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Choosing The Best Funding Strategy For You There are plenty of strategies you can use to fund your business's growth. The trick is picking the one that suits your company best.

By David Worrell

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

From credit cards and credit unions to VCs and IPOs, a dizzying array of financial tools can help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. With so many options, it's important to pick the best tool for the job. Finance professionals call this "structuring" your business finance, and the right structure can mean the difference between building a monumental company and sinking in the quicksand of debt.

Pam DeLissio, 49, knows something about structuring finance: Her 15-year career in the not-for-profit sector was spent raising money for worthy causes. So when she resolved to go into business for herself, she set about raising the money she needed--more than $2 million in all--to buy Pennsylvania Online, an ISP in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Paper or Plastic?
Whether you need $10 or $10 million, there are only two kinds of money: debt, which is borrowed, and equity, which is traded for ownership of the company. The first step to raising the right kind of money is to decide between debt and equity. Usually, the choice depends on personal preference.