Need Investment? Ditch the Suits & find your Tribe.
Why Raising Capital Through Community Will Change Everything
I’ve raised capital the hard way.
And I’ve raised capital that has become the only way.
This is the story of both.
And why I’ll never go back.
The Pain: When Investors Own You
In my first purpose-led-business, I took on traditional investment.
This looked great on paper.
Money in. Fast growth. Doors opened.
But month after month, year after year, I realised something brutal:
I was no longer building the company I set out to build.
I was working for them, chasing numbers, chasing growth at all costs, chasing a vision that was no longer mine.
My own purpose? Gone.
Sustainability? Nice idea, but let’s focus on “what sells.”
Community? Only if it converts Chris.
I started out building something to change the game and ended up being a pawn in someone else’s game.
That still haunts me today.
Not because I failed. But because I gave away control of the very thing I set out to do.
That lesson has never left me.
I carry it every single day.
But now, every decision I make, every investor I bring in, I am the one offering them a seat at the table.
On my own terms.
The Shift: Your Story Is the Strategy
Here’s the truth that took me too long to learn:
The most powerful capital you’ll ever raise… is from your people.
Not VCs. Not banks. Not suits with spreadsheets & grey suited mood hoovers.
It is People.
A tribe.
A community that believes in what you’re building.
But there’s a catch:
You can’t build a tribe if you hide your story.
And I did that for too long.
Tried to look polished. Pretended I had it all together.
But the moment I let others in.
The moment I told the real story, the messy one, the painful one.
That’s when everything changed.
Because when you share your story with heart, not just strategy,
Your tribe finds you.
Not the flaky ones.
Not the ones who just “like” your posts.
But the hardcore tribe. The ones who show up, buy in, and back you because they see themselves in your mission.
The Power: Capital Follows Truth
Raising capital isn’t hard.
What’s hard is being honest.
What’s hard is showing up raw, real, and relentless.
But when you do, the capital comes faster than you think.
Your pace of raise directly matches your pace of authenticity.
Pull back from the pain and your people pull back from you, just a little. But little by little, that compounds.
Flip it.
Lean in.
Speak louder.
Stand prouder.
Tell your story over and over again.
Because repetition builds resonance. Resonance builds trust. And trust builds action.
The Model: Community-Led Capital
Here’s what they won’t teach you in business school:
When you build a community while you raise, you unlock a completely different game.
& you get to control that game from hundreds of possible narratives:
✩ Build value with shares or Build value without.
✩ Reward people with experiences, access, perks : not just equity.
✩ Delay share conversions to protect your cap table & to protect your investors.
✩ Structure low-risk debt from people who believe in you, not banks betting against you. Let your tribe become your partners.
There are hundreds of ways to leverage capital that have equal benefit to you and your tribe.
But most of all, STAY IN CONTROL
It’s not about convincing strangers.
It’s about empowering your people.
And when you do that, not only do you raise capital,
You build something unshakable.
The Takeaway: Your Tribe Is Waiting
If you’re building something that actually matters, don’t sell your soul to raise funds.
Raise differently.
Raise with purpose.
Raise with people who would wear your mission on a T-shirt before it turns a profit.
Your story is your superpower.
Your community is your capital.
And when those two align,
there’s no limit to what you can build.