darkage - 5:55 pm on Jan 24, 2013 (gmt 0)

"The problem you have, no matter how you slice it, is trying to get someone as excited about your project as you are. "

I agree.

"And if you do, you then have to convince them to put up money - something you're not even prepared to do yourself."

Not true. I wouldn't mind putting money in, as I do believe in the project. I wouldn't mind putting in say the same amount as a partner will bid.
However I feel that the 5 year development and the initial marketing to get the site up to the current level (4K members/200K UV per month) also has some value and therefore I shouldn't be investing as much as a business partner, but when I see your point about "getting someone as excited as I am" then I can see that this may be too biased and I have to "put money where my mouth is".

"I had numbers and just needed capital to expand. "

That's where I am, except I don't really capital. I need someone who can market the site to expand. To some extent, I have the capital myself.
But i'm a technician and my marketing efforts are simply not as productive as someone who is a specialist in marketing. Acknowledging that is (i believe) the first step to making the website grow beyond what I have been able to market it to.