So I’ve created a profile for Jawaya on AngelList.com, but alas, no angels, no action.
The guys behind it have been great to me, but I’m getting the feeling that I can’t just post the profile and expect something to happen.
Let’s see–name investors (check). Great advisors (check). Stellar Intergalactic Visionary Product (check). Video (nil).
But it’s the views–no views. I’m not getting passed over, it’s like we don’t exist.
Ah, so maybe there’s technique. Indeed, it turns out there is. There are ways to get a bit of attention, and I just need to work that, follow the recommendations, do the work, dig in, focus, do the work.
I realized that last week, after months of thinking about raising capital: it takes work. Of course it does. I need to package the company, idea, vision, passion, and make it easy for others to consume. We need to launch and get a bit of traction. Not a ton, but enough to show promise.
I get that. I always have–for other people. For myself, I’ve gotten a bit cozy with the idea that of course this will get funded. I left this part out: if you do the work.
Raising capital is like any sales pipeline: line up your prospects, make your calls, get your intros, do your meetings, move people through their decision process, meet them where they are, not where you want them to be, get your game on, get your shit together.
That was a great realization. And as soon as I realized I needed to follow my own advice, I felt better. A lot better. I started having fun. And doing the work, building the pipeline, getting the intros and the meetings, and filling my plate.
What a difference a simple change of worldview can bring.
Tomorrow I head to NYC. Tonight I have a school board meeting, so train time is going to have to suffice for coding and UI tweaks. Tomorrow and Friday I meet with a range of people including investors, friends, and other founders.
This is the part I really like–evangelizing, learning, winning people over, recovering from the rejection. I do hate the rejection–I want to win every time, which simply isn’t possible.
You just need to win enough, but I never seem to embrace that 🙂 Anyway, yes, the product needs to rock. In a few weeks, it absolutely will. But for now, I need to put some time and work into raising capital and all that entails. It will sharpen the saw, so to speak…extending the metaphor is pointless but I’ll just say we got lots of sawing to do 🙂 (ouch)