As an early-stage entrepreneur, you work crazy long hours, juggling as many job roles as possible without collapsing. You are the CEO, marketing director, manufacturing coordinator, and e-commerce guru, sometimes all on the same day. 

While this lifestyle isn’t for everyone and can often be lonely, your passion for your product (or service) pulls you through. That very same passion has led you to this point, the point of needing funding. Your business is growing; however, you need that extra capital, or maybe just working capital (aka cash!), to take off and scale.

What you’ve heard is true: it can take six or more months to raise money through friends and family, angel investors, and VCs. 

But how do you get funding or simply raise some cash quickly as an early-stage venture? Do you ask friends and family? Do you crowdfund? Use angel investors? Or even take out a loan?

There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about the best way to raise money, so I don't blame you if you’re confused. The “best” way varies widely depending on the needs of your business.  Instead, let’s think about the quickest ways that entrepreneurs generate cash.