Getting capital to start or expand a business might be the hardest part of the whole process, and it’s certainly one of the most stressful aspects. Thankfully, there are tons of creative ways to get the finances you need to get up and running. Here are a few ideas that might be the key to starting or expanding your business ASAP.

1. Invoice Factoring

If you want something like a loan for your business but don’t want to go through banks, then invoice factoring might be the way to go. How it works: your existing business sells its invoices to a factoring company at a large discount. In return, the factoring company pays you a set amount. Then, when they collect payments from your customers, the factoring company keeps the invoices. There are lots of pros and cons to this system, but it works well for many small businesses looking for a way to quickly finance expansions.

2. Venture Capital

For exciting new start-ups, venture capitalists can be a great source of funding. Basically, you’ll be giving part of your business to an outside company in exchange for capital. VCs are looking for businesses that have high growth potential – they’re essentially making an investment in a small business in hopes that it will become very successful someday and pay off big time. If your business has potential and doesn’t have assets to qualify for loans, VCs make for a good starting point.

3. Crowd Fund

Another popular and very “now” way of financing a startup is by crowdfunding your startup costs. You’d use a website like Kickstarter to make a case for your business idea, and anyone who likes your business plan can invest their own money into it. This is a great idea for entrepreneurs with a large following but who aren’t prepared to present to investors quite yet. Getting that boost of initial capital gives you what you need to make your case – plus, your business will hopefully have a following of dedicated fans.

4. Small Business Grants

While the government (both on a local and national level) offers grants for many types of small businesses, a lot of that funding goes untapped because small businesses neglect to apply or prepare themselves to qualify for funding. Try speaking with a grant writer or agency about getting your business ready and applying for grants – you could end up funding your startup costs with one application!