Off The Beaten Track

When the banks say no and your angels haven't come through, alternative financing sources may help fund your dream. A couple to consider:

• At QLender , entrepreneurs choose the type of loan desired, and lenders from across the country respond if interested. Small businesses can secure term loans, lines of credit, business credit cards, commercial real estate, equipment leases, SBA loans and other business services through the site.

• Apple, FedEx, Intel and Staples are among the major corporations that got their start with financing from Small Business Investment Co., a group of public/private programs represented by the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC). There are 356 SBICs operating nationwide. Contact NASBIC at (202) 628-5055, or check out its Web site at www.nasbic.org .

Pamela Rohland writes about the joys and tribulations of entrepreneurship for a variety of regional and national business publications.

This article was originally published in the April 2001 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Off The Beaten Track.