Link: The Founder’s Guide to Understanding Investors
“The #1 thing we look for in an entrepreneur is courage… The difference between a vision and a hallucination is that it’s called a vision when other people can see it.” – Ben Horowitz
Visualize yourself in the future, be as specific possible. What is your bold vision? Think about how you will best seize that opportunity, and let it be known to your stakeholders. What products will your startup sell? Why? How will your startup specifically be organized and run?
In an early stage situation, a market is going to determine the potential of the startup, but the team’s execution ability is going to determine how much potential is realized. Investors not only care your startup is on a path to a large opportunity but also your plan to seize that opportunity – especially around running and growing your organization and product offering. If you believe in what you are doing, the bolder thinking on these plans, the better.
When you make your bold thinking known, you benefit from magnetism. Magnetism is when others are attracted and feel naturally pulled in to the work you are doing. Magentism significantly helps startups, because the best startup stakeholders are attracted to the biggest visions.
Being able to clearly articulate a bold vision is a major key that differentiates startups that raise capital, attract talent, and sign up customers easily from those that do not.