LEARN TO ENJOY THE PROCESS

Ms. Lefcourt empathizes with entrepreneurs who would rather get back to business then sell themselves in an investor meeting. But that’s the only way to get the necessary financial backing, so they might as well embrace it.

“You have to remember that while your business is what you think about 24/7, you’ve got these people for a half an hour to an hour. It’s your job to grab their attention and be a good listener as well as a good visionary — and paint them a picture that’s exciting,” she said. “You don’t think of venture-pitching as sales, but you are. You’re selling to them that this is something they want to be a part of.”

When it comes to leaning in, attitude is everything. Investors feed off positive energy and people who can handle tough questions and criticism with panache.

“Understand there are really smart people out there, and they’re going to give you their ideas. They’re going to disagree with you,” Ms. Lefcourt said. “The more you embrace that process and the more you enjoy that process, the stronger you’re going to be, whether that VC ends up investing in you or not.”

TALK IT OUT

All entrepreneurs looking to scale up need to find the delicate balance between giving in to get the money and holding the line on what they feel strongly about. Disagreements are common, and the best way to work through them is to communicate.

“There is that line you have to walk when you’re pitching,” she said. “You don’t want to just please them and agree with them, but you also need to be openminded and thoughtful because people will give you good ideas. The answer as to how to do that is just to be authentic about it, and then you won’t be confused. Know what you feel strongly about and be openminded to someone pointing something out that could be interesting.”

Ms. Lefcourt said she got the best advice in entrepreneurship while working on her first company. She was having a disagreement with a VC, so she went to an independent board member for help. He told her to “sit down and have a nice conversation.”

“The good news is that once someone has invested in your company, everyone is aligned. Everyone wants the company to be successful. Everyone wants the founder to be successful,” she said. “If there’s a disagreement, it should just be discussed — the pros, the cons, the various outcomes. The VC may be right. The founder may be right. There may be something in between. But there’s only one way to get there, and that’s with really open, honest communication.”