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Course: Why businesses borrow money

14 minute read

How much money does it take to start a business?

Before you seek funding, it’s important to know how much you need. Let's look at an example of how one entrepreneur calculates her startup costs. At the end of her story, you can use the same tool to determine costs for your own business.

Meet Vanessa, an Oakland native who is starting an artisanal hot sauce business out of her apartment.

Her costs up until now have been minimal, but so have her profits. She’s ready to up-level production by renting a commercial kitchen space.

Now, she needs to crunch some numbers. How much is it going to cost to make her business official?