I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Guy Kawasaki on a couple of occasions. Not that he’d remember, but they were pretty special moments for me. He’s a fantastic speaker and, as my 4-year-old niece said to me just last weekend about a story I read to her, “he writes good.”

For those of you who don’t know, Guy is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, blogger, author and columnist. His book, Art of the Start, is included when you purchase our Business Plan Pro software.

On Wednesday, Guy wrote an article for the Sun Microsystem’s blog about “How to Pickup a VC“, basically 10 ways NOT to start a conversation with a venture capitalist. (Don’t worry, he gives you a clue on the right way to do it.)

Many entrepreneurs ask me what is the best way to open a pitch to potential investors. I’ll answer that question at the end of this posting, but first let me tell you the ten worst opening lines that you can use:

   1.     You say: “I’m bright and ambitious.” Investor thinks: “That’s a relief because I usually invest in stupid and lazy people.”

Enjoy the article and have a great weekend!

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software