By Gina Blitstein

Starting you own business is an enormous undertaking, which takes and enormous amount of time, effort - and money. One of the most crucial elements to setting sail on your own enterprise is getting your start-up funded. Your ship won’t sail far without the capital it needs to purchase equipment, market itself, open the doors and get established.

But you’re an expert in your business - not necessarily at funding your business. How do you go about securing the money you need to get your business afloat? Securing funding for your operation is your first order of business.

According to Nathan Heerdt, CEO at Go Big Network, LLC, "Raising capital is very much like finding a new job. He suggests you approach the search for start-up monies in the same way you would approach a job search. Here are the key points to Nathan’s start-up funding strategy:

Your resume is your business plan. Take your time, think through your business idea and clearly communicate your thoughts. If you don't have a good business plan (much like a good resume), you're fighting uphill from the start. You need something an investor can review and understand. It helps you get in the door.

Pinpoint your funding opportunities. If you blindly apply to every job you find on a job board you're not going to have much luck in getting a response. However, if you take your time and connect with job openings that are a match to your background, your response rate will be better. Fundraising is the same way. All investors are not alike. Some invest only in technology, some only in manufacturing, some with established companies only, some with pure start-ups. It's up to you to find and pinpoint the right type of investor for your idea/start-up.

Networking to find the right contact. Again, if you simply apply to a job posting and sit back and wait, you're likely to be waiting for that reply for a good long time. Instead, when you find the right fit for your funding needs, begin researching your network to find a contact that is somehow, some way connected to the investor. Reach out to that person to help make the introduction. If you don't have anyone in your network to help you make the introduction, use websites that are geared for this type of communication.

Have realistic aspirations for your job search...I mean your funding efforts. They say it normally takes 6-12 months to find a job in good job market. Well, I can promise you it can take just as long to find the right investors for your start-up as well. Take the approach that you will be looking for investors for 6+ months and settle in for a sustained effort.

Looking at the raising of capital like a job search is an effective way to approach this arduous challenge. By taking it on as a serious endeavor - like a job search - which will take drive, focus, research, determination and abundant patience, you will remain aware that funding your business is indeed a job in itself. This way of thinking about fundraising also helps keep the process in perspective - you have to “sell” your business idea to potential investors in the same way you have to “sell” yourself to potential employers. Like in a job interview, maintain the mindset that this is your first opportunity to present your company. Once you land the “job “ of getting the funding from your investors, you’ll be rewarded with many more opportunities to present your company to your customers.

On raising capital for your start-up, Nathan says, “It's tough but rewarding. Good luck!”

What approach to financing your business did you take?