Speaker: Veronika Litinski, MaRS Advisor
High tech entrepreneurs need 5 essential communication tools:
* the "elevator pitch"
* the executive summary
* the presentation
* the technical white paper
* the business plan
This lecture focuses on how to create them, and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business plan.
Part of the CIBC Presents Entrepreneurship 101 lecture series. For more information on this event, including video see http://www.marsdd.com/Events/Event-Calendar/Ent101/2009/written-tools-02112009.html
Entrepreneurship 1: Introduction, Identifying Ides & Business OpportunitiesBernard Leong
The first of my course touches on the definition on entrepreneurship, the different forms of entrepreneurship, how countries measure growth of entrepreneurship activity, and the first toolkit: how to identify ideas and business opportunities. We also provide some interesting case studies for example, Aravind Eye Centre for social entrepreneurship. This is a series based on a course "MPS 812: Entrepreneurship" I have been teaching in School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University.
What is E-commerce; it's features,advantages & disadvantages;origin and phases of development; the Business Models; the E-commerce process; Payment systems and its security; Legal aspects; Real Examples-Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Flipkart; Stats.& Figures for Indian GDP
An online marketplace (or online e-commerce marketplace) is a type of e-commerce site where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties, whereas transactions are processed by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce.
5 Foolproof Business Communication Tools Every Company NeedsAxero Solutions
To increase efficiency and be productive wherever you are, to simplify IT management, and to find user-friendly solutions, it’s necessary for businesses to adapt to the changing times.
An area that is constantly changing is how people communicate. Today’s business communication tools are enabling small, medium, and large companies to achieve all of the above and more.
So, how can you determine the right tools for better internal communication?
First, determine any problems that need to be addressed ... and then consider the following solutions to solve those problems.
Here are 5 business communication tools to get you started.
Entrepreneurship 1: Introduction, Identifying Ides & Business OpportunitiesBernard Leong
The first of my course touches on the definition on entrepreneurship, the different forms of entrepreneurship, how countries measure growth of entrepreneurship activity, and the first toolkit: how to identify ideas and business opportunities. We also provide some interesting case studies for example, Aravind Eye Centre for social entrepreneurship. This is a series based on a course "MPS 812: Entrepreneurship" I have been teaching in School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University.
What is E-commerce; it's features,advantages & disadvantages;origin and phases of development; the Business Models; the E-commerce process; Payment systems and its security; Legal aspects; Real Examples-Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Flipkart; Stats.& Figures for Indian GDP
An online marketplace (or online e-commerce marketplace) is a type of e-commerce site where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties, whereas transactions are processed by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce.
5 Foolproof Business Communication Tools Every Company NeedsAxero Solutions
To increase efficiency and be productive wherever you are, to simplify IT management, and to find user-friendly solutions, it’s necessary for businesses to adapt to the changing times.
An area that is constantly changing is how people communicate. Today’s business communication tools are enabling small, medium, and large companies to achieve all of the above and more.
So, how can you determine the right tools for better internal communication?
First, determine any problems that need to be addressed ... and then consider the following solutions to solve those problems.
Here are 5 business communication tools to get you started.
Communication Tools for Entrepreneurs: How to make your idea credible and und...MaRS Discovery District
This lecture presents tips, examples, techniques, tools and a process for building the five essential communication documents for entrepreneurs including:
* The Elevator Pitch
* Executive Summary
* Company Presentation
* Technical White Paper
* Business Plan
Learn how to create these communication tools and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business plan.
Part of the CIBC Presents Entrepreneurship 101 lecture series: http://www.marsdd.com/ent101
Essential Communication Skills in a Tough Economy: Networking & Interviewing ...Gilda Bonanno
Networking and interviewing are essential communication skills, especially in a tough economy. Professional speaker and communication expert Gilda Bonanno provided tips for networking and interviewing success at a Project Management Conference in 2009.
Top 20 tips for entrepreneurship and small businessAhmed Samy
Are you an entrepreneur? or willing to be? Do you have a small business? or willing to have?
