Six Principles to Pitch Investors

DON’T FEAR THE SHARKS

Six Principles to Pitch Investors

By Kelvin Johnson

“It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” – Les Brown

Many of us have watched the reality show Shark Tank, where new entrepreneurs pitch their business products and services to the four Sharks with the goal of securing investment capital from them. As African Americans, building our own businesses is essential to our communities. Having a sound business plan and making the most persuasive pitch to investors is the basis for Kelvin Johnson’s company and his book Don’t Fear the Sharks.

Johnson’s road to entrepreneurship began in Pennsylvania with a post-graduate position as a certified public accountant (CPA), which transitioned into management consulting and later a director of operations for a tech company. These experiences spurred his desire to become a CEO of his own company and culture; this company is now known as Brevity, an artificial intelligence software product designed to help create the pitches and presentations that attract investors.

He acknowledges the miniscule (less than 1%) venture capital investments given to BIPOC businesses, which he used as fuel for rather interference with his goals. Before making a pitch, doing your homework and the research is a given, not an option. With his six core principles and through testimonials, he outlines the process of the pitch and the post pitch: 1) validate your key assumptions 2) anticipate the post pitch 3) know your audience 4) incorporate your motivation 5) pitching is a numbers game and 6) make sure your pitch has the acronym SOUL™.

Johnson’s road to success includes the challenges and failures he experienced, both personally and professionally, and the lessons he learned from them; as the saying goes in church, “Without a test, there is no testimony.” I appreciated his inclusion of cultivating relationships in addition to bringing his A-game, the importance of a strong support system, understanding your Why, and faith. In building Johnson Publishing Company, the late John H. Johnson stressed the importance of finding a need, meeting that need, and doing it well. Kelvin Johnson is doing just that.

Be it for fundraising, sales, seed money, or investment capital, Johnson provides a blueprint for pitches to help you succeed, to show and prove that your product/service is more than “a nice idea.”

As for his credentials, Johnson’s company Brevity is based here in the Twin Cities and backed by five institutional investors. He has been featured in Minneapolis Business Journal and the Star Tribune. He holds a master’s degree in Accountancy and Professional Consultancy, and a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Villanova University. Don’t Fear the Sharks is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Strive Publishing.

Thank you, Kelvin, for clearly, concisely, and compellingly meeting a need. And for all the future entrepreneurs out there in the community, believe in dreams and never give up.