Perfecting the Pitch

For all you Babson students out there, here’s a great article from Guy Kawasaki’s (garage.com) blog. It’s written by one of his colleagues, Bill Reichert.

“Endless articles, books, and blogs have been written on the topic of business plan presentations and pitching to investors. In spite of this wealth of advice, almost every entrepreneur gets it wrong. Why? Because most guides to pitching your company miss the central point: The purpose of your pitch is to sell, not to teach. Your job is to excite, not to educate.

“Pitching is about understanding what your customer (the investor) is most interested in, and developing a dialog that enables you to connect with the head, the heart, and the gut of the investor. If you want advice about pitching, you can ask a venture capitalist, but you probably won’t get a very good answer. Most VCs are analytic types, and so they will give you a laundry list of topics you should cover. They won’t tell you what really “floats their boat,” mainly because they can’t articulate it in useful terms. “I know it when I see it,” is about the best answer you’ll get.”

Here’s the whole article: The Entrepreneur’s New Year’s Resolution: “I Will Fix My Pitch”

A good pitch is rare because it is so hard to execute on everything else that has to be done to build a successful company. But the ability to pitch is a key indicator for investors—if the entrepreneur doesn’t know how to sell, how can he or she build a great company?

So…what’s your pitch?

Devotional Tips for the Professional Christian

While I bristle at the moniker “Professional Christian,” I was helped by this article: Devotional Tips for the Professional Christian.

The Queen

I like going to movies. And actually, I like going to movies alone. The idea of taking someone to a movie on a date seems a bit of a waste of time to me. I’d much rather “do something” with the person. That said, I still like going to the movies, so often I go alone. One movie I saw by myself was “The Queen.” Fabulous.

I know it’s a bit late (given the fact that Helen Mirren has already won an Oscar for her role), but here’s a link to a review I enjoyed:

The Queen is surprisingly touching and my ‘must see’ film of the year. It demonstrates that what we know of people, particularly public figures, may not be a fair representation of their character. Rather, the film underscores the truth that it is impossible to separate the public and private spheres of life, because what a person is in private they remain in public, despite all the trimmings. But what are we to do when the public perception of our behavior has become so warped that the resulting image seems to bear no relation to our real character? In The Queen, Elizabeth reminds herself of the vow she took when she ascended the throne. “I declare that my whole life will be devoted to service – a vow I made to God as well as the people.” And it is only to their Creator that a person can truly trust themselves to in the end.  Though all the world may mock you, the comfort is that God knows a person’s heart be they maid or monarch.

The T-Shirt Rule

Last month, I got to design and print a T-shirt for our 26 hour road trip to Panama City Beach, Florida. I’ve seen students actually wear the shirt. It’s pretty cool to go from sketching with pencil and paper one day to physical shirts two days later (and Florida one day after that). Making the shirts reminded me of Seth Godin’s T-shirt rule:

The T-shirt rule

It’s a simple test of whether you’ve created a remarkable experience:

“Would I buy the t-shirt?”

A t-shirt for your blog or your accounting firm or your bug-fighting software.

If you’re not t-shirt worthy, what would it take?

We never get beyond the gospel

From Tim Keller (hat tip to JT’s blog)

We never “get beyond the gospel” in our Christian life to something more “advanced.” The gospel is not the first “step” in a “stairway” of truths, rather, it is more like the “hub” in a “wheel” of truth. The gospel is not just the A-B-C’s of Christianity, but it is the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we make all progress in the kingdom.

We are not justified by the gospel and then sanctified by obedience but the gospel is the way we grow (Gal. 3:1-3) and are renewed (Col 1:6). It is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed door, the power through every barrier (Rom 1:16-17).

It is very common in the church to think as follows: “The gospel is for non-Christians. One needs it to be saved. But once saved, you grow through hard work and obedience.” But Colossians 1:6 shows that this is a mistake. Both confession and “hard work” that is not arising from and “in line” with the gospel will not sanctify you—it will strangle you. All our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel. Thus when Paul left the Ephesians he committed them “to the word of his grace, which can build you up” (Acts 20:32).

