FINANCING FOR GROWTH:

The key is to look for money in all the right places. You might have a genre-busting idea and the know-how to run it, but that doesn’t mean you know where to turn for funding. See the articles below to learn more about financing for growth:

• OPEN Insight Guide: Pitching Your Business
  
• How well do you describe what your company does? There are few sales tools more valuable than a concise, interesting “pitch” that gets listeners as thrilled about your company as you are. Creating a great pitch is not as easy as it sounds. And even if you have one that you think works, it may be in need of fine tuning.
  
  
• Excerpt from the OPEN Book on Funding
  
• Even the best business ideas need startup funds to get them off the ground. This is the essential guide to reeling them in.
• Case Study: Funding Your Business
  
• After spending their adult lives working for other people, Tara and Laura Peterson often talked about starting their own business and decided to open a small gym. They were sure their business expertise would enable them to deliver a better gym experience. Their business name came easily. Funding their startup was proving to be a lot more complex…
  
  
• Article: Outgrowing Your Bank
  
• Before you look for a new lender to meet your company’s financing needs, you need to know what questions to ask to avoid having to look for yet another lending institution. Evaluate what products and services your business uses actively and invest the time to explore your options, ask questions and find the right lender.
  
  
• Article: 7 Great Ways to Finance a Startup
  
• No matter how groundbreaking your idea for a new business, you won’t get past the starting gate without funding. While there are many ways to find money, most are generally more appropriate for established companies. In this article, you will find smart tactics for startups.
  
  
• Article: Raising Money Using Convertible Debt
  
• There’s debt financing, there’s equity financing, and then there’s convertible debt. Find out why this third option can work well for startups.