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Give Yourself the Gift of Time
91 Plays2 months ago
Something you rarely say as a founder: “No need to rush – we’ve got plenty of time!” Whether it’s an application for an accelerator, research before an important meeting or your pitch at an event, ruthless prioritization may well dictate that you complete it the day (or hour!) before it’s due.
So what would the outcome of this high-stakes situation look like if you actually had more time to prepare? If you *gave* yourself more time to prepare?
That’s exactly why Message Worth Millions host and communications expert Kirin Kalia is helping you reframe the value of preparation time so that you’ll actually do it (and not shrug it off as something you…wait for it…don’t have time for).
Kirin’s inspiration for this episode came from preparing founders to pitch at a recent DemoDayLA event – many of them the day before 😅
[HEADS UP: If you want to attend or pitch at the November 20 edition of DemoDayLA at BLANKSPACES in Venice, head over here.]
As to WHY you want to prepare, it all comes down to 1) delivering something of higher quality that gets you results and 2) showing up more confident and present for the meeting or event.
When you believe it’s worth preparing in advance, here’s how you do it (with more details in the episode):
1) Get clear on your outcomes for this opportunity.
2) Set yourself a deadline before the deadline.
3) Block time on your calendar for prep.
4) Actually USE that time to prep.
5) Celebrate your progress - not just the completion.
6) Take some space for review
Don’t miss the next episode of Message Worth Millions - make sure you subscribe on Apple or Spotify!
Message Worth Millions is a weekly podcast for startup founders like you who want to raise money and grow their revenue faster. You need a message that moves your audience – usually investors and customers – to say YES…and all those yeses add up :)
Especially in an AI world, human connection beats perfection every time.
→ Follow your host Kirin Kalia, founder of Grow Through Story, on LinkedIn.
-=-=-=-ABOUT YOUR HOST-=-=-=-
Kirin Kalia is a startup veteran and communications expert with 25+ years of experience across journalism and marketing. As a communications partner for growth-stage startups, she helps founders master their messaging and public-speaking skills so they raise money and grow their revenue faster.
Kirin has coached 1000+ founders to pitch investors and innovation leaders at companies including Visa, P&G Ventures, the Estée Lauder Companies and more.
Kirin is a 2023 All-Star Mentor for Techstars Los Angeles and also mentors founders in programs including the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator, FoundersBoost and the MassChallenge FinTech Program.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Message Worth Millions'
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to Message Worth Millions episode number five. This is a weekly podcast for startup founders like you who want to raise money and grow their revenue faster. You need a message that moves your audience, usually investors and customers, to say yes, and all those yeses add up.
Human Connection in an AI World
00:00:18
Speaker
Especially in this AI world, I believe human connection beats perfection every time. I'm your host, Kiran Kalia, Grow Through Story, and I love hosting this podcast for you.
Podcasting Challenges and Learning
00:00:31
Speaker
Now, it's been a minute, okay, a little longer, since I dropped a new episode, and I am so sorry. It's now fall. It's now Q4. It's beautiful time of year.
00:00:44
Speaker
And I will admit, it turns out the way to consistently publish a weekly podcast is to get ahead of the curve so that busy weeks aren't a problem. Yeah, some podcasting veterans told me this shortly after my last episode went live, and believe me, I have noted it Okay.
Demo Day LA and Upcoming Event
00:01:01
Speaker
Also, part of the reason I was a little bit delayed is that I am part of an amazing team that's putting together on an event called Demo Day LA. And we had our best event ever on September 18. It was 14 companies, 12 investors, packed room. it was amazing.
00:01:18
Speaker
Now our last pitch event for 2025 is November 20. So here's my small plug. If you want to work with me, if you choose to pitch, maybe you just want to come check us out, please Check out the link in the show notes and you can learn more and you can secure your ticket now. I would love, love, love to see you there if you're here in town.
