An Angel Investor approached me, he and his partners had invested in a new product/invention that they very much believed in, he explained “the invention is a swim board of some sort, we invested almost 2 years ago and the business just isn’t progressing at the rate we would like, can you help?” the investor still very much believed in the product and requested I work to help the team identify what was needed to help get this new product to market quickly.

The invention is meant to revolutionize man’s relationship with water, you can swim with it, relax and float on it, ride the waves, its easy to carry, store, and has many uses, from swimming-aid to sports activity. The inventors, three brothers originally from South Africa, whose understanding and passion for their product is beyond impressive, but a few years in they were still only able to work part-time on this project. Sports enthusiasts and musicians, who had achieved great success in both, now had their eyes set on the business world.

Taking a triage approach to identify what is needed to get this project moving in the right direction as quickly as possible, what are the obstacles getting in the way, and what are the resources needed. How do we take an invention and idea, and turn it into a brand and a business?

During our first meeting, what I refer to as the intake session, it became clear this team of brothers were strong and capable but needed structure and some external expertise for the areas where they were previously inexperienced.

Once I had a full grasp of the Vision for this business, which the founders and inventors were very clear on, it was evident where they needed help most; building a realistic and practical Mission Plan, a “How To Get There Plan”. The first resource needed to be in a position to accept and tackle the exciting Mission ahead of them was; additional funding.

With additional financial resources, they would be able to invest more of their time, expertise and energy into turning their invention into a business. Additional financing was also required to develop the branding, marketing materials, channels of distribution, systems and initial inventory.

Working closely together we identified specific strengths and skills of each individual on the team and assigned skill appropriate tasks and responsibilities to each. We prepared all we needed to make an effective presentation to any and all potential investors.

We developed solid sales projections, forecasted revenues and with a strong understanding of real total costs we were able to project not only the future profitability of the business but also justify a strong Business Valuation to any potential investors.

The areas where we did not have the expertise within the team, such as design, we used an exceptionally talented Creative Director at Identify Design Inc. who I often work with, Trevor Cook. The branding and iconography created would be applied to the product, as well as to general marketing materials, and also applied to accessories and clothing for additional revenue streams, while further developing the Zambezi brand identity.

The final result of our collaboration came when the three brothers stood in front of a selection of 4 potential investors and pitched their business, sharing with the potential investors their amazing product and branding, marketing plans, their strong business case and valuation. It was in that first meeting with these potential investors, after only 12 weeks working together that the brothers achieved undeniable success, they were offered the full six figure valuation they were looking for, with an impressively successful and strategic partner.