How To Get Investors For Business Funding In Nigeria

Sometimes, the distance between where we are and where we want to be is light.

Istifanus Sarki

If your attempts in getting investors to fund your business have fallen flat on countless occasions, then it’s best to pause the search and focus on the roots.

And don’t even buy the lie that it’s difficult to find investors. Those are false assumptions from the backend of wrong approaches. You would be shocked to know the rate at which millions are being invested on a weekly basis locally and globally.

Here, you will learn how easy it is to get one…just one investor that would bring your ideas to life with their investment.

The Financial Investment Space in Nigeria

We can date investment back to when Dangote was loaned half a million in 1977 to start a business and the rest is history. Today, we have more investors who invest in several businesses, ideas, and startups. Even more, there are lots of angel investors who are looking for businesses to invest in.

And the result?

According to a 2022 report by the SMEDAN (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria), there are an estimated 41 million SMEs in Nigeria, accounting for 96% of businesses in the country. These SMEs contribute about 50% of Nigeria's GDP and employ about 84% of the country's workforce.

What this means in English is that startups and small businesses are getting the necessary financial support they need, and you too can if you do what they did to get the result they got.

Before we get down to business, here is a summary of this article you are about to learn so much from:

Table Of Content

What you need to know about investors and how they come into your business
Reasons people hardly find investors or qualify for the investment.
What you need to Qualify For A Business Loan, Grant, Or Investment in Nigeria
How to find investors
Pitching your business or idea
What to do after pitching

What you need to know about investors and how they come into your business

It’s essential I state this: there are a lot of investors and people generally willing to invest in companies and ideas. The only problem is finding the right person(s). I will explain further.

Before you start looking for investors to pitch your business to, it's important to understand their investment mindset. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Their investment criteria: Study their investment career, and speak to someone they have invested in previously. Study their personality too. If you are smart enough, you can pick a thing or two about what they are likely to be looking out for. Some focus on businesses in a specific industry, while others may be looking for businesses at a certain stage of development.
Their motivations: Understand why they are interested in your business. Some investors are motivated by the potential for financial gain, others are motivated by the desire to help a business succeed. Whatever the motive is, how you plan your moves must be with an end to create a win-win situation for you and the investors.
Their risk tolerance: Learn how much risk they are willing to take on. Some investors are more risk-averse, while others may be more willing to take on high-risk investments.
Their exit strategies: Investors always have plans for how to get their money back. Some investors may be looking to exit their investment in a few years, while others may be willing to hold their investment for a longer period of time. This information would help you when pitching to them.

The moment you understand what investors are looking out for, you can begin the process of preparing to pitch by tailoring your pitch to their specific needs. With these, your chances of getting their investment are high.

However, what about individuals who attempted to pitch to investors but were unsuccessful in gaining approval? Let’s take a cue. A few lessons here and there won’t hurt. Would it?

Why people don’t qualify for Investors, Grants, Or Business Loans, in Nigeria

Here are the reasons people don’t qualify for loans in Nigeria

Your business or idea is too young

Depending on whether you are in the UK or in Nigeria, try pitching your business ideas with the likes of Dragons Den or Lion’s Den, a reality TV show for entrepreneurs where you present your business ideas to a panel of wealthy investors who are themselves, serial entrepreneurs. One of the questions you would definitely get asked would be how much have you made from it so far and within the space of how long?

What shows that your business idea is not too young is that the business has gone from being just an idea to an executed idea with real-time results. No matter how groundbreaking your idea is, investors don’t trust you, they trust in numbers, then the numbers convince them to trust you. No hard feelings. A good business idea doesn’t automatically translate to success.

It is not investible

For your business to be investible, it means you must have a clear and concise business plan that outlines how you intend to make money and grow the business, a strong team is in place that has the skills and experience to make their vision a reality, and traction such as customers, revenue, or user growth which shows the potential of the business.