Theme of Time Management
00:01:38
Speaker
Now, quick refresh. Every episode, I'm sharing something about me or my experience that explains why I understand what you need to connect with investors and customers. And it's going to relate to our topic.
00:01:50
Speaker
This time we're talking about time and I'm going to tell you managing it is something I am still working on and it's part of why this episode didn't happen sooner, okay?
00:02:01
Speaker
So I could say maybe it's because I was born 10 days late. and Sorry, mom, I know that was tough. um Maybe it's because, and I'm probably not the only one here, who has too often relied on time pressure to get something done.
00:02:13
Speaker
But I also was in a situation some years ago where I backed myself into a corner. And when that happened, I decided it'd be fine if I was just winging it ah ha ah This is back in 2004, long time
The Importance of Preparation
00:02:27
Speaker
ago. I was fresh out of a master's program in something called Migration and Ethnic Studies. And yes, this was a different part of my life, not the tech part.
00:02:34
Speaker
I was invited to speak at a conference and the topic was related to my master's thesis. And so I was really excited. Now I arrived in Chicago, that's where the event was. And I thought, okay, well, I haven't prepped yet, that's fine. I'll do it the night before.
00:02:48
Speaker
For some reason, I didn't do that. So you know what happened? I walked into a room. Now the details are a little fuzzy. I think it was a hotel meeting room. I looked at the 10, 15 people that were sitting there.
00:02:59
Speaker
And I just started talking. I started saying a bunch of stuff, kind of repeated myself. I pretty sure I moved my hands a lot. I might have been rocking back and forth. And I was aware of that out of body experience you might have when you're on stage, kind of wasn't sure what it was all going. And then mercifully, time was up.
00:03:19
Speaker
And I could exhale. and Look, I knew immediately it was not my finest moment. Luckily, back then, nobody had smartphones, so there's no evidence of this particular event.
00:03:30
Speaker
That's really when I realized that knowing a topic is not enough to show up prepared and to do well and to connect with an audience. So please do not make the mistake that I made. And if you already have, and this is all sounding familiar, please forgive yourself. This is something that you can learn from.
00:03:47
Speaker
and my hope is that this episode today will be extra, extra helpful in making sure that you show up but much better prepared the next time around.
Time Scarcity for Founders
00:03:56
Speaker
So today's topic is give yourself the gift of time.
00:04:02
Speaker
I know that the scarcest resource for you and any founder is time. Let me remind you, we all have the same 168 hours in a week, but yes, it rarely feels like enough.
00:04:17
Speaker
Okay, and part of that's time. You need to sleep. You need to eat. Please shower. If you have a family, they probably want to see you as well. So it might be an application for an accelerator. It might be an application for a pitch event, some kind of prize, grant, something.
00:04:33
Speaker
You're using ruthless prioritization, and that is a term I learned while working in a startup that's going to dictate what you're going to get done that day. And maybe it's going to be the day that that thing is due or even the hour or minutes.
00:04:45
Speaker
Look, been there, done that. And when I was working for this startup, we ran all kinds of pitch competitions with corporate innovation folks. And we would see it like clockwork, that applications all come in at the last day in the last hour. So I know how it goes.
Five Reasons for Preparation
00:05:00
Speaker
And look, you're probably also saying, I've done this, you know, or I might need to do this to prepare for an actual pitch or a major industry event. I have been there and done that also, my friends.
00:05:11
Speaker
The reason I'm choosing this today is that the topic of time came up big time with the event that I was doing with Demo Daily in September.
00:05:22
Speaker
I coached six founders for one hour each, about 20%. 24 hours before showtime. Now, I love this work. These were incredibly coachable founders. And I knew that they would do their best.
00:05:35
Speaker
But I also knew that they weren't going to be able to do as much or as well as they could have just because they had the clock working against them.
00:05:44
Speaker
So why does giving yourself time matter? I've got five reasons for you. I'm also going to say this is my way of reframing time for preparation as a necessity rather than a luxury.
