Presenting Your Business Plan to an Angel Investor


By Lance Winslow


When presenting your business plan to an angel investor you must understand that they will be very interested in your spreadsheets and proformas, but you must also realize that it is typically an entrepreneurial optimistic approach, which causes problems with proformas.

Therefore, you should have dueling spreadsheets; that is to say the spreadsheets, which take your best guess and double the time, double the expenses to compete with your optimistic approach. You should be able to present both of these to your Angel Investor; who chances are is a retired business person with a little bit of financial savvy.

This will show your Angel Investor that you indeed are a rational thinker and concerned about the money as well as the truth. If the Angel Investor cannot trust you your chances of being funded are nil. An angel investor is betting on the jockey not only the horse. As an entrepreneur you must be honest with yourself as well as your financial partner.

They want to make sure you believe in what you are doing and that you also have risked your own capital, time and energies into the new business. Angel investors want you to succeed and often they also like to give their input and if you end up taking their money for your startup, the need to realize that their input needs to be taken seriously.

Angel Investors are typically much better investors for a long-term business plan that Venture Capitalists, although they do not come usually with the incredible network to help you succeed. Venture Capitalists are more interested in themselves and making money on their investment then what you get out of it or the future of the business with you in it. An angel investor is interested in you, the future of the business and the possibility of making a whole lot of money on their investment. Please consider all this when presenting your business plan to an Angel Investor.


More Resources

Angel Investors: 7 Online Business Plan Scams and 1 Real Deal
We've all seen the hype: "We'll put your plan in front of thousands of investors!" "We'll write you an award-winning online business plan!" "Only $3,000 for thousands of investors to learn about your company!"I cringe every time I see one of these ads. Vultures are preying on honest business people who want to fund their businesses.
The Entrepreneurs Dilemma
In business, you plan to protect your inventory, your unique ideas and approach, and your money. It's easy to replenish inventory, come up with new ideas and make more money.
3 Essential Elements of Operating a Successful Business
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live your dream? A good place to start would be to recognize that there are three elements, and only three elements, that separate success from failure. If you exercise one of the elements, you might just be successful.
Do You Want to Just Survive or Thrive? (Part 1)
You've probably heard this, or maybe you will relate to this personally. Have you ever arrived somewhere and wondered, "How did I get here?" or "Why am I here?"Have you ever wondered if you've missed the boat (with your family on it)?Life is a battle that must be fought if there is to be a favorable outcome for you, as well as those around you that count the most.
Learn how to Compress Time
In the popular 1980's movie "Dune," man learned that by "folding space" the distance between two points shortened and he could cover those distances faster. Around 1995, we found a substance that could bend time in the business community -- it was called Venture Capital.
Business Is No Guarantee of Riches
Q: I'm thinking about starting a business since that seems to be how most rich people get rich. I don't have any business experience or much money, but I'm a fast learner and have lots of energy.
Business Startup Checklist
Use this comprehensive checklist to plan each step of your new business and transform your dream of entrepreneurship into reality. These steps may not necessarily be completed in the order listed, however, you can use them as a guideline for completing all of the necessary business startup tasks.
Identifying the Right Venture Capital Firm Partner
Venture capital firms are comprised of individual partners. These partners make investment decisions and typically take a seat on each portfolio company's Board.
Motivation and Commitment
Why do people start small businesses? The most frequently cited motivation for business start-ups is to allow the entrepreneur to achieve independence; money is secondary. Is this surprising? The other reasons named most often are that an opportunity presented itself, a person took over the family business, or the person simply wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Success Secret - How To Find Million Dollar Opportunities
They're really are powerful million dollar opportunites everywhere.Ok, let me explain.
Your Company Needs A Mission Statement; Make It Count
Does anyone remember that book "Built to Last" done y the Stanford class and professor? Well change that to "Built to Merge." My grandfather was personal friends with Bill Hewlett and David Packard and I bet they would not have wanted this merger with Compaq either.
Entrepreneurship: Insight and Closer Look At The Entrepreneur
Life as an entrepreneur is the American Dream. To be able to be your own boss, own your own business, never report to anyone else, work from home, make unlimited earnings and income potential, etc.
Work On, Not In Your Business
Are you busy? Everyone's busy! Ask anyone they'll tell you how busy they are. But how many people are accomplishing real results?In your small business, it's easy to get buried in the myriad activities that demand your attention each day.
Before the Business Plan
Purveyors of conventional wisdom would have you believe that the very first thing you ought to do when setting up a new business is to create a business plan.It doesn't matter whether you are selling odds and ends on eBay from your living room or something larger and more complex,Business plans are excellent and necessary.
Mobile Car Washing Long Term Opportunities in the Market
The long-term outlook for the Mobile Car Washing industry is positive. It is ripe for savvy company to develop regionally or nationally to dominate the market.
An Entrepreneur Is
An entrepreneur is an innovator. She sees a need in the marketplace and creates something new to fulfill that need or improves upon an existing mechanism that already fulfills that need.
Great Tips Of Choosing An Office
You have decided to strike it out on your own and set up a business consultancy. Chances are you want to look at getting your own office premises.
Entrepreneurs: Benefits vs. Features-Know the Difference!
Entrepreneurs know their business. They know their product, their service.
Designing a Comprehensive Franchise Company Computer System
One of the most important management tools a franchised company needs is a great computer system. The system must integrate with all the franchised outlets and also be able to interface with the Corporate HQ computer system.
Which Niche To Conquer?
I'm sure that you've heard about how many start up companies fail when they first begin, and the reason that most (if not all) of their failures is because they don't create a good fountain to build on.If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time.

