July 2022

Conducting Market Research: A Guide

Today, we live in a consumer-driven world, and businesses face cut-throat competition to survive and succeed in the market.

A company cannot succeed without understanding the consumer’s needs and behavior, so it relies on intensive backend market research. Market research not only tells a company what to produce, but it also tells how to present the product to the consumer. Work doesn’t end here. Once the product is out in the market, market research is conducted to gather information about customer feedback so that the company can make necessary changes to increase its reach.

If you’re new to market research, this guide will provide a blueprint for conducting a thorough study of your market, target audience, competition, and more.

Ways To Get Funding For a Business Idea

Lack of funding is attributed to be one of the common reasons behind failed businesses.

You just came up with a great new business idea – great! But is a great idea enough for a successful business?

If that’s what you believe in, it’s time for a reality check, my friend.

Coming up with a great idea is the first step to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Now you need to work on turning that idea into a reality by funding it, taking it to market, and letting your business change the world. According to a recent study, over 94% of new businesses fail during the first year of operation. Lack of funding is attributed to be one of the common reasons because money is the bloodline of any business.

Top 5 Government Schemes For Funding Startups in India

The Indian government has launched the following schemes to promote and support entrepreneurs in their startup journey.

Introduction

For entrepreneurs, the easy availability of capital is an important factor that affects the enterprise’s growth. Many business ideas do not come into existence because of a lack of working capital. To curb this situation, the Government of India has launched several schemes for funding startups. Through these schemes, the government provides financial assistance to entrepreneurs.

About Startup Funding

Funding refers to the money required to start and run a business. It is a financial investment in a company for product development, manufacturing, expansion, sales and marketing, office spaces, and inventory. Instead of raising funds from third parties, some startup founders go for bootstrapping (to prevent debts and equity dilution). However, most startups raise funding, especially as they grow larger and scale their operations. A startup here means a company built to grow fast, and a high-growth company almost always needs to burn capital to sustain its growth before achieving profitability.

India is gradually on its mission to build a robust startup ecosystem by launching government schemes for funding Startups.

How to Get Funding for a Startup?

Diversifying your sources of financing will allow your startup to meet your specific needs.

Introduction

To grow a startup business, it is inevitable that you will need funding. Launching any business requires capital investment. There’s a need to purchase equipment, rent offices, hire staff, and, most importantly, grow. So unless you’re independently wealthy, you will require outside capital to do these things.

If you’re wondering how to raise money for a business, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide to startup funding, we’ve compiled a list of some business fundraising channels you can take advantage of.

About Funding

Without startup funding, the vast majority of startups will die. A startup here means a company that is built to grow fast, and a high-growth company almost always needs to burn capital to sustain its growth before achieving profitability. There are, of course, exceptions who successfully bootstrap (self-fund) themselves.

An entrepreneur without funding is a musician without an instrument.”

The 8 Stages of Startup Funding

Acquiring funds for a startup can be done with the help of an eight-step funding process.

The information age has introduced a rapid increase in the number of startup companies. The brains behind these startups are either young graduates from schools and colleges or someone who left their corporate job to pursue their dream (well, majorly). Whoever it may be, funding a startup is a difficult task. Many people try to fund their ideas themselves, while others rely on external funding to satisfy their needs.

Acquiring funds for a startup can be done with the help of an eight-step funding process which involves different stages of startup funding. These startup funding stages are: