E01: Mohit Bansal - The Guy who Creates Multi-Million $ Decks

In the middle of an engagement, the CEO of Instamojo says this:

”You know Mohit, we have been running this business for seven, eight years, but it's only now we have understood what we really do”

Mohit Bansal is the Founder of Deck Rooster, a Chandigarh based company that conceptualises and creates startup pitch decks.

Decks that get high praise from clients:

“Don't waste two per cent on a Banker, these folks at Deck Rooster rock!” 
- Ravish Naresh, CEO, KhataBook.

“Deck Rooster guys not only helped bring our story to life with visuals, but were an equal thought-partner in helping me articulate the story. Strongly recommend.” 
- Vikram Chopra, Co-founder and CEO, Cars24

Deck Rooster’s clients include startups funded by Goldman Sachs, Accel Partners, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia, IDG, Blume VC, Y Combinator and other top investors.

As the Founder and chief Storyteller at Deck Rooster, Mohit has had a fascinating journey - from being fired as an intern and being terrified of public speaking… to now confidently creating decks that raise millions of dollars in funding.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Mohit’s unique honesty and how that helps him at work
• How he uses an ‘army of referrers’ to spread the word about Deck Rooster
• His unique visual approach to crafting the pitch story
• Why it’s critical for him to find the “anchor” of the story first
• Some specific tools that he prefers to create his decks (including one by Microsoft that will surprise you!)

Links to Resources:
Deck Rooster Website: https://www.deckrooster.com/
The Steve Jobs Video mentioned in the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiXK11naSfY

For more information on Story Rules, you can check out the website or you can connect with me on LinkedIn.

Chapters

• 0:56 Introducing Deck Rooster is India’s pre-eminent creator of Startup stories
• 4:07 Getting funded (or not) is not how a good pitch should be evaluated; the story should make founders feel excited and happy to put across their story
• 5:25 Mohit’s incredibly honest LinkedIn profile and the source of his vulnerability
• 8:05 How being honest with clients helps Deck Rooster get more work
• 10:14 Why Authenticity might hurt you in the short term, but will help you in the long run
• 12:43 When Mohit discovered his storytelling mojo
• 15:45 Getting (and servicing) the first client
• 17:36 The decision to focus on startup pitch decks (instead of corporate presentations)
• 19:47 Using lean months as an opportunity to create high-quality marketing content. The ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ concept of showcasing your skills
• 21:25 How Deck Rooster gets 100% of clients through referrals - by building an ‘Army of Referrers’
• 26:05 The approach Deck Rooster uses in its 1-hour Pitch-deck review call
• 29:30 How Deck Rooster approaches a full Pitch deck creation assignment
• 29:50 It’s ok to feel overwhelmed with a whole lot of messy information at the beginning of a project
• 30:52 The initial research for the Story
• 31:57 How to use the ‘money flow’ to understand the business
• 34:20 Alternating between bottom-up and top-down approach to craft the story
• 36:19 I summarise 2 key insights from Mohit’s points on narrative
• 37:44 Founders getting to know their business better through Deck Rooster!
• 39:11 Why Getting to the “Anchor” of the story is most critical
• 42:40 How to find the “Anchor” insight of the story
• 45:55 Creating the slides - using One Note to sketch them on the iPad
• 49:49 Why running your WIP slides with clients is a good idea
• 51:17 The need to get your client feedback to avoid unnecessary work/re-work
• 53:37 Creating a deck that can be used for emailing and Delivery both
• 55:23 Presenting technical information using analogies
• 1:00:45 How to presenting numbers - focus on the message/story
• 1:02:48 Telling human stories - highlight norm-variance
• 1:05:37 How can a Startup founder work on his/her own deck. Don’t implement a template, incorporate it into your larger story.
• 1:12:45 Storytellers that Mohit admires
• 1:16:04 Recommended books, podcasts and other content