Friday, April 4, 2008

Focus Your Pitch -- Lessons From Pitchers

The single most common mistake entrepreneurs make is not focusing. To pique the interest of an investor or to be successful, you must focus. My recent work with one entrepreneur reminded me of this point. He sees his company as doing too many things. That was clear in his recent pitch to an angel investor.

That's why David Brooks's column, "Pitching with Purpose," in The New York Times earlier this week was so interesting to me. It was about great baseball pitchers and great pitching. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/opinion/01brooks.html?ex=1364788800&en=782ad8a401682876&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

To be a great pitcher, you have to ignore everything around you and clear your mind. You just have to focus on executing the pitch you want to throw. The article is worth reading simply because it has lessons for life -- and lessons for entrepreneurs. Remember that Amazon started out as an online store for books. The company only branched out later.

Entrepreneurs -- focus your pitch!

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