Unhelpful git
#CapitalAtRisk
Periodically passive
What if you’ve invested in a startup and you can’t help them?
Investors are always banging on about their ‘value-add’, or being ‘more than just money’. Network, expertise, operations — these are all things that investors say they can help with. Those things are indeed helpful, but investors over-hype what they can do and the best founders know it.
I’ve written before how it’s easy to find the merely good startups and help them become a bit better — and that’s certainly good for the ego.
But in seeking to invest in the very best there’ll come a time when you invest in a great startup and you can’t really help them that much. At least initially, that might not feel so good.
However, if you’re looking to invest in the best startups and get the best returns then the chances are that the founders starting those companies are much better than you1. This is wonderful.
So don’t worry if you can’t help, that might actually one of the best signals of all.
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
The book in the picture also allows me to share one of my favourite quotes. In ‘Be the worst you can be’ Charles is asked what he thinks about awards and says, “All anybody needs to know about prizes is that Mozart never won one.”