One of the main reasons as to why new business ventures fail is due to a lack of financial funding to get the business venture off the ground. Many people don’t realise how much opening and running a business actually costs. If you don’t research and seek out business finance you will be unable to pay for your business premises, all of your necessary equipment, your bills and your staff wages as well as any of the stock that you will need.
You also need to ensure that when you decide on your business finance that you choose the one that is best for your business. Finance comes in many different forms and can be split into two main sections; equity finance and debt finance. The definition of equity finance is money that is invested into your business that doesn’t need to be repaid. This money is yours to use in return for a share of your business profit. As well as getting money invested into your business with equity finance you will also gain expertise and business contacts that are yours to use. The second main type of business finance is debt finance. This is money that is loaned to you. It is money that requires the need to be repaid over an agreed amount of time. You will have to repay the loan in full with added interest but no percentage of your shares are handed over.
Some examples of equity finance include business angels; these are entrepreneurs who invest a certain amount of money into your business. In return for the money that is invested a business angel will gain some of your shares so that they get a percentage of your profit. Business angels are perfect for start-up businesses as they provide money that doesn’t require the need to be repaid as well as expert advice about the best way of running your business. Another example of equity finance comes in the form of a venture capitalist. A venture capitalist is virtually the same as a business angel apart from they can provide higher amounts of finance and tend to invest more in established businesses where the risk of failure is reduced.
Some example of debt finance include; bank loans. When most people think of start up business finance the first place that comes to mind is their bank even though banks are very weary about lending money to new businesses as there is fear that the monthly repayments will not be kept up-to-date. Another example is credit cards; these are expensive when it comes to start-up finance but they are also a quick way of raising finance. One more example of debt finance is overdrafts; these can be expensive but are a flexible form of borrowing, they are not suitable for long term finance and are repayable on demand.
Although with debt finance you have a lot more options open to you with ways of lending money, the option of equity finance is still more favourable with new businesses as a private investor will do everything that they can to ensure that your business is a success.
