By Russ Cantu: You spent $5000 and got nothing in return.

You heard it somewhere —a coach, mentor, pier, start up bro— that you needed a pitch deck. You were told to hire a designer, run a high quality print of their developed deck, and distribute it to prospective investors.

Fail. Whale.

And it’s not even your fault.

Pitch decks have been a thing for decades now, but how we think about them needs to significantly change. I’ve been developing decks for decades: from start-ups to church plants, investment decks for pharmaceuticals and medical device manufacturers, and even some dream decks for friends.

Pitch decks aren’t bad, but the process is fundamentally broken.

It’s time to fix it.

Meet Brandon Penn

Brandon is a church planter starting a church in Fontana, Ca. It’s in LA and has a population of 220,000 people and less than twenty churches. The system is broken and what’s there just isn’t working. Brandon came to me and asked if I could help him design and develop their church plant’s deck.

I told him no.

Well, I told him no… but only no because we needed to go about this differently. The way we raised money ten years ago is not the same today, so our tactics need to change to meet our context.

So I made him a deal.

I would help him design and develop his deck, under one condition: we make it free for everyone. We would knock this out for him and his church, but then we would make the Keynote file, PDF, and article walkthrough available to everyone, for free.

He agreed, and here we are.

Three Pitch Decks Problems

Like I said, pitch decks aren’t bad; the process is just broken. What we want to do is think through a few aspects of the process so we can wrap our head around the problem and push forward.

Pitch Deck Problems

No matter how good a designer is, they’re not you. While there are some world-class designers I could recommend to you, most designers design for design, not conversion. When you are designing a deck for investors, your target market cares more about substance than flash. They want to know you have a successful track record with market opportunity, not that your deck looked better than the other guy.

In addition to designer problems, you will most likely run into design problems. These two are not the same. Assume now that your designer is amazing, they can create a great initial pitch deck template (aka Slide Deck), and they truly understand you. Assume they get your story. But never assume they know how to lay it out properly for you, in alignment with your business plan. Again, they’re used to designing for design’s sake, not you. You need to design for conversions, and that’s a completely different ball game.

Principles to remember when designing your deck: 

Share your wins. Your last success will indicate future success.
Less is more. Don’t say too much and narrow your focus on achieving your goals.
Design to multiple learning styles: i.e. visual, logical, kinesthetic.
Everything has a next step. Every point has a natural onramp for potential investors.

Pitch Deck Development Problems

Now that you’ve designed your deck, how do you share your story? Inherently, this is the most difficult part of the equation. While we will get to a walk-through of an example shortly, I want to run down some development problems you may run into and what you can do to avoid letting them slow you down.

“It looks good, but it doesn’t feel good.”

While a designer will bring the heat, they can never bring the feels without you. You must permeate every aspect of your deck. What is the problem you are addressing with your church plant and how are you uniquely prepared to meet this moment? This is the question you must answer on every page. It’s on you, and while it is certainly daunting, it is not impossible.

Principles to remember when developing your deck: 

Address problems head on. Name names and have a solution ready.
Be your own hero. People will be sold on you before they’re sold on your church.
Elevate your key team leaders. The people you have are the people you are targeting.
Don’t compromise. Your church is your baby. It’s unique and not cookie-cutter.
Be specific and measurable. Know your business model and key metrics of success.
Own it. This isn’t a church planting organization’s start-up; it’s your company vision.
Remember: You’re called to be faithful, not plant a church.

Pitch Deck Distribution Problems

This is the one that kills me every time. You paid a designer, you spent weeks outlining your story, and now you need to pay to print… or do you? This is it; THIS is the thing that keeps me up at night. It honestly frustrates me to no end.

Can we talk about money for a moment?

When you hire a good designer, you can expect to pay around $1000 for them to design your pitch deck. Assume you hire a designer who knows the investment space, who can interpret your story well, and who will lay it for conversion; expect to pay around $3000. But design costs aren’t the only thing we are talking about here. What about your time and energy? When you hire a designer, you are feeding them daily for weeks. This thing takes time. Because time is money, let’s just put an equal amount on it and price your time at the same rate as your designer’s between $1000 and $3000. So far, we are talking about a $2000 to $6000 hit to your church plant, most likely before you have investors (and before you even considered hiring a pitch deck writer).

