When did you first become interested in Angel Investing?

My first exposure to Angel Investing was when I was working in a start-up incubator started by Dan Gilbert in Detroit right out of college. Since then I’ve been in the real estate business and have more recently become interested in diversifying my investments.

What do you most enjoy about investing in early stage companies?

For me, it’s all about getting to know the officers and their employees that are operating the business on a day-to-day basis. The investment is in those people because without them you don’t have a company.

What gets you excited about an early stage company?

The potential for high yields. In the real estate business, we are investing in real property that can be leased, leveraged, repurposed, developed, etc, but we generally see lower yields than angel investments.

The most important thing you have learned in business?

Every business is about the relationship regardless of whether you’re going B2B or B2C. It’s about the relationships you have with the people that are helping you run the business and the relationships you have with your customers.

What advice do you have for start-up businesses?

Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but sales are the life and blood of any company.