More Entrepreneurialism Information:

Related Articles

Does It Really Take Money To Make Money (Online or Offline)? A Reality-Check of 2 Case Studies
The short and simple answer to this question is NO!Now, before you start screaming that I am crazy, out of my mind, have lost my marbles and all the other things that generally get tossed around when someone has the nerve to state something like that, let me clear a few things up.It does not take a monetary investment to get your business off the ground (aside from the everyday items you already have around your house).
Be an Entrepreneur
The Department of Labor predicts that the #1 employer in 2010 will be "self." A recent Internet poll of 25-44 year olds revealed that 90% of them hoped to own their own business.
Solo Mojo for Solo Entrepreneurs --- Where's Your Juice?
I recently read a magazine article about Andrew, a 42-year old businessman. He gave up a demanding law practice in the Northeast, moved South to launch a new furniture and interior-design store, and wrote his first fiction novel in the midst of that transition.
A Dorm Room With A View
As a senior in high school, he paid cash for a BMW with money made by selling newspapers. In 1983, as a college freshman, he sold custom-made PCs and parts out of his dorm room?hiding them behind his roommate's shower curtain whenever Mom and Dad visited.
The History of the Franchise Business - Learning about Business Opportunities by Looking at the Past
Hair care has been around as long as humans have been on the planet. The earliest record of personal hair care dates back 2.
Motivation and Commitment
Why do people start small businesses? The most frequently cited motivation for business start-ups is to allow the entrepreneur to achieve independence; money is secondary. Is this surprising? The other reasons named most often are that an opportunity presented itself, a person took over the family business, or the person simply wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Find Out If You WILL Be Successful As a Franchisee?
Will I be successful as a franchisee?One of the soundest pieces of advice to take when considering becoming a franchisee is to 'Assess Yourself'. Assess whether you can accept direction.
Outcomes - Thats What You Need to Focus On
Successful business owners and managers need to be veryclear about what outcomes they want. Whether you call them goals, objectives or targets, theseare the factors that you're ultimately judged on.
Corporate Espionage in Franchising
Franchising Trade Journals do not do well, because today with all the industry regulations only about 1800 active franchise actually exist in the US. Down sharply over the past five years.
The 5 Senses of an Entrepreneur
If you have seen me speak you will know that I believe the word 'entrepreneur' is used way too much these days. People seem to wear it as a badge instead of just getting out there and doing entrepreneurial things.
Work vs Play: Which is the Better Way to Make Big Money?
If you want to make big money, you have to play not to work."What do you mean by that?" You ask.
Entrepreneurial Traits that Drive Sales
Frequently overlooked and hidden deep within our marketing tool box is the ultimate marketing vehicle for your business - you! Many small business owners are so busy figuring out how to increase sales and revenue they forget to grow themselves as business owners. If you aren't evolving yourself, aren't you being counterproductive to your business development? Marketing our businesses isn't just about what ads to buy or what networking event to go to next; it's about us as people, as entrepreneurs.
Six Steps to Guarantee Your Business Success
Many of us slave away for years for one uninspiring company after another and dream of the day when we can sack the boss and go it alone.If you're contemplating starting your own business then I'm here cheering you on from the sidelines because the best decision I ever made was to walk away from my well paid but oh so frustratingly boring job and start my own business from scratch.
Entrepreneurship as Your Passion
Entrepreneurship has been my passion for as long as I can commit to memory to learning how to type, and that started in 5th grade! Strangely enough, I wasn't raised around lots of business owners growing up in New Jersey nor surrounded by many business-minded individuals.Initially, my passion was expressed through the notion that extra money can be made while working a corporate job.
Oil Change Guys History; Part I
How do franchise companies come to be? How do they start. What type of a person or entrepreneur becomes a franchisor? Below is the story of how one small company became a franchisor in the mobile oil change business.
Learn how to Compress Time
In the popular 1980's movie "Dune," man learned that by "folding space" the distance between two points shortened and he could cover those distances faster. Around 1995, we found a substance that could bend time in the business community -- it was called Venture Capital.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Isn't enthusiasm a good thing? Aren't we urged to be enthusiasticabout what we do? To be committed?We are..
Business Start Up Tips From Some Hearty Entrepreneurs
When's the last time someone asked you: "What's new?"If you're starting or growing a business, an e-business, or a web site, the answer is: "Everything!" - especially on the inside.Face it, launching a new enterprise - or taking it to the next level - can sometimes feel scary and overwhelming.
Selecting a Venture
The basic rule is simple: "Find a market need and fill it!" The process of finding the need, and the method chosen to fill it are where the difficulties arise.Based on our opportunity scan, does the market need a product or service that is not currently being provided? Is there a needed product or service currently being provided in a less than satisfactory way? Is some particular market being underserved due to capacity shortages or location gaps? Can we serve any of these needs with some competitive advantage?Remember that a business idea is not a business opportunity until it is evaluated objectively and judged to be feasible.
Vendor Relations
Communication is the key to vendor relations. In your small business, you will be in need of many products and services.