Starting a business is not for the faint-hearted. Once you are up and running, you always have to look to the future to secure your business’s success as you look to grow from a start-up to an SME. You may also float it on the stock market after many years of hard work.
Getting investors to buy into your business can be difficult. Understandably, investors are looking for companies that are more likely than not to give them a good return. Investing is always a risk, and many investors are not risk-averse, but they do need to be as sure as possible that they are on to a good thing.
Plan to attract investment
When you are starting out, your business plan is the key tool for attracting investment. That will often initially come from a bank or from private sources. It is not just about the financial projections, though those are obviously crucial. You need to demonstrate how your business will be run, what it plans to do for marketing and management, and how you envisage it growing in the future.
You cannot rush it, but by having these building blocks in place you will engender confidence in those who might want to invest in you. Strategic planning shows that you understand how the business world works, and that you are able to think and plan in a way that will make your business a success. That is what investors are drawn to.
Making investment decisions
You need to be aware that not all investors necessarily have the best of motives for your business. It is natural for investors to want to make money from your work – after all, they have usually been there and done it for themselves – but you need it to work for both parties.
Negotiating investment deals can be difficult if you are not certain about exactly how it may work, who gets the major benefits, and if there are strings attached to the investment that you have not picked-up on. For example, an investor may offer a considerable amount of backing to enable you to grow and develop your business, but could ask for a large percentage of it in return. You need to weigh up that type of support, the benefits it could bring, and the potential loss of some control over it.
Getting advice
Whether you are starting up or in the throes of working on growing your business, there is no substitute for good investment advice. This is where you need to seriously consider taking such advice from a financial professional who has wide experience and understands the world of investment.
Pete Briger is one of the investment specialists who could give you that advice and support as you look to the future for your business. Pete Briger’s CV notes his long-term work with Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks, and his experience there led him to join Fortress Investment Group in 2002. Fortress Investment is a major global investment manager, and Pete Briger’s knowledge of the investment field could help you make sensible and profitable investment decisions.
Investors and issues
There are investors who are interested in new and radical companies, sometimes known as angel investors, especially in those companies pursuing green and ecological policies. If that is where you are, then professional advice can help match you with an appropriate investor where you can work through what will be favourable to both of you.
Look long-term
Whatever you need, there is someone out there who can help you fund what you want. Take sound advice. This will ensure that they will be supporting your business because they believe in it, and not simply for short-term gain.
