My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“no pitch can fix a terrible business”
What It Means
Having a well-structured pitch deck won't save you if your underlying business metrics, traction, or team aren't strong
Why It Matters
Prevents founders from over-investing in presentation polish while ignoring business fundamentals that actually drive investment decisions
When It's True
When business has weak traction, poor unit economics, inexperienced team, or unclear market opportunity
When It's Risky
May discourage founders from fundraising when they actually have good business but poor presentation skills
How to Apply
Audit your business fundamentals before investing in pitch creation
Use pitch deck template as diagnostic tool to find business weaknesses
Focus on improving metrics rather than slide design if business is weak
Example Scenario
“Startup founder struggles to fill traction slide with impressive numbers, realizes they need to focus on product-market fit and growth before fundraising rather than perfecting their presentation.”
Related Knowledge
The Investor Pitch Narrative Arc
A 16-slide sequence that builds investor confidence by answering their core questions in logical order: Are you credible?
Lead With Credibility Rule
When you have meaningful accomplishments, put them as slide 2 to establish that you're worth listening to before diving into your business details.
Create a problem slide that makes investors immediately understand the scale and urgency of what you're solving
Investor reads your problem slide and thinks 'wow, this affects way more people than I realized and I can see why they c
Clearly communicate your competitive advantage in a way investors immediately understand
Investor finishes reading and thinks 'ah, I see exactly how this is different and why that difference matters'
Save Good News for the End
Take 15% of your good news and hold it back until the final slides to create a positive lasting impression and additional momentum.
Anchor Your Vision to Recognized Winners
Position your company as 'we're doing what [successful company] did for [known market] but for [your bigger market]' to help investors quickly understand the opportunity size.