Turning your start-up to a business is like moving out of the stratosphere for a larger space where you have bigger opportunities amid sturdy challenges. And most interestingly, money keeps you moving.
Getting a business started may be a daunting task at times. Even excellent business ideas often fall down on their face due to a fund crunch.
In a report, 79% of the small businesses in the US suffer due to lack of funds. In such a situation, it’s important to know how to attract investors for your start-up.
11 essential tips on how to attract investors
If you have a lucrative business idea, it is very likely that you will come across parties who would be interested in it. You ought to be ready at all times as you never know when the time will come for you to actualize that fantastic business idea.
The opportunities are endless. Nevertheless, you need to ask yourself this question: How ready will you be? As the saying goes, opportunities come once in a lifetime. Do not let lack of preparedness blow away business opportunities for you.
For that reason, you should always be ready to present it as an investor may ask you to pitch the business idea. And you will be surprised by how simple it will become for you once you go through the following guide.
1. Equip yourself with the basics
The first step towards a perfect pitch is by familiarizing yourself with the essentials of a good pitch. The first thing you need to know is that for you to win your audience, you need to make your presentation compelling.
Also, remember that whatever you do should be in alignment with who you are pitching to and the main idea of the business. What you also need to do is strike a balance between the emotional and business needs of the potential investors. keeping that in mind will go a long way in ensuring that your pitch is not one of those flat ones.
2. Mobilize the necessary tools for making your pitch outstanding
Once you have gathered enough data that you will use in designing your pitch, the next important step will be to collect all the tools you will need to make the pitch perfect. The tools that you will need to focus on at this point will be the presentation.
How you present your business ideas to potential investors will tell whether at the end of the sitting you will have secured yourself a deal. If you are using PowerPoint, ensure that it is as visually appealing as possible. Use images, charts and so on. Something visual will be able to capture the attention of the investors.
Also, remember that everything has to remain relevant to the potential investors’ needs. If you also have testimonials, now is the perfect time to unleash them.
3. Incorporate videos
They say that “pictures are worth a thousand words”. What would be the worth of videos if that is the case? Definitely much more.
The beauty of using videos during your pitch will make the potential investors even more attentive. Isn’t the undivided attention of potential investors what you are looking for? Make your pitch effective by using explainer videos.
4. Craft a compelling introduction
It is something that you cannot afford to ignore. Regardless of how good your videos may be, if you fail to impress your audience at the first instance, there would not be much of a pitch left. The first impression is critical.
For that reason, your introduction should be able to grab the attention of potential investors. The first step will be to work on your first slides. That is where it all starts. This is the time to flaunt your company logo.
Once you get started, the next thing will be to come up with a killer elevator pitch. It doesn’t have to be too long. A paragraph will be more than enough to send out your message. The story of your company is something that you might want to touch on at this point.
5. Help the investors understand the business opportunity
In this section, there are things you need to take care of. That is, the existing problem, solution and the market. The point here is to convince your audience that there is a problem that is existing. You will also be required to convince the investors that you have the antidote to this problem.
On telling them that you have a solution, you will have a task ahead of you. That is, to show them how your service or product would offer the best solution. On that, you will need to outline the benefits of this product clearly. You also need to spell out the benefits of your product and the size of the market that you intend to serve.
6. Outline your business model
Spelling out the benefits of your products and outlining your business model are two different things. Here, you will not have much to say. You will explain using a few words how the model has been able to work to solve a particular problem. A good trick is to use visuals to make a simple and interesting presentation.
7. Tell them why you strongly feel that you can take over the market
For investors to ride for you, you need to convince them that you will bring them the market. It is the time to spell out your worth. You need to convince them that picking you over any other entrepreneurs seeking a helping hand would be best for them.
It is the part where you need to unleash all your confidence. You have to show the investors that you believe in yourself for them to believe in you. Show them why your product is unique.
8. Talk about yourself
Your job is not yet over if you have not told the investors who you are. It may also include your team if you are not working alone. The investors need to know who they will be dealing with. Also, this is not a part to gamble with.
Remember that you mentioned that your product or service best fits as the solution to an existing problem. It is now time to explain why you are the person it takes to implement the idea. The goal here is to win the hearts of your investors and incorporate them into your time. Flaunt your skills, qualifications and your best attributes without fear.
9. Make your intentions clear
Do not be shy about anything. Especially after all the work you have put in coming up with an amazing idea and a great presentation. What do you intend to get from pitching your idea to the investors? Do you need a partnership? Is it funds that you need?
You need to be able to ask the investors for what you want. Remember always to uphold confidence. Being able to stand up for what you need also speaks volume about you as an individual. The confidence depicted at this time will also be able to make the investors confident about working with you. As you are getting clear about what you want, you also need to speak about the terms involved.
10. Make it concise
It is a pro tip! You need to make it brief. Do not bore the investors with endless stories. You are allowed to engage them, yes, but do not waste too much time on unnecessary things.
Use the shortest time possible to communicate. Also, do not make it too short such that your audience leave the table without understanding a single thing you talked about. If you feel that there might be something that may be unclear, be kind enough to give room for questions which you should respond to adequately.
11. Prepare for counter questions
Talking of a Q&A session, it is important to note that you will have to deal with a lot of questions. There is no promise that they will be a piece of cake. What that tells you is that you need to have a deep comprehension of your idea and be ready to answer all the questions that will be posed.
Also, objections will be the other thing you will have to face. Do not let them discourage you. How you tackle the two will determine whether or not you will win the hearts of the investors. Do plenty of practice.
If you have co-workers, it is essential to also adequately prepare them. They might even have to face some of the questions. Lack of preparedness and lack of confidence that results from not being ready will be a setback.
Conclusion
Well, staring a business does not always mean starting from scratch. With the rise of the information age, entrepreneurs have plenty of access to doing what they love most: being innovative as they run their businesses.
M and A opportunities for sale can be counted as opportunities for an entrepreneur to grow their business. Talking of opportunities, as an entrepreneur, it is something that you always anticipate; however, when you will stumble upon one is still uncertain.
For attracting investments, you need to possess certain traits. And you should be prepared well ahead. You might have an excellent idea, but lack of confidence and preparation may lead to the investor not trusting you to actualize it. Follow the guidelines provided, and you can rest assured that you will have the investors on board.
Article written by Dancun.
Proudly associated with the NSBC.