You just finished college and there is no way to find a job? Have you been changing from job to job and have you discovered that there is not the stability you expected? What options are there to start working on our own future when we do not have large sources to finance our project?
Starting a business is not a matter of one day. Much less when we are not even able to find a way to pay for all that it entails.
Funding is usually the first barrier that every entrepreneur faces and it is what makes many good ideas never develop.
Although it is true that any business needs an initial investment, the reality is that there are different ways that will help you find it. But don't be fooled, if you're going to launch a business and hope it will prosper, don't expect it to if your idea is to do everything with a 0 budget.
Why do all businesses need money?
Many people want to embark on the adventure of entrepreneurship: they have an idea and really want to carry it out, but they think that to make it a reality they will not need to spend a single euro. In no time they realize that this is almost never possible.
Given that each company will have different needs, the truth is that, inevitably, you will have to make an approximate budget about the amount and type of resources you have.
To get started, you should keep the following in mind:
- Licenses and permits. Depending on where you live, you may need to know the necessary bureaucracy before registering your company and operating.
- Supplies Electricity, water, telephone, etc. You must quantify each of the supplies that your organization will use to survive.
- Equipment. If your business idea is innovative or specialized, then surely you need to have some specific machinery or software for your work.
- Work space. This is usually unavoidable and almost always ends up being the most expensive. In addition to the space, you will need to include in your expenses both the Internet connection and the office supplies. Not forgetting maintenance services, which include cleaning and possible repairs.
- Associations, subscriptions and memberships. Many companies require recurring services whose payment is made monthly. For example, the email automation service or the hiring of a CRM.
- Operating expenses. In addition to all the above, there are some expenses that are generated by the simple activity of your company. In the beginning they may not be essential, but later you should consider the idea of outsourcing some.
- Taxes. Most of the time you will need to contact a lawyer or a manager to advise you on this matter.
- Employees. Indispensable if you can't do it all by yourself. Then you will need to pay someone to motivate them to do it for you.
Step by step: launching your first business
Having seen the above, there are only two possible paths left:
- Option A: Reduce your launch costs.
- Option B: Increase your available capital through external sources.
Reduce your needs
Plan A is to reduce the list of needs above to a minimum.
Doing so is very simple. Just think about your business model and try to simplify it as much as you can at the beginning.
It is not about minimizing your expectations, but about adapting them to a more realistic spectrum of possibilities that allows you to start and end up becoming what you dream of.
Incubate
This is known as launching a "niche business" and is a very popular strategy among those who want to start making money with the internet, with which in the first phase you start with one or two basic services and, little by little, you will extend your field to more specific areas.
Although this method requires a greater work effort, the positive part is that you will not need a large investment to get off the ground.
Outsource
The third alternative focuses on finding external financing to help you make your project come true.
Currently you can find a wide range of sources that can offer you the capital you need. Some of the most used sources of financing are these:
Friends and family
It is usually the most used when your friends or family trust you and have the capital. You can get a good pinch with the help of a few.
Angel investors
There are some investors who are just looking to help bring the business ideas of others to life. In general, they tend to demand a fraction of the ownership of your company, something that only you can assess if it is worth it.
Venture capitalists
They are similar to angel investorsBut venture capitalists are characterized as organizations or partners who tend to prefer businesses that have already been validated and entered a market.
Crowdfunding
Lately it has become very famous for the ease with which the most creative minds have to share an idea and attract funds to turn it into reality.
Government grants
Many times we can find government subsidies whose conditions seem reasonable to us when it comes to making the creation of a new company profitable.
Bank loans
Banks are always willing to negotiate with you some conditions to offer you a line of credit.
Having simplified the ways to start a new company to 3, it may be easier for you to discover how you can reduce your financial investment to almost zero and still be able to create your own business.
You may have to make other sacrifices, like starting with a more modest project or taking some risks, but if you believe in your business idea, nothing should stop you from making it come true.
Capital is usually the main obstacle a person faces when they want to start a business for the first time, however, now you know that there are some ways to start building the future that you are looking for so much.
It is just about applying a creative perspective that allows you to scale and that in a short time allows you to hire services to take your empire to the next level.
