As with any good fundraise, debt, or equity, the best way to build relationships is long before they’re needed. The longer you’ve known each other, the more you’ll understand what each partner is about. Without the pressure of fundraising, you can both think clearly about what a partnership might look like. This will also allow you to see how people react or behave over time.

If you’re building a one-on-one relationship with someone at a firm, this gives the financier a chance to get comfortable with how you make decisions in your business. Then, you can ask for their opinion to see if you’ll align.

If you think the perfect partnership means not speaking to a human at all, there are plenty of financing firms out there for you. But knowing your partner is still critical. It’s a different kind of relationship-building, but you can learn how they work and what they look for by following them on social media. Although less personal, you can still get to know their views and formulate an opinion on if they’d be a good partner or not. Getting to know a partner doesn’t require painfully long lunches or never-ending Zoom calls. Promise.

Whether online or offline, cultivating a network of financiers and staying in contact can increase the quality of funding options when you need them. We’re trying to make this network easier to build with INTRO. If you’re struggling to start or would like help building out that network, reach out to me on Twitter @SirJRG.