Startup Costs: How Much Cash Will You Need?創業成本：你需要多少資金？

薩米·卡拉梅拉 王金岳

Starting a business may be an exciting process， but it costs money. When determining business startup costs， it’s important to be realistic. Here’s how to figure out how much you’ll need to launch your business and the best ways to get funding.

1. Start small.

You most likely have high expectations for your company. However， blind optimism may cause you to invest too much money too quickly. At the very beginning， it’s smart to keep an open mind and prepare for issues that may arise later.

Cynthia McCahon， founder and CEO of business plan software company Enloop， said business owners should start with a bit of healthy skepticism.

“A prospective business owner should start planning a small business by simply understanding the potential of the business idea，” she said. “What this means is not assuming your idea will be successful.”

The best approach is to test your idea in a small， inexpensive way that gives you a good indication of whether customers need your product and how much they’re willing to pay for it， McCahon said. If the test seems successful， then you can start planning your business based on what you learned.

2. Estimate your costs.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration （SBA）， most microbusinesses cost around $3，000 to start， while most home-based franchises1 cost $2，000 to $5，000.

While every type of business has its own financing needs， experts have some tips to help you figure out how much cash you’ll require. Serial entrepreneur Drew Gerber—who has started a technology company， a financial planning company and PR firm Wasabi Publicity—estimates that an entrepreneur will need six months’ worth of fixed costs on hand at startup.

“Have a plan to cover your expenses in the first month，” he said. “Identify your customers before you open the door so you can have a way to start covering those expenses.”

When planning your costs， don’t underestimate the expenses， and remember that they can rise as the business grows， Gerber said. It’s easy to overlook costs when you’re thinking about the big picture， but you should be more precise when planning for your fixed expenses， he added.

3. Understand what types of costs you’ll have.

The SBA states that there are various types of expenses to consider when starting your business. You need to differentiate between these costs to properly manage your business’s cash flow for the short and long term， said Eyal Shinar， CEO of cash flow management company Fundbox. Here are a few types of costs for new business owners to consider.

One-time vs. ongoing costs

One-time expenses will be relevant mostly in the startup process， such as the expenses for incorporating a company. If there’s a month when you must make a one-time equipment purchase， your money going out will likely be greater than the money coming in， Shinar said. This means your cash flow will be disrupted that month， and you will need to make up for it the following month.

Ongoing costs， by contrast， are paid on a regular basis and include expenses such as utilities. These generally do not fluctuate as much from month to month.

Essential vs. optional costs

Essential costs are expenses that are absolutely necessary for the company’s growth and development. Optional purchases should be made only if the budget allows. “If you have an optional and nonurgent cost， it may be best to wait until you have enough cash reserves for that purchase，” Shinar said.

Fixed vs. variable costs

Fixed expenses， such as rent， are consistent from month to month， whereas variable expenses depend on the direct sale of products or services. This is a reason that comparing credit card processing providers is so important. Processing rates are a variable cost that you’ll want to regularly review to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Shinar noted that fixed costs may eat up2 a high percentage of revenue in the early days， but as you scale up， their relative burden becomes negligible.

Most common startup expenses

It’s important to understand the different types of costs you’ll have as a new business. Theoretically， it’s good to take note of what costs are fixed， variable， essential or optional. But let’s get concrete3. Here’s a short list of costs you’ll likely have as a new business：

? Web hosting4 and other website costs

? Rental space for an office

? Office furniture

? Labor

? Basic supplies

? Basic technology

? Insurance， license or permit fees

? Advertising or promotions

? Business plan costs

? Typical costs for startups

4. Project5 your cash flow.

Another important aspect of a startup’s financial planning is to project the business’s cash flow. Bill Brigham， director of the New York Small Business Development Center in Albany， advises new business owners to project their cash flows for at least the first three months of the business’s life. He said to add up not only fixed costs but also the estimated costs of goods and best-and-worst-case revenues.

“If you borrow money， make sure you know not only how much you borrowed but also the interest you owe，” Brigham said. “Calculating these costs puts a floor6 on the revenues needed to keep the business viable7 and provides a good picture of the cash necessary to start it up.”

This is an essential step in maintaining your business’s financial health. Without being realistic about your cash flow and debt， you won’t be able to get your business off the ground8， especially as other costs begin to build.

5. Figure out your financing methods.

Once you’ve determined your costs and projected your cash flow， you’ll need to consider how to pursue financing. How you obtain funds will affect the future of your business for years to come. Personal savings， loans from family and friends， bank and government loans， and grants are just a few potential funding sources. Many companies use a combination of different sources.

According to Herndon Davis， mortgage loan officer and real estate agent at Mortgage Real Estate Services， most startups are self-funded. However， there are other options.

“Additional funding can come through establishing business credit and different lines of credit9 through piggybacking10 scenarios，” Davis said. “There’s also small business loans and angel investors willing to step in at certain stages. At this point， your startup should show established client/customers， growth since inception11， a unique positioning in the marketplace， and a clear business plan on how to grow with the additional funding.”

