Show Me the Money: Financing for Your Startup

I have great ideas for new businesses all the time. So what's stopping me from actually doing something about them? Often, it's simply money. Finding the cash to get a business started is frequently the biggest challenge for women entrepreneurs.

And traditional sources - banks, credit unions - are often unwilling to take a chance on an untried idea. This despite the fact that women-owned businesses employ approximately 27 million people and comprise 48% of all businesses in the United States, according to The National Foundation for Women Business Owners.

The NFWBO also states that 55% of women provide half or more of their household's income. And yet 80% of all women in the workforce earn less than $25,000 a year. It's no wonder, then, that so many women dream of starting their own business and determining their own wages.

But it's more difficult for women to obtain seed money for a new business, partly due to the scoring system currently used by credit bureaus. One site that offers such help is Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence. Count Me In provides loans of $500 to $10,000 to women starting or growing a business.

Your first loan must be $5,000 or less. But each time you repay a loan, you are eligible to borrow again. You can find more information on applying for a Count Me In loan at their website. No more excuses. If you have a great idea for a business, get over there and apply!