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3 Seldom-Used Ways to Get Investors


00:00:08hi I’m Evan Carmichael and welcome to a

00:00:10special edition of ask Evan normally I

00:00:13shoot these videos in my hometown of

00:00:15Toronto Ontario but today we’re in seat

00:00:17John New Brunswick for a special edition

00:00:19this video is brought to you by American

00:00:21Express they’ve just launched a new

00:00:23Facebook page called timex mrs. canada

00:00:25you guys have like the videos I’ve done

00:00:26in the past please go check out their

00:00:28site I’m gonna include the link below

00:00:29today I’m going to answer question from

00:00:31one of our readers minutes who is asking

00:00:33about how to raise capital how to write

00:00:35a business plan and how to convince

00:00:37investors to put money into your

00:00:38business so vintage specific question

00:00:43was D reven the problem for me is that

00:00:46I’m an undergraduate and my total

00:00:47experience is approximately 24 months

00:00:50the biggest problem for me is to make a

00:00:52business plan for investors and then

00:00:54convince them about my capability have a

00:00:56great day and thanks again for the

00:00:58information regards vinit so thanks that

00:01:00much and VIN it here are my thoughts for

00:01:02you

00:01:04number one get some sales before I

00:01:08started on my car Michael calm I was in

00:01:10the venture capital business and looked

00:01:11up more business plans than I can

00:01:13remember most business plans get

00:01:15rejected right on the spot and you don’t

00:01:17get a chance to even come in and present

00:01:19your case these plans might have been

00:01:21fully written the idea might have been

00:01:23interesting enough but we had serious

00:01:25doubts about the entrepreneurs

00:01:26capability of being able to make this a

00:01:28success one of the best ways to stand

00:01:31out from everyone else is to achieve

00:01:32sales just get one person to buy from

00:01:35you and show investors that people are

00:01:37willing to actually pay you for what you

00:01:39do and you’ll separate yourself from

00:01:41ninety percent of the other

00:01:42entrepreneurs who are pitching their

00:01:44ideas you don’t have to be making a lot

00:01:46of money but proof that someone is

00:01:48willing to buy your products or services

00:01:50is a great first step to establishing

00:01:52credibility with potential investors

00:01:55number to build an advisory board after

00:01:59the executive summary one of the first

00:02:01places and investor will turn to in your

00:02:03business plan is your management team

00:02:05they want to know who they are

00:02:07potentially investing in and what kind

00:02:09of experience you have the less

00:02:11experienced you and your team have the

00:02:13harder it will be to convince investors

00:02:15to give you money one way around this is

00:02:18to build an advisory board talk to

00:02:20people who do have experience and ask

00:02:22them if they’d be willing to be your

00:02:24advisors they’re not liable like they

00:02:27would be if they were on your board of

00:02:28directors and the compensation for their

00:02:30advice is up to you often advisers are

00:02:33willing to join because they are excited

00:02:35about the future of your company and

00:02:36they don’t ask for any immediate

00:02:38compensation being able to show that you

00:02:41have a solid team advisors will go a

00:02:43long way to boost in your credibility

00:02:44and increase the chances of you getting

00:02:46the money you’re looking for

00:02:49number three pass the grandmother test

00:02:51there’s an expression within the venture

00:02:54capital industry around if your

00:02:55executive summary and business plan

00:02:57passes the grandmother test in other

00:02:59words would your grandmother understand

00:03:01the opportunity if you gave your

00:03:03business plan to her remember that most

00:03:05inventors are generalists they’ll know a

00:03:07little bit about your industry but they

00:03:09won’t know it as well as you do too many

00:03:11entrepreneurs fill their business plans

00:03:13with jargon complex industry terms and

00:03:15text speak so much so that investors

00:03:17have a hard time understanding what

00:03:19their companies are all about if an

00:03:21investor can’t read your executive

00:03:23summary once and immediately understand

00:03:25what the opportunity is then your

00:03:27business plan is going straight into the

00:03:28garbage and they’re moving on to the

00:03:30next opportunity make sure you show your

00:03:32plan the people who do not know your

00:03:34market and see if they can understand it

00:03:36before you start Christian investors

00:03:38pass the grandmother test I hope that

00:03:42helps VIN it remember if you want to

00:03:44improve the chances of investors putting

00:03:46money into your business and improve

00:03:47your credibility with them go get some

00:03:50sales build the advisory board and pass

00:03:52the grandmother tests if you guys liked

00:03:54the video please remember what’s brought

00:03:56to you by i’m extra business canada’s

00:03:57facebook page check it out include a

00:03:59link below I’d also love to hear your

00:04:01thoughts and feedback if you want to

00:04:02leave a comment below the video and stay

00:04:04tuned to the next episode