June 1982 RAIN Page 17 To Beat or Become? That Is, The System by Mark Roseland The vote's still coming in on the dream of rural self- sufficiency, but the tally so far indicates that if you really want to make it on your land (or at home), away from the drugery and cheap thrills of the 9-to-5 routine, vou'd better try to insure that your cash flow is two-way. Cash flow is a simple concept. To improve it you either make more money or spend less. Obviously (at least to those of us who choose to "live lightly"), it makes more sense to spend less cents. And our experience is vast enough now that we've even developed methods'. For uplifting overviews full of helpful tricks, see How To Survive Without Money, by Charles Long (1981, 220 pp., $7.95 from John Wiley & Sons Canada Limited, 22 Worcester Road, Rexdale, Ontario M9W ILl CANADA) and The Barter Book: The Consumer's Guide to Living Well Without Using Money, by Dyanne Asimow Simon, (1979,152 pp., $4.50 from E. P. Dutton, 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016). The other, not quite as sensible way to improve your cash flow is to make a living. There are several ways to do this, of course, but for the moment let's think grandiose. If you always worked for somebody else you may well think that starting your own corporation is only possible for the very rich or the very smart. That's just what you're supposed to think — but it ain't true! All you need is a good idea, perhaps a little capital (can be borrowed or scrounged), and lots of labor, imagination, and perseverance (your own!). It's the initial paperwork, however, that nips it in the bud for lots of people. That's no longer necessary, fortunately, as a trip to the business shelf of any good bookstore will reveal a variety of helpful "how-to" titles. One of the best. The Complete Layman's Guide To Forming A Corporation — In Any State (by John C. Howell, 1982,110 pp., $5.95 from Prenhce-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632), even contains sample forms to guide your every step. If your orientation is more toward the public good than private gain, forming a non-profit corporation may suit your purposes. It involves substantially more paperwork, but there's no need to be intimidated — and you may be eligible for tax-exempt status. It helps greatly to see the files of a similar non-profit, but you can probably make do with any or all of the following: • "How to Incorporate and Become Tax-Exempt," by Ken Bossong, 1979, $1.45 from Citizens' Energy Project, 1110 Sixth St. NW, Suite #300, Washington, D.C. 20001, 202/387-8998. • "Model Incorporation and Tax Exemption Application Documents," $4.00 from National Economic Development and Law Center, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, #300, Berkeley, CA 94704, 415/548-2600. • Technical Assistance to Community Services (TACS), 1903 SE Ankeny, Portland, OR 97214, 503/239-4001, is working on a book for non-profit groups with the Community Law Project in Portland. Meanwhile, TACS gives a variety of workshops and is available for consultation. • Publication 557, free, from the Internal Revenue Service (they're everywhere — look in your phone book), tells you how to fill out IRS Form 1023, the application for tax-exemption. Not exactly entertaining, but helpful. As with all projects of this sort, you've no need for a lawyer (if at all) until after you've done your own research — you'll be amazed at how quickly and cheaply you can get out of a lawyer's office!□□ Karen Gottstein
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