Previously, gathering this cash required hours of traipsing business plans to a single investor IVSBY +0% after a second, hoping one might be interested enough to spend. This approach often took decades and yielded disappointing results.
As we approach 2014, nevertheless, support for small companies and startups hasn’t been more powerful. By investing in small businesses, we help fortify the market by creating jobs while also supporting other businesses through buying merchandise and forming partnerships.
But for an entrepreneur starting out, it can be hard to sort through the many funding options available to determine which are most lucrative. While it would be ideal to lineup a roomful of investors out and let them fight it out for the honour of financing your business, that’s often, unfortunately, not the truth. However, through leveraging the global outreach of the Internet, your startup can obtain the funding it has to get off the floor. Here are a couple pointers that will help you locate the best finance deal for the small business idea.
1-Contemplate Your Niche
Odds are, there’s something particular about your idea. Maybe you’re a single mom or your thought can help those in underserved locations. There are grants tailored to specific small business owners or special small business ideas which may help get your idea off the floor.
Defining your market will have an additional advantage. As you seek out funding, you’ll have the ability to outline in just a few words what sets your company apart from others. Research any investors you approach to find those financiers which have a particular interest in what your business provides.
When it comes to locating funding, nothing surpasses a grant. Money is provided to you, free of charge, which it is possible to place toward your startup. Understandably, landing and locating these grants is extremely hard, but you will certainly never land a grant if you don’t try. This website aggregates federal grants in many different categories to see if one may apply to your business idea.
Grants can be found depending on the theme of your business, in addition to your demographics. To be able to use, you are going to have to dust off your computer and begin typing. Most grant programs require extensive proposals in which you detail each element of your business.
2-Enter a Contest
Perhaps another indication of the growing support of small business startups is that the number of competitions that encourage innovation by providing a large financial benefit. The Amazon Web Services Start-Up Challenge offers annual rewards of $50,000 and $50,000 in AWS credits to companies every year. MIT offers benefits of over $350,000 annually due to its pitch, accelerate, and launching contests.
To improve your odds of succeeding in these contest, find ways to make your job stick out in the audience. You will either have to show your idea in person or pitch it via an article, so the notion itself has to be as original as you can.
3-Crowdfund Your Idea
Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo provide the ideal platform for companies to locate funds for a new startup. Crowdfunding has exploded in popularity in the last year, getting attention from both shareholders and businesses alike. But all this popularity also involves a rise in competition, which means unless your company can grab the interest of the matches, it will probably add to the high number of projects that go unfunded on these websites each month.
The most successful campaigns seem to come with a fantastic narrative. It’s important you share what led you to make your concept and the passion you have for seeing that idea to fruition.
4-Find an Angel Investor
These angel investors are always seeking great ideas, but before you think that they’re simply sinking money into startups out of the goodness of their hearts, these investors have an ulterior motive. In return for your financing, you will normally be asked to promise a sizable chunk of your organization. If you are comfortable exchanging equity for financing, an angel investor or two might be just the solution you’re seeking.
As soon as you’ve decided to find this kind of investor, another challenge is in finding an angel investor who is searching for a job like yours. One place to start is the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA offers Small Business Development Centers, located around the nation, that may help connect entrepreneurs with investors. Gust is another great source, listing investors and entrepreneurs and boasting more than 1,800 startups funded in the last year.
5-Take a Loan
If you have a small business, the SBA can help you locate a loan opportunity near you. You will find an assortment of specialized choices available, including loans to help with disaster recovery and microloans. This is sometimes easier than trying to secure a bank loan, especially since limitations have tightened.
But if you do choose to contact a lender for a small business loan, make certain you have as many facts about your planned business as possible. This includes full financials that reveal exactly how the loaned money is going to be utilized. It might be best to begin with smaller, community-based banks, since they will have a broader understanding as to how your business will fit into the existing neighborhood landscape.
Putting together the financing to get your business off the ground does not have to be complicated. By creating a good business plan and honing your pitch until it wows anyone who hears it, you’ll increase your probability of finding the funding you need to put your idea in movement.