"Fundraising is distracting and draining. How do I cope?"

Dave sent this to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And James and Freddie's answer challenges the question itself.

If fundraising is your responsibility as a founder, calling it a "distraction" reveals the problem. That framing guarantees you'll feel distracted during it, which means you won't perform as well as you could.

This is Season 6 of Post Bag. James and Freddie are founder coaches who've worked with dozens of scale-ups through fundraising cycles.

The insight:

If you see fundraising as a distraction from "real work," you'll feel distracted. Reframe it as your number one priority for that period - and everything changes.

Fundraising isn't something you do to enable the business. When you're in it, it IS the business. Securing funding is what lets you hire, scale, make payroll, do everything you say you want to do.

What you'll hear:

Why each investor conversation should be a learning opportunity (what landed, what didn't, what questions you answered well, what to improve)

The founder who hates fundraising but crushes it every time, because she treats it as her one thing

The "is it you or your team" question: If you say it's the team, it's probably you. If you say it's you, it's probably the team.

Why you need a team that can survive without you, because if you're fundraising every 2 years for 3-6 months, you're spending 25% of your time away from the business

How to know if you've made yourself the bottleneck

Why "you're the prize" changes the power dynamic (it's a two-way process, not begging)

What to focus on beyond the outcome: connections, learning, communication skills, and understanding what you want in an investor

The reality check:

Fundraising is brutal for the ego. It's humbling. People pick apart your baby. Half-listen. Don't respond to follow-ups. But if you give it your all, treat it as your priority, and learn from every conversation, you'll be successful even if you don't enjoy it.

And if you describe yourself as chaotic or ADHD, knowing your #1 priority becomes even more essential. The founders who succeed despite the chaos are the ones who can focus when it matters.

One action: Listen to the end for how to reframe fundraising before you start.

More from James:

Connect with James on LinkedIn or at peer-effect.com