Trip to Brisbane

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I’m in Brisbane the next few days for a conference. Since I was already in town, I scheduled coffees with a couple of old contacts.

The first one was with someone who I think might be really useful on my future board of directors. She didn’t know that was partially why I wanted to meet with her until then. After all, I really don’t have much to offer her in exchange for her time and advice yet. Still, it was worth having that conversation early to give us both time to think about her potential contributions for the future.

The other person was an old contact from my last job. He’s a successful entrepreneur himself, and it was good to test my product ideas with him, as well as ask for advice about picking the right investors. It was ironic when he recommended my Manufacturer #1 to me without any promptings as he has done business with them before. Small world.

It doesn’t look like my schedule this trip will align with Manufacturer #1 to see their factory, but it was good that my friend also endorsed me to them – saying that I was serious and “not just kicking the tires on this idea.”

My friend also introduced me to someone who appears to be the founder of a social impact accelerator. I can’t tell if it’s only for Brisbane, but it does seem to be a fairly mature group. In any case, I’m always happy to gain more advice about attracting investors to my social enterprise. So, we’ll try to meet in the next few days.

Investors advice from friends

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Spoke to three female friends today who gave me some good advice about financing my business. One’s a successful entrepreneur who has built and sold a company. One’s an investment banker. And one’s been in the angel investing / start-up world for as long as I’ve known her.

It’s interesting to hear their different perspectives about the risks of taking external money. The big thing is the loss of control including the potential to lose the environmental mission if my investors’ values are not aligned with mine. I’m so lucky to have friends like these as supportive advisers too. I’m sure I’ll seek their advice again when I get closer to that decision point.

Moulds – first estimate costs for Product #2

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Received rough pricing estimates for the moulds of my “easiest” of three products (Product #2) from Manufacturer #1. Two options above the $30k mark with GST. Yikes! That’s expensive. The cheaper of the two ($9k difference) combines two parts into the same mould. The other option is for 2 separate moulds. I’m going to need to rethink my funding model. I could go broke with the moulds before I even have a product to sell.

Approved early design work to start for Product #3

Pitch to business accelerator

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Gave a business pitch to a bunch of mentors and investors at a local business accelerator. It was a really good experience, and it validated my business concept. The question now – what support do I need from them? Honestly, I’m not sure yet, though I know that I will eventually need some investor support.

When to say no for help

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Decided not to apply for the accelerator program which is due on Friday. I had my application pack ready, but with my business background and experience, I don’t know how much value I’ll get out of all the mandatory workshops, etc. Plus, the cost of entry (equity) is greater than I want to give in exchange right now.

A start-up like mine will appear nearly worthless when it has yet to make or sell one product. I’m not ready to exchange capital for investment dollars yet, but it would awesome if I can still hang out with these smart people and network. There will be a time in the future where I need more help, and hopefully my company is worth a bit more then.