Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Bootstrapping the Low-Cost, No-Cost Site

We won't lie to you: Just like starting a political campaign, having plenty of money available makes things easier when you're starting a business. Fortunately, having a lot of money isn't a requirement to start an Internet business. If you don't have access to megabucks, you can always bootstrap your new business. (The term comes from the idea of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, or making your own way.) In the case of financing your entrepreneurial dream, bootstrapping is a matter of making a little money go a long way.

Making the leap to the bootstrapping lifestyle

One of the first rules of bootstrapping is to hang on to other sources of income for as long as possible. In other words, keep your day job! You might have to design your Web site during lunch breaks or work past midnight to prepare customer orders for shipping. Although keeping a regular job while starting a business can mean a grueling schedule, it provides you with much-needed financial security in the early stages of building your company.

Try something between maintaining a full-time job and starting a business. Many entrepreneurs worked part-time jobs at night so that they could dedicate themselves to their new businesses during the day.

If you're the all-or-nothing type, perhaps you want to throw yourself completely into the business. Or maybe you're confident ...