gtmskills.com

Reference file

Templates

templates.md

Templates

Monthly investor update

Subject: {Company} update, {month}: {the headline in ten words or fewer}

{Headline sentence.}

Metrics (actual / plan / prior)

  • {Outcome metric}
  • {Leading metric}
  • {Leading metric}
  • Runway: {n} months

Last month we said (exactly as written)

  • {Commitment 1}: DONE / PARTIAL / MISSED / CHANGED / BLOCKED / DROPPED. {Result, and one sentence on why if not done}
  • {Commitment 2}: {status}. {Result}
  • {Commitment 3}: {status}. {Result}

Wins

  • {Fact with number and date}
  • {Fact}

Risks

  • {Risk}. {What we are doing about it.}

Asks

  • Last month: {ask}, {outcome, with thanks}
  • {Specific ask}. Blurb to forward: {three sentences}

Next month we commit to

  1. {Specific, measurable, dated commitment}
  2. {Commitment}
  3. {Commitment}

Next update: {date}.

Bad-news note

Subject: {Company}: {the fact, plainly}

{The fact.} {The cause.} {Our contribution.} {The impact in numbers.} {The plan, with dates and how we will know it is working.} {The ask, if any.} I will call {lead investor} today.

Prospective-investor update

Subject: {Company}, {month}: {headline}

Three lines: the headline, the two metrics that best show trajectory, and what the next 90 days will prove. Same day each month. No ask until the raise begins.

Diligence answer

  1. The direct answer in the first sentence.
  2. The evidence: numbers, cohorts, examples.
  3. The limits: what is not yet proven and how you are testing it.
  4. One sentence on why it matters to the business.

Advisor note

The single ask in the first sentence, the context in two sentences, the forwardable blurb if an introduction is involved, and thanks for the last thing they did.