Did you know that Dubai investors on average fund only 10% of business proposals they hear?

So, if you are a budding entrepreneur in Dubai or UAE, stats are stacked against you. But, instead of deterring you, this should motivate you all the more to work harder on your business pitch. Your business pitch determines, more than anything else, whether you’ll get the desired funding or not.

In other words, your pitch matters. So how can you deliver a great business pitch?

Well, keep in mind the following tips:
 

• Keep it short

Timing is paramount. Shorter pitches get better results. A great idea means not much if you can’t distill it into a few moments of absolute power. For your pitch to make an impact, it needs to be compact.
Here are some timing pointers:

• Take 60 seconds less than what you said you’ll take
• If prospective investors say, “You will only get “N” number of minutes to make a case”, you should finish your pitch at least a few minutes earlier
• Maintain a nice pace. Make sure you don’t rush toward the end
• Don’t stay on a single slide for long (anything beyond 3 minutes is too long).

 

• Tell your story

Facts are great, but nothing catches listeners’ attention better than a good story.
Detailed numbers, valuations and endless spreadsheets, although necessary, don’t excite anyone. If investors want data, they can get it from your term sheet or financial plan.
What they may want to know is the story behind your dream. Tell that right and you will capture and hold their attention.

• Focus on core components

If you don’t show respect for investors’ time, they will never back your project.
Therefore, don’t waste their—and your own—time by highlighting things that aren’t really necessary. Use every second of your pitch time to talk about the core components.

• Explain your product clearly

Even better, let them handle your prototype if possible.
However, don’t go on and on about your product. Honestly, investors are not so much interested in your product as in knowing how much your product is going to make.
So get to the good part—the money and how you are going to generate it —quickly.

• Explain your product’s uniqueness

Is your product just the same as hundred others?
If yes, forget about pitching right now and work on finding a truly unique product or service.
Investors don’t want to waste their time on a venture without any unique features.

• Tell them about your go to market strategy

No product sells by itself. It is you, or your marketing team, who will sell the product.
Investors want to know your marketing strategy. And they will be all ears only if your marketing strategy is sound and airtight.

• Explain the revenue model

There’re only two things investors really want to know:

• How will you make them rich?
• How soon the money will start coming in?

Talk about your revenue model and show them how you plan to put it into practice.

• Practice, practice, practice

Pitching is an acquired skill. The more you practice, the better.

• Be wildly passionate

One can fake knowledge or even skill but not passion. You need to show investors you’re wildly passionate about what you want to do.

•  Anticipate questions, and prepare for them in advance

When an investor throws a question or two at you, that’s a good sign. It shows he or she is interested in what you’re saying.
However, you may lose their attention if you flounder with your answers. Therefore anticipate questions and prepare for them in advance.
Want help with business pitching in Dubai and UAE?
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Get in touch with our experts. They can help you with everything, from creating a killer investor deck to business coaching and business plan writing.

Launching a business is easier than running it.

Perhaps that’s why nearly 50% startups in Dubai and UAE shut down after a few years.
If you don’t want that to happen to you, you must learn—and learn quickly—to manage stress better.
Stress pulls you down, mentally and physically. If you don’t learn to manage the stress of running a business, it can seriously minimize your chances of success.
Here are 5 tips to help you deal with unavoidable stresses that will surely come your way—sometimes in a heap—if you want to be a successful entrepreneur in a competitive marketplace such as Dubai and UAE.

• Maintain a Stress Notebook

This is a biggie. You can’t manage a problem which you’ve not identified. Every day spend 5-10 minutes (yes, that’s all it takes!) to note down the stress-triggers. After a couple of weeks, review the jotted down information and prepare a strategy to combat these triggers.

• Focus on What You Can Control

You can’t control how things will pan out, but how you respond to situations is completely up to you. Until you realize this precept, you’ll always struggle to cope up with demanding situations, both at work and in personal life.
When you feel something is overwhelming you, learn how to step away and review the situation anew. Ask yourself, “If worse comes to worse, what can happen in this situation?”
Such simple questions will help you realize that, contrary to your initial fears, the problem in front of you is not so bad after all. And that you can deal with it. You are stronger than you think.

