In this inspiring episode of Small Business Trends Radio, Gary Schoeniger joins Host Anita Campbell to share how he started a business with absolutely no money — just a borrowed ladder and a battered old car.

In 1987 Gary Schoeniger was broke and in debt. He had no cash. He wasn’t even sure he had any marketable skills.

One thing he did know: he had no choice but to be a success. He was out of options.

One day he got into his 1972 Dodge with the banged-in door, borrowed a ladder that he strapped to the roof, and then went house to house offering to clean out gutters.

From those lean and virtually hopeless beginnings, he eventually built the business into a multi-state, multimillion dollar construction management firm.

Gary says he made every mistake in the book, and he would do a number of things differently if he could do it over, including:

• hire people and work with them to do the job well, instead of doing everything himself

• study finances so he could truly understand his costs

• spend more time on marketing and sales to ensure a steady stream of customers coming in

Gary speaks about the practical side of being a business owner, including pricing. He says he lost a lot of jobs because his bids were too low — yes, you read that right, his bids were too low.

There is a lot more in this broadcast so click below and start listening.

Recorded: April 11, 2006

Duration: 60 minutes

Listen to Listen Now (Requires Window Media player.)

“Right Click” to Download MP3 and Take Portable

Additional highlights of this show include the Today’s Trend segment, “Leaving the Elusive Dream of Easy Money Behind – and Bootstrapping Our Way to Success.”

Gary is the founder of ESFB, a consulting firm dedicated to innovation, profitability and growth strategies for small business. His entrepreneurial seminars, education and training programs deliver life-changing strategic value to small businesses.

He is the author of “Starting from Scratch - How to Start a Business When You Don’t Have Money.”

Visit Gary on his website at www.garyschoeniger.com.