Many times we think that having a great idea leads to a great project, but, unfortunately, we need something just as necessary for this to happen: the media ...
To start a new project, be it a company or an artistic work, the idea is important, although, without a doubt, the most important thing is to be clear about whether your project will be profitable or will guarantee your success in your career. Many times we think that having a great idea leads to a great project, but unfortunately, we need something just as necessary for this to happen: the media.
It will be of little use to be sure that you will revolutionize the music scene, if you do not have money to record an album. The same goes for companies; Even if you have done an exhaustive market study and know how to easily generate profits, if you can't start due to lack of means, you won't get very far.
Knowing how to finance your project is as important as having a good idea. We all know that the world is full of good ideas that are never realized, and one of the reasons is often not being able to finance it. Next, we explain how you can get financing to turn your dream into reality.
Are you going to make a profit or a loss?
It is vital that you are clear if your project will have an economic return or if the economic value of it can bring you losses. A company, by its nature, has to generate profits, so the investment channels are usually different, but an artistic project can generate losses or profits. Although not all artistic projects have a chance of succeeding. Releasing a record, for example, may or may not pay off, while a short film will rarely generate income.
Of course, you can see yourself in the position of not knowing if you will have an economic return. When this happens in companies, in most cases, it is a total failure, while in an artistic project it can be a risk to assume. Our advice is, in the case of artistic projects, to assume that losses can happen, unless they are focused as business.
If you find yourself in one of these circumstances, assess well which financing to choose. If your priority is to make money with your artistic project, you should take it as a business project. However, if your priority is to publicize your work at all costs and without altering it depending on the markets, you should take it as a project with no return.
Projects with no return
If you want to finance your artistic or humanitarian project, where the important thing is the project or its message, and not the profits that it reports to you, you can rest easy. Although it sounds impossible to finance something that will not generate money in this consumer society, it is possible.
You should first look for a grant according to your project. If it is a humanitarian project, you can contact the administrations in your area to ask if they grant grants to projects similar to yours. Regarding the artistic field, the Ministry of Culture usually offers subsidies to the different disciplines; cinema, music, literature ... You just have to inform yourself and prepare to present your project in a serious way, since the subsidies are few and with a lot of competition.
If you have not been able to or rule out financing your project through state grants, there are private alternatives. Look for organizations or NGOs related to your project, as they may be interested in supporting it. Even private companies can seek promotion in your work in exchange for collaborating with its financing. Be creative and think about who would like to participate in your project. For example, if you are writing a book on immigration, you can contact organizations that help migrants.
Another interesting option is Crowdfunding. These platforms allow you to present your project, which may include commercial interests, and encourage potential consumers to pay for it before completion. This ranges from records to video games, through cinema, board games or documentaries.
Projects with return
If you want to start your own company or finance your first steps as a freelancer, you will have many more options. The first thing will be, again, to look for state subsidies. Either by age, by starting the activity or by sectorial aid, you can opt for different facilities that cushion your investment.
However, you will have to invest yes or yes. The normal thing is usually to ask for a loan from a bank, but, in recent years, the proliferation of different online loans has made the options increasingly greater when looking for financing. In fact, there are even platforms where you can compare different loans for freelancers . This is because the market is so competitive that it has had to be segmented into different sectors, leading to increasingly specialized loans.
Whatever you choose, you always have to have your project well thought out and have some room for maneuver in case things go wrong. In this type of project you can also consider the option of crowdfunding, but again, you will have to sell your product before doing it, so it is not guaranteed that you will get such financing. The good thing is that you will not lose your investment if you do not achieve it.