Create An Amazing Business Plan Presentation

The style of your business plan presentation depends a great deal on just who you are presenting to, and at what stage of the negotiation.  Putting your plan into Aunt Harriet's hands is a whole lot different that making an oral presentation to a roomful of potential investors.  But no matter who or what or why, it has got to be great.

I am assuming that your written business plan is in pretty good shape.  If not, grab the Great Business Plan or one of the 80+ business plan in the Business Plan Library, and whip it into shape.  Then we can get ready for the presentation itself.

A Business Plan Presentation To Cousin Louie

It is not always easy asking relatives to invest in your business, so to make it as painless as possible, here are a couple of approaches:

Sit down with cousin Louie over a beer or a coffee, and mention, "Hey, Louie, have I told you about my new business ... yada yada".  Hopefully Louie will ask enough questions that you just HAVE to give a full business plan.

Or take your business plan to Louie and say, "Louie, I need you.  I've got to present this to investors next week, and I need you to read it and give me your reaction."  With luck, his reaction will be superb.

In either case, you've taken your shot, and even if Louie turns you down you haven't ruined your relationship with him.  And that's important.  Maybe Louie will invest later if he can't do it now.

Making A Business Plan Presentation To A Bank

With most banks, you just won't get to meet the real decision maker.  You will meet the bank manager or business banker.  No matter.  You still need to impress this person with your strong business presentation.  You never know who s/he may be able to influence.

Assume that this presentation will be for one person, at a desk.  Ask if there is a conference room you can use, but there may not be one available.  Take your lap top with you, all loaded and ready to go with your presentation.  Try to talk more than show slides.  Leave lots of room for questions.  If there are other visual aids that might help, take them along as well.

At the end of the presentation, ask the banker if there is anything you should change before the proposal is sent to HQ.  And listen to what s/he says.  If all is ok, tell the banker that you have included a disk with the written business plan that has this presentation on it, OR that the reviewer may go to your website and see a video presentation.

The fact that you are so organized, and so web savvy, will astound them.  And it will get you a lot of brownie points.  Assume, however, that the banker WON'T look at the video or the website, so provide all pertinent info in the business plan itself.

A Business Plan Presentation For Angel Investors And Venture Capital Firms

There's a wise old adage that says "The more you need, the more you do."  And it just could not be more true than for business plan presentations. 

Going after angel investors and/or venture capital just isn't for the timid.  For example,

For each angel group you present to, there will be a different time frame and a different format used.

Each individual angel investor you speak with will ask different questions and be interested in different aspects of the business.

While you have a bit of control about how to begin a presentation to a venture capital firm, it may quickly get tossed out the window as participants ask questions.

The only real solution for these circumstances is to go in prepared to do anything, in any time frame, and respond to any questions that anyone could possibly imagine.

And as radical as this sounds, the very strongest advice we can give is:  TURN OFF THE OVERHEAD PROJECTOR!!!  Talk with these people.  They are sophisticated, knowledgeable people with money they want to invest somewhere.  Engage them.  Know their names before the meeting.  Know what rocks their boat.  They already like your idea or you wouldn't be standing there.  So let them like you.

So the rule is, Yes, go in with more info and slides and goodies than you can possibly use, and DON'T USE them.  And your business plan presentation will knock their socks off.

And rest assured that whatever it is that you don't know, that is what will be asked.  That's one of The Rules too.

Return to Top Of Business Plan Presentation