She wasn't really planning to open her own 'poodle parlor' - just dreaming. She found out that the salon had failed because of poor management. The non-functioning business was worth nothing to the previous owner, so any offer was more than she could properly expect. See what you can find. You will probably find a dozen businesses that have closed within a short distance of your home.
Small businesses start up and close down all the time for a variety of reasons.
By finding one that had gone out of business and was virtually worthless to the owner, this groomer was able to start on her own for next to nothing. The weatherman at a local TV station wrote a book of local weather statistics. Brian called the manager of the TV station and offered to do a co-operative promotion with the station. They placed the weatherman's book in Brian's store, even had the weatherman do in-store appearances, which resulted in the station promoting the store's location for the appearances, in addition to promoting the book. Sometimes it is necessary to actually borrow money, but a bank is not the only source.