Tips for Funding & Investors – How to Work Your Way Through Lenders & Investors
If you are going to pursue a Business Start-Up Idea, one of the first things that you need to do is to find Funding & Investors. Before you are able to raise funds, you must understand how the investors make their investment decisions. Funders, in general, make their investment decisions based on two major factors. The first factor is whether they believe the start-up idea has the potential to be successful and create a significant profit for them. The second factor is whether or not the company will have any sort of exit strategy. As you will discover from this article, exit strategies are generally not an issue for most funding sources.
To obtain funding, it is imperative to have a qualified and capable team in place before you begin your business planning process. A great majority of start-ups fail because of an inability to attract investors. In order to obtain investor interest, your team must present a thorough business plan that will provide sufficient information for potential funding sources to understand how well the business is performing. You will also need to provide this information in a format that will be easy for an interested investor to understand.
The process of obtaining start up capital can be a lengthy one. While there are many different routes to pursue in obtaining capital for a business, obtaining seed financing is one of the fastest routes to follow. Seed capital is obtained when a company secures a series of short term loans from a third party that is willing to issue the loans for a discounted rate (commonly referred to as a discount rate). While the interest rates on these types of loans are often less than the rates on long-term commercial loans, investors tend to focus more on the quick return they receive on their investment.
The key to obtaining investor interest rests in the quality of the company’s business plan. Most entrepreneurs believe that their idea is brilliant, however, without the necessary research to back up their claims, they may not find enough interest to proceed with their plans. In addition, most entrepreneurs do not carry out extensive research on potential funding sources prior to applying for any type of loan or credit facility. As such, when applying for funding & investors, it is vital that you carry out a comprehensive analysis of your business and the current market in order to determine which sources will provide the best possible returns on your investment. Additionally, you should compile a detailed list of each individual source you will use to secure additional funding.
After you have conducted an initial analysis of your business and the current market, it is time to develop a strong marketing strategy. Your marketing budget will be limited, so it is important to only spend money on advertising if it will yield a return on your investment. In the early stages of your business, it may be more beneficial to focus on local advertising and community awareness programs rather than expanding your marketing efforts into the national market. In addition, if you are looking to secure private financing for your business, it is imperative that you develop a strong business plan that clearly displays the benefits of your proposed business model to potential funding sources. For example, if you intend to utilize the capital obtained through a private funding source to expand your business, you must demonstrate how the additional funding will translate into increased profits and expansion opportunities for the company.
The final step is to make several list of potential funding sources that may be able to assist your business in meeting its goals. You should identify any current or emerging trends that may affect your target market, as well as those that may not be as readily apparent. As you begin to generate business leads from these potential funding sources, you should use an online application to generate a list of direct email recipients who are interested in learning more about your business. Once you have identified several potential funding sources that may be able to assist your business, you should begin to develop a pitch to present to potential lenders. A well-written pitch can help you to win the support of funding experts and investors.