Make Your Own Rules

4the magic of creative financing

THE ONE THREAD that runs through every business I have attempted, whether it was a housing development, a vineyard, or a Broadway play, is finance. The financing of business—as opposed to the business of finance—can be a creative pursuit unto itself. How you put a deal or a business together will often determine how well it works and whether it survives. I learned this almost by default.

Actors who pay their dues in the theater tend to have a somewhat parsimonious view of money. So, when I went to Hollywood and first made a little money, unlike movie actors who often burst on the scene with publicity and flagrant salaries, I was financially conservative.

One of the first investments I made was the purchase of ...