Here are 5 additional tangible ways you can add value as a small ticket investor:<\/span><\/p>\n1. Mentorship and Guidance<\/b><\/p>\n
As an angel investor, you most likely have expertise in a certain industry or field. When investing in a founder who is in a similar industry to you, offer your expertise and industry knowledge to the founders. Act as a mentor and provide guidance on strategic decision-making, product development, market analysis, and scaling the business. Share your experiences, successes, and failures, and help them avoid common pitfalls. This will make you invaluable as an investor and you would be surprised to hear how much founders value these insights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n2. Introductions and Networking<\/b><\/p>\n
We all have a network. One way to support founders beyond money is to leverage your network to connect founders with potential customers, partners, or other investors. Introductions to key industry players or potential clients can significantly boost a startup’s growth prospects and support founders in their journey to becoming the next unicorn.<\/span><\/p>\n3. Operational Support<\/b><\/p>\n
Founders have a very limited amount of time and resources. Another way you can support founders is by providing hands-on assistance in day-to-day operations or specific areas where you have expertise. This could include marketing strategies, financial planning, recruitment, or optimizing internal processes. This is something founders would find invaluable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n4. Access to Resources<\/b><\/p>\n
As mentioned above, founders at the beginning of their journey are usually very resource constrained. By utilising your connections and resources to help the founders access necessary tools, software, or services you can significantly accelerate the startup’s growth. This can be done by offering or finding discounted or preferential rates for essential business services to the founder, which can significantly reduce their operating cost.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n5. Performance Tracking and Accountability:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Setting clear goals and milestones is essential for any startups and you\u2019d be surprised how often founders request your support by simply keeping them accountable. Make sure, however, not to overwhelm them constantly with requests or updates but offer your support and constructive feedback when appropriate to help them keep on track. This will help the founders stay focused and aligned with their growth objectives.<\/span><\/p>\nI hope this article teaches you that large sums don\u2019t make you an angel investor and that angel investing is not simply about money. There are many different ways to be a useful and successful angel investor as shown in the examples above.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat are your value adds?<\/span><\/p>\nWant to learn how to become a value add angel investor?<\/span><\/p>\n