Vusi Thembekwayo | How to pitch your business

Summary

This video script outlines a masterclass focused on the traits and practices that set successful entrepreneurs apart. It features pitches from various entrepreneurs, each given a short time to present their business idea, problem it solves, and their ask from the audience. The facilitator offers feedback on effective pitching techniques, emphasizing clarity, confidence, storytelling, and stating clear asks. The session highlights the importance of presenting with conviction and connecting with the audience through personal and brand stories, ultimately aiming to help entrepreneurs refine their pitches and achieve high growth.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The video script is from a masterclass focused on helping entrepreneurs become high-growth and high-scale by sharing insights and debunking myths.
• 💡 Entrepreneurs are encouraged to articulate their business idea within a minute, explaining the problem they solve and why their product or service is needed.
• 🌐 The script emphasizes the importance of making a clear 'ask' at the beginning and end of a pitch to ensure the audience knows what is being requested.
• 🌱 One entrepreneur's pitch involves a sustainable biodiesel product made from waste plastics, highlighting the environmental and economic benefits.
• 📉 The same entrepreneur faces challenges with licensing and legislation that limit production capacity, illustrating the hurdles that can be faced in the industry.
• 💼 A second pitch involves a financial support system for students, aiming to provide them with the funds needed for meals and other necessities, not just tuition.
• 👗 A fashion brand pitch targets plus-sized women and has experienced success in attracting a broader audience, necessitating a diversification of the brand.
• 📈 The fashion brand's success has led to the need for increased production to meet demand from customers outside the initial target market.
• 📸 The fashion entrepreneur is seeking a photoshoot to help grow the brand's following and sell directly to customers, bypassing high commission rates from retail spaces.
• 🎤 The masterclass also provides feedback on pitching techniques, including the importance of body language, owning the stage, and telling a compelling brand story.
• 🔑 The script underlines the power of storytelling in pitches, suggesting that a strong narrative can resonate with the audience and leave a lasting impression.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the master class?

The main theme of the master class is to share knowledge on how to become a high-growth, high-scale entrepreneur and to break down myths and ideas related to entrepreneurship.

What is the format of the pitch session in the master class?

The format involves each participant having 90 seconds, preferably 60 seconds, to present their business idea, the problem they are solving, and why people should buy from them. The audience then decides who they want to support.

What is Cinzia's business idea and what problem is she solving?

Cinzia's business idea is to produce biodiesel, an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to petrol and diesel, using waste plastics. The problem she is solving is providing a cheaper and eco-friendly fuel option.

What challenges is Cinzia facing with her business?

Cinzia is facing challenges with licensing and legislation, as the government caps the production capacity, limiting her to producing a maximum of 240 liters of biodiesel each year.

What is the unique selling proposition of Cinzia's biodiesel product?

The unique selling proposition is that the biodiesel is not only cheaper and environmentally friendly but also non-toxic, biodegradable, and beneficial for engine maintenance, prolonging engine life.

What is the main ask from the participants at the end of their pitch?

The main ask is for the audience to visit the participant's website, invest money, and support their business idea.

What advice is given regarding starting a conversation with an ask?

The advice given is to start and end the conversation with the ask, without justifying it, and to be clear and audible in stating what is wanted.

What is the second speaker's business model and how does it differ from traditional financial services?

The second speaker's business model involves providing financial support to students, offering loans with a fixed interest rate, and ensuring that every employee can manage their finances regardless of their financial history. This differs from traditional services by focusing on financial inclusivity and support.

What issue does the third speaker face with her fashion brand?

The third speaker faces the issue of diversifying her brand to cater to all sizes, as her fashion brand has attracted a broader audience than initially intended, including thinner women.

What is the primary goal of the third speaker's pitch?

The primary goal of the third speaker's pitch is to gain support for a photoshoot to help grow her fashion brand's following and to sell directly to customers without high commission rates.

What advice is given by the professional speaker for effective pitching?

The advice includes not overstating or apologizing, moving forward on the stage, finding the place of power (light), owning the stage, stating the ask clearly at the beginning and end, and using a compelling story to humanize the pitch.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Entrepreneurial Success and Master Classes

The speaker introduces a platform for entrepreneurs to learn the secrets of high-growth, high-scale business success. They ponder what differentiates successful entrepreneurs from others, whether it's knowledge, management style, team, education, or personal background. The session includes a 90-second pitch challenge for participants to present their business ideas, problems they solve, and why their offerings are compelling. The goal is to convince the audience to invest in their ventures. The speaker emphasizes the importance of ending conversations with a clear ask, a common mistake people make is not knowing what they want or asking for it.

