Are potential investors looking less than impressed by the financials in your pitch deck and you can’t figure out why?
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen a company’s financial forecasts that don’t add up or show random numbers that aren’t accounted for on their slide. That’s alarming and my goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Click on the image below to watch my latest video or read on to find out more.
what numbers should you include?
You need to provide a top line view of your balance sheet. This includes your revenue, costs, profit and an indication of your Net Profit Margin. It’s a financial snapshot of where your business is right now. Simple right?
The question becomes, how much detail do you add to this data? Keeping it simple would be my advice. Including costs for every pencil you bought that year is not relevant in your pitch deck. If you want to go into greater detail, you can always add it to your capability statement and supply it when asked.
If you are an established company and have stockholders, you may need to break down total liabilities and stockholders’ equity. Drawing the numbers out of your latest annual report should be simple enough.
financial PROJECTIONS
This is where you explain what you assume will happen over the next three to five years when your clever idea takes off. This is the exciting part of your pitch deck and is what savvy investors will be looking at closely, so again keep it realistic.
If you have several products or services that you are adding over time, don’t forget to indicate their financial impact and your additional cost increases as they roll out.
BONUS TIP
If you use a graph and it shows massive growth, commonly known as the hockey stick, you are going to need to back that assumption up with a realistic assessment of how you are going to achieve those results. Investors often joke about how many hockey stick assumptions they see every year. Make sure your pitch deck isn't one of them.
If you go hard here and state growth numbers that are too ambitious, investors will back off quickly. Investors look at pitch decks all the time and you can safely assume they can assess your financials quickly. These are still assumptions so be as realistic with your numbers.
HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT YOUR PITCH DECK?
Your financials are important but you also need to make sure you are giving investors the key points they need to see in your pitch deck. If you want to double check you have successfully done that, download my free guide. You’ll find the pdf link below and it will guide you through the key points investors are expecting you to cover in your pitch deck.
I call it my secret sauce because I’ve successfully used it to develop pitch decks that have gone on to raise millions in funding.
NEED HELP developING your pitch deck?
Head over to our website and upload your current presentation. We have four services to suit every need or budget. Or if you need help with the strategic message of your pitch deck, reach out to me directly. I’ve helped many of my clients achieve their funding goals.
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