Women of Color as Inventors, Innovators,
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

Home-Based Business Start-Up Loan Tips

Getting a home-based business start-up loan will require collecting evidence of your previous business experience. In most cases, you will be asked for a track record of success before anyone considers lending your business money. Therefore, you must prove your worth for obtaining the loan to start a home-based business. Start by preparing documents that can be viewed by prospective investors. The two best options for a home-based business loan include peer-to-peer lending and venture capitalists firms because of accessibility online. Look on the Internet for listings and reviews of each to make your decision on which is best for your company.

Step 1
Research the Internet for peer-to-peer lending options and venture capitalist firms. Peer-to-peer lending gives loans to small businesses that can prove the ability to repay from everyday consumers. You must show a stable credit history and answer the questions regarding the business start-up. Venture capitalists are business professional groups that seek a portion of the business or repayment like a loan. They may offer an opportunity to meet in-person before making a decision to invest. Standards vary among each firm. However, return on investment is important to both options.

Step 2
Evaluate option requirements and see if you qualify based on your situation. Credit history, project amount and type of business could cause automatic disqualification for consideration among venture capitalist firms. Venture capitalists many times will seek specialized start-ups (i.e., environmental). Peer-to-peer lending operates similar to a bank, but they have less restrictions because they open the investing opportunity to everyday people. Therefore, you borrow from individuals and not directly from a corporation. There could be start-ups that are favored for funding on peer-to-peer sites too. Both venture capitalists and peer-to-peer lending have rules that could cause disqualification, like misleading the investor about your business (i.e., assets).

Step 3
Provide information about your business to become eligible to start the process in obtaining funding subsequently. A business plan with details for at least the next three years is necessary for most significant funding (i.e., above $10,000). To find an acceptable template, refer to the Small Business Administration (SBA) website.

Step 4
Apply for the loan amount by following the instructions your selected funding option provides and wait for approval. There are differences in peer-to-peer lending and venture capitalist firm time frames for approval. Typically, there is quicker approval for online lending (i.e., one month). However, venture capitalist firms complete a process called due diligence, which may take months. This process means you must be willing to answer questions before approval for funding is granted. Venture capitalists review the business feasibility concept for weaknesses to avoid making a risky choice.

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