Page 163 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

register. Asking around, she found three volunteers in the first two minutes who
all said, “Sure, no problem. Here’s my card.”

As we talked about it further, we realized that most of us have access to all
kinds of financial and social capital that we don’t usually think about but could
call upon easily if necessary. If one guy hadn’t lent her his credit card, someone
else would have. The trick was that she had to be willing to think creatively. If
she had just said, “Oh, I guess I can’t register now,” she would have missed out.
Being able to think of different means to achieve her goal led Naomi out of the
homeless shelter a decade ago and to the highly successful IttyBiz. “Right before
starting,” she said, “I was taking the bus to work, making 55 percent of a
$30,000 income. My phone was cut off from lack of payment. Now I employ six
people and help hundreds of others become self-employed.”

We all have more than we think. Let’s put it to good use.

KEY POINTS
There’s nothing wrong with having a hobby, but if you’re operating a

business, the primary goal is to make money.
Going into debt to start a business is completely optional. Every day,

people open and operate successful ventures without any kind of outside
investment or borrowing.
The average business can improve its odds of success greatly by getting
paid in more than one way and at more than one time. You can do this
with a variety of methods. (We’ll cover this much more in Chapter 11.)
Whether it’s money, access to help, or anything else, you probably have
more than you think. How can you get creative about finding what you
need?

*The median cost was $125. If we discount the 15 percent of outliers at the
upper and lower ranges, the average startup cost was $408 and the median cost
remained $125.

†Even though it worked out OK for Emma and Bruce, borrowing money for
a nonexistent car and using the funds for a business was a bold move. As they
say on TV, you might not want to try this at home.

‡Once in a while someone will complain that something I sell is “too
expensive.” I always reply that it may indeed be too expensive for them and I’d