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What Could Funding Do And Not Do For Your Business Funding can take your business to the next level.

By David Wither

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For startups, they seem determined to win funding from large venture capitalists. It's an admirable decision to seek out funding, but some entrepreneurs seem to be under the impression that it will build their brand for them. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Funding can take your business to the next level through helping you to build that podcast and start that next video marketing campaign, but it's down to you to do the rest. If you want to engage your audience through your content, this is something you have to do by yourself.

So what can funding do and not do for your business?

It Will Enable You to Initiate Your Plans

Ultimately, this is something that will allow you to make those plans come true. One of the biggest frustrations that entrepreneurs have is they have the perfect plan that will transform their company into a success, but they don't have the funds to do it.

Funding will give you the capital needed to enact those plans. You can do things that your competitors may not have the opportunity to do. That's a big boon and one that you should relish.

It Won't Make Those Plans into a Success

You also have to keep in mind that your plans won't always be successful. The more money you throw at a problem won't make it any more likely to succeed.

Take Facebook advertising as an example. There's a relatively steep learning curve that you have to overcome. A bad ad will continue to do badly, even if you up the budget. And Facebook is extremely good at taking your money. They don't care how many impressions or quality leads you get.

It Can Give You Mentorship

Getting your cash through funding will give you a lot of money to work with, but this is only part of what you get. The majority of investors also want to see that young entrepreneur achieve their potential, so they have a greater chance of making their money back. Mentorship improves managerial efficiency by 88%. That's why most funded companies also tend to have the benefits of mentorship.

Mentorship will give you access to a wealth of knowledge that can help you to better promote your services. You will be better able to run your company because you have the help of an expert on your side.

Many entrepreneurs find that to be more valuable than the money itself.

It Can't Make Your Reputation

You also have to keep in mind that it can't build your reputation for you. Authority and portraying your brand as trustworthy isn't going to happen because you got funded. People have to learn to believe that your brand offers something of value.

Making a reputation is something that only happens throughout many months and years of providing a quality service to the general public. You have to listen to your customers and continue to improve every time you release something new. Your reputation is based entirely on this.

Make sure that you are always focusing on managing your online reputation to ensure that you still have a future. Furthermore, investors won't touch you if you don't have that strong reputation in place.

Don't think that getting funded will make people respect you. People only respect what you can do for them not the amount of money in your account.

It Can Bring in Bigger Fish Later

Getting acquired may be your ultimate goal, especially if you happen to be running a tech startup. But it's a long road. Unless you're lucky, Facebook aren't going to pick your new company up the moment it comes onto the market. It could take years of proving yourself before the big fish come looking for you.

Funding can act as a catalyst for that. Whenever a company gets major funding, the bigger organizations are watching closely to see how it performs. Once that money has been exhausted and the company hits another glass ceiling, that's where it starts to intervene.

Your first round of funding could be just one of many steps on your way to getting acquired.

Conclusion – How to Get Funding

Funding is something you apply for. You have to pitch your company to various investors. Don't explain what you've done now explain what you will do later. Investors don't want or expect the finished product at this stage. They want to see potential because that's when they make their profits.

This is a process that can take months to go through, but with the right business plan you have a strong chance of success.

How will you get funding today?

David Wither

Team and Startup Management Coach, Wither Leadership Consulting

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