Venture capital is a topic that always seems to bring both a light to the eyes of entrepreneurs and a confused look on faces at the same time. Most entrepreneurs believe that this particular source of funds is only appropriate for very large businesses with a proven track record that now have new ideas. In the mind of the hopeful entrepreneur, new start-ups and small businesses need not apply. While true that many venture capital funds flow into businesses that have an established cash flow, there are also funds available for those just getting started or for medium sized businesses that are ready to expand into a new market niche. There is no denying that some of the venture capitalists do restrict their funding to only large corporations, but that is not the case for all of them. The key to finding sources of this type of funding is getting professional assistance. Like any private club, you need someone to introduce you to the members. Entrepreneurs trying to gain entrance into the world of venture capital without help are probably going to be faced with stony silence. The real question is whether you should even try to find venture capital with or without help. After all, if this is such a private club then maybe it isn’t worth trying to gain admittance. That’s not the right attitude to have at all. A Perfect Blend You know you need to find business funding from somewhere, but whoever said your startup funding must come from a single source? The answer, of course, is that there are no rules when it comes to putting together a package of funding. When you submit your business plan for funding, the venture capitalist may very well like your plan and want to help get your idea off the ground but also may not want to be the only funder. In that case, you may have to find some other sources of funding to blend with the amount the venture capitalist is willing to fund. The best path to full funding is to piece together a variety of funds and venture capital will be one of the pieces. For example, you could consider looking for equity partners and apply for business loans. Angel investors are another excellent source of funding. Keeping the Dream Alive A business plan represents your best efforts to plan ahead for product development, market and financing. But it’s not written in stone and sometimes you have to be willing to compromise. That’s not to say you sell your soul to the devil and compromise your values or your dream. It just means you need to be willing to make some changes to your plan to satisfy potential investors. It’s your dream, but they are putting their money on the line. When pursuing venture capital for startup funding, you will have to be willing to amend your business plan in some cases. Of course you are satisfied with your plan as it is, but it’s important to remember that investors are experienced and their ideas will probably improve your chances of success. And isn’t that what you want… success? If you still feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea of being flexible, then just consider the fact that the largest corporations grew on other people’s funding through accommodation. No business leader presents a business plan to investors and says, “This is it – no changes allowed.” If giant corporations must be flexible then you know that you will have to be willing to compromise too. Think Positive…Always Venture capital is not just for large companies. It is for smaller and medium sized companies too. But though it is a great source of business funding, it is certainly not the only source. One of the mistakes new businesses make is putting all their efforts into landing one type of funding like business loans, and it is a huge disappointment and setback when the loans are turned down. If you spend all your time pursuing one avenue of funding then a rejection is devastating. Instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, consider applying for multiple sources of funding like accepting equity partners or angel investors. You just need to know where, how and when and that is where a professional can help.