You’re six thousand into this thing, and now you need to print. Ugh. Seriously, who prints anything anymore? Someone somewhere told you that investors need this, so you have to do it, right? Not a chance. Investors don’t give a rip. They want to know you’ve been successful and will be successful now. If you can write your story and a plan on a napkin, transfer that to a single email, and break it down over the course of a fifteen page deck, then you’re solid. But if you’re sold on print, you’re dropping between $1000 – $2000 every run. Since your plan is a living document, you will need a few runs along the way. Now your total financial hit is coming in between $3000 and $8000, but likely more depending on market size and capital to be raised. Print is not dead, but it is not right for you. So what works? Well, here’s what we do every time for start-ups.

Principles we remember when distributing decks:

Pitch Deck developed in Keynote or PowerPoint. Makes it simple for users to edit.
PDF exports for potential investors. Easy to view online or send via email.
Tactical Cards for handouts. Glossy on top and matte on back, makes people want to turn it over. Slap an URL on there for downloads and brand it alongside your deck and you’re solid. It’s a cheap run and instantly effective. Plus, if people throw it in the garbage, you won’t be diving into the can to rescue that printed gold.

Ultimately, your distribution plan is 50% of your design plan. How you disseminate your story to potential users or investors will determine how you raise capital. If you can accomplish this part of the puzzle, your audience will see a clearer picture and you will have more money in your pocket for your plant. And if that doesn’t show investors how you are managing money, I don’t know what will. It’s a brave new world, and they’re already ahead of the game. They want to invest in you. They want to reach your addressable market. It’s your job to make it easy for them to do so.

How to Create a Great Investor Pitch Deck for Startups Seeking Financing

Like I said, pitch decks aren’t bad; the process is just broken. What we want to do is think differently about this, from the designer to the design, the process and financials, and how to make the most of your moment. So let’s bring Brandon back in, so we can walk through his deck, and you can see how it works for him, as well as a few presentation tips so you can walk away with valuable insight and actionable items.

Beyond Church and Their Pitch Deck Outline

Branded Cover Slide with logo.
Mission Statement
Reachable Market and Our Problem to Fix
Current Growth Metrics and Market Validation
Introduction of Opportunity
Introduction of Startup Founders
Introduction of Business Model – Values
Introduction of Target Users or User Testimonials
Continuation of Target Users or User Testimonials
Introduction of Team with Focus
A-Round Pitch Deck Financials with Financial Forecast
Stage Process and Financial Application
Contextualization of Current Crisis and Application
Investment Opportunities
How to Connect with Brandon and Beyond Church

Branded Cover Slide with Logo

Your first slide is not the time to pitch your product or sell your services. Potential investors care more about you than they do your “sell”, so start off your pitch by sharing who you are and why you are taking their time. This is an opportunity for you to make them a part of your team before they hear what you’re doing, so sell them on you and it will be easier to sell them on your plant.

Mission Statement 

Your mission is the framework that drives your business. From inception to implementation, your mission statement is how you will grow your team, how you attract your audience, and how you grow over time. Share how and why your mission statement is not only important to you, but instrumental to your success.

Reachable Market and Our Problem to Fix

While most cities lack enough church resources to meet the need, Brandon Penn and Fontana are unique. Fontana is an underserved and under-resourced population, so the fact that there are so few churches to adequately serve the city should be drawn out and made a central focus, not just here, but throughout the presentation.

Current Growth Metrics and Market Validation

Past is prologue, so Brandon is going to discuss how he’s been successful in the past and prove he will be successful here as Fontana is drowning without enough people to serve the city. This is where he will start discussing the implementation of the business model, his current audience, and the people that are currently on board (as team members and investors).

