My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“everybody does X and we do Y”
What It Means
The core differentiation slide should contrast your strategic approach against what competitors typically do
Why It Matters
Helps investors immediately understand your competitive advantage in simple terms rather than getting lost in feature comparisons
When It's True
When you have a fundamentally different approach to solving the same problem as existing solutions
When It's Risky
If your differentiation is minor or just features rather than strategic approach differences
How to Apply
Research how all existing solutions approach your problem
Identify the common strategy most use
Articulate your fundamentally different strategic approach
Explain why your approach works better
Example Scenario
“Sleep app explains 'everybody else tries to solve insomnia with pills, we do it with skills through behavioral therapy' - clearly contrasting medical vs behavioral approaches.”
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.