I know. Just the thought of a business plan can be overwhelming. But look at you! You're fired up about your new business venture. You can feel your success in your bones.

Take advantage of your enthusiasm right now, before it fades and that stubborn, pessimistic little voice deep inside you says you can't succeed. Begin the outlines of your first business plan. A business plan is definitely that important. Don't underestimate the value of it!

Never written a business plan before? Don't worry. There's really nothing to it. Let's start first with the product or service you intend to offer. There are six serious questions you need to think about before you jump into any business venture. These are the major questions you'll be answering when you put your business plan together. These are also the questions a loan officer asks when he assesses your business for the money you're requesting.

So, here you are in the middle of your Great American Business Dream. You woke up one morning to discover that it's rapidly turning into the Great American Nightmare. You're swamped in business debt. And you're beginning to get just a little bit nervous.

There's really no need to get too alarmed. There are strategies you can use to help you manage your debt - and it's much easier than you think. Instead of sitting at your desk worrying and overwhelming your system, just focus on one debt at a time. Go ahead, pick one. Now that you've chosen one - probably one with the highest interest rate or the highest monthly note-concentrate your money on this particular debt as well.

If it's at all possible, try to put more money into this particular debt without incurring late fees or bad marks on the others. You'll be surprised at how quickly this strategy works at knocking down that debt.

Thinking about buying a business, but are confused when you encounter the term "shelf corporation"?

Actually, the term is quite a descriptive phrase for this type of corporation. Some companies own many of these firms for the sole purpose of others, like yourself, buying them right "off the shelf."

Shelf corporations are sometimes referred to as aged corporations. They were incorporated and are legally registered, but have not been actively functioning as a company. It was created and "put on the shelf" with the express aim to have it age.

The firm is then sold to an individual or group who desires to purchase an aged corporation rather than a new one.

Making the change, I see? So, you're switching from a sole proprietorship to an LLC? But you've got a puzzled look on your face. That's understandable.

You're not alone when you wonder how to easily transfer your assets from your sole proprietorship to a limited liability company.

First, keep in mind that an LLC is a separate legal entity. This means that the title to any assets must be changed to reflect the new company's name from yours. Of course, how you actually do this depends on the assets involved.

If you're a complete newbie to the whole business credit and finance world, then you may not have a clue what trade credit is. Put into simplest terms, trade credit is when you purchase supplies or goods from a particular supplier who then delays the due date for your payment to a later time. Sometimes suppliers will allow you to make monthly payments, which can be a huge help in raising the capital you need to get your business off the ground.

Using trade credit isn't simply just for starting businesses either, as there are many companies who are growing that employ trade credit in order to get the goods they need to keep their business running. The reason so many suppliers fall in love with small businesses is that they pose such a small risk. All the supplier really has to do is keep an eye peeled and watch the credit terms closely and they can almost guarantee future business from smaller businesses.

Starting a business carries a fundamental paradox with it - In order to get credit, you already have to credit. And that's the one thing (among several others) that you lack.

But then a friend has just told you about a wonderful option. It's called a shell corporation. And it just might offer you not only the credit, but the attention of some decent-sized investors that could certainly help your cash flow.

You're hesitant, because you don't know quite enough about it. Several critical questions run through your mind. Just where do you find a shell corporation? And, now that you really think about it, this whole thing sounds almost too good to be true. Is it?

Being informed about the two types of business credit is the best way to avoid falling into a lot of money traps when you're first starting up a business. The two types of business credit are cash credit and trade credit. If you're a fresh fish when it comes to the ins and outs of getting capital to jump-start your company, it's imperative that you know all the facts about these two types of credit.

If you're clueless as to what exactly cash credit is and how it works, here's a breakdown for you that should give you all the facts. Cash credit is more or less a short-term loan (in cash) to a particular company. To get this type of loan, you have to go through a bank, and you typically won't get approved until the proper amount of security is put down. After you've established a method of repayment for the loan you've borrowed, you can continuously draw money from the bank up to a predetermined amount.

So, you're sitting in your office, looking at your balance sheet. It looks all right. But your venture could really use a booster shot in the arm. But to do that you need a good business credit profile. You sigh. That's the problem. It's not as good as it should be.

And really, you argue, it's nothing but a vicious circle. Without the good business credit profile, you know you're not likely to get credit. And without the credit, you're less likely to be able sustain the profitability of your business.

One of the most important and difficult aspects of building a business from the bottom up is knowing where to go to get the cash to get started. This process often leaves people super stressed, ready to pull their hair out. This is especially true for individuals who are pretty new to the whole do-it-yourself business experience. With the right research and a small investment of your time, you can gather all the information you need to make financing your business with a new business loan a whole lot more simple.

An extremely helpful document to have when looking to get a new business loan is to have a business plan ready for your investors to take a peek at. You'll want to include your budget in your business plan, along with your projected goals for the future of your business endeavor, along with how you plan to pay back the loan. This will ease an edgy investor's mind and increase the probability of getting approved for a new business loan.

So, you're thinking about adding a partner to your entrepreneurial start-up? Business is booming, and there's more than enough work - and obviously profit -to go around. Congratulations.

But before you sign on the dotted line making this partnership official, I have a few questions to ask you.

Have you decided which partner will actually fill the information to be in compliance with all those small-business laws? And just what type of partnership are you talking about - an LLC, or perhaps an LLP?

If you listen to any of those annoying direct-response letters you find on the internet these days, you would think that all you need is a computer, some incredibly amazing software and an internet connection - and viola! You're in business!

What's wrong with that picture? Think about it. If running a business were that easy, each of us would be sitting in front of our computer everyday, checking our emails . . . watching our bank accounts literally burst at the seams with profits.