By Marang Marekimane, founder of Business in Theory

Learn how to pitch so you aren’t afraid to pitch – that was the advice I was given. The irony is I’ve given similar advice to other people, and like most people, I didn’t listen to my own advice.

A few weeks ago I admitted to fearing the pitch. As I said those words, I accepted that it was all noise in my head. As someone that can stand in front of an audience and voice my opinion, sometimes with no filter, it probably doesn’t make sense to fear the pitch. After all, most people fear speaking in front of an audience, period.

“Think of it as a conversation”, that’s the advice I got from fellow South African entrepreneurs Kefilwe Morobane, founder of Giving Wings, and Tania Reid, founder of iThemba Office Solutions. From sessions that I had with both of them, I was reminded that “the choice of tools makes a difference”. If you don’t believe me, try digging a hole in your back garden. First use a fork, then a spoon, then try the shovel.

The reason most of us fear anything is because we don’t trust that we have the right tools. We have a long list of reasons, I mean excuses, for what we don’t have. We allow ourselves to drown in that list.

The best thing about attending Kefilwe and Tania’s sessions on how to pitch is I got the tools to end my fear of pitching. As someone that gives entrepreneurs tools to manage and automate their businesses, I understand the difference the tool can make. It unleashes a different type of energy, and smells of success.

With the internet you can find a workshop, an article to read, or a service that can give you the right tools, so there really is no excuse. Just remember, it could be worse. You could sit there with your fears and no internet.

Marang Marekimane is the Founder and Chief Executive Office of Business In Theory, a South African company that assists entrepreneurs to formulate growth strategies and improve business processes. Marang also hosts workshops for entrepreneurs to define or review their business model and on how to implement and improve business processes. After spending more than a decade in the corporate sector working for major corporations such as Liberty, First National Bank (FNB) and Standard Bank, Marang now uses her knowledge and experience to articulate her insight of business development into turnkey solutions that improve the sustainability of small and medium enterprises.