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Michael quinn's dilemma was a common one, but his solutionwas not.

After 10 years in business, Quinn wanted to go national. But hisHahnemann Laboratories Inc., a San Rafael, California, company thatmanufactures homeopathic medicines, needed to become a Food andDrug Administration-licensed pharmaceutical manufacturer if it wasgoing to market its product across state lines. Where would Quinnget the capital to outfit a new facility?

"I went to a commercial bank, and they said `No way,'" recalls Quinn. Investment bankers weren't offering muchhope, either. But Quinn had an epiphany when he realized that ifjust 200 of his more than 28,000 customers invested about $2,000each, Hahnemann Labs would have the equity capital it needed.