Starting a Business 6: Funding Your Business (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Leeds,
Starting a Business 6: Funding Your Business (FutureLearn)

Raising funds in an important when starting a business; find out which source of funding is most suitable for your business idea. A successful business requires funding to get it started. There are many ways to get your business up and running, from the informal such as personal savings and borrowing, borrowing from friends and family, to the more formal avenues like bank loans, raising equity to crowd-funding. This course will help you consider the finance options available for businesses, and how to fund the expansion of a business.

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This is the final course in a series of six about ‘starting a business’.

What topics will you cover?

  • The options available to raise capital for new ventures
  • Financial support in your locality
  • How to fund the expansion of a business
  • An introduction to crowdfunding
  • Pitch your business idea, product or service
  • The business plan: funding a business

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the types of funds that can be raised to help get a business up and running.
  • Identify the factors which impact on the way a new venture is financed eg company type, the market or sector the company is trading within, the aspirations of the founders.
  • Discuss the entrepreneur’s business challenge: How can the expansion of the team’s company be funded?
  • Assess funding for a business plan.
  • Assess whether funding is required to get started.
  • Reflect on how you would approach financial sources.

Who is the course for?
This course is part of the Going to University collection which has been specifically designed for students at schools and colleges. They provide a taster of undergraduate study at the University of Leeds and help students to decide which subject to study at university.
Completion of the courses will also enhance students’ university applications.
The courses can also be used as a teachers’ classroom enrichment resource.
Courses in this collection are also great for people that want an introduction in the specific subjects discussed in each course.

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