• Learn to Manage Your Time Better

Stress hits us when we feel overwhelmed. You can manage things in a much better way if you learn to manage your time better. Start your working day by creating a “to-do” list. This will help you focus your attention and time on important things, which in turn will make you more productive.

• Learn to Say ‘No’

Before you commit to a project, ask yourself, “Can I manage it? Do I have the time, resources or skills to complete it as per the client’s expectations?” If the answer is no, decline the offer.
Many startup businessmen struggle at saying ‘no’ to projects they are in great position to fulfill, only to repent later. It’s much better to decline a project upfront than accept it and do a below-par job on it. That will neither help the client nor you.

• Learn to Delegate

You can’t do everything, even if you work 20 hours a day, 7 days a week (which anyway is unhealthy and leads only to a quick burnout). Therefore, stop even trying.
Focus on the things you are really good at and leave the rest for others. For instance, if you are launching an online business and you’re a marketing expert but not a great writer, you can hire someone to write the content for you.
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Similarly, if you want to entice investors in Dubai and UAE but are not so confident about your business-plan writing skills or pitching skills, you can ask our experts to help you a lending hand. Among other things, they can help you with startup business planning, startup marketing plan creation, and financial modelling for startups. 

​Why do some Dubai startup businessmen make it big while others fail to make an impression?

Well, there’s no secret here. It all boils down to simple skills, which anyone can—and should—learn.
Successful people don’t do different things; they just do things differently.

Here are six key habits for business success. Embrace them wholeheartedly to become a more successful businessman.

1. Always focus on your goal

Business environment in Dubai and UAE is not for the fainthearted. While there’s great opportunity for growth, the competition is definitely cutthroat.  
Obstacles and failures will come your way for sure. Sometimes they may even come in a heap. If you are someone who takes a failure to the heart, perhaps you need to buckle up.
Instead of letting challenges bog you down, take them as opportunities to grow and learn.

1. Learn when to say ‘no’

If you think your skills set is not suited to a particular project, it’s much better to decline the offer than accept it. Taking on a project you’re not very comfortable with is likely to produce below-par quality, which will make the client unhappy and spoil your reputation. Similarly, if you already have your hands full, don’t take on any additional work. 
Prepare a list of things that are extremely crucial for your business that you need to do yourself. The rest you can delegate to others. Freeing yourself from everyday busywork will help you focus on things that are most important for your business.

1. Prepare a to-do list daily

You can’t become successful if you don’t perfect the art of staying organized. Every morning prepare a to-do list, that is, write down the things you need to do that day. Before you wind up your working day, check whether you’ve achieved all that you wanted to achieve for that day.

1. Be open to criticism

Criticism, sometimes justified sometimes unjustified, will come your way. Learn not to react to negative criticism while evaluate and act on constructive criticism. Request those whose opinions you greatly value to give you feedback. Receive the feedback gracefully and act upon it.

1. Heed your ‘gut’ feelings

Learn to trust your instincts. Because gut feelings come from your subconscious mind, there is much merit in trusting them. In case your mind and gut feeling don’t agree on a particular thing, you may want to go with the latter to be on the safe side. When you are up against a difficult decision, gather as much information as you can and then trust your instincts to guide you best.

1. Take calculated risks

No businessman ever became successful without taking any risks. In a place like Dubai or UAE, where there’s stiff competition in every business niche, you can’t make a mark just by playing safe.
You got to take calculated risks. If a particular risk doesn’t pan out well, learn from your experience and move on. Don’t let it deter you from taking risks in the future.

Apart from cultivating these habits, what else do you need to become a successful entrepreneur in Dubai or UAE? You need to have a sound business plan and you need to perfect the art of pitching to woo investors.

Get in touch with our experts. They can help you create a great business plan, develop a great pitch to attract investors and help you raise the required capital