I have $40,000.00 and lets say I want to open up a nightclub/lounge in northern San Diego. What would be the steps from A to Z in making this a reality.. Please no smart a$$ answers, thank you..

I have a small parttime house cleaning business where we provide weekly maids to people. It has been recently hit by the recession but I cannot lose this or my life is over. Not to mentioned the years i’ve spent building this. Any tips or ideas on how to drum up more sales without forking out advertising dollars? Thank you

Whether the economy is up or down, no matter what is happening in the world, most small business owner’s work hard anyway. It’s never been easy to start a business, nurture its growth and succeed in any line of business. It’s competitive, more so in some industries than others, but every butcher, baker, candlestick maker or software developer started the same way – small.

There are an astronomical number of variables that are involved in any business success, certainly, but there are also some truisms that seem to apply always and everywhere. The primary ingredient in success, of course, is not genius, creativity, a college education or a lot of working capital. The key is persistence, pure and simple.

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We are going to sell autos on eBay motors and off our lot, auto detailing and repairs. We have been to a couple of local banks and just don’t quite seem to fit their criteria. We’ve always been self employed in some form so our tax returns are pathetic. We don’t have any money to put into the business which, well, that’s why we need financing. Am I to believe that a business can’t be started unless you have thousands of your own money to put into it? SBA apparantly requires 25% of the loan amount to be available from us as cash. If I had that money, I probably wouldn’t need much of a loan. Anyway, I’m a bit frustrated because we’re not fitting into the commercial lending ‘box’. We are talented intelligent people with excellent credit but short on cash. Any ideas?

I am asking this for my boyfriend. He is starting this with one other man. They want to do flooring, decks, remodels, etc. They want to incorporate the business. What steps can you recommend to do this properly? All advice is appriciated. Thanks!

Copyright (c) 2009 Charles Boustany

As a small business owner trying to run your business on an everyday basis is a challenge on its own. In these trying months you will need all the help you can get and hopefully it will be free. Now excuse me if I am reminding you how to suck eggs but sometimes business owners are so busy they do tend to forget the fundamental marketing tools they have at their disposal more often than not free or nearly free.

Let’s explore some of the tools available to you so that you can choose those that best suit your circumstances.

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Everyone wants to get rich quick, and a lot of people feel that having a small business is a great way to do this. You can work for yourself, work hours that are comfortable for you, and you can be the boss for once. You can truly find the things in life that matter to you, and you can work around these things, or even incorporate these things into your life.

There are so many things that you can do for yourself if you are a small business owner, but it is important to know that as a business owner you are going to have to compete with people all over the world, and with businesses that are much bigger than you are.

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Every business needs cash and loans for small businesses can be one of the ways to get that cash. Here are a five tips to make the process a little easier and less painful.

1. Start thinking about a loan for your small business now, don’t wait until the last minute. Plan ahead. Forecast a cash flow statement for the upcoming six months and revise it at the end of every month. If it looks like you’ll need a cash infusion three months down the road, start applying for the loan now and you won’t run into a cash crunch.

2. Get your financial records for your business in order even if you don’t need a small business loan right now. Lenders of loans for small businesses will want to see your basic financial statements: accounts receivable, accounts payable, revenues and profits and loss statements. If you keep these records organized it won’t be a huge undertaking to get them together for the loan officer.

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Also need tips on pricing, what supplies to get and the best clients to target? Also any other advice would greatly be appreciated. This is a one man operation.

Tip #1: Keep it Separated

Too many business owners mix and mingle their personal and professional finances. Even if you are a sole proprietor keep you business business, and your personal personal. Set up separate checking accounts and if you need some funds from your small business, write yourself a check, or make a cash withdrawal. This will help come tax time when you need to separate business expenses. Even though the form of business is a path-through, you should still make sure a separation takes place. This will make expense tracking and budgeting much easier on you.

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