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"CA, I'm curious. How much capital does it take to start your own business"

Actually sump, very little! And it would take a whole lot less gumption than eating your own finger.

I spent several years with an organization whose sole purpose was to help entrepreneurs, at all levels. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs were those who started with absolutely nothing.

I can name a long list of folks who started with nothing and own very successful businesses today. Just a very few examples

Michael Richards, "Bootstrapping means starting with exactly what you have to build your dream, even if what you have appears to be nothing." He started Candleworks in NYC after becoming unemployed and unable to find another job. He and his wife ended up living in a dilapidated, abandoned building with no water, electricity, etc. He recruited other homeless people and within three years had a company that was worth a million dollars.

Dorthy J. White had a fourth grade education. When her husband became disabled, she had to do something. She sat out on foot and found someone who would let her clean their house. "If you do a good job, someone will notice" (ie, great customer service). She created Miracle Services, Inc., a multi-million dollar company.

Mary Ellen Sheets, a single mom who couldn't afford to give her teenage sons an allowance. They had an old pickup that did not run, first step, get the old truck running. That little project became an International moving company. When the started Two Men and a Truck, the older man was 16 and the younger one was 13 years old.

Starting a business may not be easy, but it sure beats eating your finger. Once you get started with what you do have, even if it is your two hands, you meet each challenge as it comes. In fact, the lowest levels of entrepreneurial endeavors have some of the best success rates. It is a fascinating thing to look into. One place you might look, if you are interested would be a Google search for "entrepreneurship and welfare to work studies". Tremendous success stories abound, and the old myth that "It takes money to make money" is untrue.

There are also a lot of micro-loans out there, not only in the US but internationally, one such micro loan organization is Kiva, "loans that change lives": http://www.kiva.org/

In fact, if you had an extra $25 to invest, there is currently about a 95% payback rate, and the additional bonus is that you could help someone not only achieve self sufficiency, but have a new individual out there helping others.

Thanks for asking, and I will try to remember to keep my elbows off the table.

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