Not all businesses require investors, but if yours does because you want it to grow more quickly, you can’t keep up with demand, or if you can see that it will be much bigger than you can handle on your own, you will need to be able to impress those who might invest their money with you.
When you are meeting with investors, you have only one chance to get your pitch right and to let them know why they should give you their money and not invest it elsewhere. This is why you need to be completely prepared beforehand. Here are some tips so that you will be prepared and ready to be a success.
Know Your Figures
What investors are going to be most interested in is the financial aspect of your business. Indeed, they may also love what you do – in fact, it certainly helps – but this is not the only reason they will invest. They need to know that they are going to make a return on this investment; this is how they make money, and they won’t want to lose.
You will need to know your figures if you are going to impress potential business investors and prove to them that their money will grow if they put it into your business. You will, therefore, need to be sure of:
- How much your goods cost to buy
- What your margins are
- How much profit you can make
- What your other outgoings are
- What potential growth there is and over how long
Knowing these figures will help your investor not only to decide whether it is worth them investing with you but also to see that you understand your business and business in general.
Show Them You’re Serious
An investor will need to know you’re serious about your business before they will invest. The last thing they want to do is give you the money you have been looking for only to find that you grow tired of this business and want to move onto something else. If you can show them that you are serious about what you are doing and that you have gone to great lengths to get it this far, they will be more comfortable investing.
One way to show how serious you are is to have a professional website. Investing in this and having web design Alcester experts create it for you is proof that you aren’t going to give up and do something else any time soon. Your website is also a great way to showcase what you do and is, therefore, an easy place to direct potential investors if they want to see exactly what it is you do. Make sure it is up to date and contains all the relevant information they will need to see.
Prove That You’re Different
It is relatively easy to set up a business these days thanks to technology. The fact that jobs are sometimes difficult to come by is another reason why many new businesses are being created; people are making jobs for themselves.
You will need to show any potential investor that you are not only different, but better than your competitors. Show them what problem you are solving and how your business is solving it, for example. You can also show them evidence that you are an expert in your field, making your business the one that people are more likely to come to.