Prioritize financing methods based on firm life cycle theory (Case study: Agricultural businesses in Tehran)

Access to finance plays a key role in supporting entrepreneurial activities, and entrepreneurs use different methods of financing depending on the situation. One of the effective factors in financing businesses is the life cycle of the firm, which is divided into four stages: introduction (creation), growth, maturity and decline. The purpose of this study is to prioritize financing methods based on firm life cycle theory in agricultural businesses. The statistical population includes entrepreneurs and owners of agricultural businesses in Tehran. For sampling, purposeful sampling method was used and a questionnaire was distributed among 16 agricultural experts and entrepreneurs. To achieve the research goal, financing methods were prioritized according to the life cycle of agricultural businesses using the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) technique. The results show that among the methods of financing agricultural businesses, in the stage of creating a business, financing through personal resources and savings, in the stage of growth, the use of accumulated profits and bank facilities, in the stage of maturity, the use of private investment and partnership, and in the declining phase, the use of support and guarantee fund facilities from other financing methods have a higher priority. Finally, suggestions were made for entrepreneurs and decision makers in the field of agricultural financing.