Thinking About Starting a Business? Here’s What It Costs
Contributors: Ari Page and Kayla Page | 9 min read
Five founder stories reveal practical lessons in finding customers, managing costs, and building a business with purpose.
Key Takeaways
Start with a specific need. Understand whom you serve and what your business or organization can realistically provide.
Give your vision a practical foundation. Plan for startup expenses, uncertain revenue, and the full cost of delivering your service.
Build relationships alongside your business. Customers, peers, family, and community partners can offer different kinds of support.
Behind every successful business is a journey that almost didn't happen, and for most founders, what makes the difference is money. These five entrepreneurs know that firsthand.
Milka Milliance waited seven months after launching her company before her first client signed on. Kait Merryman lived in a converted shed for about three years while she saved for her art studio. Colin Fraley was laid off on his birthday while he was building his platform for entrepreneurs, and he chose to commit to it full time.
Fund&Grow first shared their stories, along with those of Marcus Glover and Val Williams, published in recent editions of Prosperity Pulse, the company's magazine. These five stories show the financial side of starting a business in detail: how founders paid for the months before revenue, what they did when a loan was out of reach, how they counted costs that customers never see, and how relationships supplied resources that money could not buy on its own. Each story reflects one entrepreneur's circumstances. Together, they offer a practical view of what it takes to move from an idea to a working business.
Building a Retreat Business on a Small Budget
From Management Consultant to Founder
Milka Milliance built her company on a small budget and a long runway. She spent years in management consulting, a career full of constant travel and high-stakes projects. In 2014, a doctor's diagnosis made her rethink that lifestyle. After a series of close calls, including a near-collision on a busy highway while distracted by a work call, she resigned the next day.
Funding a Business Without a Bank Loan
After resigning, Milka went on a retreat in Upstate New York. It became a yearly reset and showed her how rarely workplaces offer time for renewal. That gap became Simetras Team Experiences, which she launched in 2022 to run nature-based corporate retreats with leadership coaching.
She mostly bootstrapped the business, starting with $5,000 from an old Roth savings account and $2,500 in gifts from her father and sisters. With no existing client base, she couldn't get a small bank loan, so she turned to family. She doesn't have a mentor, but Tia Cummings and Brian Mercado have helped with marketing over the past year. One of her first investments was marketing, and her first client signed seven months after launch.
"I realized life held more value than any job title."
— Milka Milliance | Founder of Simetras Team Experiences
Planning for the Months Before Revenue
Milka's seven-month wait for her first client is common for a new service business, and it's easy to underestimate. Her story points to costs that need a plan before launch: personal living expenses during the months with no revenue, and early marketing, which has to be paid for before it brings in clients. Retirement savings can come with taxes and penalties when withdrawn early, so check with a tax professional before using them. Her experience also shows that funding doesn't only come as cash. Gifts from family and marketing help from people who believed in her filled gaps a loan couldn't. Together, they show that a business can take shape on a modest budget when the founder plans for the wait.
Saving and Building an Art School
From Graphic Designer to Freelance Artist
Kait Merryman spent years saving for a business she hadn't planned yet. Her first job, at 15, was writing names and messages on Christmas ornaments at a mall kiosk. She went on to a career in graphic design, including creating Nike apparel at Fanatics from 2019 to 2022, and then left to freelance.
Cutting Living Costs to Save for a Business
By her account, her first year of freelancing produced no income. During that same period, the rent on her Tampa apartment more than doubled, so she moved into a converted shed. She lived there for about three years with a leaking roof, unreliable air conditioning and hot water, and wolf spiders. As her freelance work grew, the low cost of living allowed her to build savings.
Those savings found a purpose when a part-time teaching job shifted her direction. She enjoyed explaining techniques and watching students gain confidence, and she began planning a school that would value art, artists, and creative learning. That plan became The Artist's Realm in Brooksville, Florida, which offers art, music, and photography classes.
Funding the Opening With Savings and 0% Business Credit
Her personal savings covered most of the opening costs. She also opened a business credit card through her bank with a 0% introductory interest period and cash-back rewards, used it for many of the initial purchases, and paid the balance off in full before the business officially opened. Her family and her boyfriend, Brandon, painted, assembled furniture, hung shelves, moved equipment, and helped her solve problems along the way. Local business owners shared guidance and introduced her to useful contacts.
"Although I funded the business myself, I absolutely did not build it alone."
