Secrets of Bootstrapping Creative ways to shave bucks off those start-up costs.

(YoungBiz.com) - Chances are, you've heard the phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned." In the business world, nothing is closer to the truth.

It's called bootstrapping, and it's more than just an old English idiom. It's the only way most businesses can make it through that rough-and-tough start-up phase.

Whether you choose to finance your business yourself, get a loan or combine the two, you'll need to give ol' Abe Lincoln the pinch. That said, check out the methods these 'treps used to shave bucks off their start-up costs.