonstrating the organization’s impact and plans for the future, this plan is essential for maintaining transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability within the nonprofit sector.
• Franchise Business Plan: For entrepreneurs seeking to open a franchise, this type of plan focuses on the franchisor’s requirements, as well as the franchisee’s goals, strategies, and financial projections. It is crucial for securing a franchise agreement and ensuring the business’s success within the franchise system. This plan outlines the franchisee’s commitment to brand standards, marketing efforts, and operational procedures, while also addressing local market conditions and opportunities. By creating a solid franchise business plan, entrepreneurs can demonstrate their ability to effectively manage and grow their franchise, increasing the likelihood of a successful partnership with the franchisor.

Using Business Plan Software

Creating a comprehensive business plan can be intimidating, but business plan software can streamline the process and help you produce a professional document. These tools offer a number of benefits, including guided step-by-step instructions, financial projections, and industry-specific templates. Here are the top 5 business plan software options available to help you craft a great business plan.

1. LivePlan

LivePlan is a popular choice for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features. It offers over 500 sample plans, financial forecasting tools, and the ability to track your progress against key performance indicators. With LivePlan, you can create visually appealing, professional business plans that will impress investors and stakeholders.

2. Upmetrics

Upmetrics provides a simple and intuitive platform for creating a well-structured business plan. It features customizable templates, financial forecasting tools, and collaboration capabilities, allowing you to work with team members and advisors. Upmetrics also offers a library of resources to guide you through the business planning process.

Bizplan is designed to simplify the business planning process with a drag-and-drop builder and modular sections. It offers financial forecasting tools, progress tracking, and a visually appealing interface. With Bizplan, you can create a business plan that is both easy to understand and visually engaging.

Enloop is a robust business plan software that automatically generates a tailored plan based on your inputs. It provides industry-specific templates, financial forecasting, and a unique performance score that updates as you make changes to your plan. Enloop also offers a free version, making it accessible for businesses on a budget.

5. Tarkenton GoSmallBiz

Developed by NFL Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, GoSmallBiz is tailored for small businesses and startups. It features a guided business plan builder, customizable templates, and financial projection tools. GoSmallBiz also offers additional resources, such as CRM tools and legal document templates, to support your business beyond the planning stage.

Business Plan FAQs

What is a good business plan.

A good business plan is a well-researched, clear, and concise document that outlines a company’s goals, strategies, target market, competitive advantages, and financial projections. It should be adaptable to change and provide a roadmap for achieving success.

What are the 3 main purposes of a business plan?

The three main purposes of a business plan are to guide the company’s strategy, attract investment, and evaluate performance against objectives. Here’s a closer look at each of these:

• It outlines the company’s purpose and core values to ensure that all activities align with its mission and vision.
• It provides an in-depth analysis of the market, including trends, customer needs, and competition, helping the company tailor its products and services to meet market demands.
• It defines the company’s marketing and sales strategies, guiding how the company will attract and retain customers.
• It describes the company’s organizational structure and management team, outlining roles and responsibilities to ensure effective operation and leadership.
• It sets measurable, time-bound objectives, allowing the company to plan its activities effectively and make strategic decisions to achieve these goals.
• It provides a comprehensive overview of the company and its business model, demonstrating its uniqueness and potential for success.
• It presents the company’s financial projections, showing its potential for profitability and return on investment.
• It demonstrates the company’s understanding of the market, including its target customers and competition, convincing investors that the company is capable of gaining a significant market share.
• It showcases the management team’s expertise and experience, instilling confidence in investors that the team is capable of executing the business plan successfully.
• It establishes clear, measurable objectives that serve as performance benchmarks.
• It provides a basis for regular performance reviews, allowing the company to monitor its progress and identify areas for improvement.
• It enables the company to assess the effectiveness of its strategies and make adjustments as needed to achieve its objectives.
• It helps the company identify potential risks and challenges, enabling it to develop contingency plans and manage risks effectively.
• It provides a mechanism for evaluating the company’s financial performance, including revenue, expenses, profitability, and cash flow.

Can I write a business plan by myself?

Yes, you can write a business plan by yourself, but it can be helpful to consult with mentors, colleagues, or industry experts to gather feedback and insights. There are also many creative business plan templates and business plan examples available online, including those above.

We also have examples for specific industries, including a using food truck business plan , salon business plan , farm business plan , daycare business plan , and restaurant business plan .

Is it possible to create a one-page business plan?

Yes, a one-page business plan is a condensed version that highlights the most essential elements, including the company’s mission, target market, unique selling proposition, and financial goals.

How long should a business plan be?

A typical business plan ranges from 20 to 50 pages, but the length may vary depending on the complexity and needs of the business.

What is a business plan outline?

A business plan outline is a structured framework that organizes the content of a business plan into sections, such as the executive summary, company description, market analysis, and financial projections.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

The five most common business plan mistakes include inadequate research, unrealistic financial projections, lack of focus on the unique selling proposition, poor organization and structure, and failure to update the plan as circumstances change.

What questions should be asked in a business plan?

A business plan should address questions such as: What problem does the business solve? Who is the specific target market ? What is the unique selling proposition? What are the company’s objectives? How will it achieve those objectives?

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan focuses on the overall vision, goals, and tactics of a company, while a strategic plan outlines the specific strategies, action steps, and performance measures necessary to achieve the company’s objectives.

How is business planning for a nonprofit different?

Nonprofit business planning focuses on the organization’s mission, social impact, and resource management, rather than profit generation. The financial section typically includes funding sources, expenses, and projected budgets for programs and operations.

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2024 federal budget's key takeaways: Housing and carbon rebates, students and sin taxes

Budget sees nearly $53b in new spending over the next 5 years.

What's in the new federal budget?

Social sharing.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland today tabled a 400-page-plus budget her government is pitching as a balm for anxious millennials and Generation Z.

The budget proposes $52.9 billion in new spending over five years, including $8.5 billion in new spending for housing. To offset some of that new spending, Ottawa is pitching policy changes to bring in new revenue.

Here are some of the notable funding initiatives and legislative commitments in budget 2024.

Ottawa unloading unused offices to meet housing targets

One of the biggest pillars of the budget is its housing commitments. Before releasing the budget, the government laid out what it's calling Canada's Housing Plan — a pledge to "unlock" nearly 3.9 million homes by 2031.