05:04

🌿 Eco-Friendly Biodiesel Business Pitch

Cinzia presents her business idea of producing biodiesel from waste plastics, an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional petrol and diesel. She explains the process, the benefits of using waste to generate fuel, and the challenges faced, such as government licensing and production limits. Cinzia seeks investment to purchase equipment and establish her plant, emphasizing the product's affordability, environmental benefits, and its positive impact on engine longevity. She concludes with a call to action for investment and support.

10:07

👗 Inclusive Fashion Brand Expansion

The speaker discusses the challenges of expanding a fashion brand that initially targeted plus-size women but has gained popularity among a broader audience. The brand's success has led to the need for more diverse sizing and models. The speaker seeks support for a photoshoot to help grow the brand's visibility and appeal. They mention the brand's achievements, including celebrity endorsements, and the importance of telling a compelling brand story to connect with the audience on an emotional level.

15:18

📈 Pitching Techniques and Personal Brand Storytelling

The final paragraph focuses on the art of pitching and the power of storytelling in business presentations. A professional speaker provides feedback on the participants' pitches, advising them to be clear, concise, and to avoid unnecessary apologies or repetition. The importance of body language and positioning oneself in a place of power during a presentation is highlighted. The speaker also emphasizes the need to humanize technical pitches and to tell a story that resonates with the audience, making the pitch memorable and impactful.

Keywords

💡Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. In the video, the theme revolves around the success factors of entrepreneurs, highlighting the traits and strategies that differentiate successful business founders from others. The script discusses various entrepreneurs presenting their business ideas.

💡High Growth

High growth refers to a rapid increase in a business's value, revenue, or market share. The video's theme is about becoming a high-growth entrepreneur, and the script mentions the master class aimed at teaching individuals how to scale their businesses to achieve significant growth, as exemplified by the guest speakers sharing their experiences.

💡Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from organic materials such as waste vegetable oil or animal fats. In the script, one entrepreneur introduces their business idea of producing biodiesel from waste plastics, emphasizing its environmental benefits and economic viability as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

💡Environmental Friendly

This term describes products or practices that have minimal negative impact on the environment. The script highlights the entrepreneur's focus on creating a product that is not only economically viable but also environmentally friendly, such as biodiesel that is biodegradable and non-toxic.

💡Licensing

Licensing refers to the process by which a government or authority grants permission for certain activities, such as production or operation within regulated limits. The script mentions the challenges faced by the biodiesel entrepreneur due to licensing and legislation that cap production capacity.

💡Investment

Investment in the context of the video refers to the act of committing money or capital to a business idea with the expectation of financial returns. The script includes entrepreneurs seeking investment for their ventures, such as the one looking for 1.2 million to purchase equipment and bring their product to the market.

💡Fashion Brand

A fashion brand is a company or label that designs, manufactures, and markets clothing and accessories. The script features an entrepreneur who has developed a fashion brand targeting plus-size women, aiming to diversify the brand to cater to all sizes and seeking a photoshoot to grow the brand's following.

💡Photoshoot

A photoshoot is a session during which multiple photographs are taken of a subject, often for commercial purposes. In the script, the fashion brand entrepreneur requests a photoshoot to showcase their clothing line, which they believe will help sell directly to customers and avoid high commission rates.

💡Networking

Networking refers to the cultivation of professional or business contacts to exchange information and receive support or opportunities. The script advises entrepreneurs on how to effectively use a platform, such as a networking event, to present their ideas and connect with potential investors or partners.

💡Pitch

A pitch is a concise, persuasive speech that presents an idea, product, or service to potential investors or customers. The video's theme includes the art of pitching, with the script providing examples of entrepreneurs making pitches to sell their business ideas and seeking support.

💡Brand Story

A brand story is the narrative that explains the brand's origin, mission, and values. It helps to connect emotionally with the audience. The script emphasizes the importance of storytelling in pitches, suggesting that a compelling brand story can be a powerful tool for entrepreneurs to engage their audience.

Highlights

The importance of identifying what makes entrepreneurs succeed and the launch of a master class to share insights on high-growth entrepreneurship.

The introduction of a 60-second pitch challenge to present business ideas concisely and effectively.

Cinzia's pitch for an environmentally friendly biodiesel product made from waste plastics, highlighting the potential of turning trash into treasure.

The challenges faced in scaling up biodiesel production due to government regulations and licensing issues.

The strategy of asking for investment directly and the importance of ending conversations with a clear ask.

The concept of using social media to attract followers and the importance of storytelling in business pitches.

The pitch for a financial support system aimed at helping employees regardless of their financial history, emphasizing inclusivity.

The power of storytelling in pitches and the need to humanize technical concepts to engage the audience.

