"Where do I find investors?"
If you're an operator with real deals, the answer isn't mysterious. It's execution.
Raising capital is a sales process with three fundamentals:
- Access (get in the right rooms)
- Trust (prove you're investable)
- Process (move people through a repeatable funnel)
Here's the playbook that consistently fills raises.
Step 1: Start With Who You Already Have
The cheapest, fastest capital is current investors.
If you delivered, they will:
- Re-up
- Increase check size
- Refer friends
Use this exact ask:
"We're raising for a new opportunity. Would you like to review it? And is there 1–2 people you trust who invest in real estate that I should meet?"
Then shut up and let them think.
Your professional network is your multiplier
You're not "asking them for money." You're asking for introductions.
Best sources:
- CPAs
- Business/estate attorneys
- Wealth managers (some can't invest, but they know who does)
- Insurance brokers
- Business owners in your orbit
Your line:
"Do you know anyone accredited who allocates to private real estate? Who comes to mind?"
Specificity increases recall.
Step 2: Where to Find New Accredited Investors (That Actually Convert)
A) Peer groups with real deployable capital
These work because members are already allocating into private deals.
- CEO peer groups and entrepreneur communities
- Industry associations and operator conferences
- Invite-only investing circles
The key is not the name of the group. It's the density of qualified people and the frequency of in-person trust.
B) Vertical rooms (highest trust, fastest close)
If you operate self-storage, be around:
- Self-storage owners
- CRE operators
- Brokers, lenders, vendors
- Regional conferences
This creates two advantages:
- You speak their language
- They can sanity-check your thesis instantly
C) Online (works if you treat it like reputation, not pitching)
- LinkedIn: strongest for warm-ish outbound
- Investor communities: useful for smaller checks
- Your content: the best long-term compounding channel
Online only works when your profile and content do the heavy lifting.
Step 3: The Only Outreach Rule That Matters
Warm introductions beat cold outreach by a mile
Cold outreach is a volume game. It can work—but it's slower and lower trust.
Your #1 job is building warm intro leverage:
- Existing investors
- Operator peers
- CPAs/attorneys
- Brokers/lenders
- Vendor partners
Your "intro request" script:
"I'm raising for a self-storage deal. I'm looking for accredited investors who like cash-flowing real estate and conservative underwriting. Who do you know that fits that profile?"
You're not asking them to sell you. You're asking them to connect two adults.
Step 4: LinkedIn Outreach That Doesn't Scream "Desperate GP"
Wrong Connect → pitch deal → ignored.
Right
- Connect with a non-pitch note
- Engage lightly (comments > likes)
- Start a human conversation
- Learn their criteria
- Then offer the opportunity
Connection note:
"Hi [Name] — I run self-storage operations and acquisitions. Always interested in connecting with others active in private real estate. Open to connecting?"
After rapport:
"Quick question — do you allocate to private real estate for cash flow, growth, or both?"
If they respond, then:
"If you're open, I can share a 1-page overview of a current opportunity. No pressure—just tell me if it's in-scope."
That approach gets replies because it respects dignity.
Step 5: Email Outreach (Short, Clean, Repeatable)
Subject lines:
- "[City/Region] Self-Storage Opportunity"
- "Quick question on your RE investing"
Structure:
- Why you reached out
- One credibility line
- One deal line
- One ask
Template:
Hi [Name], I'm reaching out because you've invested in private real estate.
I'm an operator focused on self-storage, and we're raising equity for a [X-facility / X-unit] opportunity in [Market].
If you're actively allocating, open to a 15-minute call to see if it's a fit?
Best, [Name]
Follow-up cadence:
- Day 4: short bump
- Day 10: add a useful insight (market note / lesson learned)
- Day 20: close the loop politely
Most replies happen after follow-up #2 or #3.
Step 6: What Investors Actually Underwrite (In This Order)
1) You (Track record + judgment)
They are underwriting your decision-making under stress.
If you have history:
- Specific deals
- Specific outcomes
- What you controlled (not what the market gave you)
If you don't:
- Show operational credibility
- Show conservative underwriting
- Show advisors/partners
- Don't fake it
2) Alignment
How much are you investing? Not the percentage—the meaning.
If you have real personal exposure, say it plainly.
3) Transparency
Serious investors are mostly screening for: "Will this person tell me the truth when it hurts?"
Show:
- downside scenarios
- risk bullets that aren't cosmetic
- clear mitigations
4) The deal
Deal matters, but for experienced LPs it often comes after trust.
Step 7: Build a Repeatable Pipeline (This Is Where Raises Are Won)
Treat it like a CRM funnel:
Stages
- New contact
- Engaged
- Criteria confirmed
- Sent 1-pager
- Call completed
- Deck/data room sent
- Soft commit
- Hard commit / docs
Outputs (standardize these)
- 1-page deal overview (PDF)
- 10-slide deck
- FAQ / risk memo (1–2 pages)
- Data room checklist
When you standardize outputs, you raise faster and look institutional.
A Simple Funnel Benchmark (Use This for Planning)
Every raise is a conversion funnel.
If you need $2M and average check is $100K, that's ~20 investors.
Work backwards:
- You may need hundreds of conversations upstream depending on your reputation and network quality.
The math is not scary. It's clarifying.
Common Mistakes
- Pitching too early
- Disappearing between raises
- No follow-up discipline
- Pitching the wrong profile
- Overcomplicating the ask
Your ask should usually be:
"Open to a 15-minute fit call?"
Key Takeaways
- Start with current investors + ask for introductions
- Prioritize warm intros through trusted nodes (CPA, attorneys, operators)
- Don't pitch on LinkedIn—qualify first
- Investors underwrite you before the deal
- Standardize your funnel outputs (1-pager → deck → data room)
- Follow-up is where commitments happen
- Keep the ask simple and low-friction