Missouri Business Resource Library:
Finance

Accounting and record keeping

MO SBTDC's new web-based financial analysis tool > learn more about ProfitCents

Courses to help with financial matters

• Preparing a Cash Budget
• Managing Your Cash Flow
• Running a Profitable Company
• Analyzing Your Financial Ratios
  

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• Understanding Financial Statements (visit calendar)
• How to Control Cash Flow (visit calendar)
• Predicting Future Cash Needs (visit calendar)

Jump Start Online Business Learning

• How Can I Get Government Grants?

• BizPlanIt's Virtual Business Plan - Step-by-step walkthrough of business plan sections including basics and mistakes to avoid.
• Businesses That Scrutinize Expenditures May be Surprised - Answering a series of questions after tax-time can help business owners decide what costs are essential to meeting profit goals and which are unnecessary.
• Can I put this on my account? - Having a clearly defined policy extending credit to customers under terms and conditions, with qualifications, is an easy way to grow a business at a faster rate.
• Crunching Numbers - An overview of using the financial projections spreadsheets tool to create realistic projections for your business.
• Financial Controls - Understand your company's progress and current position by understanding the three major financial reports used for financial management: balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.
• Guide to Creating Invoices that Get Paid - Steps to make and deliver invoices that get paid.
• "Home-Based Business: Keeping Records" - Provides guides and a checklist to help you develop a simple set of records for your business (University of Missouri Extension guidesheet).
• Merchant Account Tools and Calculators - Tools to help you calculate your estimated monthly costs to process credit cards. These tools help the small business owner estimate and budget monthly merchant account fees for handling credit cards.
• Online Billing and Invoicing Tools - Ten free, easy to use, online tools to help you send unlimited invoices to clients, work with multiple currencies, keep records of all your payments, and integrate PayPal or Google checkout into your billing system.
• Record keeping - Overview of the importance of a good record keeping system. Includes glossary of accounting terms and various types of recordkeeping.
• Small Business Accounting is a BIG Deal! - Although you may be tempted to understate your revenue to save on taxes, you may end up costing yourself and your business much more!
• Surviving Cash Flow Crisis - Podcast from the Georgia SBDC.

Analysis and pricing

• Calculating Overhead and Price - A seven-step process for calculating overhead percentage. After the overhead percentage is determined, important pricing decisions can be made.
• Discounting pros and cons - Discounting is a good idea, right? Not always. Here are some pros and cons of using discounting to create better cash flow.
• Do the Math - How Much To Charge Per Hour - Podcast from the Georgia SBDC.
• Do You Know If You're Charging the Right Price? - Pricing terminology, how to calculate the overhead percentage and examples for calculating for a product and a service business.
• Financial Ratios - Formulas for use in calculating financial ratios to help determine answers to critical financial health questions about the business
• Financial Projection Spreadsheets - (spreadsheet) Tools developed by SBDC counselors to help you create realistic projections for your business plan
  Presentation - instructions and discussion on how to use the spreadsheet
• Lease vs. Purchase - Before making a decision whether to lease or purchase capital equipment, you may want to perform some calculations. Intelligent cost analysis can help lead to sound decisions.
• Positive Cash Flow Critical for Small Businesses to Thrive - Article includes pointers business owners and managers can employ to improve cash flow.
• ProfitCents - How well has your business weathered the recession? Are you poised to seize the opportunities created by customers re-opening their wallets? How are you doing in comparison with your competition? ProfitCents can answer these questions and provide precise, in-depth financial data.
• Putting Cost Back into Pricing: Calculating Overhead Percentages - Competitive pricing is always an important concern. This article outlines how to calculate overhead percentages and how to use them to determine product pricing.
• Start-up and Annual Expense Worksheets - Worksheets for estimating start-up costs and annual sales and earnings. Forms can be filled out online.
• Tips for entrepreneurs: Small business cash flow - Strategies to help when customers are slow to pay and suppliers are quick to collect.
• What Do Business Success and Understanding Your Financial Statement Have in Common? - Understanding your financial statements is the key component to achieving greater business success. Here's how to begin...

