by Holly Marie Wright

Created on: May 20, 2009   Last Updated: May 21, 2009

Were you one of the kids in the neighborhood that had a lemonade stand set up in your front yard? If so you already know the art of the inexpensive business.

Investment in the business work is a very broad term. I think that an entrepreneur needs to take into consideration both the monetary investment and the time investment. I think that you will meet few business start-up owners that haven't put in numerous 24 hour days to get their business started.

An evaluation of the monetary investment needs to include the following answers:

Can I sell the business as a whole or as piecemeal if I am not successful?

At what point do I stop sinking money into my business if it isn't successful? (You need to be a realist when starting a business, many entrepreneurs have lost everything because their business was not successful and they couldn't put a stop to the cash outflow. Have a plan for worst case scenario.)

Now that we have addressed some important questions I think that the businesses that start with little or no investments usually start as a person's hobby and they decide to grow it into something profitable. Look at your life what do you enjoy doing? Can you sell or share this with someone else?

Think of the person that loves to cook and decides to cater or bake. How about the gardener that starts a local food co-op. Or even the solitary fisherman that decides to take charters out on the sea. If you start a business that you are passionate about you will never feel that you are dragging your self to the office.

Another avenue to pursue is to wander your library and see if a topic triggers your interest. If you thinkwow no one else is offering this service. I could really help people out if I offered this to the people in my community. Remember the companies that succeed are those that excel in customer service and set themselves apart from the competition.

Don't let the task of starting a business scare you. There is a bit of red tape that you will have to get through once you have your idea. Look to those that you know that have gone through the process and start your business plan. By completing a business plan you will be sure that you haven't over looked necessary but somewhat unexpected costs.

Remember big ideas don't always come from big investments. Think of the pet rock and all of the IT companies that started in someone's garage.

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