The government says two million of those would be net new homes and it believes it can contribute to more than half of them. 

It plans to do that by:

• Converting underused federal offices into homes. The budget promises $1.1 billion over ten years to transform 50 per cent of the federal office portfolio into housing.
• Building homes on Canada Post properties. The government says the 1,700-plus Canada Post offices across the country can be used to build new homes while maintaining postal services. The federal government says it's assessing six Canada Post properties in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia for development potential "as a start."
• Rethinking National Defence properties. The government is promising to look at redeveloping properties and buildings on National Defence lands for military and civilian use.
• Building apartments. Ottawa is pledging a $15 billion top-up to the Apartment Construction Loan Program, which says it will build 30,000 new homes across Canada.

Taxing vacant land?

As part of its push on housing, the federal government also says it's looking at vacant land that could be used to build homes.

It's not yet committing to new measures but the budget says the government will consider introducing a new tax on residentially zoned vacant land. 

• Freeland's new federal budget hikes taxes on the rich to cover billions in new spending
• Are you renting with no plans to buy? Here's what the federal budget has for you

The government said it plans to launch consultations on the measure later this year.

Help for students 

There's also something in the budget for students hunting for housing.

The government says it will update the formula used by the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program to calculate housing costs when determining financial need, to better reflect the cost of housing in the current climate.

The government estimates this could deliver more aid for rent to approximately 79,000 students each year, at an estimated cost of $154.6 million over five years.

• Updated Federal budget's funding boost for defence spread out over multiple years
• Liberals pledge $9B in new money for Indigenous communities in 2024 budget

The government is also promising to extend increased student grants and interest-free loans, at an estimated total cost of $1.1 billion this year.

Increase in taxes on capital gains

To help cover some of its multi-billion dollar commitments, the government is proposing a tax hike on capital gains — the profit individuals make when assets like stocks and second properties are sold.

The government is proposing an increase in the taxable portion of capital gains, up from the current 50 per cent to two thirds for annual capital gains over $250,000. 

New investment to lead 'housing revolution in Canada,' Freeland says

Freeland said the change would impact the wealthiest 0.1 per cent.

There's still some protection for small businesses. There's been a lifetime capital gains exemption which allows Canadians to exempt up to $1,016,836 in capital gains tax-free on the sale of small business shares and farming and fishing property. This June the tax-free limit will be increased to $1.25 million and will continue to be indexed to inflation thereafter, according to the budget.

The federal government estimates this could bring in more than $19 billion over five years, although some analysts are not convinced.

Disability benefit amounts to $200 per month 

Parliament last year passed the Canada Disability Benefit Act, which promised to send a direct benefit to low-income, working-age people with disabilities. 

Budget 2024 proposes funding of $6.1 billion over six years, beginning this fiscal year, and $1.4 billion per year ongoing, for a new Canada Disability Benefit.

Advocates had been hoping for something along the lines of $1,000 per month per person . They'll be disappointed.

According to the budget document, the maximum benefit will amount to $2,400 per year for low income individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 — about $200 a month.

• Federal government plans to lease public lands for construction through new housing strategy
• Alberta premier says she's prepared to take Ottawa to court over housing deals

The government said it plans for the Canada Disability Benefit Act to come into force in June 2024 and for payments to start in July 2025.

Carbon rebate for small businesses coming 

The federal government has heard an earful from small business advocates who accuse it of reneging on a promise to return a portion of carbon pricing revenues to small businesses to mitigate the tax's economic costs.

• What's behind the carbon tax, and does it work?
• Federal government scales back carbon tax rebates for small businesses

The budget proposes to return fuel charge proceeds from 2019-20 through 2023-24 to an estimated 600,000 businesses with 499 or fewer employees through a new refundable tax credit.

The government said this would deliver $2.5 billion directly to Canada's small- and medium-sized businesses.

Darts and vape pods will cost more 

Pitching it as a measure to cut the number of people smoking and vaping, the Liberals are promising to raise revenues on tobacco and smoking products.

• Just Asking  wants to know:   What questions do you have about quitting smoking or vaping? Do you think sin taxes will encourage smoking cessation?  Fill out the details on  this form  and send us your questions ahead of our show on April 20.

Starting Wednesday, the total tobacco excise duty will be $5.49 per carton. The government estimates this could increase federal revenue by $1.36 billion over five years starting in 2024-25.

The budget also proposes to increase the vaping excise duty rates by 12 per cent effective July 1. That means an increase of 12 to 24 cents per pod, depending on where you live. 

• 'Stay the hell away from our kids': Health minister vows to restrict nicotine pouches — but how?

Ottawa hopes this increase in sin taxes will bring in $310 million over five years, starting in 2024-25.

More money for CBC 

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has mused about redefining the role of the public broadcaster before the next federal election . But before that happens, CBC/Radio-Canada is getting a top-up this year. 

The budget promises $42 million more in 2024-25 for CBC/Radio-Canada for "news and entertainment programming." CBC/Radio-Canada received about $1.3 billion in total federal funding last year.

The government says it's doing this to ensure that Canadians across the country, including rural, remote, Indigenous and minority language communities, have access to independent journalism and entertainment.

Last year, the CBC announced a financial shortfall, cut 141 employees and eliminated 205 vacant positions. In a statement issued Tuesday, CBC spokesperson Leon Mar said the new funding means the corporation can balance its budget "without significant additional reductions this year."

Boost for Canada's spy agency 

As the government takes heat over how it has handled the threat of foreign election interference, it's promising more money to bolster its spy service.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is in line to receive $655.7 million over eight years, starting this fiscal year, to enhance its intelligence capabilities and its presence in Toronto.

• CSIS chief defends his spies' work after PM casts doubt on reliability of agency's reports
• Trudeau says it's his job to question CSIS intelligence, call out 'contradictions'

The budget also promises to guarantee up to $5 billion in loans for Indigenous communities to participate in natural resource development and energy projects in their territories.

These loans would be provided by financial institutions or other lenders and guaranteed by the federal government, meaning Indigenous borrowers who opt in could benefit from lower interest rates, the budget says. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catharine Tunney is a reporter with CBC's Parliament Hill bureau, where she covers national security and the RCMP. She worked previously for CBC in Nova Scotia. You can reach her at [email protected]

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7 Great Pitch Deck Examples From Real Businesses

11 min. read

Updated April 9, 2024

A solid pitch deck can mean the difference between landing funding and going home empty-handed.

