Story workshop 5

1. Makeup - Executive Summary &
Marketing
@hekovnik / @filipdobranic

2. What do investors buy
• future cash
• the promise of future cash
• system for making future cash
• businesses to produce future cash
• businesses that look like they’ll produce
future cash
• businesses with traction

3. The magic word
• buzz
• traction
–vanity metrics

4. Perception is key
• startup is faith-based enerprise in search of a business model (S. B.)
–customer + problem
–solution
–bm
–scale up strategy
• traction justifies faith
–solution + customers
–bm = making revenue
• numbers
–are only worth something with context
–vanity metrics

5. Faith vs. PM fit
Source: Steve Blank
Problem/Solution Fit
Product/Market Fit

6. Please sir, read my buisness plan?

7. The executive summary
• taking it literally
• pitch vs. executive summary

8. Purpose
Problem
Product
Business
model
Team Finance
Why now
Solution
Market Competition

9. The linear way
• The grab
• The problem
• The solution
• The opportunity
• The competitive advantage
• The (business) model
• The team
• The promise
• The ask

10. The grab.

11. The opportunity
● basic market segmentation, size, growth
and dynamics
○ how many people or companies
○ how many dollars
○ how fast the growth
○ what is driving the segment
● target a meaningful percentage of a
smaller, well-defined, growing market

12. The competitive advantage
● you have competition
● understand what your real, sustainable
competitive advantage is
○ first mover advantage is not a thing
● holy grail: one or two sentences

13. Finances
● show five years of
○ revenues
○ expenses
○ losses/profits
○ cash
○ headcount
● show some key drivers
○ number of customers
○ units shipped

15. What does a brand do?
• Diferentiates
• Encourages loyalty
• Boosts self-confidence and impulsive
purchases
• Simplifies communication
• Enables virality

16. Your brand essence
1. single-minded
2. intangible
3. unique
4. experiential
5. authentic

17. Microcopy
• “Every point of contact with your customer
is marketing.”
• Delight your users
• Help your users overcome barriers to entry

18. Do you provide a trustable
experience?

19. Name
• Take your time (within reason)
• Domain names
• Use a dictionary/thesaurus

20. Tagline
• Based on your intangible brand essence.
Positioning
• Put your product in its space!