Self-Funding

If you have the capital to hand in the form of savings, this is an ideal way to fund your business, as it gives you the control over all aspects of the business. It also motivates you, knowing that it is your own money you are using to try to earn more – it definitely gets you up in the morning!

If you do not have savings that you can dip into there are other ways to self-fund, with your own credit card, moonlighting for extra cash, or even by selling your old stuff on eBay - but these may involve big lifestyle changes, and a lot of hard work. It can be very stressful if it directly impacts on your life, you don’t want to have to put yourself in near-poverty if at all possible! There is also a fairly high risk factor if your business does not go the way you want it to, as you are gambling with your own financial security.
 

Bank Loans

Bank loans are a tidy way of getting money at a reasonable rate, and there are some loans around that are specifically for small/start-up businesses; for example HSBC offer business loans of anything between £1000 and £25000. There is a very structured system in place and they are experienced in lending. However, with the current economic climate, it is not always easy to get a loan, and the bank will take into account your collateral, credit rating/credit history and your business plan before they approve the loan. In order to increase your chances of getting the bank to approve your eligibility, visit a Small Business Administration office, where a counsellor can look through your business plan and make sure it has everything it needs, and can give your plan an SBA guarantee, which will help you on your way.
Incubator funding/ venture funding

Whilst a bank loan might at first deem the simplest option, incubator funding/venture funding are options that can give you more for your money.
In exchange for a minimal equity swap, an incubator fund provides access to the amenities and services a business needs to successfully launch itself. These include that of legal, marketing, PR, IT and sales, but perhaps most importantly is the provision of invaluable mentorship and guidance from established business minds and successful entrepreneurs.

Programmes like Y Combinator and Seedcamp are examples of existing incubator programmes that help entrepreneurs in creating powerful networks- services that aren’t provided with a standard bank loan. It is true however that an application process exists for incubator funds making them perhaps less feasible for some businesses.

Grants

Grant funding should be at the top of every entrepreneur’s list when sourcing funding, and it is for most. Mainly because in most cases you don’t have to give anything back.

There is a wide range of grant funding schemes available, each with their own set of criteria. This may seem overwhelming at first, but there are services that can help pinpoint specific grants to geographical areas, for example, such as www.grantnet.com and www.j4b.co.uk.
It is important for a start-up to be aware of the varying grants available and specifically target those that possess criteria that best matches their own business plan. This criterion can be the simplest of things, such as your age. The Prince's Trust for example grants funding specifically to young people in the UK. However, it is also important to be aware that the criteria for grant schemes is constantly evolving and changing. This can put some people off, but it is a funding option that should not be ruled out by any entrepreneur even though it may take a bit of time to get through the application process.

Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding offers a unique way to bring your idea to market in an environment that completely protects you as the startup. Most crowfunding sites allow you to list your project with the understanding you are going for all or nothing funding. This means that if you have done your business plan correctly, your startup has enough money to deliver everything that you have offered to the "crowd" in your pledges, plus raised the money to move your startup forward. The beauty of putting your idea out there so early on is that you get to have the feedback from hundreds or even thousands of people that are keen to share your project with you. This means that you can learn more about your business and it's needs as it develops in the no risk environment. You set the deadline that you have for raising the money and you set the offers that you are going to use to entice people into supporting you.

So how do you set about raising the money? How do you go about trying to harness a willing crowd into cash for your business? You can pre-sell your products at a discount to your eventual retail price. You can offer up discounted gift certificates. You can set about asking friends and family to support you at a level that is comfortable for them. You can champion a cause with your startup providing a feel good factor. With this in mind, the most effective crowdfunding campaigns that we have seen tend to be the ones that really capture the imagination. They are projects that exhibit exciting new ideas, offer shared experiences with the founders, take the community through a journey and listen to what people want. Below are a few projects that really show off the power of crowdfunding and also really demonstrate how important it is to have a video to engage the audience with what you are doing:
This kickstarter campaign is developing a new type of speaker and has already raised three and a half times it's funding target. The majority of their funding has come from excellent pre-sales of the full package.  The team have really shown how they have taken a great concept and are working up a product that is going to look amazing and by doing so in an engaging genuine manner they have managed to take most of the people following this project through a journey of product development.

This project has reached 150% of its funding target with nearly a month still to go primarily thanks to an amazing community of supporters that already love the brand and want to see it presented in a new and exciting way. By raising $5,000 Robert Place is able to take The Alchemical Tarot to print. The project owner has made over 130 updates over the funding period and has been able to presell 130 copies of the book for anywhere between $35 and $120 depending on the limited edition notes, 1hr readings or just signatures placed on these limited editions.

www.indiegogo.com/The-Alchemical-Tarot-Number-Three
www.PleaseFund.Us is a new platform launched in the UK that is fundraising £8,000 for Realtennis.tv at the moment. This project is offering backers anything from court time with a world top five player of real tennis or rackets, to exclusive dinners at the Queens Club or Manchester Racket Club. Should the project be successful in reaching it's funding target the project owners will be using the money to purchase expensive camera equipment needed to stream high quality fast action sports over the internet in the hope that they can roll the model out over several niche sports such as rowing, pelota and even club rugby.
www.pleasefund.us/projects/realtennis-tv

For more funding resources 

Source: Please Fund Us