My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“we literally wrote the book on sleep”
What It Means
When you have domain expertise or recognizable credentials, lead with confident positioning that establishes authority
Why It Matters
Grabs investor attention immediately and creates presumption that you're worth listening to before diving into business details
When It's True
When you or co-founders have bestselling books, recognized expertise, previous exits, or other meaningful credentials in your field
When It's Risky
If credentials are weak or unrelated to current business, this approach can backfire and undermine confidence
How to Apply
Identify your strongest credibility signal related to the problem
Frame it boldly but truthfully
Connect credentials directly to why you can solve this problem
Use recognizable imagery or logos to reinforce credibility
Example Scenario
“Sleep app co-founder Matthew Walker wrote bestselling 'Why We Sleep' book, so they lead with 'we literally wrote the book on sleep' rather than generic founder introductions.”
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.