Your deck has to convince investors that you and your business are a good bet. Otherwise, they’ll take their money elsewhere.

But what does a good pitch deck look like? Yes, there are specific slides that you should include , but including them won’t guarantee that you get funding. 

Luckily, there are hundreds of pitch decks from highly successful companies that you can look at for inspiration.

For this article, I grabbed a few favorite pitch decks and dug into why they’re so good.

• Why these pitch decks?

These pitch decks made the list because they come from highly successful startups that successfully landed one or multiple rounds of investor funding. 

They’re unique with specific strengths and formatting that go beyond your typical presentation templates. 

Some are more like a business plan presentation —incredibly long, use a lot of text, and focus more on data and financials. Others are short, highly visual, and meant to invoke specific emotions.

No matter your business stage or industry—these are all useful to explore and reference when crafting your pitch.

Get started with a free startup pitch deck template 

Don’t get held up creating your pitch deck presentation. 

Download a free investor pitch deck template with pre-built slides and instructions from experienced entrepreneurs. 

This template is yours to customize and adjust as you see fit. And remember, the 11 slides in the deck are just the standard to start with. 

1. Airbnb — Turning a pitch into a story

Airbnb’s pitch deck has become the go-to example for startups. Sure, the design is outdated, but the results speak for themselves. It is one of the most recognizable funding success stories of the 2000s, and many would say that’s because of their pitch deck. 

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Company info

• Founded: 2008
• Industry: Travel and hospitality
• Business Model: Digital marketplace
• Funding: $600,000 seed funding round in 2009
• Source: Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator

What’s great about this pitch deck?

Airbnb’s deck is simple and punchy. It gets right to the point, doesn’t overload the slides with too much information, and serves as a useful backdrop to the founder’s elevator pitch .

The deck is also fairly brief. 

It doesn’t include every slide that we recommend. Instead, they prioritize crafting a story and leaning into their strengths. 

In just a few slides Airbnb:

• Demonstrates a real-world problem and viable solution.
• Breaks down a clear path to enter the market.
• Details how they will make money and even show initial traction.

Key Takeaway: Tell a story and play to your strengths. You don’t need to get into every detail about your business during the initial pitch. The goal is to spark interest and start a conversation. Just be ready to answer any lingering questions after the fact.

2. Copper Cow Coffee — Showcasing expertise 

Copper Cow Coffee, known for its Vietnamese coffee and portable pour-over technology, has been part of multiple funding rounds (including a stint on Shark Tank). Founder Debbie Wei’s pitch deck is less concerned about proving a business concept than showing the competitive advantages of her business. 

It is a well-designed pitch deck to review if you are looking to scale and bring in additional capital.

• Founded: 2016
• Industry: Food and beverage
• Business Model: D2C, Subscription, and Wholesale
• Funding: $2 million seed round
• Source(s): Techstars, CRCM Ventures, among others

This deck does a lot with visuals. It conveys the history, innovation, and premium nature of Vietnamese-sourced coffee with virtually no text. Rather than being a distraction that investors get hung up reading, the deck is far more additive and helps punctuate specific points during the pitch.

Since this is an established business, once the unique value proposition is set, the remainder of the deck is dedicated to operational efficiency, partnerships, and revenue—areas of the business that prove Copper Cow Coffee is sustainable, has a strong competitive advantage, and has opportunities to grow. 

Key Takeaway: There’s no need to dig deep into hypotheticals when your business has enough traction to prove you’re worth investing in. If you have enticing data points, use them to sell your value to investors.

3. LinkedIn — A pitch meant for knowledgeable investors

LinkedIn often gets lumped in with other social media platforms, but its purpose and user base are unique. 

From the beginning, it was pitched as a network for professionals—where you could easily find and contact the right people in your industry. 

So, the concept and unique value were easy to understand. But how that would work and generate consistent revenue were the bigger questions. 

• Founded: 2003
• Industry: Social Media and Professional Networking
• Business Model: Freemium model with revenue from advertising, premium subscriptions, and talent solutions.
• Funding: Approximately $103 million (before going public in 2011)
• Funding Source(s): Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, etc.

While I praised the Airbnb deck for being lean, I’m giving LinkedIn a thumbs up for the opposite. Their deck is incredibly thorough and heavy on information and data to establish the company’s position, monetization strategies, and growth details.

That doesn’t mean that they skip establishing a narrative. They just did it in only a few slides, choosing to focus on the traction and experience of their founding team. 

This makes sense when your audience of investors may actually be potential users as well. So, establishing credibility, digging into the details, and clearly defining a sustainable path for growth were necessary.  

Key Takeaway: Tailor your pitch and pitch deck to your audience. This may require you to add more details, prioritize different business areas, or pull back on specific information to let the story shine. 

4. Uber — Proving there’s a pain point

Uber is an interesting case of a business poking holes in a problem that most people just accepted. At the time, there were no real alternatives to paying for a taxi. And owners of these cab companies held a bit of a monopoly over the industry.

For Uber to succeed, it had to prove that innovation and harnessing new technologies were key. 

This makes this deck a must-review if your business has the hurdle of pushing an established industry system to evolve.

• Founded: 2009
• Industry: Transportation and Technology
• Funding: Approximately $24.5 billion (before going public in 2019)
• Funding Source(s): SoftBank, Benchmark, GV, etc.

Uber’s pitch deck painted a visceral picture of how the taxi industry was ripe for disruption in just two slides. For anyone who has had to hail a taxi, this immediately resonates.

The rest of the deck is dedicated to how they would do it. They needed to apply reality to this futuristic vision with facts, ambitious but believable financial projections, and evidence that they had traction.    

Key Takeaway: If your business is built around disruption and new technology, you must prove that people will care. Clearly and quickly outline an actual problem , present a bold vision for the future, and then back that up with tangible steps to get there. 

5. DoorDash — Proving there’s a better way 

Now synonymous with food delivery, DoorDash wasn’t actually the first to market with the mobile ordering concept. That honor goes to GrubHub. 

In this case, arriving later was a benefit. There were still obvious gaps in mobile ordering that made the technology less impactful for consumers. No dedicated delivery drivers, a lack of up-to-date restaurant information, and extensive wait times were just the minimum.

