And by coping I mean emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally with Fund Raising.  Talk to anyone who has raised or is in the process of raising funds for their start-up and they will tell you: It’s the toughest and hardest thing they have EVER done.

If you have never raised funds before then you can start by reading this previous blog post I’ve written to get a sense of what it’s like or imagine a world of empty promises, absolutely no guarantees, no set rules, no rhyme or reason for most things, and off set values.  Finally, read the following blog post that Brad Feld posted a little while ago of a very well thought-out rant about investors from an obviously well versed and savvy entrepreneur:  A Rant on VC’s, Financial Models and Experience. 

Most entrepreneurs have very clear sets of standards and rules they live by…we want to change the world in our own personal ways.  We are driven, ambitious and passionate.  We strongly believe in what we are doing and why we are doing it.  We’re always in a hurry and we believe in making things happen quickly.  We create based on innovation, ingenuity and integrity.  We see the world as a good place full of possibilities and opportunities.  We are independent, strong willed, (some more stubborn than others), risk takers and filled with hope for a making the world a better place. 

Unfortunately, entrepreneurs drastically clash with investors, particularly Venture Capitalist investors.  They deal with the bottom line…numbers $$.  Many VCs are not entrepreneurs and were never entrepreneurs…what I described above is something they just don’t know about first hand.  

Side note…in the Marine Corps enlisted Marines say that the best Officers in the Corps are former enlisted Marines—that’s because they’ve been there, they know what it’s like.

My week this week has been spent focused mostly on fund raising and it’s put me in seriously fouled mood.  I’m also on a diet—so that might also have something to do with it… 

Anyway, what I’ve come to realize is that I need to build-in ways to better cope with the fund raising process, otherwise I'll just hurt all the hard work we've accomplished. Here are the things that I will start doing and recommend anyone starting the fund raising process give it a go as well: 

Stop Reading the Negativity:  The horror stories from other entrepreneurs who have had bad experiences with investors are all over the web and very easy to find.  Blog posts and articles about VCs and their “evil” ways or frustrating methodologies are always just a mouse click away.  This type of reading does nothing to put anyone in a good mindset. 

Read Facts and the Positives: Stick to only reading the facts about fund raising, term sheets and the process to be properly educated. 

Support Group: Create a support group…your partners or other entrepreneurs who will listen to you rant but not join in.  You need a place to be able to unload and get recharged.  A handful of people or even may be just one person who reminds you of what you’ve accomplished, what you are out to change in the world and who keeps you going. 

Find What Energizes You: What’s your source of passion, energy and drive?  Find what that is and tap into it when the going gets really tough.  When I was in the Marine Corps no matter how bad things got…all I had to do was hang out with my Marines for a while and everything melted away—now, it’s the development team.  No matter how frustrated and stressed I get—they are a reminder of the good and right of all my efforts to date. 

Get a Punching Bag: Let the frustrations and aggravations out…not just verbally but physically.  May be it’s not a punching bag but going for a run, walk or workout.  Let it out...this will also help with any other stress you're dealing with.

Focus on More Then Just the Money: I know all about having a one track mind until the mission is accomplished but in the case of fund raising it’s going to kill you.  Carve out time where you are solely and only focusing on fund raising and use the remainder of the time to focus on all the other aspects of your venture you love.  Get some victories in other areas to keep you happy and motivated.

Visualize What you Want: Expand your energy on visualizing the outcomes that you are seeking and stay focused on that.  This is going to be hard, particularly if you have a biased mindset already established or have had a series of bad experiences.  Take however much time it takes to find a way to get pass the anger and frustrations and be able to visualize the results you want. 

Keep Your Mindset in Check:  It will take the a culmination of  the above to help make this happen.  The wrong mindset will hurt all your efforts and those of others helping you.  If you can’t see things in a positive light…at least set them to a neutral level. 

Stay Empowered:  What made me the most angry was that I was empowering the investors with this one thought “My dream is in their hands…to continue I need money from them”.  It is so wrong on so many levels to think that.  My dream is mine…I am the only one whose hands it’s in.  Investors or money are not in control or in charge of my dream.  The worst thing we can do to ourselves in really any situation is play the victim and give the outcome of the situation into the hands of others.  Don’t do it.

If anyone else has input or other coping methods I'd love to hear them. 

I want to thank Howard Freidman and Ric Fleisher for their help this week.  Talking with them helped me realize I really needed to create some coping mechanism, they made some good introductions for me, shared their wisdom and support which means a lot to me.

My next blog post will be on the interview I did with Julius Genachowski one the Founders of LaunchBox Digital. We talked about his vision, purpose and the offerings of LaunchBox Digital to entrepreneurs.

See you on the site and out and about!!