Flame A Team Is Made Up of Different Levels One of the first things I look at as an investor is the team be- hind the business. If the team is weak or lacks experience and a track record, I rarely invest. I meet many people who are run- ning around trying to raise money for their new product or business. The biggest problems most of them have are that they personally lack experience and they have no team behind them, a team that inspires confidence. Many people want me to invest in their business plan. One of the things most of them say is, "Once this company is up and running, we're going to take it public." That statement al- ways intrigues me, so I ask what all of you should ask: "Who on your team has experience taking a company public, and how many companies has that person taken public?" If the an- swer to that question is weak, I know I am listening to a sales pitch more than to a business plan. Another line I look at in the numbers of a business plan is the line item called "salaries.