venturcelerator
Entrepreneur Myth #10: You have to “dress for success” when raising capital
I hate wearing suits and ties. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few Armani suits myself but I could count on one hand the number of times I wore one last year. Ironically, I’m wearing one in my photo on Entrepreneurdex.com. If you knew me, you’d learn I’m really a jeans and T-shirt guy. What the hell did you expect from me considering I was going to be a professional futebol player, but that wasn’t in the cards.
Any entrepreneur working 24.7.365 should be comfortable (and it’s really not work for me because it’s fun). When I ran a venture fund, I wore jeans and a T-shirt most of the times. Entrepreneurs would come into my office in their suits and get a kick out of seeing me so casual. Within minutes, you could see them loosening their ties.
You know, it doesn’t really matter how much money I have in my bank account, I prefer to wear jeans and a T-shirt because it comes closest to wearing a futebol uniform. I’ve even been known to go to work sometimes in my futebol shorts, shirt and shoes. I guess, I’ll never grow up.
There are all kinds of books and articles written about “dressing for success.” A lot of folks recommend wearing business suits when meeting with investors. That’s just bullshit. Think about it.
What’s the point of wearing an expensive suit to meet with investors? So, you wanna impress? To me, it’s more important to be self-confident and comfortable with investors, so wear whatever makes you feel comfortable as long as you don’t show up in a futebol uniform or swimsuit. Speedos are not allowed during investor meetings unless you’re pitching a new swimsuit line.
What you wear depends on who you are. I’ve been told I look great in my Armani suit but at the end of the day, I’m just a hard-working, 24/7/365 entrepreneur. I am who I am and please don’t judge me by what I fucking wear. Judge me by what I have to offer.
I’ve personally funded entrepreneurs who walked into my office wearing jeans. I have turned down entrepreneurs who walked in wearing fancy suits and looking like a million bucks. There are investors who’ll look at what you wear as an indication of your personality and potential success.
I’ve had techies come to my office looking for money – all dressed up and shit. I found it weird because most techies are going to be dressed down. When you punch software code for 24 hours straight, I doubt you’re wearing a suit and a tie. They looked extremely uncomfortable in those suits.
Be yourself. Wearing what you feel is comfortable will make you feel like you’re you. When I’m considering an investment, I want to see the real “fucking” you. If you try to dress up for the occasion and then loosen your tie during the meeting, I’m gonna wonder whether you’re telling me shit that’s real or is this meeting all show.
It’s the little things that count. I know of a great entrepreneur who looks like a billion bucks when he wears a suit. The reason is because this friend of mine always wears fancy clothes. It’s part of his personality. Hell, I think he probably dresses up when going camping.
There are investors who expect you to dress up for their meeting. Fuck them. They’re not worth it. I’ve learned this the hard way. These types of investors are more concerned about appearances than actions and results.
Yes, what you wear will depend on the situation and the type of investors. Yes, I’ve had to suck it up and get my suit on at times to present to institutional investors. I did it because I was asking for more than $300 million dollars. But by the same token, I’ve worn jeans and a T-shirt to investor meetings asking for $100 million dollars. It just depends. In my case, I don’t have a problem wearing a suit but I prefer my fucking jeans.
You have to know when to suck it up and wear your fancy clothes. Don’t be fucking stupid. Wear what you have to wear, depending on the occasion but don’t wear something that isn’t you. I know I’m speaking from both sides of my mouth here but use common sense.
If you don’t know what to wear to the investor dance, ask your spouse or other half (if you’re lucky enough to have one despite being a workaholic). If you don’t have anyone to ask what you should wear, ask your mother for heaven’s sake. She’ll make sure you don’t look like shit.
1. What should you wear during investor meetings?
2. If you’re a woman, do you try to wear sexy, attractive clothes to the investor meeting or conservative outfits?
3. Do you wear jeans and a T-Shirt to a meeting like me? Are you fucking crazy or stupid enough like me to do that?
4. Do you wear a suit for venture capitalists and casual clothes for angel investors?
5. How do you determine what to wear for an investor meeting?
Why don’t you tell us about it at Entrepreneurdex.com? Oh, you don’t have to wear a suit in our community. You can be in your pajamas. I highly recommend not wearing any Speedos.
