You must be able to show you've got a real winner. You must do it without fluff or a "come on, dream with me" embellishment. Therefore, you need a business plan. A good one that shows you've done your homework and know "lay of land."

Venture capital providers want to be sure their investment is sound. They generally do this by taking ownership over a pretty big part of company, and often require control of major portions of business. This is so they can look after their investment.

Do they mess around with little guy? On whole, they don't want to fool around with little investments and they are bully on companies that have high-growth potential. Gotta think big with these guys!

A few sites that help businesses and capital providers meet are vCapital.com, BusinessFinance.com, and vFinance.com.

==> Angels

An angel, or private investor, is a person looking for good investment vehicles. This person could be your next door neighbor, your dentist, or a local business owner. Overall, angels are not loan-makers, they are investors. As such, degree of control and terms under which you receive seed money for your business will depend on arrangement brokered between you and your angel.

The key to finding an angel in your area is networking. While you may not have an angel in your personal pool of contacts, by networking with others you can create a word of mouth campaign that reaches ears of private investors.

Moving outside of your local area, you can begin a sweeping search for private investors at BusinessFinance.com. They maintain a list of thousands of potential investors.

==> SBA Microloans

The Small Business Administration may be helpful in connecting you with a Microloan. These loans are administered by non-profit organizations that want to foster economic development in your area. Contact your regional SBA office for information on this loan program. You can find your local office using this online locator: http://www.sba.gov/regions/states.html

==> Small Business Investment Companies

The SBA or your local Chamber of Commerce may be aware of Small Business Investment Corporations operating in your area. These organizations are interested in reviving depressed portions of your community, bringing employment to places with high unemployment, or even helping certain minority groups. They will work with new businesses if you meet criteria they expect. You can visit American Economic Development Council for a list of organizations in your area: http://www.aedc.org/

==> Business Incubators

Business Incubators help build new businesses. They can provide help in all phases of start-up, including funding. Investigate whether or not an incubator exists in your area with SBA, Chamber of Commerce, local universities, or your local municipality.

==> Your Future Customers

Your future customers may be a source of money. This is a less conventional method, and your timing must be right to coordinate this type of deal. You simply take advance orders for your product and collect at time of order. If you take enough orders, you can search for a lending institution which makes loans against accounts receivable.

In final analysis, name of game is perseverance. Get your name and idea out there in real world. Start talking to people about your intent and become a player. Have your business plan ready, be aggressive, and you can get money you need.

Do you have any payment plans that pay out on a monthly basis, for which you would like a lump sum amount for? Try selling it for present day cash. If you are holding a mortgage note, or a lottery winning, or business notes, you can sell those for cash now. Some of your life insurance policies can be sold, as well, if you have no real need for them anymore (your kids are grown and on their own, your spouse may have died, or you know your life is on a short timeline and you just want to enjoy time you have but need money). If you have won a lawsuit that is paying out in installments, you can sell that for lump sum cash. You may have other types of assets that you can get cash for - think about it and see what you might be able to work out. http://doubleii.com/cashnow.html If you have no assets to sell, you might need to think "outside box" - be innovative and figure out what you have to sell - your talents or services, perhaps? In any case, figure out all your assets - physical and inner - and see what you think people will pay you for them or for using them. Price fairly and beware of scams.

P. Roe has been representing financial products over the years and has gained expertise from both training and experience. There is help for your financial situation, in most cases, and each week the "Funding Solutions" newsletter brings you more information and details on financial options and safe investing. Tracking scams has also become a priority. http://doubleii.com/finance.html