Should I Invest In My Own Business, Or Look For Investors? Today's episode of Join Up Dots is inspired by a listener who asks a huge question, that plagues so many of us as we begin to create our dream businesses. Do we use our money on a business, or find someone to invest in our business....even if means us losing some equity Should we keep control of what we want in our life, if that means taking it slower (perhaps never getting to where we want to be) Well we were asked this:   My name is Alistair, a Brit who lives in India, and I’m just about to embark on the startup journey for the first time.    For my day job I do a lot of traveling. Today I happened across your podcast, and it made my 6 hour drive across northern India feel like time well spent! First, I’d like to say thank you for doing what you do. The reassurance that there’s so many out there in the same boat, and a friendly voice offering guidance, is invaluable.   I’m from a fairly modest background, never struggling, but comfortable enough. I’m also relatively uneducated, having dropped out of college before completing my A levels. Since then, I’ve been working my way around as an outdoor instructor, which is what led me to India.    I have been developing an app idea for around 8 months, and I’m about to take the plunge and spend the most amount of money I’ve ever had access to. It’s a small amount in the great scheme of things - £15,000 to develop and get the MVP off the ground - but for me, it’s everything.   I often hear the phrase “never invest your own money”, but at the stage I’m at, no-one is going to be queuing up with their cheque book. Neither would I be interested, as they’d want, quite rightly, a great big chunk of equity. So, my question is, which of the following scenarios sounds most sensible?   1 - I head out now, with nothing more than a well developed idea, a bunch of projections and revenue forecast assumptions, and go in search of angel investors to drum up enough money to get the app developed, knowing that I’ll have to give away large amounts of equity   2 - I go as far as I can with the money available - money my mother would rather I spend on bricks and mortar - develop the MVP, and, hopefully, get some real data and a little traction, with which I could back up my proposal to investors further down the line   The second subject that you may have talked about before; I hate asking for money… Perhaps it’s my background, but I dread the thought of asking for tens of thousands and negotiating equity for my little app idea. My boss, a very well educated, well off, Cambridge alumnus, seems to have no qualms about raising half a million, even though I know for a fact he knows as much about his new venture as I do mine. Is asking for money a common concern of your listeners?   Thank you for your time.  Warm Regards, Alistair   And now for the second question of the day, where our listener is doing quite well in his life, but has got to a point where he feels lost.   Should he go back to Mexico, or should he start a business where he is.   Hi. David I will use “Sailor aimlessly” as subject of the message.   Not sure if you read and reply to all messages you get, and I do not want to waste your time, therefore I will go straight to my point:   Until a few months ago I was clear about what I was doing with my professional life, set goals and met them all.   Today I sail aimlessly, have many ideas but I have not been able to land them and define what my next step should be, it is a terrible feeling and the reason why I am looking for help. In case you are interested in my case, find below a summary of my most recent story:   Long story short, I am Mexican living in Ireland for the last 2 years, almost 36 years old, 12 years married and we have 3 beautiful daughters (Valentina, Mikaela & Emma).   Since young age with different ideas, active, impatient; I finished high school and left Mexico to pursue my dream, I wanted to be a professional soccer p