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Most startup businesses require some form of capital to launch. To a degree the saying that ‘you need to spend money to make money’ is correct depending on the industry and scale of business you are hoping to achieve from the offset. Coupled with considering the marketing and sales resources, you’ll need to drive sales. 

The process of launching and running a successful small business can be costly. But before you decide to put your dream of owning a sports leisure center, an electronics retail store or a nightclub on the back burner for another, better, time. You should know that there will never be a perfect time to launch your business, and your financial situation will never feel truly comfortable enough for you to begin your company. And so it’s worth overriding your fear of how you will gain your business finances to look closely at your options so you can set your business plans in motion. In no particular order, here are three options you might want to consider.

Crowdfunding

Presuming you’ve set up your business plan and are clear on how much capital you need to start your business, consider whether your idea is compelling enough to attract multiple small investments in the form of crowdfunding. Take a look at crowdfunding websites such as IndieGoGo, Kickstarter and Rocket Hub to see if you meet the criteria of startup ideas they are looking for. Sourcing crowdfunding is highly competitive, and so you need to have a clear, attractive pitch to display to your fellow crowd funders to convince them to invest. To help you get started, browse other startup projects on crowdfunding sites to see what kind of concepts and marketing approaches seem to be successful in gaining contributions.

Startup Business Loan

As with applying for crowdfunding online, you may need your professional business plan to hand to show potential lenders your well thought out business idea. This shall demonstrate to lenders whether or not your idea is viable, and whether your business has the scope to make a return so that you may pay back the startup business loan in the future. To get started, research banks and loan companies who tailor their services to startup businesses, to find who offers the sum you are looking for with a competitive interest rate attached. Also, pay particular attention to the terms and conditions of each loan to find one that is best suited to your business. Another tip is to never borrow more than you actually need. 

Bootstrap Your Business

If crowdfunding and loans are not for you, an alternative way to launch your business is by bootstrapping. This term refers to starting up your company on whatever savings you currently can afford to invest. Then, when the business grows and yields a return, you use this and put it back into the company. This makes financial sense for those worried about the prospect of lending money. However, depending on the business you are hoping to create it could also stunt your growth, as you need to continuously wait for a profit before you can invest back into the business. 

Other alternative ways for you to make capital for your startup business are to; spend some time working and saving the amount you need or seeking financial support from family and friends. Alternatively, you can look at other sources of borrowing, such as your overdraft facility and credit card options.