To raise funding, or not?

Here's a thought exercise:

What would you do with the money if you raised $1M in funding? Really think about it... Would you hire people? Would you put the money into adds? Would you invest in improving your product?

Then consider if these are things that you could do on your own. For example, if you want to hire people to start a content marketing strategy, couldn't you write a few articles yourself first to see if it works?

Investors want to know that the money they give you will help you reach the next big milestone. If you can articulate (with evidence) how that money will get you there, then I think fundraising is a reasonable thing to go after.

The best time to raise is when you seemingly don't need to raise money. Everyone wants to invest in a "rocketship" with a 30% monthly growth assuming that more money will just extend that growth rate. Maybe see if you can hit those kinds of numbers for a couple of months first? (If you aren't already)

I agree with @Primer, just want to add something, if you want to look for investors, think that you are actually selling the product and getting paid to build it, so, be sure to actually get a great salary which can avoid you lots of pain, being a founder and working 60/80 hours a week for something that belongs to someone else without noticing is not easy to take (most people find this very late).