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Chris Owen-Smith's avatar

This is such great advice, and perfectly timed for us. We are raising now and looks like we are going to be oversubscribed. Any advice Chris on how to say no to investors that might not be right without making future enemies? They might not be right for the reasons you mention, or just because they don't bring the experience, connections, or future round potential that others might.

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Just be clear. Ultimately you're putting together the best Syndicate to have the best chance of building an extraordinary company. Profesional investors are used to being dropped out all together or have their ticket size paired down to a small size so you can include all the right people to have around the table. One deal we won had 17 competing term sheets - thats 17 firms who are disappointed but keen to stay close for when the next round opens up ✨ I hope this helps

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Chris Owen-Smith's avatar

Super helpful, thanks Chris. Good to know that pairing down also happens. One investor has jumped in early with a large commitment, leaving less room for some high value interested parties, pretty much saying “snooze you lose”…

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Best of luck closing it out ✅

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Joel Salinas's avatar

Pick your investors like you pick your cofounders, genius line!

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Surround yourself with the best and be quite intentional what the "best" means for you - the best investor can mean many things BUT it is a marriage and times will be good and bad and awful as in life. So can you align during the most awful of times is a factor NOT just the logo above the investors door 🌟

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Joel Salinas's avatar

This is great! Very similar to the principles I use when hiring

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Steve Waddell's avatar

No audiobook? That would be a real asset.

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Chris Tottman's avatar

It's too visual - it comes with 70 visuals that obviously don't work on audio. It's also in our style where we want people to scribble on it and work on their business as they see fit. Hopefully that will help you understand the decision we needed to make. Best of luck and thanks for asking ✨

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Steve Waddell's avatar

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I really do enjoy your visuals — some of the posts you’ve shared on LinkedIn are genuinely inspiring.

I completely get your point about the 70 visuals and the “scribble and work on your business” style — that’s a big part of what makes your content unique. At the same time, don’t forget there’s now a trend where audiobooks come with companion PDFs. For people like me, time is at a premium, and it’s great to multi-task — I do a lot of audiobook listening while driving, walking the dog, or mowing the lawn, and I find myself reflecting deeply on the content as I go.

Just a thought in case you ever consider offering an audio version with a companion PDF down the road — it could open the door to a whole new audience without losing the hands-on feel of your work.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain your decision.

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Thanks for adding to our insights. I'll chat to the Co-Authors about this for review - enjoy the 🐕 - I've got 2 !

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Steve Waddell's avatar

Awesome. My wife and I rescue German Shepherds. We recently lost two, Rose, and Thor. That's actually the name of the publishing company I started, RosenThor Publishing, which published my award-winning book, Valuepreneurs. A portion of the proceeds goes to German Shepherd rescue organizations.

https://valuepreneurs.com/rosenthor-publishing/

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Congratulations on the book 📖❗

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Richard Blundell's avatar

Wow this is an invaluable guide - thanks so much Chris

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Chris Tottman's avatar

My pleasure ⭐ couldn't have happened without you !

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