You've got this wonderful idea for a business or for a business expansion, but it takes more money than you have to get it started. You've been to the banks, but they either tell you the amount you need is too small for them or they talk about how big a risk thwy will be taking if they lend you the money. Either way, you don't get the money. Now what? Here are a dozen places you can explore that have just what you need. . . cash!

BANK LOAN
Almost impossible for a small startup business to obtain. Banks like to lend amounts over $100,000 with many setting $500,000 as a minimim loan. They want to see big bucks in accounts receivable coming in to pay off the loan. If you don't have these factors, forget it, you're not going to get a regular bank loan no matter how great your moustrap.

SBA BACKED BANK LOAN
An alternative to a standard bank loan is a SBA backed loan. Amounts from $150,000 to $750,000 are backed by the SBA up to 90%, making this kind of a loan very attractive to your bank. If you've heard of the paperwork reduction act, be forewarned it hasn't hit the SBA. Be prepared to spend a lot of time filling out forms and answering questions. The experience borders on humiliation, so don't wear your feelings on your sleeve.

SBA BACKED MICROLOAN
Still another SBA program offers seed money for very small businesses. If you need from $250 to $25,000, ask the local SBA for the name of a microloan agency near you. This is a very user-friendly program that really tries to help entrepreneurs get their projects off and running. You will often participate in a stepped loan program, meaning you borrow a little, pay it back, borrow more, pay that back, and so on. You may have to put your name on a waiting list as there are a lot of people with great ideas lined up for money.

SUPPLIER CASH
If you're already in busy, you might talk to your major supplier. You wouldn't think they'd lend you money in addition to extending credit, but many supply firms see it as good business to help their users. They think of it as 'buying customer loyalty' and will demand this loyalty from you for their money. If you have an order in hand from a large customer, you can negotiate for really big bucks.

CUSTOMER CASH
There are several possibilities here, one of which is pre-payment. If you need cash to fulfill a large order, your customer may agree to pre-pay all or a substantial portion of their contract in order to lock-in prices. Another idea for consultants is to request quarterly advance payments for specific services at a reduced price. You get the money you need, the customer gets the service or product at a reduced price, and you both win.

BORROW ON YOUR HOME
There are companies out there who will lend you up to 150% on the equity in your home. They also charge an arm and a leg n interestl Before you go these agencies, check with your bank and savings & loan; you may find they will lend you almost as much at much more friendly interest rates. Understand, if you default on this loan, they can literally sell your home out from under you if you default, so use caution!

BORROW FROM YOUR 401K PLAN
This hinges on you still working for a firm that has a 401K program. Most of these plans have options to lend you your own money at a very low interest rate and with excellent repayment terms. Usually, you can borrow up to $50,000 or 50% of what's in your plan, whichever is smaller.

BORROW FROM YOUR CREDIT CARDS
DANGER!!! You will be charged an ENORMOUS interest on credit card money, and they're not nice about late payments. You can borrow a lot more than your credit card limit, so don't let that stand in your way. $100,000 loans are not unusual.

BORROW FROM YOUR INSURANCE POLICY
You may have a 'whole life' policy. Why, I'll never know, but if you do, you can borrow the acrued capital and pay it back at a very low interest rate. You might also be able to assign the policy value to a lender.

SELL STOCK IN YOUR FIRM
Form a corporation and sell stock. Depending on your business idea, you could really attract big bucks. This is a very attractive way to start a small business needing under $1 Million, but remenber, your stockholders have a say-so in how you run the business. If you need over a million, hire an attorney and a CPA to help you. One nice thing about selling stock, you don't have to pay back the money!

BORROW FROM FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Use this method for amounts under $25,000. You can negotiate long term payment plans, low interest, and maybe a partnership agreement. One problem will be you lender's financial position could change and they would want their money back. Use an attorney to help you draft notes, agreements and the like to minimize things like this.

BORROW FROM AN ANGEL
An angel is someone with money and maybe experience in your business that wants to get back into the swing of things but doesn't want to own the company. They usually will take an equity position, but will let you buy them out over some time period. The concept is wonderful, and you can advertise for an angel in your local paper.