00:05:57
Speaker
Let me say that again. This is a reframe of time. It is a necessity, not a luxury. So number one, when you have or take that time, you can look at things with fresh eyes.
00:06:12
Speaker
I learned this from my college history professor who was very clear on the first day of class. She could tell if we wrote our papers the night before because it would be obvious in the clarity of our thought.
00:06:23
Speaker
It just wouldn't be there. And if you wrote it two days before and you self-edited, it would be a much better paper. The same holds true for our professional work. If you've done something and it has real importance for the outcome of, you know, winning or or being selected for something, sleep on it.
00:06:41
Speaker
Or at least take a walk, get some distance, and then look at it again. And you'll be able to edit your own work with those fresh eyes. Now, for the record, this is not the same as having AI edit or write something for you.
00:06:54
Speaker
This is you using your human judgment to make sure you feel you've done your best. Number two, you have time, you can get help or find more information for whatever you're working on without your hair on fire. How amazing does that sound?
00:07:10
Speaker
That could mean you're doing more research, you find that amazing stat about your market size, that's just exactly the one you're gonna use in your next pitch or your next meeting. You might find the perfect, don't like to use that word, but let's call ideal photo that you wanna use in the deck.
00:07:26
Speaker
That happens when you have a little bit more time. Now related to this is my number three. You can get feedback from other people. The deck review from your designer friend,
00:07:38
Speaker
That's hugely valuable. That person will tell you, oh, no, no, no, don't use that font because nobody can read that. You want to use this one. Maybe you have a friend who's an angel who looks over a wish list of investors you're putting together. You know, you haven't started your fundraise yet, so let's go through the list. And wow, you know what? They have a VC friend that should be on there. Like, oh, my gosh, you're perfect fit.
00:07:57
Speaker
That stuff only happens when you have time to get that feedback. Does not happen when you're up against the clock. Number four, if you're doing an event, you have time to practice.
00:08:10
Speaker
And people, I'm talking about practice, practice, practice. Every athlete practices. You get better when you practice.
00:08:21
Speaker
It is not optional to practice when you're building a new school. That's how you learn. Let's say you're going to go skiing for the first time. You're starting on the bunny slopes and you're probably falling on your face.
00:08:32
Speaker
You're not going to be that badass skier until you've practiced a few times. It's also, by the way, still important when you're improving or refining a skill that you already have. Think about Bruce Lee.
00:08:44
Speaker
Do you think he stopped practicing because he was already freaking great? ah No, I actually just did a quick set search to check and he had a regime that was famous. People still talk about it.
00:08:56
Speaker
This dude was intense. I personally love to look at Serena Williams, who is the goat of women's tennis. Yes, I'm a tennis fan. Do you think that Serena was going to skip warm up matches before a big event like the wimp like Wimbledon, the US Open?
00:09:11
Speaker
Hell no. You are no different as a founder. This is your athletics. You want to have these skills at your best. You've got to take the time to practice.
00:09:24
Speaker
Now, if it's a big meeting, you can also practice how you're answering those questions. I don't want you putting out answers there that you're going to come back to regret later. So please go see episode three for more about Q&A prep.
00:09:35
Speaker
Okay, number five, if it's an event or a meeting, and you have that time and you've done all this work, it's more likely you'll show up fully present. And for me, fully present means that when you're meeting with an investor or customer, you are paying attention to what is happening right now with the person and the space that you're in. You're not at all distracted by whatever the heck just happened right before the meeting or whatever the heck is waiting for you once this meeting is done.
00:10:03
Speaker
You are focused on what that person or those people need. Now, you can show up fully present, focused on your audience if you haven't done any preparation.
00:10:15
Speaker
But let me be clear. That is very rare and it is not something most of us have, me included. so please, please. If you take nothing else away from this section, know that your energy matters.
00:10:30
Speaker
The energy you put into that email, into that application, into that video, and that is why you take the time to prepare. And purely AI written emails or texts or whatever, they don't have your energy in them.
