Bure Valley Group is an investment introducer platform which links successful investors with exciting, innovative UK startups seeking funding. This content is for information purposes only and should not be taken as financial or investment advice.
Angel investors are often great at investing in businesses – but how are you at investing in yourself? Committing time, energy and money towards self-development may not appear to hit the bottom-line, yet it is one of the best ways to increase your income and net worth. After all, financial education helps you minimise costly mistakes which you could have avoided, and also identify opportunities which you may otherwise have missed.
In this article, our team at Bure Valley Group offers some suggestions to our angel investor readers about how to develop yourself further, towards these ends. We hope you find these ideas useful. Find out more about our EIS and other investment opportunities by visiting our portfolio page here. To enquire regarding our latest projects and funding, you can reach us via:
+44 160 334 0827
#1 Rest
Many investors are notoriously busy people – moving from one meeting to the next, travelling and digesting meaty investment reports. Some angel investors live each day on as little as 4 hours sleep. Yet taking enough time to rest is hugely important. If your brain is constantly on overdrive, your subconscious mind has little opportunity to work. This is where creativity can happen – possibly giving you new investment or business ideas. Overtiredness, moreover, is one of the main causes of poor decision-making, which could result in a poor investment choice.
#2 Read & subscribe
Angel investors like to read. Business plans, investment performance data, market analyses and business books tend to feature predominantly. Yet developing yourself as an investor can be brilliantly achieved by broadening your reading horizons. Yes, there are plenty of great books and YouTube channels about finance. Yet what about psychology, history or biography? These types of categories can, very often, reveal truths and insights which investors can learn and apply to their personal and professional lives. Take care to not limit your content consumption!
#3 Mentorship
What’s the best way to learn a new language, martial art or hobby (e.g. camping)? There are many answers, yet near the top of most lists is getting a mentor. Doing so, in itself, is hugely humbling. After all, it means admitting that you do not know everything. Yet this recognition is pivotal in learning to become a better investor. A mentor can point out mistakes they have made in the past, providing lessons which help you avoid doing the same. They can reveal underlying beliefs and attitudes you hold that could help – or hinder – your journey to greater success.
#4 Health & wellness
As a fast-paced, busy sphere of business, finance and investing can quickly leave little room for exercise or proper diet. Staying healthy not only helps you feel better about yourself. It provides more energy and focus throughout the day – providing a stronger foundation upon which to base your investment decisions. Good health, therefore, boosts productivity and self-motivation.
#5 Network
In today’s world of social distancing, networking is not what it once was (and it is not clear if or when it will return). Yet technology still provides avenues for angel investors to meet each other and learn from their portfolios, goals, experiences and insights. LinkedIn, Facebook and forums like Reddit can, of course, be good options. Yet exclusive investor networks (such as ours here at Bure Valley Group) provide an initial barrier to entry which means you are more likely to meet the “real deal”. Angel investing is not, necessarily, a zero-sum game. By working with others, it is possible to combine your knowledge and resources towards promising opportunities.
#6 Revisit your strategy
The time-honoured investing principles are many, and it is easy even for experienced investors to neglect more than a few of them. Taking time to review your strategy periodically in light of these principles, therefore, can be a powerful way to help safeguard your portfolio returns so far and give them the best foundation for achieving your financial goals. Ask yourself questions that could benefit your strategy, such as: “Am I properly diversified?” and “Does my portfolio reflect my attitude to investment risk?”
#7 Revisit each component of your portfolio
Investment strategy is important, yet tactics also matter. Here, investors can engage in self development by taking time to scrutinise the key pieces of their portfolio. For instance, how are the fundamentals looking in each of your funds and individual equity holdings? How does the historical performance look as well as the future outlook? Are there any areas where you are playing unnecessarily high investment fees, or taxes?
Conclusion & invitation
Angel investing is rewarding, challenging and a process involving continuous learning. For those who have been most successful at it, rarely will you hear that claim that they have “arrived” at their full potential or personal growth. There are always new opportunities to explore and pitfalls to avoid. Engaging wholeheartedly in this process with a plan can stand you in good stead.
Interested in finding out more about the exciting startup projects we have on offer to investors here at Bure Valley Group? Get in touch today to start a conversation with our team and discuss some of the great investment memorandums we have available here:
+44 160 334 0827
