Part 6 of 10 · The decision
The 10-Minute NYDA Pitch, and the Five Questions Behind It
You get ten minutes to present to the committee that decides. It may be in person or over the phone, so build a pitch that works without slides.
Chapter 8How to structure the pitch
A suggested structure. Rehearse to time — running long means losing the ask, which is the one part you cannot afford to cut.
What the committee is really asking
They are not looking for the most exciting business. They are allocating public money and reporting on what it achieved, so they are asking five practical questions. Answer them directly.
| The question | A weak answer | A strong answer |
|---|---|---|
| What will the money buy? | “Working capital and equipment to grow the business.” | “R34 000 for this specific oven, quoted by this supplier; R11 000 for three months of flour and packaging at current prices.” |
| Do you already sell anything? | “There is huge demand in my community.” | “I have been trading fourteen months. Here are bank statements averaging R18 000 a month, and here are two standing orders from local shops.” |
| Will it exist in two years? | “The market is worth billions.” | “I have eleven repeat customers. My cost per unit is R12 and I sell at R20. This oven takes me from 200 to 600 units a day.” |
| How many jobs? | “Many jobs for my community.” | “Two full-time now. The oven lets me add two more within six months, and I can tell you exactly what they will do.” |
| Can you run it? | Leaving it unsaid. | “I worked four years in a commercial bakery and completed the NYDA business management training in March.” |
Job numbers: be careful here
Job creation is one of the things the NYDA reports on, so a credible job number genuinely helps you. But it has to be defensible.
If you say a R40 000 grant creates fifteen jobs, you have told the committee you do not understand your own business. Two or three real jobs you can describe — what they do, what you pay, when they start — is far more persuasive than a big number you cannot support.
Practical pitch discipline
- Rehearse out loud, against a clock. Ten minutes is shorter than you think.
- Prepare for it to be telephonic. If your pitch needs a slide to make sense, rebuild it.
- Lead with what the business does and that it already sells. Do not spend three minutes on your personal story.
- Know your numbers cold — monthly turnover, cost per unit, price, margin. Reaching for a document loses the room.
- Finish with the ask: the exact amount and exactly what it buys. Do not let this be the part you run out of time for.
- Take your quotes with you. Being able to hand over a written quote when asked is worth more than any amount of enthusiasm.
The decision
The relevant NYDA committee decides, and the Agency states that its decision is final and binding, with no appeal. That sounds harsher than it is in practice, because you can submit a fresh application.
If you are turned down, ask what was weak. Then fix that specific thing — records, quotes, trading evidence, training — and come back. A second application from a visibly stronger business is a genuinely different proposition, not a repeat of the first.
