Business owners and financial advisers equate funding with cost unless it eventually leads to additional revenue for the business. Bank loans and angel investors ultimately take a considerable share of your profits, either through accrued loan interests or shared equity, which means you will often end up paying much more than you initially got.

However, there are options of funding that can actually save if not make money for a business.

1. Business grants

Grants from government agencies such as the Small Business Administration and nonprofit organizations are an obvious way where acquiring funds for your business saves you money in the moment, and makes you money in the long-run.

On the other hand, grants are overwhelmingly competitive and selective. An entrepreneur’s business has to be highly innovative and potentially life-changing to warrant a qualification.

2. Crowdfunding

Like grants, money got from crowdfunding does not warrant repayment. Nonetheless, the business owner will often have to spearhead a vigorous and successful funding campaign to get as many people invested into his company.

When done well, crowdfunding can be an effective way of gathering both the startup and the working capital of a business

3. Cash-flow financing

Sometimes all a business needs to make a profit is the ability to make a profit. Cash-flow finance solutions give the business this ability by ensuring it has enough capital to operate. When used judiciously, cash-flow finance can deliver significant returns which can partially, if not completely offset the cost of the funding. Among the most common cash-flow finance solutions are invoice factoring and merchant cash advance financing.

Invoice factoring is where a factoring company such as BlueVine loans funds equivalent to a business’ accounts receivable, after the invoices have been prepared but before the customers actually remit payment. This loan is then paid to the company after the customers clear payment. Through invoice factoring, a business owner needs not wait for his customers to pay for business expenses.

A more direct approach to funding your business using potential sales is merchant cash advance. Here, a merchant cash advance provider such as First American Merchant gives funds to a needy business and the business pays back through a fixed percentage of daily or weekly sales. Applying for a merchant cash advance is simple, and you have access to the needed money within hours. This enables you to cover unexpected expenses and immediate cash-flow challenges quickly.