- Dorian Cunion
- Dec 19, 2025
- 3 min read
One of the greatest hurdles for small business owners is a lack of capital. This scarcity doesn't just limit your growth—it ripples through every part of your life. It makes it harder to provide top-tier customer service or market your brand effectively. Perhaps more importantly, it creates a persistent "survival mode" of stress and anxiety that prevents you from taking the bold actions required to scale.
Whether you are seeking a bank loan, family investment, or a grant from a local pitch competition, clarity is your most valuable asset. You must be able to articulate your vision, identify your gaps, and communicate—concisely—how your business makes the world better.
This April, BizWorks is hosting a Power Pitch competition. This is a premier opportunity among several funding events scheduled to hit Richmond in early 2026. If you’re ready to compete, the work begins now.
The $100 Blueprint: 3 Workshops to Prepare You for a Pitch Competition
You don’t need a massive budget to prepare; you need a strategic one. Here is a three-step path to getting pitch-ready for under $100.
1. Clarify Your Vision
Judges want to see exactly where your business stands today and where it is headed tomorrow. They need to believe in your "why" before they invest in your "how."
To sharpen this focus, join Your Path Counseling Center for our 2026 Vision Board Workshop. During this workshop, Ederis Martinez-Cunion, MS, LPC will guide you to reflect on 2025, envision 2026, and craft a vision board that you can use to help clarify and communicate what you are building towards.
When: Jan 8th at 5:00 PM or Jan 9th at 1:00 PM.
Where: Virtual
2. Quantify Your Goals
Vision inspires, but numbers build trust. In a pitch, you must communicate the scope of your impact through data. How do you generate revenue now, and how will that evolve?
The Henrico EDA is hosting a Goal Setting Workshop at the Fairfield Area Library. Led by Dorian Cunion, this free session introduces the "Balanced Scorecard" framework. This tool helps you explain how your internal processes and team culture directly drive financial growth—a key metric for any judge.
When: Jan 13th at 6:00 PM.
Where: Fairfield Library 1401 N. Laburnum Avenue Henrico, VA 23223
3. Refine Your Delivery
Once you have the vision and the data, you must package them. On January 22nd, BizWorks will host the Develop a Winning Pitch in 2 Hours workshop at Virginia Asset Management. Dorian Cunion will walk you through tailoring your message so it is clear, compelling, and impossible to ignore.
When: Jan 22nd at 2 PM.
Where: Virginia Asset Management 130 Wylderose Drive, Midlothian, VA 23113
Why will these pitch prep workshops help?
We don’t just teach theory; we understand what happens behind the judge’s table. Over the last three years, we have coached more than 10 businesses to secure over $100,000 in grant and pitch winnings.
We leverage Dorian’s experience as a pitch competition judge to inform our consulting. Whether you are a food truck owner, a salon founder, or a bookkeeper, we help you bridge the gap between "having a great business" and "being a great investment."
The Power of Perspective
The biggest challenge for most founders is "tunnel vision"—being so close to the daily operations that you can’t see your business from an outsider’s view. These three workshops offer you:
Strategic Space: Time to step away from the "doing" to focus on the "thinking."
Community: An opportunity to collaborate with fellow RVA business owners who share your challenges.
New Frameworks: Proven tools that build the confidence and competency required to win.
Conclusion
Time is your scarcest resource. This blueprint requires just six hours and $100. By completing these steps, you’ll enter the 2026 pitch season with a clear vision, a data-backed framework for success, and the communication skills to secure your funding.
Ready to start? Register for these events at the links below.
Have questions about your pitch? Message Dorian Cunion at dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com.
