Frank Dappah

People-powered Frank Dappah

Entrepreneurs everywhere - from New York to Nairobi - (often) harbor mixed feelings about their investors. These feelings sometimes veer into the adversarial when there are disagreements about the future of the underlying firm or firms. Often when things are not going well. Ahem! NO PROFITS. That is when folks bump heads the most. To be fair, your relationship with the folks who bet their hard-earned money on the future success of your organization will be one of the most complicated ones you will ever have. There are many reasons why these types of bonds come with a huge side of complications. Reasons from the workable to the insurmountable. The scenarios that I often come across revolve around this idea that, from the entrepreneur's perspective, the "investor" somehow "doesn't get it". And that both parties, in instances where differences in opinion may exist, do not want the same things, as far as the relevant corporate entity is concerned. Truth be told, there is no greater vote of confidence, no louder thumbs up, than one expressed via cash. Regardless of the reasons for any anxiety, and/or animosity, it is in all parties' interest that the investor-entrepreneur relationship remains civil and, most importantly, profitable. As entrepreneurs, our relationships are the most important aspect of what we do. We must therefore take the necessary steps to nurture these bonds we share with our customers, investors, employees, and partners. In this book, I share some of the many insights and tips I have become all too familiar with that have to do with the effective management of one's business relationships.