Bon Business 101: 5 Ways to Finance Your Startup

Ok, I admit. I lied to you guys. I said I was back in the swing and then I fell off the face of the earth for a month.

Literally, no social media or blog posts. But I have to admit it felt kind of good.

I took a break to really enjoy the last few parts of wedding planning before things get busy with the holidays and slow down since I seem to be running a million miles a minute lately.

I binged watch “This is Us” (and am not ashamed one bit), knocked off the last few vendor bookings for the wedding and wrapped up something very exciting that’s launching next week on Bon Aprontit…trying not to spill the beans early, so moving on.

Can you believe next week marks 1 year since I launched Bon Aprontit? I mean really, where has the time gone? It took me 2 years to launch the business which felt like an eternity and now we’re almost 1 year in and it feels like yesterday we just launched.

Looking back on the year, there has been many “jump for joy” and “pinch me” moments but also many “someone please tell me what to do” and trial and error moments. With that being said, one of the biggest challenges I faced (and a question I get asked most often) about Bon Aprontit is how I financially got it off the ground.

You know what they say “you have to spend money to make money” and boy is that true but there are many ways to do this without putting your dreams on hold so I thought I would share a few I have experimented with and a few that I’ve heard about.

5 Ways to Finance Your Startup

Your Personal Savings

Trust me I know it sounds scary but if done correctly I personally think this is your best option when getting started as you’re not 100% sure yet how your response will be, how much money it will take you to get going and what kind of profit you’ll see in the first year. With that being said, you don’t have to have a huge savings account set aside, I personally used my tax return of just $2,000 and went with it. I stretched every dollar to the last penny and along the way put more in as needed but having that initial lump sum was enough to get be going.

Investors

There are a lot of different types of investors. I do believe this is a great option and a great way to test your business skills. Pitching investors is something I am still learning daily but if you find someone who shares your passion and believes in you, then go for it. You have nothing to loose and their money may just help you reach your dreams. With that being said, I do advise to do your research very well before hand because you want to be able to answer all their questions and talk about where you see the company going and how they will benefit if they invest.

Crowdfunding

I have not done this personally but I know quite a few small business who have. This is a great way to test your target market, get in front of people and generate funds to get your business going. I have heard really good things about Kickstarter but one thing to note is they do take portion of our profits so you won’t see 100% the return.

Loans

Another scary one, right? This was something I actually looked into as I know a lot of friends who started off small business loans and if you feel confident in your product and know you can make enough to pay back the interest then this is a great option but first call your bank to talk through everything and make sure you only take out the amount you actually need to start. You will make money along the way that will go back into the business so don’t take out more than needed initially.

Local Community Groups

Last but not least, although it may seem like it, you are not the only one who needs money to get your business from an idea in your head to an actually product/service. Look into local community groups and companies that fund small startups. Also, look into specifics for example, there are a lot of female entrepreneur support groups in Chicago that help females get their business off the ground. There are also some great fashion groups that help clothing companies so be sure to do some google searching based off your business and your background as you may find a group that funds exactly what you are looking for.