Financial Solutions to Help Grow Your Small Business

One thing that will remain constant about running a business is the need to have adequate cash flow. Without the necessary capital to cover business costs, things, like paying employee salaries, investing in marketing, or paying for overhead expenditures like the lease and utilities are impossible to accomplish. Although you hope to one day bring in enough revenue that you don’t need to rely on outside financial sources, there are solutions out there that can tide you over in the meantime.

Your Personal Budget

In the beginning, small business owners rely heavily on their own finances to cover the costs of operating a business. If this is you, you’ll want to review your personal finances to see where you can cut back and free up cash for your business. Eliminating unnecessary spending like eating out or frequent entertainment can give you enough money to support the business.

Friends and Family

The great thing about having a network of people who care about you and support your business is that you can count on them in times of need. If you have friends and/or family members that would be willing to lend you the money or invest in the business, this would be the least risky option for raising funds for your business.

Business Loans

For new and established small businesses applying for online business loans could be the answer. Like a personal loan, you will be required to provide financial statements and will undergo a thorough credit check to determine your eligibility. Lenders will often want to look at the health and likeliness of success for your business before agreeing to approve your loan.  If approved, you can obtain a lump sum of cash to be paid back over the next few years.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a modern method used by entrepreneurs and other online users to raise funds for businesses and other causes.  It is the process of sourcing money from a network of people you know and/or strangers. Crowdfund accounts are created and those who wish to can deposit or donate funds to use for your business. When presented correctly and marketed to ideal investors you could receive enough funds to grow your business in no time.

Invoice Factoring

Have a lot of outstanding invoices tying up your cash flow? If so, invoice factoring could be worth a try. This is the process of selling your accounts receivables or invoices at a discounted rate to an invoice financing or factoring company. This company pays you cash up front and waits to receive their cash from the unpaid invoices. Though you won’t get the full outstanding amount back, it can help you if you need immediate cash.

Use Your Funds Wisely

The key to maintaining cash flow and increasing your capital is to use the funds you receive wisely.  You can decide to buckle down and pull the funds from your personal budget.  Or you decide to take out a business loan.  What you do with the money will ultimately determine how successful your small business is in the future. Some items to examine might include:

• Marketing
• Staffing
• Office space
• IT solutions
• Inventory

There’s obviously more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to obtaining the funds necessary to run your growing business. Whether you use one or all the above-mentioned methods, be sure that you thoroughly weigh the pros and cons of each. After all, making informed financial decisions is essentially how businesses become a success.