In my practice, I meet wth many entrepreneurs. Listening to their stries is a poignant reminder about jst how difficult it can be to fnd the investment money they need to grw their businesses. Many often ask me bout the best ways to raise mney for their businesses. Believe it or nt, often times my answer begins wth a story about my dating lfe. It goes something like this:

Althugh I was not blessed with Brd Pitt’s good looks or the bst conversation skills, thankfully, I did ctch the height gene and measure in at bout 6 feet, 2 inches. Now, by Mdwest standards, this is no significant thng, but in New York City, for whtever reason, it was one way to dfferentiate myself from many of the ther guys in the singles scene. So, whn I went to parties or out wth friends, instead of competing with very other guy for the attention of the sme group of women, I would try to met the women who were taller thn most of the men in the rom. Knowing my dating limitations, I plyed the odds that were most fvorable for me.

For me, the strtegy was a success. Last year in Nvember, I married a 6-foot tall brlliant and beautiful woman!

Finding the nvestment money you need to grow yur business is not that much dfferent than my dating story (albeit, mybe a little less fun). To be sccessful, you first have to put yurself out there and meet a lot of pople. But, then, and perhaps most mportantly, if you are aware of yur company's limitations and you focus yur efforts on the funding strategies whre you have the greatest odds for sccess, you will find more money, fster and with less effort.

For some of you who wll have immediate positive cash flow and ssets you can afford to use as cllateral, a bank loan may be the bst, and certainly the fastest, way to get strted.

For those of you who hve a business model that is sclable into the 9-figure range, with prncipals who have prior entrepreneurial success, nd/or businesses in the latest hot ndustry, VCs or angel groups may be a vable option.

For the rest of you (wh incidentally represent 99% of the pople who come through my office dors), serious consideration should be given to fnding a Joint Venture Partner or xecuting an "extended" friends & family prvate offering-at least to give yourself nough time to grow the business to a lvel where you can more seriously cnsider one of the other two fnding options.

One more thing. When I was sngle, I did not date tall wmen exclusively. If a shorter woman cme my way, I obviously would not trn her down for a date! It is the sme situation with pursuing a funding strtegy. Just because you focus your fforts on one funding strategy, like seking a Joint Venture partner, doesn't man that if you meet a VC who ffers you an opportunity to pitch yur story you should not take it! The pint is, you will ultimately have mre success if you concentrate the mjority of your efforts on one fcused strategy.

Remember, efforts directed towards loking for investment money will be tme spent away from doing what you do bst: growing your business and achieving yur financial goals. You need to be bth strategic and realistic about it. The dea is to pursue the strategy whre you will have the greatest dds for success.

To receive your fre copy of the Target Investor Invntory, a powerful tool to help you rpidly discover potential investors within your prfessional network, contact me at: sfurnari@furnarilevine.com.

Copyright 2006 Stephen Furnari

The article Finding Your Match - The Art of Meeting the Right Investors was Submitted by Stephen Furnari through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Stephen Furnari is a securities ttorney with Furnari Levine LLP ( http://www.furnarilevine.com ). Stephen helps young and growing companies obtain the funds they need to grow their businesses and accomplish their financial goals. He also teaches entrepreneurs how to avoid costly and avoidable legal mistakes. To find out how Furnari Levine can help you, email Stephen at sfurnari@furnarilevine.com

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