It’s Daymond John. Today, let’s talk about OPM.

I guarantee you use it every single day without even realizing it.

And it’s one of the most important tools to master as an angel investor.

What does it stand for? Well, the “O” and the “P” stand for “other people’s.”

But it’s the “M” that’s the most important.

In the business world, too many people think it just stands for “money.”

Really, that “M” can stand for anything from mindset… to marketing… to mind power… to motivation… to mistakes… to manufacturing… and everything in between.

When it comes down to it, money is the least important item on that list.

Here’s why that matters.

To get ahead – whether you’re an angel investor, an entrepreneur, or just a person trying to advance in their career – you need to use OPM.

And by that, I mean you need to go out and find people you can learn from… whose knowledge and insight you can use to your advantage.

You need to have a mission that extends beyond just money. That mission is more valuable than any kind of cash sitting in your bank account (or someone else’s).

I’ll tell you a story.

Way back when I was launching FUBU, I needed some help getting the brand out into the world.

Lucky for me, LL Cool J lived right down the street. We’re buddies now, but at the time, he had no idea who I was.

I used to show up and beg him to wear my brand. And one day, he did. I’ve mentioned before how that endorsement was key to FUBU taking off the way it did.

But here’s the thing. If I had $1 million sitting in my wallet back then, I could have just thrown some money his way, asked him to wear the brand, said goodbye, and went on my way.

Instead, I had a mission.

I had to work hard day in and out to make that happen, and I’m all the better for it.

When LL Cool J finally agreed to wear it, I was officially using OPM… other people’s momentum… other people’s marketing… other people’s motivation… to launch FUBU sky high.

That’s the kind of value you just don’t get from focusing on the money alone. There’s a lesson that comes from needing to work hard to achieve a mission, and OPM is the key to getting there.

As an angel investor, this matters for two reasons.

  1. You can use OPM to learn from your fellow angel investors. Use their knowledge, build your network, and create a golden deal flow pipeline.
  2. You can add value to your startup investments – beyond money – when founders turn to you and use OPM.

Neither of those points has much to do with money at all.

That’s why you need to stop focusing so hard on what kind of cash you can pour into a startup company and think about the power of OPM instead.

Because I bet that whatever that “M” stands for, you can use it to be a valuable addition to a startup’s cap table.

And I guarantee you’ll learn a few key lessons along the way.

We’ll talk soon,


Daymond John