If you have ever tried to raise money for your business or looked into investing in a business, one of the first things you need is a solid pitch deck, or what is simply called a “deck.” A successful deck is a key to landing the money you need for a startup or business idea. Solid investors are often pitched dozens of decks each day. A good deck makes you stand out from the others, but it’s more than just a nice design.
Enter Jeffrey Fidelman and his company, Fidelman & Co. Startups, funds and businesses come to him for his expertise in this area. He helps both founders and funds raise capital, prepare for the sale of a business or acquire a company. He prepares the pitch deck, the financial model, the valuation analysis, the business plan, due diligence documents, and everything else needed for a transaction.
Additionally, Jeffrey recently launched a new facet of his business, which he coined “Fundraise as a Service” (FAAS). This is “a dedicated rep on your team who gets you meetings with investors.”
Raising money for a startup is critical for success, and Jeffrey shared what a founder needs to do well in order to secure the money he needs. Enjoy!
—Nesanel
I was born and raised on Long Island, New York, in predominantly Jewish Great Neck. My parents moved to America in 1979 from the Soviet Union during the great Jewish-Russian immigration. My father was about 18, and my mother was 16. They met in the US at a computer typing class. I know it was ordained by heaven because to this day, neither of them really knows how to use a computer.
“When I was growing up, my father owned an auto body shop, and he still works there. My mother does the books and accounting. I have one sister who is nine years younger than me. My wife and I have two sons.
“I went to elementary school and high school in Great Neck. I was business-minded as a teenager and was always getting into trouble for hustling. Every Friday in our middle school was pizza day. The cafeteria always had huge lines of students waiting to buy pizza for a dollar a slice. I would buy several pies, set up shop on a table, and sell it for two dollars a slice. I got into so much trouble! My parents had to come in, and my mother said to the principal, ‘I don’t understand what the issue is. People didn’t have to buy the two-dollar-a-slice pizza, but they did!’
“I think I ultimately got involved in what I do, not because of my entrepreneurial nature, but because of my curiosity. I was always curious about how things work. That helps me understand several different industries.
“When I was younger and saw street signs in my neighborhood, I would think, ‘Someone made the metal for that sign. Someone bent the metal. Someone painted it. Someone installed it. Someone paid for all of it.’ I’m curious about the intricate details—the plastic on the arm of the chair, or the rubber around the back, or the netting on the back. People got paid for constructing all of those things.
“The way I was raised was less about education and more about working. I remember the day I turned 16 and my father made me get a work permit. You needed them to work in New York if you were under 18, and my father made me find a job when I was 16. I think it comes from the immigrant mentality that hard work trumps everything else. I was probably the only kid in the Great Neck school system to get working papers as early as I did. It was about developing a work ethic and making money.
“I had a lot of odd jobs. I worked in the auto body shop with my parents, I worked in electrical wiring, in a pizzeria, a gym and a juice bar. I was into physical fitness, so I was a personal trainer as well.
“When I graduated high school, I lived at home for the first two years and commuted to Baruch College in the city. Then I was fortunate to be able to transfer to Harvard, where I graduated with a major in business administration. I was one of the few transfers allowed into Harvard, but saying that a few months ago felt better than saying it today, all things considered.
“I always had a hard time sitting in class. It felt difficult to be talked at as opposed to spoken with. Back then, Harvard was pretty good in terms of having an open discussion, but for me, college was a means to an end. I thought the degree would enable me to charge more money per hour for whatever profession I took up.
“By the time I finished college, I was working full time in real estate. I worked for a Jewish Russian man named Gea Elika, of Elika Real Estate. It was my first real interview, so I wore what I thought was a nice shirt and jeans. The first thing he said to me was ‘I can’t believe you’re not wearing a suit.’ I somehow got the job anyway.
“I speak Russian fluently, and many Russians were coming to New York and buying real estate in the city. I knew some of them and was able to get introductions to others, so I did very well for myself. I was able to pay for my entire education, with no student loans.
“Gea taught me how to write and behave professionally. I started by selling condos in Manhattan, which turned into selling commercial buildings and developments.
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