How do I find sponsors for a startup business?

By Brad Sugars

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I would like to expand my business during the summer and add a summer camp with both sleep-away and in the city sites. How can I find sponsors to help get this program off the ground? I cannot afford another business loan.
First things first: You need a business plan that will show anyone who loans or invests money what they will get in return.  Generally, by actually writing the plan you will come across the mistakes or holes in some of your thinking.

Then it's about getting a group of advisors and professionals to look over your plan.  Then and only then are you ready to go looking for money.  Too often people go see the "people with money" before they are ready and wonder why they are not taken seriously.  It's only after you have put in serious effort that people will take your idea seriously.

A great book on this subject is by Keith Cunningham, called Keys to the Vault.
Wavy Line

Brad Sugars is the founder and chairman of ActionCOACH. As an entrepreneur, author and business coach, he has owned and operated more than two dozen companies including his main company, ActionCOACH, which has more than 1,000 offices in 34 countries.

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