Estimate working capital. Working capital is the money needed to keep the business operating. Early on, the firm or project must have enough money on hand to pay bills and operate for 6 months to a year without any customers. This amount of working capital can help the new venture deal with such things as slow installation of equipment, a sudden storm, or a slow start-up. It is not possible to know what can happen, so the best thing to do is have enough money on hand to weather any potential storms.

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