Over this past Summer I attended an angel investor “speed dating” event hosted by the Boston Globe and moderated by the Boston Globe Business editor Shirley Cheung. I was one of 40 or so entrepreneurs in attendance to learn more about angels–what they look for in a pitch, how the process works, etc.
As my idea was still heavily incubating I knew that I wasn’t really ready for this echelon of financing; however, I did have the opportunity to speak to some high-level investors and gained a lot of insight into a world I know largely nothing about. (Most of the attendees were tech start-ups.)
At the end of the evening, the moderator assembled the investors for a post-event panel. Her very first question posed to the investors was, “what was one of the most compelling ideas you heard tonight?” Immediately one of the investors replied, “There’s a gentleman here who is starting a gender neutral clothing line.” Another panelist added, “Oh, that’s hot right now.”
It was definitely flattering.
Right now I am finding that my passion doesn’t have to be driven by an expectation of building a billion dollar brand. It’s less about a preconceived idea of an outcome and more about just doing something I am passionate about. Putting my creative efforts into a place I feel good about at the end of the day.
I’ve never really been afraid of doing something I don’t know a whole lot about, and fashion is definitely a new foray for me. But I’ll take my small successes as they come, whether it’s a friend reaching out to let me know they’ll help me anyway they can, or a compliment from a panel of investors.
It’s a journey, and this one has just begun.
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