A must read presentation containing selected top 20 tips for entrepreneurship and small business
Provided by Eureka Digital
Speaker: Tony Redpath, MaRS Venture Group Advisor
More information on this event, including a webcast: http://www.marsdd.com/Events/Event-Calendar/Ent101/2008/written-tools-20080213.html
Entrepreneurship 101: Business Communication Tools with Veronika LitinskiMaRS Discovery District
This lecture presents tips, examples, techniques and tools for building the five essential communication documents for entrepreneurs including: The Elevator Pitch, Executive Summary, Company Presentation, Technical White Paper, and the Business Plan. Learn how to create these communication tools and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business.
Part of the MaRS Entrepreneurship 101 series
http://www.marsdd.com/ent101
This presentation is also available as an audio presentation here: http://blog.marsdd.com/2007/02/14/entrepreneurship-101-wikis-and-their-role-in-communicating-your-business-idea/
There are four essential written documents that a high tech start-up needs to have as communication tools:
* the pitch deck
* the executive summary
* the business plan
* the technical white paper
This lecture will discuss what goes into each of these documents and how each should be structured.
Communication Tools: How to make your idea credible and understandable - Entr...MaRS Discovery District
This lecture presents tips, examples, techniques and tools for building the five essential communication documents for entrepreneurs including:
* The Elevator Pitch
* Executive Summary
* Company Presentation
* Technical White Paper
* Business Plan
Learn how to create these communication tools and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business.
Product Manager 101: What Does A Product Manager Actually Do?Chris Cummings
This is an expanded and updated version of the original Product Manager 101. The purpose is to explain the role of the product manager and product management to new and prospective PMs as well as those who will interact with PMs.
Communication Tools: How to make your idea credible and understandable - Entr...MaRS Discovery District
Tips, examples, techniques and tools for building the five essential communication documents for entrepreneurs:
* elevator pitch
* executive summary
* company presentation
* technical white paper
* business plan
Learn how to create these communication tools and how to use them effectively to grow your business from an idea to a funded business.
A presentation by Gavin D. J. Harper, originally delivered at the Institut Supérieur de Commerce International, Dunkerque, France, on writing a business plan. The presentation covers in succinct points why a business plan is neccessary, and the basic components that every business plan should include.
Ecosystem Environment for Starting a Semiconductor CompanySteve Szirom
Management presentation on the complex ecosystem necessary for a successful semiconductor startup. Covers key issues: marketing, finacial, legal, PR, funding, and technology.
Are you seeking investment capital for your startup? Do you need to secure additional financing to expand your business? This presentation provides a crash course in selling your business opportunity to the investment community from the investor's perspective. We cover the ins and outs of the investment process and focus on how you can create a marketable business plan that will generate buzz within the investment community for your product or service.
Training centers need to develop a Business plan to succeed. This set of PPTs provides step by step development process for an effective business plan.
Collaboration Tools to Create Better ProductsEnthiosys Inc
Luke Hohmann presentation at Insight Forum. Provided concrete tools and concepts for collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to create better products
Similar to Essential Communication Tools for Entrepreneurs (20)
Don Tapscott's New Solutions for a Connected Planet - MaRS Global LeadershipMaRS Discovery District
In this new age of networked intelligence, collaborative communities are enhancing and even bypassing crumbling institutions. We are innovating the way our financial institutions and governments operate; how we educate our children; how the healthcare, newspaper, and energy industries serve their customers; how we care for our neighbourhoods; and even how we solve global problems.
From his latest book, (co-author Anthony D. Williams) Macrowikinomics: New Solutions for a Connected Planet, Don Tapscott presents groundbreaking innovations from every corner of the globe: how businesses, organizations and individuals alike are using mass collaboration to revolutionize not only the way we work, but how we live, learn, create and care for each other.
SR&ED: What you need to know about the changing landscape - MaRS Best PracticesMaRS Discovery District
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program provides support in the form of tax credits to groups or individuals conducting scientific research or experimental development in Canada.
Some significant changes are on the way as a result of the last federal budget. See how these new rules could affect you!
An introduction to the cryptocurrency investment platform Binance Savings.Any kyc Account
Learn how to use Binance Savings to expand your bitcoin holdings. Discover how to maximize your earnings on one of the most reliable cryptocurrency exchange platforms, as well as how to earn interest on your cryptocurrency holdings and the various savings choices available.