The main problem, then, in the Christian life I that we have not thought out the deep implication of the gospel, we have not “used” the gospel in and on all parts of our life. Richard Lovelace says that most people’s problems are just a failure to be oriented to the gospel—a failure to grasp and believe it through and through. Luther says (on Gal. 2:14), “The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine… Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.” The gospel is not easily comprehended. Paul says that the gospel only does its renewing work in us as we understand it in all its truth. All of us, to some degree live around the truth of the gospel but do not “get” it. So the key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and revival is the continual re-discovery of the gospel. A stage of renewal is always the discovery of a new implication or application of the gospel—seeing more of its truth. This is true for either an individual or a church.

If you’ve got an hour, here’s a talk worth listening to: The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World.

South Africa: Good News/Good Deeds Summer Project

This summer we’re sending two teams of students on summer projects: one to Boston and one to South Africa. Here’s the proposal for the South Africa trip. It’s got a little bit of “insider” language particular to Campus Crusade for Christ, but it should give you a flavor of what we’re doing.

Project Overview

We would like to take a pioneering trip this Christmas (3 interns 6 students) and another this summer (~12 students, 4 staff, 4 staff kids and 2 interns). We are calling this summer project “Good News/Good Deeds South African Summer Project”

We will also be partnering with a mission agency called African Enterprise (AE) in Pretoria (AE works directly with indigenous evangelists, orphanages, medical clinics, impoverished communities, and prisoners). They have agreed to arrange our lodging, in-county transportation and service projects. One of AE’s staff members, Dana Mahan, graduated from Harvard Divinity School and worked for two years as an hourly operations leader for our Metro ministry and administrative assistant for me as a Harvard chaplain and Metro director. We have a great working relationship and friendship. He is an organizational guru, understands CCC and understands South Africa—he is married to a South African woman and lives in Pretoria.

Background of the Project

For four years God has been giving our family, several of our Boston staff and Harvard and MIT students a burden for Africa—particularly the portions of Africa that have been devastated by the AIDS epidemic. We have also been exploring more holistic approaches to evangelism that brings Good Words and Good Deeds together.

We have always marveled, since the day we first arrived in Boston, at the way in which God has made this city a magnet for some of the world’s brightest minds (students and professors). Boston, with its ¼ million college students, 43 colleges (including five of the nations top 40 Universities), has become a hub of astounding intellectual, technological, and economic resources. As a result, we have become more and more comfortable these past seven years with “feeling stupid” here in Boston. But, at the same time, we have become more and more uncomfortable with a growing trend that we have observed. We have witnessed nearly all of our graduates going from this hub to even greater hubs of skill, knowledge, power, and affluence—e.g., to graduate school, Wall Street, Washington DC, Silicon Valley, etc..

Now certainly this is one of our hopes—that the students we send will go on to lead the world and reach the world for Christ from within the strategic positions of leadership and influence God places them. But, in as much as these hubs simply maintain the status quo and represent being just one more step removed from the most needy, under-resourced, unreached, under-developed, impoverished hubs of the world, something needs to be done.

Project/Partnership Objectives

In the face of this unsettling reality we intend by the grace of God to forge a dynamic partnership that will upset this disconcerting trend by linking the enormous material, economic, intellectual and technological resources and reserves of Boston (especially Harvard & MIT) with one of the most impoverished, undeveloped, under-resourced and marginalized parts of the world (by which I mean not just the impoverished sections of South Africa but some of the central African countries in which African enterprise operates).

Objectives of this project include: 1) redirecting some of the talent, skills and resources of our graduates and these universities toward some of the most needy and least reached parts of the world, 2) transferring technology and skills to nationals so that they can empower others, 3) enlarging the radius of students that we can recruit to go on a summer mission projects—e.g., Harvard and MIT students that will not consider a mission project that involves just doing evangelism and discipleship, but one that will enable them to use their training in engineering, medicine or economics, 4) strengthening our partnership with MIT & Harvard (MIT is helping to fund each student that will be going over winter break), 5) sharing the gospel daily with words and deeds, 6) giving these student leaders a life changing experience that will forever alter the way they live their lives, share their faith, relate to others, employ their talents, and spend their money.

