ENGEN Pitch & Polish, in partnership with Engen Petroleum Ltd, Nedbank, Raizcorp and Caxton Local Media, will host a free workshop on Saturday, 8 September at Olive Convention Centre, Durban.
Organisers advise partcipants on the importance of values when crafting the perfect pitch. It is highly unlikely that someone will invest in your business if your values do not align with theirs. The need for aligned values also holds true from the perspective of the investee.
If, after pitching to an investor, you discover that she has shares in a textile factory in the East that makes use of child labour, would you still take her money?
To ensure that your pitch reflects your values use these guidelines:
• Awareness
• Clarity
• Alignment
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Starting with awareness: think about the values that guide your choices in life and consider whether they are good or bad values. An example would be wealth for the sake of wealth or loyalty to the point of blindness. Think carefully about values and settle on ones that you can control such as humility, self-respect and a commitment to learning.
Regarding clarity: settle on your values. You must examine them from every angle. After any pitch, a potential investor will ask questions about numerous aspects of your business or business model. Any answers you give must be congruent with the values encompassed in the pitch you have just made. For example, if your pitch has touched on your willingness to learn it will not impress your potential investor if you come across as a know-it-all.
Ensure your values align with your investor. If you sacrifice your values for the sake of getting funded, it reflects poorly on you and your business. For example, if you value honesty and the potential investor offers you R100 000 extra to hire her nephew as your marketing director the offer will clearly be in conflict with your values.
To register the ENGEN Pitch & Polish and to peruse the 2018 programme, visit www.pitchandpolish.com.
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