Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

me and my friend are just getting started with our business we want to open a cleaning service that targets only businesses in town. we decided on the cleaning business because we figured we would have low start-up cost.

we want to bring in investors but we don't know where to get the funding. Where should we go for some start-up capital. I have already got some from family and friends.

I read this book recently: The Web Startup Success Guide, and it has tons of advice on getting funding from angel investors and VCs.  An angel investor is probably your likely candidate.

Good luck, friend.

I have a great suggestion. It worked VERY well for me. Corporate Funding Direct is relatively cheap and will pay for itself almost instantly. I was looking for funding for my freelance business which I started for the same reason. Tony, the CEO was very helpful and assigned me my own personal credit advisor. They also offer an affiliate program that you might want to look into because it requires no start up fee or upfront investment. Seriously, this program worked for me and I want to herald it from the mountian tops.. I had NO credit, NO money, and NO collateral and in two weeks I had an 80 paydex score.. Please check into it.. it could be a life saver

Hi Wilson,

I just today found this StartUpNation board, but I'd like to offer some assistance. 

You can bootstrap your business without giving away equity to investors or getting into a bank loan that doesn't let you make payroll with your line of credit. 

You can factor your Accounts Receivable ("A/R").  Companies factor when they sell their A/R for a slight discount, based on the good credit of your clients, the Client Debtor.  A factoring company would give you ~80% cash up front, collect your invoice for you when it's due, then wire you the remainder less the factoring fee. 

Be wary, though, of factoring companies who (1) charge large application fees; (2) penalize you for not selling the invoice to them on Day 1; (3) charge you fees if you need to change what invoices you're factoring; (4) charge you to get out of the contract.  Finally, a good factoring company should not try to prevent you from breaking your relationship with them if you find better funding elsewhere.   

I'm a broker (sales agent) for American Prudential Capital, an alternative funding (factoring) company that understands we're just one funding option for a season in the life of your business, here when you need us.  There's never an application fee; you can factor as much or as little of any invoice as you like; the only fee is the factoring fee itself; and we're here when you need us, and happy to refer you to more traditional funding options when you're ready & able to take advantage of them.  (We have lots of community bank partners; we "greenhouse" their customers for them.) 

You are (and so is anyone reading this who needs our help) welcome to contact me at any time at any of the methods below.  I'll also review your profile here and try to contact you through other methods. 

Best regards,

Martin Murff | American Prudential Capital | martin@americanprudentialcapital.com (or martin@apccash.com) | (281) 668-7334 Google Voice account | twitter.com/fundingb2b

WilsonUsman,

I created this resource for a different post on how to pitch your startup to an investor. I think understanding your investors in your case will really help you understand what they want, and then how you should present your data so you highlight exactly what they're looking for.  The most important link for you, IMO, comes from Paul Graham:

http://www.paulgraham.com/guidetoinvestors.html

For the rest of the material related to pitching to an investor, I created, and reference this collection of resources a lot:

http://thebusride.com/ride/pitch-to-an-investor-like-a-pro

Good luck!

Funding is an essential element in structuring a business. Mine is a start-up firm started less than year ago came across the same problem. I tried everywhere for the initial investment but I failed in all my attempts. At last, my true friend suggested me this firm http://www.bmfunding.com/. Blue Mountain funding is a boon for the small and mid-cap businesses like us.

They have the lenders spread over the world offering unique funding solutions to the market segments. I'm quite proud to say, I've seen incredible developments in my business within a year and of course the credit goes to myself but the base was laid by bmfunding.

First, is your credit history spotless? If yes, you may want to consider an unsecured loan. Yes, collateral free. Whether it is 10K to help improve some things, or 500K to do some major renovation, it may be the right way to go for you. Again, having good credit is important - because the better your credit, the better your interest rate.

www.unsecuredcreditsource.com

I came across this web site that you may want to check out - www.businessmoneytoday.com - I have found some good info at this site.

Good Luck!

Wilson,

Be careful when posting for funding sources, every cockroach comes out of the woodwork. USE COMMON Sense when evaluating these places, especially the ones that promise funding and ask you for thousands before closing.