Should You Raise Funding? As your business grows, should you be raising capital or focusing on organic growth?

There's a nagging question that lingers in the back of the mind for many entrepreneurs: Should I raise funding? The answer is never simple and the truth is that there is no single answer to rule them all. It all depends on your business, the industry you're in, how your business is performing and if there are even investors in your field.

Here are some key points to consider as you weigh up the options within your personal growth journey.

Is investment right for me?

The media in larger markets like the US and Europe have turned raising funding into some kind of sport. Funding events are extremely well covered by the media and often glorified as some kind of victory.

I've raised money from all kinds of investors over the past decade and can confirm that not all money raised is equal. Money comes with strings attached and a lot of formality that may not have existed in your business before. Once you've taken external funding of any kind you immediately take on a fiduciary responsibility outside of just "If I screw this up, I walk away'. You are tied to your company and investors until the money dries up or you make everyone rich. Neither is a simple process.

Don't get me wrong, there can be a lot of value in the raising of strategic capital, but it is not to be seen as some form of victory. When you raise money you should have a clear path to profit and a clear strategy on how you are going to use the money and what the potential of recouping it is.

Without these things you're just taking other people's money to spend and pay your salary. That's not cool.

The Different Kinds of Investment

If you don't know what's out there, it's easy to think that banks are the only institutions with money. They're not. Often they are the worst kind of money to raise and come with very formal strings attached that you cannot break free from. However, if you have a relatively straight-forward and stable business, banks can be a useful option to get a loan and then pay back the money relatively quickly.

I always suggest that the first port of call for funding should be sales. So if you think you need funding, what you are really saying is you need money and money comes from making sales. The best place to start for sales? The three Fs: Friends, Family and Fools. Sell to everyone and anyone you can find. A lot of young entrepreneurs will raise small amounts of investment from the three Fs too.

This is very risky because you are putting your relationships at risk if the business collapses and all of your friends and family lose money because of you. You can then graduate up into angel investment. Angels are high net-worth individuals who are looking to find very early stage start-ups with small batches of money. Usually this is a round of less than R500 000 for a pretty decent chunk of equity in your business.

Out of angel investors grow institutional venture capital firms. These companies will give you a lot of money for a lot of equity and help you grow. They'll sit on your board (or formulate one if you haven't) and they will drive you to grow your business at near-exponential rates. This level of funding is all about return on investment. If they put in R1 million, they expect to get R10 million in five years. It's your job to make it happen.

Overall, with investment comes pressure and formality, but also the potential to grow something mammoth and meaningful very quickly.

My favourite kind of funding is the oldest kind out there: Profit. If you want to maintain control of your business and grow it, then you need to be profitable and reinvest the money in your company, not your cool new car.

Is there a right time to raise funding?

In my experience there are a multitude of situations when your business might require external funding. The "right' time can only be decided by the person running the show. If you are raising money out of desperation, perhaps it's not the right time to raise. However, finding funding at this point may save your business.

On the flip side, raising growth capital is perhaps the safest time to raise funding. Your business should have profit and traction, it should be showing incredible value in the market and you should have a very clear plan to increase profits and growth exponentially.

If you take this plan to a variety of investors you are able to shop for the best terms and the best partners. That's the kind of money you want. But bear in mind, if things take a turn for the worst your investors can become your worst nightmare. Just ask Travis Kalanick at Uber who is being sued by one of his major investors.

Raising funding is an extremely personal decision that business owners should think through carefully and plan for the worst as well as the best-case scenarios.