Projects don't just turn huge in a year, there will be lots of volatility and price loss, for long term hold be prepared, if you can't then go for top coins
Investors want to give time if the project is real like Dash, XMR, LTC not all projects. Actual projects need time, i agree but waiting long time in maximum projects will lose your money, time and labor. If a project develops regularly, it will grow in future but so called projects will vanish if you wait.
A project will be successful if it has a strong effort to make a good profit and tries to rebuild the project at a time when the project is in trouble and then gets back on its feet so that the time needed is not wasted and becomes profitable.