So you've got a great idea and just need some additional funding. But you've already run into your first roadblock--You've searched high and low and you now realize that finding an investor wasn't as easy as you thought it would be. Well, below are a few tips that may be able to help improve your odds of finding an investor that can provide funding for your startup business.

Use your Rolodex

Tap into your personal and professional network. Get the word out. You'll be amazed at how many friends you have that might have a contact that can provide the funds that you've been looking for. It happens all of the time in business. You might recall a conversation a month ago where your colleague mentioned that he was looking for a new programmer and you just happened to run into the perfect candidate today. And presto, a connection is made! Call it serendipity or whatever you want, but it never would have happened if your friend hadn't have brought up the need in the first place. So spread the word to trusted connections that your startup is in potentially in the market for an investment.

Search Go BIG

So maybe your own rolodex isn't that impressive. What now? Well, that's exactly why the Go BIG Network was created. The vast majority of entrepreneurs just have no way of contacting the investors that can fill in the missing link (capital) to the startup business puzzle. Go BIG helps create exposure for entrepreneurs while also improving the deal flow of potential funding opportunities for investors.

Here are the steps:

Get your profile out there - Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or just plain interested in the startup business community, you should create a profile on the Go BIG Network. It's a great way to gain exposure in the startup community.

Be active - Most successful investors see a fair number of opportunities that cross their desk on any given day. As an entrepreneur, you're going to have to actively work to get your idea to the top of that pile. Be persistant in your search--it may take quite some time before you find an investor that's willing to take a shot on you. It's not unusual for the process to take many months and sometimes even years to complete.

Contact investors directly - Go BIG gives you the ability to search for and directly contact potential investors based on a number of criteria (Investment stage, industry, geographic location, etc). This might be your best bet for finding the ideal investor.

Post a Request - It's like a classified ad telling the members of Go BIG that you're looking for funding. It's a great way to get your opportunity in front of a wide range of investors and other members on the site. You just don't know who you don't know!

Summary
	Tap into your network. If you don't have one, or you want a better way to get things done, use the Go BIG Network to help land that elusive investor.