Don’t go looking for startup funding from VCs or banks. It’s time consuming and the guys “in the know” say that money is just too tight right now. Besides, why would you want to do that anyway? Your time is limited. You have a full time job and need to get your startup off the ground.

So here’s five super innovative funding ideas for getting your startup going if you are short on cash, and have a full time job to do as well:

1. Work For It – You already have a revenue source: your job. Get lean at home. Throw a couple of steaks on the barbee instead of going out for dinner. Carry a sack lunch to work. Use Netflix streaming video and Hulu instead of renting movies–then turn off the cable/satellite. Get your buddy to share some of his homebrew instead of drinking that Castle Rock you love. Get a VOIP phone and learn how to setup Asterisk*.
2. Save For It – Sell that old trumpet from high school band-you’ll never play it again-and besides, you can buy another one when the company takes off. Ask your parents; don’t be shy. If you write a quick startup business plan and present it to them, or your friends, you might be surprised how much capital you can raise. Divest assets like that Google stock you were holding onto. Get on eBay and sell those old Spidy comics. You can buy them again later.
3. Trade For It – Get involved in your local software community and ask around. You’d be surprised how many software developers are working on projects of their own and would help you in exchange for some help with theirs. Also, look for some bartering opportunities. Its not uncommon for startup business owners to barter for services.
4. Inspire For It – Do you want to change the world? Or do you want to help someone and make their life better? Tell your friends and family. Better yet, find someone with the skills, contacts, or equipment you need and ask them if they, too, would like to do something that has impact; something that leaves a mark on the world. I once needed help with a two-week summer teaching job that I’d volunteered for. The work was just too much for one person, but the job was unpaid and was during weekdays from 9am to noon. I asked a friend, “how would you like to change a few kids lives forever?” I just knew he would say “no”, but he jumped at it and Thanked Me for the opportunity. It was a hard two weeks, but the next year he was ready to go without my asking him. You can do it. Inspire someone the way you were inspired.
5. Sell For It – Look, you’re a programmer with the entrepreneurial spark. Use it! Find a small app that you can write quickly, throw up a website and learn a little SEO or SEM. Build something that you can charge $10 for and just see what happens. Don’t do anything big. You’d be surprised what people will pay for. I once wrote a little app that I called Credits. All it did was scroll text up or across the computer screen like the credits at the end of a movie. IT SOLD! I eventually sold the source code to a guy and took it off the market.

So there it is, five most-fabulous startup funding ideas to keep you out of the bank and keep your entire startup ownership to yourself.

* We use an old PC with an Asterisk Server and spend $10/month a multi-line telephone system.