Entrepreneurs have very little time to make their case to investors. The Grand Rapids-based Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) is a valuable resource to help business developers perfect their presentation skills. Through a longstanding partnership with the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS), the MI-SBTDC trains and coaches entrepreneurs in their pitch. “We coach our clients on a one-on-one basis,” said Technology Team Manager Alain Piette. “We help them understand their business and repackage the idea in such a way that the marketplace understands it. Many business owners want three hours to present, but they get 10 minutes. We help our clients condense their message into the essentials.”
Piette notes that a great elevator pitch is given by an enthusiastic business owner who projects knowledge of the marketplace. “From my perspective, it’s about chemistry,” he said. “If the business owners and investors can work together, they will make money.”
The MI-SBTDC supports the MGCS by turning entrepreneurs’ concepts into fundable realities. “It’s about what the financial community wants,” he said. “We prepare these companies to go in front of the MGCS, and they have their message as crisp and exciting as possible when they present it.” Business plans are positioned so that investors will understand how they will make money with a great business opportunity.
For more information on the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center, visit www.misbtdc.org.