Starting on a Shoestring

ARNOLD S. GOLDSTEIN, PhD, is an attorney and a former senior partner of the Boston law firm of Goldstein, Chyten and Myers. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Complete Book of Business Forms.

• 1. You Make Your Own Miracles. Are You the One in the Crowd?Myth #1: You Need Money to Make Money.Myth #2: A Healthy Investment Makes a Healthy Business.Myth #3: Debt Is Bad.Myth #4: Starting on a Shoestring Is Starting Small.Myth #5: My Business Can't Be Started on a Shoestring.Myth #6: Only Wheeler-Dealers Need Apply.What It Takes.Double Your Determination.The One-Tenth Principle.The Time Is Always Right.2. Checking Out Your Winning Idea.The One Most Important Decision.Narrow the Range.Creating the Perfect Match.The Psychic Rewards.Measure Your Management Mentality.Living without a Living.Can You Afford It?Thousands of Successful New Ventures.How Others Found Success.Give Your Idea the Acid Test.Key Points to Remember.3. Shoestring Economics.Fourteen Essential Lessons for Every Shoestring Entrepreneur.Your Shoestring Economics Final Exam.4. Starting Smart.Hope for the Best-Prepare for the Worst.Why a Corporation Is a Must.Small Investments Mean Small Losses.Protect Your Investment.Assets You Never Have to Lose.Side-Stepping Dangerous Guarantees.How Deep Are Your Pockets?Your Starting Smart Self-Exam.5. Prepare a Winning Business Plan.A Good Business Plan Can Be Your Roadmap to Success.How to Design Your Business Plan.Making Your Business Plan Come Alive.Where to Find Help.Key Points to Remember.6. Finding the Money.You Can't Beat Borrowed Money.Negotiate Your Winning Terms.Proposals that Create Cash.Open the Right Doors.Banks Can Say "Yes".Charge Your Business to MasterCard.Press the Right Buttons.When the Bank Says "No".A Franchise Can Mean Financing.Supplier Financing: Yours for the Asking.A Final Word.Key Points to Remember.7. Dealing with the Small Business Administration (SBA).The SBA-A Potential Ally.Getting Information from the SBA.How the SBA Works.SBA Programs.Direct Loans.Dealing with the SBA.Key Points to Remember.8. Dealing with Venture Capital Firms.The Nature of Venture Capital Funds.Fierce Competition.Kinds of Investors.The Need for a Business Plan.Key Points to Remember.9. Partners for Profit: Your Brains, Their Cash.Who Needs Partners?How Friendly Is "Friendly" Money?More Than Money.Where the Money Lurks.Put Your Partner to the Acid Test."Have I Got a Deal for You".Package Your Proposal to Sell.Beware the Booby Traps.Seven Tips on the Care and Feeding of Partners."Divorce"-Partnership Style.Key Points to Remember.10. Setting Up Shop.Developing the Miser's Touch.Hanging Your Hat for a Dollar a Day.Going Where the Customers Are.Two Money-Saving Points to Negotiate.The Million-Dollar Look on Humble Pennies.The Bargainland of Equipment Deals.100 Percent Terms Anyone Can Get.The Magic of Leasing.How to Make the Most of Manufacturers' Free Trials.A Helping Hand from Big Suppliers.Sharing Time Is Saving Dollars.Promise a Piece of the Action.Producing Profits without Production.Key Points to Remember.11. Buying Advice at a Bargain Price.Taking on Top-Grade Talent.Borrow Some Success.Suppliers Who Supply Information.Ten Thousand Heads Are Better Than One.Free Product Ideas.Export Experts for Hire.To Market, To Market.Four Ways to Free Employee Training.Lawyers: A Necessary Evil.Finding an Accountant to Navigate.Buy the Agent, Not the Insurance.More People from More People.Key Points to Remember.12. Full Shelves from Empty Pockets.You Can't Do Business from an Empty Wagon.A Closed Checkbook Needs an Open Mind.Credit Managers Can Say "Yes".Buy Now-Pay Later.Tackling the One Big Supplier.Consignments Are as Good as Cash.How to Find Merchandise at Rock-Bottom Prices.Some Imagination Please!Key Points to Remember.13. Promoting for a Pittance.Shoestring Marketing: The Critical Difference.Three Essentials to Successful Shoestring Marketing.How to Create a Prestige Image with Business Cards and Stationery.Design an Inexpensive Web Site.Free Word-of-Mouth Advertising Is Best.How to Obtain Free Media Publicity.Make Your Brochure a Promotional Tool.Become Active in Community Service.How to Slash Advertising Costs.More Secrets of Saving Marketing Money.Key Points to Remember.14. Using the World Wide Web.Setting Your Goals for Web Use.Setting Up Your Web Site.Promoting Your Business on the Web.Risks.The Good News.Small-Business Owners' Tips.Key Points to Remember.15. A Blueprint for Buying a Business.Buy or Create?Profitable Business for Sale: No Cash Down.You Can Buy on 100 Percent Terms.Finding the Largest Dollars.Look for the Liabilities.Squeeze Cash from Cash Flow.Hidden Assets Mean Hidden Money.Your Two Best Money Sources.Playing by the Rules.Key Points to Remember.16. Pyramiding to the Top.It's Easy to Multiply a Winner.But Who Needs It?Bigger Can Be Better.Where Do You Go from Here?Test the Timing.The Many Paths to Success.Unleash Your Growth Power.Prospecting for the Big Dollars.Seven Growth Rules.Key Points to Remember.Index.