Small business loans/startup money?

How does one go about getting a small business loan or grant for startup money for a business? I guess I also need to add that this is for a tattoo shop, not sure if that makes a difference. No credit has been established yet, but you have to start somewhere!

You'll have to talk to a bank, but this is a good starting point for you:
http://www.sba.gov/

You can apply for Loan to a Bank and other Financial Institutions, to fund a Working Capital. You will be required to prepare a Project Report for which you can take a help of Charted Accountant as well as add margin money of your own.

You may request your folks for a grant equal to margin money essentially required to avail Bank Loan.

Good Luck !!

Some banks extend what they call "small business lines of credit" often through credit cards. Those are easier to get and can be based on your credit history alone. They typically are up to $100,000.

For example, Wachovia's has various business lines of credits http://www.wachovia.com/small_biz/page/0... Their business line of credit can even be approved overnight,

However, if you're applying for a loan and if it is a big amount, banks and even the SBA may consider other factors aside from your business credit:

- A business plan explaining what the business is

- Your background and experience in the business -- in my experience, this is KEY in the eyes of the bank because they want to make sure that you know what you are doing and that you can make the business work. If you don't have any experience with the business, have someone on board that knows the business to give banks assurance that someone will guide you

- Your credit factors because it shows your dependability and how well you handle credit. They will do a credit check on you and poor credit history may be frowned upon, or even reason for the disapproval of your loan application

- Your collateral. Banks, even SBA guaranteed loans, want the borrower to show collateral. They want to be guaranteed that somewhere somehow they can get payment from you

- Condition or terms of loans. Banks would want to know three important things: "How much money are you requesting? What will it be used for? and For how long will it be needed?" Banks oftentimes prefer to approve loans for items that can be identified, has lasting value, and can be repossessed and sold if things fail.

Aside from banks I suggest you consider microloan providers. They typically fund up to $30K Read about the SBA Microloan Program http://www.sba.gov/financing/sbaloan/mic...

It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for a for-profit business. And yes, grants mean PAPERWORK - lots and lots of it, that is why a cottage industry of grant writers was born.

Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture.


Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/mostrequesteditems/CO...

"The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments."