While starting a business, there are several things you need to do. You need to find and rent an office or production space, hire the right staff, get the necessary equipment to start the work and many other things. One item prevalent in every requirement is money. Studies have indicated that over 94% of businesses fail during the startup period. The biggest reason is lack of funds. But how do you safeguard yourself from getting into the losing percentage? How can you get the funding you require to grow and expand your business?

Here are some ways to get the funding necessary to scale your business

 

Self-Funding

If your company does not lie in an industry that needs exponential capital, you may consider putting money into your own business. Several professional investors prefer to team up and put money together for their business. By self –funding you clearly show the investors that your business is serious.

It shows your willingness to risk your money and the level of trust you have for your business. The most significant advantage of raising your funds is that you maintain the controlling interest of your own business.

 

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is one of the modern methods of acquiring capital. Here, several people contribute to funding your business. The process is simple. First, you set up an account in a popular crowdfunding platform online.

Then you describe your business mentioning the goals you look at achieving, how you plan to make the profit and the needed amount for the company among other details. Consumers who feel attracted to the business may then pledge to buy your product or give you a donation.

Crowdfunding helps you generate funds while at the same time market your business. It is especially valuable whenever you have uncertainty on how the public will react to your product. Whenever your campaign gains online traction, you may as well attract venture capitalists to your business.

It is essential that you enter into crowdfunding if you truly trust in your business and product. If your company does not meet the consumer’s interest, you may not get funding at all.

 

Angel Investor

Landing an angel investor can be an added advantage to your business. Angel investors are always looking for promising enterprises in search of an investment partner. They not only put their money, but they also add value to the company but offering mentorship and experience.

Networking in investment groups and on various social media platforms is one way to get your business into the eyes of an Angel investor. By sharing your ideas with people, you are also able to work on improving your product depending on the feedback you receive.

You, however, need to be prepared to give away a percentage of your company when an Angel investor comes knocking. Some may even desire to get a controlling interest in your company.

When looking for an Angel investor, do your research and get to know those that lie within your target market.

 

Venture Capitalists

For you to get the funding of a venture capitalist, you need to have products that have proven to work in the market. They also have to be scalable. A venture capitalist does not offer less than $1million. Therefore, they have to be sure that they can achieve significant returns before investing in your company.

Still, the loyalties of a venture capitalist lie in the amount of money they make in your business within a period. If your company does not meet the pre-set agreement, they may not be interested. Also, a venture capitalist may look to gain a more controlling interest in the business. You have to be willing to be flexible to obtain such funding.

 

Debtor Financing

If your business is already operational, you may find yourself in a fix with low cash flow, slow but pending invoices and high demand. In such a situation you may find it challenging to deliver an impending order. You can get a debtor finance company to fund your business and offer the account receivable ledger as collateral on net 30 terms.

With most invoices taking up to 60 days to clear, businesses may have stunted growth due to lack of flowing capital. By getting a debtor financing, you can remove any operating expense and deliver on any pending orders in the pipeline.

Most debtor financing companies often offer around 80% to 85% of the ledger and reserves the rest to be given once you settle the advance. Even so, this decision is also influenced by the type of business and the risk profile.

One way to push your business into growth is by getting funding from outside sources. With the several different sources of capital available, you can scale your business as you so desire. The biggest question you should now answer is how much money do you need?