THE MILLION-DOLLAR MEETING

Once your company hits a million dollars in revenue, many more investors (and private equity buyers) will start taking your calls. Here's why.

- KRISTEN BAYRAKDARIAN

Want to meet the people who can accelerate your growth? You might need to make $1 million in revenue first.

"I think there's something magical about a million dollars in terms of just showing progress and scalability of the business," says Laura Held, a partner at the investment firm Shamrock Capital. She says $1 million in revenue before EBITDA-interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization-is a noteworthy metric that puts you on the map for everyone from angel investors to debt financiers.