With the age of the internet, transparency and an ability to communicate in ways we never had before, nontraditional financing has become a very popular way for small businesses and entrepreneurs to raise funding for their ventures.  Tyler Raymie, with The America’s SBDC Iowa state office writes about the pros and cons about crowdfunding for your small business.  Read more at www.iowasbdc.org or contact the Iowa Western SBDC to sit down with one of our counselors to discuss d

Traditionally, entrepreneurs in need of financing for their start-ups and small businesses had two options — apply for a bank loan or shop their ideas to investors. In recent years, however, the means for acquiring funding have evolved. One novel approach to raising capital is crowdfunding. Here we’ll give you a quick and dirty rundown on crowdfunding, including what it is, how it works, which websites to use, and ways to develop a successful campaign. What Is Crowdfunding?