Do Small Business Grants Really Exist?

Do Small Business Grants Really ExistI have spent a lot of time looking for grants for my business over the years, and all to no avail; it seems that you need to have a special business, in a special market like health care, or some kind of public service to get a grant, I even bought the book from the idiot with the check marks all over him.

Nothing in any of those books is there to help the average small business owner find money, he makes his money selling books not helping you get a grant for your business, grants are hard to get, if not impossible for a normmal small business.

The grant process takes a lot of time so you need to be prepared for that, not to mention the paper work has to be done perfectly or you won't get a grant, most people that actually get a grant have the paper work done by a professional grant writer, and these people charge a premium for their time.

It all seems like a waste of time to me, I think the best way to get money to start a small business is to prepare a great business plan, I use business plan pro software to write mine, and they have gotten me eighty five percent of the money that I need to this point.

Since banks aren't loaning right now because their afraid of what the economy will do, your best option is to get investors in your business, I use an investment broker to help with this, and he has done a great job so far, I will give a warring here, if they charge money up front it's probably a scam.

A true investment broker will take their cut off of the back end, and they won't charge you dime, they make their money from the investors by helping them find investments, the investors will make their money by charging you interest on their investment, twelve percent is about average.

You should study investors and how they work before you use one, some of them always want to be involved in your business at least a silent partner, and some want to take the money and run after a certain length of time has gone by.

If you go looking for investors in your business, make 100% sure that you know what kind of investor that they are, talk to them and ask how they make their money, ask if they want to remain involved in your business, or if they will want to be paid off at some point.

Ask how long they have been doing investments, and what return they want on their investment, once you know these things you can make an informed decision, if you get the wrong investor you won't like the outcome of the entire venture, you should also make sure that you can get along with your investor.

It's always better to be safe then to be sorry, if you develop a good relationship with your investor they will always be there when you need them again, these people make money by investing their money in other peoples businesses, and they can be a great asset to you and your business.