March 7, 2008, 9:52 am
Finding startup money
Mary asked FSB where she could find a startup loan. Do you have any advice for Mary?
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Mary,
First and foremost, taking the initiative in today's market to start up a business is taking a large leap of faith – Congratulations! I am sure that with a well written business plan – you will do well! With today's economic environment, you will want to make sure that you have enough capital and revenue to sustain the first couple of years. After two years, banks will then look at the history of your business to lend to your company with good personal credit. Most banks don't tend to lend to true start ups, unless you have enough collateral personally to cover your business loan. So with good personal credit, you will find there are business credit cards and smaller loans that you could obtain which will give you access to the financing you need and will not appear under your personal credit. This is key within your first two years is to keep your personal credit separated as much as possible from your business, which tends to pull your credit score down. Most companies who finish their second year find that they still can't obtain the type of financing they would like to have because of credit or profit issues. So, in short, find sources of funding that carry the lowest rates and don't show under your personal credit and I am sure your business will grow faster than you expect!