Every month at Pitcherific, we aim at interviewing a startup about their story and their experience with pitching. In this edition of the “Pitch of the Month” we’ve talked with bookrs and their Book N Wash application.
We’ll start out by presenting their pitch. Enjoy.
The Book N Wash Pitch
Do you know how it feels to live on the 4th floor – you need to wash – and then have to go down and up the stairs just to check if there’s an available washing spot?
Our application Book N Wash lets you avoid that.
You could also be sitting in your office and can’t make it home in time or you’d rather meet with a friend than go home to wash clothes. Book N Wash helps with that as well.
Book N Wash is an app that lets you book and unbook your washing times, regardless of your location. You also get notified about any unbooked washing times that others have made. So if you’ve got to wash in a hurry, you can get a spot as soon as others unbook theirs.
Our solution aims at housing and owner associations that need an inexpensive solution. Our system is cheap, user friendly and can be used without integrating with other systems nor do any changes to them.
Everything you need is a smartphone or a computer to book and unbook your washing times.
The company behind Book N Wash is called bookrs and we’re looking forward to help you and your association with saving time and hassle.
The story behind bookrs (Book N Wash)
Behind bookrs – which is intentionally spelled in lower capital letters and without a vowel at the end – stand three women Rikke Simonsen, Cecilie Andreasen and Gitte Ellegaard.
They met each other at Business Academy Aarhus where they study Innovation and Entrepreneurship together.
When we asked the question on how the Book N Wash idea came into being, it was their education that served as the catalyst, explains Rikke:
”The idea grew out of a school project where we had to find an idea to work with that would be grounded in what irritated us in our everyday life. We shared the issue with our network on Facebook and it was through there the idea came up.”
The others nod in approval.
”In that way, we got feedback right from the start from real people who shared the problem. This motivated us a lot and helped us relate to the problem space at the same time”, adds Cecilie.
At the time of this article, bookrs are at the verge of testing their product. ”In 10 days we’ll begin our first test with a property where all of the residents have said ‘yes, thank you’ to participate”, Gitte explains.
Gitte is most experienced of the group and already arranges a large, recurring New Year’s party for singles in Aarhus’ Turbinehallen. ”I’m sure of that this is what I want. To make a living from my own business, that is.” According to Gitte it is the personal sale ahead that Book N Wash needs to seriously get out there.
”That’s what I’ll probably be taking lead on in the beginning. Also the numbers and other practical stuff, but sales will naturally play a big part. Isn’t it 90% of the focus that should be on sales?”, she says wittingly.
While Gitte handles sales, it is Rikke who handles design, testing the system and the contact to the developer who helps build the Book N Wash application. They found their developer through their network similar to how they found people for their Advisory Board through a mentor at their study, and through the Ladies First network.
”There were 11 people who offered their help when we asked, actually”, tells Cecilie who is surprised that so many want to help.
Now they’re excited on how it all will evolve in the future and what the company will become. More ideas lie and wait, if all goes well, explains Rikke with a smile.
Gitte, Rikke and Cecilias 3 best pitch advice
1. Practice and become less nervous
Cecilie: I believe that it’s all about practicing, so you can leave that anxiousness behind a little, giving more room to speak freely because you know what you want to say. It also becomes sharper, because you don’t say ‘umm’ etc.
Of course, it should not be overdone so it becomes too presenter-ish, like a news anchor, but just enough so it conveys the same meaning regardless of when you pitch.
Gitte: I think that preparation makes it easier to handle things as they come and make it faster for you to get back on track if you go off on a tangent. I believe everyone should try to go to pitch competitions and generally pitch whenever the opportunity rises. Every time you do it, you relax a little more.
Rikke: Practicing allows you to become somewhat calm, avoid talking too fast and get a positive experience out of it, all in all. For starters, you can pitch for someone you know, so the situation won’t intimidate you.
If you’re interested in reading more about how you can practice, check out our article “Do you practice your pitch enough?”
2. Support your pitch with a good visual presentation
Gitte: If you have the opportunity for it then make a visual presentation. Don’t overdo it compared to what it is you’re saying, but visual aids can really support what is spoken and make the message cut through better.
Cecilie: It doesn’t have to be PowerPoint or Prezi, or anything digital. Just something simple. It should not make the audience sit and read, but just a supplement to what is being said.
3. Get tons of feedback Cecilie: Present your pitch to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of the idea. If they look like a big question mark afterwards then there might be something you need to work on. Also pitch to the actual target audience or a potential customer. As an example, we have a test property that gives us valuable feedback.
Gitte: You have a lot of filler words. And that’s a problem, since the pitch is time limited. We often have 5 minutes as our limit and that demands being sharp both in language and in the message itself. Feedback helps you clean up your language and make the entire delivery clearer.
Gitte, Rikke og Cecilie works daily down at the harbor of Aarhus, at the office- and incubator environment StartupLab. In the top image, from left to right, is Cecilie, Gitte and Rikke. You can read much more about the Book N Wash solution at booknwash.com.
A big thanks to bookrs for sharing their story. If you know an entrepreneur who’d like to share his or her experience with pitching, then please leave a comment or write to us directly at contact@pitcherific.com.
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