Why?

Last week I was twice reminded of the importance of communicating why you invest time in a project or venture.

Entrepreneurs in the early stages of a venture are encouraged to present their big idea in a compelling and succinct format, in 10 slides or less, using a formula that talks to opportunity, product and capacity to execute. Becoming more proficient at pitching (and I’ve pitched AirShr nearly 1000 times) also means it takes less time to deliver important key messages. The irony is that honing pitching skills often occurs at the expense of explaining why you came to invest all your time, effort and savings in one idea. And this, above everything, is the most important part of any pitch because it affords the opportunity to create emotional resonance between the audience and the entrepreneur’s big idea.

In my experience the best early stage investors ask why as a matter of due diligence because it helps tease out if the entrepreneur is emotionally invested in their vision and product.

My tip: don’t wait to be asked. Talk about why as early as possible.

Simon Sinek brings this point home really well in this 2009 TEDx talk.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA[/embed]