Crystal,

Raising money for a new venture is sometimes the easiest thing and other times it can be one of the most difficult and frustrating things there is. In my experience, the difference is preparation over idea or product.

For starters, forget about banks. Currently the lending requirements of banks are too tough for most any small business let alone a startup.

Keep in mind with the economy in its current straights, people aren't only skeptical of being scammed, they might not have the money to invest. This means you'll have to cast a wide net.

Make sure you have a very strong businessplan and start practicing your presentation. Make your presentation enthusiastic but not over the top. Because many times it's easier to get a little from a lot of people than it is to find one person to put up all you need I'd suggest doing it in a seminar environment.

Rent a meeting room at a local hotel and have simple snacks and drinks available...maybe finger sandwiches. Have a enough copies of your businessplan available to have one for each of the people you invite to attend.

Most investors are going to want to know what your exit-plan is. They're being asked to invest in a privately held company. That means that it will be very difficult to sell their shares. They are going to want to know the expected ROI, the risks and when the business will either be sold or taken public. It's at this point that investors will expect their big payday. Hopefully, they'll recieve dividends along the way, but the real payday comes down the road.

Practice your presentation until you're answering every possible question you can conceive of them asking before they have to ask it. And, if you don't have an answer, don't try to bluff. Tell them you don't have the answer at the moment but that you'll get it and get back to them...and when you supply the answer...supply it to everyone there. There may be others wondering the same thing but didn't ask. Your success will be determined by your businessplan and preparation...
Good luck
Denny