Seller Financing
An easy way to save money when starting a business is to buy one that has already been established. With the elimination of early startup costs, you would already tap into an enterprise that has a recognized customer base, employees, overhead, and inventory.
You can use seller financing as a way to reduce your costs even further. This means paying small monthly payments to the seller of the business, similar to the way you would make loan payments to a bank. It may take some time and effort to convince the business seller to allow seller financing, but negotiate with an open-mind and make sure to file all the appropriate paperwork in taking over and buying a business.
Landlord Financing
One of the main expenses that new startups face is office rent. By working out of home, you can save a lot of money and take the opportunity cost of renting office space to spend in the businesses itself.
If however office space is a necessity, there are some simple things you can do to lower rent costs. Firstly, when renting a commercial space, it often comes “as is”; this means that all improvements and remodeling are paid by you. Try negotiating with your landlord to pay as much of the restructuring costs as possible. If that doesn’t work, ask that you not pay any rent until the office space is completely ready. In addition, you can negotiate with your landlord for a few free months of rent for every year of service loyalty to his complex or that they provide some office desks and chairs for you.
Lastly, ask your landlord about subleasing. You can attempt to split the cost of your rent costs by sharing an office space with another business. Not only can you minimize early costs, but you could potentially create new business relationships that could benefit your company later on.