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Five Points To Remember Before An Investor Meeting

By Gurmanpreet | December 21, 2022

What if you wake up one day and have all the money to fund your dream business idea? Unfortunately, financing a startup business isn’t that easy. You can take out all your savings or borrow money from friends and family. However, investors have more experience, resources, and, most importantly, access to more capital. 

These investors and venture capitalists can sit with you to decide whether you’re a good candidate. If you don’t make a positive impact, you may have to walk away empty-handed. Accurate preparation for investor meetings can help you feel more confident and increase your possibility of achieving success.

What is an investor meeting?

It is a presentation of your business plan to a financer or investor to obtain funding. After receiving funds, you may have to hold regular meetings with your financier, focusing on your company’s performance, plans and projections, and how to use the investment funds.

Here are five tips that can increase your chances of a positive outcome and enhance your confidence during investor meetings:

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1. Research about investors – Some entrepreneurs turn to every possible investor. Not all of them will invest in every business; some may be interested in a particular business sector. While searching for any investor benefits you, it can also waste your valuable time.

Most investors and capitalists specialize in certain types of businesses. They may be interested in specific industries or companies at a particular stage of development, those that yield good returns, and more.

Avoid getting tangled down unnecessarily by chasing investors who may not be interested in your business plan. Learning about investors through their websites, social media platforms, and other sources is good. 

Pay attention to their current portfolio and get an idea of their background, investment preferences, successes, failures, interests, and more. However, micro loan app like Lendee make it simple to get small loans in one place. 

Contacting other entrepreneurs who have tried to obtain capital from them is also helpful. The more information you can get about them, the greater your chances of success. 

Remember that some investors also bring experience, influence, market knowledge, and other perks.

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2. Prepare a business plan – A good investor wants to review your business plan before meeting you. Your written plan needs to be appealing and in a language, they want to hear.

An executive summary highlights the relevant facts about your company, products and services, vision statement, and target market. You must have a thorough understanding of the size and demographics of your market. You must also explain your value and why you are a better option than others.

Investors are interested in the outcome of your business plans and care about making a profit. Your business plan should outline the key milestones you plan to achieve over the next 18 months with the help of investor capital. You must state this information concisely and discuss it during an investor presentation.

While you want to positively present your potential return on investment (ROI), it should also be realistic. Your potential investor wants to hear about your well-articulated growth strategy, not just a list of projected numbers. Although numbers play a crucial role in the meeting, they should be accurate and realistic.

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3. Practice presentation pitch – You can use a well-rehearsed, persuasive speech to spark the interest of investors in your startup. Ensure it’s more detailed and sales-oriented than the business plan.

Consider using images, animations, and graphs on a slide show presentation to bring your pitch to life. In your business pitch and summary, dive deep into your business’s history and how it will benefit the investor’s money. 

The total length of the presentation should be less than 30 minutes, and you should present each slide accurately within one to two minutes. Use your presentation slides as a support to your verbal explanation. Investors may lose interest in your presentation if you stretch your points unnecessarily.

Some investors may interrupt you frequently to ask questions; do not let this shake you. You should know your material well enough to speak confidently about it without memorizing the speech. 

Try to keep the meeting structured and professional. Investors assess this aspect of the forum, which can impact the chances of your success. 

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4. Define your requirements – Before meeting the investor, you must know how much money you want. If you request too little, you may not have the resources to grow your business effectively. The ideal amount can fund your plans for the next 18 months.

Don’t ask for less money than you need just because you believe investors will be less inclined to reject your request. Clearly state how the funds are required for the assets, resources, equipment, hiring, and more to expand your business.

In addition, explain what you think is an appropriate allocation of equity for their investment and how you arrived at that figure. Even if the division is fair, you should keep your maximum share.

When your income potential is limited, you may lose motivation while working, which may have consequences. You should always know what your bottom line is before you enter a meeting so you can make decisions on the spot.

5. Prepare for questions – Since investors need to be careful with their money, they will ask many questions. They will scrutinize everything, from your business plan to your credentials. If you are well-prepared, it won’t be that hard for you to answer their questions.

They can ask you what makes your startup better than others and questions about your growth potential. Consider some of the most challenging questions an investor might ask you and prepare to answer them.

Some investors can give you suggestions, and you should stay open to their advice. Listen to their insights with a smile and show them that you are receptive to the knowledge they bring.

Your first investor meeting may go differently than you had imagined, but remember that each forum is a learning experience that can help you grow. Take notes after each session and brainstorm what you can improve for your next meeting. 

You can get success after several attempts, but your knowledge and confidence level will certainly increase. Eventually, you’ll have a successful investor meeting after learning each time.

Conclusion 

Investor meetings can often be intimidating. Sending a ‘thank you’ message to the meeting participants is an excellent way to end. You can include a meeting summary in your email mentioning the agenda, any notes, follow-up questions, and the next steps. 

But eventually, an investor meeting is like any other meeting, a formal discussion among people. 

Preparing yourself can ensure you’re putting your best foot forward for this chance. Prepare yourself for a productive and successful investor meeting by following our tips. You don’t need to find investors separately and reach out to them individually. 

Lendee can help you raise a loan request on one seamless interface and connect with multiple investors in one place.

It’s a money-borrowing app for small businesses looking to get help instantly. You can send your proposal and share supporting documents to improve your chances of getting approved quickly. One of the biggest perks of getting a small business loan on Lendee is that you can improve your credit score since it reports your payment activities to the credit bureaus. 

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