Style to Back up Your Business Plan: 5 Key Fashion Tips When Meeting Investors

Securing investment for your company can be one of the single biggest milestones in its lifespan, and as an entrepreneur, you’re sure to be looking for every opportunity to tip investor whims in your favor.

There are many adjustments that you can make to your appearance that can help to carry a strong and positive first impression when meeting new investors, but it’s important to make sure you strike the right balance to avoid putting them off and causing them to drop out of any prospective deal.

Oftentimes, you’ll be faced with making a compelling pitch within a confined period of time. This means that your wardrobe can be an excellent accompaniment in filling that short time span with plenty of strong impressions. With this in mind, let’s explore five key fashion tips that can play a significant role in making a positive impact when meeting investors:

1. Tailor Your Wardrobe to Suit Your Audience

When it comes to meeting investors, it certainly pays to read the room. Though this can be a tricky feat when you’re planning what to wear in advance of pitching your business, it’s possible to do your research to explore how receptive the investors would be to smarter or more casual attire.

Although many entrepreneurs believe that it’s best to go into a meeting fully suited and booted, this doesn’t always give off a fair representation of yourself or your business. For instance, if your endeavor positions itself as a family-run enterprise that’s more in-tune with counter-culture than the vox populi, you may be doing yourself a disservice by dressing formally.

Be sure to operate with your brand in mind, and that means dressing for your investors in a way that makes them comfortable and accurately represents your business.

2. Small Details Make a Big Difference

Thinking more comprehensively about your look for investors can bring great rewards. By opting to wear subtle but eye-catching cufflinks, a watch that matches your color scheme, or even an appropriately colored tie can tell investors that you not only look like a million dollars but you also have great attention to detail.

As a result, investors will see the finer details of your personal image and associate them with your pitch. After all, if you’re interested in adding the small details to your appearance, you’ll surely leave no stone unturned when it comes to a business plan?

3. Eyewear can Speak Volumes

Your choice in eyewear can be a great way of complimenting your ambitions and company message too. Because glasses are unmissable, subtle details can go a long way. For instance, colored frames can bring with them a personable demeanor and a company that’s more playful and fun for its customers. Thick black frames mean more formal business, and patterned glasses can suggest that you’re more approachable and hands-on.

If you’re meeting in an outdoor space, sunglasses can be an excellent way of conforming to a cool brand identity while also utilizing a handy mask against any visible tiredness or fatigue. If your brand identity is all about looking sharp, there’s nothing stopping you from finding a pair of easy to order Balenciaga shades and making an unforgettable first impression. However, it’s important to note that sunglasses can make you appear more closed off and less personable–so if you’re feeling as though you’re struggling to connect with investors, it’s worth removing your eyewear.

4. Peacocking Won’t Win Investors Over

Yes, it can be fun and attention-grabbing to peacock your way to making a strong impression for investors. However, undergoing a glow up with the most expensive footwear, gold jewelry, and fashion house jackets can set alarm bells off for investors.

By portraying yourself as a decadent entrepreneur, investors may be fearful that their money wouldn’t be invested in the most efficient manner, and that your taste for superfluous commodities could risk disrupting your management of your endeavor.

Here, it’s certainly worth being more nuanced with your accessories. Attention to detail is certainly a good thing, but you want to show that you’re thoughtful and attentive–not a cloud of bravado.

5. Remember to Keep Things Comfortable

Perhaps the most important fashion tip for meeting investors doesn’t actually involve specific fashion insights or accessories at all. It simply highlights the importance of wearing comfortable attire at all times when pitching or marketing your business.

Even if your new shoes are a little too tight, this can lead to sustained discomfort which can impact your clarity of thought, temper, attentiveness, and attitude during a meeting with investors. Even if you feel like it might negate your overall look somewhat, you should always seek to ensure that you’re dressed in a way that ensures you remain calm, collected, and ready for anything.