Business Plans For Dummies. Paul Tiffany

In short, your investors assume the happy talk … but they want an ironclad business plan.

      Perfecting your pitch

      

What do successful entrepreneurs have in common with hotshot Hollywood show runners and baseball Cy Young award winners? They know how to throw a good pitch. And knowing how to pitch your idea is absolutely critical in all of these fast-moving worlds. Like movie producers, venture capitalists have crowded schedules and short attention spans. You have to wow them quickly and keep them listening. For more help, turn to Chapter 4.

      Bankers, backers, and bootstrappers

      Before you jump on the venture-capital bandwagon, here’s something else to remember: VCs are definitely not philanthropists. They take a big chunk of your company in return for the cold cash they provide. And they often demand a role in directing or even running your business, taking seats on your board of directors, or even naming the CEO. You’d probably do the same if it was your money.

      On the other hand, you can fund your start-up the old-fashioned way — from pay-as-you go bootstrapping, family and friends, or via a formal business loan. There are even crowdfunding sites that can provide you a platform to source online equity financing. One key advantage of this route is that you get to keep all the voting equity (legal ownership) in the company. And you get to run your business any way you please — you’re the top dog and no questions asked.

Stop for a moment here to consider just what kind of new business you’re contemplating. If it’s a software-based venture — such as an online dating service, a YouTube.com video sharing site, or an educational tutoring site — you might not need much to get started other than a computer connection, your own ability to code, and the time to do so. If this is the case, perhaps clearing out some space in your room and draining your pitiful little so-called savings account is all that’s needed, since “sweat equity” is your major contribution as you bootstrap your way to riches. But on the other hand, if your new venture requires raw materials, dedicated manufacturing space, machinery, and trained personnel, it’s going to cost you up front before a penny of revenue comes in. Is that little piggy bank account up for this level of drainage? If you do have large start-up costs, another option is to take the route that many businesses follow and pay your way forward with either donations from close relatives or a more formalized business loan.

      HELP FROM YOUR UNCLE SAM

      The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has a mandate from Congress to help small businesses with their financial needs. So if you’re a small company, the SBA may be an important source of funding. The SBA does its good deeds through several specific programs:

       The 7(a) program: Providing financing for a variety of general purposes, this is the most flexible and popular loan program the government offers to small businesses. You can use the money to acquire a business, to start a business, or to meet special financing needs such as a specific contractual obligation or mandatory export financing requirements.

       The CDC/504 program: Also known as the Certified Development Company, this program has been established to help finance the purchase of big-ticket asset items by small businesses, such as equipment or real estate, by using fixed interest loans in combination with additional outside financing and equity.

       The MicroLoan Program: This is where you go to get very small loans, with the average running about $13,000. The SBA provides funds to an outside micro lender, who makes the actual loan to a small business.

       Disaster Loan Programs: The SBA offers a number of programs to assist business firms to recover from disasters, such as floods, viral pandemics, and the like. These are usually transitory in nature and are established for a specific incident, with given time deadlines for both application and payback.

       The Small Business Investment Company (SBIC): The SBIC program supports the creation of independent investment companies that provide both equity capital to invest in small businesses and long-term loan financing when required.

      Finally, the agency also has a program to guarantee payment of surety bonds issued to small business firms from surety firm lenders. To find out more about any of the Small Business Administration programs, check out the agency’s website at www.sba.gov/funding-programs.

      Family and friends

      Hitting up the family or friends can be one way to start that many have used. One recent survey found that nearly 40 percent of small business owners turned to family for funding needs. Fred Smith, for example, the founder of the enormously successful FedEx overnight delivery service, started the firm in 1971 with the help of a whopping $4 million from his family. Obviously, however, this isn’t something that everyone can do — in a world of growing income and wealth disparity, a lot of worthy would-be-entrepreneurs are getting left out, and that’s neither fair nor good for the economy. But if you think there is some spare cash sloshing around out there in your network, give it a try. If your idea for wealth creation is as good as you believe, then why not circulate it among loved ones first? (But on the other hand, don’t forget that money obligations are something that can separate friends faster than a sneeze in a packed elevator.)

      Credit cards and crowdfunding

      Another tactic that some start-up founders pursue is to max out their credit cards. The co-founder of SellMax, a nationwide used-car buying service started in San Diego, California, used his business card to pay for critical media advertising as no other funds were available; this was a lifesaver, and the firm is thriving today some 25 years after launch. Additionally, the fraud protection benefit offered by many credit card suppliers gives a safeguard to business newbies who might otherwise fall prey to the many scammers out there offering (false) help. And don’t forget those points that accumulate when you use a credit card for purchases; they can be converted into payment for travel expenses such as airfare, hotel stays, and meals needed to get the business up and running when cash is short.

      

But keep in mind that credit card financing terms are typically some of the most onerous on the planet, short of funds from organized criminal syndicates — and even some of the latter look good by comparison! If you need to leverage your wallet plastic in order to fund your start-up, it should be a desperate last resort when you are absolutely and unequivocally convinced of the soundness of your plan; you have exhausted all other means of funding; and you — and your dependents — can take the financial hit if your great new business idea dies in the cradle. So be forewarned, and not excessively foolish.

How you get funded today through more formal means has become interesting, to say the least. Like so many other sectors of the economy, deregulation and modern technology have transformed the banking business into a kind of Wild West with the emergence of cryptocurrencies and their disruptive variants (many originating from new venture firms that could benefit from reading this book). In the past your friendly local banker was the go-to source — and you had to go through many ritual genuflections to come away happy. But, for good or bad, not today: Available funds can be no more than a computer click away and available in a flash through a so-called “De-Fi” lender (decentralized finance). If you have even minimal assets — and sometimes even if your only advantage is that you’re breathing — there’s likely some place out there that will consider or grant funds if your idea is solid and your business plan coherent.

      

These new kids on the block are increasingly online in nature, from subsidiaries of established lenders such as big banks to go-fund-me and crowdsourcing