![4 Easily Accessible yet Overlooked Sources of Business Financing](https://www.openbusinesscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screenshot-2017-03-26-23.29.03.png)
Lack of working capital can cripple a young business. When you are trying to grow your business, you need all the help you can get. Being in bad financial shape and not being able to take a business loan from your bank should not be the end of the world. Here are some other easily accessible sources of financing you should consider:
PayPal Working Capital
If you use PayPal to process sales, you can take advantage of PayPal Working Capital
Your sales history will determine the amount you qualify for. You can receive a loan of up to 18 percent of your annual PayPal sales up to $97,000.
You can have the cash within minutes of applying if you are approved. There will be no periodic interest charged. Instead, you will pay a fixed fee that will be determined by the repayment percentage you choose. If your financial situation gets better and you choose to settle the loan altogether, you can do so without incurring any additional charges.
Get a Higher Credit Limit with Business Credit Cards
Business credit cards offer more flexibility and higher credit limits than personal credit cards. Besides the higher credit limit, you also benefit from greater negotiation power when you want to change your repayment terms and the ability to keep personal and business finances separate.While using business credit cards, you should take care not to incur unwarranted penalties and fees such cards tend to attract. Read the fine print and note the terms pertaining to changes in interest rates as well as penalties in case you fail to make a full repayment in a billing cycle.
Run an E-Commerce Store? Shopify Capital Can Help
If you run an e-commerce store in the United States, you might want to switch to the Shopify platform. Besides being one of the best e-commerce platforms in terms of technology and service, Shopify now offers cash advances to eligible users in need of a cash injection.
Your sales history will determine how much of an advance you qualify for. Shopify will then deduct a predetermined percentage of your sales until the advance is fully repaid.
Take a Personal Loan to Finance Your Business
If you are just starting out and you don’t have any business history, it is normal not to have a lot of options for business financing other than to dig deep into your own pocket. Personal loans taken from the right provider at reasonable terms can come to the rescue and help you get your business off the ground.
Your business history will be irrelevant when taking a personal loan. The only thing that matters is your credit score.
Conclusion
There are several routes you can take to fund your business besides applying for a business loan or giving up equity to an angel investor or venture capital. By thinking outside the box and evaluating the options available to you given your financial position and the nature of your industry, you can find even better financing options.
![Maria Fonseca](https://www.openbusinesscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fonseca.jpeg)
Maria Fonseca is the Editor and Infographic Artist for IntelligentHQ. She is also a thought leader writing about social innovation, sharing economy, social business, and the commons. Aside her work for IntelligentHQ, Maria Fonseca is a visual artist and filmmaker that has exhibited widely in international events such as Manifesta 5, Sao Paulo Biennial, Photo Espana, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Joshibi University and many others. She concluded her PhD on essayistic filmmaking , taken at University of Westminster in London and is preparing her post doc that will explore the links between creativity and the sharing economy.