While funding options may vary depending on the business’s stage and needs, it’s essential for small business owners to explore the available options and develop effective funding strategies. Read on to explore various funding options and strategies that can help small businesses obtain the necessary capital for success.

1. Self-Funding and Bootstrapping

Self-funding, also known as bootstrapping, involves using personal savings or assets to finance your small business. This option allows you to retain full control over your business and avoid debt. However, it may limit the initial capital available and may require personal financial sacrifices to invest in your business’s growth.

2. Friends and Family

Seeking financial support from friends and family members is a common option for small business owners. It involves borrowing money or receiving investments from people you have personal relationships with. While this option may offer flexibility and lenient terms, it’s essential to approach such arrangements professionally and have clear agreements in place to avoid potential conflicts.

3. Small Business Loans

Small business loans are a traditional funding option offered by banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. These loans provide capital with a defined repayment schedule and interest rate. Small business owners need to present a solid business plan, financial records, and collateral to qualify for a loan.

It’s crucial to carefully review terms and interest rates to ensure the loan is manageable for your business.

4. Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding platforms allow businesses to raise funds from a large number of individuals who contribute varying amounts. This option leverages the power of the crowd and can provide not only financial support but also help validate your business idea and build a community around your brand.

Effective crowdfunding campaigns require compelling pitches, engaging rewards, and strong marketing efforts to attract backers.

5. Grants and Government Programs

Various grants and government programs are available to support small businesses in specific industries or locations. These funding options often have specific eligibility criteria and application processes. Research local, regional, and national grant programs relevant to your business’s industry or specific needs.

Applying for grants may require significant effort, but it can provide non-repayable funds to support your business’s growth.

6. Angel Investors and Venture Capital

Angel investors and venture capital firms are sources of funding for small businesses with high growth potential. Angel investors are individuals who provide capital in exchange for equity or ownership in the company. Venture capital firms, on the other hand, invest larger amounts of capital in exchange for equity stakes.

These funding options often come with expertise and mentorship from experienced investors, but they also involve giving up partial ownership and decision-making control.

7. Business Incubators and Accelerators

Business incubators and accelerators are programs designed to support early-stage startups by providing funding, mentorship, and resources. These programs often require entrepreneurs to go through a competitive application process. In addition to financial support, incubators and accelerators offer guidance, networking opportunities, and access to a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs.

8. Alternative Financing Options

In addition to traditional funding methods, small businesses can explore alternative financing options. These may include invoice financing, where you sell your outstanding invoices to a third party for immediate cash, or merchant cash advances, where you receive a lump sum in exchange for a portion of future sales.

While these options can provide quick access to capital, it’s important to carefully assess the terms and potential impact on your cash flow.

9. Business Credit Cards

Business credit cards can be a convenient and flexible funding option for small businesses. They allow you to access a revolving line of credit that you can use for various expenses.

It’s important to choose a credit card with favorable terms, such as low interest rates and rewards programs that align with your business needs. However, it’s crucial to use business credit cards responsibly and avoid accumulating excessive debt.

Takeaway

Exploring funding options and developing effective strategies is essential for small businesses to secure the necessary capital for success. Whether through self-funding, seeking support from friends and family, obtaining small business loans, utilizing crowdfunding, accessing grants and government programs, seeking angel investors or venture capital, participating in business incubators and accelerators, or exploring alternative financing options and business credit cards, small business owners have a range of options to consider.

You need to carefully evaluate each option, consider the associated terms and risks, and choose the funding approach that best supports your business’s growth and long-term financial stability.

Why Use a Comparison Site?

There are different types of funding. Self-funding and investors are two types of funding, the last being loans. If a loan is the right choice, it is important to compare different options to find one that best fits your business.

You can compare loans on creddio.com with factors like interest rates and repayment options is the way to secure the most stable and suitable loan. Otherwise, you may end up with a loan that can be difficult to repay. The comparison site gathers all the necessary information such as fees, loan terms and even special features like whether or not the loan comes with a discount.

Eligibility for a Business Loan

If you are starting up a business, the bank may not be willing to finance your loan. As such, the eligibility for a loan often depends on the financial situation of your business. This can include your credit history and income. But certain requirements depend on who is providing the loan.

For example, the U.S. government requires a business to be registered, and that the business is located within the country. Generally, taking a loan out depends on the state of your finances. Therefore, it is a good idea to understand your business’s financial situation before applying for a loan.

Loan for Your Business

When considering a loan, one of the first things to discover is what you need the funding for. Is it to start up a business? Is it to hire more people? Or do you need more capital for a big project? The amount of money you can secure in a loan will depend on your loan proposal.

