Does anyone have any advice on raising capital for starting a small business?

2016-02-26T20:26:12-05:00

We are trying to raise capital to expand our product line and to reduce our costs. I started this company 4 months ago with $500 and we are growing very quickly, and can barely keep up with the demand. However, our margins are not where they need to be and in order to get them where we need them we need to purchase more units and do not have the capital to do so. Advice is very welcome!

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2016 8:31 PM

2016-02-26T20:31:25-05:00

Shark tank

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2016 8:32 PM

2016-02-26T20:32:59-05:00

Somewhat related - look to stay relevant with your niche - Service Members and Veterans. Consider something similar to Hootsuite to stay relevant on news feeds, create blog posts, share Vet related information, flood the strength training/fitness/bodybuilding topic feeds on RP for info and relevance. If I get curious, I MAY try one of these. Otherwise, may I ask why you chose to start with those two supps and not creatine, beta-alanine BCAAs, etc ?

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Feb 26 at 2016 8:37 PM

2016-02-26T20:37:12-05:00

So, there are the basics: friends and family. There is debt: bank loans. There is equity (be careful of course). I believe there are some small business loans that are available only to veterans but I'm really not very well versed in them. Not sure if this organization is too tech focused for your company but check them out:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/9303459?trk=vsrp_companies_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A [login to see] [login to see] 3%2CVSRPtargetId%3A9303459%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary

Response by SGT Larry Prentice made Feb 26 at 2016 8:53 PM

2016-02-26T20:53:15-05:00

http://www.sba.gov is a great place to start.

U.S. Small Business Administration | The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov

Response by Doug Macdonald made Feb 27 at 2016 5:43 AM

2016-02-27T05:43:52-05:00

Think outside the box. Of the 4 businesses I started and sold, none were supported by conventional financing. It's too fricken hard to qualify! Google "alternative financing source" and start exploring. Anything I can do to help just let me know. I have co- written an entire chapter on this topic.