Introduction of Opportunity

Brandon is bent toward justice, not as a pocket passion, but as a guiding life principle. As Fontana has a clear and obvious need, and as his team is ready to meet the moment, he will lay the foundation here for the opportunity to be met by those in the room. For him, God’s salvation is not just a gift for him, but one for everyone. Because of that, he’s encouraging his audience to participate in immediately actionable items.

Introduction of Startup Founders

In the initial stage of development, the focus will ultimately be on the shoulders of those who lead the early church. This is one of the reasons why church plant coaches emphasize the need for the founding pastor to preach every weekend for the first six months. These initial months are all about attraction, so Brandon must sell you on him, as wella s his family. It’s a lot to handle, but it’s what needs to be done. No pressure.

Introduction of Business Model and Your Values

Brandon is now going to share the business model (in expanded terms) but also share the guide rails of his plan: values. One caveat here: you don’t determine your values, you discover them. While Brandon has three values here, he also understands that values are malleable and may need to flex over time as his audience morphs into who God needs them to be for their community.

Introduction of Target Users or User Testimonials

One of the fin discussion items I often have with clients is persona types, not because we want to have a “perfect person” we want to reach, but because we want to have multiple moving targets we seek to market to. People are fluid according to their in-the-moment context, so persona types must go deeper than the surface level of a single mother of three kids.

Continuation of Target Users or User Testimonials

Like before, we are laying out the persona types we are targeting our reach towards, but we are also sharing who we have already reached. This is where past success meets current users. Don’t just share your hope for people to reach; share who you have already reached and how you are making their lives better.

Introduction of Team with Focus

For Brandon, his new church startup is not about a new church for Fontana. Anyone can build a church, but Brandon is building a passion. Buildings and worship services will only get you so far. In today’s climate, passion outranks presentation (thank God). When all is said and done, Beyond Church’s end product will be a passionate people who just so happen to meet in a building every week.

A-Round Pitch Deck Financials with Financial Forecast

Part of the strategy here is to speak the language of everyone in the room. While some will be attracted to stories, others will be moved by finances. It’s your job to speak to everyone. Give a description of your need, where you are at, and forecast it a few years out. Just like you created a pitch deck outline for your designer, you need to create a financial overview for investors.

Stage Process and Financial Application

Every church and organization is different. While some angel investors may be moved by stories and financials, others may be moved by specific things you are spending money towards. Larry Osborne talks about this in his pockets presentation. While some may give their tithe out of one pocket and give to a need out of another, they normally only have one more pocket to give to: their individual passion.

Contextualization of Current Crisis and Application 

Covid sucks. Losing millions around the world and hundreds of thousands here at home has been an enormous loss. Churches that specifically address the wounds of Covid and assist in the recovery of our cities will be better positioned to serve their cities for generations, than those who chose to go back to business (and politics) as usual. Brandon has a plan, and it’s working.

Investment Opportunities

We’ve shared the problem, we’ve shared possible solutions, and Brandon has shared stories and user testimonials. You’ve seen the financials and our forecast, and maybe you’re sold on the vision. This is the time to give people their next right step. In this case, Beyond Church is specifically looking for three people: givers, prayers, and servers. They need money, they need people who will encourage them through prayer, and they need people with a passion who want to serve Fontana. All Brandon needs to do is make their next right step clear and simple.

How to Connect with Brandon and Beyond Church

The last step of your presentation is to continue the conversation. This is the beginning of a years-long relationship that requires trust and communication. Once you make the ask (and please, don’t forget to go for the big ask), you need to stay present in their lives. Investors are giving you their hard earned time, resources, and finances, but you must be the one to nurture the relationship.

Let’s put a bow on this pitch deck.

For those of you who have been wondering “what is a pitch deck” and “how to slide deck”, I hope this guide has provided you with clear next steps to accomplish your goal. This resource is free now and will continue to be well into the future. I have included individual slides of the presentation, as well as a working file for you in Keynote and PowerPoint, in addition to a smaller file size PDF (with active links). I would encourage you to save yourself some money and use this pitch deck template instead of hiring a designer and printing a full run of vision pieces. And if you need help along the way, reach out and I will do everything I can to help make you successful.

