Where to find REAL investors?

[JEdwards]

I personally think all you guys are giving this young man too hard of a time..

I don't think you guys get it. He has a marketing plan. He paid 1,000 big bucks for it. All he needs is a little cash to implement it..

I got an idea for you on how to raise the cash here real quick. Lottery tickets, no wait MLM. forget that umm. Go to the track.. Intelligent is running in race 4. Go all in for the Win..

 

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[CEBenz]

I currently have a couple of marketing plans I paid for ($1000 each) now I need to do the next step, find investors to help these ideas turn into reality. The ideas are all for iPhone applications, anyone know where I should start looking? :smxF:

Best Regards,
Realtorpreneur

Many times, you won't find investors until you're already at a stage where you no longer need them.

Can you get them at least scabbed together to have some form of prototype to show?

Right now, you're wanting people to invest in an idea, and presumably, you don't have a track record in this field.
Do you have a track record of execution in any other field?
If not, it's going to make for a tough sell.

I think a better approach might be to see if you can partner with someone (preferably a developer) and then you may have better luck than trying to get someone to invest. I mean you could look up a local Angel group, but I suspect you may not have much luck.

Know any brilliant college age developer types?

 

[CEBenz]

I think what some people have alluded to, and others have stated is that in order to get REAL investors you need to have a REAL product. I'm not knocking your efforts thus far.

Could you explain your thinking as to why you went with a marketing plan first, before a product?

It may take a minimum of $10,000 to develop the app you want to do, but what if you left some features out for the first version? Think of it this way: What is you minimum viable product? Whats the least amount of features you could have and still appeal to your target audience? You don't need to have every feature you think you do.

Who cares if your app is drowned in the sea of other apps. Get the minimum viable product out there and market as you go along. You'd be surprised what could be accomplished with just good user experience and word of mouth. Marketing is all about how much money you spend, there are lots of ways to market without spending a dime.

As for your original question. Without a viable product, its tough. Investors don't invest in ideas. They invest in people, systems, products; in short, concrete things.

The best answer I could give you is to either create a limited feature version of your app idea, even if it doesn't work quite right.

Or you could apply to an incubator like TechStars.

TechStars » Funding and Mentorship from the #1 Startup Accelerator in the World

check out the interview as well:

How TechStars Is Launching Startups Across The Country – With David Cohen

I think you did a better job of responding than I did Pete.

 

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[GlobalWealth]

Hey kiddo, why don't you let the big kids talk a bit. Try respecting the forum rules. A proper introduction is always necessary. We don't know who you are other than some punk 22 yr old kid who apparently has something to do with real estate but now wants to develop an iphone app.

You jump on a forum without letting us know who you are and one of the smartest web marketing guys I know, snowbank, just gave you some advice (albeit a bit harsh).

You were blessed with 2 ears and one mouth. That is not an accident. You clearly have not figured out the intended purpose however.

Anxious to hear back some intelligent responses please, don't wanna lose hope in this forum.

I'm with pete here, please lose hope. Honestly, with this initial thread, you have already lost any possible amount of respect you may have ever had.

Back away. Go back to mommy before someone hurts your feelings. I'm sure she will make you some brownies and it will all be better.

Bob, turn the channel, Jeopardy is on. Maybe you will learn something.

 

[CEBenz]

The other possibility I see is, maybe, if it's good enough, maybe he could get a contract to supply someone with the app. Then, he has an idea and a customer. That may hold a bit more weight. This is simply a guess on my part but I do remember Aristotle Onassis doing something along those lines with shipping. Obviously a different industry and he arguably had credibility by then but, it's a thought.

 

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[petethepeddler]

Nice use of the lessons in Made to Stick Bob!!!

 

[bflbob]

Nice use of the lessons in Made to Stick Bob!!!

Never read it. I just made it up as I went along. When I read your post, I said to myself, "Damn! Pete took the words right out of my mouth!"

Better wash your hands now. You have no idea where that mouth has been.

 

[snowbank]

realtorpreneur's plans that he paid for(from the raising money section):

Step 1: ask for money
Step 2: if someone says no, insult them. tell them how much money you spent for us to tell you this plan, and that should impress then. then insult them more.
Step 3: if someone gives you feedback and it doesn't involve giving you money, disagree with them. if you haven't insulted them yet, insult them. if you already have, you should insult them again.
Step 4: tell them you have "projections"!
Step 5: if anyone who owns a benz gives you advice, tell him he is "half-intelligent", because he probably has money, and that way he will know that you are more intelligent than he is, and will probably want to invest with you to learn the other half by working with you.
Step 6: continue this pattern until you realize no one is going to give you money.
Step 7: approach new forum and repeat steps 1-6.

 

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[snowbank]

If you don't do it now, watch Shark Tank on Friday night. You'll learn a lot about what investors are looking for.

The first thing I thought of when I read this was Daymond's voice saying, "could you imagine working with that person, I'd wanna shoot myself".

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

So much amazing in this thread.

