Locating Small Business FundingHow to locate Small Business Funding to start your Home-based business is a topic that peaks everyone’s interest, because we all need a little help to get started. Many times a home-based business is started through the use of multiple sources. If a loan is not right for you, there are other options available.Typically the average entrepreneur will use a variety of resources to start their home-based business. You might say they use a piecemeal approach or “Bootstrapping” consisting of the following sources:· Savings (probably the #1 resource)
· Credit cards
· Family
· FriendsLet’s talk about the top four:Savings: This should be your first option for your home-based business but many of us do not have savings to rely on or do we?What if you use your tax return or economic stimulus money to start your home based business? This may provide you with the initial capital than you could possibly add to it on a monthly basis to pay for some of your recurring expenses.Credit Cards: Most start up entrepreneurs use credit cards to start their home-based business. This can prove to be a valuable tool especially in the early stages of your home-based business. Warning! Use your credit wisely and with caution due to the high interests rates and remember sooner or later you are going to have to pay.Family and Friends: They may be your best source for borrowing money for your home-based business. Why? Because they know you, believe in you and trust you. If they were in a position to lend you money and will not then a bank probably wouldn’t want to take a chance on you either.Tip: To make your family feel more comfortable with lending you the money for you home-based business. Try using a service that manages the loan and documentation. This would make it a real loan for their added security and peace of mind. You may want to use this as a negotiation tool to help convince family and friends if they are hesitant to lend you the money to fund your home-based business.These are probably the most popular resources and the ones that are most familiar to you. However there are other sources available for your home-based business.Government Loan ProgramsPatriot Express: This new loan program is for Veterans, Disabled Veterans, National Guard and Reservists, current spouse and widowed spouses. These loans can be used for almost any business purpose (including start-up).Patriot Expressloans are available up to $500,000 and the SBA will guarantee from 75 to 85% depending on the size of the loan. Interest rates run 2.25% to 4.75% over prime.Micro-loan 7(m): The loan itself can be for as much as $35,000 but is not available in all states.Do you have an IRA?If so did you know you may be able to use it for your home-based business, to buy a franchise or for that real estate investment? People are doing just that every day, Why not you! There are a variety of creative financing sources available to the entrepreneur limited only by your imagination.To sum it up we all need a little help to get started in business. Be persistent and refuse to give up on your dreams. Your funding may come from many sources a little from savings, a little from credit cards, some from family and possibly some from a micro-loan. Money from many different sources may be just what you need to fulfill your dreams.