Download PDF Pitch Deck

Download Keynote Pitch Deck

Download PowerPoint

The post How to Effectively Share Your Church Story to Investors [Pitch Deck] appeared first on CATALYST CHURCH CREATIVE.

Source: How to Effectively Share Your Church Story to Investors [Pitch Deck]

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Source: Cast Vision Effectively

The post Cast Vision Effectively appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Josh Chumley: I was a psych major in college and any good or bad psych major knows the infamous Sigmund Freud.

One of the staples of a good Freudian theorist is the concept of projection.

Basically, how you feel (anger, sadness, etc.) about your parents, authorities, other people in life, you will eventually project any trauma or feelings on people that have nothing to do with those that have traumatized you or had a deep impact.

I counseled youth for my first few years out of college. I saw projection first hand.

A couple of years later, I started working in a corporate environment and I began to see the same tendencies from people. If you had a bad experience with a leader (or shall we call them managers, since they were managing people rather than leading them), you would project those thoughts and feelings onto other leaders. Mistrust or trust was left in the wake of good leaders, or immature people that had gotten promoted for political purposes or because they were good at their entry level job.

It got me thinking.

What about positive projection?

If I truly wanted to make an impact on people and develop future leaders, how was I projecting my leadership? 

Projected Leadership. This is not the “fake it till you make it” blog post. This is “are you authentic and willing to always grow” blog post. Once you take that promotion or you are honing your leadership skills, how are you spreading your influence? How are you making better leaders around you? What do you spend your time thinking about as a leader? Are you intentional in every interaction with people that work for you, with you, and that you work for?

Iron sharpens Iron. When we project solid leadership, people learn and develop merely by how we operate and behave in a consistent manner. We show our values and what we believe about people day in and day out of being a leader.

Projected leadership takes the time to be self-aware of our faults and take extra measures to show humility in how we focus on strengthening areas of weakness. 

This leadership focus will increase performance through authentic (real, genuine) interactions that are accountable to results and cultivate a solid relationship through healthy conversations and behaviors, even when things get heated or confrontational (it’s ok to confront behaviors and be accountable to one another).

Projected leadership means you…

Lead from the “Back”

This takes place through coaching, accountability, and being present in each moment with people. It doesn’t stop there, projected leadership means that you also…

Lead from the “Front”

Leading from the front employs practices such as vision setting, execution and clear communication.

At the end of your career, what do you want to be known for?

As a CEO, as a pastor, as an entry level manager, as a small business owner…what do you want to be known for?

Projecting healthy leadership onto others will make your work, church, and home healthier, more accountable, and will create more opportunities for selfless activities. It will drive production and deeper satisfaction in life for you and your teams.

Does all of this seem like A LOT?

It actually is a lot. Frankly, it’s too much to do alone. That’s why at CourageToLead we believe, “Every Leader Needs a Coach”…because no leader can do it all alone!

Let’s set up a call with one of our coaches to talk through leading your team and organization through re-entry.

It’s simple, click the button below, schedule a time that works for you, fill out a brief application and show up to your call…we’ll handle the rest!

schedule your call!

talk to a coach

Too many organizations stay stuck because they presume on growth, but never prepare for growth. Too many leaders have zero peace because every small decision and question lands in their lap every day. Truth is, every organization is perfectly structured for the growth it’s getting.

That’s why I am providing the FREE TRAINING as a solution to restructuring in a way that best positions your organization to grow and best positions your life for peace.

Jump into this FREE Training today!

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Source: Projected Leadership

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Source: Raising Financial Support: Tips for Getting to 100%

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by Shawn Lovejoy: Meetings are used for many things. One missed opportunity I see in many meetings is failing to communicate, clarify or rally around vision. In my book Be Mean About The Vision: Preserving and Protecting What Matters, I reveal the most crucial vision questions; and I’m giving them to you here. Use these in your next meeting (or as the entire meeting) to re-infuse your team with a sense of purpose and direction!

Why are we here?

Vision is not WHAT we do, it’s WHY we do it. Use meeting time to remind your team of the WHY. Why do we exist? Why were we created? What is our mission? Use stories of success and wins to illustrate the reason everyone is putting so much effort into your organization’s endeavors.