When applying for a loan, you need to state things like personal finances and how long the business has been running. After that, the financial institution will get in contact, and you will be able to see their loan offer.

Types of Loans

When loaning money for a business, there are two types of loans: Secured and unsecured business loans. A secured loan is a loan where you as the borrower give an asset to secure the loan. This can be anything from your car to your home. The lender then has a claim over the asset, the personal possession, until the loan is repaid.

An unsecured business loan does not require an asset and includes loans like quick loans, personal loans and credit cards. However, the interest rates are also higher with unsecured loans.

Regardless of which type of loan you plan on receiving, it is paramount that you research all your options and have a good understanding of your business’s financial situation before applying for funding.

Starting a business in 2023 needn’t be overwhelming. I get it, there’s a lot to think about and as a new entrepreneur, there’s one thing on your mind: money. Can you afford it, will the business sustain you, how will you juggle your side hustle alongside your life commitments – maybe even another full-time job – exactly how much does it cost to start a business in 2023?

No doubt, there’s a lot to think about, but the more you think the more reasons you’ll find not to follow your dreams and that’s the last thing I want for you.

So, instead of overthinking, read through this comprehensive guide including a breakdown of startup costs and tips to manage costs at every step.

Fixed costs to start a business in 2023

The fixed costs of your startup will depend on the type of business. As a freelancer you can start up a business for $0, assuming you already own a PC and have access to Wi-Fi.

Businesses that need more involvement from operations, products or digital assets like websites may need to spend more.

The cost of your business will be unique, but you can use the guides below to determine how much it costs to start your dream business in 2023.

Domain, website or online store

The majority of startups need a website either to trade and receive enquiries online or for a presence in Google search and Google maps for local search.

That said, if you’re starting a service-based business you may be able to drum up business without a website by using social media platforms like LinkedIn. This is what I did for two years, keeping my start-up cost at $0.

To save the cost of a website, ecommerce stores can create shops on Etsy and pay minimal fees to upload products. Then, it’s just a commission on sales. Alternatively, you can start affiliate marketing on TikTok which costs nothing to set up.

While free alternatives are great, at some point your business will likely grow to a point where you want a more robust online presence. And ecommerce merchants should be prepared to source a point-of-sale (POS) system or technology allowing them to accept online payments.

For entrepreneurs who need a website, start by sourcing your domain and hosting.

In general, non-premium domains cost between $1 to $20, depending on the deal you are getting and the number of years you decide to register the domain for. To explore prices buy a domain and search for your desired website URL.

Tips for managing the cost of domains: you can cut costs by exploring cheaper domain suffixes. Generally, but not always, .com or .co.uk will be more expensive than .co, .io, .site, .shop. There are a lot of domain options so spend some time exploring suffixes and pricing.

Your website host is required to get your site on the internet and in front of customers. You’ll need to web hosting.

Tips for managing the cost of hosting: pay annually or for many years in advance to save money.

Website design and development

For those who need to create a website you can use drag-and-drop editors. This is perfect if you really want to cut costs. You can build brochure websites or use the online store builder if you’re starting with ecommerce.

If you’re not willing to create the website yourself, then don’t fret because there are affordable website design services to guarantee a website you (and your customers) will love. I’ve known entrepreneurs who started with websites that are quite affordable.

Tips for managing the cost of website design and build: if the thought of designing and developing a website is overwhelming, but you want to save costs, commit a couple of hours to creating a website with GoDaddy. I promise it’s easy and you might surprise yourself.

While you’re creating a website, consider creating a logo to display on your web pages and other brand collateral. Services like GoDaddy Logo Maker are free and let you quickly snag this key piece of branding.

Legal costs to register a business

Legal costs vary hugely between types of business and the required legal cover. If you’ve figured out how to create an LLC and you’re ready for the costs associated you can expect to pay anything from $485 to more than $1,000. Of course, this depends on what you can do yourself. More savvy start-ups may be able to tackle some of the legal requirements, thus saving money.

Tips for managing legal costs: consider the essentials. As a new business owner, it can be tempting to cover your business from every angle, but this may not be required at the very beginning. Consider what’s a must-have to start up, then take note of what you can purchase later and when it’s needed.

Marketing

Marketing is one of the most flexible costs when starting a business. The options are endless.

At the cheapest, GoDaddy can support your business from $85/month, but a more multi-channelled approach will cost $500/month*.

The good thing about marketing is that you can do a lot alone. If you’re happy to manage social media platforms to drum up business, you can do well without spending a penny. It is time-consuming so that time investment must be considered.

