Does your business need more money? If so, you should know that there is money for it out there, you just have to know how to ask for it properly. If you need money either for a new or an existing business, then you will probably struggle for a bit with getting a grant, but it’s not impossible to do. Non-profits are usually the ones getting grants for services that benefit communities or specific groups.
Small Business Funding
There are plenty of options to get funding to either set up or grow a business, here are some of our top funding guides:
If you’re looking for lucrative ways to raise capital for your start-up business you have some options to consider. The good news is that it’s never been easier to raise start-up funds than right now. You have a range of resources available at your fingertips, you just need to know where to look and the risks involved before making a decision.
As the country enters into a national state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic, households and non-essential businesses have been ordered into lockdown following the enforcement of a stay-at-home order relayed by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. As businesses are ordered to temporarily close shop and workers are instructed to work from home where reasonably possible, the economy is experiencing a downward spiral in trade, raising the red light for many smaller enterprises with less in cash reserves.
[continue reading…]Reader’s question: I’m wanting to open a bar and would be seeking investment from two parties, after the initial investment they won’t have any further involvement, from this I gathered the best way to structure the business would be as a Private Limited Company. My problem is that I am not in a position to contribute financially so would be seeking 100% of the required capital to establish it, which would, therefore, mean they own 100% of the business. Is it possible for me to retain any sort of ownership or portion of shares through a prior agreement?
When your early or growth stage company needs essential funding, equity crowdfunding can be an excellent way to achieve this.
Having good cash flow is fundamentally essential for any business wanting to run smoothly and successfully. A recent UK study found that, on average, SMEs spend more than £1m a year on business-related expenditure such as staffing costs, rent, office equipment and supplies. This highlights how vital it is for SMEs to have a solid grasp of their incomings and outgoings so they can plan ahead and meet these costs.
We are still not sure what kind of Brexit we will get. Even assuming a ‘good’ Brexit, will we be thrown into another recession? Will history repeat itself and, if so, what will this mean for start-ups, SMEs, and investors?
As the bells and fireworks signal the dawn of another new year, we feel just enough optimism to make ambitious resolutions that, while well-intentioned, are often ditched come February. Rather than recommending you neglect Netflix in favour of a gym membership or swap your weekend (and evening) drinks for kale smoothies, I’d instead like to give you five reasons why 2019 is the year you should crowdfund your business.
Are you facing a busy period? Have all your customers paid you promptly? Are you looking to capitalise on new opportunities for 2019? If you answered yes to any of the above you could be missing funds to keep your books in the black. After forecasting sales and factoring in expenses, your business might be in need of a cash injection at short notice.
If you’re an aspiring business owner who needs to raise finance for a business purchase, you have several options. Three of these are bank lending, an angel investment or seller financing.
For small business owners wanting to raise funds, one of the biggest barriers is having the right tools to support their pitch. There are lots of different opinions on what makes a good deck, much of it misguided and rooted in opinion rather than data.
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Raising money for your small business is a time-consuming endeavour. And you are unlikely to have time or resource to waste on activities that are at best ineffective, at worst actively putting investors off the idea of funding your business.
Seed capital which is also referred to as a seed money is the initial money start-ups use to get started on their business. The name comes from the idea that a seed is the beginning or the start of something. Seed money can come from various sources, therefore seed funding itself is not a form of funding. Although the sources of seed funding vary, the most popular source is investors, also known as Angels.
Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) is a relatively new way of funding small business growth and is rising in popularity. It’s a great alternative to traditional funding such as banks, which are becoming increasingly hard to get funding from. ‘Alternative’ methods of funding have become the only viable options for SME’s as banks are making it increasingly difficult with the rigorous credit scoring system.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard about cryptocurrencies. The meteoric (and overinflated) rise of Bitcoin has firmly planted the disruptive technology in the minds of everyday consumers. And as a result, many companies looking to raise money for their business have probably asked themselves whether they should be running an ‘Initial Coin Offering’, or ICO for short.
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It doesn’t matter what size your business is, there will come a point where you’ll have to consider funding (such as a small business loan) in order to take it to the next level. This additional finance might be used for a number of beneficial investments, including hiring extra staff, buying additional equipment, or moving to larger premises.
The social and political landscape is changing. Driven by the digital revolution and gathering pace as the number of so-called ‘digital natives’ reach adulthood, this paradigm shift is a result of society shunning traditional leadership models and preferring direct connection instead of intermediation. It’s because of this shift that crowdfunding was born, and the effects it’s having on society are far more profound than many realise.
If you’re raising money for your business, don’t ignore the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). These offer new and growing young businesses in the UK attractive vehicles for securing inward investment. They benefit both the investor and recipient – and they are backed by the Government.
In the past five years, crowdfunding has skyrocketed in popularity as a way to bring innovations to life and has become a great contender to more traditional methods of funding. It has given entrepreneurs access to capital through the people who are most excited about their idea, and want to help it become a reality. This real-time interaction with ‘the crowd’ provides invaluable insights into the market for a given product, and allows entrepreneurs to tweak their products to better fit their customers’ needs. There’s no denying that there are are some major crowdfunding mistakes which can be made, however they can be easily avoided.
Essentially equity crowdfunding is the process through which a large number of people provide money to a business in return for shares in the company. It might not be the easiest way to raise funds, but if done right, it can bring you a lot more than just cash.
