Access to Capital: Startup Funding for Entrepreneurs

This course is for aspiring or active entrepreneurs who wants to understand how to secure funding for their company. This course will demystify key financing concepts to give entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs a guide to secure funding. Examine the many financing options available to get your new venture funded. 
 
Finance Expert Connie (Moneylady) Sparks will share invaluable insights on how to raise capital from conventional, alternative, and private lenders. She will also talk about crowdfunding-social lending, the latest method of financing for startups, micro and small businesses in addition to organic streams of fundraising.

Key questions answered within the course include: 
 
When to raise outside capital?                                                                                                                                       What kind of investors invest by stage and where to find them?                                                                                    What are your fundraising options?                                                                                                                              What are the key components of the term sheet?                                                                                                       How to perform company valuations?                                                                                                                           How to pitch to investors?                                                                                                                                                What techniques help the entrepreneur ‘get to the close’?
 
This highly interactive forum will engage participants in discussions and provide instruction on accessing capital in today’s economy.

Topics covered will include:

• Types of Lenders
• What lenders look for in a proposal
• The Five C’s – Credit, Condition, Character, Collateral and Capability
• Various financing programs available: acquisitions, renovations, management acquisitions, equipment financing, real estate financing and refinancing and construction
• Finance Options – Conventional and non-conventional loan
• Know what type of financing and how much to ask for
• Packaging the proposal
• Funding processes
• Financing rates and terms
• How to become bankable
• Types of loans available to small businesses (SBA, Alternative) 
• How to determine which lender is a good fit for your business
• What you should know before applying for financing and tips to help you get qualified the first time

Instructor: Connie Sparks

 Among the many honors Ms. Sparks has received are the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Champion Award and the Best Corporation Environment Award from the National Association of Female Executives, which also nominated her for its Woman of the Year award.

 Ms. Sparks’ latest book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide for Starting a Business, describes her career as a small-business owner.