Everybody who has thought about starting a company knows how exciting it can be. Thinking about all the possibilities and what could be the next big thing is a very motivating force. However, sooner or later, everyone has to face the reality of what it takes to start a business. For many entrepreneurs, this involves figuring out how to finance their business startup. That is a significant issue that stops most people in their tracks. That said, entrepreneurs who are short on funds to launch their businesses have several options for obtaining funding. If you want to start a business, but don’t have the funds for it, here are the top ways you can finance your first business.

1. Personal Financing

Using personal funds to finance a company is the simplest option at your disposal. This type of financing requires a lot of saving, as well as a lot of time unless you want to take out a loan. That said, we believe this strategy to be the most prudent, secure, and safe approach to launching a new business. However, the apparent drawback to this kind of financing is that you can only borrow as much as you can save. To do this, some company owners use the equity in their homes, retirement funds, or insurance payouts to finance a loan. However, this approach is risky because if the company fails, you might lose your home, retirement savings, and insurance coverage.

Moreover, many small businesses fail during their first five years of operation. As a result, the best thing to do is to save for as long as possible before taking out any large loans. If possible, we recommend you fund the entire project yourself. Most businesses do not require much money to create a proof of concept. If you can develop a convincing proof of concept, you may be able to start small and then expand. Whatever you decide, discussing your situation with a professional financial adviser is a good idea.

2. Family and Friends

The owners of small businesses frequently seek funding through their networks and receive financial support from loved ones and family members. To get your business off the ground, you can either ask your family and friends for a loan or “sell” them a piece of your company in the form of an equity investment. Both of these options are viable. The biggest issue with this approach is that if the business is unsuccessful, it might strain your relationship. When an individual’s financial security is on the line, it is easy to understand why they would become sensitive. As a result, you need to ask yourself if you are willing to compromise the integrity of your relationships to advance your business’s interests.

3. Finance your first business with a partnership

In its simplest form, a business partnership entails two or more people sharing a company’s management, profits, and losses. Adding a business partner or partners may be an excellent way to increase a startup’s initial funding. It’s also a fantastic method of dividing up the work involved in keeping a business afloat. In fact, according to the professionals at number1movers.ca, a business partnership is often necessary for competitive industries like the moving industry. However, a Deed of Partnership is essential if you partner with someone to fund your first business venture. The Deed of Partnership governs collaborations and lays forth each member’s monetary and organizational responsibilities. The partners in a general partnership are liable for the business’s debts and obligations, whereas the partners in a limited partnership are shielded from liability.

4. Obtain Venture Capital From Investors

Venture capital investments are a sort of investor finance that may help you launch your firm. Obtaining venture capital often entails giving up some control of the firm and taking on a more hands-on role in return for the funding. There are a few key ways this funding option differs from more conventional options. Most often, venture capital:

• Focuses on business with high-growth potential.
• Invests cash in exchange for equity (it is not a loan).
• Takes a larger risk in exchange for potentially higher profits.
• Has a longer investment time frame than standard finance.

Now, while there are a lot of benefits to using venture capital to finance your first business, there are a few caveats. For instance,  virtually all startup investors want some say over daily operations and equity in return for capital. Furthermore, if you ever decide you want to sell the company, you may not be able to do so without the investor’s approval. Therefore, if you are unwilling to share your business with someone, this may not be the best option.

5. Use Crowdfunding

And the last of the top ways you can finance your first business that we will discuss is Crowdfunding. In short, crowdfunding is a way of raising money for a project or venture by raising small amounts of money from many people using the internet. You can use many websites to start this fundraising initiative, including Indiegogo and Kickstarter. You can also create a website for your project, which you can link to in your crowdfunding campaign to encourage people to pledge their support. Crowdfunding can provide an excellent way for businesses to raise funds to get started. That is particularly true if you don’t have any connections in your industry and find it hard to raise capital any other way. Therefore, if you haven’t considered this option yet, now is the time.

 

Images used:

https://unsplash.com/photos/joqWSI9u_XM

https://unsplash.com/photos/pElSkGRA2NU

https://unsplash.com/photos/n95VMLxqM2I

https://unsplash.com/photos/44QtHj3fZDY