![Top three mistakes entrepreneurs make when they first talk to investors - an interview with Ziptask CEO [VIDEO]](http://anthillonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/editors-blog-ant_megaphone-right.jpg)
Shawn Livermore, CEO of Ziptask, is confident that his companies’ simple mobile product is what will make all the difference.
In this video, Livermore discusses the mistakes that entrepreneurs make when they sit down with investors and venture capitalists for the first time.
Livermore knows what he’s talking about. Ziptask is getting ready to disrupt the outsourcing market by making the process easier than ever before.
The benefits of outsourcing with companies like Freelancer, ODesk, and eLance are well known in the business and tech communities from Australia to the US. From graphic design work to data entry, you can get pretty much any task accomplished at a fraction of the cost to what you’d pay in your local market by outsourcing.
Ziptask is also providing Anthill readers a special offer.
To get a free $20 credit when into your Ziptask account, use the code: Anthill
Top 3 mistakes entrepreneurs make when talking to investors
Jordan Green said on July 24, 2012
The advice about the lawyer is certainly good advice but, be aware of the different roles played by lawyers in Australia and attorneys in the USA. Shawn's advice needs to be understood in the context of the USA, American VC and the role of attorneys there as the primary deal makers. As was mentioned in an earlier Anthill article, if you go to the USA and ask for a corporate adviser they will look back at you with a blank expression as that role does not exist there as an independent service - attorneys do it!
You also need to understand the different types of investors, what motivates them and their objectives in seeking an investment. You are selling a piece of your company so it is up to you to understand your customer and speak to that customer in language the customer will understand - that's essentially what Shawn's #3 is about but, it goes to the whole story, not just your business model and vision.
The flip side of that one is not to think that the investor doesn't know what you are talking about. Think about it, an investor who has seen literally hundreds of opportunities in your market space and has been doing this kind of investing for over a decade quite possibly knows more about your business than you do. Not necessarily, but it wouldn't be unusual so, try to balance your enthusiasm with some listening, or your apparent arrogance may lose you the deal before you even realise that has happened.