創業或許是個令人興奮的過程，但是要花錢。在確定創業成本時，重要的是要務實。這里介紹如何弄清創業所需費用以及幾種籌措資金的最佳方法。

1. 從小規模做起。

你很可能對自己的公司抱有很高的期望。然而，盲目樂觀會讓你過快投入過多資金。在剛起步時，保持思維開放并且對日后可能出現的種種問題做好準備是聰明的做法。

辛西婭·麥卡洪是商業計劃軟件公司Enloop的創辦人及首席執行官。她說創業之初企業主應當抱著一點兒適當的懷疑態度。

“一個期待成為企業主的人規劃創立一家小公司時，應該從弄清其商業創意的潛力著手。”她說，“這意味著不要假定你的創意會成功。”

麥卡洪說，最好的途徑是以某種小規模、低成本的方法測試你的創意。這種測試可以充分說明顧客是否需要你的產品以及他們愿意花多少錢去購買。如果感覺測試是成功的，就可以根據掌握的情況開始為你的公司做出規劃。

2. 估算成本。

根據美國小企業管理局（SBA）的數據，大多數微型企業創立起來約需3000美元，而大多數居家特許經銷店需要投入2000至5000美元。

雖然每種企業都有各自的資金需求，但專家們還是提供了幾條建議幫你弄清楚需要多少啟動資金。連續創業家德魯·格伯已經創辦了一家科技公司、一家金融策劃公司和一家名為“芥末宣傳”的公關公司。他估計，在公司成立之初，創業者手頭上要準備夠6個月花銷的固定費用。

“要訂個計劃以支付你第一個月的費用。”他說，“先明確你的顧客再開門營業，這樣你才能有辦法支付費用。”

格伯說，做成本計劃時，不要低估開支，并且要牢記隨著業務增長，開銷也會增加。他補充道，雖然思考公司大局的時候很容易忽略成本，但制訂固定支出計劃時，一定要更嚴謹。

3. 弄清成本類型。

小企業管理局指出，創辦企業時有各種成本需要考慮。現金流管理公司Fundbox首席執行官埃亞勒·希納爾說，要區分這些成本以妥善管理企業短期和長期現金流。這里有幾種類型的成本供新企業主考慮。

一次性成本和持續成本

一次性成本主要跟創業起始過程有關，比如組建公司的費用。希納爾說，倘若有個月你必須一次性采購設備，那支出的資金可能要超過流入的資金。這意味著那個月的現金流會受影響，而你要在隨后的一個月里把虧空補上。

相比較而言，持續成本是定期支付的費用，包括水電費在內的各種開支。這些費用在不同月份通常不會出現大的波動。

基本成本和可選成本

基本成本是公司成長和發展絕對必需的開支。只有在預算允許的情況下，才可以進行選擇性采購。希納爾說：“如果你有一項可選且非緊急開支，或許最好等有了充足的現金儲備再進行采購。”

固定成本和可變成本

固定成本，比如租金，是按月持續支出的費用，而可變成本取決于產品或服務直接銷售的情況。這一原因使得對信用卡處理服務供應商加以比較至關重要。業務手續費是可變成本，要定期審核以確保得到最劃算的價格。希納爾指出，固定成本可能會消耗創業初期很高比例的收入，但是隨著企業規模擴大，固定成本的相對負擔可以忽略不計。

最常見的啟動成本

作為新企業，重要的是要了解將要負擔的不同類型的費用。從理論上講，注意哪些成本是固定的、哪些是可變的、哪些是基本的或是可選的，這是件好事。但我們還得把具體成本弄清楚。這里有個簡短的清單，其中有新企業可能會承擔的費用：

?網站托管及其他網站費用

?租賃辦公場地費

?辦公用具費用

?人工費

?基本用品費用

?基礎技術費用

?保險、執照或許可證費用

?廣告或促銷費用

?商業規劃費用

?初創企業一般費用

4. 規劃現金流。

初創公司財務規劃的另一個重要方面是規劃企業現金流。比爾·布里格姆是紐約州小企業發展中心的主任，該中心位于奧爾巴尼。他建議新企業主至少要為企業最初三個月的現金流做出規劃。他說不但要合計固定成本而且要合計貨物估算成本以及最佳和最差情況下的收入。

“如果你借款，要確保自己不僅知道借款額而且還知道所欠利息額。”布里格姆說，“計算這些費用給維持企業運轉所需收入設定了最低限額，并且清楚地反映出啟動企業所需資金的情況。”

這是維持企業財務健康的關鍵步驟。如果不對現金流和債務采取務實態度，你將無法讓公司起步，特別是在其他費用開始增加的情況下。

5. 弄清融資方法。

一旦確定了成本并且對現金流做出了規劃，你就要考慮如何尋求融資。如何獲得資金將影響未來幾年公司的發展前景。個人儲蓄、向親朋好友借的錢、銀行貸款和政府貸款以及補助只是幾種潛在的資金來源。許多公司結合不同來源籌措資金。

赫恩登·戴維斯是“房地產按揭貸款服務公司”的按揭貸款高級職員和房地產經紀人。據他講，大多數初創企業都是自籌資金。然而，還有其他的融資備選方案。

“額外資金能夠通過樹立商業信譽獲得，而不同信用額度能夠借助各種設想方案獲得。”戴維斯說，“還有小企業貸款和在某些階段樂意參與投資的天使投資人。此刻，你的新企業要展示現有的客戶/顧客群、自成立以來的發展情況、在市場上的獨特定位，以及一份清晰的有關如何利用額外資金發展的商業計劃書。”

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1指以住家為經營地的特許經營。這種經營模式無須特租場地，無須雇用支援性質的員工，運營成本較低。

2 eat up（大量地）耗費，花費，損耗。? 3 concrete確實的，具體的（而非想象或猜測的）。? 4 host為（網站）提供虛擬主機。

5 project規劃，擬訂方案。? 6 floor（物價、工資等的）最低額，最低限度。? 7 viable可實施的，切實可行的。

8 get （sth） off the ground（使）順利開始，開始發生。? 9即credit line，（借款人或信用卡持卡人的）信用額度。? 10 piggyback利用，借助。? 11 inception（機構、組織等的）開創，創始。

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