Resources for raising moneyIf you need funding for your small business, these websites can help. (FSB) -- Got a great business idea, but need cash to get it off the ground? Check out these links. Getting started An overview from the SBA: The basics on raising capital. NFIB's "Financing Alternatives When Starting a Business": Most startups don't have the option of bank financing, here are some alternatives. Business 2.0's "5 Ways to start a company (without quitting your day job)": It's sensitive ground, but if you're itching to break out of the cubicle you may not have to leave to explore the entrepreneurial waters. Bootstrapping Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's eVenturing: Site calls itself a "guide to high growth" for entrepreneurs. Friends and family FSB's "Creative Cash Flow": Without credit, a cosmetics entrepreneur had to come up with a fresh approach to funding his startup. eVenturing's "Raising Early Stage Capital": How to raise capital when you are first organizing your business, or when it is at its earliest stages of growth. Banks and grants U.S. Small Business Administration loans: The agency does not offer loans but serves as a guarantor of loans made by private and other institutions. Here's an overview. SBA Finance startup: The agency's outline of key factors a bank uses to analyze a potential borrower includes a self-assessment checklist. Small Business Innovation Reseach (SBIR): If you've got a technology-related business idea, and/or you want to go after government contracts, check out this SBA resource. Angels Angel Capital Association: An alliance of nearly 200 angel organizations in the United States and Canada. FSB's "Touched by an angel": Savvy entrepreneurs are looking to wealthy women for funding. FSB's "How to fund other startups and get rich": Angel investors describe their paths from entrepreneur to financier. Venture capital FSB's "How to play the VC game -- and win big": Two Stanford MBAs who built a fast-growing concierge service show how women can get venture-capital funding. (The lessons apply to men, too.) National Venture Capital Association: A good place to network and learn how VCs think and what they're looking to invest in. Customers and suppliers Product Development & Management Association: Here you'll find a portal full of information designed to connect innovators. |
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