Think Like A Financier

As an entrepreneur you know that laser-like focus is what it takes to create something from nothing. Your relentless persistence often turns a “no” into a “maybe” and a “maybe” into a “yes.” Your ability to repeatedly muster the guts to take outrageous risks and ignore reality has been key to your success.

But that’s not enough when it comes to funding for your business. In fact, you often need to reverse your mindset and demonstrate your ability to be very realistic very quickly.

I’d love to tell you that financiers are eager supporters of entrepreneurs and can’t wait to write you a fat check. But this often isn’t the case. Cynicism and skepticism reign supreme. It’s hard to get a read on what those sitting across from you are really thinking. Remember the scene in Annie Hall when Woody Allen’s character is saying one thing to Diane Keaton’s character and thinking another. I am often in meetings where the financiers are saying one thing but their faces show something else. Once the meeting is over and the entrepreneurs are gone, they verbalize what their expressions meant....