It’s a win-lose, not a win-win

When applying for investment, most people are usually after how they’d make a lot of profit. They go ahead to dream about how they’d amplify the result. While there is nothing wrong with that, they often forget to figure out and factor in how their investor would benefit from the same.

There are other reasons and I can always share more with you later. In fact, you could chat me up about it if you want (contact details at the end of the article). But for now, let’s continue unraveling how to get these investors, cos as far as this article is concerned, they are in trouble. Lol.

What qualifies you for business funding by investors

Value:

Whether you are embarking on a CSR (corporate social responsibility) project, a non-profit-making project, or you have an idea that would ‘’change the world’’, the most important thing is that it solves a key problem and adds a key value.

As an entrepreneur, your idea is not as good as it feels or sounds, rather it is as good as the solutions it brings. People will pay you only for the value you bring, and investors are weighing your offerings versus the worth of the value your business or idea is offering.

And as Uncle Leke Alder would say in an interview with Poju Oyemade in 2020, there is a difference between an idea and an idea of an idea. That you have an idea is not enough. You must prune the idea until it can stand on its own. And this is because people have made mistakes of building businesses on the pillars of the idea of an idea, rather than the idea itself.

Confused?

What I am trying to say is, let your proposal carry a worthwhile value.

A business plan:

It is safe to say having a good business plan gives you a 50% chance of getting investors to consider your business for investment. One of the first things any investor would ask you is your business plan. This is because the business plan will answer 80% of their questions. And if you care to know, here are some of the questions investors and financiers ask that a business plan answers:

What is your business? What problem does your business solve? What is your unique selling proposition (USP)? Why should investors invest in your business?
What is the market for your product or service? How big is the market? Who are your target customers? What are their needs and wants?
What is your competitive landscape? Who are your competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How will you differentiate your business from the competition?
What is your business model? How will you make money? What are your revenue streams?
What are your financial projections? How much money do you need? How will you use the money? What are your financial goals?
What is your management team? Who are the key members of your team? What are their skills and experience?
What are the risks to your business? What are the potential challenges and obstacles that you face? How will you mitigate these risks?
What is your exit strategy? How do you plan to get out of the business? When do you expect to be profitable?

A business plan is a whole topic on its own Click here to read about it. But here’s my advice: In all your gettings, get a business plan ready on time. E get why! They say luck is when opportunity meets preparation, yeah, well, opportunities don’t announce their arrival beforehand.

And please, make sure your business plan/proposal is detailed, well-researched, and well-designed. If you are not an expert in business plans, hire one. A business plan that is convincing enough to persuade investors to invest millions in your business is not something you should attempt to create on your own if you are not an expert.

If you have doubts, or you are not sure of who to contact, you can reach out to me at any time (call, WhatsApp, email). See my contact detail at the bottom of this article.

Note:

In cases where an opportunity to pitch to an investor within the period of a week pops up, you can kiss that opportunity goodbye, cos you don't expect a grant-winning business plan in a week. The best time to have it ready is now when you have enough time to research and write a detailed plan.

Business registration:

In putting together the things you need to qualify for funding from an investor, your business registration plays a major role. Let’s look at it from the point of view of an investor.

Nigeria is a very special country with a special set of people, which makes our case a bit special when it comes to qualifying for an investment. The trust issue is always on another level, especially when it is a Non-Nigerian investing in your business/idea.

One method of recognizing fraudulent individuals and scammers masquerading as authentic entrepreneurs in search of investors is through the lack of legitimacy in their schemes. Their businesses are hardly registered.

Whatever questions you have on how to register your business from scratch, you can always chat me up on that.

Structure

When your sponsors go through the business structure written in your business plan, they would love to know how much of this structure is currently in place.

Beyond what your business plan says about your organizational and business structure, do you have a strong management team? Do you have a team of experienced and capable managers who can use the grant money effectively?

An investor would want to see that you have a clear plan for how your team will use the money before he is convinced enough to show interest in investing in your idea/business.

