A journey from Project Manager to Angel Investor

A blog by mentor Andrea

Having worked in project management for 15 years, I had become accustomed to operating in a controlled environment where most things are dictated by detailed budgets and strict project plans. Dealing with demanding stakeholders meant the organisation of every contributor was vital to delivering the project on time and within budget. When managed properly each project could be delivered with minimum risk to the owners.

Transitioning from this measured world to angel investing, where control can be limited and the risk of failure is much greater was quite daunting. The biggest challenge I soon discovered was not the risk to the amount of money I was investing, although that is a nerve-wracking prospect, it is the significant shift in mindset that is required. It’s all about your attitude to risk.

Looking back, I did not wake up one day and decide I was going to be an angel investor. My journey through various twists and turns in my career (or careers) took me to this point. I’m also a Yoga teacher and one teaching within yoga that I am a firm believer in is that experience can take you to the place where you are supposed to be!

I was introduced into the world of entrepreneurship about 15 years ago when my husband decided to start his own business. Thankfully he was successful, he made it and achieved all the goals in business that he wanted to. I’m obviously leaving out the years of stress and fatigue that he went through but I witnessed what it took to build a successful business from scratch and that lit an interest in business within me.

I moved from Project management to mentoring small start-ups to grow and provide guidance in their product development lifecycle. It was a mentoring role and to begin with I had no intention of investing. However, I soon developed a very strong interest in the overall growth of the companies I was assisting I soon developed a passion about the prospect of being able to invest in promising start-ups and help them grow.

I began attending startup events and often networked with entrepreneurs and investors within my mentoring role. I read books, blogs, and articles about startups and angel investing. Being in this environment I experienced the passion, the hope, the potential and the excitement. All of which is really contagious. The co-founders have a real passion about their companies, which is infectious and brings with it a feeling of wanting to help them succeed.

So, I took the leap and invested in my first company. I attended countless meetings before I signed on the dotted line and often questioned whether or not I was doing the right thing. But, I did it and it felt good to know I was investing in something that was worthwhile. My angel investment journey had started.

I quickly realized that for me, being an angel investor was not just about investing money but also about providing guidance and mentorship. It’s about building relationships with the founders, providing them with advice and support whenever they needed it.

The world of entrepreneurship is full of people who have made bold career transitions and this has been inspiring to me. Over time, I hope to become more experienced as an angel investor. I have only started this journey fairly recently and hope to continue to invest over the coming years but taking that first leap has been a rewarding career choice for me.