How to Find Investors for Starting a Business

Jul 16
07:40

2010

Kristie Lorette

Kristie Lorette

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Finding an investor for your business provides you with the seed money you need to start the business. In return for investing in your business, most ...

mediaimage
Finding an investor for your business provides you with the seed money you need to start the business. In return for investing in your business,How to Find Investors for Starting a Business Articles most investors receive a percentage of the sales or company stock. Finding an investor for your business may be harder than it sounds, but there are some ways to go about locating and convincing investors to invest in your business.Write a business plan. Before looking for investors write a business plan. A business plan is a written guide of your business including the purpose, the startup costs, expenses, sales forecasts and other information to gain the interest of investors.Make a list of possible investors. Add people you know to the list who have money to invest and may be willing to take a risk with your business startup. Friends, family members and business owners of related businesses are the best places to start. For example, if your business involves a computer software product, then other software companies may be interested in investing in your company.Locate business investors on investor websites. Dozens of investor websites exist, where business startups can search for investors (see resources), which may be called angel networks. If you do not have someone you know personally that can invest in your business startup idea, you can typically find possible investors through these networks. Develop an investor presentation. Compile a speech or pitch to present the business idea for convincing investors to invest in your startup. Include information in your presentation that includes what the product or service offering for the business is, the costs involved in starting the business, what kind of demand there is in the market for the item and how much the company stands to make in one year, three years and so on.Contact the possible investors. Schedule a time to meet with and make your presentation to each investor on your list.Present your business idea to investors. At the meeting with the investor, pitch your business by giving your presentation and providing a copy of your business plan to the investor. Answer any questions the investor has about the startup and tell the investor what is in for them such as shares of the company stock or a percentage of the sales.Sign an investor agreement. Once you find an investor, put your agreement in writing. You can find general agreement templates online or work with a business attorney to help you draw up a legally binding contract for both you as the business owner and the investor to sign. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

About the Author

Kristie Lorette is a freelance writer and marketing consultant that specializes in personal finance. She is also the editor of The Mortgage & Credit Diva, a blog devoted to mortgage and personal finance tips, tricks, and advice for consumers. You can read Kristie’s blog at www.mortgageandcreditdiva.blogspot.com or learn more about her writing and marketing services at www.studiokwriting.com.