Will Smelko Shares How to Find Investors that Lead to Strategic Moves

111 | Will Smelko Shares How to Find Investors that Lead to Strategic Moves

What value do investors add to your business relationship? And what value do you add?

Will Smelko is the visionary and CEO behind Ora Organic as well as a fervent foodie. Upon graduating from UC Berkeley, he dove headfirst into the world of strategy consulting for Fortune 500 healthcare and pharmaceutical companies but soon realized his calling was elsewhere. Understanding that the most promising solution to climate change involved food, Will began exploring plant-based nutrition. Ora is changing the status-quo by creating nutritional products made directly from food without artificial additives. Ora reflects the values of its co-founders, which is why the company prioritizes organic farming, sustainable harvesting practices, and delicious, plant-based nutrition.

When you’re starting out, it can be very tempting to just accept money from anyone who is offering it, and figure things out after. But, vetting our investors can help us strategically grow our business. 

You started your business because you were passionate about the product you manufacture, or the service that you provide - not solely for the money. That means you want investors who are going to be able to help that business move forward: you know what your business needs, who has the connections and the ability to meet those needs? That’s who you want as an investor.

I know how tempting it is to take money from any investor when you have none. When I started FITzee Foods, I accepted money from any investor who was willing to give. But if I had taken the time and interviewed potential investors to see what value they could bring, and if I had figured out what value I brought to them, it would have completely changed how I approached investors in my business. 

This week’s guest on Success Unfiltered, Will Smelko, started his plant-based nutrition company, and instead of accepting any investor interested in his business, he faced his fears and asked the hard questions.

Are you ready to see how vetting investors strategically can lead to success? You’ll find all that AND MORE in this episode of Success Unfiltered!

Enjoy, and thank you for listening and tuning into Success Unfiltered!

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Special thanks goes out to Will Smelko for taking the time to chat with Michelle. Be sure to join us next week for our next new episode!

If You Don’t Believe In Yourself, Nobody Else Will. But why is doing it so hard? Most entrepreneurs can learn strategies. But the strategies are useless if your mind is stacked against you. What do you do to stop the negative self-talk and become your own biggest cheerleader? Start by investing in the most vital asset your business has: YOU. Grab my FREE guide Believing In Yourself (For REAL This Time) and let me show you how!

Here are a few key secrets we talked about in this episode: