Offer your insights or judgment on the input financial query or topic using your financial expertise. Reply as normal question answering

Starting a large business with a not so large income? 
There are three (or four) ways that a company can grow: (Crowdfunding is a relatively new (in mainstream businesses) alternative financing method where people will finance a company with the expectation that they will benefit from the product or service that they provide.) Obviously a startup has no prior income to use, so it must either raise money through equity or debt. People say that one must borrow contingent on their salary. Banks lend money based on the ability to pay the loan back plus interest.  For individuals, their income is their primary source of cash flow, so, yes, it is usually the determining factor in getting a loan.  For a business the key factor is future cash flows.  So a business will borrow money, say, to buy a new asset (like a factory) that will be used to generate cash flows in the future so that they can pay down the debt.  If the bank believes that the use of the money is going to be profitable enough that they will get their money back with interest, they'll loan the money. Equity investors are essentially the same, but since they don't get a guaranteed payback (they only get paid through non-guaranteed dividends or liquidation), their risk is higher and they are looking for higher expected returns. So the question I'd have as a bank or equity investor is "what are you going to do with the money?"  What is your business strategy? What are you going to do that will make profits in the future?  Do you have a special idea or skill that you can turn into a profitable business?  (Crowdfunding would be similar - people are willing to give you money based on either the social or personal benefit of some product or service.) So any business either starts small and grows over time (which is how the vast majority of businesses grow), or has some special idea, asset, skill, or something that would make a bank willing to take a risk on a huge loan. I know, again, that people here tend to turn blind eyes on unfortunate realities, but people do make giant businesses without having giant incomes. The "unfortunate reality" is that most startups fail.  Which may sound bad, but also keep in mind that most startups are created by people that are OK with failing.  They are people that are willing to fail 9 times with the thought that the 10th one will take off and make up for the losses of the first 9.   So I would say - if you have some great idea or skill and a viable strategy and plan to take it to market, then GO FOR IT. You don't need a huge salary to start off.  You need something that you can take to market and make money.  Most people (myself included) either do not have that idea or skill to go out on their own, or don't have the courage to take that kind of risk.  But don't go in assuming all you need is a loan and you'll be an instant millionaire.  You might, but the odds are very long.