Welcome & congratulations on signing up for the Business Pitch!!
STEPS TO PARTICIPATION
Make sure you are registered. If you are not sure if you are registered, text us at 337-912-8319 and we will send you a link to register (takes about 5 minutes). Also, you may be able to bypass this and register at this link: https://forms.gle/5cymcbumqc2PUq6c9
You must send a 3-4 page summary of your pitch by 6:00 p.m. Monday, May 11. Please send email to bmoore@bethelchristianhs.com. An example is provided below.
Practice your business pitch! This is invaluable experience regardless of the outcome. Our goal is that EVERY STUDENT who participates receives great advice and is encouraged!
RULES OR TIPS
Your business pitch must be between 3 and 5 minutes. If you go shorter than 3 minutes or beyond 5 minutes, your pitch may be disqualified. YOU MUST TIME YOURSELF WHEN YOU PRACTICE!!
If possible, use pictures, props, or maybe even a really short video (10 seconds).
If you need help or advice, please send email to bmoore@bethelchristianhs.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Be prepared for questions from the judges. Some possible questions are listed below.
PARTS OF YOUR BUSINESS PITCH (in order)
Intro/ hook/ problem - compelling story, statistic, unexpected event, etc.
Your idea or solution
Your ideal customer
What makes your idea/ business unique?
What are you going to do with the money that you win (make sure you say how it will grow your business rather than “take a trip to Disney World”
EXAMPLE OF 3-4 PAGE SUMMARY
The Pitch: Andrew’s Vending
1. Intro / Hook / Problem
Imagine you’re at the Eye Clinic on Nelson Road, waiting for an appointment that’s running behind. You’ve been there for an hour, your blood sugar is dropping, and you are parched. You look around for a quick snack or a cold drink, but there is absolutely nothing available in the entire building. You aren't alone—nearly 300 people walk through those doors every single day facing that same lack of convenience. In a world that moves faster than ever, people are hungry and thirsty, but they don't have the time to leave their current location to find refreshment.
2. Your Idea or Solution
My name is Andrew Moore, and my mission is to feed and hydrate people quickly through Andrew’s Vending. I am launching a vending service that provides high-demand snacks like Doritos and Snickers, along with refreshing drinks like Powerade and Dr. Pepper, exactly where people need them most. By placing a reliable, well-stocked machine in high-traffic, "dry" locations, I am turning a captive audience's hunger into a seamless, 30-second transaction.
3. Your Ideal Customer/ Market Opportunity
My ideal customers are the "waiting and the working". Specifically, I am targeting locations in the Lake Charles area with at least 25 full-time employees or a daily foot traffic of over 50 people. My primary target is the Eye Clinic off Nelson Road, which sees 300 visitors daily and currently has zero vending options. My secondary target is Lake Charles-Boston Academy, where the administration is currently frustrated with an unreliable provider who fails to restock.
4. What Makes Your Business Unique?
Unlike my larger competitors who focus on "pantry services" or "micro-markets" for closed corporate offices, I focus on reliability and accessibility in public-facing spaces.
Reliability: I have a background in hard work at Cotten’s Hamburgers and a personal commitment to "delayed gratification"—I don't just see a financial opportunity; I commit to the maintenance required to keep it profitable.
Strategic Sourcing: By sourcing items from a mix of Sam’s Club and Walmart, I maintain a gross profit margin of over 50%, ensuring the business stays healthy and the machines stay full.
5. The Ask: Growth and Investment
To fully launch this operation, I am seeking an investment to cover my startup costs of $1,600. I have already saved $1,000 of my own money toward a $2,200 machine I've identified on Facebook Marketplace, proving I have "skin in the game".
The funds I win will not be used for personal expenses; they will be strictly used to:
Acquire the machine: Bridge the $1,200 gap needed to purchase the equipment.
Initial Inventory: Allocate $400 to fully stock the machine with a diverse range of 24 different products.
With this investment, I am projected to generate nearly $6,000 in annual revenue with a forecasted Return on Investment of 160% in the first year alone. Your investment today will provide the "fuel" to turn this plan into a permanent fixture of the Lake Charles business community.
EXAMPLE OF A GOOD BUSINESS PITCH
https://youtu.be/VCVRgpSPSVQ?si=UCfmVndKj-FnkyLq
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FROM JUDGES
What is your break-even point? How many parts do you need to print per month to cover the overhead of your lab space and staff?
How did you come up with this idea?
Who are your competitors?
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
What are your sales for the last 6 months? (If you just came up with the idea, you may not have made any money off your idea yet. You may can talk about how others have succeeded with a similar idea)
How much of your own money have you put into the business?
Did you use artificial intelligence in writing and presenting your pitch? How?
How can you see your business making a kingdom impact?
How would you scale your business? At what point would you hire your first employee?