By Brian McKay
If you've got a great idea, a solid business plan and you are ready to go into business - there's always going to be one big thing that stops you, or halts you, or at least makes you think for a long - long while. Finance. Sometimes, financing your business can be as easy as taking a well presented business plan to the doors of the bank. On other occasions, it could be that some harder work has to be taken out by yourself and your team in the early days of the company.
Depending on where you are based, your government might be able to assist with the start-up of new businesses. Government backed start up loans can be available on occasion, and this is worth looking into. If you've got a great idea and want to go for a new-age route of funding, look at Kickstarter. If you're truly creative and can show off an idea or design that you know people will want to buy into, you can use Kickstarter to crowdsource the funding of your product. If you have a unique idea, it might be worth working on it and making something happen - because if it’s truly one of a kind then investment will find you, you only need to look at what happened to PayPal and Facebook to find two huge examples of this.
Even if you’ve found the cash to start your idea, finances will still rule the day when it comes to running your business. If you’ve not got an accountant, it will be a very good idea to get one and not just so he or she can count your coins. An accountant can ensure you are doing everything financial in a legal manner and even find ways for you to save money. That advice is pretty much worth its weight in gold, so ensure that you have a good team who can help you out. Insurance is also key in the running of a business to protect your interests. On a small scale it could be for insuring shipping, on a larger scale it could be a bond to ensure the completion of work or projects by a third party, click here to learn more. When running a business, funding is important - but protecting your interests is key.
Some months can be tough in business. If your income can't be managed or analyzed due to its variation or insecurity, a bank overdraft could be a quick fix. However, this should be avoided when possible. Still, it is worth setting up an overdraft on your business accounts to avoid charges in worst-case scenarios or bad business months. You could also look into borrowing a loan based on business assets including your inventory or property - but if you don't meet the terms of the loan, the assets will be repossessed. If your business needs cash - this could be the way to go. There’s a lot of money flying around in business - so do your research before choosing the best funding option that will either start your business off, or keep it in business.
