This post is going to be a tad bit different. Consider it more of a journal entry than me speaking about something success related. In this post, you’re going to get an inside peek as to what goes on in my mind as it pertains to achieving a goal I have.
I have a vision to acquire manufacturing companies. I have spent more than 5 years formulating my thesis, and actively pursuing companies. I am now at the point where I have decided to raise capital via a private placement. This means I will have to go out to investors, pitch my idea and ask for capital in exchange for equity within my company. I’ve listened to many biographies of successful people who have done the same thing and in my mind, I ask myself, “Why not me?” So, I decided to begin the process. I created a pitch deck, re-vamped the website, scoured for lawyers who could assist at a budget I can afford. It’s all done. The time is here. Time to move forward and reach out to investors. However, this thought keeps coming up…”What if…”
What if I can’t raise the money?
What if all the investors say no?
What if I spend all this money on attorneys for nothing?
What if my vision is just a dream and nothing more?
What if I can’t do this?
Ladies and gentlemen, these are the thoughts that run through my mind these days. When I meditate, I can observe these thoughts floating down my stream of consciousness. I tell myself to let go and then immediately get pulled right back to them. What if, what if, what if…
One thing that I have going for me is I am committed to seeing my visions come to reality. There is no way in hell I am stopping. I’ve come this far. So now i’m stuck with this peculiar dichotomy. One side of me is all in and willing to do what is necessary to make this happen and then there’s another side of me which is throwing all of these hypotheticals in the mix. The difficulty in this situation is the what if’s my mind is presenting to me are all valid concerns. All of these things could happen. So how then do I combat this? What in the world does a young, hungry entrepreneur do?
There are 3 things that I have done to mitigate these thoughts:
- Analyze them.
- Fuel the ‘it can be done’ fire
- Keep on truckin’
Analyze them:
Instead of letting these thoughts eat me alive, I sit down and face them head on. What if these things actually do happen? One at a time, I went through each one.
What if I can’t raise the money? – If I cannot raise the money, it’s because I am doing something incorrectly and I need to pivot. I believe in my thesis. Onshoring is happening. There is fragmentation. I do have a unique skill set that very few people have and this skill set can be used to capitalize on the current demand. I have an amazing advisory board and they help me throughout the entire process. Because of all of this, if I cannot raise the money, I am doing something wrong. I am not articulating my message correctly. I’m not finding the right people. There is something I need to change because my thesis is strong. If I can’t raise the money, then I did not try hard enough. Simple as that… and that’s not an option.
What if all the investors say no? All of the investors said no? Every single investor in the world said no? What are we talking about here. The thesis is strong. If someone says no, oh well. Honestly, it’s their loss. Whoever decides to invest in us will make millions of dollars and contribute heavily to the onshoring of American manufacturing initiative. You’ll get more no’s than yes’s. Kiss the frogs. Keep it moving.
What if I spend all this money on attorneys for nothing? Once again, this is a stupid thought. It will never be for nothing. This is the risk you take for your vision. I believe in this vision and i’m willing to take the risk. I will be going after this vision for the rest of my life. If it doesn’t happen in 1 year, it’ll happen in 2, 5, 10 years. Whatever it takes.
What if my vision is just a dream and nothing more? I’m already over these What if’s. I’m ready to make things happen.
What if I can’t do this? LOL! Once again, what are we talking about here? If there is anyone on the planet that can do this, it’s me. I run a half marathon every month. I read a book a month. I diet, I exercise, I meditate. I am in control of my thoughts. I communicate well. I am consistent. I am persistent. I can go on and on. Of course I can do this.
Fuel the ‘It can be done’ Fire:
After analyzing, the next thing is to give energy to my internal hype man. Fuel the ‘It can be done’ fire. This one is easy. Since I read so many biographies of successful businessmen and women, I know there are hundreds of individuals who went through the same capital raise journey as I did and came out successfully. Most of these individuals didn’t have as strong of a thesis as I have.
Take Jeff Bezos for example. He raised $1M dollars in seed money from friends and family in exchange for 20% of his company, Amazon. He did this before the internet was a thing. In 1995! Investors asked him, “What’s the internet?” when he pitched the idea. Yet he did it. If he can do it back then, with the inception of an idea like Amazon, I can do it with my idea.
I’m not starting from scratch. I’m acquiring already profitable manufacturing companies. There is a HUGE demand for these companies. There is fragmentation. It’s such a beautiful synergy of positives. Of course I can do this.
‘It can be done,’ fire fueled.
Keep on Truckin:
Alright, thoughts have been analyzed and i’ve lit a fire under my belly. What’s next? Keep on truckin!
Keep going. Don’t stop. Put in the work. Take the actions. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Call the investment banks. Send the e-mails. Do what you need to do.
With that being said, i’m ending this blog post and getting to work!
-Kelvin Harrylall