Business First Family Business, Accounting, Finance, Investing, Marketing And Management
Unfortunately, dreams and hope is not enough to start your business on its own. Sometimes, you can not always convince investors to see your dream the same way you do, leaving you scrambling for the money you need to start your business. You might be able to convince your friends and family to invest a little in addition to your own savings. Yet, you are unlikely to get the required capital through these options alone. So, you are bootstrapping your business.
What Is Bootstrapping?
Bootstrapped business are those that started with little to no startup money. These businesses are started by owners with very little liquid capital and absolutely no angel investors or capital firm investments. While it is certainly a difficult task, it is conceivable. However, it is certainly more realistic for a home based ecommerce business venture than it is for a manufacturing plant venture. These bootstrapping businesses typically grow in incremental stages. So if you have patience, you can consider starting a business by your bootstraps using the methods we mention below.
Using Your Home For Leverage
If you are like most people starting a restaurant business or any other business, your home is likely the most valuable thing you own. Fortunately, there are several ways you can use your home to get the money to start your business. Here are a few ideas to raise money for you start up without having to sell your home.
Get A Second Mortgage
If you have lived in your home for awhile or if the area where you live has seen an increase in property values, your house is probably worth much more than the original value of the home loan in Toronto . You can get a second mortgage on the equity of your home, which you can then put toward your business.
Second mortgages are also a great choice if you have poor credit since your home is used as the collateral. Explore options for a second mortgage and bad credit mortgages to get the cash you need for your business to start working on pivot tables and making sales as soon as possible.
Rent Your Home
You don’t have to sell your home to make money off of it. You can just rent it out. Depending on where you live and the condition of your home, you could charge more in rent than your mortgage costs, and you could put that money aside for your start up costs. Of course, that means renting out another home or apartment for yourself to live in, but you can find frugal options for the short term while you save the money.
You could even buy a home just for the purpose of renting it out later. Not only will you make the rental income on it over the years, but you can sell it when the market is right and make a big profit from it. This will help prevent you from ever having to worry about closing a business due to cash flow problems.
Rent A Room
Enjoy the best of both worlds by living in your home and renting it out. Just choose a room to rent, and put that money aside for your new business model. You can create the best arrangement if you have a separate entrance for the room, such as for a room in your basement or garage. You might even consider making some renovations to your home to make it more marketable for this purpose. Just weigh the profit potential versus the expense to make sure it will be worth it.
Your home is a valuable asset. Use it to help you get the money you need for your business startup. Of course, the ultimate value is in selling it. If your business idea is a good one, you’ll soon be able to replace it with an even bigger and better model.
Manage Your Own PR
Another helpful bootstrapping tip is to manage your business’s PR on your own. Do not hire a PR firm. That is a waste of money that you do not have, just like corporate gifts for marketing. Startups benefit greatly from major media exposure, yes. However, you do not have the luxury of hiring someone else to take care of it for you. Send out press kits to the media on your own. You can learn how to create a press kit online for free. Handling your own public relations for business is a must when you are trying to bootstrap business.
Image from http://www.blackenterprise.com/money/scam-alert-cash-for-home-offer-may-not-be-what-you-think/