Grants, loans and capital

• Angel Financing: Do's and Don'ts for Entrepreneurs - Specific tips for dealing with individual investors ("angel" financiers) from the Kauffman Foundation's Entrepreneurship.org site.
• Building a Relationship You Can Bank On - Why a good relationship with your banker is critical to business success with tips for strengthening that relationship.
• Bankrate.com - Small Biz Finance - Small business ratio calculators.
• Benefits.gov - Your benefits connection. This website provides information on more than 1000 federal and state benefit and assistance programs. It provides a quick and easy way for prospective business owners to learn more about various Federal and State assistance programs. By using a confidential questionnaire, you can identify a list of programs that you may be eligible to receive assistance from based on your individual needs.
• Banking considerations for technology companies - A solid banking relationship can be a great partner for a tech company. Finding one with the experience you need will help manage challenges.
• Business financing podcasts - Financing podcasts from SBA offering advice on topics ranging from traditional loans to grants, bonds and investor-based venture capital.
• Capital for Business - Invests in manufacturers and distributors of industrial products or parts. Also invests in business-to-business services. Does not invest in start-ups.
• Complying with Missouri Securities Laws: A Guide for Small Businesses - Part of the Missouri Secretary of State's website. Provides the owner of a small business with information necessary to raise capital under the Missouri Securities Laws.
• Count-Me-In - A non-profit organization that raises money from individuals and organizations in order to make small business loans to women across the country.
• Don't Buy It! There is No Free Money!!! - The truth about government grants.
• Financing Your Business - Sixth section of "Doing Business in Missouri". Provides information on obtaining financial assistance. Discusses federal, state, regional, local and private funding sources.
• The Funding Question: What are Angel Investors and Venture Capital Firms? - The differences from angel investors to venture capital firms and their range of criterial for evaluating investment recipients.
• Garage Technology Ventures - Venture capital investment bank providing private placement services for high tech companies. Since 1999, Garage has raised more than $340 million in venture capital for its clients in 82 transactions through its broker/dealer subsidiary, Garage Securities, Inc.
• General Tips on Writing a Competitive Grant Proposal & Preparing a Budget - Proposal preparation tips from the Environmental Protection Agency.
• GovLoans.gov - Find the right loan for you. This website provides information on hundreds of loan programs, including many for potential and current small business owners. You can quickly access a program description, eligibility criteria, loan terms and information on how to apply.
• InvestorGuide.com - Provides tools, reference materials and resources for businesses wishing to raise capital.
• Loan Checklist - Items needed at time of loan application.
• MasterCard Small Business Resource Center - Iincludes business planning tools and expert advice/articles.
• Missouri Market Development Program - Helps Missouri's manufacturers find and use recycled materials in producing new products.
• MoneyCenter.com - Online resource for commercial loans, real estate loans, lease financing, business charge cards, depository accounts, electronic banking, currency trading, 401(k) plans, insurance, employee benefit plans, investment management, management services, more.
• MoreBusiness.com - Information about financing your business.
• The Myth About Grants for Business: It's Not "Free Money" - Unless there is a very good reason for seeking a grant, the business owner who has that much time and energy could better put that effort into working on business improvements.
• National Association of Seed and Venture Funds - Provides information on public and private sector resources of seed and venture capital. Includes an indexed list of news articles on the subject.
• Pitfalls of Business Financing That's "All in the Family" - Use the same professional approach you use with a bank when receiving loans from friends or family members.
• RateAPY.com - A leading provider of depository rate account data (rates for internet, national and local banks).
• Resources for Missouri, Inc. (RMI) - Provides financing to small businesses in rural Missouri. RMI is a Missouri statewide certified development company.
• Respecting Money - Tips for how business owners can give money the respect it deserves leading to better business management.
• Rural Business Financing Through the USDA - A short synopsis of the business resources available to promote rural business growth and opportunities through the United States Department of Agriculture.
• SBA - Financial Assistance - Info on loan programs for small businesses.
• SBA Online Library - Links to SBA loan forms.
• SBIR: Seed Capital Funding to Move Missouri's Innovations to Market - An overview of the SBIR/STTR process and how the MoFAST initiative and the SBTDC can assist in navigating it successfully.
• Securing Money from Family and Friends - Five tips for borrowing money from and loaning to friends and relatives.
• Seed Capital Funding Cycle - Taking time to develop plans and understand capital needs throughout the different stages of the business can help lead to a successful business venture.
• Six tips for a successful meeting with your banker - Financing is vital to any small business, yet many business owners spend little time preparing to meet their banker when seeking financing. These six tips will help.
• Sources of Angel Financing for Your Small Business - Links to six possible origins of money for second-tier financing (from About.com).
• Understanding SBA Financing - SBA offers a variety of financing options for your business.
• USDA: Rural Business - Cooperative Service - Part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. Provides information on financing initiatives and grant programs designed to assist rural businesses and cooperatives.
• vFinance.com - Directory of venture capital firms, angel investors, sample business plan templates
• Where Can I Get Money? - This is the #1 question small business owners ask ... learn more about funding sources and what it takes to receive funding

Taxes

• See Taxes section in Regulations and taxes.