For most people thinking of starting up in business, the biggest obstacle is how to raise the funds to get the business off the ground. This is the book to take the pain out of financing your start up – it explains all the possible sources of funding, and their pros and cons, before helping you work out how much you actually need, then what to say and do to land that investment.

This is the book that provides the facts, the figures and the reassurances you need to make the right decisions for you and your business. It covers everything from finding investors, persuading them to back you, the principles of giving away equity and bootstrap start ups at very low cost – and everything in between.

For each possible source of funding, from re-mortgaging and loans, business angels and venture capitalists, to some of the lesser known (and not advised) techniques like the “5 card trick”, we’ll walk through: what each is looking for; whether this is the right route for you; how best to find them and pitch to them successfully; how much they might be willing to lend; questions they will ask and questions you should ask.

How to Fund your Business takes the fear out of finance, and looks at what happens if it all goes wrong and you need to borrow more – plus where you stand financially if the worst happens and the business doesn’t work.

It’s also packed with advice to help you make sure this doesn’t happen, with vital sections on accurate budgeting and forecasting and managing cashflow so you don’t run out of money. Timelines show clearly at what point each type of investor will want their money back, and at what cost, to make sure you have no surprises along the way.