Template · 15 min read

Preparing a Board Deck

Sequoia Capital Free Intermediate

This is the source of the rule your answer is built on: build the deck from the reports you already run the company with, send it one to two days ahead, and the meeting becomes discussion instead of presentation. It hands you the exact time split (15 min big picture, 45 to 60 min metrics calibration, 30 min company building, 60 min working sessions on your hardest problems, 15 min closed session) so you can drop it onto a calendar invite tomorrow.

  • Report to the board using the materials you already use to run the company, do not build a special deck from scratch
  • Ship materials one to two days before so nobody discovers the numbers live and the meeting is spent discussing, not reciting
  • The single biggest block of time is the working session on two or three real challenges, which is where the board's brain is worth more than yours
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The question it answers

  1. What do I actually do at a board meeting, and how do I run one so it helps me instead of wasting a day?

Read with it

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  2. The Silicon Valley playbooks skip the part that will fine you: Section 173 of the Companies Act requires your first board... IndiaFilings Article · 12 min read First Board Meeting of a Company IndiaFilings
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