Event Report - SAP Sapphire 2024 Orlando - lots of innovation and old challengesHolger Mueller
Holger Mueller of Constellation Research shares his key takeaways from SAP's Sapphire confernece, held in Orlando, June 3rd till 5th 2024, in the Orange Convention Center.
Recruiting in the Digital Age: A Social Media MasterclassLuanWise
In this masterclass, presented at the Global HR Summit on 5th June 2024, Luan Wise explored the essential features of social media platforms that support talent acquisition, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
Implicitly or explicitly all competing businesses employ a strategy to select a mix
of marketing resources. Formulating such competitive strategies fundamentally
involves recognizing relationships between elements of the marketing mix (e.g.,
price and product quality), as well as assessing competitive and market conditions
(i.e., industry structure in the language of economics).
Discover the innovative and creative projects that highlight my journey throu...dylandmeas
Discover the innovative and creative projects that highlight my journey through Full Sail University. Below, you’ll find a collection of my work showcasing my skills and expertise in digital marketing, event planning, and media production.
Tata Group Dials Taiwan for Its Chipmaking Ambition in Gujarat’s DholeraAvirahi City Dholera
The Tata Group, a titan of Indian industry, is making waves with its advanced talks with Taiwanese chipmakers Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) and UMC Group. The goal? Establishing a cutting-edge semiconductor fabrication unit (fab) in Dholera, Gujarat. This isn’t just any project; it’s a potential game changer for India’s chipmaking aspirations and a boon for investors seeking promising residential projects in dholera sir.
Visit : https://www.avirahi.com/blog/tata-group-dials-taiwan-for-its-chipmaking-ambition-in-gujarats-dholera/
The 10 Most Influential Leaders Guiding Corporate Evolution, 2024.pdfthesiliconleaders
In the recent edition, The 10 Most Influential Leaders Guiding Corporate Evolution, 2024, The Silicon Leaders magazine gladly features Dejan Štancer, President of the Global Chamber of Business Leaders (GCBL), along with other leaders.
Building Your Employer Brand with Social MediaLuanWise
Presented at The Global HR Summit, 6th June 2024
In this keynote, Luan Wise will provide invaluable insights to elevate your employer brand on social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok. You'll learn how compelling content can authentically showcase your company culture, values, and employee experiences to support your talent acquisition and retention objectives. Additionally, you'll understand the power of employee advocacy to amplify reach and engagement – helping to position your organization as an employer of choice in today's competitive talent landscape.
3. The Idea
1:30 -2:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkuOuxRD1Bc
4. Essential Communication Tools
for Entrepreneurs
The ‘Elevator Pitch’
30 second outline of business concept
Executive Summary
3-5 page overview of your business
White Paper
Layman’s summary of your technology, product(s), the uniqueness and the value
PowerPoint Presentation
~15 slide outline of your business plan
Business Plan
Detailed description of your business plan: product plan, go-to-market strategy,
management team and financials.
Slide 4
5. How do the tools work?
The tools EXPLAIN and ILLUSTRATE:
What is unique about your business?
Who cares?
How will you execute?
DIFFERENTIATED
SUSTAINABLE
VALUE PROPOSITION
Slide 3
6. Selling vs. Planning
Be conscious of the huge difference between communicating your
business concept and building your business plan.
The primary purpose of the Toolkit is to communicate the value
of your business idea – EXCEPT THE BUSINESS PLAN.
