After 2 decades 1K+ pitches that raised $1.5B –
here’s my secret formula!
When you see 50+ pitch decks a week for 2 decades, you see A LOT of repeat mistakes.
Templates often force your deck into something that just doesn’t work.
(10 slides??? NO WAY!)
But if everyone uses the same method, won’t they be identical? NO!
Buildings all have foundations, frames, walls, windows, paint, etc. – but each has unique characteristics. Without a proper structure, your building might collapse. So will your pitch!
People often confuse “Storytelling” with anecdotes, meaningless jokes or “dumbing down” serious materials. On the contrary
Stories are thousands of years old, the reason information survives for generations
We learn through stories — I’ve seen my daughters go from chewing on a book to actively discussing a story, to becoming storytellers in their own right
Stories inspire, captivate, resonate and influence!— isn‘t that what you want for fundraising or sales?
Our brains are hardwired for stories — not mounds of data
There’s a pattern: From Greek tragedies, to Shakespeare, Chekhov, even the Bible — the stories all go the same
There is no magic number for slides, and it’s definitely not 10. It’s more important to have one big idea per slide, minimal text, great visuals.
If you need to spread data over multiple slides, don’t sweat it . I’d rather see more simple, clear slides than fewer slides that look like eye charts!
Hope this was helpful! I’m here if you have any questions or need further support!
Hi! Looking forward to chatting to see if we’re a good match. PLEASE NOTE – I’m on PST– make sure you’re set on your timezone and if it’s AM or PM so you don’t schedule for the middle of the night! :)
