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Clarity

Rachel Sklar

New York, New York

Founder, Change The Ratio & TheLi.st (current)
Founding editor (media) & first full-time staff writer, Huffington Post (March 2006 - Nov. 2008)
Founding editor, Mediaite (Dec. 2008 - Dec. 2010)
Adviser, Vox Media, The Muse, Lover.ly, Bustle (current); Votizen, Gui.de (previous). Non-profit adviser to Donors Choose, She's The First & TeachAIDS.org

$8.33/min

Rachel donates to DonorsChoose.org ($387.36)

7 Calls

3 Reviews

26 minutes
Avg. call

Social Media Strategy Networking Digital Media New Business Development Social Entrepreneurship Journalism Content Strategy Media Relations Diversity & Inclusion

Call me to talk about

Media, Social, Startups, Women

As a former media critic and serial media entrepreneur I am well-equipped to advise on media strategy across multiple platforms. I have also worked in startups for the last decade and advise numerous startups across a variety of strategic measures. My current work is in gender & diversity. I previously practiced law in New York and Sweden. All discussions are confidential.

http://changetheratio.tumblr.com/post/15087972070/rachelsklarbio

Diversity

I have been working with organizations on improving diversity in their staff, executives, customer base, and ideology since 2010. You don't know about a lot of the organizations I've worked with because I am also discreet.

Answers 5
Reviews 3

Answers

Rachel Sklar answered

How long should a founder invest on creating a pitch deck? Are there any pitch deck templates? Should I have the deck reviewed by a pro investor?

Yes, you need a pitch deck, and yes, make it good. Investors want to be blown away by the opportunity, and by you as the person with the vision to make it happen. Eight slides is optimal - make the opportunity clear at the top so it's obvious what problem you're solving and why the market needs it. Every meeting with an investor is a review - take their feedback and keep iterating. There are tons of great examples online - do a deep-dive and see what kinds of templates and tone work for you. I advise startups on their comms all the time, happy to discuss.

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Fundraising

angel investing

Rachel Sklar answered

Pitch Decks: What do investors think of comedy in pitch decks?

Make your deck smart and straightforward - fancy wordplay, double entendres, sarcasm and hokey punchlines do not scan for busy people looking to be impressed. Keep it to your presentation, and workshop any planned jokes thoroughly so you know they work (and you know how to deliver them easily). Also it should go without saying that risqué jokes can backfire and sexist/racist/homophibic jokes will backfire bigtime.

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pitching

angel investing

Startup Consulting

Rachel Sklar answered

What are the best incentives a startup can offer to an advisor or to an angel investor that will guide the company with the fundraising process?

Advisors and investors are two very different animals. An advisor typically gets an equity stake in exchange for providing ongoing guidance, introductions and actionable advice. This equity typically vests over time to keep the advisor engaged in helping the startup. An investor provides capital, and a *good* investor will provide capital plus everything an advisor can offer. Investors are more likely to view your company favorably if they see that you've lined up quality advisors to help your startup succeed. I advise a number of equity-backed startups and have made numerous investor intros. Happy to chat on a call.

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Fundraising

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Advisory Boards

Rachel Sklar answered

How important is it for a two month old startup to have a business plan and/or financial projections when seeking seed from angel investors?

It's only important for the investors to whom it's important. In my experience the more hoops you're asked to jump through by an investor, the less likely that investor is to invest. Creating a business plan is a good exercise though, and worth carving out time for as an exercise in planning and projection. But for very early stage startups, so much is going to change that a demand for a sophisticated, detailed plan doesn't really make that much sense. I'm all for results first.

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Rachel Sklar answered

What are a few example milestones an entrepreneur is asked to achieve within their first year of being funded?

This depends on your business, of course, but typically you will want to show that you are running as a viable business on the operations side (that you have clear processes and team members have defined roles and responsibilities). You will want to have established your market (i.e. have some customers) and demonstrate an ability to both retain and attract new customers (i.e. grow). If you do not yet have a product that is launched or ready to launch, you should probably show that you are working on an iteration or maybe even a pivot, if you're really not getting anywhere. How a startup deals with failure in the first year often says more than how it deals with success.

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Reviews

Rachel was very helpful and easy to talk to. She provided us with some helpful advice for starting an inclusion/dignity in the workplace committee in our company.

Mark Slack Source: Clarity

Rachel is awesome. Very quickly grasped the intention of the call. Lots of valuable feedback and will be engaging her again shortly.

Adrian Mullan Source: Clarity

Rachel is one of the best minds out there when it comes to navigating the social media abyss. In a brief phone call she provided focused and valuable information in a clear, concise and cordial way. She followed up afterward with examples of how she had marketed her own content, giving me solid ideas for my own project. I would highly recommend Rachel's consulting to any type of content creator seeking an audience.

Gene Bloch Source: Clarity

Member since May 2012