DoorDash didn’t reinvent the wheel but honed in on the new pain points that business owners and consumers complained about. And that is the crux of their pitch.

• Founded: 2013
• Industry: Food Delivery and Technology
• Business Model: Logistics platform connecting customers, restaurants, and delivery drivers, earning fees from each order.
• Funding: Approximately $2.5 billion (before going public in 2020)
• Funding Source(s): Y Combinator, Charles River Ventures, SoftBank, etc.

DoorDash’s pitch deck for Y Combinator’s demo day clearly defines a significant problem in the food delivery industry and presents its platform as a solution that benefits consumers, restaurants, and drivers alike. 

Combined with their elevator pitch, the deck effectively showcased DoorDash’s technological edge and operational efficiency. They demonstrated proven traction in an area that didn’t rely on a dense population center, further illustrating a clear vision to scale the business. 

Lastly, they left a clear opening to draw in interested investors . By proving they know the industry and have a foothold that will lead to sustained growth, they didn’t need to fully explain the opportunity. Instead, they used their demonstrated success to land direct conversations after the larger pitch.

Key Takeaway: Your deck can be a backdrop to your elevator pitch. It doesn’t have to do all the talking but should elevate your point through well-timed visuals.

6. Peloton — Connecting with customers

It’s interesting to compare Peloton’s original Kickstarter campaign to their future pitch deck. 

The consumer-facing Kickstarter spent little time establishing a narrative. Instead, it prioritized product features, visualized how it could fit in someone’s home, and showcased behind-the-scenes development. 

Their 2018 pitch deck emphasizes how Peloton makes people feel. It informs the emotional connection with a detailed audience breakdown, brand values, and multiple customer quotes. 

They wanted to prove that they had a deep understanding of their customers and had evolved as a brand. No longer just being seen as innovative exercise equipment but a recognizable brand movement.

Disclaimer: Peloton has struggled to maintain consistent growth after growing wildly successful amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Hardware recalls, issues with user retention, high-profile executive exits, and a struggle to adapt to changing demands are all contributing factors. 

However, Peloton’s deck still led to funding before their initial success and is still a strong example of how to showcase an in-depth understanding of your customers when pitching.

• Founded: 2012
• Industry: Fitness and Technology
• Business Model: D2C hardware and subscription services
• Funding: Approximately $994 million (before going public in 2019)
• Funding Source(s): Tiger Global Management, True Ventures, L Catterton, etc.

Peloton strays away from the typical business overview of most pitch decks. Investors knew the product already and needed to be sold moreso on the potential long-term retention of customers. 

Peloton expertly defines its customer base beyond typical demographic and psychographic information. They string the community narrative throughout the deck, reinforcing the customer identity with every visual. You not only walk away knowing their customer base but get a sense of how they view themselves.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to diverge from the standard pitch deck structure. If you have to prove a specific point or show off a deep understanding of 1-2 business areas, craft your pitch around that instead.

7. Facebook — Let data do the talking

Facebook’s deck represents a business very different from what it is today. While social platforms like MySpace and LinkedIn were around, the scale and connectivity proposed with the platform had never been seen before.

So, the majority of the deck is dedicated to demonstrating that there is customer interest and a viable path to scaling to new customers. The business model takes a bit of a backseat, likely with the intent to flaunt how many potential people companies could engage with. 

• Founded: 2004
• Industry: Social Media and Technology
• Business Model: Advertising, with ventures into hardware sales.
• Funding: Approximately $2.3 billion (before going public in 2012)
• Funding Source(s): Accel, Greylock, Peter Thiel, and others.

Facebook’s pitch deck is a masterclass in breaking down market opportunity. They demonstrate a clear product-market fit that feeds into an ambitious but achievable path to growth.

At any point, real data can be inserted, they do it. There are no questions about the business’s growth potential because it is laid out so well. 

Key Takeaway: Use in-depth data to make your point. Any time you can punctuate your narrative with research or your own internal metrics, you will be far more convincing to potential investors.

Additional pitch deck resources 

Hopefully, this curated guide of successful pitch decks will help you determine what to focus on in your deck. 

For more guidance, check out these resources:

• Y-Combinator Startup Directory : Explore a list of 5,000+ companies funded by Y-Combinator to learn what type of businesses get early seed funding.
• PitchDeckHunt : Check out this library of over 1,000 real-world pitch deck examples for more inspiration.
• Investor Pitch Deck Template : A great starting point to develop your deck and ensure you cover all necessary information. 
• Elevator Pitch Guide : A selection of resources that will help you refine your verbal pitch, impress investors, and know how to adapt it for different scenarios.
• Our Favorite Pitch Deck Tools : If you need more than a template to create your presentation, check out this round-up of pitch creation tools.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Kody Wirth is a content writer and SEO specialist for Palo Alto Software—the creator's of Bplans and LivePlan. He has 3+ years experience covering small business topics and runs a part-time content writing service in his spare time.

Table of Contents

• Free pitch deck template
• Copper Cow Coffee
• Additional resources

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How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam

A mexican drug cartel is targeting seniors and their timeshares..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Hello, James.

Hey. How’s it going?

Yeah. I’m not having much luck. So the problem is funding. And all of my money is in Mexico, all of it.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Katrin Bennhold. This is “The Daily.” A massive scam targeting elderly Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico.

Once you move forward and make your payment, if anything were to happen, he will directly pay you the full amount of what you’re entitled to, including the gains. He will pay you the full amount.

You’ve got all my money. It’s been sent. I sold a freaking house.

Listen to this. I sold a house that I grew up in so that I could come up with funds to send to Mexico.

I don’t even have anything from the sale, nothing.

My colleague Maria Abi-Habib on one victim who lost everything and the people on the other side of the phone.

That’s it. That’s it. There’s nothing —

You know what? That’s what has been said every freaking time. Every time, just pay this. That releases the funds.

But that’s why we won’t allow it to happen again. This is the last time, James.

It’s Friday, April 12.

Maria, you’ve been looking into this scam that’s targeting Americans. Where did your investigation start?

So several weeks ago, I received a phone call from a lawyer based in St. Petersburg, Florida, who had been contacted by a family who was very concerned that the father, this man named James, was in the middle of being scammed. He’d sent hundreds of thousands dollars to Mexico. And he was considering sending another $157,000 when his daughter decided to call up this law firm and try to get her father to stop, stop sending money to Mexico.