The fashion brand pitch by Minato, focusing on inclusivity for women of all body shapes and sizes.

The issue of finding diverse models to represent a brand and the challenges of brand diversification.

The success of the fashion brand in attracting celebrities and the need for a photoshoot to expand the brand's reach.

The dilemma of high commission rates by retail spaces and the strategy to sell directly to customers.

The advice on body language and stage presence when pitching, emphasizing the importance of owning the stage.

The importance of stating and restating the ask in a pitch without justifying it, to keep the audience focused.

The value of a compelling brand story and its role in making a pitch memorable and impactful.

The final advice on pitching, focusing on clarity, brevity, and the power of storytelling to captivate the audience.

Transcripts

I always wondered to myself is there

something that helps the entrepreneurs

that succeed that they have which other

entrepreneurs don't is it something they

know is it how they run their businesses

is it the people they hire is it where

they went to school is that their

socialization their background their

education their mental spaces what is it

that makes the entrepreneur succeed

welcome to my master classes where I

share with you everything you need to

know about how to become a high growth

high scale entrepreneur I'm joined by

guests we break down the myths the ideas

the lengths the legends everything you

need to know to become a high-growth

entrepreneurs Warren this is the high

performance zone okay great so these are

the rules

you guys get 90 seconds I would prefer

60 seconds which is a minute and here's

what you got to tell us you've got to

tell us about your business idea or

business as you're running it you're

gonna tell us what is the problem that

you're solving and you're gonna tell us

why we need to buy and then at the end

of it the room will decide who they want

to buy from and who not is that fair who

wants to go first

so we're only two welcomes in Z those of

you who are frowning smile we're gonna

give a round of applause

[Music]

Cinzia your time starts now

thank you so the product that I'm

selling is an economical alternative to

petrol diesel

it's biodiesel it is 100%

environmentally friendly its

biodegradable and non-toxic the product

that I am talking about will be produced

using waste plastics so believe it or

not there is cash in your trash so my

company will purchase the plastic from

the end-user and we will use that

plastics to generate bio diesel jet fuel

or electricity in the future those

products will be cheaper than your

normal petrol diesel the challenges that

we're facing at the moment is licensing

and legislation because the government

caps

basically the capacity that you can

produce us but we are looking at a

maximum of two hundred and forty liters

of biodiesel each year thank you make

sense

picture ID is one thing but at the end

of it sure I have a thing that I'm

asking for I will ask you to go to my

website I want you to invest a bit of

money I want you to use whatever but at

the end the very simple conversation

ended with an ask do you know why most

of us don't get anything is because you

don't know what you ask for

never start a conversation with us for

what do you want I want X then what you

do is you try and start the conversation

with the ask and end it with the ask

reinforced most you a meeting today

because I'm looking for H mostly I'm

looking for want to try again

you sure okay one two three now thank

you

so a meeting today because I am looking

for investors in

my business I am looking to get capital

to purchase my plant and the product

that I am wanting to provide and it's an

alternative to diesel the normal petrol

diesel it's cheaper to purchase and it's

cheaper to manufacture it's 100%

environmentally friendly non-toxic and

biodegradable and it's also good for

engine so this product can work to clean

your engine and it prolongs your engine

life basically so I am looking for that

1.2 million to purchase my plot and my

equipment so that I can bring this

product into the market especially with

the petrol prices at what as high as

they are in South Africa

[Music]

[Applause]

when animals are them okay it's one of

them craziest units civil engineering

and how I'd put it

I'm just going to my brief oh I am doing

it I the students of put it on the

student we're invited and the first day

I came last year I think yeah last year

of which are figured out that a student

whenever they have to get a funny person

they have them that they need my dream

man

during the course of the month of which

they came today than Dennis was the

first day they delayed to give the money

so what happened is that I invited the

students afternoon which are give them

the money for for their for their for

their meals and whatsoever they feel

evil but not for the tuition fee so I've

done there is actually waking now so

what happened now when I posted on

Instagram or whatever I personally

constitute meters what happen is that

they tell their mother than their money

they actually calling me that they meet

up with my target if the student not

there so now what happened the planners

who invest another plane of which I said

it's a workplace support on the word

pissed about known as perfectly what a

small load to learn how people are

discriminated from the annals okay and

what I say that it winds the Balkan when

financial they're widely are financially

Pheebs

quality productions in Greece so what we

do is that I call it a money I've got

some day of business I burn them money

of which we with the fixed interest rate

of therapist

300

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

together and then our aim is to make

sure that every employee every employee

has carry no questions to make it on

regardless of the authority or might

their financial history spectrum so what

we do we have when we go to him to the

company and then we make plans with them

and then we give them five percent of

what you make at the end of the month

[Music]

