fbpx
Connect with us

Business

7 Strategies Serial Entrepreneurs Use To Find Investors

Published

on

Entrepreneurs sitting at a conference table

You have a fantastic idea that could change the world, disrupt an industry, or impact millions (possibly billions) of people. You know exactly what you’re doing, how you’re going to do it, and a great team supporting your vision. But you lack the most important resources of all – money. The idea might be great, but you know darn well it’s dead in the water without substantial seed capital supporting it. So now it’s back in the trenches to find investors to back your ideas. Luckily there are proven strategies that’s worked for millions of entrepreneurs and successful startups that you can adopt.

Through Your Immediate Network

Young female asian entrepreneurs

This might be obvious, but you need to start with your immediate network and ask if anyone is already an investor. You never know if someone is actually an accredited investor. An investor doesn’t have to be walking around in suits and be publicly a part of any investor network. It could be a close friend who believes in your idea and is willing to put money down to invest in you. Before you go and seek investors outside your network, check with your own network.

Look Them Up Online

Computer research

Finding investors probably isn’t as hard as you might think. Most angel investor networks and VC firms make themselves very known and you can often do a quick Google search to find a handful of angel networks and VC’s in the area. They’ll often have a website or at least a Linkedin page. From there, it’s up to your hustling skills to reach out and schedule a meeting.

At Investor-specific Events

Look on Event Bright, Net Mixer, or other event-curated websites for upcoming conferences or events that are catered to Investors specifically. You’ll increase your chances of shaking hands with investors in person. Meeting them in person first can sometimes be better than cold emailing them. At these events, you’ll have the opportunity to meet them, get to know them, share a joke or two, and then ask for their card to follow up later. But do be mindful of their time and of the event’s goals. You’re likely not the only ones trying to get in front of them and there may be other startups there constantly trying to pitch to them. Meeting them is great, but don’t look desperate and try to pitch to every investor you come into contact with.

Angel Investor Networks

An Angel investor network will have a pool of angel investors who put their money into an organization and that organization find startups like you to invest in, on behalf of the investors in their network. Angel investor networks are very common and they host meetings regularly to put startups in front of a group to pitch. Most of them will have some sort of minimal fee to pitch, just to ensure that you’re serious. These groups are also easily found online and very receptive to your reaching out.

Be Friends With Investors Who Can’t Invest In You

Investor friends

Investors will typically have a specific industry or niche that they focus on because they’re more knowledgeable in that subject. Not every investor will even entertain your idea, and that’s ok. Make it a point to be friends with a lot of investors just for the sake of friendship and ask for advice instead. They may not be able to invest in you directly, but they have plenty of friends in their network who can. And being investors, they can also help prepare you so you have the highest possible chance of success when you pitch to prospective investors.

Join An Accelerator

Accelerators can be found in many large cities and they’re a great way to literally accelerate your timeline, get things moving, and meet potential investors. Typically an accelerator program may last anywhere from 3 – 6 months. And at the very end, there’s usually an organized pitch event to get your startups in front of investors in that city. Investors attending these events are much more likely to invest in you because they know that you’re likely a much more high-quality startup because you graduated from an accelerator program they trust. And there’s probably already been vetting done, which saves them a bit of time on due diligence.

Join Your Local Startup Community

If you live in a big city or have access to get to one, there’s likely already a big startup scene there. There’s plenty of organizations, programs, events going on all the time. Be sure to do your research and be a part of the community. Attend events, volunteer, and take advantage of resources these organizations and communities offer. The more exposure you have with these communities, the more friends you’ll make. And eventually, you’ll get a lot of exposure and support from the community. This is a long term strategy, and probably not something you can expect immediate results from.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Fast Turnaround

Published

on

Best Graphic Design Service for Fast Turnaround

TL;DR: Penji offers the fastest professional design turnarounds at 24-48 hours with unlimited revisions. Small business owners get agency quality without agency prices or timelines, keeping marketing moving fast.

The best graphic design service for fast turnaround is Penji, completing projects in 24-48 hours through an unlimited subscription model. Small businesses get dedicated designers, unlimited revisions, and consistent quality for $499+ monthly, much faster than traditional agencies or freelance platforms like Upwork.

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Fast Turnaround?

Your to-do list doesn’t shrink just because your designer is slow. Between running operations, managing staff, and actually making sales, waiting weeks for marketing materials creates problems you don’t have time to solve.