So I called him a few weeks ago as I was trying to understand what was going on.

Hi, James. How are you?

Good. Thank you.

He’s asked that his last name be withheld for privacy concerns because he’s quite embarrassed about the story that I’m about to tell you.

You’re retired now, but what were you doing for work? And if your wife was working, what was her job?

I was with the Highway Patrol.

James is a retired state trooper from California. And his wife Nikki is a former school nurse.

She was born in ‘51. So 71-ish.

Two. She’s just reminded me, 72.

And they’re both in their early 70s. And they own this timeshare that is in Lake Tahoe, California. And they bought it in the 1990s for about $8,000.

And for someone who did not grow up vacationing in a timeshare, remind me how exactly timeshares work.

Timeshares are essentially vacation properties. And they tend to be beach resorts. And multiple people can buy into this property. The ownership is a shared ownership. And this gives you the right to use the timeshare for one to two weeks out of every year.

And so James and Nikki used their timeshare every other year with their daughters. But as they hit retirement age and their daughters are growing up and starting their own families, they’re just not really using it that much anymore. And timeshares require the owners to pay off yearly maintenance fees. And so they’re starting to think about maybe letting go of their timeshare and selling it.

Then one day, in late 2022, James gets a phone call from a company that is purporting to be based out of Atlanta, Georgia called Worry Free Vacations.

Worry Free Vacations?

That sounds enticing.

Yeah. And they start off with a simple question, which is, do you want to buy a timeshare? And James says, I already have a timeshare. And then they say, great. Well, what about selling the timeshare? Do you want to sell? There’s this Mexican businessman, and he’s interested in your timeshare. And he’s willing to buy it for about $20,000.

So we figured, well, what the heck? If we can make a few bucks on it, we’ll go for it.

And James jumps at the opportunity.

And did he do anything to try and verify that this was real?

Yeah. So remember, James is former law enforcement. And he feels very confident in his abilities to sniff out untrustworthy people. So he goes online, and he googles this Mexican businessman and sees that, yeah, he is a real person.

He’s a very well-respected individual in Mexico, very well off. And —

And this makes James feel at ease, that he’s selling to a legitimate person, that Worry Free Vacations are who they claim to be and that he’s going to double his money overnight, essentially.

And what happens next?

Well, a couple of weeks after he makes the agreement with the buyer, he’s told that he needs to send a couple thousand dollars to facilitate the purchase.

What does that mean, facilitate?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I can’t remember specifically whether it was supposed to be cross-border registration —

So he’s being told that there are these fees that are paid directly to the Mexican government.

Or SPID or some other fee that was Mexican government required or not.

A lot of these fees are the same types of fees that you would pay in the United States for a real estate transaction. So he begins wiring money to an account in Mexico.

After that —

— a few days later, we get a notification. Well, everything went well, except that we have to pay an additional fee.

Every time that he sends one fee, he’s being told that he’s got to send another fee right afterwards.

Does he get suspicious at any point?

His wife is suspicious. After the first couple of payments, she starts saying, this does not feel right.

But James is the former law enforcement officer, right? And he’s the one that basically handles the family finances. And he’s confident that all of this is going to work out because he’s being told that the buyer of the timeshare will reimburse James for all of these fees once the sale goes through.

Michael from the Worry Free Vacations was constantly reassuring me the money’s in that account. Check with the commercial escrow account. It’s there. It’s just these fees have to be paid, and you’re being reimbursed for all of this.

They’re sending James documents that show all of the reimbursements that he’s owed and how much money he’s going to get. And this just makes him feel like all of this is kosher.

We have this commercial escrow company that was involved out of New York. So there was an air of legitimacy that I was comfortable with.

Maybe OK, these guys just need one more fee and everything is going to finally be cleared.

But about a year in, James starts to get suspicious. He begins asking questions because he wants his money.

And every time I asked, hey, is there a way I can get a partial release of these funds, there was always no, these funds have to be paid from your account before they’re released.

But Worry Free Vacations, they pivot. And they tell him that, listen, there are all these complications. It’s going to be really hard to get your money out from this transaction.

I could pay about $30,000 and change to reinvest the $313,000 into an environmentally-conscious development in Loreto, Mexico.

Instead, we’ve got this other investment opportunity in Mexico.

And I’m sure you know where that is, over on the East Coast of Baja.

And that is going to make you a huge return, even more money than you had thought that you were going to make, much more than the $20,000.

I’m supposed to have 54 million pesos in a Mexican bank account.

So this is now no longer just about his timeshare. They are now partners in a real estate investment.

Right. And there’s this whole new round of fees and fines associated with that.

So how many payments would you say?

Quite a few. Couple dozen at least, maybe more.

When was your last payment?

It would have been 17 January.

Uh-huh. And what was that for?

Good question.

And all along, he believed it was necessary to pay these costs just to get the money that he’s owed.

The amount of money that I’ve sent to Mexico is just freaking exorbitant. And I mean, it is approaching $900,000 or more.

And at this point, he’s sent about $900,000 to Mexico over about a year and a half.

Nearly $1 million.

That was almost all the money that he and his wife had saved for their retirement.

It also included money from the sale of James’s childhood home and money that he had borrowed from his daughter and son-in-law, about $150,000 from them.

It’s awful. So they were completely cleaned out by these guys.

Yeah. And this is when his daughter asks a law firm to look into this, which is the point in the story when I meet James. And when we start talking, it was clear to me that he just did not know what to think, even after losing this much money.

So this started in 2022. When did it end?

We’re still in it.

And he’s still talking to the scammers.

And as a matter of fact, presently, there was a request for $157,000 and change to clear up this whole thing. It would clear the entire issue out. Now —

And James is even considering putting a second mortgage on his house to send that money that he’d been promised would finally clear all this up — one final payment of $157,000.

It really sounds like he’s still wanted to believe that this was somehow legit.

Yeah. It was pretty clear to me that he was being scammed. But I didn’t definitively know what was going on, so I asked him if he could start recording his phone calls with the scammers.

Would you be so kind as to do me a favor?

Would you be willing to give them a call and record them?

[LAUGHS]: I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve been recording them.

And it turns out he already had been.

