Seed Money

Raising money through investors is the default for growing a company, but it might not be the right move for everyone. Taking the VC route is like walking through a one-way door - once you make that decision it sets you on a specific trajectory.

That's why more entrepreneurs are being thoughtful about the decision, and even opting out of raising money the traditional way altogether. If we chase VC money without making sure it aligns with our long-term goals, we might end up building the wrong company for us. Fortunately, if we don't want VC money, there are other ways we can get the funding we need.

The team at Sundays chose family and friends funding for that early stage. How did they use a SAFE to structure this round? Why are they intentionally choosing to remain revenue-funded? In this episode, co-founder of Sundays, Ashley Chang talks about why they didn't take the stereotypical Silicon Valley route to building their business.

Topics Covered;

-Why you might consider NOT raising money

-How to use a SAFE as the structure to raise your seed round

-How to avoid huge attorney fees

-How to find a co-founder

-Questions you should ask yourself before you raise money

Guest Bio

Ashley Chang is the co-founder and CEO of Sundays, an executive assistant service for working parents. Before this, she spent a decade as a product leader across a wide range of tech startups – she was the first employee at ReadMe and helped lead Carta's venture capital products from $10 to $100M+ in revenue. For more information, head to https://withsundays.com/ and connect with Ashley on LinkedIn.

Host Bio

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

The process of raising money is as much a mental one as it is a financial one. Before we start finding and pitching to investors or even structuring our deals, there's a step we can't skip, working on our mindset.

There's no sugar-coating it - getting funded is one of the hardest things you'll do. You'll get told your idea doesn't doesn't work. You'll be told no a bunch of times, and you'll face all sorts of setbacks along the way. Self-doubt will creep in and you'll run up against your own limiting beliefs all the time.

The process will wear on you - but there's good news. You can proactively build up the mental fortitude to counter everything you'll face and it will make the path to a "yes" so much smoother. If I could do it, so can you!

So what are some of the ways we can make our mindset unshakeable? How do you develop healthy coping tools for when you inevitably face setbacks? What's the hard lesson I learned about visualization? In this episode, we're kicking off a five-part series about the stages of seed funding and I'm starting with a critical part - mindset.

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I created a guide on the 5 Stages to Funding, just for you! It's a completely free download and the perfect overview if you're ready to go after the funding you need for your business. Learn about Mindset, Types of funding, How to find and pitch to investors, deal structure, and closing the deal. Download your free guide over at seedmoneypodcast.com.

Topics Covered;

-What makes the seed funding process so hard

-The difference between constructive criticism and negativity

-How to mitigate the mental health challenges entrepreneurs face

-Why it's critical to carve out time for quiet reflection as a busy entrepreneur

-Why we have to visualize with caution

-The healthiest ways to cope with setbacks and challenges

-The lessons I learned in my own journey

Host Bio

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast

The process of building a company, getting funded and bringing a product to market isn't just data-driven. It's gut-driven too. The numbers matter, but when you're building a product without market acceptance, you have to trust your intuition and persevere when you're told it won't work.

In many ways, taking an entrepreneurial risk is a lot like taking a creative risk. You have a vision not many understand until you convince them. The journey can be lonely, and you'll question yourself all the time. Considering that our guest took Ugg public and wrote a novel for the first time, she would know how similar the journeys are.

How do you keep going when you're doing something so disruptive that no one sees the vision? What pitfalls do entrepreneurs fall into in that early funding stage? How do you learn to trust your gut?

Guest Bio

Diana Wilson is a self-described industry agnostic, in addition to her most recent roles as CEO, Diana has held a variety of C-suite positions across a wide range of industries—from footwear to music—in roles covering all points along the strategic, financial and operational spectrum. Early career highlights include the high-intensity thrill of taking Deckers (Ugg, Hoka) public in 1993, spearheading a number of successful M & A transactions. Most recently she has completed a passion project of writing a fictional novel and launching a Substack Newsletter, Wit & Wisdom where she writes about everything from business and creativity—to health & wellness—to living a purpose-filled life. Connect with Diana on LinkedIn and subscribe to her newsletter Wit and Wisdom.

