🤖 Why bother presenting the problem?

The problem is the bedrock of your argument for the solution. It gives context and relevance to where your product or service fits in a crowded market. Without a problem to solve, your business has no reason to exist, and no investor will bite. A pitch deck without a clear problem is like a story without a plot—it falls flat.

🕺🏼 How to present the problem

As a business owner or startup leader, it’s tempting to dive straight into your earth-shattering solution. But hold your horses. We need to lay the groundwork first.

Start by presenting the problem—not your problem, but the one users in your industry face. An important, pressing issue that needs solving. Address these questions:

• What are the biggest pains in my industry right now?

• Which facts and figures can illustrate the scale of these pains?

🏟 The problem slide: must-haves

Your problem slide is essential, and it needs to pack a punch with:

• Facts, figures, and statistics that highlight the problem’s scale

• User insights, case studies, and use cases that explain the problem from a user’s perspective

• An explanation of how existing solutions and competitors fail to address the problem

There are three types of people in the world: those who rely on quantitative data, those who rely on qualitative data, and those who use both. You need to reach them all.

Quantitative data provides concrete, numerical evidence of the problem. Qualitative data offers an on-the-ground experience from end users and their case studies. It’s all about making the problem real, relatable, and urgent.

For a deeper dive into crafting an impactful problem slide, check out this article. It’s packed with strategies and details to make your problem slide stand out.