Sources of Business Finance

Not sure what types of business financing your company needs?

Well, first it’s important to familiarize yourself with all the different sources that are available to small business owners so you can decide which direction works best.

For starters, here are my top twenty sources of business finance:

1. Angel Investors – Angel investors have been responsible for funding over 30,000 small businesses each and every year. With over 250,000 active angels in the country you may want to consider an angel investor network to simplify your search.
2. Asset Based Financing – If you’re company has collateral such as accounts receivable, inventory, equipment or real estate these assets can be used to secure the financing you need but keep in mind you still own your assets, but if you default, the lender can seize them.
3. Bank Loans – Large banks tend to be much more conservative in lending so you may want to consider a community bank or credit union for a small business loan.
4. Business Credit Cards – A fast and easy way to access cash for business expenses but be careful carrying a balance because the interest can be costly. Also make sure your payment experience reports to your business credit files.
5. Business Charge Cards – This is a cash source that has all the convenience of a business credit card without the costly interest.
6. Crowd Funding – Crowd funding is a creative way to raise capital without having to rely on investors or banks.
7. Equipment Leasing – Leasing equipment is a source of financing that allows you to purchase or borrow new equipment with 100% financing.
8. Factoring – With factoring, you sell your company’s accounts receivables to a company (known as a factor) at a discount, in order to free up your cash. The company that purchases the receivables then assumes the responsibility for collecting them.
9. Grants – To see if your company qualifies check out the Grants.gov web site.
10. Letters of Credit – Using a letter of credit can be a great tool for processing smooth payment transactions overseas when dealing with foreign customers.
11. Line of Credit – A line of credit works like a revolving credit card but with much lower interest rates and higher available credit limits.
12. Merchant Cash Advance – A merchant cash advance allows you to borrow off of your future credit card sales.  You get a lump sum amount in exchange for an agreement which outlines the percentage that will be taken from every future credit card transaction until the amount you borrowed is paid back.
13. Merchant Line of Credit – An excellent source of cash (merchant card) that is strictly based on your company’s monthly sales volume.
14. Microfinance Loans – Microcredit loans are less difficult and time intensive to qualify for with loan amounts ranging from $500 to as high as $35k.
15. Purchase Order Financing – This finance option provides your business capital to pay suppliers upfront so your company doesn’t have to deplete its cash reserves.
16. P2P Loans – P2P Loans removes traditional lenders from the finance equation and instead allows lending to take place directly between individuals.
17. SBA backed Loans – SBA backed loans are much more flexible than traditional bank loans lenders but still require supporting documentation.
18. Social Loans – Social lending provides individuals an opportunity to borrow and lend money to each other. Companies like Lending Club and Prosper have spearheaded this funding source.
19. Vendor Lines of Credit – Vendor credit  also known as trade credit is when a business extends credit to your company in order to allow you to buy its products upfront but defer the payment for a later date.
20. Venture Capital – Venture capital is neither easy nor fast to be able to tap into but can be a viable source of funding.

What other different sources of financing would you like to add?

Looking for funding sources for your business? Become a member of my Business Credit Insiders Circle and gain access to a proven step-by-step business credit building system. A system that provides you access to vendor lines of credit, fleet cards, business credit cards with and without a PG, merchant lines of credit, business cash advance, funding sources and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free audio seminar ($597 value) =>

About the author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit expert, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a business credit blogger for AllBusiness.com, a subsidiary of Dun and Bradstreet and author of “Eight Steps to Ultimate Business Credit”. His articles and blogs have also been featured in American Express Small Business, Business Week, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Tribune, Scotsman Guide, Alltop, Entrepreneur Connect, and Active Rain.