If you’re thinking about marketing your business with ads then you need to consider the cost of ads versus the benefit. Generally, it’s not useful to start with a budget that’s too small simply because you won’t get the data you need to decipher a good ads campaign from a bad one. Don’t start an ads campaign until you’re ready to commit.

Tips for managing marketing costs: choose your marketing channels carefully, and do your research to find out which one is likely to have the biggest impact. It’s better to cover fewer channels well than many channels poorly. After all, you can always scale once you’ve nailed one platform.

Variable costs to start a business in 2023

Some prices are incredibly variable depending on location and the needs of the business. These items are listed below.

Physical location

The beauty of starting a business in 2023 is that many businesses won’t need a physical location, but if you’re opening a brick-and-mortar store or plan to work in an office you’ll need to think about rent or mortgages.

Products or inventory

If you need to buy and hold stock you’ll need to outlay an initial investment upfront. The cost will vary on the units required. You can manage these costs by thinking carefully about what you’re likely to sell. Another consideration is what you can sell if you buy stock in bulk.

Tips for managing product and inventory costs: ask suppliers about their minimum order quantity (MOQ) and how costs vary on quantity. Also, consider drop shipping so you don’t have to outlay any costs at all.

Staff

Staff costs depend on seniority and location. You’ll need to consider the minimum wage of your state, but the federal minimum wage is $7.25.

Tips for managing staffing costs: businesses trading online can outsource work to talented new freelancers or over-pay freelancers in different parts of the world. You can also take on more work yourself or turn to software and AI to support your business.

Taxes

Beyond the initial registration, startups need to consider tax. The rules surrounding tax vary so you must check the rules within the country in which your business is registered.

Paying your taxes usually means putting a percentage of your income aside to cover the costs, monitoring and recording your expenses to account correctly for tax write-offs or hiring an accountant to manage taxes for you.

Tips for managing tax costs:  the more self-efficient you are, the less you need to pay an accountant. Many small businesses can manage the early tax returns alone, but a growing business will likely need an accountant eventually. Manage the costs by putting money aside regularly.

On-going expenses

As a small business you’re likely to have ongoing expenses. You may not start with them but over time you’ll likely invest in subscriptions or software. Or, you might have shipping to consider for e-commerce. Costs will vary based on your requirements.

Tips for managing ongoing expenses: on-going expenses can creep up on business owners so be mindful of monthly subscriptions and the well-intentioned software you purchased. If you’re not using it, you’re throwing away money.

Unexpected costs

No matter what, any business is likely to be hit with an unexpected cost, eventually. Prepare for the unexpected by holding a budget to get you out of an emergency situation. Unexpected costs could include your sickness, the need to hire a consultant to solve a problem fast or if you’re in a brick-and-mortar store something could go wrong within the building.

How to fund your startup or small business

Getting funding for your new business is likely on your mind. Here are some common ways to earn funding for your start up.

Personal investment

Funding your business on your own can be a safe option. It removes the stress of meeting investor expectations and it can feel really good to know you build your new business with your own means.

Personal investment may require you to save for a few years before you get started, but freedom from other stakeholders can be highly desirable in the early stages.

Borrowing money through contacts

You can opt to borrow money from your personal contacts, friends and family, for example. If you choose to go down this route it’s really important to treat it as you would as a formal investment: draw up contracts, separate personal and businesses conversations. Be very clear on what the contract is.

Loans

Securing loans from banks is an option for funding. Generally, banks provide calculators on their websites so you can gage what you might be able to borrow. Be aware that it isn’t easy to get accepted for a bank loan, 80 – 90% of startups fail so banks are naturally careful who they lend money to.

Create a budget for your first year

Let’s take a look at various cost summaries for businesses with varying needs.

Freelance business

Your freelance service-based business cost summary is one of the cheapest businesses to start, it might look a bit like this:

Service-based business

For those starting a service-based business and desire a more professional appeal can kick off a new business venture with a functioning site.

Here’s what the cost summary can look like:

Marketing costs for the first year

If you choose to work with a service provider like GoDaddy your digital marketing services can be covered for as low as $85.00/month.

Businesses you can start with a small budget

The digital world has opened a world of opportunity when it comes to starting a business for free or with a small budget.

Assuming you’ve got a PC, wi-fi and a desire to work or use social media to generate leads, you can start any of the following small business ideas, for free:

• Freelancing in digital services like writing, SEO, PPC, social media management or email marketing.
• Freelancing on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr.
• Affiliate marketing through social media platforms like TikTok. You will need to gain 1,000 followers before you can start this one.
• Consulting in a skill you already have (or can learn for free online).

