My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Lead With Credibility Rule
When you have meaningful accomplishments, put them as slide 2 to establish that you're worth listening to before diving into your business details.
How It Works
Investors make quick judgments about whether to pay attention. Credibility signals (bestselling books, previous exits, domain expertise, impressive metrics) create immediate respect and attention.
Components
Identify your strongest credibility signal
Frame it in terms investors will recognize
Use humble brag tone: 'we literally wrote the book on X'
Include recognizable imagery or logos
Connect credibility to the problem you're solving
When to Use
When you or your co-founders have recognizable achievements like bestselling books, previous company exits, domain expertise, or impressive early metrics with current company.
When Not to Use
If you don't have meaningful credibility indicators, skip this slide entirely. Never lead with weak accomplishments or make up credentials.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Sleep app founders lead with 'we literally wrote the book on sleep' featuring Matthew Walker's bestselling 'Why We Sleep' plus AI researcher who built $500M business unit at Accenture, immediately establishing they're not typical app builders.”