Page 122 of Just One Fake Date

“Because it’s a great idea,” Aidan said with a grin. “Because the world needs more beer and more brew-pubs.” He nodded. “All I need is an investor to make it happen, so I’m asking you how to do that.”

Tyler frowned and cleared his throat. “Okay, you have a choice here,” he said and Aidan eased forward a little bit. “Option A is that I can tell you it’s a great idea and that you should go for it, and we’ll be done.”

Even Aidan heard the warning in Tyler’s tone. “Or?”

“Or, I can ask you questions, questions that might actually help you to make this happen. Option B is probably a lot less cheerful.”

“Why?”

“You have an idea. Millions of people have millions of ideas every day, and a lot of them are good ones. That doesn’t mean that even a small fraction of them become reality, much less that anyone invests in those ideas.”

Aidan grimaced. “You’re going to talk me out of it.”

Tyler shook his head. “Not me. It’s your idea and your choice. But if you really want to pursue it, I can show you what you’ll need to figure out to make it happen.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

Shannyn leaned against the counter to listen. The house seemed really quiet now that the hammering on the roof had stopped. She could hear music from someone’s backyard and the distant hum of the traffic, and felt both satisfied and filled with anticipation. That seemed to be her usual reaction when Tyler was around. She watched as he did what he did best.

“The first thing you need when you ask for investment is a business plan. It should answer all the questions.”

“I can answer questions.”

“But in my experience, banks don’t ask questions. If they don’t think the business plan is a strong one, they just say no and that’s the end of the discussion.”

Aidan straightened. “Okay. What goes in a business plan?”

Tyler looked around and Shannyn guessed what he was looking for. She gave him some paper from the printer and a pen. He wrote ‘who?’ then looked at Aidan. “Why you?”

“Because I’m the one with the idea.”

“But what makes you the best candidate to open a brew-pub?”

“Because I want to?” There was a question in Aidan’s voice.

“That’s good, but it’s not enough. What do you know about running a brew-pub, for example? Do you know how to make beer? Do you know how to cook or run a restaurant? Do you have any experience running a business?”

“I’m going to learn,” Aidan started but Tyler shook his head.

“You need to offer proof.”

“But this isn’t a job application,” Aidan protested. “My experience shouldn’t matter as much as my idea.”

“Your experience is the only thing that matters when it’s the only asset you have,” Tyler said. “You’re asking for money. Your experience should be in your business plan, in an addendum, and every reference should be verifiable. Don’t just go and get a job in a brewery: figure out what jobs you need to get the experience required to run a brew-pub.”

“That’s going to take a while.”

Tyler nodded. He wrote some more questions on the sheet of paper—Why? Where? What makes it distinct? Who are the competition?—then turned around the sheet of paper and passed it to Aidan with the pen. Aidan started to make notes. Shannyn couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted something enough to pursue it.

“Okay. I can get a job in a brew-pub and learn how it works.”

“So, you’ll have experience and credentials for having worked in a brew-pub. What would be even better proof that you could make beer?” Tyler asked. “What would prove you could do it alone?”

“Doing it, but that’s why I’d need the money...”

“But you’re more likely to get the money if you can prove that you can do it.”

Aidan flung up his hands. “Then, there’s no point...”

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