Local services you can start with little to no start-up costs:

• Dog walking
• Babysitting
• Homesitting
• Handyman
• Tutoring

Some businesses require a small budget to start, for example:

• Selling digital downloads on Etsy. You’ll pay a small fee to upload products, but then nothing until you make your first sale where you pay a percentage to Etsy.
• Dropshipping
• Selling on eBay.
• Print (assuming you’re doing the printing)

Closing thoughts on starting a business in 2023

Today, there is a lot of technology out there that can boost the success of your business. While there might be expenses associated with it, don’t forget the financial rewards that come with a successful venture. Keep that momentum going and make 2023 the year you founded a business to be proud of.

*Pricing data valid on March 2023. All prices listed are subject to change.

In fact, there are several crucial steps you’ll need to take to ensure you’re not only setting your new venture up for success, but also reducing your risks of encountering numerous problems along the way. One of the most important things you’ll need to do is ensure you’re financially prepared to bring your new idea to life.

So, where do you begin on your path for financial success?

Get Your Personal Finances in Order

When most would be entrepreneurs start exploring opportunities to launch their own business, they spend time thinking about how they’re going to find sources of investment and startup capital. While it’s important to consider all your options in this regard, it’s also worth noting you need to get your personal finances in order too. The chances are you’ll be responsible for contributing most of the cash your business needs to get up and running yourself.

With that in mind, it’s worth looking for ways to free up some extra cash in your budget. If you have outstanding student loans, refinancing by utilizing NaviRefi can be a great way to reduce your monthly expenses with more favorable terms. It could also mean you’re able to improve your credit score, and pay off debts faster, which could make you more appealing to banks and companies offering loans.

Search for Financial Support Options

Once you’ve sorted out your personal finances, the next step is looking for sources of capital and support that will help you to get your business up and running.

There are numerous ways to approach financing your own business. You could consider bootstrapping most of the venture yourself, with your own savings, and support from friends and family members. You can look to opportunities to work with stakeholders or investors who might take a portion of the equity in your business in exchange for funding. You could also investigate partnering with another professional in your industry who can offer their own financial support and additional expertise. Other options can include everything from crowdfunding, to looking into business grants.

Use Technology to your Advantage

One of the best ways to make sure you’re adequately prepared to run a successful business from a financial perspective is to ensure you have access to the right tools and technologies.

Bookkeeping and accounting tools are extremely useful for tracking your incoming and outgoing costs for tax purposes. They can reduce your risk of falling victim to fines and other unexpected costs. Additionally, these tools may even be able to help you save money, as they’ll allow you to create financial reports and documents yourself, rather than relying on an expert you’ll need to pay by the hour, at top dollar prices. In some cases, the right tools can also provide you with the behind-the-scenes insights you need to make intelligent decisions on how to grow your business.

Stay Informed

Finally, when it comes to preparing yourself to run your own business, it’s important to ensure you know how to stay informed and up to date from a cashflow perspective. Focus on regularly assessing your incoming and outgoing expenses, so you can pinpoint opportunities for generating new revenue and reducing costs whenever possible. The more time you devote to monitoring and managing your cash flow, the more likely it is you’ll be able to avoid common mistakes which cause other businesses to end up closing their doors before they’ve had chance to make a real profit.

Remember, committing to good financial health is a long-term strategy. If you’re struggling, it’s always worth considering hiring an expert who can assist you with your accounting and projections.

Regardless of the industry you’re in, what you sell, or how long you’ve had your organization up and running, there are some mistakes you need to do your best to avoid.

Waiting Too Long to Get a Loan or Investment

You don’t want to make the error of waiting too long to try and obtain a loan or some outside investment. Whether you want to use funds to buy some expensive equipment, cover inventory shortfalls during an expansion period, move into a new market, or acquire another venture, among other things, leaving applications until the last minute is not advised.

You might miss opportunities if you wait too long to compile paperwork for loan applications or investor pitches and to fill out forms and other documents. Alternatively, you might have to say yes to an investor who isn’t the best fit for you and your business or accept a loan from a company offering less-than-ideal interest rate terms or other conditions.

If you want to find an investor or utilize small business loans over the coming year, start researching your options now. Learn as much as you can about different investors or lenders and what they’re looking for, and you’ll be better positioned for when the time comes that you need some additional funds.

Failing to Save Enough Money for Leaner Times

Another financial mistake to steer clear of is not saving enough money for tough times in your business. While we all hope that growth is steady and continual and that issues don’t crop up along the way, as the global pandemic showed us, we never quite know how the world or markets could change and how our businesses can be affected in turn.

