"Speaking the language of investors made it quicker to find investment" says Jason Kirk of Kirk & Kirk

“Speaking the language of investors made it quicker to find investment” says Jason Kirk of Kirk & Kirk

Jason Kirk co-founder of Kirk and Kirk, an upmarket eye-wear brand, is a very credible founder and business owner. He and his business partner Karen built and sold a successful business prior to starting Kirk and Kirk, they both have over 20 years’ experience in their industry, their latest business has made good progress and they have raised investment before (for their first business). You might think that they would find it a breeze to raise investment. And yet, when they were looking to raise investment for Kirk and Kirk they sought external support and advice. Hatty Fawcett of Focused For Business caught up with Jason to find out why.

Hatty: You decided to raise investment from business angels rather than any other source, why was that?

Jason: We didn’t need a huge amount of money, about £150,000. We were eligible for SEIS (Seed Entreprise Investment Scheme) which I knew would make us appealing to angel investors so it felt like a logical place to start. I was also interested to see what sort of angel we might attract and whether they might bring additional value to the business in the form of contacts or skills, as well as their money.

I’d also decided against going to the banks because they tend to be slow and expensive. The amount of work involved measured against the amount of support you end up with from the banks is, at best, frustrating.

Hatty: You had raised investment before, for your previous business, so people might assume you knew what was required. Why did you decide to get external support in preparing for investment?

“I really want to ensure I was speaking investors’ language. I know how time consuming raising investment can be. I wanted to get it right first time and avoid going backwards and forwards with investors and spending too much time on it.”

Jason: Yes. I’d raised investment before but this was a different business. Enlisting the help of someone who knows how to tailor a document to the needs of a specific audience is very time efficient and should lead to better results. I really want to ensure I was speaking investors’ language. I know how time consuming raising investment can be. I wanted to get it right first time and avoid going backwards and forwards with investors and spending too much time on it. Raising investment can be a big distraction from the day-to-day running of your business if you’re not careful!

Hatty: You’re right. Raising investment is a full-time job – on top of the full-time job of running your business! Raising investment gets an awful lot easier when you have a lead investor, someone willing to back your business and say why they are doing so. How did you go about finding a lead investor?

Jason: I didn’t have a huge network of investors so I admit it was daunting knowing where to start! But having worked on what I need to say to investors with you, it gave me confidence to go out and start talking to people. I remember you encouraged me to talk to everyone! Telling them about the business, what we had achieved and what we wanted to do next. I spoke to so many people I began to get board of the sound of my own voice!

“It’s definitely easier to attract other investors once you have a lead investor.”

But it paid off, one of the people I spoke to – looking for their feedback, I wasn’t actually asking for investment – was an active angel investor and he liked what we were doing. He agreed to be our lead investor. It’s definitely easier to attract other investors once you have a lead investor.

Hatty: That’s very true. A lead investor really gets things moving. I know it worked for you and, with the support of your lead investor, you were able to complete the investment round. Thinking back on the process of raising investment, what advice would you offer to anyone preparing for investment today?

Jason: I’d use an experienced pro to help you prepare the documents and figures you need because it saves a great deal of time and makes your investment look more attractive to potential investors.

Hatty: Have there been any surprising outcomes from raising investment?

Jason: The investment has allowed us to make significant progress in a relatively short time frame. In fact, we’ve achieved the milestones we set and are ready for our next round of investment!

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