00:10:45
Speaker
They feel different. So take some time to put you into whatever it is that you're doing and it will show up. Now, I do have a few caveats.
00:10:56
Speaker
First one is how much time you need to prepare depends on where you are in your founder journey. I get it. ah You might have done this pitch 100 times already. Do you need to prepare it to the same extent for every meeting?
00:11:07
Speaker
Probably not. You're gonna make some adjustments for the person, but you're pretty good, I get it, okay. If you're a serial founder, you've got a lot of experience pitching. This is, again, it's kind of the Bruce Lee situation. You probably should make sure that you're still good.
00:11:19
Speaker
Get your reps in. Think about how many times you've actually done a pitch for this new company, for example. You're probably going to want to practice some more, okay? Number two in the caveats is everyone is different. So please know what kind of person you are.
00:11:35
Speaker
Do you need to memorize everything to feel certain? Great, do that. Are you the kind of person who loves to have just a few bullet points and you're going freestyle a little bit, but within the amount of time you have? Great, be that person.
00:11:47
Speaker
Number three is that your preparation time is also going to differ based on whether you are more of an introvert or more of an extrovert. Okay. And I define that by meaning that being around people and lots of stimulation is either generally draining you as an introvert or energizing you as an extrovert.
00:12:03
Speaker
And I'll be frank, I am right in the middle of this stuff. So I get both. If you are more of an introvert, please, please give yourself time before any sort of big meeting event, whatever, so you can show up with your full energy.
00:12:19
Speaker
And then of course, give yourself downtime afterwards to recover. Okay, now that I've persuaded you, let's get into the how of how you actually give yourself more time.
Eight-Step Preparation Process
00:12:32
Speaker
Let's go through the ideal process first. Eight steps and then I got one that's for like last minute stuff and 24 hours or whatever. Okay. Number one on the ideal process is get clear on your outcomes for this opportunity.
00:12:43
Speaker
What's at stake? Why is it important? Even if you don't get the yes, what is the value of that experience for you personally for the company? And once you have those answers, then you decide how much time it's worth allocating.
00:12:56
Speaker
Okay, this is super important. I don't want you to skip this step, because it's going to set the tone for everything else. Now, if you're concerned, you might not do what you're setting yourself up for is the highest chance of success.
00:13:09
Speaker
then please find someone to hold you accountable for doing the work. It could be a co-founder, could be a mentor, could be a friend. It's someone who agrees in advance to check in with you to make sure you're following through or that there might be some consequence that you agree to in advance.
00:13:26
Speaker
I'm not the expert on accountability partners. Please go look into that more if that's something you want to get into. But it can certainly help. Number two is to set yourself a deadline before the deadline.
00:13:37
Speaker
This is a trick that I used all the time when I was an editor at a think tank and I was working with people inside and outside the Institute. And believe me, I set fake deadlines all the time because people weren't going to meet them and I still had some buffer room.
00:13:51
Speaker
You might need to do the same because something happens in your business and you've given yourself that wiggle room. Great. Even better is if you actually stick to your fake deadline for yourself and you get it done. Because you know what that means?
00:14:04
Speaker
You have time to do more practice. You have time to get that feedback. It is way less stressful. so Okay. Number three, you're going to block time on your calendar for that preparation.
00:14:18
Speaker
Now, that means it's going to be impossible for something else to pop up in that same time spot, right? No one can book that internal or external meeting because it's just not available. And so I want you to make that block time the amount that you reasonably need.
00:14:34
Speaker
Depending on what it is, it might just be an hour. It could be a whole afternoon. You might decide you're going to do 30 minutes every morning for a full week. And frankly, if somebody's concerned about why you're spending time on this, it could be your team, could be your co-founders, you can come back to what you decided in step one about why it's important and tell them exactly that.
00:14:53
Speaker
Now, I worked with a founder who was getting ready for this Startup World Cup. ah Harvard was having its own event. Very cool, 12 companies pitching. And we did a little bit of extra work because she wanted to be really prepared. And she had literally cleared her entire calendar for that day. So her only focus was the event.
