It's worse for them
#CapitalAtRisk
Late finish; Early start
Back in 2013 & 2014 when I opened and ran a coworking space in King’s Cross I slept on the sofa in the office at least once a week for the first 6 months. I worked late selling desk space and filling events so I got more sleep just crashing under a blanket on the sofa than getting a slow train home only to get up a few short hours later.
By putting in the work I filled the space and ran some terrific events. The greatest anxiety, though, was when, from time to time, people started to look up from their desks and ask if the wifi seemed OK... I tried different providers, different routers but still it sometimes went down. It felt like everyone would immediately and all at once pick up their stuff and walk out.
Thankfully no one actually walked out. As the founder I took the wifi wobbles much more seriously than anyone else. I felt the pressure and wanted to do a good job for my customers so it was worse for me, and rightly so.
It’s always worse for them
When things get hard, it’s always worse for the founder. The lost client, staff members defecting, an investment lead ghosting — these things will happen and can cause stress for everyone, but when push comes to shove the founder will feel it most. If they don’t then there’s a problem but as an angel investor you can be there to support them when the inevitable happens.
Angel investors: It’s how you first react that is most telling.
Founders: It’s how you bounce back that counts.
How will you react?
Important: None of these posts are investment advice. If you are thinking about investing you should seek the advice of a suitably qualified independent advisor.
#CapitalAtRisk