Worry Free Vacations.

So he shared the recordings of these calls that he’d had with these scammers over the last year or so. And it was just remarkable. It gave me huge insight into how the scam worked and the way that it sounded over the phone.

Is this is Michael in? I think he’s trying to call me. I couldn’t get through pick up.

Yes, I believe he did try to call you, sir. Give me a second. I think he’s only going to be in for a couple of minutes. One second.

There are two main takeaways for me listening to these calls.

Good afternoon. Michael McCarthy.

Michael, I missed your call. I was trying to pick up.

Yeah, don’t worry. Yeah, I figured something was wrong with your phone. Everything OK?

The first is that these scammers had really gotten to know James so well, and they really made James believe that Worry Free was a company that was working for him.

That’s why we need to hurry up and get this money over to you. Because hey, I’m losing my mind too. I’m not even here to convince you, James. I’m not — I’m your broker, and —

One of the things they continuously say is, trust me.

Look, I’m doing everything I can in my power and will on my end. So James, just look — like I told you from the get-go, I’m going to resolve this. And we are doing it. I just need you to focus on the goal.

They would refocus the conversation on what James needed to do to get his money back.

Look, if you make your payment as a security deposit, right away they will release the funds to you. With these —

And the other thing —

I’ve been having so much trouble trying to reach you, and I have not been successful.

— is that the scammers had created this elaborate cast of characters.

Why don’t you answer my calls?

And some of them were really aggressive. James shared a recording of this one man who claimed to be an agent for the Mexican government. And he basically started yelling at James.

I don’t care if your wife is at the hospital. To be honest with you, I don’t give a damn! But you know where I do give a damn? It’s your money, and my name is written all over it! Do you understand?

And he even threatened James. If James didn’t pay off these fines, then he would lose all the money that he’d sent to Mexico already.

You could get the best lawyer you want. You could get whoever you want. And this is not a threat. This is facts. But anyways, who am I to convince you, right?

Well, thank you for the information. And — are you still there? Hello?

Wow. So these scammers were basically doing a good cop, bad cop routine to stop James from walking away and to squeeze every last penny out of him.

If you provide me your email, contact information, I will certainly be happy to forward all of the wire transfer information from my bank account to you so that you can see where those funds went.

Yeah, that would be great. I have your email.

James asks me, a reporter who’s based in Mexico, who speaks the language, if I could help him figure out where his money had gone to.

Thank you very much. I really appreciate your assistance.

I’m just doing my job. Thanks again, and we’ll talk soon.

And the only way that I could figure that out was to understand who was on the other side of the phone.

We’ll be right back.

So Maria, who was on the other side of that phone line?

So by the time that I’d met James, I’d already gotten a tip from US law enforcement agencies that they were seeing a new trend. Mexican drug cartels were getting involved in the timeshare scam industry.

Drug cartels?

Yeah. And not just any drug cartel. This is one of the most notorious, violent, bloody drug cartels that exists in Mexico and Latin America, the Jalisco New Generation cartel. And when I looked at James’s bank records, guess what? All the money that he was sending was going to various bank accounts that were all located in Jalisco state in Mexico.

Wow. So why would the drug cartels get into the timeshare scamming business?

It is a huge business. The FBI told me that it’s about $300 million in profits over the last five years.

But the thing is is that the potential for it to actually be multitudes more is huge. Because the FBI estimates that most of the scams are actually not even reported. In fact, only about 20 percent are. So that means the total timeshare scam business could actually be much larger than the $300 million that they have knowledge of over the last five years.

But wait. I thought the drug business was a pretty lucrative business in itself. So why get into the scamming of elderly people for their properties in Lake Tahoe?

Well, you have to remember that these drug cartels, they’re not just doing one thing. They’re doing multiple things. They’re essentially conglomerates. Because it’s really expensive to run a cartel. You need to pay off officials, both Mexican and American. You need to maintain basically an army in order to secure your routes up to the United States, ports of entry into Mexico from Colombia. And any big business, you need to diversify your income to make sure that you keep the money flowing. Because you never know when one business is going to be shut down by authorities or taken over by your rivals.

We’ve reported that they’re now in the avocado business and the construction business. And timeshare fraud is basically no different than any of those. So we’re seeing that the cartels have their fingers in many pies, the legitimate and the illegitimate economy here in Mexico.

It’s kind of fascinating to think of these drug cartels as like sprawling diversified business empires. But when did the cartels first get into the scamming business?

So Jalisco New Generation started about 15 years ago.

And when they started to consolidate their empire in Jalisco state, they found that there were all these scam timeshare call centers all over the state that were being run by various players, and that this was a huge, huge moneymaker. Because essentially, all you have to do is call up retired senior citizens in the US and Canada. It doesn’t take that much money to run that kind of a scheme. There’s no product you’re making.

So essentially, they conducted a hostile takeover of these call centers. They went in. They kicked down doors and dragged out the people who were managing these call centers by their hair and threatened to kill them unless they gave up the call centers or started handing over a cut of what they made. And slowly, slowly Jalisco New Generation cartel took over the entire timeshare fraud industry.

Interesting. Were you able to find any of these call centers?

So these call centers are pretty hard to find. They look like any other storefront. But I was able to visit two that were located in an upscale neighborhood in Guadalajara, which is the capital of Jalisco state. And it was just really perturbing because it was just so normal. Two villas about a mile away from each other outside. Outside of one villa, parents were walking by, holding their children’s hands as they did drop off at school.

It was right next to a park where people taking their morning exercise or their dogs for a walk. There was no real sign that the cartel was doing business there. But a few months before, Mexican law enforcement had found the bodies of eight young people who had used to work at one of these call centers and said that the Jalisco cartel had killed them.

Wow. What happened?

So I wasn’t able to talk directly to any of the victims’ families. They’re just too scared. But in general, this is usually how it starts.

The cartel seeks out English speakers to work for their call centers. Sometimes they don’t even tell them what exactly they are doing. They would tell the recruits that the job was adjacent to the hotel industry.

You have to remember, Jalisco is a huge, huge tourism magnet for Americans and Canadians and others. And the cartel would get their call lists from bribing hotel employees to give them the names of people who stayed at these hotels and also at the timeshare resorts. And the people who would work at the call centers are provided the names and a manual of what you need to do when you call, like a loose script of how to try to suck as much money as you can out of these people up North in Canada and the States.

