Stephanie SimsCapital strategist, entrepreneurial advisor, author, board member

    Entrepreneurs start for freedom, not funding.

    I've been an entrepreneur, a banker and an investor, so I've seen a lot of different paths to success. Funding is rarely the only way to get there, and it's not the one that fits most entrepreneurs' goals.

    2nd
     generation entrepreneur
    $5B+
     in investment transactions
    1
     exit to a FTSE 250 company
    2
     venture funds I helped launch

    I'm dedicated to helping as many entrepreneurs as possible become their own best investors.

    Stephanie Sims presenting to a full room at LabForce CEI, her slide reading: reality always wins, money is only a tool, people are the bottom line

    Are you an entrepreneur?

    You've built something you believe in. You've seen it help clients. But you keep hearing that you should talk to investors.

    That's not a question anyone but you can answer. It comes down to what fits you and your business best. First step: work out whether they're a fit at all, so you can stop chasing them if they're not.

    Start with what freedom looks like for you

    Or do you work with entrepreneurs?

    You want more than a full room and a good survey. You want your entrepreneurs further down the road.

    That was always the point, and it's the hard part. Real outcomes take more than a great session, and they're difficult to create on purpose. That's the work I help you do: programs built to actually change your entrepreneurs' trajectory, and a way to see whether it worked.

    See how to tell your program's story

    Groups I've worked with

    Arizona Commerce AuthorityEdmonton UnlimitedChandler EndeavorASU EntrepreneurshipMonsoon Venture Fund
    Stephanie Sims speaking at a workshop, microphone in hand

    I've been in an investor's shoes. And yours.

    I'm a second-generation entrepreneur. I spent my early career in investment banking, in the US and London, then ran finance for a startup through its growth and sale. Since then I've helped launch two venture funds (I still serve as the entrepreneur in residence for one), founded two companies of my own, and worked with hundreds of other entrepreneurs who realized they didn't want to build the business they see in the media. They wanted to build their own.

    I believe in real talk, not cheerleading.

    Money isn't magic, it's a tool.

    Equity is only one source, even if it's the one that gets written about. And more money only helps if you know where to put it. Start with whether to raise at all.

    Bootstrapping is a funding strategy, not a fallback.

    It's the one most entrepreneurs will use, because it is building a business. That means figuring out what's working, and what isn't, so you can put your time, money and energy into what grows it. Here's how to do it well.

    Friends don't let friends chase equity without knowing how it works.

    Nobody is born knowing what a liquidation preference is. Investors fund fewer than 1 in 200 of the companies they see, so understanding the process is essential. Here's how it actually works.

    I'm invested in your success.

    I don't sell any kind of funding, so I have no reason to recommend one over another. A lender sees a loan, an investor sees a round, a tax advisor sees the tax bill. I see your business.

    You deserve to define success for yourself and reap the rewards.