I need some additional cash for my business. Can you help me understand what my options might be?
Obviously, one option is to invest more of your personal money in the business, or make a loan to the business from yourself. Another option is to find an outside party who is interested in making an investment in your business, perhaps in exchange for a share of the ownership. In terms of borrowing money, there are loans (where you borrow a set amount for a fixed amount of time and repay either in installments or a lump sum), or a line of credit (where you are approved to borrow up to $x amount, and you may or may not decide to use the whole amount.) On a line of credit, you may "draw down" on the line (which means taking advances on the line) then pay it back, then draw down.
For example, let's say you arrange for a $10,000 line of credit. Right now, you may not need a dime. Three weeks from now, you may need to use $2500 of the credit. Then, you pay it back over a period of months (according to the terms of the agreement), and draw down another $8700 a few months later. The concept is that the cash is there for you to use when you need it, but you don't pay interest on it until you've actually gotten the funds, and even then, you only pay interest on the actual amount you've drawn down -- not the full amount.
In terms of types of lines of credit, a business credit card is one option. Other types of lines of credit may include:
working capital (typically short-term)
Accounts receivable financing
Inventory financing
Development or construction financing
Support of bonding requirements
Other loan types could include acquisition and development loans and construction loans.
Keep in mind that a financial institution isn't in a position to be a speculator. They aren't going to loan you money on the hope that your instincts about success are valid. They'll want to see a sound business plan, evidence of managerial expertise, a solid basis for repayment of the debt, and, in most instances, collateral.
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Obviously, one option is to invest more of your personal money in the business, or make a 