Summarize:

When you approach a bank or another investor to ask for funding, you'll almost always be asked to prove that your business will be a money-making one. How well you're able to prove your point can make a major difference in how much money you're able to get (or whether you're able to get any money at all). Your most important weapon is your knowledge of the field you're getting in to. Know the barriers to entry you'll face, know the documentation and/or licenses you'll need to operate, know the sorts of expenses you'll be faced with, and, most importantly, know how you'll make money (and how much you plan to make). Be ready to offer concrete figures not educated guesses. For example, have an idea of exactly how much money your business will need to get off the ground a request for "about half a million dollars" is not very precise and won't inspire great confidence in your business plan. If you're unsure of where to start, try talking to an expert. Small business specialists at SBA and SBDC (Small Business Development Center) offices will be able to offer advice and resources for getting started on market research usually free of charge. When applying for a business loan, having a clean financial history is a must. Good personal credit, a responsible loan repayment history, healthy debt levels, and other positive financial metrics can greatly increase your likelihood of getting funding. If you've previously owned businesses, having a record of steady profits is a major plus, while having one or more businesses declare bankruptcy can be a major hurdle to overcome. To get a very rough idea of your personal financial health, try ordering a credit report. Under federal law, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, the "Big Three" credit report agencies, are required to give you one free credit report at your request once every year. Applying for a business loan can be a long, complicated, messy process. To minimize the amount of time it will take for you to get your loan, try to have all necessary documents ready ahead of time prior to applying. Different lenders and investors will require different types of documents, but, in general, you can expect to need at least the following: Personal credit history Business credit history Financial statements for existing businesses (plus any projected financial statements) Cash flow projections (preferably for at least a year) Personal guaranties from the partners/business owners A thoroughly-researched business plan is a vital part of any early fundraising efforts. Business plans should tell the lender or investor what products or services the company will sell, which markets it will target, how it will be organized, and, of course, how it will generate profit in the long-term. Try to keep your language as easy-to-understand as possible using short sentences and easy-to-understand words is fine. When possible, try to convey data visually (through charts and graphs), rather than through text. Though business plans obviously vary from business to business, many contain at least 20-30 pages of text, plus appendices for graphs, charts, and so on. Writing an extensive business plan can be a major undertaking, especially for someone without a writing background, so if you're unsure of where to begin, try checking out online help resources geared toward this topic the SBA, in particular, has useful guidelines available for free. If you're seeking a loan, your lenders will want some sort of assurance that they'll get their money back, even if you have a flawless history of loan repayment. For this reason, most business loans will require you to put up some sort of collateral (one or more valuable possessions, like a home or car) that the lenders will get legal ownership of if you fail to pay. If you have lots of collateral that is, if you're wealthy and you own lots of valuable things you'll have plenty that can be sold to repay the loan if your business fails, so getting a loan will usually be easier. Though it's possible to get business loans without much collateral to your name, it's not always easy you may need to get someone you know to offer their possessions as collateral instead. Note that the rules for collateral can vary from loan to loan. For example, many private lenders will accept a house as collateral at 75% of the market rate (minus the balance on the mortgage), while the SBA offers a slightly more generous 80%. Believe it or not, the reputation of both you and your business can have an effect on how easy it is for you to get a business loan. Today, many prospective lenders and investors will research you online (this may include public or semi-public information on social media and so on) when you apply for a loan. If you're found to be associated with crime, scandals, or misuse of money, it will probably be harder for you to get a favorable loan package. Unfortunately, this means that events from your past can eventually come back to haunt you, even if they weren't entirely your fault. For instance, if a former partner has been spreading rumors and accusations about you online, they may be factored into your loan application even if they're totally baseless. Some companies offer services that help "clean up" your online reputation. However, it is unclear how effective these are. Note also that being involved with businesses that the lending institution considers immoral or unethical can also keep you from getting a loan. For instance, many former pornographic actors have difficulty when applying for loans even long after they leave the field of porn. If you already have an established private business, one way to potentially raise lots of capital is to "go public." In an initial public offering (or IPO), a company offers up shares of equity (usually simply called stocks) to the public at large. Investors can buy shares from the company for a small percentage of ownership and to receive dividend payouts proportional to the amount of stock they hold. A lucrative company can get a major influx of capital from an IPO. In addition, publicly-held companies usually get better rates when they issue debt. Note, however, that publicly-held companies are subject to additional financial regulation and scrutiny compared to privately-held ones.
Know your field. Get in good financial standing. Have your (and your business's) financial documentation ready. Present a sensible business plan. Offer collateral. Have a good reputation. Consider going public.