Hey Dale, really interesting question ... since we're closing the Ask Mark project I'm going to answer all of these questions via text before shutting it down.

As for your question ...

This is a bit outside the scope of what we do at Simpleology, but allow me to give my two cents.

I see a great many entrepreneurs put themselves in this situation and it rarely seems to end well. What generally seems to trip folks up is desperation. Starting a business to make money almost always ends in one of several ways or some combination thereof:

- moral compromises
- poor quality products that are overhyped
- a lack of genuine concern for the customer
- and so on ...

The best way to do it is:

1. Start from a position of stability

Have some sort of day job that is keeping you afloat. Hopefully one you enjoy anyway.

2. If you then want to start a business, start one based on something you're truly excited about. It needs to be something that you'd work on anyway whether the money comes in or not - because chances are it won't - ever. Most businesses fail. That's the hard truth, but one you need to embrace.

3. After that build something amazing. No marketing book in the world can help you recover a business that is not built on this foundation. Build somehting amazing first - then the marketing and everything else will be relatively easier.

4. Don't have something amazing? Go back to step 3. (most never get past this step - perhaps also why most businesses fail .... having something great isn't a guarantee of success, but in today's environment, it's table-stakes)

I hope that helps. I could have used that advice 20 years ago.

Mark Joyner