— Kait Merryman | Founder of The Artist's Realm
Planning for the Hidden Costs of Opening
Even with careful planning, opening brought expenses and setbacks she didn't expect. She had to pass inspections and replace the attic stairs, a repair that wasn't in her plan. Sunbiz, Florida's business registry, also rejected her first business name, leaving her without a backup.
Kait describes her housing situation as difficult, and Fund&Grow does not recommend compromising your safety to save money. Still, her story highlights costs that are easy to overlook: personal spending, since savings at home can fund the business, and help given as time and skill, which would have cost money to hire out. Her 0% card, paid off before opening, shows the value of a payoff plan, and the replacement stairs show the value of a repair reserve. Together, they show that building a business often starts long before opening day, with every dollar saved and every hand that helps.
Building a Funding Platform for First-Time Founders
From Nurse to Founder
Colin Fraley has been building businesses since he was a kid. Growing up in Quincy, Michigan, he sold flowers door to door and ran lemonade stands. In nursing school, he helped open and manage a coffee shop that ranked second out of 217 locations in average spending per customer. He later moved into management and sales roles, then joined a healthcare staffing startup he calls "an Uber for nurses."
Turning a Layoff Into a Full-Time Launch
When ChatGPT arrived, Colin started researching crowdfunding platforms and the regulations that govern financial services. He had personally given through Kiva, and his research led him to SoloFunds, a crowd lending platform. About two years ago, those threads came together into PeerFounder. In March of last year, while he was already building the platform, he was laid off on his birthday. He chose to treat it as an opportunity, left W-2 employment, and put his full effort into the company.
Rather than waiting for podcast invitations, he launched his own show, Startup or Shut Up, and one of his guests now serves as a PeerFounder advisor. He also started Side Hustle to Solopreneur, a monthly Chicago meetup that has become the main way new members find the platform.
"I developed this specific product to help my younger self."
— Colin Fraley | Co-founder of PeerFounder
Funding Founders Without a Credit History
PeerFounder, a public benefit corporation, gives young founders a community forum, a learning center, a business directory, and a crowdfunding space. It's built for Gen Z and Gen Alpha founders who often don't have the credit history banks look for. Founders start with a $500 raise from friends, family, and followers and work out repayment timing and returns directly with their funders. Repaying on time unlocks larger tiers of $2,500 and then $7,000. PeerFounder doesn't act as a lender.
Colin's story shows two things that are easy to overlook when starting out: relationships can help a business grow, and founders without a credit history can still build trust. His podcast and monthly meetups became key ways to reach new members, and PeerFounder lets founders unlock larger funding tiers by repaying on time. His advice is to start now, get comfortable with discomfort, and embrace failure.
Keeping a Transportation Business Moving as Fuel Costs Rise
Serving Patients Across Broome County
For Marcus Glover, the price at the gas station is more than a number on a sign. His company, Glover's Transport, runs a fleet of vans that provide non-emergency medical and private transportation in Broome County, New York, and the surrounding communities. Many of his passengers rely on those rides to get to medical appointments, so the vans have to keep moving whatever fuel costs that day.
How Fuel Costs Add Up Across a Fleet
As of September 21, 2026, the New York State average for regular gasoline was about $4.48 a gallon, according to AAA, up 9 cents from one week earlier. For a transportation business, those increases pile on top of insurance, driver wages, payroll, maintenance, repairs, tires, and licensing. Every trip also includes "deadhead miles," which are the miles driven without a passenger, such as the drive to a pickup or back from a drop-off.
Here's how quickly it adds up. A van that drives 300 miles a week at 15 miles per gallon uses about 20 gallons of fuel. With gas roughly $1.34 more per gallon than a year ago, that's about $27 more each week, or about $1,400 more per year, for a single van. Five vans at that pace would spend about $7,000 more on fuel in a year. And because some rides run under contracts or set reimbursement rates, the company can't always pass those costs on to customers.
"Knowing where the money is going is essential in a business where nearly every dollar of revenue requires a vehicle to move."
— Marcus Glover | Founder of Glover's Transport
Planning Every Mile
Rural routes make the problem bigger. A single appointment can mean driving out to a smaller community, bringing the passenger to the appointment, and making the full round trip again to bring them home. Glover's Transport tracks mileage, fuel, and trip information as part of its daily operations. Careful scheduling and smarter routing cut unnecessary miles, and reviewing whether each trip covers its costs helps the business stay sustainable.
