Do Good While Doing Well: An Interview With Marcia Dawood and Sue Bevan Baggott, Angel Investors

In this special episode, I  interview two guests: Marcia Dawood and Sue Bevan Baggott.Marcia is the author of the new book Do Good While Doing Well, a TEDx speaker, host of the Angel Next Door podcast and an early stage investor who serves on the SEC's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She's a venture partner with Mindshift Capital and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association, a global professional society for angel investors. She's also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money.Sue is Founder of Power Within Consulting, an accidental angel investor and a startup advisor. She advocates for greater inclusion in the startup world, aiming to elevate entrepreneurial success for underrepresented founders through multiple early stage funds. She invests in the change she wants to see in the world, with a diverse portfolio of innovative startups solving significant world problems at scale.Our conversation centers on the potential for women to drive change through angel investing, a domain historically dominated by men. It highlights the challenges female and minority founders face when raising capital and how angel investing can democratize this space, particularly through platforms like equity crowdfunding. The podcast also details how local community involvement and strategic investment decisions can create meaningful societal impact.“I think that a lot of women are socialized. You know: you have your job and you make your money, right? And then you give it away. And I was never really taught that much about how, in the way in which I invested, my money could actually drive change.  And yet when I got exposed to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and I was seeing that the majority of investors were men and they were investing in things that they cared about, and the things that women cared about were getting overlooked and ignored - that's a problem for all of us. “ Sue Bevan BaggottKey takeaways:- The amount of money that goes to charity every year is equivalent, at least here in the US, to only about one percent of the value of the U S stock market. In other words, as Marcia pointed out, we're putting an awfully big burden on nonprofits to solve big world problems when there's all of these innovative for profit companies out there that we can all help in some way, shape or form. This is one of the realizations that attracted her to angel investing.- Only two percent of venture capital goes to female founded companies, and even less to founders of color. Sue was hired to help develop the strategy for a newly formed angel investing group. Her original perception was, as she put it, it was “all about the money.” She became interested in becoming a member of the group when she realized that these start-ups create jobs that help the whole community to thrive, and that she could help deserving female founders and founders of color to get access to the capital and the connections and the coaching that they needed.- Angel investing is no longer the domain of only the rich and connected; it’s something everyone can do. In 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission changed the rules to allow pretty much anyone who has an internet connection and a bank account or credit card to invest in an early stage company through equity crowdfunding campaigns with companies such as WeFunder and others mentioned in Marcia’s new book, Do Good While Doing Well.-Look in your own backyard first because that's where you're likely to care about what's going on, and you can have a big impact. As Marcia noted,  Even one person going to the local dry cleaner that's owned by a woman or going to the restaurant or helping the startup that's in the community, those things really matter. About the guests:Marcia Dawood is the author of Do Good While Doing Well, TEDx speaker, Podcast host, and an early-stage investor who serves on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors. She is also an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money, and host of The Angel Next Door podcast.Website: www.marciadawood.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciadawood/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcia.dawoodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/marciadawood/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarciaDawoodBook: Doing Good While Doing WellPodcast: The Angel Next DoorMovie: Show Her The Money Sue Bevan Baggott is a human-centered Executive Advisor, passionate about accelerating life-improving innovation and driving impactful changes in our world. In her career journey from global innovation leader at Procter & Gamble (growing mega-brands from Pantene to Pampers) to Founder of Power Within Consulting to “Accidental” Angel Investor and Startup Advisor, Sue discovered the power of human-first strategies to accelerate leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurial success.Sue strives to unleash people’s power as innovators and investors - through her speaking, consulting, and advisory/board roles - in collaboration with purpose-driven leaders and organizations.As an Associate Producer for the award-winning documentary, Show Her the Money, Sue advocates for greater inclusion in the startup world, aiming to elevate entrepreneurial success for under-represented founders. Through multiple early-stage funds, Sue invests in the change she wants to see in the world with a diverse portfolio of innovative startups solving significant world problems at scale.Website: http://www.sue-bevan-baggott.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suebaggott1/ Stay connected:Connect with Laura on LinkedIn@Rotters5 on TwitterConnect with Laura on FacebookSubscribe to my YouTube channelSubscribe to my newsletterGet your free copy of Unlock Your Money Blocks Workbook: Your step-by-step guide to unlocking your blocks to financial freedom.Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast does not constitute accounting, legal, tax, investment or financial advice. It’s for informational purposes only. You should seek appropriate professional advice for your specific information.