So we don’t know for sure what exactly happened with the eight young Mexicans who were killed last year. But through an intermediary, one sibling told us that when their family member knew what their job actually was, they became extremely uncomfortable and tried to leave the call center and find another job maybe.

But the Jalisco New Generation cartel is known for being extremely brutal. They chop off heads, and they’ll put them on the gates of a playground, for instance. So that everybody in the neighborhood knows what went down. And in this case, it’s possible that they wanted to send a warning that there’s no defection from their timeshare call centers.

So basically making a very scary example of these guys, in case anyone else is thinking about quitting one of the call centers.

Exactly. And one man, who runs an organization who advocates for missing people and actually organizes search parties to comb the forests of Jalisco state looking for the missing, says that he knows of about 30 people who have disappeared from the call centers in Jalisco state since 2017. So while Americans and Canadians might be losing much of their life savings, in Mexico, this is actually deadly.

Are the authorities doing anything about this?

Not really, other than the fact that these two call centers were shut down. The authorities haven’t arrested others. They’re not putting pressure on Mexican banks, for instance, to look into these payments coming from senior citizens in the US or Canada. And you have to remember that people are really afraid. But you also have to remember that in Mexico things are not that clear. There is a lot of corruption and government collusion with organized crime and cartels.

And the tourism industry, it is huge in Mexico and particularly in Jalisco state. This is a multi-billion dollar industry. They don’t want Americans or Canadians or Europeans who are coming to Jalisco for its beautiful beaches and its mountains to hear about these stories regarding the cartels being involved in the tourism industry and think, I’m not going to send my family there for that beach vacation. It’s just simply too dangerous.

So everybody has an incentive to have the scam continue, whether because they’re too afraid and don’t want to speak out or because they’re in on it.

So in a way, local authorities have an interest in sweeping it under the carpet in order to just maintain this idea of a tourist destination.

Exactly. I mean, the spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office was very responsive to me until I told her what I wanted to ask her questions about. And then she just simply never answered any of my texts or phone calls.

So Maria, based on everything you know, all the information you have, would you say that you’re confident that the cartels were the ones who scammed James?

Yes, 100 percent. Everything I’ve seen points in that direction.

What did James say when you told him this?

So it took him quite a while to really allow himself to believe it. On the advice of his lawyers, he stopped picking up the phone calls. And about a week ago, they stopped after the scammers kept trying to call him.

But you said he was in it for over a year. Why do you think it took him so long?

Can you tell me, after all of that had been presented to you, why do you think you weren’t willing to be entirely convinced?

Well, I actually asked him that question.

That’s a very good question. Why wasn’t I able to pick up on that right away? And I think in the back of my mind, I’m finding out that I’m a little more stubborn than I thought I was.

And for him, it was pretty complicated.

And I think that I didn’t want to believe that I had fallen for this. I didn’t feel I was that foolish and stupid when it came to this. You know? I guess I didn’t want to believe that I could be fooled.

To come to terms with the fact that he had lost so much money was to come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t the person that he thought that he was, that he wasn’t this kind of clever former law enforcement officer who was used to fighting the bad guys and winning.

I’m disappointed in myself. There’s a huge level of anger towards the perpetrators. And all of those things wrapped into one. And part of that, I think, contributes to not wanting to actually believe that I was wrong.

Hmm. Yeah, I hear you. I’m sorry. I can hear the pain in your voice.

[LAUGHS]: Yeah.

Some of it’s based on shame, right? That he lost all this money, everything that he’s worked for, and the fact that this was all supposed to be money that his children and his grandchildren were going to inherit. And now it’s gone.

And have you told your daughter that you think you’ve come to terms with the fact that this might have been a scam?

Oh, she’s been involved. Yeah. They know.

My daughter does.

I’m sorry. This is a tough time.

So I’ve got to make some sort of arrangement to compensate them for this on top of our regular debt. So yeah. It’s been a swell experience, all of it brought on by my — evidently, my stubbornness to believe that I couldn’t possibly be a victim.

How’s your wife doing throughout this whole process, with this new knowledge?

She’s not real happy, obviously, at all. I hear a lot of “I told you so.” And at this point, I’ve got no defense. She’s absolutely right. There’s no question about it.

Do you worry this is going to affect your marriage?

Yes, there has been an effect.

And do you think that at this point there’s any way for James and his family to get some kind of justice or at least find some kind of closure?

Ay. Justice? Unlikely.

At this point, I’m not necessarily expecting much in the way of restitution.

And as for closure, it’s a little bit too soon to tell. In a way, James has gone through several stages of acceptance for what happened. There’s fear. There’s shame. There’s resignation. And now he’s talking to me partly because he feels like it’s a public service, that he needs to be vocal so that other people don’t go through what he’s gone through and fall for the scam. And I think it also helps him feel a little bit empowered in a situation for over the last year and a half he was at the mercy of these people who were calling him multiple times a week.

I want to try to get as much information to as many of these official organizations as possible. I have a streak of anger through me now that I’ve developed to the point where I’m not going to let this go.

Well, Maria, thank you.

Thank you for having me.

Here’s what else you need to know today. OJ Simpson, the football star who was accused and later acquitted of murdering his former wife and her friend, died of cancer at his home in Las Vegas, his family said Thursday. He was 76.

Today’s episode was produced by Astha Chaturvedi and Will Reid, with help from Clare Toeniskoetter and Lindsay Garrison. It was edited by Brendan Klinkenberg and Michael Benoist, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Rowan Niemisto, Dan Powell, Pat McCusker, and Will Reid, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

[THEME MUSIC]

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Katrin Bennhold. See you on Monday.

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• April 14, 2024   •   46:17 The Sunday Read: ‘What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise’
• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
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• April 10, 2024   •   22:49 Trump’s Abortion Dilemma
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Hosted by Katrin Bennhold

Produced by Asthaa Chaturvedi and Will Reid

With Clare Toeniskoetter and Lynsea Garrison

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg and Michael Benoist

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Rowan Niemisto ,  Dan Powell ,  Pat McCusker and Will Reid

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence.

A massive scam targeting older Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico.

Maria Abi-Habib, an investigative correspondent for The Times, tells the story of a victim who lost everything, and of the criminal group making the scam calls — Jalisco New Generation, one of Mexico’s most violent cartels.