Where are we going now?

Leadership begins by defining reality. Take time in meetings to own where you are and what will happen if you maintain the same course of direction. Answer questions like: If the current direction remained constant, where would we end up? Where is the organization currently headed? When everything is headed in the right direction, use this time to encourage and refuel the efforts of your team. In the moments when a course correction needs to be made, this is the chance to adjust and set a new path of execution.

Where do we want to go?

After you determine where you are and where you’re headed, there is space to adjust your aim. Asking questions like: “What is the desired destination? What is the win? What is our goal? How will we know if we have been successful?” all help define where you’re wanting to go next. As the leader, this provides you the opportunity to cast fresh vision or add life to what may have grown stale.

How do we take everyone there? 

Now that we know where we are and where we need to go, how will we get everyone aligned around it? During this time, logistics and planning matter. How and when will we communicate it? How will we make the leaders stakeholders of it? How will we get everyone else onboard? What meetings need to begin to happen, when, and with whom?

 Don’t overcomplicate this. Don’t procrastinate. Begin asking these questions in your meetings today with your team and watch the temperature begin to change rapidly! Don’t wander around in the wilderness. Where there is no vision, people cast off restraint and go their own way. Where there is vision, there is life, health, and growth! And meetings are a great way to lead through vision.

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Source: How Meetings Can Clarify Vision

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Source: Three Steps to a Clear Vision

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by Shawn Lovejoy: Every organization has a vision statement.

Does a well-worded vision statement grow an organization?

Vision statements are a dime a dozen as far as I’m concerned.

At the end of the day, a vision statement is just a statement. It has no life on its own. It cannot, nor will it ever, energize, unify, or align an organization. This task falls to the leader.

A vision statement is only as strong as the leader is. Vision is only as clear as the leader is. Vision is only as compelling as a leader makes it. A vision is stewarded and sustained by a leader.

A vision serves one purpose: It defines why we exist. They answer the question; “Why are we here?” That’s really all we need to know in the beginning. Answer that question first.

The vision is our goal. The vision is our bull’s-eye. Keep it simple. Keeping your organization so focused on the goal that people are willing to sacrifice for it. If we get that right, everything else will fall in place.

Having a vision statement is just a small slice of the pie…

It’s one thing to say we have a vision. It’s another thing to live it out.

I want to help live out your vision statement in a way that brings growth to your organization! How are you going to accomplish your vision? That’s where this new webinar I have put together can help…

Join me on Thursday, November 7th at 2pmCST for “How to Break Your Next Growth Barrier in 90 Days!” This training is absolutely free. All you have to do is register HERE to secure your spot!

register today

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Source: Why Your Vision Statement Is Overrated

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by Jim Putman: If we are ever going to grow up in our faith, we will need spiritual relationships to help us do so. A mature person in Christ has deep relationships that help him or her remain mature and even grow further. There is absolutely no way around the need for real relationships. Scripture teaches us this over and over again. Experience bears it out. We must develop, maintain, and champion close relationships with other believers. It is both the means to maturity and maturity itself.

So – where do we go? What do we do? How do we start? People often ask me the question “How can I move forward with being and making disciples when my church either doesn’t support or doesn’t vision cast discipleship? We don’t even have a small group culture here – where can I go for relational discipleship?”

Many people believe discipleship it is out of reach for them if their church does not do small groups. Or even if there is a small group system, some might say that no one is “real” at their church, therefore transparent relationships are impossible. And I get that – it can be hard to change an entire culture that needs to change. But you know what? I am only asking you to change one person… Yourself.

…

Written by Jim Putman

This was originally posted on Jim Putman’s blog here. Used with permission.

The post The Secret to Spiritual Growth as a Disciple appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: The Secret to Spiritual Growth as a Disciple

The post The Secret to Spiritual Growth as a Disciple appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: 6 Mistakes I Made as a Church Planter

The post 6 Mistakes I Made as a Church Planter appeared first on Passion for Planting.