Financial Guardian Angel. How and where to look for sponsors for business?

Young companies and entrepreneurs every day offer more and more interesting projects, many of which are quite promising. The main problem faced by novice businessmen is the lack of funds for implementation. One way to get financial help to grow your business is to find a sponsor. How to do it?

The main goals of sponsorship relationships

It is clear that for a businessman the main goal of this cooperation is to obtain start-up capital for business development. And what makes the sponsor to engage in such charity?

Not everyone knows that along with the start-up capital, the entrepreneur receives certain obligations, which, of course, he must fulfill. In most cases, sponsoring companies expect a return, usually in the form of a percentage of the profits. In the case of an existing business, the sponsor may ask for a portion of the shares in exchange for funds. That is why they are so selective in choosing a business project.

Where to look for investors?

The sponsor can be either an individual or a company. The first problem that newcomers face is the lack of information about who can be an investor and where to find a sponsor for a business. One of the common ways is to seek help from organizations that are looking for investors for small and medium-sized businesses at a professional level. These are investment funds, technology parks or business incubators.

Today, various business events dedicated to certain industries are constantly held. It can be exhibitions, lectures or seminars. This is where potential investors often gather.

It is easy to find many websites and social networks of business topics on the Internet. There you can introduce your commercial offers to the audience, select a sponsor or, conversely, offer sponsorship services, as well as find business partners. To work together, you need to choose from the entire list of investors exactly those who are engaged in a specific profile, and thoroughly study the portfolio of each.

It happens that sponsorship for the opening or development of a business is provided by relatives or acquaintances. But in most cases it is possible if we are talking about a small amount.

What is required to receive sponsorship?

It is clear that one desire in order to receive funds is not enough. If you need a sponsor for a business, it must be interested. That is why a competent business plan is important, in which a potential sponsor can see not only the idea, but numbers, as well as development prospects.

As a rule, already successful entrepreneurs who are well versed in business act as sponsors. Therefore, the prospects should not be sky-high. It is necessary to use real figures for the estimate and financial plan. To have a clear understanding of this issue, you can study the work of several similar enterprises or seek the help of a professional economist.

A business plan is half the battle. Now it is necessary that the potential sponsor agrees to take a look at it. To do this, you need to make a commercial offer that can interest. A concise letter should reflect the main points of the business plan. Well, if it takes up no more than one sheet of printed text.

An investor is not always looked for to open a new company. How to find a sponsor for a business if support is needed to develop or expand an existing enterprise? Here you need to focus on all the strengths of the company.

• The successes that the company has achieved over the period of its existence;
• place in the market;
• established brand;
• customer base and customer reviews;
• visual prospects: graphs of profit growth, sales growth, successful deals and the number of customers.

Technology has advanced so much that most of the actions can be carried out via the Internet. But it is still better to meet with a potential sponsor in person. Before the meeting, it is necessary to prepare a competent and interesting presentation. It is better for business owners to take with them all the documents proving that this is exactly the business in which it is worth investing. It is from a personal meeting that the outcome of the whole process often depends.