Never Piss Off Your Angel Investors. Ever.

A few months ago, a local rapper messaged my wife a song from his playlist to give a listen to since we are both locavores. For the uninformed, the missus does not mince words about anything, so she told him the truth about the track:  it was horrible. The rhyme scheme sounded like it came from a lower elementary school book at best; he spent too much time hiding behind the producer’s beats (which I may add, were solid); and the content was overly generic. Naturally, he was none too pleased. Instead of taking the constructive criticism to improve his craft, he takes the easy way out and trolls her Facebook account and calls me a “Goof-Troop lookin’-ass nigga” – whatever that means. Where do I fall in his petulant rant? Here with a seven word response:  Never piss off your angel investors. Ever.

Why did I leave it at that?

For one, I’m a grown man. I do not waste time with internet thugs or anyone who cannot bring anything tangible to the table. Insulting potential connections and present ones is no way to build credibility, and certainly a way for all funding and professional assistance to dry up faster than oil wells dotted throughout south Arkansas. I (and those of significant wealth/influence/contact base) want a positive return of investment. Biting the hands that feed you is one of the fastest ways to shrivel up what groundswell of support you may have; if your product or service is not up to par, revise your strategy and hone in on areas that need more improvement instead of taking your toys away and crying home to mommy. These days, some of our younger millennia may try to shoot up the place in response to accepting constructive criticism because they are not cognizant of their actions begetting other actions. In addition to that, many people have taken to hiding behind keystrokes and damaging reputations just because of something so small.

Don’t be small minded. Think before pressing Send.

Who are angel investors?

We are the people who believe in ideas, small businesses, causes and dreams, and are willing to see it through fruition. I personally have no problem lending my endorsement or dough ONLY IF the service being rendered is legitimate and with minimal risk, but it is a larger indictment of you the provider. I want to see you do well, but there has to be a plan. The days of handing out blank checks are long gone if they were ever the case. Unfortunately for the individual I described earlier, entertainment is an oversaturated industry and is not a candidate for angel investments. The reality is that hip-hop requires a large number of hands and years of self-promotion not limited to free shows and more grunt work to make an “overnight celebrity” status. In essence, having fun rarely pays the bills.

It is encouraging to see people fulfill their wildest dreams. The sobering reality is that Plan B is a prerequisite.

As a behind-the-scenes angel investor, I’ve learned the hard way the value of the 80/20 Principle:  You spend 80% of your time dealing with 20% of the pertinent matters. In other words, the majority of tasks we engage in are truly not pressing rather time wasters; the 20% is where things happen. Arkansas football head coach Bret Bielema is known for telling his players and recruits to be uncommon; what is stopping you from being uncommon in the face of adversity? How you get through the rough times determines my ROI as I know the neither the almighty dollar nor the “I made it!” B-boy stance is not the end-all solution. By employing this strategy, I have been able to cull away fallacies and direct bad ideas into a more progressive direction. I haven’t always been right, yet it works for me. Few things are worse than committing to ventures that are contrary to your moral code regardless of the money.

HAPPINESS > PROFIT

None of us have gotten to where we are by ourselves. Those angel investors – givers of time, energy, and yes, money – are here for a season. Never piss us off. Ever.

PSA:  If you haven’t learned to read a P&L (profit/loss) statement yet, make it an urgent priority to know where the money comes and goes!