I haven't laughed this hard... well in an hour or so!

I follow the internet marketing crowd pretty tight. There are a lot of high priced programs going around on how to create and sell iphone apps. I'm sure one of these products is his "marketing plan".

No offense buddy, I'm sure you want to be successful, but you did the wrong thing by insulting the ones who actually ARE successful and were willing to give you advice.

Good luck!

 

[REALTORpreneur]

Progress! Now we are getting somewhere, a lot of useful posts now... Thanks everyone who has contributed positively.

bflbob - TY

petethepeddler - I'm going to look into it now, I might just have to put up the money myself and get a barebones version of it... Now my question is though, what if it doesn't do so well... Where do I go from there?


I think that's all the information I need for now, thanks everyone.


P.s. who ever responded negatively

have a good day
(not even going to acknowledge snowbank who is obviously high on hate)

 

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[CEBenz]

What I can't figure out is REALTORpreneur has 5mph of speed off this thread from having a grand total of 8 posts. lol

 

[bflbob]

(not even going to acknowledge snowbank who is obviously high on hate)

Hmmmm... I'm guessing that is not even possible to achieve when you post it. Nope. Didn't work. Right up there is an acknowledgment. See?

Now my question is though, what if it doesn't do so well... Where do I go from there?

Two issues here.

First is the fact that you have to believe in it enough to know that it won't fail. You've got the market study, right? So you know it will sell. If you can make it and you know it will sell, it can't fail.

Second, if you don't believe in it enough to bet the house on it, why do you think an investor should take a risk? They aren't there to risk their money on a "maybe". They are there to fund your "sure thing".

So what it sounds like you are saying is that you aren't as sure about the market research or product as you sounded at the beginning of the thread. That's OK. It means you are learning.

Nothing much is certain in life. That's what makes someone who comes in too full of themselves look sort of foolish when they make claims of guaranteed success. It isn't realistic.

So... where do you go from there? If you are close to your goal, you beg or earn another $10k and finish the product. If the market has changed, you abandon it. (Losing a $10k investment is better than feeding it $1k a month -- forever.)

It's that simple. You either move on (until you can't) or you drop the concept and try for a new one.


Bob

 

[REALTORpreneur]

I'm not saying I don't believe in my product at all. My market study's don't do a lot without money to actually paying for the marketing as most marketing plans do

From everything I've gathered I've got two things.

One create a mockup (basic functionality) application to show potential investors --


Two let it out in the market to drown if investors fail.

How can I fix #2?

 

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[REALTORpreneur]

Yay, I'm half intelligent. You wouldn't want to hear from full intelligent response. It would blow you away.

Look you asked to find REAL investors. You don't know the background of anyone responding here. How can you sort through who is real and who isn't.

The UNREAL investors will be the ones that don't ask any questions and just ask how much and the projected return.

The REAL investors are grilling you because they have money and actually INVEST, which is why they are asking questions.

That came out wrong sorry, I didn't mean to half-insult you ? Think that came out wrong too but, you know what I mean.

I didn't mean investors from here specifically... I meant how would I go abouts finding investors? How do you find angel investors? etc,

 

[biophase]

I didn't mean investors from here specifically... I meant how would I go abouts finding investors? How do you find angel investors? etc,

To find investors you need to have a good pitch. Here's one:

I want to purchase a store that costs $100k.
The store cashflows $80k per year right now.
Based on traffic and SEO ranking, I believe that I can increase traffic by 40% and sales by $20%
My experience and background is in running ecommerce stores and SEO
My current stores are ranking top 1-3 for major keywords
I am requesting $50k for 25% ownership of the store.
I will run the day to day and do the SEO
You just sit back and count your money.

Does this sound like a good investment opportunity for investors?

NOTE THIS IS NOT A REAL SOLICTATION

 

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[darkjediii]

Hey REALTOR, even though I think the initial moves you made are wrong, I applaud your efforts. That is the first step, and commend you for taking action..

Now to answer your question: based on the info you provided here, the only real investors you will be able to find are your friends and family. You can also take out some loans, max out your credit cards or work a job to fund development of your app.

That is the honest truth. There is no magic free money out there and no "real" investor will invest in an idea. It happens very rarely and when it does, they usually invest in a person that has already accomplished big things, has a solid plan and "skin in the game" aka the guy already invested $1m in prototypes to get the ball rolling and he needs another $10m to start production.

It is for this same reason that ideas themselves cannot be patented. It is the method of execution that is patentable.

Here is some advice for you:

1) Make this thing work.. Go out and take action every day. Lack of money will not stop you from creating this thing if you really want it to exist.

2) Get a proof of concept up ASAP - doesn't have to be perfect. Get 2 jobs if you have to. Sell your valuable possessions if you really believe in this thing. Talk to people that know you - friends, family etc. ask for loans/sell shares. Write a extremely detailed business plan that will show you are serious about this thing (many people here dislike business plans, but it is the next best thing if you don't have a working proof of concept and are asking for money.) Fund it by using your credit cards.

