Preparing a local project for an investment conversation.

Write down what you need from the conversation. It may be early technical advice, a site decision, a customer introduction or capital for a defined phase. A broad request for support makes it difficult to match you with someone who can act.

• Who owns the business or project, and who can make decisions?
• Who will buy the product or use the service? What evidence supports demand?
• Where will the work happen, and what is known about the site?
• Which permits, land rights and infrastructure services are needed?
• What has been spent, what remains to be spent and how were the estimates made?
• What is the next milestone, who owns it and when could it be completed?

Mark estimates as estimates and keep supporting documents where they can be checked. A proposed site is not the same as secured land; an interested customer is not the same as a signed order. Clarity makes a project easier to improve.

A two-page note is enough to start. Include the problem, the proposed approach, current stage, team, costs, risks and the decision you want. Bring the detailed studies if available, but make the first conversation easy to understand.