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as a business owner, the idea of accepting expertise and a big check from an outside investor can seem like a complete win for you and your business. as a small business owner, the difference to you between an equity investor and a debt security investor is that the equity investor only gets paid if you’re actually making a profit, whereas with the debt security with warrants investor, you’re paying that investor back monthly no matter what, regardless of whether your business is actually profitable. if, down the road, you decided to take on an additional investor, or sell new shares of the company at a discounted rate to employees or family and friends, then that investor’s total ownership percentage might fall below their 10 percent ownership.

when it comes time to seek investment for your company, it’s important that you have a strong contract that clearly sets expectations. mention team members to bring them into a proposal, or re-assign ownership when you need to handoff the proposal to another teammate. there is no guarantee that the investment will grow and there is even a chance that the investor will lose everything. if you’re in the process of starting up a company and have been lucky enough to find an angel investor willing to take the chance on your business, you may be interested in our angel investor agreement template. of course, loans come with interest and payments but are a viable way of securing the funds that you need to start or propel your business forward.