10 / 20 / 30 — PITCH DECK WORKSHEET 10 core slides · 20 minutes maximum · 30-point minimum type Adapt the timing to your actual meeting. Replace every placeholder with your own evidence. 1. THE PROBLEM (2 min) Question: Whose problem is painful enough to pay for? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Replace the six-hour estimate with dated interviews or time logs. State how many agencies you observed and how you measured the work. 2. YOUR SOLUTION (2 min) Question: What changes for the customer? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Use a working demo or label a mockup as a concept. Only claim a time saving after measuring it against the original workflow. 3. HOW YOU MAKE MONEY (1.5 min) Question: Who pays, how much, and for what? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Use billing records for actual revenue. Include gross margin and delivery costs in the appendix when you have enough data to support them. 4. WHAT MAKES IT WORK (2 min) Question: Why is your approach meaningfully different? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Show the workflow handling a real exception. Distinguish an implemented feature from a roadmap item or an untested technical claim. 5. FINDING CUSTOMERS (2 min) Question: How will the next customers find and buy from you? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Bring actual funnel counts when available. Do not present a proposed referral program as a proven distribution channel. 6. CUSTOMER ALTERNATIVES (1.5 min) Question: Why would a customer switch from what they do today? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Use customer interviews and observed product capabilities. Avoid an all-green comparison grid that makes every alternative look incompetent. 7. THE PEOPLE (1 min) Question: Why is this team equipped to solve this problem? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Replace the illustrative backgrounds with accurate experience. Only list an advisor, employee, or partner if that relationship exists and can be represented publicly. 8. NUMBERS AND MILESTONES (3 min) Question: What must be true for your plan to work? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Show a monthly customer bridge and expense plan in the appendix. If you have no revenue yet, use verifiable product or customer-validation milestones instead. 9. PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS (2 min) Question: What is done, what is next, and what could get in the way? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Bring a dated milestone tracker. Keep customer retention data separate from anecdotes, pipeline, and future plans. 10. THE ASK (3 min) Question: What decision do you want, and what will it enable? Headline: [Your slide headline] Evidence: [A verified number, product view, or specific example] Speaker notes: [What you will explain out loud] Check: Reconcile the request with current cash, expected expenses, revenue assumptions, and a contingency. A round size alone does not establish runway. FINAL REVIEW [ ] My opening names a specific customer and a specific problem. [ ] Each of my ten core slides has one clear takeaway. [ ] Actual results, assumptions, and future targets are labeled separately. [ ] My smallest slide text is at least 30 pt and readable in the actual setup. [ ] I can finish within the time slot and leave room for questions. [ ] My final slide states the ask, the milestone, and the next step. Source of the original guideline: https://guykawasaki.com/the_102030_rule/ The worksheet, sample timing, and examples are independent adaptations.