The most important fact is to understand why we are trying to raise money. You can’t expect money from investors if you don’t understand your goals. Raising money can be the toughest part of starting your own business. As the competition for funding increases, chances of securing investors decrease. Getting an investor is tough, but once u get someone who believes in you and trusts you, your business gets going.
The most common misconceptions by entrepreneurs are that they must raise a great deal of capital to succeed. This is simply not true, neither is it possible. So don’t give up start small get big.
Some Ways to Raise Funds:
- Get to know Start-up insiders: Get in touch with people who have started the journey like you want to. You can learn a lot online, nothing is more valuable than conversations and feedback from people who started like you.
- Build your personal brand: Make sure to keep in the originality and confidence that your product or services shall revolutionaries the market no matter how small it might be. Even if there are many opinions on what it takes to convince an investor to invest your business, because at the end of the day, your legacy will be your brand and your confidence.
- Your negotiating power: Depending on your need for funds and the confidence you place in your company are the chief factors you can use to negotiate funds with the Investors.
- Dig into your pocket: Have some saving of your own be it retirement fund, fixed deposit, any such. It’s risky, but people are not going to invest in your start-up, if you haven’t put some capital of your own. Most investors show confidence only when entrepreneurs put more than just sweat in it.
- Get partners early on: There’s nothing better than getting people like a suppliers, distributors, ora customer base who shows support for your Company and its products or services.
- Develop true financial projections: Do not fake your data or try to put garbage values to impress your investor, this may backfire and getting another in a competitive market is not an option.
- Participate in business plan competitions: Business schools and other organizations have business hold events and competitions that are open to all. Participate and try winning them. This is one of the best platforms and winning brings great rewards.
- Crowd Funding: .Show people prototypes and other such models in trade fairs and such places where you can get exposure. Crowd funding is a good indication of how impressed your customers are.
- Lion Heart: Every time you get rejected start all over again. Treat every rejection as a learning lesson; remember failure is the pillar to success.
There are no short cuts when it comes to getting funds in early-stage. With the right strategy and confidence, entrepreneurs can do big. So don’t let failure stop you. Believe in yourself and your product.