00:15:11
Speaker
That's what I'm talking about. She's taking it seriously. That's how you get better, even if you don't win whatever the thing is. Number four, you're actually gonna use that time that's on your calendar to prep.
00:15:24
Speaker
How about that? It sounds obvious, but you could actually be tempted to use that meeting-free time for something else. And by the way, this is also where your accountability person can help. Number five is you're going to celebrate your progress, not just the completion.
00:15:40
Speaker
And I learned this from books on habit forming and things like that. It's so important to celebrate because it just puts the good vibes into your body and into your brain.
00:15:51
Speaker
And this is important if you're especially the kind of person who's pushing things to the last minute. So If you blocked an hour and you use that hour to prep, celebrate. It's okay that you're not done, but you actually did the thing you were going to do. That could be something really small, like just doing a little dance next to your desk. That's one of my favorites.
00:16:09
Speaker
You might do the fist pump. You might just put your arms up, victory, like whatever works for you. Like, yes, I did the thing. And you're telling your brain that it feels good and you want to do it again.
00:16:21
Speaker
Now, number six is you're going to take some space, space, space.
00:16:28
Speaker
Space for review. Now this could be looking at something that you you know wrote the night before, so you're doing it the next morning. It could be that you just went for a walk, you just had a meal, you're gonna come back and look at it again.
00:16:40
Speaker
It could be that you're having a trusted advisor review it. That's great. It's really important to give them a heads up and some time, reasonable amount of time, to deliver that feedback to you. So again, deadlines, clarity, really important in this process.
00:16:55
Speaker
And I've been that person and I do appreciate it when somebody gives me a deadline, hey, I need your feedback by this in this time or this in this date. So keep that in mind if you're taking some space for review with another person. Number seven, iterate till it's solid and or if it's an event, practice.
00:17:12
Speaker
So remember, perfection is not the objective. Human connection is your objective. You are doing this cycle so that you increase the chance of connecting with your intended audience and getting that yes.
00:17:25
Speaker
So that might be that you have put time on your calendar to practice. You might be practicing in front of other people. You might be practicing in front of a mirror. Whatever you can do to give yourself more confidence and more ease, that's what you want to do if that's a live event.
00:17:40
Speaker
Cool. Number eight, take at least a few minutes to focus, whether it's a meeting event or some piece of written material that you're going to be sending, And think about what you want it to be on the other side.
00:17:53
Speaker
This is a super important part of the gift of time. You're thinking about what are my outcomes? What does the other person or audience say once they've heard what I have to say?
00:18:04
Speaker
How are you going to celebrate when it's a yes with your co-founder, your team? I think feel those things beforehand. I know this is a little woo. I just ask you to trust me on this because it's gonna put you in the right energy and that is key.
00:18:19
Speaker
And it's also gonna help ensure that you leave the other stuff out of the space, right? That's the stuff that just wasn't blew up or went sideways right before your meeting. That's the big thing you have to deal with when the meeting is over or the event is over, whatever.
00:18:31
Speaker
Stay focused in the right energy in that moment. It's gonna mean you show up as a human who connects And remember, connection beats perfection every time. Now, what if you don't have that much time and got a little bit of a late start or it's a last minute opportunity?
00:18:46
Speaker
Let's say you have 24 hours or less. There's some stuff you can do. Look, I'm not naive. Sometimes you find out this stuff and you just literally don't have time. it could be a crisis or whatever. Now, I want you to keep step number one.
Tips for Last-Minute Preparation
00:19:00
Speaker
Get clear on your outcomes for this opportunity. What is at stake and why is it important? In fact, if you do this step, it might make you realize that this thing that seems so great isn't worth your time after all and you can say no to it. Like that's actually really powerful.
