Usually, we call these "buyer's guides," but when you're factoring your receivables, you're not buying. You're selling. Specifically, you are selling your receivables to a third-party who, in turn, immediately pays you a price that is discounted from the face value of the receivable. Learn how it works here.

Startup Accounting 101 - A presentation by Mint.com CEO Aaron Patzer

Aaron Patzer, CEO of Mint.com, discusses startup accounting and the financial history of Mint.com, which recently bought by Intuit for $170 million. Slides and video of Patzer's presentation are included.

BUYING GUIDE: Business Loans

Some well-financed soul out there probably wants to lend money to your business. The question is, who is this person, and on what terms? We recognize that small business loans can be difficult to find these days. We want to make the process easier and more transparent for you. We describe the process of most small businesses’ search for a loan, starting at the gold standard – an old-fashioned bank loan – through other alternatives from nonbank lenders, so-called “hard money” lenders and asset-based lenders.

In Conversation with Mitch Jacobs
On Deck Capital
December 2009.

Company.com talked to Mitch Jacobs, founder and CEO of On Deck Capital, Inc., a New York based company providing loans that work for small business-not the other way around. Mitch founded On Deck Capital in 2006 and, to date, has provided $49 million in loans to small businesses when traditional bank loans were not an option.

Debt vs Equity
How Much Will You Give Up
To Get What You Want?

Bootstrapping, reinvesting (your own or your company's money), bank loans, and equity partners. Is there a lesser evil when you sell a stake in your business to bankers or strangers?

Alternative Sources of Business Financing

If the bank won't lend you capital, how do you finance your business? We're assuming you don't have a rich Uncle Tony and don't have a winning lottery ticket in your pocket. Your choices after that are institutional lenders, private lenders, account receivables funding, or selling a part of your business. Finding capital can be tough, but here's how to find a few, and how to be professionally prepared to answer the tough questions a lender might ask.

Ten Ways to Raise Capital

Money's too tight to mention. Or maybe you need money for nothing, because your product or service is still only available on the back of a coaster from the local bar. Fact is, if your business needs to get some extra money, there's a limited number of ways to do that -- here are ten of them.

10 steps to starting your own business

Running a business doesn't stop until the business stops. You can start a company faster and easier in the United States than almost anywhere in the world, but getting it right takes a plan. You'll need to consider whether you need a business loan, temporary or permanent staffing, whether you're going to use a public relations company to get word out about who you are, business insurances, data backup, where are your customers coming from? Will you need to contract with a lead generation service? And this is just the very tip of the iceberg.

Startup Boardroom, Day Three: The Banker

Startup Boardroom, Day Three. Bank of America small business lender Kathie Sowa talks about the problems entrepreneurs should avoid.

Entrepreneurs Who Didn't Need A College Degree

For some of the guys on this list, it was a matter of building up enough money to start their own business. For others, success looks easy because they were ... and I can't stress this enough ... insanely smart. Like if they didn't go into business they'd be Bond-villains or President, right now. And there are a couple who caught a lucky break or had the right idea at the right time.