Share0
Tweet0
Share0
Share0
Tweet0
Share0

Starting new business, how do I find funding and get over the “fear”?

I’m currently running a small business and it’s been a roller-coaster of traction and decline for 5 years. Honestly it’s not what I want to do the rest of my life and I’ve known that for a while. I’ve learned a lot, for which I am grateful. However, my hopes of it becoming large enough in this small town to fund my next business have diminished. So I’ve made the definitive position to pass the torch to someone I’ve groomed for my position and let them along with my original partner (father in law) run the day to day.

The business is volatile and I won’t be able to count on it for a steady income much less funding for my next venture. I’ve already begun an indepth business plan, market research, and location to start with plans to move forward full speed by August of this year. My head is spinning with various ways to get funding/investors for this new business because I believe it will be a gamechanger for it’s market. (it’s a service business that will untilize exisiting technology to give it an edge over the compeition)

In your experience would you go for sponsorship, incubator, crowd funding, or angel investors?

Also, I have the fear of failure, not constantly just occassionally. I’m about to step out of a comfort zone so I know it’s normal but persuing this start up will literally change everything for my wife and I. She’s on board so that’s a plus. I just have a problem eliminating the fear of “what-if” I don’t want to let myself or my wife down. Any suggestions how to work past it are welcome.

Also if you’d like to know more feel free to ask and I’ll explain as much as I can.

  • There’s a lot of background info, but nothing of substance about what you’re planning to do. To summarize: blah blah a gamechanger blah blah utilize technology blah blah”.

    Since you’re very early stage reach out to angel investors. Incubators will probably pass, but it never hurts to try.

    Reply

    • I appreciate your reply, honestly I’m not disclosing too much until the patent goes through. Maybe I’m being overcautious.

      Again, I really appreciate your opinion.

      Reply

  • Nothing is more motivational than incremental goal completion. Set realistic short term goals and then go crazy to meet them.

    My suggestion is (if at all feasible!), instead of focusing as much energy and concern over where investment will come from, push yourself to physical and mental limits to build MVP (minimum viable product) and start selling, even if you have to practically give away your product at cost or lower. I know from hearing others and personal experience that when you get your first customers that say “yes” – the excitement will overtake your fears. Plus then you have “momentum” to share with would-be investors, AND any “no’s” you get from potential customers should make you smarter about your target demographic.

    “Fail fast cheap” sounds harsh, but there is no better way to know if your new venture has legs. Small failures guide the path to wins. And when you find out that your venture does have legs, you will already have plenty of the experience you need about your target customer to and find who you need to scale the business (partners, investors, customers, etc.).

    Reply

  • From my experience, pedigree is far more important than idea.

    If you don’t have the Google/Apple/Microsoft VP, or have successful exits, you’re going to have a real hard time getting real cash – i.e. hundreds of thousands.

    If you have a cheap easy idea, then you have no entry barrier whatsoever – and all you can hope for is to somehow stay under the radar long enough to achieve traction. In the meantime, you’re vulnerable to other people independently coming up with the same idea, or worse copying it but having much larger budgets.

    Some of the things you’re going to have to do assuming you do get any interest that isn’t “just looking” or worse, “just looking to steal”: the ability to produce a credible 3-5 year budget. A team which can, at least on paper, deliver. A believable plan to exit – either become profitable or get bought out for technology/positioning.

    The stories of blabberty blah going something to nothing are just that: fairy tales. If you dig deep enough, the ones which didn’t have the above generally plowed tons of their own or blood money in – blood money being friends and family.

    You can get a small stake from incubators and the like, but this money generally is very expensive equity wise, you don’t get much from them in reality unless you’re really inexperienced/clueless, and you have to open your kimono to some number before you get chosen into one. Thus if you’re concerned about being copied, any and all potential investors are equally potential thieves of your idea.

    Reply

  • … [Trackback]

    […] There you can find 94379 more Info on that Topic: startupsanonymous.com/question/starting-new-business-find-funding-get-fear/ […]

    Reply
    • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

    You may also like

    >