Raising Money

For the last ten years, raising venture capital was like shooting fish in a barrel. Everybody with a hoodie and a half-baked app idea was pulling million-dollar seed rounds. Growth was king. Profits? Who cared?

Then BAM — the pandemic hit. Inflation roared. The AI circus rolled into town. Suddenly, VCs are clutching their checkbooks like it’s their last sandwich on Earth.

Here’s the truth: Right now, fear is bigger than greed. Venture money? It's sitting on the sidelines. And if you’re waiting for it to come save you — you're gonna be waiting a long damn time.

So what do you do? You pivot. You power up. You FUND YOURSELF.

Bootstrap. Use your own cash. Stay lean. Stay hungry. Own it all.
Friends and family. Ask. Sell the dream. But remember: if they don’t bite, maybe your dream sucks. Fix it.
Crowdfunding. Build an army of believers BEFORE you even launch.
Angel investors. Find them. They’re not scared. They’re looking for YOU — if you’re the real deal.
Small business loans. Assets? Equity? Leverage them. Banks still lend to winners.
Government grants. Free money, people. It's sitting there. Go claim it.
Incubators and accelerators. Cash. Mentorship. Access.
Strategic partnerships. Get the big players to open doors you can't kick down yourself.
Cash-flow financing. Sell your receivables. Keep growing.
Pre-sales and convertible debt. Be creative. Be aggressive. Stack the deck in your favor.

Bottom line: Winners adapt. Losers whine. You have everything you need to build, scale, and dominate — even in a "bad" market. The only question is — will you freaking move or will you freeze?”

Your move.

Joseph Willmott, CEO of the World Referral Network

Email: jwillmott@worldreferalnetwork.com

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-willmott-0a746b/