As a 5-time entrepreneur, I know a thing or two about financing a business.
Almost all of my businesses started out boot strapped. But as the businesses began to have success and started to grow, the need for additional capital felt insatiable. This is a common phenomenon of a growing business.
The decisions you make on how to finance your business will have a profound effect on your business and personal life.
The 4 most common ways of financing your business
Here are the four most common ways of financing your business:
- Invest more of your own money into the business. (If there is any left that you already haven’t invested).
- Ask friends and family to become investors or lenders to your business. (This option comes with many pitfalls and ramifications).
- Secure an Equity Investment from an Angel Investor, Venture Capital Firm or Private Equity Firm. This is a very logical and viable option for many businesses. But not all businesses are suited for taking on an Equity Investor, or perhaps the business is not at the right stage of their evolution to attract an equity investor or secure a reasonable valuation.
- Borrow the funds. While I prefer to carry no debt, the reality is that sometimes that is impossible. I have financed my businesses with personal loans, commercial loans, lines of credit and SBA loans. It is important to understand that not all debt is created equal. There is good debt and there is bad debt. It is critical that you make the correct choice of debt. It is also critical that you have the proper systems in place to forecast and manage cashflow to make sure the business can support the debt.
Sources and forms of financing
Based on 30 + years in business, I have a strong network of bank and alternative lenders – the kind that issue good debt. I can help you identify potential lending opportunities and stand ready to assist you in preparing your financial information package.
If your business needs capital, we can assist you in securing the following forms of financing:
- Working Capital Loans
- SBA loans
- Commercial Loans
- Equipment Loans
- A/R Financing
- PO Financing
- Lines of Credit
- Real Estate Loans
What we will need from you
Along with the completed application we will require at a minimum the following information to get your loan quote:
- Last three (3) years business tax returns
- Last three (3) years business financial statements
- Last six (6) months business bank statements.
Taking the first step toward financing your business
There is no obligation. Once we get feedback from our lenders we can get you started on deciding which option is the best for you and your business. Our lending network is relationship driven. They will take the time to get to know your business and will be able to support your business as you grow. And, like in all good business relationships, they will be able to make introductions and open doors for your business as well.
If you are interested in learning about what type of loans you might qualify for, you can book a call with me by going to this page on our web site and scheduling an appointment. Or go here to download an application and scan it over to me joe@blueskyexitplanning.com to get the process started.