One of the things I thought about during last week's down time, was the freedom that the bootstrapping process gives the entrepreneur in planning his/her next venture-a big departure from the approach of those depending on outside financing for their business goals.

Here are five ways off the top of my head that the bootstrapper, freed from the constraints of looking for funding, can aggressively move forward with a realistic business idea:

1. Think about what you can do today. Not next week. Not next month. Not next year. It's always important to plan for the future, but it's unwise to wait for the perfect set of circumstances to begin your business. A good way to avoid procrastinating is to figure out what you can do immediately to get things rolling.

2. Think about the talents you possess. You may have a great idea for a new software application, but if you posses no programming skills, have no friends with the computer abilities to help with your project and have no money to pay for the work, it may be wiser to bide your time. Think about your own talents and how you could market them to generate cash flow for some of those projects in the future.

3. Think about the relationships you have developed. On the other hand if you've made friends with programming types while surfing the Internet, have a skill you can trade for their services or have a way in which they too can benefit from your idea as a partner, you may have the beginnings of a team. Without capital, these kinds of relationships are crucial to the bootstrapper and can be used to accomplish an amazing number of things.

4. Think about the resources at your disposal. These may be savings, earnings from a part-time job, a loan from a friend or relative, an agreement with someone who owns a particular tool or other resource you need. Try to take an inventory of the things you could contribute immediately to start your business. It may surprise you how many resources you can provide.

5. Think about the opportunities available. The best ones are often right under your nose. Don't reach for the moon all at once. Think of a need you can fill immediately.