How to Find Angel Investors & Raise Capital for Your Business
As a founder cultivating "grit" is key to your business's success more than any other factor.
In 2016 I started my own company Ocean SF. Like most startups, in the beginning, it could not have been more exciting and fun and I lived and breathed it 24/7. What is also inherent to startups is the grind and this is where you must have what is the number one key indicator of success grit. Grit is not glamorous. It gets you up at 5 a.m., trashes your bank account, and makes you take low-paying jobs to buy more inventory. I made my first prototype in 2016 and it arrived from the Los Angeles Garment District that summer while I was competing in a sailboat race (the day the photo above was taken). At the time I took everything as a sign and its arrival before the gun went off for the start of the race felt prolific. It was a small tangerine orange merino wool mid-layer with my logo embroidered on the sleeve. It fit me perfectly. It fit everyone I knew perfectly. It was a huge success.
A few weeks later my husband died suddenly of a massive heart attack. This type of heart attack is called "The Widow Maker" and everything came undone around me. Ocean SF took a backseat as I sorted through the wreckage of my life and took care of my daughters then 15 and 17.
However, in 2018 I was able to bring in investors and keep Ocean SF alive. I raised $75,000 from three angels and was able to mill my own fabric of New Zealand merino wool in Indonesia. With $20,000 worth of fabric, my prototype, patterns, and markers, I started production in Los Angeles. Everything went wrong. Looking back although it looked bad it was actually the opposite. Things were falling apart, but in the end, they would all work out for the best. As the world around me reconfigured I never lost sight of my goals and dreams. This is how I did it:
- I woke up at 5 am every morning for six years.
- I had daily, monthly, and annual goals and tracked them every day.
- I disregarded how things looked and kept going.
- I didn't allow anyone to put me down or discourage me.
- I wrote blog posts, social media posts, and a column for a local newspaper. I did anything and everything I could to promote my brand.
- I saw signs along the way and took the help and assistance I needed without question.
- I prayed daily and sometimes hourly for help and guidance.
Nothing happens overnight. I raised $9,500 and then another $4,500 and then I closed a $50,000 investment while sitting on the bathroom floor of the catering company where I worked to make ends meet. I was wearing rubber gloves and had to peel them off to take the 11 a.m. call from my investor. I will never forget that moment.
Now, Ocean SF is a C corp and a viable brand. I had a recent call with a Venture Capital firm that reached out to me. In typical Sydney fashion, I took the call on my daughter's college sofa while visiting her for Moms Weekend. It was a Zoom call with the principal of a company that only makes $10 million dollar investments. Did I mention that he called me? Yes. It's amazing what grit and a little perseverance will do.
Love and blessings.
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