An explosion of dorm-room entrepreneurs is taking place. According to the Collegiate Entrepreneurial Organization, 50 to 70 percent of students are currently running a business or hope to one day own their own. College students founded Microsoft, Netscape, FedEx and Apple and today there are more resources than ever for starting your own business.

Launch

Planning a business has never been easier. A Google search for 'business plan creating software' will land you tons of powerful programs to choose from. Dozens of $100 programs exist that will guide you step-by-step though the process of creating a professional quality business plan. Some are tailored specifically for the college businessperson. Dorm Works (zizzoo.com) is a program created for college students who hope to launch an online business. Students are guided though the process of targeting a market, brainstorming strategies, web page building and search engine optimization.

Financing

The Internet is a platform that allows anyone to launch a business cheaper than ever before. It is possible for students to fund start-up costs with their own savings or from borrowing from family and friends. But if you need more money, the Small Business Administration (sba.gov) has some good resources. A SBA guaranteed loan is one of the cheapest sources of cash you will find. The SBA provides insurance on bank loans. The bank has assurance they will get their money back and the borrower gets a cheap loan. According to start-up site Entrepreneur.com, the SBA will insure up to 80 percent of your loan. But they will want an assurance you will be able to make your payments. Entrepreneur.com says you most likely will need to prove you can generate the cash flow to meet monthly obligations. But even if you can't meet the SBA requirements they offer information on where you can find the financial resources you need.

Marketing

Getting the word on the street about your product is one of the toughest and most important parts of starting a business. Luckily, advice on successful marketing can be found all over the internet. Entrepreneur.com says one of the smartest things an aspiring businessperson can do is learn everything about marketing. For starters, the five P's: Product, Price, Place, Promotion and People. If you have any competitors it won't hurt to study what they are doing right. And don't forget to create your broad marketing vision. Where do you hope to be in terms of customer awareness in five years? What niche audience do you hope to target? A big idea strategy will help you measure the small milestones.