Raise Capital With Private Investors

If you have launched your own startup, your first biggest challenge is to raise capital. Fortunately, you choose from a lot of options to raise the funds your business needs. Among all the sources, crowdfunding is one of the best ones as it helps redefine how startups can get off the ground. In this article, we are going to help you know the benefits of raising capital with private investors through a crowdfunding platform. Read on to find out more.

Benefits of raising capital with private investors

1. Funding is not equity-based

First of all, crowdfunding is not necessarily equity-based. Although startups have the liberty to use the equity in order to catch the attention of potential investors, It’s not required to give up ownership to collect capital.

The good news is that some platforms allow their members to apply a reward-oriented approach in order to raise capital. For instance, if your business deals in a specific product, make sure you hand over a few units to your prospective investors before you roll it out for the ultimate users.

2. Attracting potential investors is easy

With crowdfunding, you can attract a lot of potential investors without putting in a lot of effort. Although you can try for angel investors, keep in mind that this process can cost you a lot of time. The reason is that you will have to pitch your small business concept several times.

On the other hand, if you use a crowdfunding platform, you will have to post your business pitch in only one place. And this page will be ready by hundreds of investors from across the globe.

These platforms have a lot of useful features that may help startups collect funds from investors. So, attracting potential investors and raising capital will be much easier using crowdfunding platforms.

3. Higher visibility

Crowdfunding can help you make your startup more visible. Since marketing may consume a large chunk of your budget, it makes sense to use a crowdfunding platform instead. For potential investors, it’s easy to fund a crowdfunding campaign.
And these activities can help boost the visibility of your brand. Plus, you can also attract investors for your next funding rounds.

The Bottom Line

If you want to raise funds for your startup, crowdfunding can be the best choice. All you need to do is become part of a crowdfunding platform and you will be able to tap into the pool of potential investors. And this will help you kick start your business and make it a success in the industry.

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What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.

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$5,000 Personal Loans With Bad Credit: Consider Some Alternative Solutions

Getting cash injection from time to time can be hugely beneficial when trying to get through the myriad of financial demands of everyday life. But with bad credit rating, getting approval for even modest loans can be tricky. However, it is possible to get even a $5,000 personal loan with bad credit.There is no doubt that a sum of $5,000 can prove to be extremely useful. It can finance a vacation, pay for college fees and also be used to clear some existing debts. But securing loan approval is impossible if the basic criteria set by the lender is not met, and tricky if the application is not approached correctly.People with poor credit ratings also need to accept some compromises if there is to be a chance of these personal loans being approved. But there are alternative loan sources to traditional banks that offer better terms.Family LoansLenders can place a number of conditions when granting a $5,000 personal loan with bad credit, ranging from higher interest rates to strict repayment schedules. The problem is this ensures the pressure is on to make repayments on time every time. But there are more informal loan options.Going to a family member, for example, can be a better choice. For a start, securing loan approval is easier because a family member is unlikely to turn another down. The only question is whether a member of the family has $5,000 to lend. Also, in most cases, there is no interest charged on the loan, making it also the most affordable loan option.But remember, it is a good idea to write the terms of any family loans down, and have both interested parties sign it. That way everything is kept clear and there is no risk of confusion. Such personal loans should not end up coming between family members.Consider Payday LoansThough rather expensive, one of the best loan options when in a hurry for fast cash is a payday loan. Getting a $5,000 personal loan with bad credit is pretty simple, with no credit check needed, and the lender approving the application within a hour. That means the financial emergency can be dealt with within 24 hours.However, the size of the loan can be a problem. Many lenders are reluctant to lend any more than $1,500, unless there is a special arrangement made with the borrower. Sometimes, borrowers may need to take out a series of payday loans instead. This can prove extremely expensive with each loan having interest as high as 30%.On the plus side, securing loan approval is almost guaranteed, and the repayment term is so short that there is no lingering debt over a number of years. In fact, 90 days is usually the longest term on this kind of personal loan.Consider a Company LoanOften, this is the last option considered by those seeking a $5,000 personal loan with bad credit. But, in fact, it is probably the most logical one. Your boss may be willing to advance the equivalent of 2 or 3 months salary, since it will have to be paid anyway. They may even be able to make a slight profit by charging a small interest rate.In terms of getting their money back, they can simply deduct the due repayments from the salary check each month. But securing loan approval is not just a good thing for your boss. As a bad credit borrower, the interest rate will be lower than that charged by any lender. Therefore, costs are lower and the loan itself is more affordable.On the down side, however, repaying this personal loan will have no effect on your credit rating, as the loan did not come from a recognized lender.

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