Running a successful business is never easy. Business owners must be able to handle at least a dozen things at once, all while jumping through hoops and over obstacles that would make the average Joe cringe in fear.

One of those hurdles is finding financing to expand or improve your business. Entrepreneurs frequently encounter difficulties managing their cash flow as a result of seasonal credit demands and time gaps between capital needs and revenue realization. This is especially true of startups during their early stages of development when they have not diversified enough to generate a positive cash flow.

Many business owners opt for unsecured business loans, which require no collateral, have very little documentation, and for most, no annual fee. Loans can be procured for up to 84 months, or you can get a revolving line of credit.

A revolving line of credit can be an excellent method for financing your business. With such a line of credit, you can get a specific amount, and after it has been repaid, you can borrow that amount again. This can give business owners peace of mind, knowing that the additional capital is there if it is needed.

By contrast, line of credit is a standard service offered by many banks that serve small businesses. Getting the loan approved depends on the business owners ability to repay and/or the personal assets of the owner.

Banks will extend a secured line of credit to most startup ventures, and will require guarantee of repayment if your first source of repayment does not come through. Banks do not approve lines of credit for use in managing cash flow.

Unsecured loans, however, do not require business owners to jump through as many hoops as banks, and are therefor much easier to attain. And rates can be as low as 7.93 percent.

Startup loans with America One are available from $10,000 to $5 million, and are at historically low rates currently. You can go online at www.americaoneunsecured.com and apply online.

One of the ways to measure your financial success is to look at your salary. But that doesn't give you the complete image of your financial situation. This is because your salary isn't an accurate account of your discretionary income.

Disposable income is what you bring home for saving or spending after taxes. Discretionary income is what's left after you've paid the bills and put some money into your savings and retirement. It's the money you can spend as you wish on things your enjoy, rather than what you must.

There are factors that influence your discretionary income. What you have left over from your salary to use as you wish depends on your cost of housing, cost of transportation, how much debt you have, the cost of food in your area and the expense of your utilities. These items can vary, depending on where you live. Phil moved from a large city in California to a small town in Idaho, and was unhappy that his salary was smaller.

In California, his salary was higher, but Phil spent more than half of his income on the rent of his apartment, utilities and groceries, as well as transportation, which was considerable, since he lived a considerable distance from his office. But in Idaho, he lives in a larger home, but it costs less than a third of what he paid in California. He also lives closer to work, so he's cut down on transportation costs. The cost of food and utilities are also less.

So even though Phil's salary is less, after taking a look at the big picture, he realizes that in California, though his salary was higher, he spent nearly half of his income on the basics of survival. In Idaho, although his salary is smaller, he is spending less on survival and therefore has more discretionary income. He and his family can now afford to go out to dinner or a movie occasionally.

So before you go off chasing a higher salary, consider the area. You may be able to enjoy a better quality of life with a lower salary. Salary isn't the end-all, be-all of income.

With most of the eastern United States baking in the summer sun, people are looking to cool down without paying a fortune in utilities costs. There are ways to cool your home without breaking the bank.

Search your home for sources of heat. Replace any incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which produce the same amount of light but use a fraction of the heat and energy.

Avoid using your dishwasher whenever possible, as well as you oven and clothes dryer, during the day. Wash only full loads of clothes and dishes. You may even want to consider using a clothesline. Using small appliances like microwaves and toaster ovens will save energy and keep the heat in the kitchen to a minimum.

Don't put lamps or televisions near your air conditioning thermostat. The heat from these appliances will make the air conditioner run longer.

During the day, close your curtains or blinds to keep out the sun. Place your air conditioner in shaded areas, since it will have to work harder if located in the sun to cool your home.

Think about taking advantage of the shade producing trees in your yard. They can help save up to 8 percent on cooling costs. If you don't have shade trees in your yard, consider planting some.

Another way you can bring in some extra cash this summer is with the government's Cash for Appliances program, which can mean rebates from $50 to $500 by swapping energy-guzzling appliances for more efficient models.

But the incentives are administered on the state level and are on a first-come, first-served basis, and in many places, the money is already gone. You should check with your state to see if the programs are still in place.

Even if you don't qualify for one of those rebates, you can still get cash back from the more than 600 programs run by utilities and over 100 state programs that offer incentives to boost your home's energy efficiency. And through the end of this year, you can claim a $1,500 federal tax credit up to 30 percent of the cost of many energy-related improvements.

There's also the Cash for Caulkers bill, which may soon become law. It will give homeowners hefty rebates on a variety of energy saving projects.

You may also wish to consider a comprehensive home energy audit, which will pinpoint your leaks. The audit runs about $400, but some states and utilities companies will conduct basic audits for free, or will reimburse some of the cost.

Dressing for success is crucial for all business people, but it becomes even more crucial for women seeking to start and run their own businesses. Dressing the right way can be the difference in being perceived as professional or not.

You should always dress appropriate for your work environment, and keep your clients, investors and customers in mind. A woman's professional appearance should always support her professional accomplishments and goals. If you are a florist, that will dictate that you dress more casually, but if you work in the legal profession, you'll need to dress more professionally. If your business attire is distracting because it is too sexy, drab or colorful, your business contacts may focus on how you look, not on your business skills.

If you must dress in a more professional manner, keep in mind the first impression others have of you shouldn't be about your scent preferences. Many women favor perfume, cologne or bath sprays, but in the workplace those can trigger asthma, overpower a room and are often more offensive than pleasing to others. You shouldn't smoke in your car or other closed-in places, because your clothing will pick up the odor.

Women often use their hands to talk, so their hands become a focal point. It is important to make sure your hands and fingernails look professional. Nails should be clean, trimmed or sculpted. Avoid wearing unusual or shocking nail colors. Nail art and nail jewels are not acceptable for business meetings, or even for everyday office wear.

Your hairstyle should be neat and conservative, and preferably off the face. With few exceptions, hair color should not be shocking or unusual. Hair sprays and gels that have a strong scent or odor should be avoided.

As for your makeup, keep it simple and appropriate for daytime. Wearing no makeup at all is almost as bad as wearing too much makeup.

Jewelry should not be noisy or too large, nor should it be costume jewelry. Keep earrings small, simple and above the earlobe. It's better to wear no jewelry at all than to wear too much. But a conservative wristwatch is recommended.

Demonstrating that you care about your appearance communicates to the person you're doing business with that they are important to you. Paying attention to the details of your appearance sends the message to others that you will also pay close attention to the needs of your customers and clients.