Angel investor Brad Rose of DI helps companies get on path to success

For many young startup companies, angel investors are a way to rout the early money woes of running a business. Angel investors typically put their own money into a business, sometimes in exchange for a small portion of the company. According to business magazine Entrepreneur, “angel investing has soared in recent years as a growing number of individuals seek better returns on their money than they can get from traditional investment vehicles.”

“I get a lot of enjoyment out of it because I was an entrepreneur and I am an investor,” said longtime angel investor Brad Rose of Daniel Island. “I enjoy helping these companies, not just financially, but actually getting involved and helping them make decisions and helping them grow.”

In Rose’s words, he’s always been an investor, and has been a higher-up for large corporations like Larami Toys and Chupa Chups.

“I paid for college,” he said. “I’m self-made. I’ve had a job ever since I was eight years old.”

Although he grew up in what he described as “the middle class,” Rose invested capital at a young age, using the money to put himself through school. He decided to play on his strengths and majored in finance and investments.

In his early 20s, the new college graduate considered going where every major investor went - Wall Street, but found an offer that was too hard to pass as a commodity trader.

“The guy that offered me the job in the commodity trade just said ‘I can’t pay you what they [Wall Street] pay, but you’re going to travel the world first class and you’ll never get that experience sitting on a floor.’ And he was right,” Rose recounts.

The time in commodity trading and investing paid off as he gained the business experience that many wish they had.

Rose did not expect to become an angel investor. The first time he dabbled in it was in 2000 with a small Silicon Valley startup.

“Unfortunately, like everybody else, I lost money,” he said about the venture.

“I’ve just always been an investor, but angel investing is totally different,” he said. “It’s a lot riskier. Quite frankly, you should not risk a small percentage of your net worth. It’s risky.”

One of his recent angel investing efforts is with golf cart and low speed vehicle dealership Palmetto Custom Carts, based in Mount Pleasant. Rose’s investment with the company went so well that he became the owner, although he states that “usually I don’t get as involved as I have with Palmetto Custom Carts.”

“This was an angel investment but in this case I am 100 percent owner and used my entrepreneurial background to grow the business 400 percent since I have owned it,” he noted.

Rose commented that, while every angel investor has different parameters for what they’ll invest in, he needs to believe in the people and the product to put money forward.

“If they don’t have both, then I have zero interest,” he stated when describing the process. “And a lot of times, they could have a great product, but I just don’t believe in the people running it or I don’t click with them. Most cases it’s the opposite. In most cases I just don’t think the product has the potential or it may be so outside my comfort zone or skill set.”

But, when he has put money into a project, he tries to stay close to provide advice and insure that they are going to be successful.

“I like to be involved to help them potentially grow the company and get revenue streams, but also to keep an eye on it to see that they’re doing things properly.”

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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