1. Credit Cards. According to a 2012 National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) study 79% of small business owners used credit cards to start or grow their business. That says a lot about the significance of using credit cards to capitalize a small business. According to another study conducted by Keybridge Research, the use of business credit cards to start or grow a small business has tremendous positive effects on the business and the economy as a whole. The study found that the expansion of credit card lending between 2003 and 2008 contributed to the creation of 1.6 million jobs and for every $1,000 of business credit card use, a

1. Tell your story quick. When pitching investors you have a captive audience. But they won’t stay captive for long unless you can hook them. And to-date I’ve seen two things that keep investors’ early attention on you versus their Blackberrys: An entertaining story on the problem you’re solving. An entertaining story on the founders and how the company came together. Both of these points are about putting some context and relevancy on the upcoming pitch and discussion. If you make the problem feel real and explain it in an entertaining way it’s going to resonate much more strongly with investors. The same holds true with the history of the

1. Our strategy is sustainably differentiated. Demonstrate what’s special about your company and how you’ll keep that strong position. Is your offering fresh and different with a unique solution for the customer? Are your costs structurally lower or your service super fast because you invented incredible algorithms? Show that you have something different from the pack, and that is what your target market wants. Some businesses grow and thrive with execution being their main differentiator: think high-volume selling or complex logistics businesses. If execution is your pitch for why you’re different, be sure your track record backs that up. 2. We are the right team for this endeavor. For early