3) Partner with some talented people for a share of the company. (make sure that you get the majority share no matter what if you plan on giving up equity. NEVER give up control.)

good luck.

 

[REALTORpreneur]

Thanks Dark,

I got a offer to create the application for free, except I have to hand over %50 of the profits.... Now say I take that offer and the application does decent, where does that leave me now? Because with %50 already gone I would have nothing to offer potential investors.

 

[White8]

At this point you have 50% of nothing and if you invest $10k you could potentially end up with 100% of a negative $10k.

I'm not a fan of partnerships but if you can't write the code and don't have the cash, this would seem like a really good option especially if you can get him to take less. You'll also get someone who actually cares about the app because he has a stake in its success. Another thing to take into consideration is that with any app, regardless of the platform, there must be constant improvement and evolution to stay reliant in the market and by having someone you can work with in the long run, you have someone who knows the app and won't ding you for every little change.

On another note, this is an excellent forum with some very experienced and knowledgeable people. There is a lot to be learned here in a variety of industries if one has an open mind.

 

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[REALTORpreneur]

bfbob - Great idea! I'm going to run it past the developer although I think the chance of him accepting it is low because developers aren't business men. Either way I decided if he wont take that I will still take the %50 and get it developed for free and just see where it goes from there. As long as it pulls in some money I can always put that in marketing.

 

[JEdwards]

bfbob - Great idea! I'm going to run it past the developer although I think the chance of him accepting it is low because developers aren't business men. Either way I decided if he wont take that I will still take the %50 and get it developed for free and just see where it goes from there. As long as it pulls in some money I can always put that in marketing.

Actually they are business men. That's why they want to get paid first.

And if you can't sell them on the idea, maybe, just maybe you believe in the idea more than they do.

BTW: If you cannot sell a non business man developer on your idea, do you really think you can sell it to an investor?

 

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[REALTORpreneur]

Actually they are business men. That's why they want to get paid first.

And if you can't sell them on the idea, maybe, just maybe you believe in the idea more than they do.

BTW: If you cannot sell a non business man developer on your idea, do you really think you can sell it to an investor?

This is some of the most retarded logic I have ever herd, please stay out of my thread.

Durr ..dey r buzniess MEN! becuz dey do buziness!

No, they are not business men. They are developers.

Seriously stay out of this thread.

 

[JEdwards]

I have 10k to invest. Is that really your answer. Sad.

Maybe you should take a marketing class on Sales. Then like snowbank said, you would understand.

Living in Ignorance is a nice thing isn't it?

 

[JEdwards]

This is some of the most retarded logic I have ever herd, please stay out of my thread.

Durr ..dey r buzniess MEN! becuz dey do buziness!

No, they are not business men. They are developers.

Seriously stay out of this thread.

Nice edit to your post. You really have no clue do you?

 

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[REALTORpreneur]

Nice edit to your post. You really have no clue do you?

If you have $10k to invest you should invest in some common sense. Now instead of acting like a little kid in a thread talking to someone who wants no business talking to you, go be a man and flame on someone else.

I'm not trying to make enemies on this forum, there are some intelligent people here.
(other than Jack)

 

[Inphinity]

This thread led me to work out where the Add to Ignore List feature is in vBulletin, hooray, learning!

 

[JEdwards]

If you have $10k to invest you should invest in some common sense. Now instead of acting like a little kid in a thread talking to someone who wants no business talking to you, go be a man and flame on someone else.

I'm not trying to make enemies on this forum, there are some intelligent people here.
(other than Jack)

Thanks for the humor on a Friday night.

 

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[bflbob]

Now if any educated person can reply to this post it would be appreciated.

Strike one.

Please if you are going to be a ignorant stay out of my thread.

Strike two.

This is some of the most retarded logic I have ever herd, please stay out of my thread.

Strike three.

You're out of here. :coco:


This just goes to prove that you can't teach common sense. Now stay out of our threads.

 

[DeletedUser394]

a) You have a massive ego that in no way properly reflects your current success level.
b) You are incredibly immature for your age. (You've proven this multiple times in the span of a dozen posts)
c) You've insulted some of the most well respected people on this forum (or should I say, attempted to insult... these people are far too successful in 'REAL' life to care about what someone as ungrateful as yourself has to say about them).

The advice/criticism given to you in this thread can be summed up with one word... Reality.

You won't get anywhere with your current attitude. Not here, and certainly not in the real world.

Anyway... I don't want to overstay my welcome in your thread. Thank you for graciously allowing me to post in it

EDIT: Realized he was banned already :'( dang

 

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[Runum]

I was just about to post an advice post myself.

If you solicit advice on any public forum you are going to get advice you don't agree with. That does not diminish the effort from the giver, they gave you free advice you asked for. When you get the advice, whether you agree or not, you need to learn just two words, "Thank you".

I wish you well on your journey. With your current attitude you are going to need all the luck you can muster.