B8
Thursday, June 5, 2014
CAPITAL IDEAS
ON SCENE: What’s the key to making a good pitch? Pitchers and catchers at crowdfunding event share tips for selling ideas
calgaryherald.com
UPCOMING: Hacking Health Calgary
JUNE
13-15
JUNE
16
JUNE
17
Technology creators and health-care professionals collaborate When: Friday, 5 p.m. to Sunday, 5 p.m. Where: University of Calgary, Foothills Campus (3330 Hospital Dr.) Admission: $25 to $500. Details at hh-calgary.eventbrite.ca.
Entrepreneur Moms June Networking Meet-Up Business moms share ideas, collaborate and support each other When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Where: Moxie’s Restaurant (10606 Southport Rd. SW) Admission: Free. Details at entrepreneurmomnow.com/calgary.
Chic Geek Movie Night An event for the startup community, hosted by Chic Geek and Startup Calgary When: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Rd. NW) Admission: $15 to $20. Details at thechicgeek.ca/events.
Have an event that Capital Ideas should know about? Contact us at hello@capitalideascalgary.com. Photo by Kelly Zenkewich/Capital Ideas
Dozens gathered to hear business pitches at The Elevator (theelevatorcalgary.ca), a crowdfunding event hosted by Alberta BoostR at The Libertine (223 8th Ave. SW) on May 28. “The key to a good pitch is enthusiasm and believing in your brand.” — Gwyn Auger of The Magic Assistant (themagicassistant.com)
“To pitch well, you have to be well prepared and be bloody enthusiastic. The more hyped up and excited you are, the better. That’s all you need — people love that.” — Justyna Babski of Strut Creative (strutcreative.com) “You have to tell a story. You have to make it personal. People have to relate to you and like you right away, otherwise you’re done — it won’t matter what you’re selling, because they won’t care.” — Mandy Balak of It’s Date Night (itsdatenight.com) “For me, it all starts with the problem you will solve or the job that you do. People need to understand why what you do matters, then if you have the chance, you can get into the traction that you’ve shown, what you’re going to do with whatever they give you, and how it’s going to impact their world. I think if you can connect those dots, then you have a winner.” — Sean Ballard of ATB Financial (atb.com) “Know your competition, know the problem you’re solving, and know how you are going to solve it.” — Jordan Boyd of Digisona (digisona.com)
“Tell me what you do, what it costs, and how it benefits me.” — Kevin Brennan of Build Studio (buildstudio.ca)
“Whether you have 30 seconds or 10 minutes, the key is to craft a story around a problem, your solution, and how you will execute that solution. That way people will understand what the need is and why it’s important to solve it.” — Devesh Dwivedi of Idea2Inception (idea2inception.com) “What makes a good pitch is confidence and belief in your idea – I think those two things are everything.” — Jenna Galloway of Little Hippies (littlehippies.org) “A perfect pitch should convey your ideas clearly but keep people interested, so they’ll want to know more about you, your business, and how they can help.” — Heidi Gammuac of The Agency (theagencyinc.ca)
“What makes a really good pitch is speaking from the heart. By that I mean speaking from passion and having a voice – and that can only be done with proper branding!” — Maria Pacheco of Ria Media (ria-media.com)
“You should be able to ensure that people’s investment will create a company that is viable, but also touch their hearts and make them aware that this is something that could actually contribute positively to the community. If you combine those two things, you’re more likely to be successful.” — Julia Harrington of Calgary Public Library (calgarypubliclibrary.com)
“It’s all about passion, being able to show that you believe in what you do, and that you have the ability to execute. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you’re not passionate about it… your business isn’t going to go anywhere. It’s not just about a good idea — it’s about that drive to succeed.” — Brad Rabiey of The Carbon Farmer (thecarbonfarmer.ca)
“You have to have passion for, and knowledge of, your product — with that you can sell almost anything. You’ve got to… eat, breathe and sleep your business. Know what your mission is and what your core values are, because if someone else can understand and relate to them, your sale is done.” — Monica Kretschmer of Canadian Business Chicks (canadianbusinesschicks.com)
“The key to a good pitch is identifying who you are trying to serve and what gap you are trying to fill. The next step is to dazzle — it’s really about getting people hooked on your name and your business, and what makes you different. And if they’re going to be investing in you, tell them they’re going to make some money, and how.” — Lesley-Anne Scorgie of Rich By Inc. and MeVest (mevest.ca)
“A good pitch has to be interesting, create curiosity, and be really clear as to why it’s a good idea.” — Brenda Mahoney of Vin Gogh Paint & Sip Studio Wine (vingogh.ca)
“The key to a good pitch is to captivate your audience. Have a lot of energy in your pitch and in communicating your ‘why.’ People resonate most with why you’re doing your business, not necessarily what you are doing… Lastly, be clear about what’s in it for the people listening to you, and what investors will get out of it.” — Chett Matchett of Alberta BoostR (albertaboostr.ca) “Slow down, and tell your story — make it emotional so people can connect with it.” — Bridget McLean of K-Bree Skin Care (k-bree.com)
“A good pitch celebrates your successes, but also highlights your failures.” — Barb McLean-Stollery of Executive Airways Grooming (executiveairwaysgrooming.com) “What I think makes a great pitch is clearly identifying a problem, identifying what your solution is, and talking about your team and why you will be the ones to achieve this goal. Tell me about the opportunity, because if I’m going to invest, I want to know what the upside is.” — Aaron Moseson of Business Instincts Group (businessinstincts.ca) “Be clear, concise, rehearsed and enthusiastic!” — Joel Olandesca of Mortgage Architects (joelolandesca.com)
“The perfect pitch starts with catching them off guard, and getting them really thinking about what the problem is. Then you need to tell them what you are going to do about it, and how you are going to make it unique. After that, it’s all about smooth presentation and looking good while you’re up there.” — David Wald of Social Sesame (socialsesame.com) You can support the local businesses pitched at this event, and get some cool perks in return, by visiting albertaboostr.ca. Watch for more answers to this question next week from Natalie Blais, Dan Giurescu, Jaime Wedholm, Valery Klassen and Daniela Ostoici. For your chance to answer the next Capital Question, join us at capitalideascalgary.com.
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