On today’s episode

Maria Abi-Habib , an investigative correspondent for The New York Times based in Mexico City.

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How a brutal Mexican drug cartel came to target seniors and their timeshares .

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Katrin Bennhold is the Berlin bureau chief. A former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, she previously reported from London and Paris, covering a range of topics from the rise of populism to gender. More about Katrin Bennhold

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Biden visits his Pennsylvania hometown to call for more taxes on the rich and cast Trump as elitist

Chris Megerian

Associated Press

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Scranton, Pa. Biden has begun three straight days of campaigning in Pennsylvania in his childhood hometown of Scranton. The Democratic president is using the working class city of roughly 75,000 as the backdrop for his pitch for higher taxes on the wealthy. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden made a nostalgic return to the house where he grew up in working-class Scranton on Tuesday, kicking off three days of campaigning across Pennsylvania by calling for higher taxes on the rich and casting Donald Trump as an out-of-touch elitist.

When the Democratic president wasn't trying to blunt the populist appeal of his Republican predecessor's comeback bid, he appeared to savor his trip down memory lane. He lingered longer than expected at his childhood home, where an American flag waved softly in the wind on the front porch and neighbors crowded the sidewalk under flowering trees and a pale blue sky. The president later posed for photos with children, some wearing school uniforms, in the backyard.

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Biden is looking to gain ground in a key battleground state while Trump spends much of the week in a New York City courtroom for his first criminal trial . Biden heads to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Thursday, but he started his travels in Scranton, which has long played a starring role in his political autobiography.

On Tuesday, the city of 75,000 provided a backdrop for Biden's efforts to reframe the conversation around the economy, which has left many Americans feeling sour about their financial situations at a time of stubborn inflation and elevated interest rates despite low unemployment.

The president said he wanted to make the tax code fairer, keeping more money in Americans' pockets, while criticizing Trump, a billionaire himself, as a tool of wealthy interests.

“When I look at the economy, I don’t look at it through the eyes of Mar-a-Lago. I look at it through the eyes of Scranton," Biden said, contrasting his hometown with the Florida estate where Trump lives.

Biden has proposed a 25% percent minimum tax rate for billionaires. He added that taxes are “how we invest in the country.”

“Scranton values or Mar-a-Lago values," Biden said. "These are the competing visions for our economy that raise questions of fundamental fairness at the heart of this campaign.” He spoke at a community center from a stage flanked by a banner reading “Tax Fairness for All Americans.”

The president said decades of Republicans policies that cut taxes for the wealthy with the idea of stimulating the economy “failed America, and Donald Trump embodies that failure." He scoffed that Trump's background taught him little more than “the best way to get rich is to inherit it,” and he jabbed at the sharp fall in market value of the former president's social media platform, Truth Social.

"If Trump’s stock in Truth Social, his company, drops any lower, he might do better under my tax plan than his,” Biden quipped.

Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee, blamed Biden for inflation in a statement about his trip.

“It’s no wonder why Pennsylvanians will vote to make America affordable again and elect President Trump in November,” he said.

Near the end of Biden's speech, he sharply criticized Trump for reportedly calling veterans who died in combat “suckers and losers." He said the comments, which Trump has denied, were “disqualifying,” adding, "Thank God I wasn’t standing next to him.”

Later in the day, Biden spoke at a training session for grassroots organizers at a union hall, telling attendees: "We have to win. It gets down to old-fashioned politics. It gets down to knocking on doors.”

Throughout the multiple stops, there were paeans to Biden's roots in this town, where crowds lined the streets to cheer his motorcade. Trump flags were rare, and there was only a smattering of protests against Biden's support for Israel's military operations in Gaza.

“Joe Biden has never forgotten where he’s from,” Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said before Biden’s speech at the community center. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro echoed the idea, saying, “This is a guy who has never forgotten the people he grew up with.”

“They’re the people on his mind, and they’re the people in his heart,” Shapiro said.

When Biden took the stage at the community center, the crowd chanted “four more years" before he started speaking. Biden smiled and joked, “I think I should go home now." Then he quickly added, "except I am already home.”

Biden grew up in Scranton’s Green Ridge neighborhood until his father struggled to find work and moved the family to Delaware when the future president was 10.

Although Delaware eventually became the launching pad for Biden’s political career, he often returned to Scranton, including visiting his childhood home on Election Day 2020.

During that campaign, Biden described the presidential campaign as “Scranton versus Park Avenue.” His reelection team is framing this year’s race in a similar way, releasing a video that calls for promoting the middle class and features interviews with his cousin, a grade school classmate and a county commissioner.

Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, described Scranton as a “mythical place in political culture" that will provide a test for Biden's political appeal.

“It’s an area that, on paper, aligns perfectly with the populist gains of the Republican Party during the Trump era," Borick said.

However, Biden won the city and the surrounding county in 2020. If Biden is able to carry Scranton and similar places again this year, as well as limit Trump's winning margins in rural areas, he may be able to secure another victory in Pennsylvania.

Sam DeMarco, chair of the Republican Party in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, said “across the board, it costs more to live today than it did when Joe Biden came to office.”

“These are the things that families feel,” he said. “And a scripted appearance by the president is not going to change that.”

As president, Trump signed into law in 2017 a series of tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the rich . Many of the cuts expire at the end of 2025, and Biden wants to keep a majority of them to fulfill his promise that no one earning less than $400,000 will pay more taxes.

However, he also wants to raise $4.9 trillion in revenue over 10 years with higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. His platform includes a “billionaire’s tax,” which would set a minimum rate of 25% on the income of the richest Americans.

Biden's Pennsylvania swing overlaps with the start of Trump's first criminal trial, presenting an opportunity and a challenge for Democrats.

Trump is defending himself against criminal charges for a scheme to suppress allegations of affairs with a porn actor and a Playboy model. Biden's team has quietly embraced the contrast of the former president sequestered in a courtroom while the current president has free rein to focus on economic issues that are top of mind for voters.

However, the juxtaposition becomes less helpful if Trump soaks up the country’s attention during the first-ever criminal trial of a former president.

Biden didn't mention Trump's legal problems. Instead, he told the community center crowd that he learned in Scranton that “money doesn't determine your worth.”

Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Will Weissert contributed to this report from Washington.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.