A question I am often asked is the following; if you do not have real big pocket book but you want to start bringing in revenue for your business what is the most cost efficient way to get started?

Now, everyone’s situation is different and therefore there is not one set answer. What I will suggest is some ideas and insights that I used when I was starting my own business, deep in student debt and right out of university.

I just graduated university and marketing products was something that I did not have any experience with. I did not have any money and I did not have any contact so what that presented is a humongous opportunity to be extremely creative and that is what you really have to start tapping into because I do not know about you, but I am most creative when I am most desperate and that is a good thing.

When you are getting started, you have to find creative ways to get people’s attention. You have to find creative ways to build relationships. You have to find creative ways to create products. You have to find creative ways to market those products.

Building momentum from your creativity is the key to this scenario. When you are first starting out you have to really think about what is the most important aspect to you at that time. Generating revenue? Building a list? Creating and marketing your products?

You have to really get focused on what it is that you need at this particular time in your career and then start utilizing your creativity to maximize that. So for me in the beginning, was revenue important? Yes, but it was not as important as building a profitable business for the long term.

Long-term gains were more important than early profits, so I sacrificed them. The method I did to do this was giving my time in exchange for products, JV opportunities, services, all different kinds of things.

I utilized the time I did have and started volunteering at and for anyone I could. Any help someone needed marketing, I would do. I would write for people. I would volunteer at events. Although this did not give me immediate profits, what I was doing was building relationships with key people, who would help my career in the long run.

So in the beginning, you have to work a little bit harder and you have got to be a little bit more creative in order to get what it is that you want, but you got to know exactly what it is that you want.

The problem for many is they don’t do this, then they end up going in circles. When you are starting out I really want to encourage you to really think about what you are looking to do. Do you want to generate revenue? If yest, find creative methods to generate revenue in a short period of time.

If building relationships to help you secure long-term profitability, rather than generating revenue right away, you need to focus on creative ways to connect with people and build those relationships.

It really depends on what you are focused on right now. If you are looking to build your list, then you want to find creative ways to build your list then you want to send your attention on doing that.

When starting your business off on a tight budget, you really have to focus down into what you are looking to do and accomplish. Secondly, really tap into your creativity, it will move you beyond your excuse of not having money to do something and help you find alternative solutions to get by. It may take a little longer or seem different, but once you find your creative side the end is limitless.