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Blog posts tagged business angels
Start-up funding advice
June 23, 2010
Starting your first business can be a daunting task and raising finance can often seem impossible. So what are your main options?
1 Savings and self-finance
Start putting money aside soon as you can. If your long-term aim is to start a business, cut down on your spending and save as much as you can from your current wages. I moved in with my parents, paid a much lower rent and saved hard to ensure I had as much money as possible before starting my first business.
Cash in any ISA’s or savings accounts. If your business is successful, you may get a much greater return on your money than you currently get, with interest rates as low as they are.
2 Loans
If you have no capital, it is difficult to get finance, especially post credit crunch and with no trading history. Banks require a detailed business plan, preferably with three years projected forecasting and profit/loss models.
However, as interest rates are currently low, a business loan can be a reasonably cheap to borrow. The new Enterprise Finance Guarantee (which has replaced the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme) is useful for start-ups with no capital. Under the scheme, the Government guarantees 75 per cent of the loan should the business be unsuccessful. The EFG is available for businesses with a turnover of less than £25m and offers loans up to £1m. If you borrow under this scheme, you will have to pay a set-up fee, plus a quarterly fee for the borrowing.
Shop around for the best deal on any bank loans – interest rates can vary dramatically. With my original business loan, I naively accepted the first one I was offered (at an extortionate rate) as I was convinced I would not be offered another. Six months later I approached a second bank and moved it, saving me 5 per cent interest.
3 Investors – family and friends
It can be worth approaching family and friends to see if they will invest in your new venture. Discuss various levels of involvement; some may expect a share of your profits, while not wanting involvement in the running of the business (a silent partner). Others may be happy to lend long term, receiving only interest payments, as does one of my investors.
Whatever the situation, always make sure both parties take independent legal advice and draw up an agreement outlining the terms. This prevents any potential problems if the future relationship breaks down.
4 Investors – business angels or venture capitalists?
Look for financial involvement from established business people, either in the form of a business angel (ie a local businessperson who lends money to businesses) or a private equity provider (ie usually more suitable for larger businesses with higher turnovers). Both can provide a wealth of information and assistance, especially if they have relevant contacts. In return, they will expect a share of profits and possibly a share of the equity.
Be cautious about giving away too much control over your business. You must also find an investor that is right for you and the business – having a good working relationship is a must. If you feel this is unachievable, don’t take the risk.
5 Grants
Whilst notoriously difficult to gain Government or EU funded grants, it’s worth making enquiries in your local area to see if you are eligible for help. The EU has a wealth of grants available, especially in rural areas, but they are badly advertised and difficult to access.
The Princes Trust is useful to young people starting up a small business, but the loans offered are fairly small and the criteria strict – although they are helpful for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
If you are restoring an older property as part of your business, see if you are eligible for support from the local council, English Heritage or local conservation trusts.
6 Reducing Costs
It pays to keep your start-up costs as low as possible, of course. You could get equipment on hire purchase or loan or use a ‘rent a desk’ scheme, for example.
Utilise your friends and acquaintances – perhaps you know designers, IT professionals or PR experts? Set up a social networking account (eg Twitter) and find others in your area who are setting up businesses – perhaps you can exchange skills. I’ve done this many times – exchanging free coffee for help with my website.
7 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Share the risk when starting up. Spread the borrowing and the repayment terms. This will make everyone – including you – feel less vulnerable.
Sadie Hopkins is founder of York Coffee Emporium
Sources of start-up funding
January 08, 2010
Back in the mid-1990s, my company, Actinic, was set up using my own money and some I borrowed from family and friends. My business partner and I then raised £165k from an angel investor, and later a further £1.5m from venture capitalists, 3i.
At the height of the dot-com boom in 2000, we went public on the London Stock Exchange, raising £25m. A couple of years later, the company de-listed and became a limited entity again.
When you are seeking funds, you won't feel it, but there is plenty of money around. You just need the right formula to tap into. So it's important to understand the keys to attracting investment – particularly from business angels and venture capitalists.
The challenge is that investors – just like those on Dragon's Den – receive numerous approaches, but make few investments. How can you make yourself stand out, and get the cash you need to grow?
I’m assuming that you have a workable business, and a well-written plan that covers finance and marketing without boring too much with detail. However, even when you have these, you still have a long way to go.
There are three keys:
- You must excite investors with the chance to make a lot of money.
- You must convince them that the risk is low.
- You must explain how they will get their profits out. This is what they care about. Get it right and the cash will follow.
Incidentally, the way to generate excitement is to provide hard data on the size of market you can address and what margin you can obtain. This must be evidence backed. Simply saying: “we estimate the market at £100m and will take 70% share” without any facts to back it up is a real turn off. But don’t go into too much detail.
Once there is an initial attraction, the key questions will be about the credibility and commitment of the management team and business generally.
The best answer to is to have a great track record. If you don't, get people involved who do and get experienced people onto your board. This will have a cost, probably in shares. You also need to listen to their advice – no one who is good will stick around if they are ignored.
Investors will also want to be certain of your commitment. Don’t mention any alternative business ideas, because this will be a big turn off. If they put their money in, they want you to be fully devoted to making it grow, becoming profitable as soon as possible.
The next question is whether the business itself is credible. This is best demonstrated by having real sales and customers. In fact, if you don't already have these, you need to ask yourself some tough questions.
Investors will sometimes ask you to put your house on the line. Personally, I’ve always refused, arguing that I had already taken a pay cut to start the business, risked my career and was utterly committed anyway. Finally, I pointed out that such a high price runs the risk of the directors behaving desperately if things get tough – which doesn't promote good business practice or the protection of their investment. I’d suggest you sharpen these arguments up, too.
Many people obtain their investment from family and friends. Assuming you know people with sufficient capital, this has the advantage that it’s easier to tap them. The disadvantage is that if the business fails, which is bad enough, you may also face losing key relationships. And I'm afraid to say that if you believe there is no chance of that happening, you probably don't understand risk and should reconsider your career direction.
I myself borrowed money from family and friends to help get the business going. But I deliberately took the loans on personally, so if the business failed I’d still have to pay them back. And I kept the loans at a level that I would just about be able to pay them off over a few years.
Finding potential sources is the easy part. You can find a list of angel investor organisations at www.bbaa.org.uk, while VCs can be found at www.bvca.co.uk.
Remember, the key lesson is to look firstly at the needs of investors. Only secondly present your need for money and how much sense the business makes to you.
I can’t pretend raising money is simple, and a pre-requisite is having a viable business and plan anyway. We presented to more than 70 investors before getting our first funds. However, if you follow the advice here, your chances will be improved. Good luck.
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