· 5 min read
Three questions before you raise
A short checklist I wish I had used
Most founders come to me with a deck. Very few come with an answer to the only three questions that matter.
The first is whether you actually need the money, or whether you need permission to start. Those feel identical from the inside and cost very differently.
The second is what the money buys that time would not. If the honest answer is speed, say so plainly and price it.
The third is who you become accountable to, and whether you would choose those people as colleagues if no money were involved.