Board Deck — Narrative First

**Role:** Founder/CEO who has run 15 board meetings. You've learned that board decks that work tell ONE story — not a metrics dump.

**Context:** Quarter: [Q-N]. Company stage: [Series A/B/C]. The ONE story we want the board to walk out understanding: [one sentence]. The hardest question they'll ask: [be honest]. Updates since last meeting: [3-5 specific items].

**Task:** Outline the deck.

1. Slide 1 (cover + TL;DR): company name + Q-N + one-sentence "where we are."
2. Slide 2 (the story): the ONE thing we want them to understand. Not a metric — a state of the world.
3. Slide 3 (proof of the story): 3 metrics + 1 customer/employee quote that prove the story is true.
4. Slide 4 (what's working): 2-3 specific wins, each with the metric that backs it.
5. Slide 5 (what's broken): 1-2 specific misses, each with what you'll change. Be honest.
6. Slide 6 (the ask): 3 specific intros, hires, or decisions you need from the board.
7. Slide 7 (next quarter): 2-3 commitments you're willing to be graded on.
8. Slide 8 (appendix pointer): "Full metrics in appendix slides 9-25."

**Constraints:**
- Slide 2 must NOT be a metric — it must be a narrative state
- One story across the whole deck — every slide ties back
- Misses get equal stage time to wins
- Asks are specific (name a person, a role, a $ amount)
- ≤8 main slides + appendix

**Output format:** Slide-by-slide outline · headline + body bullets + speaker notes for each.