b'2. Set the Stage for Successcommunity or the environment. Examples might be revitalizing your lo-cal community by improving neighborhoods, creating green buildings orusingnontoxicorlow-energy-consumptionproducts,orproviding homeownership opportunities to low-income or disabled people. If your investment model doesnt provide a direct community service, how about making a policy statement that you donate a portion of your profits to a specific, worthy cause? Most people are attracted to businesses with a benevolent purpose. Ev-eryone wants to feel as if they are doing something for the greater good, so if they have to pick between your investment opportunity and someone elses offering similar returns, even if you are offering a lower return on investment, they might pick yours for the feel-good aspect of what you are offering. As an example, people who drive hybrid cars pay a lot more for them than for comparable, non-hybrid models, but every time they drive them they feel good; they feel as if they are doing their part for the environment. This is the feeling you want to elicit in others. If you can find a way to add a benevolent purpose to your investment opportunity, showcase it on your website and in your company brochure, and dont forget to continu-ally remind potential investors that you (and they) are doing these things together. Just remember, if you say it, you have to do it:Anything else is fraud.ESTABLISH THE RIGHT MINDSETIn additiontohaving confidencein yourproject and your abilities, and being conversant in the language of investing, there is a fundamen-tal thought shift that must occur before success in attracting investors is possible. Many of us have an inherent fear or revulsion toward asking other peo-ple for money. We perceive that it places us in a position of weakness. If you want to be successful in this business, below is the thought shift that you have to make internally:You are not asking for a favor, you are offering an investment opportunity that investors need.13'