Experience doesn't give me all the answers.
It helps me ask better questions.
What would you do with a blank check?
It's the first thing I ask whenever an entrepreneur tells me they want investors, along with how they'd know they'd invested it wisely. Most can't answer yet.
That's where the FRIC method starts: frame the issue, right-size your approach, invest to learn, and commit to what works. It turns "I need money" into a best guess you can test with the resources you already have.
What's the best investment you can make right now?
Answering that takes a clear view of how the business works, and of everything you have to invest in it. Money is only one resource. Your time, energy, reputation, network and credibility are resources too, and knowing how to use all of them to grow is essential.
Every business only has to do five things: attract buyers, deliver solutions, delight clients, build new offers and support the business. I call it the business engine. It shows where your resources are going today, and what growth will demand from each of the five, so you know what it will really cost before you decide how to fund it.