Host Bio

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investor, MBA and experienced investor/founder in markets from consumer products to short-term rentals. If you like Alex Hormozi, Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneurs on Fire with John Lee Dumas, or you follow sharks like Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner or Mark Cuban (who invested in my Shark Tank pitch) you'll love this show!

Building a company, going on Shark Tank, raising $1 million dollars and working with Mark Cuban. Sounds like an entrepreneur's dream, right? Well, that's what I thought, until I walked away from it. It was the hardest decision I've ever made, but also the best one.

When you build your own company, it becomes an extension of you, so stepping away is no easy feat. But the longer I ran the business, the more I realized it wasn't right for me. Coming into a non-existent category was hard, but that wasn't the only challenge I faced.

Ultimately, I discovered that my vision for entrepreneurship and my company were two different things. Though it was tough to break it to my investors and close it down, things worked out the way they were supposed to.

What was the journey I took into the business, and what were the realizations I had along the way? How did it feel to walk away from the business just before the low alcohol market exploded? What's wrong with hustle culture? In this episode, I share why I walked away from my dream company, and important lessons any entrepreneur can take from my story.

In the path to getting funding for your idea, meeting with investors is the most important checkpoint. You only have one shot at a first impression, so the more dialed in your presentation is, the more successful you'll be.

From pitch decks to financials, there's a ton of work that goes into preparing for that face-to-face with a potential funding source. We literally can't afford to show up without having everything dialed in.

We have to condense the idea, the numbers, and the opportunity into a 12-page pitch deck and a short presentation, and that's not easy.

Luckily there's work we can do proactively to have a perfect investor pitch. Even ChatGPT can be hugely helpful in getting prepared. What are the must-have materials for an investor meeting? Why is a business plan important (even if we don't show investors)? How do you structure your business early on?

In this episode, I'm joined by Keir Dillon, an experienced entrepreneur seasoned in raising seed money. He talks about his new business venture and everything you need to do before you meet investors.

Guest Bio

Keir Dillon is a former pro snowboarder and a seasoned entrepreneur. Experienced in capital raising, he was previously co-founder of a women's fashion-forward headphone company, FRENDS, and is currently managing director of OPEN Brewing. OPEN is a new beer brand, forged in Los Angeles by a tight-knit, diverse, and talented squad of longtime friends. Based on the values of empathy, artistry, free thought, and diversity –- OPEN is infusing fresh energy into the beer world, encouraging dialogue, conversations, and excellent times amongst friends. Follow @keirdillon on Instagram and go to https://openbrewing.com/.

The best products disrupt tired categories and breathe new life into done-to-death ideas, but is it still possible? Every year, there are fewer categories to disrupt, especially in clothing-based niches. How can you compete when people can easily buy knock-offs, dupes and cheap goods all over the internet?

By going premium, identifying an emerging customer base, making something "boring" cool and building a brand around a generational shift. That's what 1620 Workwear did.

They saw how trade-work has become a lucrative and attractive field and the lack of stylish, aspirational utility apparel. They positioned their brand and marketing differently, and proved that some categories we see as oversaturated are still ripe for disruption.

How did the idea for the brand come about? Why is it resonating with the "toolbelt generation"? How did they create a minimum viable product (MVP)? How did they get funding?

In this episode, co-founder of 1620 Workwear and marketing expert, Josh Walker shares the story of the business, and why there's still room to transform tired and tried-and-tested market categories.

Guest Bio

Josh Walker is a brand builder, entrepreneur, co-founder and CMO of 1620 Workwear. 1620 Workwear is a Massachusetts-based brand that produces high-quality, American-made workwear using advanced technology and domestic materials. Their durable and comfortable products include work pants, hoodies, jackets, and accessories. Josh has extensive experience and relationships in modern culture, the sporting goods industries, action sports, hook and bullet sports, outdoor, video production, broadcasting, social networking, promotions, grass root activation and retail.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn, email [email protected] and go to https://www.1620usa.com/, and follow @1620usa on Instagram.

