A practical course · The 10/20/30 pitch deck · 40 years in practice
Pitch with clarity and earn credibility fast.
A practical pitching course built on Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule, the “So what?” test, and disciplined preparation. Three lessons. Seventy minutes. A deck you can defend in the room.
Lifetime access | 3 video lessons | ≈ 70 minutes total | 14-day refund
Engagements across 30+ companies and institutions in Norway, Japan, and the U.S.
The problem
Why most pitches fail (and how to spot it early).
Most founders are not short on ideas. They are short on a structure that survives contact with a decision-maker. The same four traps show up over and over.
- Too many slides. The deck becomes the presentation and you become its narrator.
- Too much text on each slide. The room reads instead of listening to you.
- Unclear value. Nobody in the room can answer “what does this mean for me?”
- Weak structure, rushed delivery. Good ideas arrive in the wrong order, at the wrong speed.
You don’t need more slides.
You need a clearer message.
The method
What this course does.
01
Structured
Ten slides in a fixed order, so a decision-maker can follow you without effort. Kawasaki’s rule, applied to your business.
02
Simple
One idea per slide, set in thirty-point type. What survives that constraint is what actually mattered.
03
Credible
Answers prepared before the questions arrive. You sound ready in the room because you are ready before it.
Inside the course
What you’ll learn (three lessons, seventy minutes).
You finish with a deck, not with notes about decks. Every lesson ends with work on your own material.
- build a ten-slide deck on Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule, applied to your business
- decide what belongs in the deck. And what quietly does not.
- use the “So what?” question to make every point land with the person opposite
- present without reading your slides. Slides lead the room, they do not replace you.
- prepare for Q&A and practise in a way that lowers the stress instead of raising it
What’s included
What you get.
3 video lessons, on demand
About seventy minutes in total. Watch in one sitting or one lesson at a time.
Practical tasks for each lesson
Prompts that move your own deck forward, not generic exercises.
10-slide deck structure
The running order, slide by slide, with what belongs on each one.
Pitch review checklist
One page to run against your deck the evening before the meeting.
Key notes for each lesson
The essentials on one page per lesson, ready to print.
Recommended reading list
Where the ideas come from, including Kawasaki’s original work, if you want to go further.
Fit
Who it’s for, who it’s not for.
This course is for you
- you pitch to investors, partners, customers, banks, or internal stakeholders
- you want a clean structure and a calm, credible delivery
- your deck technically works, but it does not land in the room
- you would rather prepare properly once than improvise every time
This course is not for you
- you want a promise of guaranteed funding
- you are not willing to prepare and practise
- you are looking for slide design templates rather than a message
About
About August Kjerland.
August Kjerland lectures in entrepreneurship at BI Norwegian Business School and the University of Agder, with four decades of executive and boardroom experience behind the teaching.
He does not invent frameworks. He picks the ones that hold up, credits the people who built them, and teaches them the way they behave in a real meeting. This course is his reading of Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule after twenty years of watching decks succeed and fail in rooms where the decision was actually made.
Pricing
Instant access:
€49
(one-time)
- Lifetime access
- Learn at your own pace
- 14-day refund policy
- Updates included at no extra cost
Secure checkout via systeme.io · card, Apple Pay & Klarna
What participants say
From founders and operators who present for a living.
“August’s sessions are calm, structured, and immediately practical. I left with clearer thinking and tools I could use the same day.”
Greta N.
Interior designer
“August connects theory to practice with concrete examples and smart questions that spark reflection. His sessions consistently make complex topics feel more accessible and actionable.”
Preethy M. J.
Norstellar
“Thanks to August, I was finally able to gather my thoughts, clearly define my plans, and most importantly, get my business off the ground! I highly recommend it.”
Kacper K.
Freelance Graphic Designer
“If you’re looking for a top-tier learning experience, August’s courses are second to none.”
Ingunn E.
Baker
“August is a teacher who not only makes the subject understandable, but truly interesting.”
Elise U. L.
Entrepreneur
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
How long do I have access?
Lifetime access, including any future updates to the material.
Is this for early-stage founders only?
No. The structure works for startups and for established teams. The key is clarity, and that problem does not go away with company size.
Do I need design skills?
No. The course focuses on message, structure, and delivery. Thirty-point type and one idea per slide do most of the design work for you.
The 10/20/30 rule is free to read online. Why pay for a course?
Because knowing the rule and applying it to your own business are different problems. Guy Kawasaki published the rule in 2005 and it is worth reading in the original. What this course adds is the decision-making around it: what belongs on each of the ten slides in your case, what to cut, and how to hold the room while you present it.
How much time do I need?
About seventy minutes of video, plus the work on your own deck between lessons. Most participants spend an evening on it.
What if I’m not satisfied?
You are covered by a 14-day refund policy. If it is not a fit, reply to your receipt within 14 days of purchase and you get the full €49 back.
Ready when you are
Your next pitch is already in the calendar.
Lifetime access | 14-day refund | Secure checkout
August’s Brief
Practical notes on entrepreneurship, pitching, and cross-cultural business. A few times a month. No hype.
Entrepreneurship. Decoded.
Practical entrepreneurship from an operator with forty years of executive and board experience. He teaches at BI Norwegian Business School and University of Agder.
© 2026 August Kjerland · Privacy Policy
Powered by August Kjerland & GMERK.
Register Now
Harum ducimus cupiditate similique quisquam et deserunt, recusandae.