How To Get Your Business Funded
At some point, even the healthiest firms will want financial assistance. During the pandemic, the PPP loan, at 1%, was a great way to leverage some cash flow into the business, for hiring, continued payroll or just to pay yourself. New businesses sometimes need startup costs, like a working laptop or desktop, and more established companies can get funding to grow even faster. If you're in a creative industry, you may need even more specialized tools, such as tattoo transfer paper for tattoo artists.
It is not uncommon for people to decide to take on some sort of debt, but the financing options available will vary depending on the type of business you run. Its age, position, performance, opportunities on the market, team, and so on carry a great deal of weight. Therefore, you should modify both your approach and your quest for funds. In this collaborative / contributed post, we'll go over the process of conducting a funding search, and then we will outline some of the more typical possibilities.
When it comes to company financing, a lot of what you need to know depends on the particulars of your situation, much like so many other aspects of running a business. The growth stage, available resources, and various other elements all have a role in how the realities play out.
Are you a company just getting started or an established one?
Many ongoing enterprises are able to obtain normal company loans from established banks, which are resources that are unavailable to new businesses just getting off the ground. In addition, high-tech companies with rapid growth have access to investment capital, whereas stable, established enterprises with modest expansion rates do not have this opportunity.
Create or improve your company's business plan.
Your business plan is a vital component of the fundraising puzzle because it explains exactly how much money you need, where that money will go, and how long it will take you to make it back.
Investors will look first at a summary and then at a pitch, but, if you pass that screening, they will want to see a business plan in order to complete their due diligence on your company.
Very recently, I applied for a funding grant, and out of over 5000 applicants, I'm now in the semi-finals. However, before I could get to the next round, they asked for due diligence documents, which included: an investor pitch deck, articles of incorporation, P&L statements for the last two years, and a financial model & projections.
Even before that, at the preliminary stages, they will anticipate that you already have a business plan in place, and this funding grant may very well come back and ask me for one. (Although the pitch deck really does also function as a business plan.)
When applying for a loan from a commercial bank, you will almost always be required to provide a business plan. In order to apply for a business loan insured by the Small Business Administration, a plan is also required.
Everyone you speak to will anticipate that you already have a business plan prepared and ready to go. It is possible that they will not begin their conversations with you by looking at the plan, but if they do ask to see it, you should not be caught without one.
Prior to committing to any business funding, there are certain important things to consider.
Money, unfortunately, is involved in both finance and investing, and money tends to foster unscrupulous business practices, scams, and other such activities. Therefore, in order to assist you in avoiding the errors, here are some reminders.
Obtain it in writing.
Never squander the money belonging to another person without first conducting the necessary legal work. Make sure that the documents are signed once they have been prepared by professionals.
Spending money before having it in your account is a bad idea.
Spending money that has only been promised but not yet received is a terrible idea. Companies frequently receive investment commitments and subsequently contract for expenses, only to have the funding ultimately not materialise.
When you are in a tight spot, you should not immediately turn to your friends and family for help.
Be conscious of the fact that seeking investment from close friends and family members is not always a good option. When things are going poorly with your company, the worst conceivable time for you to be is without the support of your friends and family. Instead, look for funding from banks, grants, the Small Business Administration, and companies willing to invest especially in women-led or companies headed up by people of color.