Be Patient (or, All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait)

This week my first major investment closed. I was able to deposit a 6-figure check into my business account. It felt good. Even the bank teller said "you've had a good day!"

But it took over 4 months to close the deal. It was painfully slow. At one point, we were so far apart on the terms I walked away. The investors urged me back to the table and made some compromises. Ultimately they moved very close to center, and it said a lot about their commitment and enthusiasm. But several times I thought it wasn't going to happen, and I had to muster every ounce of optimism I had to wait out these months and keep positive. I had a few other funding options, but not many. I needed this deal.

Through it all, I was nice, professional, respectful, and responsive. (At least on the outside. Inside I was fearful and grumpy.) I waited and I waited. I reduced my monthly burn while I was waiting, placing a few consultants on hiatus and eliminating every other possible expenditure. And it paid off. Some entrepreneurs might not have 4 months of patience inside them, but if you want something badly enough, you have to find it.