Closing A Financing Round Is Like Planning A Wedding

If you’re married, you’ll know that planning a wedding is royal pain.  If you’re not married, here’s how to imagine it.  Think about the logistics of planning a vacation.  Compound it by 10 to reflect all of the additional dimensions of a wedding (invite lists, food, wine, hotels, etc).  And then triple it again to factor in the arguments that ensue when opinionated family members decide to care.

While this post isn’t meant to scare founders away from tying the knot, understanding the wedding dynamic is important because it has an important parallel to closing a financing round.

Both weddings and financings are a huge pain in the butt to get done.  Both projects can be characterized by herding cats, dealing with seemingly meaningless (and sometimes petty) squabbles and it’ll take more time and spirit than you budgeted (even with a buffer).  But, there is good news.  They both share an important similarity.

When the round is done the noise goes away & people go back to focusing on building the business (or being a family).  It can actually be shockingly normal once it’s done.  Race, chaos, sprint…repeat…repeat…repeat…and suddenly…tranquility.

It’s frustrating.  But what should keep founders sane is knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you’re dealing with a bumpy closing process, keep your eye on the long-term relationship. I wouldn’t disown Aunt Michele because she stayed at the wrong hotel.  It’s not worth it and it can be short-sighted.

The good news is that your experience during a closing is typically the exception in terms of what to expect over the majority of your time as a CEO.  The day-to-day life of a CEO has more sanity (usually).