Guidant Financial Group Blog

While all entrepreneurs have exciting stories about how they got started, it is always fun to hear about the beginnings for those who have made it really big.

In an article on Forbes.com last week, entitled How Self-Made Titans Got Their Starts, reporter Melanie Linder chronicles how several bigwigs got the financing and backing to start their own venture – or buy into an existing one.

Surprisingly, many young business owners get their starts by tapping into the International Bank of Mom and Pop – or deep into their own pockets. According to a 2002 U.S. Census Bureau Survey, 55% of business owners got their start with personal and family capital.

As this statistic shows, many new business owners see the benefits of starting a business debt-free. Just think of what some of these major moguls could have done had they realized that they could invest their retirement funds into their own business!

If you ever think about what using Guidant’s 401(k) small business financing solution could do for you, just take a moment to think about what it could have done for them!