We must keep some savings aside to cover leaner times when cash flow can be an issue and we need to dip into such funds to cover expenses. There isn’t a set figure you need to keep for rainy days, but many financial planners and accountants, etc., recommend business owners or managers have three months of trading expenses or more sitting in a savings account to be available for contingencies.

Not Keeping a Close Eye on Cash Flow and Other Financial Matters

Many of us get so busy attending to the everyday operations of our businesses and handling problems that arise that we don’t spend enough time or energy closely examining the finances of our ventures. Sadly, this can lead to many issues, yet is a common financial mistake.

It’s vital to track and manage finances closely so you know your firm’s profit levels and how cash flows. You need to know how to read and understand essential reports and business numbers. For example, all entrepreneurs should be able to check the health of their business quickly by examining balance sheets, profit and loss statements, tax returns, income statements, asset and liability lists, and so on.

It helps to utilize handy tech tools to make this work easier. Online accounting programs and other apps can help you see, at a glance, how your organization is performing financially and help you spot and attend to issues that may be small now (such as decreasing profits or rising costs) but that could turn into more significant problems over time.

Underpricing

An error that doesn’t get talked about enough is underpricing. Although we often focus on not spending more money on things than we should in our businesses, we also need to ensure that we bring in as much money as possible. One way to do this is by raising prices.

Often, you’ll find that you’ve been setting your fees too low and thus aren’t earning nearly as much as you could be. If you haven’t raised your prices for services in years or arbitrarily set product prices without understanding your actual costs and how much the market can and will pay, you’re doing yourself and your venture a disservice.

These are just some of the top financial mistakes you must avoid in your small business. Others to try to stay away from are not submitting paperwork on time (e.g., to meet tax or human resources obligations), targeting too small a customer niche, and hiring incorrectly and leading employees poorly.

The more financial problems you can avoid this year and beyond, the more likely it is that you’ll have a thriving business and fewer headaches to contend with as a leader.

The facts are clear: Startups are finding funding increasingly difficult to secure, and even unicorns appear cornered, with many lacking both capital and a clear exit.

But equity rounds aren’t the only way for a company to raise money — alternative and other non-dilutive financing options are often overlooked. Taking on debt might be the right solution when you’re focused on growth and can see clear ROI from the capital you deploy.

Not all capital providers are equal, so seeking financing isn’t just about securing capital. It’s a matter of finding the right source of funding that matches both your business and your roadmap.

Here are four things you should consider:

Does this match my needs?

It’s easy to take for granted, but securing financing begins with a business plan. Don’t seek funding until you have a clear plan for how you’ll use it. For example, do you need capital to fund growth or for your day-to-day operations? The answer should influence not only the amount of capital you seek, but the type of funding partner you look for as well.

Start with a concrete plan and make sure it aligns with the structure of your financing:

• Match repayment terms to your expected use of the debt.
• Balance working capital needs with growth capital needs.

Your term of repayment must be long enough so you can deploy the capital and see the returns. If it’s not, you may end up making loan payments with the principal.

Say, for example, you secure funding to enter a new market. You plan to expand your sales team to support the move and develop the cash flow necessary to pay back the loan. The problem here is, the new hire will take months to ramp up.

If there’s not enough delta between when you start ramping up and when you begin repayments, you’ll be paying back the loan before your new salesperson can bring in revenue to allow you to see ROI on the amount you borrowed.

Another issue to keep in mind: If you’re financing operations instead of growth, working capital requirements may reduce the amount you can deploy.

Let’s say you finance your ad spending and plan to deploy $200,000 over the next four months. But payments on the MCA loan you secured to fund that spending will eat into your revenue, and the loan will be further limited by a minimum cash covenant of $100,000. The result? You secured $200,000 in financing but can only deploy half of it.

With $100,000 of your financing kept in a cash account, only half the loan will be used to drive operations, which means you’re not likely to meet your growth target. What’s worse, as you’re only able to deploy half of the loan, your cost of capital is effectively double what you’d planned for.

Is this the right amount for me at this time?

The second consideration is balancing how much capital you need to act on your near-term goals against what you can reasonably expect to secure. If the funding amount you can get is not enough to move the needle, it might not be worth the effort required.

What is overdraft protection?

How does overdraft protection work?

4 ways to avoid overdraft fees

Government startup business grants and resources

Local startup business grants

Startup business grants from companies and nonprofits

Alternative funding sources for startups

SBA microloans

Friends and family

Business credit cards

Crowdfunding

Making sense of the bigger picture

Reasons to refinance a car loan more than once

Why refinancing a car over and over can be a bad idea

Finding a lender to refinance again