Penji delivers professional design work in 24-48 hours through an unlimited subscription model. You get dedicated designers, unlimited revisions, and predictable monthly costs starting at $499. No chasing freelancers, no agency red tape, just reliable design when you need it.

The Hidden Cost of Design Delays

Every day your promotion sits in a designer’s queue is potential revenue walking out the door. That seasonal sale you planned? The event driving traffic to your store? The website refresh that’s been “almost done” for months? Delays add up.

Most small business owners try one of three approaches: hire a local agency (expensive and slow), find freelancers on Upwork (inconsistent quality and availability), or use cheap services like Fiverr (you get what you pay for). None solve the real problem of getting quality work done quickly.

Why Penji Works for Growing Businesses

Penji operates on a simple premise: businesses need ongoing design support, not occasional big projects. Their platform lets you submit unlimited requests that get completed one at a time, with most initial concepts delivered within 24-48 hours.

The subscription model changes the economics completely. Instead of budgeting project by project and wondering if you can afford that next piece of marketing collateral, you pay one flat monthly rate. Submit as much work as you need without invoice anxiety.

Your dedicated design team learns your business over time. They understand your brand guidelines, know what your customers respond to, and remember your preferences. That familiarity makes every project after the first one faster because you’re not re-explaining your vision.

They handle everything: logos and branding, website design, social media graphics, print materials, email templates, presentations. Whatever your marketing needs, it’s covered under one subscription.

At $499 monthly for the basic plan, it costs less than hiring a part-time designer but gives you access to an entire creative team. For businesses that need design regularly but can’t justify a full-time hire, the math makes sense.

Upwork: Managing Freelancers Takes Time

Upwork connects you with thousands of freelancers globally. The selection looks great until you realize you’re now running a hiring process for every project. Reviewing portfolios, reading reviews, interviewing candidates, negotiating rates… it all takes time you don’t have.

Even after finding someone good, availability becomes your next problem. Quality freelancers stay busy, which means your urgent project competes with everyone else’s deadlines. You might wait days or weeks depending on their schedule.

Then there’s the management work. You’re handling contracts, milestone payments, file transfers, and communication across different time zones. Penji takes care of all that so you can focus on running your business.

Fiverr: False Economy

Fiverr advertises cheap design work, which sounds good when you’re watching every dollar. The reality disappoints more often than not. Decent designers charge $100+ per project and take 3-5 days minimum. Want revisions? That costs extra. Need something more than basic? Quality rarely matches the low prices.

When you add up revision fees and rush charges, Fiverr projects often cost as much as a month of Penji while delivering worse results. Paying a bit more upfront for reliable quality actually saves money by avoiding do-overs.

Making the Right Investment

Your marketing either drives growth or wastes money. Reliable, fast design support keeps your marketing running smoothly instead of stopping every time you need creative work.

Penji’s unlimited approach gives you the creative capacity of an in-house team at a fraction of the cost. Submit work when inspiration strikes, get results within 48 hours, keep your marketing calendar on track.

Test Drive Professional Design

See how much faster your marketing moves with reliable design support. Try Penji and stop letting design delays hold your business back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my designer is working on someone else’s project?

Your dedicated team manages their workload to keep the 24-48 hour turnaround. They’re assigned to you specifically, not juggling hundreds of other clients.

Can I pause my subscription during slow months?

Check with Penji about their current pause policies. Many businesses find they use it more than expected once they have it.

How do revisions work if I need them fast too?

Revisions follow the same 24-48 hour turnaround. Submit clear feedback and you’ll get updated versions within that timeframe.

Continue Reading

Business

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Brochures & Flyers?

Published

on

TLDR: For speed and affordabilities Penji is the best scalable design service that matches agency-quality results. Alternative niche options can be Kimp, LogoCent, and Design Spinners.

Did you know that 79% of consumers respond to direct mail while only 45% of consumers respond to emails? In a digital world, physical brochures and flyers reign supreme. But such creations take a learned talent. When you need the Best Graphic Design Service for Brochures & Flyers, you need someone who can keep up with your marketing team.

Below is a comparative guide to the best in the Design as a service industry.