Specific Proposal

We would be delighted to help out in any way with what our national Impact staff are doing in and around Pretoria. For example, if the Impact ministry would welcome it, we would love to be able to do evangelism at least once a week on one of the campuses in and around Pretoria or Johannesburg. Let us know if this is something that you would like for us to do or if there is some other way that you can make use of our team.

If you would rather that we just work with AE and stay off the campuses we are fine with that, but we want to make ourselves available in whatever we can make work for you.

Sincerely,

Pat McLeod
Boston Metro Real Life Director

Go Deep

If any of you know the people I live with, you would realize this Foxtrot cartoon is just too perfect.

This Must be Hard

I’ve been quoting Seth Godin a lot lately, haven’t I?

Here’s another one:

This must be hard

via Seth’s Blog by Seth Godin on Nov 29, 2006

The reason it must be hard is that so few people do it.

“How was your dinner last night?”

Follow up. Not follow up to sell something, just to know. Just to ask. Just to set things right if they were wrong.

The fancy restaurant knows my phone number. Why not have the owner call me the next day just to ask?

The doctor knows my number. Why not call a week later to see how that broken arm is mending?

The accountant knows my number. Why not check in to see if the taxes went out the door okay?

If you really want to generate those referrals, don’t ask for a referral, ask if everything was great. Offer to help. Do it in a gentle way, with no strings, no additional addons, no sales pitch. If you really and truly care, why not ask? Not a form, not a survey. Just one caring person, asking. Not that hard, actually.

So… how does this apply as we reach out on campus to talk with people about Jesus Christ? Well…one thing in means is that we could do really well by caring about other people and asking about their lives. How are you doing at truly caring? Listening? Is it hard?

Amazing Grace this Easter

From: sydneyanglicans.net

Hear Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen’s easter message

Easter Message 2007

Two hundred years ago the British Parliament passed laws that brought an end of the transatlantic slave trade. This trade in human flesh is a dark stain on human history.

Some time ago I read a collection of letters written by the 18th century Christian, John Newton, the writer of the well-known song ‘Amazing Grace’. He was for many years a slave trader himself, so his letters described in vivid and authentic detail the sufferings of the slaves and the appalling nature of the trade.

I was horrified at his description of the inhumanity and cruelty of the traders; I was outraged that they treated other people – men, women and children just like you and me, – as though they were commodities to be bought and sold.

We humans are all, no matter what our origin or the colour of our skin, bearers of the image and likeness of God. We are therefore of great worth and we all deserve to be treated with the dignity belonging to our God-given humanity.

In later years after he left the trade because he realised both its frightful nature and his own sin – and his need for God’s forgiveness – Newton joined with other Christians, such as William Wilberforce, to fight to bring an end to the slave trade. Yet he always thanked God that he forgave him even though he knew he did not deserve God’s amazing love and grace.

Listen to his words of his song:
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was grace that taught my heart to fear.
And grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed.”

This Easter we remember the doing away of another slavery in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Saviour, who died to free us from our sin and to bring us to new life of reconciliation with God and the promise of eternal life with Him.

The New Testament describes our human sin as a slavery to sin, and it says that Jesus’ death frees us from that slavery. None of us like to be told that we are sinful people, but we are well aware that we, each one of us, fail in our own life to live up to God’s standards for life and relationships.

One more sign of human sinfulness is that though the slave trade was ended in 1807, in our own time, the 21st century, there is still a slave trade. Human trafficking of men, women and children to be economic slaves or sex slaves, or child soldiers exists today. People are still treated as objects and possessions to be bought and sold. This is also a scar on humanity. We must support those who fight against it.

But at the same time each of us needs to appreciate the grace, love and forgiveness of God for sinners through the death of Jesus, just as John Newton did.

May we all know and experience God’s forgiving grace this Easter time.

How to Write a Blog Post

I’m still learning. Here’s what Joel on Software says:

Do it like this:

An appropriate illustration,
A useful topic, easily broadened to be useful to a large number of readers,
Simple language with no useless jargon,
Not too long,
Focusing on something that people have previously taken for granted,
That initially creates emotional resistance,
Then causes a light bulb go go off
and finally,
Causes the reader to look at the world differently all day long.

Hat tip to Seth Godin: How to write a blog post