The bootstrap philosophy has been used by many entrepreneurs to build thriving businesses with little or no beginning investment.

The philosophy helped bootstrapper Andrew S. Field, grow PrintingforLess.com, an innovative online printing service, with revenue from his conventional printing business.

It has also helped resourceful Romanian entrepreneur Cristian Dorobantescu who used a previous employer to gain client referrals then turned the earnings from those early jobs into capital to purchase needed equipment for his fledgling business.

Artist Michelle Prestileo, on the other hand, working under the pseudonym Shell Presto, has used the approach not so much to build a business as to showcase her talents with the hope of financial reward in the future.

She's not alone.

Prestileo, 23, the resident of a sleepy northeastern pennsylvania coal town, is using a website created in her second year of high school to share her growing animation talents with an increasing group of fellow fans and artists online.

CONTINUED NEXT POST