A business plan is an internal planning document seldom shown
to anyone outside the company
The other documents are external communication documents
used to sell the value of your business idea to outside parties
Slide 6
7. Why do we need these tools?
Solicit Communicate
investment to partners
Communicate
Communicate
to employees /
to customers
potential hires
Tools
Slide 7
8. Principles for Business Planning and
Communication
No hype - factual statements. Enthusiasm will be generated
FACTUAL
by the investor realizing the opportunity on his/her own
Business planning is an iterative and adaptive process that
DYNAMIC
requires constant update and adjustment work
A clear, precise structure is a courtesy to those investing
VISUALLY
their time in reading the proposal
COMPELLING
The storyline and all the facts presented must fit together
CONSISTENT AND
and generate a well rounded impression
CONCISE
Not the quantity of analyses, but the clarity and preciseness
CLARITY
of the pack are important
Those who allocate investment resources rarely are
EASE OF
technical experts for the technology used in the proposal
UNDERSTANDING
Slide 8
10. Make your message memorable
ENGAGE your audience
Make information meaningful to them
Case studies
Address knowledge gaps
Visuals, charts, graphs
Let them arrive at their own conclusions
Pace your delivery
Slide 8
11. Know your audience
Speak to your audience in language that they understand:
Institutional investor – do not speak ‘techie’, tie everything
back to money
Strategic investor – may be more technical; will be interested in
your ideas as they impact their business
Strategic Partner – mix of technical and business; understand
how a relationship will be mutually profitable to both parties
Angel Investors - access their background; understand their
interests
Customer – understand their industry and pain points
Slide 11
12. Case Study
Before…
Product and Technology
A prototype is currently available at www.tryme.com which monitors blogs from Blogger (Google’s
blog hosting service) which includes approximately 13 million blogs. Our proprietary crawling
technology monitors approximately 90% of the blogsphere through livejournal, wordpress,
livespaces and…
After…
Product and Technology
Inc. can collect, clean, aggregate and processes vast amounts of text
information and extract the actionable insights that these marketers and
information services companies seek. Inc.’s platform is uniquely sensitive to
changes in individual sentiment.
Slide 12
13. Know your audience
Give your audience the information they are looking for:
Do not assume they want to see the depth of your scientific
knowledge
Speak to them with their interests in mind, not your interests
in mind
Whenever possible, communicate with numbers and
graphics
“the market is huge and growing”, you could say “the total
market is $3B and is projected to grow at 12% per annum”
show a graph of the historic and projected market size broken
down by segment
Slide 13
14. Case Study
Before…
Addressable Market Segment
Social networking and user-generated content applications have rapidly changed use and
perception of online technologies. BLOGs have been increasing at a rate of 100,000 a day and
currently range in the order of 80 million…
After…
Addressable Market Segment
The market opportunity for this technology is vast. Annual spending on
market research in the US is estimated to grow by approximately 25%
going from $8.7B 2007 to $10.9B in 2009…
Slide 14
15. Case Study
Before…
Competitive Advantage
Inc. provides brands a simple tool for real time sentiment monitoring in places like Facebook etc.
After…
Competitive Advantage
Inc.’s competitive advantage is rooted in the expertise of its principals and its
proprietary platform technology, benefits include:
First fully automated online solution for media analytics. Via simple
fully configurable dashboards, users can start monitoring their brand….
Advanced data analytics and language processing. The software utility
can efficiently track sentiment
Slide 15
16. Communication tools help you build
relationships
Be strategic about what you provide and when
you provide it
Not everyone should see your white paper or business
plan
Leave some details for later, don’t give away everything in
the first meeting
Your documentation should radiate
professionalism
Ensure accurate grammar, spelling, diction, illustration,
layout, etc.
Slide 16
19. Inc. has developed hand-held devices
that are designed to quickly assess a
patient’s brain function and
potentially identify dysfunction to help
medical professionals to prescribe
appropriate treatments.
Slide 19
20. The Elevator Pitch
What:
A 30 second overview of your business concept
Why:
To get a follow–on meeting
When:
In a cold call to an investor, customer, potential partner, etc.
Good for networking at trade shows, business functions, etc.
