Guide

How to finance your business

Need finance for your business? Learn about the types of finance, approaching lenders and investors and more.

A person in construction holds a clipboard and bag of money.

Download the guide to financing your business

Your intro to the different types of finance, including their pros and cons. Fill out the form to receive our finance guide as a PDF.

Options for financing a business

There are many methods for financing your business. See how they each work and how they might fit your needs.

  1. What is business finance?

    Your new business idea is ready to go. Now you need to find the right small business funding. But where do you start?

  2. How much business funding do you need?

    Knowing how much money you need will help you choose the right type of finance. These tips will help you find a number.

  3. Debt versus equity finance

    Most forms of funding fall into one of two camps. Let’s look at the main pros and cons of debt versus equity.

  4. Main types of finance

    It takes money to make money. So what sort of finance options are there? Here are the types that fund most businesses.

  5. How to get a business loan

    Getting a business loan is still one of the most common ways to finance a business. So let’s look at how to get one.

  6. Peer-to-peer lending

    Peer-to-peer lending is an alternative method of getting a business loan. How does it work?

  7. Friends and family loans

    Friends and family loans may be available when other types of finance aren’t, but they do require some precautions.

  8. Invoice financing

    Ever thought your cash flow would be better if everyone just paid what they owed you? Well, you may not have to wait.

  9. How to find investors

    How do you find investors for equity financing? Let’s look at what types there are and where to locate them.

  10. Angel investors versus venture capitalists

    Angel investors and venture capitalists are alternative finance sources. What can they offer your business?

  11. How crowdfunding works

    Crowdfunding can get you money to build a business, and the attention to build a customer base.

  12. Small business grants

    Grants are a great funding option for some businesses. They can be a lot of work to get, but the reward is free money.

  13. Pitching for business funding

    Seeking business funding is a major step but you needn’t be daunted. Here’s how to pitch your business.

  14. Tools and guides for your business

    Now that you’re in business, you want to stay there. Xero’s got resources and solutions to help.

Why Xero knows about business finance

Xero is home to millions of small businesses, who use our software to run their finances and accounting. About 250,000 accountants and bookkeepers use us too. We asked some of those owners and experts about finance, then put their insights into this guide.

Handy resources for small businesses

People who are trying to finance a business often find these resources helpful.

Guide to starting a business

Knowing where to begin when you’re starting a business isn’t easy. Check out our tips for all the steps.

Read the starting a business guide

Business plan template

Use our templates to help transition from a rough idea to a real-life business.

Choose a template

Invoice guide

Check out our tips on the art and science of invoicing to help speed up payment.

Read the invoicing guide

Start using Xero for free

Access Xero features for 30 days, then decide which plan best suits your business.