How to Raise Funds When Starting a Business

Entrepreneurship is an essential driver of our economy and impacts nearly every area of our lives. Think about the various products and services you use every day. Ever stop and wonder about their origin? Some visionary from the past invented that toothbrush you used this morning and that electric coffee maker that dripped out your cup of joe. Our country was founded by entrepreneurs — Ben Franklin invented everything from bifocals to the flexible urinary catheter. He’s even credited with establishing America’s first free library.

Maybe you have a business idea you’ve been ruminating on, or maybe the idea of entrepreneurship just feels like a great path for you. There are so many opportunities out there and different avenues for getting your business off the ground. 

Tracy York, co-founder and vice president of customer success for HG Insights, recently joined the AKPsi Business Edge Podcast to share his experiences as someone who has successfully founded multiple companies — one which went on to acquisition in 2010. “For those thinking about starting a company, there’s opportunity out there. All kinds of firms looking to build teams, to fund companies… it’s a pretty amazing environment in the ecosystem,” he said.

Taking Care of Business as a Freelancer

You’ve probably heard the term “gig work” or the phrase “gig economy” in the news quite a bit over the last few years. A lot of that conversation has focused on the new category of gig jobs created by app companies like Uber and Instacart. 

But for years — long before you could order up a ride to the airport or a tofu breakfast burrito from your phone — there’s been a workforce of independent contractors or “freelancers,” doing professional, often high-paying jobs for clients and businesses. And the prevalence of freelance work has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study by Upwork found that 36% of American workers freelanced in 2020, and three in five say they’re making the same or more money freelancing than they would be working for a traditional employer. The study also found that as much as half of the total Gen Z workforce has freelanced at some point in the last year, and nine out of 10 plan to continue.

Freelancing has been a way for some people to get by after losing their job or needing to scale back during the pandemic. But for many, freelancing is a career choice. They enjoy the freedom that comes with working for themselves, choosing the projects they take on, and working remotely on their own time. Both small businesses and large corporations (and everything in between) hire freelancers to help with various projects, from copywriting to graphic design to data science.

There are plenty of benefits to freelance work that you might find enticing — setting your own hours, avoiding office politics, or even a “pants optional” dress code. But being a freelancer also means you are your own employer — there’s no sales or accounting team to take care of things for you. Finding clients and managing the business is up to you. There’s a lot to consider and plan for, especially when you’re just getting started. So let’s dig into some basics.

Employee Stock 101: Get to Know Your Options

When you think about your benefits package as an employee, you might think about health insurance, 401k, or paid time off. But some employers offer an additional benefit to their employees in the form of equity in the company. 

Many companies — particularly startups or scale-ups — will offer stock options as part of your overall compensation package to recruit and retain top talent. The idea behind offering company equity is that you will essentially share in the company’s success, and will have the potential to sell your shares one day for a little (or a lot of) money. 

For public companies (i.e., those trading on the stock exchange), equity is typically offered to employees in the form of a discount on their stock. Private companies are owned by a group of individuals, like the company’s founders and/or private investors, and the stock can’t be traded publicly.

For this article, we’ll focus primarily on private companies and what to expect when you’re granted stock options as an employee.

First Job Out of College? Time to Start Investing

Whether you’re a recent grad or have already been in the workforce for a few years, it’s never too early or too late to start investing in your financial future. The sooner you get started, the easier it will be to achieve your financial goals and build a comfy nest egg for your later years. 

While you may already have some level of understanding of the different investment options available to you, making the big decision to hand over some of your own hard-earned money can be intimidating — and more than a little confusing. 

To simplify things, let’s dip our toes into the investment basics, then we’ll point you to some trusted resources for a deeper dive.