Getting Funding

You know the clichè: it takes money to make money. It may be just a rationalization when hopefully uttered in a casino, but in your small business it's a truism. Even if your business plan calls for instant profitability, almost all businesses need initial funding to get up and running.

Hunting for funding can lead you in many different directions. A starting point is to determine how much money you require to run your business until it can become self-sustaining (this is often more money than entrepreneurs think!). The next step is to make a list of potential sources. Relatives and friends can be a good choice, provided you've carefully considered the potential complications of mixing family with business.

For most, a better source of funding is in the commercial realm: banks, small business co-ops in your community, and private venture capital firms. Also, some credit card companies offer financing options for small businesses. Remember, getting funded is not the same thing as getting a loan. In exchange for funding you will need to turn over equity in your company, meaning your investors become, in effect, partners in your enterprise.

During the 1990s, entrepreneurs began to use the phrase "smart money," which means funding that includes expertise. Getting smart money calls for investors with experience in your services, or knowledge about parts of running your business that you lack. By getting both -- money and expertise -- your business is off to a great start. And you can take that to the casinos.

• Meet Matt Blumberg, CEO of ReturnPath, who discusses how a merger with his fiercest and most hated competitor helped him overcome the biggest obstacle to getting additional funding, and enabled him to keep his company in business. Click on your preferred video format in the 'Watch the Video' area on the right.
  
  
• Access articles on traditional funding sources, financing through factoring, non-traditional funding sources, give yourself the money-hunting edge, and a list of SBICs.
  
  
• Find out E. James Burton's answer to the question, "Where can I find financing to help me expand my computer repair business?"
  
  
• Read a profile of Elyse Cherry, President of the Boston Community Venture Fund, a Boston-based community development venture fund.