THE THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU MEET WITH AN INVESTOR BY GEOFFREY BYRUCH W E H AV E A L L S E E N T H E S H O W S H A R K TA N K WHERE ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS P E O P L E C O M E I N L O O K I N G F O R AT L E A S T ONE OF THE SHARKS TO INVEST IN THEIR C O M PA N Y W H E N S TA R T I N G A C O M PA N Y, T H E S I N G L E BIGGEST PROBLEM ENTREPRENEURS FIND T H E M S E LV E S W I T H I S F I N D I N G T H E C A P I TA L OR FINANCIAL FUNDING N E C E S S A R Y T O TA K E THEIR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL For the millennial entrepreneurs, many have used crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter or GoFundMe to raise enough capital for their business venture to launch But what if that amount isn’t enough? What if you need more to take your business from a startup to a full-fledge company? As you can see, the road to funding isn’t easy It is difficult to get people to invest simply in an idea That being said, the best way to get people to invest in you is simply through the confidence, knowledge, and planning you are able to bring into each and every meeting Below you will find three big angles you need to perfect before meeting with any type of investor By ironing out these concepts, you will be able to internalize your business on a deeper level and for the betterment of your company 1 P E R F E C T Y O U R S T O RY • When you we are talking about your story, we are not asking for you just to talk about the product • We are looking for you to talk about the overall holistic idea behind the product Keep in mind that investors aren’t just investing in the product or the company, they are investing in the person • When you talk about your company, be emotional, passionate, and confident Tell them about your personal and professional background, your history, the company’s history, the product, and the overall drive for your company and your product Walk them through your solution To help you with this, make sure you practice your pitch Remember that saying, practice makes perfect? Well that phrase definitely applies here Make sure you have internalized your speech Know every turn and topic and ways that you can enhance it Be prepared to tell them what your company does, who you are, and how you got there 2 KNOW THE NUMBERS W H E N I T C O M E S D O W N I T, Y O U WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE C O M F O R TA B L E W I T H A N Y O F F E R S AND DEALS BEFORE YOU SET A GOAL, KNOW T H E P R O F I T, R E V E N U E , A N D E X P E N S E S T H AT Y O U R C O M PA N Y HAS ENDURED ON A MONTH-TOMONTH, YEAR-TO-YEAR BASIS H AV I N G A S T R O N G U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F Y O U R NUMBERS CAN BE THE DEAL BREAKER OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET AN OFFER I N A D D I T I O N , K N O W T H E S P L I T, O R DEAL, YOU ARE LOOKING TO MAKE P L AY A R O U N D W I T H T H E N U M B E R S A N D T E S T VA R I O U S E X T R E M E OFFERS AND HOW THEY CAN B E N E F I T Y O U R C O M PA N Y ’ S F U T U R E W H AT I S T H E MONEY FOR? MANY TIMES, INVESTORS WANT TO K N O W W H AT Y O U P L A N O N U S I N G THE MONEY FOR AFTER THEY I N V E S T THIS MEANS THEY ARE LOOKING TO S E E T H E V A R I O U S S T R AT E G I E S Y O U A R E TA K I N G A N D W H E T H E R O R N O T YOU ARE OPTIMIZING THEIR FUNDS TO THE BEST OF ITS ABILITIES B E U P F R O N T A B O U T I T I F INVESTORS DO NOT AGREE WITH THE P L AY Y O U H AV E L A I D O U T, I T M I G H T B E F O R T H E B E S T T H AT Y O U PA R T W AY S I F N O T, T R Y A N D S H O W T H E M H O W T H AT F U N D I N G C A N B E BENEFICIAL FOR YOUR INITIAL PLAN I F T H E R E I S A W AY T O R E V I S E I T F O R T H E B E T T E R , A L S O TA K E T H AT I N T O C O N S I D E R AT I O N ... applies here Make sure you have internalized your speech Know every turn and topic and ways that you can enhance it Be prepared to tell them what your company does, who you are, and how you got there... each and every meeting Below you will find three big angles you need to perfect before meeting with any type of investor By ironing out these concepts, you will be able to internalize your business... about your company, be emotional, passionate, and confident Tell them about your personal and professional background, your history, the company’s history, the product, and the overall drive for your