SUBSCRIBE to the PODCAST: Entrepreneur Myths on iTunes
Any entrepreneur working 24.7.365 should be comfortable (and it’s really not work for me because it’s fun). When I ran a venture fund, I wore jeans and a T-shirt most of the times. Entrepreneurs would come into my office in their suits and get a kick out of seeing me so casual. Within minutes, you could see them loosening their ties.
You know, it doesn’t really matter how much money I have in my bank account, I prefer to wear jeans and a T-shirt because it comes closest to wearing a futebol uniform. I’ve even been known to go to work sometimes in my futebol shorts, shirt and shoes. I guess, I’ll never grow up.
There are all kinds of books and articles written about “dressing for success.” A lot of folks recommend wearing business suits when meeting with investors. That’s just bullshit. Think about it.
What’s the point of wearing an expensive suit to meet with investors? So, you wanna impress? To me, it’s more important to be self-confident and comfortable with investors, so wear whatever makes you feel comfortable as long as you don’t show up in a futebol uniform or swimsuit. Speedos are not allowed during investor meetings unless you’re pitching a new swimsuit line.
What you wear depends on who you are. I’ve been told I look great in my Armani suit but at the end of the day, I’m just a hard-working, 24/7/365 entrepreneur. I am who I am and please don’t judge me by what I fucking wear. Judge me by what I have to offer.
I’ve personally funded entrepreneurs who walked into my office wearing jeans. I have turned down entrepreneurs who walked in wearing fancy suits and looking like a million bucks. There are investors who’ll look at what you wear as an indication of your personality and potential success.
I’ve had techies come to my office looking for money – all dressed up and shit. I found it weird because most techies are going to be dressed down. When you punch software code for 24 hours straight, I doubt you’re wearing a suit and a tie. They looked extremely uncomfortable in those suits.
Be yourself. Wearing what you feel is comfortable will make you feel like you’re you. When I’m considering an investment, I want to see the real “fucking” you. If you try to dress up for the occasion and then loosen your tie during the meeting, I’m gonna wonder whether you’re telling me shit that’s real or is this meeting all show.
It’s the little things that count. I know of a great entrepreneur who looks like a billion bucks when he wears a suit. The reason is because this friend of mine always wears fancy clothes. It’s part of his personality. Hell, I think he probably dresses up when going camping.
There are investors who expect you to dress up for their meeting. Fuck them. They’re not worth it. I’ve learned this the hard way. These types of investors are more concerned about appearances than actions and results.
Yes, what you wear will depend on the situation and the type of investors. Yes, I’ve had to suck it up and get my suit on at times to present to institutional investors. I did it because I was asking for more than $300 million dollars. But by the same token, I’ve worn jeans and a T-shirt to investor meetings asking for $100 million dollars. It just depends. In my case, I don’t have a problem wearing a suit but I prefer my fucking jeans.
You have to know when to suck it up and wear your fancy clothes. Don’t be fucking stupid. Wear what you have to wear, depending on the occasion but don’t wear something that isn’t you. I know I’m speaking from both sides of my mouth here but use common sense.
If you don’t know what to wear to the investor dance, ask your spouse or other half (if you’re lucky enough to have one despite being a workaholic). If you don’t have anyone to ask what you should wear, ask your mother for heaven’s sake. She’ll make sure you don’t look like shit.
1. What should you wear during investor meetings?
2. If you’re a woman, do you try to wear sexy, attractive clothes to the investor meeting or conservative outfits?
3. Do you wear jeans and a T-Shirt to a meeting like me? Are you fucking crazy or stupid enough like me to do that?
4. Do you wear a suit for venture capitalists and casual clothes for angel investors?
5. How do you determine what to wear for an investor meeting?
Why don’t you tell us about it at Entrepreneurdex.com? Oh, you don’t have to wear a suit in our community. You can be in your pajamas. I highly recommend not wearing any Speedos.
SUBSCRIBE to the PODCAST: Entrepreneur Myths on iTunes
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jana Arnold on -
I completely agree that you should dress so you are yourself. People who are themselves are very rare. Whatever makes you comfortable and confident! However, dressing in what makes you comfortable does not necessarily mean dressing down or dressing sloppy. I personally love clothes and love to dress up!
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