Here's the Pitch: How to Pitch Your Business to Anyone, Get Funded, and Win Clients

INTRODUCTION

Life's a Pitch

“The only reason to give a speech is to change the world.”

—John F. Kennedy

Former Chief Evangelist of Apple and entrepreneur supremo Guy Kawasaki tapped into the driving force of entrepreneurs when he named his blog “How to Change the World.” Although money and success are prized, when entrepreneurs talk with passion about their product or service, they talk in terms of how it will help people or change lives.

It is passion and vision that enable entrepreneurs to make great sacrifices and take risks that transform their dream to reality. For many entrepreneurs, there is a point when the pitch becomes the opportunity to take the dream to the next level. So often, however, those same qualities that make achieving great things possible fail to take shape or appear during the pitch.

Those Who Aspire Must Inspire

Throughout history, great speeches have moved people and nations to take action and bring about change. Leaders have understood the power of a well-crafted speech, whether Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, to inspire its audience. The late Steve Jobs was a master at inspiring people through his annual Macworld presentations, connecting with his audience and taking them on an exciting, unpredictable ...