Success History

Sounds funny to say you’ll be requested to share the financial history or success history of what you have not even started. But then here’s where motivational speakers are right when they said the best time to start is now!

While I understand that you have a picture in mind of how big and how excellently you want to start, and how you don’t have the financial capacity to actualize that picture at the start of your business, guess what? Most investors won't be willing to support your idea, project, or business at its conceptual stage. Perhaps a few might, but it's essential to empathize and put yourself in their position.

So someone you don’t know from Adam attempts to convince you to lend him N5m. However, he has no financial pedigree, and neither are you sure of his ability to refund the money. Would you lend him half of the money?

It’s simple logic. You want to win the heart of an investor? Then start with the little you have, and make some results to back up your claim that your idea is worth the investment. Prove it with track records, numbers, and successes achieved no matter how little.

Even Loan companies and grant programs want to see that your business has a good track record of financial performance before they award you grants. In other words, you must have a history of generating positive cash flow and paying their bills on time.

So what happens when you have all these? Time to look for that investor. Here are a few, to begin with:

How to Find Investors in Nigeria

Networking. If you stay at home, you'll never find anyone who wants to invest in your business. So, get out there and attend business events, seminars, and workshops. Join industry associations and connect with people on social media. The more people you know, the more likely you are to find an investor who is interested in your business.
Angel investor networks. These are groups of angel investors who pool their money to invest in early-stage businesses. These networks can be a good way to find investors who are interested in your type of business.
Venture capital firms. Venture capital firms are companies that invest in early-stage businesses. These firms typically have a lot of money to invest, and they can be a good source of funding for growing businesses.
Family/Close relative: Wondering why this is on the list, yeah? Sometimes, what you are looking for in Sokoto could be in your Shokoto. The Dangote of today that you wish was your uncle actually started by getting a loan from his uncle. Sometimes what you need is to search for people within the network of your family or relatives that has the capacity to invest in you, and that’s it!
Read the next article: Yes, my next article will be a full list of investors, angel investors, venture capitalists, and the correct type of business to approach them with.

Pitching your business idea

Having gotten the preparatory stages right, it’s time to roll the dice. You can look up different videos that teach how to pitch your business, but beyond the rehearsals, dressing for the pitch, etc, here is my two cents: be convinced of your business, be sure of your numbers, and be a smart negotiator. Don’t give a rushed response. Think it through. You could request to get back to them if you are not sure of an answer.

Don’t be too long-winded. These investors are busy people and they want a straight-to-the-point presentation and responses. Don’t overhype your business. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Again, know your numbers, think ahead of your investors, and sell yourself well in every sense of it!

What to do after pitching

Sometimes an extra is what differentiates you from every other person. Here are some things to do after pitching to an investor:

A thank you note: Follow up with a thank-you note to show the investor that you are grateful for their time and consideration.
Send additional information: If the investor asked for any additional information, don’t take too long to send it to them.
Stay in touch: Let your investor know how your business is progressing. Keep them updated.
Keep pitching: Pitching is like looking for a job. Don't stop because one looks promising. Don’t quit if one investor doesn't say yes. Keep pitching to other investors until you hit success.

Getting an investor comes about as a result of the actions that precede finding one, and not so much about ''luck''. Investors are not doing you a huge favor by investing in your business. No, they are doing themselves a favor because the success of your business means more money for them too. So, they are as eager as you are to make your business idea work.

So go ahead, get your business plan ready, and bring that business to life. You can also reach out to me if you need help with any of the things that qualify you for an investor from business plan/proposal to registration, and down to other things you need clarity about.

If you have got any questions, concerns, or contributions, please share them in the comments. You can also reach out to me directly via mail or WhatsApp chat. I would love to give more light on this subject and related topics. Your comments will determine my next article.

See you in the comments.

___________________________________

Istifanus Sarki

Strategist.

email: manicleworld@gmail.com

WhatsApp: 07080225737

..with Manicle, it's all about you…

Search This Blog

Manicleworld