Good funding stories vs evil funding stories

I just finished reading http://blog.uservoice.com/entries/how-we-almost-didnt-raise-800k-in-the-worst-investment-market-in-years and can’t help but feel inspired. If you have the time and are interested in funding, it is a great read.

When I hear funding stories they are in one of two categories.

1) Everything is awesome! Everyone wants to give me money! This is so easy! I kick ass!

2) Ups and downs. Failures. Rejection. Thinking of giving up. Pivots. Small success. Medium success. Reality.

Stories from the first category are not fun to read. (Maybe I’m just jealous because funding didn’t go that way for us) I don’t know if they are true or not, but they are really discouraging and paint an unrealistic picture for the rest of us. For the people who have tried for funding or had trouble getting it, they make you feel like; if it is not as easy as this is for you… then you shouldn’t be doing this. For the people who are just starting out, it sets unrealistic expectations which could lead to people quitting earlier.

The reason I wrote this post wasn’t to yell at the #1 people. It was really to acknowledge the #2 people. The real stories, the inspiring, the ones that embody the entrepreneurial spirit.