Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

We are trying to write our pitch and could use some help. There is so much information to add in and so little time and space to add it. Traditional funding is not an option so We need an off beat approach to raising capital.
Here it goes:

"3D Me Crystal Keepsakes Inc. will be a mobile specialty retailer of custom personalized 3D images, laser etched into a crystal cube. We want to set up and operate at major festivals, special events and Collegiate and corporate functions. These images will be captured, sold and etched on site in our mobile studios at festivals, fairs and events as the customer waits.

Our founder has been the sole provider of our type of products in the college market and has made the 3D Crystals Show the number one and the hottest show in that market as an independent contractor for another agent.  He has spent two years building credibility with the contacts and was personally responsible for the success that the Crystals show has had.

3D Me Crystal Keepsakes Inc plans on taking advantage of the success our founder has created by using his familiar face as our selling point. This along with faster and more technologically advanced equipment we believe we can recapture this market and make it our own.

We have secured an agent to book us in the college market and he has guaranteed us a minimum of 80 dates the first year, booking us out at $3500 minus a 20% booking fee, for a six hour show. We do between 150 and 200 crystals during that time. Allowing a 4-month ramp up we fully expect to be running nearly 80 shows per semester or up to 160 shows a year. That is over $500,000 a year in just school shows alone.

We will also set up at several of the many festivals around the country (5,000 plus attendance) and market our product to those in attendance. We already have requests from our supplier to attend Daytona Bike Week and the Bike Rally in Sturgis, ND among others.  We will schedule these festival stops between and around our college event schedule.

To start with we will carry only a 40x40x60mm cube, this will retail with us at $35. Other companies sell this cube at $65 or more. This cube will also be our main cube used in our college shows. This cube wholesales at $0.97 including the gift box. We will also carry a 50x50x80mm cube that we will retail at $55, this cube retails else where at $85 to $100 and costs us less that $2 with the gift box. The self-illuminating key chain is also a very popular item that we will retail for $20 and costs us $0.97.

There are a few mall locations doing personal 3D images, but mall traffic is slow and steady and other than at Christmas time never busy. Most of these mall locations send out their images to another company who will etch the images into the crystal and ship it out to the customer in 10 to 14 days.

We will have the laser etching system on board with the show and deliver the product while the customer waits, quite often in less than 5 minutes and they can watch it being done live on the exterior monitors.  We will be at festivals and special events where there is always a "Christmas sized crowd" and there are several thousands or hundreds of thousands of people already in attendance.

3D Me Crystal Keepsakes Inc. will be one of two companies doing this type of mobile show, the only other completely mobile show belongs to a company in Michigan and it tours almost exclusively on the college circuit (only a small part of our business). This show has been ran for years by Roger Bouwman, and he will be coming on board to run this show for us in the same market.

There are also a small handful of persons doing 3D scans at festivals, fairs and events but they are only taking scans on site and again they are sending those images out to be etched. They completely miss the frenzied sales that come from having the finished products floating around the event.

What we need is $50,000 to secure inventory, the down payment on the Laser etching equipment, an EZ up Tent to work out of and a used van for transportation between events. We can be very flexible on terms because of our large profit margin and low overhead. We are willing to offer up to a 20% stake in the company via stock options and repayment in less than 1 year.

Contact us at 616 218 2616 or by email at  Investors@3dme.us"

Crystal Guy,

That was a really really long elevator ride. The best thing I can do for you is send you to another part of this forum that is about elevator pitches....

However, you don`t need an elevator pitch as much as you need a solid business plan with some specifics which you can find out more about in the business planning section of this forum.

The last place you want to ask for $50k is in the elevator. ........well ok, maybe the last place would be in the bathroom or maybe at a funeral.

Welcome to the SuN forum!

~Eric

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~Eric
JE Design Group, LLC
If all you do is what you`ve done, then all you`ll get is what you`ve got.
www.jedesigngroup.com

I agree with Eric... It`s pretty long.
Also. In that first sentence, really try to grab the essence of your business. What makes this product special? Why will people buy it? How popular is it? How convenient?
You really need to nail that.

Glad to see you hear at SuN!

Matt

Thank you, I knew it would be a long ride but I talk fast! I guess I chop away at it a bit (OK A Lot) I have a 3 page executive summery and full business plan well two of them to be honest. One I just wrote a month ago for the banks asking for $50k and one I had written when we started for venture caps asking for $150k. The one for the banks is just enough money to start with next to none to operate. But after a half dozen visits to banks that plan is being flushed because our credit is untouchable by a bank even at the barebones level.
So it is off to work on equity lenders, where I should have been looking the entire time, does no good to get $50k and then go under because of no operating funds.I will follow your advice and read up on the elevator pitch. This funding hunt is harder work than I had hoped  Thank you for your help

How about this one, its shorter and to the point , does it sound like I cover all the bases?

3D Me Crystal Keepsakes Inc. is a mobile specialty retailer of custom personalized 3D images, laser etched into a crystal cube and will be captured, sold and etched on site while you wait at festivals, special events, collegiate and corporate functions.

Roger Bouwman has made the 3D Crystals Show the number one and the hottest show in the college market as an independent contractor for another company.  His two years of building credibility with the contacts is what 3D Me plans on taking advantage of by using his familiar face as our selling point. This along with faster and more technologically advanced equipment we believe we can recapture this market and make it our own.

Our system books out at $3500 for a six-hour show. We do between 150 and 200 crystals during that time and our product costs are under $200. We expect to be running nearly 80 shows per semester or up to 160 shows a year. That is over $500,000 a year in just school shows alone.  3D Me will be one of two companies doing this type of mobile show, the only other completely mobile show tours almost exclusively on the college circuit (only a small part of our business). This show has been ran for years by our founder who will be running this show for us in the same market.

What we need is $50,000 to secure inventory, the down payment on the Laser etching equipment, an EZ up Tent to work out of and a used van for transportation between events. We can be very flexible on terms because of our large profit margin and low overhead. We are willing to offer up to a 20% stake in the company via stock options and repayment in less than 1 year.

 

tomorrow at 8pm eastern, give a listen to the elevator pitches from the radio show that will air tomorrow - it`s all elevator pitches and you`ll be able to vote your opinion of the ones that are good and otherwise! there will be a poll where you give your vote and you`ll be able to write critiques as "Post Replys". it`s reality radio tomorrow, folks!!!

you`ll find a link to the actual pitches at this page in the radio section starting at 8pm eastern.

see you on the elevator!

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Rich Sloan , Co-Founder, Chief Startupologist, StartupNation

I listen to the show every Sat Night on WOOD 1300 am in Grand Rapids. I got several great ideas from the show this week and will be reviewing the link you gave me to make a strong pitch for my business.
Thank you very much for the advice and the show and web site. Many great ideas to help me get things started.
Thanks
CrystalGuy

great to hear you`re learning and getting inspired! thanks for being part of the community.

it really helps to listen to each pitch individually, which you can do if you scroll down on the linked page.

it also helps to view the write up we did on how to deliver a great pitch.

and lastly, have fun voting for your favorite!

rich

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Rich Sloan , Co-Founder, Chief Startupologist, StartupNation