How much does it cost to set up your own business?
As a self-employed person, you are responsible for the success and financial results of your business. However, in order to generate a profit, you may have to incur certain costs. You can divide these into three broad categories:
- Start-up costs
- Operating costs: costs of running your business
- Customer acquisition costs
We will go over them for you
Start-up capital for companies
A number of company forms require a start-up capital. A fixed amount, as was the case before the company reform, is no longer required. However, you must demonstrate that your business is viable by means of a financial plan, including the budget you will need to bridge the first two years. That is the amount you must contribute as start-up capital.
Would you like to find out what exactly you need to set up a company?
Invest using your own funds
Your own funds are the best source of financing. By own funds we mean your own savings and personal assets. This may be money you have saved over the years or profits from a former business.
Financing your business with your own funds has some interesting advantages. The higher the equity, the stronger the company's solvency. Also, you are not dependent on other parties and, should you wish to obtain additional resources, a solid equity contribution is reassuring for investors and partners.
Just make sure that you don't need those funds to live off and remember that these are funds you could lose. After all, business is, and always will be, about taking risks.
Apply for subsidies
Good news: There are numerous subsidies (premiums, start-up premiums, grants) for self-employed entrepreneurs. That is how the federal government, the regions and the municipalities try to support businesses.
Premiums are usually limited in time and specific to certain sectors or situations. Talk to Securex and discover which subsidies are useful to you.
Call on people around you for financing
You can call on people around you in two ways:
- Set up a crowdfunding campaign
- Take out a win-win loan or the Walloon variant ‘Coup de Pouce’
Crowdfunding
Are you planning a new project, but you don't have enough start-up capital? Present your project on a crowdfunding platform. Anyone interested can invest. All those small contributions together finance the entire project. You recruit your investors mainly via the Internet and social networking sites.
Your advantage? The investors may already be future customers enthusiastically promoting your products in their circles. Thus, you get to enjoy a true 'ink blot' effect.
More information?
Win-win loans
Are your friends and family eager to support you financially in starting up your own business?
With the Win-Win loan from the Flemish Region, this can be done at a good rate:
- A family member or friend invests up to €50,000 in your business.
- In return, he or she benefits from an annual tax reduction of 2.5% on the outstanding capital.
- The loan is for 8 years. It can be repaid earlier.
- Are you unable to repay the loan? If so, the investor recovers 30% through a one-off tax rebate.
- Is your business going bankrupt? If so, the investor is last in line to be repaid.
- Through the Win-Win Loan, you, as an entrepreneur, can borrow up to €200,000.
Would you like to find out more about the Win-Win Loan? Read the details at pmvz.eu/winwinlening.
Coup de Pouce
The Walloon equivalent of the Win-Win loan is the ‘Coup de Pouce’ loan. It works in a similar way:
- Private investors inject up to €125,000 into the business.
- Repayment takes place after 4, 6 or 8 years.
- In doing so, the investors receive a tax benefit of up to 4% during the first four years and 2.5% from the fifth year onwards.
- It's a subordinated loan: investors are the last to be repaid in case of bankruptcy.
- Entrepreneurs are entitled to a maximum of €250,000 by way of a Coup de Pouce loan.
Only young companies are eligible for this funding (registered in the CBE for less than 5 years).
Would you like to find out more about the Coup de Pouce loan? Go to pretcoupdepouce.be.
Take out a bank loan
The principle of a bank loan is simple. Your banking institution will lend you the necessary money. In return, you repay the amount in instalments together with interest at a fixed or variable rate.
The great advantage of a bank loan is that you can access external sources of financing, whilst you remain in control of your business.
However, there are also disadvantages. Sometimes your banker will require guarantees, such as a deposit or a mortgage. Furthermore, there is the additional interest.
Do you have plans? Contact your bank ahead of time, or discuss it with the Securex experts.
Consider a micro-loan
As an entrepreneur, do you have trouble obtaining a loan from the bank? If so, micro-credits are a solution.
Such a loan runs for a maximum of 5 years, at an interest rate of 6%. The maximum amount you can borrow depends on the institution to which you apply for the micro-loan.
Find external investors
External investors are partners or shareholders who put private money into your company. This can be cash or funds in kind.
In exchange for their contribution, you give them shares. They thus own a part of your company and have a say in its day-to-day management.
Business angels
Business angels invest in unlisted companies.
Please note that business angels are mainly interested in innovative projects with high growth potential - mostly in the start-up or development phase. They invest in addition to your own contribution as an entrepreneur. This is often done by several people at the same time.
In Belgium, there are several entrepreneurial networks with a business-angel profile. For example, Be Angels in Brussels and Wallonia or the Business Angels Netwerk Vlaanderen (BAN) in Flanders.
Choose a regional investment company
The regional investment companies in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia offer alternative financing:
- Flanders: PMV
- Brussels: finance.brussels
- Wallonia: Sowalfin