[Applause]

here's what's funny some of you gave you

the goal to love but you would never

guess that it's been like votes about

that you would things go wrong but they

would never try to do what you do yeah

did you say you want to pitch a noun 1

now you see how we go Zama URI ladies

and gentlemen introducing

okay ladies and gentlemen yeah I have my

Instagram hello its me that down so

minato is a fashion brand developed

developed by myself what I'm here to ask

for today is for your photo shoot

now the reason why I'm asking you to

follow me is because on my page I've had

very little following because a lot of

people only follow women offices in

shape now as you can see I've had a

shape that not many people find a PD

so the fashion brand itself the fashion

trend itself was to come over for the

plastic groupie women and the backbone

of what the curling that I designed is

the fact that the clothing that I

designed even though it's made it's

managed to appeal to the presence women

I get a lot of calls from thinner women

wanting my clothes so the problem that I

had was diversifying my brand in order

to cater for all sizes which are not

done now finding curvy models has been

an issue and maybe myself I can't be a

model so I'm asking you to follow me

today in order to grow the fellowship of

the brand now some of the successes of

the brand is effect that I've had people

such as purchase the planner who is very

long for a world in the entertainment

industry and other no other celebrity is

going to shorts like the space to buy my

brand story Connecticut

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

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okay so basically military is a brand

which was what a pigeon has had the

downfall of having people that weren't a

should be my target markets actually

love the branch so it's a good problem

that I have now their problem means that

I have to discipline spy my science fair

meaning I need to produce more of the

single garments than what I normally to

now my friend is available at this face

which is a shop in the end of a

brilliant a train as opposed within

South Africa now the problem that I

faced was that space was charging me

Commission in rates of meaning that my

price to come it was much higher than

what it needed to do so put it out in

order for it to be accessible to our

customers so because of putting that out

I need to sell directly to the customers

hands I'm asking for you

photoshoot so that I can sell to your

wives or girlfriends ourselves directly

as opposed to paying a high level a

higher value the government their

maladies

okay can we have all three of you stand

up please see how this goes

Larry I'd like to tell you I'm a

professional speaker short size usually

better what you don't want to do is all

the states or restate what you

reinstated say sake once say clearly

audibly and move on it's done don't

think I want to do and I want to say

this to you sir

it's don't apologize there's nothing for

which to apologize and you didn't say

sorry but you know how I know you're

apologized

say again not when she stopped what else

the mannerisms of body language first

notice how of all three why are you

standing so far back to forward guys

it's your stage move forward

second thing move closer to the Horde

into the light so what they doing if

you've ever been to a networking event

some of you have done this like it

working with your network event and you

get there and the people usually hang on

this aren't they what do you do if you

find the darkest corner closest to you

you take your drink take your time next

time somebody gives you a platform

whether it's a meeting or you're

presenting get there and take the time

stop pause for let's scan the room seems

good just take a moment three things

don't just jump into it and find the

place of power which is where the light

is if you're in the darkness I can't see

fish time I can see your shirt

I can see and then curtain is like a

flame you know some mornings that stage

at that time is your space go run for it

own it you said I want to do it now own

it okay

up front you state the ask at the end

you restate the US well I say one more

thing again some when you state the US

don't justify so don't say I'm asking

and follow me on Twitter on Instagram

because I'm ask you to follow me on

Twitter and a story then tell me the

brand story

Laskey none of you here used what is the

most powerful thing in any pitch what's

that

anyone know know what's the one thing

everybody remembers when you leave a

room story so I want to know the story

behind why you started your fashion

later what was happening was you I want

to know the story around you saying I'm

not the right body shape who told News

society when there is an event in your

mind that's mom the first time you heard

that said to and then you believed it

and I promise you know if you told

everyone in this room that story

everyone has been in a place with

somebody children they weren't good

enough yeah

brand story very powerful what is your

brand stand for why are you there fish

your primary might testify when cold

fish know I had fish one time so the

problem you're solving the way you

stated it at the beginning what you did

is you start overstating the problem

then you jumped into a new problem one

problem one pitch and state that

specific problem okay such a beautiful

since when you pitch something as

technical as what you're doing what you

want to try and do is humanize it as

much as possible suppose you always

start with something like imagine if I

could take your trash and turn it into a

hundred gram catch what I have your

attention right and then I'll get into

how that happens humanizing as much as

possible well let our technical stuff is

actually gets down to it's just a human

conversation unbendable yeah see good

shall we folks there yes people vote in

the order by which they are standing now

unfortunately in life they can only be

one winner in my mind you're all winners

okay a round of applause

some up with that kid okay will help us

yet yourself

[Applause]

[Music]