Years later, people still ask about this story. So here it is. Pitching to a group of influential investors is a nerve-wracking experience, and that’s even before you have to do it on national TV! It’s not just a business presentation - you have to be entertaining, compelling, relatable and likable. I found that out when I appeared on Shark Tank.

After suffering an unbelievable loss in my business, I reluctantly applied to pitch on Shark Tank, and it was a life-changing moment in my life and career…but it almost didn’t happen.

You would think all the action happens in front of the camera, but so much takes place before the pitch and after the handshake. How did I end up on Shark Tank, how did it impact my business and what did I learn? What was it like working with Mark Cuban?

In this episode, I share my Shark Tank story, including some surprising behind-the-scenes tidbits, how I prepared, how I structured the deal, and the doors it opened for me.

The world of seed funding runs on two currencies - money and connection. Investors aren't just paying attention to the financials, they are looking for a compelling story that makes them connect with us and then want to get on board.

Crafting our story is a step we can't skip in the early stages of our businesses. The more clarity we have on it, the better we can convey it, and the easier it is to achieve funding.

A perfect pitch is incomplete without a strong story. What makes an investor want to join forces with us just isn't a narrative about how awesome our product is. It has to show how we can solve a problem, serve our audience, and make life easier or better for our customers.

How do we craft our story and articulate it well? How does this help us connect with the right investors?

In this episode, People Activator, speaker, executive coach, CEO, and author, Dan Negroni shares why developing our story is the key to getting Seed Money.

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Guest Bio

Dan Negroni is a People Activator, speaker, executive coach, CEO and author of Chasing Relevance: 6 Steps to Understand, Engage and Maximize Next Generation Leaders in the Workplace. Dan unveils the art and science of building a people-focused formula that thrives on connections and relationships. He also helps early-stage entrepreneurs use narrative psychology to craft compelling stories that connect with investors and help them get funded. Dan has catalyzed billions of dollars in growth and transformed countless organizations.

To learn more about Dan, go to https://dannegroni.com/ and to get a breakthrough session, email [email protected].

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About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Website: seedmoneypodcast.com

Instagram: @jaylasiciliano

Subscribe and watch on YouTube @SeedMoneyPodcast

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Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

Early-stage fundraising may be a stressful stage in business, but it can also be the most invigorating and exciting time. The determination, drive, conviction, and guts it takes to get seed money is a powerful life force.

It's not just an opportunity to get the resources we need. It's a chance for investors to access your awesomeness, and absorb the infectious passion you have for your idea.

Getting the funding and expertise you need can feel like a huge obstacle. But I know it's possible after starting 2 businesses in recessions, with zero track record or revenue, in brutal industries. You can do it too, and I'll show you how!

In this episode, I share why raising Seed Money and early-stage funding is such a fun stage in business.

Seed Money is where everyday people learn how to raise capital and get the funding you need to FINALLY turn your amazing idea into reality!

Whatever your idea is..

• product
• app
• real estate deal

…or maybe you want to build or expand your small business…

if you're struggling to get people to believe in your vision and you don't need a billion dollar deal in Silicon Valley, Seed Money will unlock the answers you've been looking for!

Hosted by Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank Entrepreneur, MBA, real estate investor and experienced founder/investor in markets from consumer products to short-term rentals.

If you like Alex Hormozi, Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneurs on Fire with John Lee Dumas, or you follow sharks like Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner or Mark Cuban (who invested in Jayla's Shark Tank pitch) you'll love this show!

In this podcast you'll get the mindset, methods and motivation to raise early stage seed funding from family, friends and investors.

You'll also hear the inspiring stories of everyday people who've walked the same path and overcome the same challenges you're facing.

So you can see the next steps, make good decisions and get the funding you need to turn your amazing idea into reality!