First; thanks for your response. I realised after I replied that it wasn't where I wanted it. Right. For the record, yes, I expressed opions. Without wanting to have this devolve in to an 'I'm right you're wrong' match, everything I said comes directly from my own experience. I wont ask you to enumerate which points are most disagreeable (well actually in an offline conversation I would - because you have piqued my interest) Is my comment subjective? Yes. Is it absolutely correct in this (or any other) situation? Probably not. Does it express a point of view that speaks to the realities of business? I hope so. Maybe I can provide some context, though. My comments were to do with the naievity one has when starting a business. Specifically I address the fact that businesses need money to pay for every thing they consume. Including the owners time, rewarding the owner for what will be a long, slow, hard grind. I'm guessing that I will have to go with anecdotes from here on in. Hopefully it'll provide some insight to someone. Making the time spent writing the next few sentences worthwhile. If not, oh well. I know that when I first started my company, that there was a period where knowing how and when to close a deal - was a mystery. You can't tell me that a person not armed with some sales knowledge is going to survive very long, without some help from somewhere. No sales means no income. Banks don't extend credit indefinitely. The sooner everyone going in to business understands these realities, then the quicker they can get to setting their sales strategies in motion. I was once told 'losing a lot of battles does not teach you how to win' so it is with sales. Get some coaching from someone that can sell. The quicker new business owners can say 'Look I really know my trade; but what is really going to pay the bills are sales' the sooner it will be so. The OP asked how potential customers were going to become aware of him. Reading between the lines, he needs to focus more on getting the thing he doesn't have right now - customers. How do you generate those? If you answered 'marketing campaign' - think again. It's a sales campaign you need, which creates leads, which you then convert to customers. Spending 25k on radio advertising on a marketing campaign that makes no effort to convert listeners attention to sales is silly, and dangerous to a start-up. I know. I have done that too. It hurts when it fails. Moreso, when you later learn that you can make sales over the radio - b

After you have answered the 'Why am I going in to business' questions, consulted the lawyer, appointed the accountant and all the other pre-implementation i dotting and t crossing, you're going to realise you need money. Lots of it. Quickly. That means customers and/or a financier. Startups are tricky - having no track record, bank managers look to statistics to see who to lend money to. They have lots of experience, and will look at how much collateral you have, levels of debt, what your business plan says, who your target market is, what your budgets will be, and to a degree, how quickly you can start repaying them. It is possible to create a business, without recourse to a bank (loans and overdraght and revolving credit and wot not) It's in some ways harder - raising the capital yourself, and will require a good marketing apparatus. Also if you go this route - you will also need an even better sales apparatus. Look up Direct Response Advertising, and look toward talking to a wordsmith, or other sales consultant. If you're new to business, you may have to learn the hard way, the difference between branding, and selling. Are telemarketing campaigns legal, fax, flyers, etc in your area. No one will buy from you if they don't know you exist. That said, those 'services' the banks offer are candy with a horrible side effect - they expect you to pay for the money you spend, and they can at their whim choose to make life difficult. So, talk to people that are self employed - regadless of the field they are in. You will get a better perspective about business, in general. Those you talk to in your own industry have their own interests to protect, and may not give a balanced view of how to create a business, and the pitfalls. Also, look up a man called Jim Camp. He writes a book on negotiation - called 'Start with no' Most importantly - don't rush this decision, and good luck. Chris