Dos and Don’ts:
Do not spend forever practicing and refining this – should come naturally;
Figure out a few key messages you would like to get across to use as a loose
script
Distribute key messages to outward facing employees – standardize message
Slide 20
22. The Executive Summary
What:
3-5 page summary of your technology, product, sales plan, revenue path and
financial requirements
Why:
A ‘teaser’ document meant to generate a request for more information or a
meeting
Readers will want to get their head around the concepts quickly
When:
When you have a ‘warm’ intro or an invitation to contact someone
Integral first interaction with an investor
Rides the line between confidential and non-confidential – some degree of
trust
Dos and Don’ts:
Has to have the right emphasis given the maturity of the business concept
Keep it current
Slide 22
24. The Whitepaper
What:
A fairly concise layman’s summary of your technology, product(s), the
uniqueness of the technology and products and the value proposition
Why:
Helps investors to understand how a concept or technology works
When:
After investors are curious about details or have bought into the big picture
business vision
Dos and Don’ts:
Put the whitepaper on your website
Don’t go so deep as to give away all of your trade secrets/IP – consult your IP
professional
Keep it as short as possible and fully explain all acronyms
Slide 24
26. The PowerPoint
What:
A ~15 slide outline of the key aspects of your business plan
Why:
Provides an overview of the business plan in point form
Allows people to absorb a lot of key information in a short period of time
When:
Usually the second piece of information an investor receives after the executive
summary
Investors love these because they can flip through them very fast and get highlights
Dos and Don’ts:
Critical document in the fundraising process – present a sound story; make it look
good
Practice speaking to it, preferably in front of friendly people who will ask lots of
questions
Use graphics as much as possible
Slide 26
28. The Business Plan
What:
A rigorously prepared and executable description of how you will build your
business
Why:
This is your roadmap for how you are going to build your business
Describes roles and responsibilities for building various aspects of the business
When:
When you have assembled enough solid information to write it
Highly proprietary; later stages of diligence
Wait for the investor to to ask for it
Dos and Don’ts:
Often made a condition of financing or a board action item
Re-write with every major change in strategic direction
Avoid the temptation to turn this into a sales tool – preserve its integrity as an
execution plan
Slide 28
29. How to build and use your toolkit?
Do not start by building your business plan
You will not have the information you need
You will examine issues out of priority
You will expose lack of understanding
Do not offer to supply a business plan off the bat
Use the PowerPoint Deck as receptacle for all ideas and information
that comes to light – easy to manipulate, organize and adapt
Build your executive summary and eventually your business plan
based on your PowerPoint deck
Give investors your exec summary and offer to walk them through
the PowerPoint slides in person or on the phone
Slide 29
30. Advice from the trenches
Do not overload the documentation
Try to get across a few key messages instead of telling
the whole story
Your audience will only absorb the key messages
Templates exist for all of these documents
Don’t re-invent the wheel
MaRS has developed templates based on extensive
review of industry best practice materials
Slide 30
31. Evaluation criteria for a new venture
Large and Growing
1
Market Opportunity
Your business addresses a large,
growing and global market. You
have a clear understanding of the
customer segments and competitive
landscape in the target market.
Experienced Sustainable Competitive
4 2
Management Team Advantage
Your team has people who are leaders You have a protected technology that
Key Opportunity
in their field. They have a strong will provide sustainable competitive
customer focus and specialized advantage for the business and its
Requirements
knowledge of relevant sub-sectors in customers. You have a product
the industry. Ideally, your team should development roadmap that
have people with prior experience in a addresses regulatory hurdles and
technology start-up. demonstrates your ability to grow
Financial Return on your business.
3
Investment
You have defined how the company
will make money. You have
developed financial projections that
demonstrate Value Creation based
on real-market validation and input
from paying customers.
Slide 31
32. Outline
Executive Summary
Company & Opportunity Summary
Product & Technology
Market Size and Growth
Sales and Marketing Plan
Competitive Overview
Operations Plan
Management Team
Financials & Investment Requirements
Business Plan
Slide 32
34. Outline
Company Description (1 paragraph)
Basic Need & Company Solution
(1 paragraph)
Technology and Product(s) (1 paragraph;
diagram)
Value Proposition (couple of bullets)
Market Size and Growth (diagram)
Sales Plan (1 paragraph)
Competitive Advantages (couple of bullets)
Management (detailed bullets)
Revenue Growth Projections (diagram)
Financing Requirements (1 paragraph)
Executive Summary
Slide 34
35. Advice from the trenches
Practice, Practice, Practice
Different versions for different people
Management vs. finance vs. technical
Version control
The main idea of all of this is to entice investors/
partners to take a deeper look
Slide 35