Situation
The Vice President (VP) of a leading outdoor sports company, Company X, struggled to effectively communicate the company’s growth strategy to investors. Their 60-slide investor deck was dense and product-focused, failing to convey a unified vision. Analysts were skeptical of the company’s reliance on shooting sports—70% of the business—viewing it as a cyclical market vulnerable to post-pandemic decline. The VP and CEO needed to clearly articulate how their mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy in outdoor sports positioned the company for sustainable growth by balancing the portfolio toward a 50/50 split by 2030.
Task
I was tasked with developing a concise, visually compelling investor presentation that aligned stakeholders, simplified the narrative, and addressed concerns about market cyclicality. The deck needed to clearly link the profitability of the Shooting Sports segment to the strategic investments in Outdoor Sports, instilling confidence in the company’s long-term growth potential. Additionally, the deck had to resonate not only with investors but also with the executive team to support internal alignment.
Action
Through discovery meetings with the VP and CEO, I identified the core message: leveraging cash flow from Shooting Sports to fuel diversification and growth in Outdoor Sports. Interviews with investor relations officers helped clarify the role of acquisitions and innovation in achieving this vision. I outlined a three-part deck: (1) an opening section to highlight the company’s purpose, values, and outdoor sports vision, (2) a middle section to acknowledge the current 70/30 split while explaining how Shooting Sports finances Outdoor Sports growth, and (3) a detailed section focusing on acquisition strategy, innovation case studies, and leadership strengths. I curated content from previous presentations, refined growth projections, and crafted evidence-based narratives with clear visuals and charts. Working closely with the CEO, I implemented a striking design featuring outdoor-themed typography, imagery, and financial slides with high-contrast backgrounds to emphasize key metrics.
Result
The result was a streamlined 20-slide deck that projected purpose, vision, and confidence. Initial feedback from analysts was overwhelmingly positive, praising the clarity of the narrative and the ease of understanding the strategic interplay between the Shooting Sports and Outdoor Sports segments. Internally, the executive team embraced the deck, using it to align their vision and incorporating key slides into town hall presentations. The presentation not only increased investor confidence but also became a tool for unifying the company around a shared growth strategy.