Seed Money

Coming up with a brilliant business idea and sharing it with the world.   Raising money and getting investors to fund said brilliant idea.   Getting your first customers and crossing the profitability line.   These are all stops along the entrepreneurial journey. Each of them can be hard enough to make you want to throw in the towel and go back to corporate life.   Not to mention the imposter synd...

In order to get funding for our businesses, we have to find and pitch to investors. Sounds easier said than done, right? This is one of the most nerve wracking and challenging steps you'll take, but it is worth it.   If you put yourself there and talk to enough people, you will get the funding you need. Even if you're an introvert. Even if you hate networking. Even if you don't have a large list o...

Before we can go out and raise money for our businesses, there are things we need to have dialed in. The idea, the numbers, our pitch and the investors we're going after. This stuff is critical, but THE most important thing is the relationship we have with money.   Trying to raise money without dialing in our money mindset is a recipe for burnout, disappointment and regret. Being successful at fun...

When you know that you're an entrepreneur at heart but you're still working your W2 job, when do you jump ship? It's the age old question all aspiring business owners ask themselves.   On one hand, we can burn the boats and go all in on the business. You'll have way more time to dedicate to it and you can scale faster. Or you can get the business off the ground, build it up on the side and then qu...

If you're anything like me, being an entrepreneur appeals to you because you can design the life you want and enjoy a level of freedom you can't get from a 9-5. The problem is: a lot of us build businesses that end up creating more stress and eat away at the freedom we got into it for.   Finding a business that meets your lifestyle goals is ideal. For me, right now, real estate investing and short...

For entrepreneurs, running fast and charging hard comes with the territory. But that could be doing nothing but running us into the ground.   A lot of the things we think are "normal" parts of building and running businesses are actually signs of burnout. So many of us are stuck in that "wired and tired" mode and we don't even know that we're well over the limits of our health.   We can only live...

The playbook of raising money that people used to rely on has changed a lot over the last few years. Now that the market is more competitive and the pace of innovation is so much faster, what worked a decade ago won't produce the same results today.   Some of the best practices we were taught aren't as entrepreneur-friendly as we think. A lot of founders are taught to build something massive, aim...

When you build a business, you aren't just creating a product, you're also setting up a legal entity. The legal side of things can be daunting (and expensive), especially when you intend to raise capital in the near or far future.   Before you can even think of approaching investors, first-time founders have to make sure they have the legal ducks in the row, and that can be a costly exercise if do...

Fear is something everyone struggles with - whether you're trying to raise seed money or (believe it or not) a billionaire who has already had success. No wonder they call fear the final frontier!   We often focus on the tangible aspects of entrepreneurship, but the mental and emotional stuff play a huge role in our success. In fact, if we don't work on the intangibles, we reduce the effectiveness...

In the journey of starting a company, realizing that you need to raise money is par for the course. Maybe you need to test your product's viability, increase your stock, or grow your team…these steps require funding.   Venture capital is the path many entrepreneurs take, but there are actually 7 other ways to get the funding you need.   Each method has its pros and cons and suits different types o...

Raising money through investors is the default for growing a company, but it might not be the right move for everyone. Taking the VC route is like walking through a one-way door - once you make that decision it sets you on a specific trajectory.   That's why more entrepreneurs are being thoughtful about the decision, and even opting out of raising money the traditional way altogether. If we chase...

The process of raising money is as much a mental one as it is a financial one. Before we start finding and pitching to investors or even structuring our deals, there's a step we can't skip, working on our mindset.   There's no sugar-coating it - getting funded is one of the hardest things you'll do. You'll get told your idea doesn't doesn't work. You'll be told no a bunch of times, and you'll face...

The process of building a company, getting funded and bringing a product to market isn't just data-driven. It's gut-driven too. The numbers matter, but when you're building a product without market acceptance, you have to trust your intuition and persevere when you're told it won't work.   In many ways, taking an entrepreneurial risk is a lot like taking a creative risk. You have a vision not many...

Building a company, going on Shark Tank, raising $1 million dollars and working with Mark Cuban. Sounds like an entrepreneur's dream, right? Well, that's what I thought, until I walked away from it. It was the hardest decision I've ever made, but also the best one.   When you build your own company, it becomes an extension of you, so stepping away is no easy feat. But the longer I ran the business...

In the path to getting funding for your idea, meeting with investors is the most important checkpoint. You only have one shot at a first impression, so the more dialed in your presentation is, the more successful you'll be.   From pitch decks to financials, there's a ton of work that goes into preparing for that face-to-face with a potential funding source. We literally can't afford to show up wit...

The best products disrupt tired categories and breathe new life into done-to-death ideas, but is it still possible? Every year, there are fewer categories to disrupt, especially in clothing-based niches. How can you compete when people can easily buy knock-offs, dupes and cheap goods all over the internet?   By going premium, identifying an emerging customer base, making something "boring" cool an...

The world of seed funding runs on two currencies - money and connection. Investors aren't just paying attention to the financials, they are looking for a compelling story that makes them connect with us and then want to get on board. Crafting our story is a step we can't skip in the early stages of our businesses. The more clarity we have on it, the better we can convey it, and the easier it is to...

Early-stage fundraising may be a stressful stage in business, but it can also be the most invigorating and exciting time. The determination, drive, conviction, and guts it takes to get seed money is a powerful life force.    It's not just an opportunity to get the resources we need. It's a chance for investors to access your awesomeness, and absorb the infectious passion you have for your idea.   ...

Seed Money is where everyday people learn how to raise capital and get the funding you need to FINALLY turn your amazing idea into reality! Whatever your idea is.. product app real estate deal …or maybe you want to build or expand your small business… if you're struggling to get people to believe in your vision and you don't need a billion dollar deal in Silicon Valley, Seed Money will unlock the...