I’ve said it so many times that I’ve started hearing it in my sleep: deal flow is the most important asset an angel investor can have.

Getting to the point where startups start approaching you with their pitches is no small feat. After all, when the deal is really promising, there’s no shortage of angel investors waiting to throw their money at it.

That means that some of the best deals can actually be really tough to get into. (Who knew it could be so hard to offer someone your money?)

When a startup has the luxury of cherry-picking its investors, you’d better make sure you make the cut. There are two main ways to go about this.

The first and easiest way is to join an angel investing group.

As the old adage goes, there is strength in numbers; this holds true even in startup-land. It makes sense – by joining an angel group, the value you provide is more or less multiplied by the number of members you have.

Unfortunately, it can be tricky to find a good angel investing group, especially if you aren’t located near an entrepreneurial “hub” city, like Los Angeles or New York. That’s why I created the Angels & Entrepreneurs Network.

It’s like a traditional angel investing group, but so much better, because its members can participate in everything the group has to offer from anywhere in the world. (Why didn’t we think of online angel groups sooner?)

The other upside? Unlike traditional angel groups, you don’t need to be an accredited investor, have a net worth greater than $1 million, or be ready to pony up the typical $25,000 minimum per deal.

To learn more about the Angels & Entrepreneurs Network, just click here.

Now, joining an angel group isn’t the only way to boost your credibility in the angel investing space – it’s just the quickest.

The alternative is to really lean into building your reputation, by doing everything in your power to provide more value to startups than just capital. That means making key introductions, helping founders overcome roadblocks, promoting startups to your friends and family, and much more.

It isn’t easy, but it does pay off. To read more about building your reputation as an angel investor, just click here.

Until next time,

Neil Patel