It sometimes seems that as a founder you’re only taken seriously if you’re on a constant quest for cash, talking to angel and venture capitalists. There are more ways to grow your business though…

I know of one founder who was able to scale his production thanks to the acquisition of a new machine from another company looking to offload theirs; and they were happy to be paid in installments → effectively paying off the machine from sales!

Several other founders I know have been able to grow their business thanks to customers agreeing to make significant upfront payments – the key here is to find those customers who have been working with you for a while and they have an interest in helping you succeed, either because they like your way of doing business; or the added value you are providing them; or simply because of your relationship and their liking of you.

SPARK OF THE DAY

The search for finding funding always has a business need behind. Don’t limit yourself to finding investors who take your equity, sometimes you’re better off finding cooperative customers, creative suppliers or other unexpected partners who can support your growth.

If you really want something, there’s always a way!