Marcus's story shows a cost that's easy to underestimate when planning a service business: expenses that rise while your prices stay fixed. Tracking every mile, building some cushion into the budget for fuel swings, and knowing what each trip really costs help a business keep serving the people who depend on it, one mile at a time.
Turning Hardship Into Housing for Veterans
From Homelessness to Founder
Val Williams knows what it's like to lose stability all at once. On April 4, 2025, his mother died after a battle with brain and lung cancer. In the period that followed, the veteran found himself experiencing homelessness in Chicago, a reality he says he never imagined.
Finding a Mission Through the People Who Helped
During that time, a group of professional veterans stepped in. They helped him through the housing process until he had a place to call home again. The experience gave him a mission: to do for other veterans what those veterans had done for him. That mission became the Wings of Hope Veteran Housing Foundation, which works to create permanent and transitional housing for veterans.
Today, the man who once needed help finding housing sits at tables with government agencies, housing professionals, community organizations, businesses, funders, and veteran-service providers. Wings of Hope recently received a $50,000 technical-assistance award from the Washington State Department of Commerce to strengthen its capacity to pursue veteran housing development. For Val, the award represents progress and credibility, and it shows how quickly life can change.
"Sometimes the person receiving the help today becomes the person providing the help tomorrow."
— Val Williams | Founder of Wings of Hope Veterans Housing Foundation
Building Resources Beyond Money
Val's story shows that some of the most valuable resources for a new organization don't start as dollars. The veterans who helped him gave time, knowledge, and connections, and they shaped the mission he's building now. As Wings of Hope grows, that same network of agencies, partners, and funders is helping turn one person's recovery into housing for others. Together, they show that relationships can open doors long before the funding arrives.
Lessons for Your Own Startup Plan
None of these founders had every answer when they started. What they shared was a willingness to make careful choices with what they had: cutting costs where they could, leaning on the people around them, and using money with a purpose. Those choices carried them through the stretches when revenue was slow, costs went up, or plans changed.
For some founders, that purpose includes business credit. Kait used a 0% introductory card for her opening purchases and paid it off before her doors opened, keeping her savings working while she built. If business credit could be part of your plan, Fund&Grow offers coaching, education, and strategic support to help you explore and apply for business credit cards with 0% introductory APR. See what your business may qualify for and whether it's the right fit.
All business credit cards require a personal guarantee. Approval, credit limits, and terms depend on the issuer and your qualifications.
About the Author
Ari Page is the Founder and CEO of Fund&Grow, a business credit consulting company he started in 2007. Over nearly two decades, he has helped more than 35,000 entrepreneurs secure over $2.1 billion in total business funding. His expertise in business credit cards has made him a trusted resource for entrepreneurs, real estate investors, and small business owners across the country. He is the author of “Fund&Grow: Easy & Affordable Ways to Get Money for Your Business” and regularly shares insight on entrepreneurship, business strategy, and what it actually takes to build a financially resilient business.Fund&Grow in the News
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Methodology and Disclosures
This article summarizes five founder features first published in the September and October 2026 editions of Prosperity Pulse, Fund&Grow's magazine, and was checked against the originals as of October 2026. Details have been condensed and paraphrased, and quotes appear as originally published. These stories are for educational purposes and do not describe Fund&Grow client results. Each reflects one founder's circumstances, and your experience may differ. None of the featured founders or their businesses are affiliated with Fund&Grow, and Kait Merryman opened her card through her own bank. Fund&Grow does not recommend compromising personal safety to save money. Early retirement withdrawals may carry taxes and penalties, so consult a tax professional first. Fund&Grow is a business credit consulting and education service, not a lender, financial advisor, legal counsel, tax advisor, or credit repair organization. Business credit card applications involve personal credit inquiries, and APR terms, promotional periods, reporting practices, and underwriting standards vary by issuer. All business credit cards require a personal guarantee.
Sources
- Merryman, Kait. "How an Artist Went From Freelancer to Business Owner." Prosperity Pulse, September 2026.
- Milliance, Milka. "Building Stronger Workplace Culture Beyond the Office." Prosperity Pulse, September 2026.
- Williams, Val. "From Losing My Home to Helping Veterans Find Theirs." Prosperity Pulse, September 2026.
- "Chicago Founder Launches Peer Funding Platform for Solopreneurs." Prosperity Pulse, October 2026.
- "Driving Through Higher Gas Prices." Prosperity Pulse, October 2026.