Creating a Pitch Deck Don’t Reinvent the Financial Projections from Your Business Plan!

1. Creating a Pitch Deck? Don’t Reinvent the Financial Projections from Your Business Plan! Are you creating a pitch deck? Have you already created your full business plan? If so, you’re already well ahead of the game! If you’re creating a Pitch Deck it’s likely to approach investors. One of the most important aspects to them will be the financials. The good news is, you won’t have to reinvent the financial projections from your business plan to suit the pitch deck. You Should Always Have Consistency in the Numbers It’s possible when you first put together the Financial Projections Business Plan it may be for a different reason than approaching an investor. So, you may be inclined to present something different when putting together your pitch deck. This may be warranted but, you first need to ask yourself if there is reason to change them. When first putting together the financial projections for the business plan, what was the purpose? Internal planning? To apply for a bank loan or a commercial lease? There are instances when you may be bullish and sometimes when you may be more conservative. That is often the nature of projections. But, they should all be in the same general ballpark unless something has significantly changed. Potential investors will be able to identify unsubstantiated financial projections presented in your pitch deck pretty quickly. It’s imperative that you keep the numbers consistent whether for internal planning or pursuing investment. The Art is In How You Consolidate the Financial Projections from your Business Plan Now, when you are ready to consolidate your financials for your pitch deck you need to keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself what the investors are going to care most about. Beyond that, you also need to make sure you present them in a way that is legible and understandable on a slide.

2. As an incredibly basic example, you may sum up the income statement Financials Projections from your business plan like this for the pitch deck: · · · Revenue Expenses Net Profit Now, based on your business, within each category you are going to break out key numbers. These are going to be the ones that make up the largest portion of each category. They also may be ones that are most important or questioned in your business. Maybe even the numbers most likely to be called into question so you can proactively address them. Although this was an incredibly basic example, the key is to keep in mind what will be of most interest to the investor. You also need to ensure your numbers are realistic and supported. Combine that with making sure what you put on your slide is readable and you are well on your way to a winning pitch deck. Taking Your Pitch Deck to Another Level When it comes to your pitch deck, you usually only have one shot at making an impression on the chosen investors. Unless you happen to be a financial wizard, excellent business writer, and a graphic designer, you should consider hiring a professional to create your business plan. You need to make a strong impression from the cover to the last slide to stand a chance at gaining funding. Professional firms can cover all the bases and ensure you are in the best position to get your Pitch Deck noticed.