I had worked so hard to get to this moment. I focused on looking professional and not having a nervous expression on my face, but it was hard to cover up my anticipation.Was he really going to write the check for $25,000 to help fund my new business? Or was I going to have to go back to square one and try to find funding elsewhere? Let me back up a second and tell you how I got here.I was twenty-five years old and had never raised money before. When I worked in investment banking and then after that, in television, I was paid the same salary every two weeks and never had to even think about that side of the business.Now that I finally had to think about it, it was so weird and wonderful to see people buying into fresh, entrepreneurial ideas, and to experience raising money firsthand made me a true believer in the American risk-taking mentality.I have to admit that it took me quite some time to figure out how to significantly increase the likelihood of getting people to say, “Yes, I believe in this, and I believe in you.
