The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Credibility Is Key

Investors are necessarily skeptical of entrepreneurs trying to take their money. They will doubt your revenue projections, market size analysis, likelihood of key partnerships, or technical feasibility. In short, they will substantially discount most of what you tell them. In the end, investors have to ascertain whether you have what it takes to build a big business. If you can’t convince them that you are capable, nothing else matters. As a result, make sure that much of your presentation is designed to establish credibility. And the earlier you prove yourself worthy, the better. Doing this at the outset creates momentum and interest that will carry you through the presentation. The opposite is also true—if your investor audience doesn’t believe that you can build the business, they’ll check out early.

Credibility is primarily established through experience, which de-risks your business in an investor’s mind. Be sure to highlight your team’s relevant experience. If you have a lot of technology risk, but your chief engineer has previously built something very similar, say that at the outset. If customers are hard to get, but you’ve already created and sold a business in this industry, say so in your opening comments.

Credibility is key, so build it early.