Preparing to Pitch to a Family Office
As an entrepreneur looking for an investor in your business, you might want to consider a family office relationship. Family offices manage the financial and investment side of an individual, single family, or multiple families. When you pitch your business to a family office, there are a few key things you should be aware of before you proceed.
Alignment
Family offices typically have a niche that is based on their interests, experience, and values. When looking for a partner in a family office, make sure you research the company’s mission, vision, values, and interests to make sure your goals and vision align. These things must align in order for there to be a mutually beneficial investor-partner relationship, and family offices will only support businesses that share the same basic core values.
Long-term relationships
The mission of most family offices is to cultivate long-term relationships, because they would much rather have long-term relationships with potential for future growth rather than one time investments. The alignment of core values from the onset goes a long way in paving the way for a long and successful partnership.
Funding
Family offices have more flexibility in funding opportunities for entrepreneurs. They use their investment flexibility and business experience to provide essential financial management to families and partners that benefit all involved. Their funding is also not based solely upon returns, but on relationships that maximize profitability for all involved by respecting the human element that is inherent in all partnerships. Be sure to prepare to show a family office not only your financial information but also your vision for growth.
Team
The family office focuses on a full team approach.They will want to know what your business can bring to their team, but they will also want to show you what they can bring to yours. A key benefit that a family office has to offer is the experience that it can impart to the entrepreneur. Cultivating a team environment from the beginning is important. Having a family office relationship automatically gives you a team that thinks the way you think and can help grow your business.
At Scandia, we are a family office working to build value through long-term, thoughtful investments. If you would like more information on family offices and what they can do for your business, reach out to us to start a conversation.