Every now and then I work with a startup that’s trying to raise money.
My question is always the same.
“Why?”
“To gain market share.”
“To be faster than our competitors.”
“To scale more quickly.”
“To go international.”
My follow-up question is always the same too.
“Why?”
Others say they should do it.
They want to grow the company.
They believe in it and don’t want to lose to competition.
Isn’t that what everyone does?
There are no right or wrong answers.
But I do think there are right and wrong reasons.
What the above answers have in common is that they don’t come from within.
My third question is always the same too.
“Why?”
The number of questions I have depends on the answers of the founder(s).
I’m not against raising money.
I’m against doing so for reasons that are not your own.
If you know why you’re getting it, how you want to use it and have a valid reason for it, go for it.
In situations like these I try to play the opposite side.
Because raising money is one way to grow.
But there are other ways too.
Rather than looking at what others are doing, I think it’s more important what you’re doing.
What is it you want to create?
Who do you want to serve?
How can you serve them better?
How can you serve more people?
How can you make these people advocates?
What is the business you want?
What is the scale you want?
What is the life you want?
What do you enjoy doing?
There are so many questions I think a founder should ask him- or herself.
Anything is possible in this world.
It takes vision, dedication, persistent effort and patience.
Have those in place and anything can be accomplished.
Just know what you want for yourself in life and what you want with your company.
As things grow and mature, responsibilities and roles change.
It’s inevitable.
You may enjoy this.
You may not.
Let your own ambition guide your decisions.
Not the ambition of others.
Not the ambition toward $$$.
The ambition toward life.