One day that stays in my memory is the day I received an Email from a woman telling me that she had just won a $3,000 grant to start her gift basket business.

She found a link to the grant makers through an article I wrote about finding money to start a business.

I decided to write that article after scouring the Internet to see if there were real sources for money, not those fake come-ons offered by unscrupulous firms.

One company on the Web featured a contest for business startups, and they were distributing $25,000 in seed money. That's the link she visited.

After writing and submitting her plan, she won in her specified category. She was thrilled, and I was pleased to know that the opportunity was genuine.

That happened somewhere around 1999 when dot coms flourished and money poured into all types of Internet ventures. Some still exist today, but many closed their doors.

Opportunities still exist to find money on the net. If there were none, I wouldn't waste your time mentioning it.

One source is through contests. The Oxygen network is one firm that organizes small business contests. Office suppliers, such as Avery and Pendaflex, have done the same.

I've personally found some for startups at a New York foundation that specializes in helping aspiring entrepreneurs, students, non-profits, and others find money.

Most of all, you must rely on yourself to fund your dream. There's no getting around that.

One way that many in business have done is to take 10 percent of every employment paycheck, placing it in an savings account as startup money.

If you cannot withhold $30 from a $300 check, dedicate whatever percentage you can manage. It will take time to gather the necessary dollars, but each month you will have more than the last.

After that, the focus turns to reinvesting your business dollars. But that's the subject for another newsletter.

You'll find more information in the finding money section, which includes a brand new page on grant sources.

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