Enjoy the tips and hints you find posted here -- they've been shared among our members since 1998, and they still apply today!
   

Most small entrepreneurs end up starting out using their personal credit cards (risky), using personal savings, taking out a 2nd mortgage or putting up their paid-up home as collateral (also risky), getting a loan from a friend or family member (risky financially and socially), or paying as they go and reinvesting any income back into the business. I'd like to tell you that it's easy to get a small business loan, but it isn't. You really have to have all your ducks in a row, and have a good business plan and visible potential for growth before anyone will consider financing your venture.

If you don't have a business plan yet, you need to prepare one. Not only does it help when you need to get financing, but it also helps you see where you're headed, and forces you to ask yourself questions that you might not have considered otherwise. The more you plan for the future, the better your "present" will be.

Start here: http://www.myownbusiness.org -- this is an amazing free resource for anyone starting a business. There's a free downloadable business plan template for your use, and you'll also be able to download a marketing plan when you're ready to tackle that aspect of your new business. This is by far the best site for entrepreneurs that I've seen (and I've been working online since 1997)-- whether you're just starting a business or already actively working your business, this is a site you should not miss!
   

I suggest you just get one of those accordian files (the portable kind with a latching top) and add appropriate tabs to each divider. That way if the bookwork is done somewhere other than at the office it can go along with the bookkeeper.