00:19:14
Speaker
Number two is to clear out space to focus on that thing. Now, unless it's urgent, other stuff can wait. And again, if somebody's going to ask you, why are we doing this? You can tell them your answer from step one. Here's what's at stake and here's why it matters.
00:19:29
Speaker
Number three, you're going to have some access, I hope, to additional resources. This is the time to call them in. All hands on deck, teammates, mentors, coaches. Can they take some of it off your plate? Can they review it for you?
00:19:41
Speaker
This is critical to making sure that it's not just you making a sloppy mistake or something like that. because we all all have had that happen too, right? Have some other folks helping you out.
00:19:52
Speaker
And number four, do your best with what you've got. This is exactly what I told the founders who work with me right before the September Demo Day LA event. I said, look, I know you probably can't do everything. Do the best with what you've got.
00:20:05
Speaker
And when you prioritize what that is, I want you to make changes that will have the most impact. So that means anything that affects clarity and conciseness, anything that makes what you're about to do more compelling,
00:20:17
Speaker
It's not a time, for instance, to nitpick on design choices, for example. Now, number five, if it's an event, I want you to rest beforehand. This is especially true if you're somebody who likes to pull all-nighters or something like that.
00:20:31
Speaker
That does not help your energy. And your energy is important for connecting and staying present. Number six with the last minute version, I want you to, again, take that minute or even a few seconds right before to focus or before you hit that send button on an application.
00:20:48
Speaker
Again, you're thinking about what I want that outcome to look like? What do i want to feel like when it's a yes? And folks, just always remember to breathe. It's pretty basic, but it's important to remind you.
00:21:00
Speaker
A very quick example of this in motion, ah you can take your pick of pitches from any accelerator that drills founders on the Demo Day pitch. And I'll tell you, I know that Techstars here in l LA does this really, really well. I've mentored several cohorts and I've watched this process happen.
00:21:14
Speaker
And pitch prep starts early in the program. It ramps up as they get closer to demo day. Each week is building on the last in terms of what they're expected to have ready. And they're doing it in front of their peers and in front of the managing director.
00:21:27
Speaker
So for example, in the beginning, they're just coming with a hook. That's the opening of the pitch that grabs the attention. And later, they're going to have to do the whole pitch. So part of this also, by the way, is they get rated on a scale of one to 10 in three areas. It's their visuals, their delivery, and their story, and then an overall score.
00:21:43
Speaker
And let me tell you, I've seen lots of twos, threes, and fours in the beginning. But by the end, those folks become seven, eights, and nines. And sometimes if they're really lucky, they get the coveted 10.
00:21:54
Speaker
Yes. So it's practice. It's iteration and practice. Now, if somebody doesn't have time to do pitch prep, and it has happened even with a Techstars group, they're not going to get that slot on stage. It's just that simple. So the preparation absolutely matters.
00:22:10
Speaker
And one other thing you can take away from this is that there's accountability when you're working with a group that can keep you on track. If you're not an accelerator and you don't have a cohort sort of built in, I would encourage you to consider creating a group or finding some other founders where you all are aligned and you can keep each other accountable for these things.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:22:29
Speaker
Okay, I have three asks for you as we're wrapping up for this episode. Number one, love your feedback, what you loved, what you didn't, what you really need help with. Please email me, kiren, that's K-I-R-I-N, at growthroughstory.com. That's
00:22:53
Speaker
Number two, if you loved it, and that is my hope, I would love it if you subscribe, share it with a founder friend. And number three, if you know that your message, whether it's for investors, customers, your board, your team needs help, let's talk.
00:23:09
Speaker
Please email me or you can DM me on LinkedIn. And we'll set up a call. I'm Kieran at growthroughstory.com. And a final thought, I don't want you to be constantly pressed for time when it comes to your biggest, most high stakes moments as a founder.
00:23:24
Speaker
So once again, please give yourself the gift of time to prepare. You'll show up better in every way that matters, especially your energy. Because remember, human connection beats perfection every time.
00:23:37
Speaker
I'll see you next time.