Business Funding For Dummies

The issue of funding is one of the biggest pain points for small- and medium-sized businesses?and one that comes up on a daily basis. Whether you're unsure about how to go about getting a loan, unfamiliar with the different options available to you or confused as to which would be the right solution for your particular business, Business Funding For Dummies provides plain-English, down-to-earth guidance on everything you need to successfully fund your business venture.

Friendly, authoritative, and with a dash of humor thrown in for fun, this hands-on guide takes the fear out of funding and walks you step-by-step through the process of ensuring your business is financially viable. From crowd funding and angels to grants and friends, families, and fools, it covers every form of funding available?and helps you hone in on and secure the ones that are right for your unique needs.

• Includes mini case studies, quotes, and plenty of examples
• Offers excerpts from interviews with financiers and entrepreneurs
• Topics covered include all forms of funding
• Covers angels in the UK and abroad

If you're the owner or director of a small-to-medium-sized business looking to start an SME, but have been barking up the wrong tree, Business Funding For Dummies is the fast and easy way to get the funds you need.

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started on Funding Your Business 7

Chapter 1: Preparing for Funding at Any Stage of Growth 9

Chapter 2: Recognising the Stages of Business Funding 25

Chapter 3: Preparing the Groundwork for Raising Funds 49

Chapter 4: Becoming Investment Ready 105

Chapter 5: Loving the Paperwork: Preparing Your Business Plan 107

Chapter 6: Creating a Winning Pitch 125

Chapter 7: Making a Successful Pitch 143

Chapter 8: Getting Help 161

Part III: Exploring Your Funding Options 175

Chapter 9: Finding Free Money 177

Chapter 10: Securing Early-Stage Funding 193

Chapter 11: Securing Accelerator Finance 211

Chapter 12: Considering Debt and Other Bank Funding 225

Chapter 13: Understanding Equity Funding 249

Chapter 14: Considering Alternative Finance 273

Part IV: Going for Growth 299

Chapter 15: Measuring Performance 301

Chapter 16: Getting a Mentor 325

Chapter 17: Exploring Strategies for Growth 339

Part V: The Part of Tens 363

Chapter 18: Ten (Plus One) Pitfalls to Avoid 365

Chapter 19: Ten Things Funders Don’t Tell You 375

Chapter 20: Ten (Plus One) Terms You Need to Know before Raising Start-Up Capital 383

Index 391

Secondary Audience:  Business managers / finance directors at SMEs; students who are planning to study business or finance, world–wide.

Helene Panzarino is an entrepreneur, educator, mentor and advisor with nearly twenty years of experience helping  thousands of SMEs understand, prepare for, and access traditional and alternative funding options at all stages in their business growth.  A frequent round table participant, media guest, and event speaker, Helene combines hands-on experience with theoretical know-how, and a passion to share this with the wider community.