When a woman decides she wants to start her own business, one of her first thoughts is "how am I going to find the start up money". Most women, especially these days, have tight budgets and family expenses that make starting a business seem like a luxury. Here are some great ideas how any woman can start her own business and invest in her future and that of her families, with free money.



First of all, when I suggest a woman start her own business, I usually recommend that she look at an online business. Online businesses are the fastest growing segment of work at home women, and require very little in start up costs or overhead, unlike many traditional businesses.

Second, when I talk about free money, I am not referring to spending months of your lives researching grants, or asking loved ones to front your business costs. There are easy ideas any woman can use to find money in their own budgets, but not take away from anything they are already spending!

*Start taking the shopping game more seriously. If you never use coupons because you think a few dollars here or there doesn't make much difference, think again. According to ACB News, the average coupon user saves 12% of their family food budget. So if you are spending $600 a month on groceries and household items for your family and you decide this month to use coupons; that gives you $78 a month of free money that you were otherwise already spending. Let me tell you, you can run an online business for $78 a month! Don't think you spend that much? Think again. Keep track of everything you buy for one month, then look at where you could save. Also, consider how you are spending your grocery dollars. I was shocked at how much I overspent with frequent trips to the store until I made a weekly meal plan and shopped by that. Having a plan saved me 30% off my grocery bill week after week! Try making a meal plan; you may have enough left over at the end of this week alone to start your business.

*Learn more about beauty. How can that help? Learn to do your own manicures or color your own hair. Trust me, no one will notice the difference. Even if you just skip every other beauty appointment, you could save $45 a month...more than enough to run your own online business. There are plenty of sites online to give you tips on home hair color or manicures and the like. (Oh, and an example of an online business there, too!)

*Got a Starbucks addiction? Who doesn't you say? Well cutting back from that Venti to a Tall can save you $28 a month. (And a load of calories, too!) That is enough to run an online business as well.

*DON'T get sucked into those business "opportunities" that ask for money up front in exchange for allowing you to sell their product. I admit, those opportunities do work for some, but it's a long hard (uninspired) road that most people quit long before they get a return on their investment. Better to start your OWN business doing something you love and believe in!

Learning to make money on the internet is a process, and sites like Women on the Net can show you how to start your own business for less than you'd spend on a pizza.