When it comes to getting a business off the ground there’s no shortage of options. Will you rely on your funds? Do you need to take a bank loan? Will you go through the traditional Series funding? Or would you rather use crowdfunding to finally take off? There are as many options to start a business as there are businesses themselves, and the above doesn’t even cover all of them.
That’s why today we’d like to introduce the idea of Angel Investors, and explain why they can be the push you are looking for to finally get your dream business running.
What are angel investors?
The easiest way to look at angel investors is to think of them as individuals who offer their funds to help get a company running instead of helping it grow. When we take a look at traditional series funding most private investors appear when a company is already offering some profits. And this makes sense from a business standpoint, people want to get profits back from their investments.
Angel Investors however choose to invest much earlier in the process, usually when a company hasn’t managed to get operational yet. This presents a huge opportunity for the original owners as it allows them to get projects running even if they are out of their budget. An angel investor provides funds very early on the natural cycle of a business, and this means a lot of projects that would usually be dismissed get a real opportunity to flourish.
Of course, investing isn’t a charity, and this comes with key advantages for the investor as well. First and foremost the investor usually will ask for partial ownership of the business, meaning they’ll have some control over it. And in general terms, if the company takes off they’ll see huge returns compared to their investment.
How to approach angel investors?
Nowadays approaching angel investors isn’t necessarily different from any other form of funding. If you have a great idea that needs funding you can look for online platforms that are specifically catered to help entrepreneurs like you, macdonald.ventures is one of these websites. Steve MacDonald has been an engle investor for countless successful businesses, and it all starts with his firm. So if you have the ideas but lack the means, you should go check his website and think about what you can offer to each other and how viable your project is.