Venture Capital Firms

Forget the Funding Fairy…Make Your Own Success Story in 2010

With 2010 right around the corner, and New Year's resolutions aplenty, isn't it time you got down to business and set up your own success story for the coming twelve months?

If you've been looking for funding for any length of time till now, you'll appreciate that these things don't just happen.

Festive miracles don't come around too often in the world of business, and unless you're holding out for a visit from the Funding Fairy, it's down to you to set the wheels in motion and get your proposition noticed in the New Year…

That means narrowing your VC shortlist, and re-doubling your efforts with appointment setting if funding success is your short-term goal.

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When all the chaos of hunting down, setting up and preparing for VC meetings simmers down, the most important element of securing funding is the proposition itself.

Without a solid, viable business proposal that represents value to the investor, there simply can't be any hope of getting an investor on board. It's the proposition that provides the hook for the investor (and their cash), and the cornerstone on which all your investment hopes are pinned.

But of course, if the proposition is inherent in your business model, there's very little you can do, shy of restructuring your entire concept…right?

Even with the determination and the will to spread the word, if the message isn't there, you're lost…right?

Thankfully, that isn't quite the full story.

The strength of your idea is seldom judged in a vacuum, and while the elevator pitch has its strengths, it's really only designed as a skeleton outline of your idea.

It's up to you to fill in the blanks, and create the right perception of your proposition to make sure it gets noticed.

Of the basic elements of raising funding, nothing is more important than your business plan, and it's within the business plan that you have the opportunity to change how your proposition is perceived by your VCs.

What makes your idea unique? How do the numbers stack up? What's your expertise? Where is the exit? What's the future of the market? How robust is your model?

VCs don't like to read self-indulgent waffle. Your business plan needs to be razored-focused, tailored to benefits – both for the investor, and the market space in which you look to occupy.

Cut out the flab and get your business plan down to the specific, laser pin-pointed facts, and you'll instantly make VCs more receptive to your proposal.

If you're an entrepreneur, odds are on that you're passionate about your business. Assuming your passion is well-founded and the facts stack up in your favor, the business plan is the best place to get your message out, and the only lasting impression you'll get once your funding meeting is over.

Sure, the pitch is important. Critical, in fact.

But the business plan is the central lasting component of your strive for funding, as well as the first significant impression you'll have the opportunity to make. On that basis, it pays to make sure you get it right.

Your executive summary should act as an at-a-glance view of the health of your business and your proposition, and should give any would-be investor a recap of the salient points from within your plan. This isn't the place to go into details, but make sure your executive summary is just that – a summary of your business proposition, listed bullet by bullet with easy to digest snippets of information. Remember, VCs are busy people, so the more you fit in with their way of doing things, the better.

A good idea can't fly without good people, and even the best of concepts can be executed poorly if the right person isn't at the helm. Use the business plan to sell yourself, your expertise, qualifications and knowledge – why are you uniquely placed to deliver on your plan, and provide the return on investment your investors so fundamentally crave?

So, if the Funding Fairy doesn't stop by this holiday season, take a serious look at your business plan, and hone your message to hit the investor hot buttons in 2010 and secure the funding you deserve.

Click here to download the VCgate Venture Capital, Angel Investors, and Private Investors Directory!

When you're ready to go with your new and improved slim-line, punch-packing business plan, VCGate can help set you on your way with one of the world's most comprehensive investor databases. With over 4300 investors segmented by industry and geography, you can focus your VC distribution network and make connections directly with the people that matter, thanks to the web's most powerful VC funding-assistant application.

Give VCGate a whirl for 2010 and make your New Year's resolution a reality.

Click here to download the VCgate Venture Capital, Angel Investors, and Private Investors Directory!

To your success,

Amir

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