Funding Your Business: Savings, Loans, Grants and Investors
Work out if you need funding, how much and from where, compare the real cost of a loan in cedis, avoid scams and write a one-page funding request.
What you'll learn
- Decide whether your business needs outside funding now, or should grow from sales first
- Build a use-of-funds table that shows how much you need and what each amount will pay for
- Compare ten sources of funding and choose the lowest rung of the funding ladder that does the job
- Calculate the total cost of a loan under a flat rate and a reducing balance rate, including fees
- Prepare the records, references and habits that make a small business bankable
- Write a one-page funding request and deliver a short pitch with a clear ask
- Explain what giving up a share of your business means and judge when it is too early
- Spot advance-fee grant scams, abusive loan apps and pyramid schemes, and manage borrowed money responsibly
Who this course is for
- Young owners of very small trading businesses in Ghana who want money to grow
- Youth Enterprise LaunchPad learners who have reached Stage 5 (Grow)
- Students and national service personnel running a side business
- Anyone about to borrow, apply for a grant or accept money from a relative or investor for the first time
Course content
7 sections · 37 lessons · 5h 47mStart here 3 lessons · 15 min
Module 1: Do you need funding, and how much? 6 lessons · 47 min
Module 2: The funding ladder 6 lessons · 54 min
Module 3: The true cost of a loan and what lenders look for 6 lessons · 52 min
Module 4: Grants, competitions, pitching and investors 6 lessons · 53 min
Module 5: Staying safe and managing borrowed money 6 lessons · 51 min
Final module: Your funding request and final assessment 4 lessons · 1h 15m
Before you start
- You run a small business, or you are about to start one
- A phone with a calculator and internet access
- Some record of your sales and costs, even a notebook or your mobile money statement
- Helpful but not required: the Financial Literacy and Business Planning courses in the Youth Enterprise LaunchPad
About this course
Almost every young business owner in Ghana says the same thing: 'If only I had capital.' Sometimes that is true. Often the business needs something else first, and borrowed money only makes the problem bigger and more expensive.
This course is Stage 5 (Grow) of the Youth Enterprise LaunchPad. It is written for young people who already run a small trading business, such as a provisions shop, a food stall, a phone accessories table or an online shop on WhatsApp, and who want money to grow it.
You will start with an honest question: do you need outside money at all? Then you will build a simple use-of-funds table so you know exactly how much you need and what each cedi will do. You will climb the funding ladder rung by rung, from your own savings, family, susu and savings groups, customer deposits and supplier credit, up to microfinance, banks, grants, government schemes and investors, with the real advantages and risks of each.
You will learn to work out the true cost of a loan, including the difference between a flat rate and a reducing balance rate, using a worked example in cedis. You will see what lenders and grant judges look for, write a one-page funding request and a short pitch, and learn to recognise the scams and abusive loan apps that target young owners.
The lessons are short and made for reading on a phone. By the end you will have a completed funding request you can hand to a lender, a relative or a competition panel. The course does not repeat bookkeeping or business planning; it points you to the Financial Literacy and Business Planning courses in the same programme where you need them.
Your instructor
SkillsPillar Faculty
Practitioners and trainers in strategy, public service, enterprise and workplace compliance
SkillsPillar courses are written by practitioners who have trained graduates, managers, public servants and business owners across Ghana. Every course is built around real situations, practical tools and activities that test judgement, not memory.
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Frequently asked
How do I pay for a course?
Pay securely with MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash, AT Money, Visa or Mastercard through Hubtel. You get access straight after payment.
How long do I have access?
For life. Once you enrol, the course stays in your account and you can learn at your own pace, including any updates we make.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. Finish every lesson in a course and a certificate is issued automatically. Each one has a QR code and a public link employers can use to check it.
Can I learn on my phone?
Yes. Everything works on a phone, tablet or computer, and your progress follows you between devices.
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