Every day there are people all over the World who have an awesome business idea, that light bulb moment that many of us hear about that could potentially make millions. Perhaps you have had one yourself, an idea for a product or service that could change the lives of many or even your own. The problem with a great idea is actually turning it into a reality, making that product, creating that service or starting that organization in order to let your idea flourish.
Th key thing that holds most people back is finances, as with most things in this life, money is the root of all problems and solutions and in order to create your dream business, you are going to need to have some money to kick the whole thing off. If you have had a great idea and wish to turn it into a reality then here are some ways in which you can get funded.
The Bank
Most people’s go to option when they wish to fund an idea is to go to the bank for a business loan, this option has both advantages and disadvantages and may not always be successful. Banks will want to know that you have a solid business plan in place, they will carefully revise both your business model and you as a person in order to ascertain whether you and your business are a good investment. Banks will charge competitive interest on your loan and they will give you strong levels of support.
Investments
Another way in which many look to fund their business idea is through private investment or through some of the brilliant companies which have been set up specifically to invest in start-ups. In order to gain private investors you will need to seek out those with money who have a history of investing and pitch your idea to them with a sound financial plan. An alternative would be using a great company such as Capital for Merchants who invest in new businesses and then take a small percentage of each sale made until the investment is returned.
CrowdFunding
The power of the internet has driven a sharing economy which you could tap in to if you feel as though there would be enough people out there to support your idea. Crowdfunding allows you to set up a donation-style page whereby you can let people know what you are looking to do and how much money you need in order to do it. Once you have set up our Crowdfunding page you will then need to market your idea and leave it up to the public as to whether they think it is a good enough idea for them to part with some cash to help you get the idea off the ground. Whilst this method is by no means guaranteed to bring you the investment or the quantity of money you require, it can be a great way to amass some of the capital you need and also serve as something of a litmus test to see how popular your idea is.