We have all heard the words ‘Equity Story’ – but what is it?

Put simply, your equity story is a clear, simple way of describing your business and the reasons for investing in it.

Why is an equity story important?

For a number of reasons:

• It makes it easier for investors, journalists and analysts to understand your business
• It makes it easier for them to talk about your business
• It can help increase the valuation of your business. Yes – if you have a good equity story, you can get a better price for your shares.

So how do you create a great equity story?

Here are five tips that we use at Benjamin Ball Associates to help our clients create and improve their equity stories:

1. Keep It Simple – A common mistake companies make is to be too close to the business.  If you share the nuances of why your business is better than your competitors, your story is  likely to be too complex.  Your story will be better if you can strip it back to the bare essentials from the perspective of the investor. The shorter and clearer your story, the better.
2. Have One Big Idea – Like a presentation or speech, the greater the number of ideas you have in your story, the more the power of that story is diluted.  One big idea is more powerful and easier to remember.
3. Be Memorable – How will others repeat your story? If it is easy to repeat and remember, then your story is strong.
4. Think Investor First – If you tell me you have invented the world’s greatest mousetrap, that is not an equity story. If you tell me why everyone in the world will buy your mousetrap at a premium price; then it is.
5. Be Consistent – Good investor stories have legs. They remain constant over time and adapt (relatively) slowly. If yours needs to change every three months, then your story is tactical not strategic.

At Benjamin Ball Associates we have found that many companies find it tough to articulate a powerful equity story. Frequently management is too close to the business, or they get distracted by the latest success. That’s where an outside advisor can help with a dispassionate analysis of what will appeal to investors.

The good news is that a great equity story can be one of your most valuable sales tools when you are speaking to investors and analysts. For an IPO, the red thread of your equity story will run through all of your communications. That’s why it is so important to get it right.

Speak to Louise Angus today to discuss how we could help you improve your equity story.
Help me improve my equity story