This was an example of how the smallest little twists of fate can lead to results you could never have planned in a million years. Take advantage of them and maximise the opportunities presented to you. Another of those moments came later that year when a sales representative from the Yellow Pages came to my house to sign off on an advertising plan for the next edition. He had brought a small bottle of champagne to toast the future success of the business.

I was exhausted, the previous evening my business partner and I had spent the night sending out a fax marketing campaign to prospective clients. This was in the very early days and we had limited resources – the faxes were being sent one by one through a 3-in-1 fax machine I had won in a competition a month earlier! I remember sitting on the floor watching my partner dial numbers on the fax machine. It was very cold and he had his fleece hat pulled down over his ears and we could see our breath. I felt a sense of dedication from both of us and being somewhat naïve about marketing, I was looking forward to the flood of requests we would get the next day. Unfortunately the next day wasn’t quite as busy as expected but there was still a few things do to - including finalizing the Yellow Pages advertisement.

As we sipped our champagne, I mentioned to the sales rep that I had some concerns about the business. Although I felt passionate about the concept I knew that we needed money and guidance by someone who had well developed skills. The sales rep told me that he knew of someone who might meet both those needs. He went to his car, made a phone call and came back with some interesting news. The person he had in mind had previously been the founder of a very successful snack food business and had just agreed to meet with us the next day. I could hardly believe it and I rang my partner to tell him the good news.

The next day, we went and visited the city offices of our potential new partner and presented our case to him and his colleagues. The meeting went well – our figures impressed them and our passion and enthusiasm also made a positive impression. When the meeting ended, my partner and I were asked to wait outside for a few minutes while they discussed our presentation.

Ten minutes later, although it felt more like an hour, we were called back in. Straight away, I could tell that the news was going to be positive because they looked relaxed and excited. An offer was made on the spot and within a few days we had a CBD address. By moving into their offices we were able to share their facilities and equipment, get regular advice and we added $100,000 to our capital in return for shares in our business.

Most investors will be looking at the opportunity cost of investing in you as well as the overall risk profile of your business. To the investor, opportunity cost takes into account other investments they may miss out on while their money is working in your business.

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