Tag Archives: business plan
Startup Loans and Your New Business (Page 1 of 2)
Anyone who’s ever tried it knows that building a real, working business is no easy matter. For every business you see that’s growing out there, you can find probably thousands that are on their way to failure. You see, it takes a lot more than a terrific idea to be successful. You need to have a “never say die” attitude and almost a relentless energy to work your way through the hard times – and make no mistake, there will be hard times. But if you have the right stuff, you can make it work.
In many cases, the hard times that plague startup businesses revolve around money, or more to the point, undercapitalization. It takes real money to open a business and to keep it running. Lots of startup moms and pops usually turn to their personal savings or other assets to do this and that can be a mistake. More often than not their money simply wont last long enough. And when it runs out their fledgling business folds and theyre left without a business or any savings.
Business journals, text books, and business gurus will tell you that you need enough money in a startup business to keep your doors open for the first six months to a year. Without that minimum amount of cash you’re looking at only a small chance at success. Savvy entrepreneurs know this too and therefore give themselves a solid chance at success by finding their capital in the form of business startup loans.
However, the kind of business startup financing most entrepreneurs need isn’t available to just anyone. Lots of banks and lenders consider these types of loans pretty risky vehicles and so the barriers to qualifying can be quite high. Still, any fledgling business owner can increase his or her chances by taking the time to prepare themselves thoroughly – that’s the key.
Look at Your Numbers
Start by making a thorough examination of what your operating expenses and potential returns will be. You’ve got to be realistic and even conservative. Figure there will be unexpected expenses and build them into your plan. Also figure that your sales or returns will be less than you hope. Add up the numbers so that you have a reasonable figure that tells you how much money you’ll need to make it through your first year of business.
Just how much of your own savings and assets you can bring to the table? Again, be conservative. Don’t commit all of your available money (experienced entrepreneurs never do). But you need to commit some of your holdings because every lender you deal with will want to know you believe in yourself. And taking a financial stake in your own new business will show them just that.
Create a Business Plan
One absolute necessity in all of this is a sound business plan. Don’t count on receiving any financing without one. Business plans are nothing more than evidence (factual and/or anecdotal) that demonstrates your business will succeed. And lenders want as much evidence as possible. They actually want to make the loan and building a strong business plan tells them that you’re probably also capable of building a strong business.
How to Prepare for Government Grants to Start a Business
The fact is that the US government gives out billions in government grants to start a business each year. Sound like a lot of money? Well would you believe that the federal government gives away a total of $25 billion in domestic business aid, all together each year?
However; the truth of the matter, is that in spite of there being such a large available pool of money, competition is stiff. This of course means that the people who are the most prepared and knowledgeable, generally tend to walk away with the lions share.
The First Thing to Do
The very first thing that you need to do is to come up with a complete and comprehensive business plan. Not just a good plan but rather, an excellent plan. Consider using the Internet to conduct your market demand research.
Your plan should also demonstrate your complete familiarity with all the products involved in the business you are proposing. You should also be able to demonstrate a complete familiarity with employee wage scales for the type of labor performed in the course of your business.
The Second Thing to Do
The second thing you can do, is to begin to work on your presentation skills. You see, you have to understand that aside from all the paperwork you’ll have to submit, there will be personal interviews. People you will have to convince that your plan is viable.
The Third Thing to Do
The third thing that you will need to do is to familiarize yourself with the entire process of getting government grants to start a small business. This is no time to learn on the fly. There’s just too much at stake. Consider paying for the services of a consultant.
1) Before you start applying for grants, make sure that you have your business planned meticulously. Be prepared with an excellent business plan, with the exact amounts and figures that you require in every aspect of your business such as overhead, manpower, facilities and other expenses. Once you have the figures in place, add an extra 25-30% to this amount as a contingency measure to safeguard you against unexpected expenditure. A well-planned business plan could work wonders towards you obtaining a good grant to help you with your business.
2) Engage in the services of a consultant to help you find and obtain a small business grant. Although this may prove to be slightly costly to you, but the experience and knowledge that the consultant brings for your grant application could prove to be priceless, and may be the deciding factor in you obtaining it, or failing in your bid.
3) Use the internet and available website to good effect. Visit relevant sites such as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) where you could find a list of small business grants that you could apply for, as well as the Small Business Administration (SBA) website where you would discover all the information required in regards to grant applications here. Other useful sites especially for women entrepreneurs include usagovernmentgrants.org, and of course grants.gov, a government-linked site where your grant-seeking activities could bear fruit.
4)Do not forget to work on your presentation skill as well, as you would be required to present in front of a grant-awarding committee. Thus be prepared to impress them with your proposal, and all the best in obtaining the small business grant for yourself!