RamsdenDesigns

Angel Investors

I mentioned in this post that I was looking for Angel Investors to help finance the start-up of my business. It seems like a good idea to explain what an Angel Investor is before going on because it’s not something that everyone knows about.

An Angel Investor is someone who is willing to provide capital for a business start-up or a business that needs extra finance to grow.Unlike a bank loan where there are monthly repayments that start from day one, repaying an Angel Investor can take other forms or different timelines. Some investors want dividends or a share in the business, and others just want a big return on their money after the business becomes profitable.

Angle Investment is the option between bank loans and borrowing from friends and family and they are a hugely diverse bunch. It’s not uncommon for an Angel Investor to be a business person who having run their own successful businesses is now looking to mentor a start-up company. Angel Investors range from CEOs with literally millions of dollars to invest to brick-layers or school teachers who have $5,000 to invest and could be looking to be silent partners, mentors or active participants in the company.

Getting Angel Investors to finance your business isn’t easy. The risks to the investor is very high as so many businesses fail in the first couple of years and they demand a high return on their investment. It’s also important to really respect the process and deliver not only a strong idea but a complete business plan and exit strategy.

There’s no guarantees in securing finance and I’m working on plans if it doesn’t happen for me but the least I can do is try.

Day 74 - 79

Taking such a long break between post wasn’t intentional. And I’ve actually had plenty to blog about but either the computer has been turned off or I’ve been out of town. My beloved computer has been shut down quite a few times this week. Thunderstorms make me very nervous and I get very protective of my delicate computer innards. Not that there has been much storming going on. The weather seems very undecided at the moment, does it want to rain or not? Yes, no, no, yes. The weather appears to have dual personalities at the moment.

I also visited my in-laws for a couple of days too. I get home cooked meals that don’t include packet bases or premade salads from the supermarket. It’s a real treat.

Sunday is the Made on the Left market (it’s also on Saturday but as I won’t be there that day there’s little reason to go so I won’t mention it). I LOVE Made on the Left. It’s always packed, there’s always a great energy and it’s always held in a pub…every point is a bonus. So I’m busy getting things ready and planning the perfect display. I’ve no idea how much stock to take so have decided to take everything.

Product development wise I’m having fun dehydrating fruit which will be the toppers for a couple of my new design bath bombs.

Strawberries for my strawberry scented bath bombs and bananas for the banana split bombs. This is pre dehydration, obviously. I loved how they turned out too. Pics tomorrow…I promise.

I’m also taking the bold step of trying to find Angel Investors for launching my business into the retail market. It’s a confusing process and there are absolutely no guarantees but thought I’d blog about what I do so other interested crafters can gain some knowledge from it. Whether I get funding or not Big B and I are working on plans to get my business launched anyway. It’s almost as if I’m working on two separate business plans; one for if I get funding and the other for if I don’t. Obviously the non-funded version has a longer time line to launch and will most likely involve me getting a full-time job to fund everything but it feels good to know it’ll happen either way.

Tomorrow is my first proper business meeting to work on my business plan with my consulting agency. I’m very excited about that and have been working on my plan already but really need help in some areas. Like what’s a market analysis? And how do I find out who my exact target market is?