Penji

Penji: Graphic design services

Need some stunning brochures and flyers to create a beautiful vision? Penji is the artistic mind for you. Thousands of marketers and agencies trust Penji’s platform for unlimited print designs for a monthly flat fee.

Features:

  • Unlimited Brochures & Flyer Designs: As many as you want, whenever you want
  • Fast Turnaround: Your first draft brochure or flyer could be in your hands in as little as 24 hours.
  • Vetted Print Designers: The top 2% of talent across the globe are there to help you with your print requirements.
  • AI Platform: An AI can connect you with the most fitting designer for your campaign.

Benefits:

There’s no need to hire an agency and pay agency fees. Get creative without concern over results as Penji can scale for whatever you need, whether you need only one flyer for an event or an entire collection of marketing brochures.

Kimp

Graphic design services

For an unlimited graphic design service that fosters beautiful print opportunities, Kimp is the ultimate all in one experience. Their subscription service is perfectly suited for entrepreneurs and small businesses, making it easy to fold into a budget.

Features:

  • Dedicated Teams: You will be placed with a dedicated team to ensure your branding efforts remain consistent.
  • Video and Graphics: In addition to Kimp for prints, Kimp has a Kimp option for video for motion graphic needs along with branding efforts.
  • Source Files: You own all source files acquired through the process.

Benefits:

You don’t have to worry about your branding efforts being funneled through multiple freelancers – Kimp is an all-in-one solution for motion graphics and print assets like brochures for company cohesion without the stress of managing multiple freelancers.

LogoCent

Don’t let the name fool you; LogoCent makes more than just logos but high quality design pieces and more! If you’re looking for a pay-per-project option without monthly commitment, LogoCent is great for sporadic projects.

Features:

  • Custom Packages: Pricing that matches your necessary project.
  • Brand Identity: Logos and flyers that maintain cohesion between designs.
  • Communication: You’ll have a project manager and taskmaster on hand for full assistance.

Benefits:

You won’t have to create contracts with anyone else monthly, just pay per project with LogoCent when your business needs a one-off flyer for a specific event or an annual brochure type.

Design Spinners

Design spinners: Graphic design services

Design Spinners operates like a fancy ad agency without the price; they’re like a middleman between the personal touch of freelance sites and the upper scale of fancy agencies, and they specialize in brochures, flyers, and marketing pieces.

Features:

  • Specialty Offers: Pitch decks, trade show materials and more!
  • Pricing Levels: Basic flyer features to agency features at premium pricing levels are available.
  • Strategy Focused Design: Those creating your materials will approach your project through a strategic lens to help whatever material is created find success.

Benefits:

It’s more than just a design – whatever project you seek with Design Spinners will provide you with facilitated guidance and tiered levels of service depending on what you’re looking to get most out of it.

Credit for Cover Image: Ron Lach on Pexels

Continue Reading

Business

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics Today?

Published

on

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

Infographics are an effective tool for explaining complex ideas and making them easier to understand. Thus, many businesses use them in their content marketing efforts. If you need to incorporate this powerful tool into your business, here are the five best graphic design services for infographics:

Penji

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

For fast, high-quality infographics, Penji is your best bet. It offers unlimited graphic design services for fixed monthly fees. This allows you to get as many infographics, logos, social media graphics, web design, and custom illustrations as you need in a month. Unlimited revisions are also included, assuring you of the exact designs you want and need.

Visme

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

Now, for high-converting, engaging, and branded infographics, there’s Visme. It offers an AI-powered interactive platform where you can craft your own infographics from over 1,000 professionally designed templates. Its drag-and-drop tools let you publish your designs in minutes.

Kimp

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

Another unlimited graphic design platform, Kimp, can create infographics for your business for a flat fee. Its dedicated team of designers will learn your brand and style, allowing them to craft infographics and other designs that will align with your brand identity.

Canva

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

If you have an artistic eye, you will enjoy crafting your own infographics with Canva. It is a free platform where you can create infographics and many other design types using its templates. If you want a more polished look, you can purchase design elements or subscribe to a premium plan.

Flocksy

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

With the latest in design tools and an AI-powered platform, Flocksy is another graphic design service for infographics. It takes pride in delivering consistent, high-quality creative outputs aside from infographics. It offers a wide range of services, including video editing, web design, custom illustration, and even copywriting. Its simple, flat-rate pricing makes it a cost-effective design solution.

Continue Reading

Trending