Investors love to talk about how they invest in people. For most however, a strong team is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition to fund a start-up. With few exceptions, investors already want the team to be working on a good idea (even though they know it is likely to change along the way). But what makes a good idea? How do you know if it’s any good? Family and friends are usually the first people to hear of your ideas, but they tend to be supportive of pretty much anything you do. Once you get to asking strangers or casual acquaintances for money however, you had better be prepared to answer some hard questions, to have all your assumptions challenged. Such feedback is rarely pleasant, but keep in mind that its purpose is not to discourage you, but rather to help you refine your plans and increase your chances of success. In order to minimise the pain of those first few encounters, here are some things to consider ahead of time.