There are many people out there with the entrepreneurial spirit that are intimidated by the cost and logistics of taking their idea and making a business out of it. As a new business owner myself, I'd like to say that you don't have to mortgage your life to start your new project. Hopefully this article will provide some general ideas that will give people that are on the fence the confidence to make the leap.

I think cost is the number 1 inhibiting factor when it comes to making the decision to start a business. Now more than ever, this does not have to be a deal breaker. Chris Guillebeau wrote a book last year called "The 100 Dollar Start-up" that gives case study after case study of folks who have started very successful businesses of all types on a shoe string budget. The book gives examples of businesses from online informational types to bicycle mattress delivery services(I kid you not). If you are a prospective business owner that hasn't pulled the trigger due to the cost of getting started, ask yourself a few questions;

1. Can you start your business from your home?

This is probably the biggest money saver possible for any new start up. You can always move the operation to an independent location later, but if you can start it from your house the savings can be tremendous.

2. Can you do service based work or informational products as part or all of your business?

If so, your start up costs should be significantly lower than someone who has to carry the initial financial burden of a physical inventory. Even if you are planning on having an inventory, if you can do at least some of this type of work you can offset your costs by a lot.

3. If you do primarily physical product sales, can you use drop ship services, or order on demand?

This is not as financially viable long term as ordering in bulk due to freight issues and bulk rates, but it can be a good way to get started without spending a ton. You're getting paid for the product before you order, and you should be able to sell it at a lower margin if you have used other cost saving measures to get started as well.

Another important thing is to get online! Many new business owners put this off as not a necessary step when just starting out, but I think this is a huge mistake. It cost less to set up a "do it yourself" website/blog that 1 month's listing in the yellow pages and the pay off can be exponential. The best way to get the word out to people about what you do is to build an informational site and write constantly about your services, business philosophy, and anything else related to what you are doing. Do this even if you think your writing isn't great. You'll improve as you go and the passion you have for what you do will translate to the your readers.

Hopefully these few tips will help you to get motivated and get your start up started! The world needs more creative, value based businesses so get out there and do your thing.

Keep Rollin!