I'm not talking about joining a business to help run it or manage operations, but rather investing purely from a capital standpoint—buying a stake in the business and staying hands-off in day-to-day activities.
Specifically
* **How did the opportunity come about?** Did you approach the business owner, or did they pitch the idea to you? Was it someone you already had a relationship with, or did it come through networking or a third party?
* **What kind of due diligence did you perform** before deciding to invest? For example, did you review financials, talk to customers, assess market conditions, look at their debt structure, or evaluate the owner’s track record?
* **What was your exit plan?** Did you intend to hold long-term, or were you looking for a defined exit timeline? If you’ve exited already, how did it play out—did you sell your stake to another investor, back to the owner, or to a third party?
* **What was the outcome?** Profit, loss, or breakeven?