Bed And Breakfast The Easiest Home-Based Business

There's an exciting new "down-home" kind of business springing up among homeowners all across the country. It's called Bed and Breakfast.

Basically, this is a transplant of European Hospitality, adapted and refined to the American way of doing things.  To foreign visitors, it's the comfort and hospitality of home---staying overnight "with people of the land" and enjoying a hearty breakfast---without the traditional gaudiness and plastic
feelings visitors get from most big cities in the United States. To U.S. citizens, it is a welcome alternative to the same old hotel/motel circuit.

Now, all it takes is a spare bedroom, a good cook ad an outgoing personality. Prices per night range from a low $25 to $100 or more.

If you have an extra bedroom, a large home, or extra space in your farm house, you have the necessary beginnings to start making extra income as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. One of the
beautiful aspects of this idea is that so long  as you're hosting "overnight visitors" on a small scale no licenses will be required. It's always best, however to check with your local authorities just to be sure.

Naturally, your "visitors" will expect a clean, neat and comfortable home. So assuming that your home meets these prerequisites, and you have a spare bedroom, simply 'doll it up" a bit. Make sure it's painted brightly, there's an outside window, lots of room, closet space and bureau, and perhaps a
small writing desk, and a large comfortable bed, or twin beds.

Most foreign visitors will expect and appreciate a "quick tour" of the interesting sights in your area. However, as your particular popularity  as a B&B Host grows, you'll find that a lot of American tourists and business people on the road will begin availing themselves of your hospitality. Certainly with these people, it won't always be necessary to give the "Red Carpet" visitors treatment.

Which brings us to the basic appeal of a Bed and Breakfast Inn. Travelers seem to be looking for, and appreciate a quiet "home-style" place to stay. Generally, they enjoy visiting with the people off the superhighway and want to get away from the sterilized atmosphere and sameness of hotels and motels.

Most people will either write to you ahead of time, inquiring about the possibilities of staying at your home while in your town or city. This means a bit of advertising on your part, or listing your availability with a B&B broker. Some people will check the local telephone listings, and the newspaper advertisements when they arrive in a strange town. And some people will just be driving across the country, come to a town or city they think is interesting, and start driving through the
residential areas looking for Bed and Breakfast Inns.

Thus, you should have a small sign posed either in your front yard or on the front of your house. This sign needn't be much more than about two feet wide and about ten inches deep. It need only state: BED AND BREAKFAST--Inquire Within or Call 123-4567.

For newspaper advertising, a similar listing in the personal column of your local paper, particularly on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, will be all you'll need. But when it comes to the
yellow pages of your telephone and business directories, go with a small display ad that describes in greater detail the comforts and pleasures of your service.

Be sure to list your services with all the travel agencies in your area. A brochure or a short synopsis of what you offer will most assuredly give the travel agents an idea for steering visitors your way. At the same time, listing your services in a number of national travel magazines --particularly those that
cater to women--- will bring customers in for you.

Listing your services with a broker usually won't cost you anything up front, but they will expect a certain percentage--usually about 25% of the total bill. This same arrangement applies with travel agents.

Now, suppose you're organized and ready to receive your first customers. You greet them as host or hostess and offer to assist them in getting situated in the room or rooms you have for them. If they'd like to take a drive around your area and see the points of interest, you do that. And then in the morning, serve them a big, delicious breakfast.

You'll probably find that foreign visitors will want to stay several days. With most people of this country who are just travelling through your area, it'll be a one-night stopover. Whatever, if they want to sleep comfortably through the night, eat breakfast and be on their way, so be it. If they want to stay
around after breakfast and plan an itinerary for a compete visit in your area, your assistance and help will be greatly appreciated. (Remember those recommendations)!

That's it! The complete how and why of this tremendously profitable business that's becoming more and more popular. It's called Bed & Breakfast, and it's very definitely a low investment idea. And you can parlay it into a very interesting and comfortable income producing business--all from the comfort of your own home!

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Garage Sale Promoting: For Quick, Easy Money

Pick almost any city or town in the country, drive through any middle class neighborhood or residential area on the weekend, and you're sure to spot at least a half dozen garage sales.

What's being sold at these garage sales? The accumulated "junk" people no longer use or want taking up space in or around their homes. Are they making any money with these garage sales? You'd
better believe they're making money! It's not at all uncommon to make $600 with a weekend garage sale. It is hard to put on a profitable garage sale? Well, yes and no. It really does take some of your time, and also requires an awareness of a few merchandising tactics. But the problem in running a successful garage sale are small in comparison to the profits.

Who are the buyers, and how do you get them to come to your garage sale? Your customers are going to be "everybody," and you get them over to your garage with a little bit of advertising and promotion.

Let's look at the background: Everybody accumulates the kind of garage sale items that other people are searching for, and are willing to buy. These items range from no longer wanted or
outgrown items of clothing, to furniture, tools, knick-knacks, books, pictures and toys. Many garage sale items are objects of merchandise purchased on impulse, and later found to be not what
the buyer wanted. He discovered too late that he really didn't have a use for it, or he no longer has a need for it. Many items found at garage sales are gifts that have been given to the seller, but are the wrong size or incorrect choice for the recipient.

The problem wit most people is that they haven't the time to gather up all the items "just taking up space" in and around their homes and staging a garage sale to get rid of them. Many people don't know how to stage a garage sale, and many other people feel that putting on a garage sale is just too much bother and work.

This is where you enter the picture. Your enterprise will be an ongoing garage sale of items donated and collected from these people who lack the inclination to put on a garage sales of their own.


Step one is education: Spend a few weeks visiting all the garage sales, swap meets and flea markets in your area. Find out what's being offered for sale, what people are buying, and how the
merchandise is being sold. generally an item is tagged with a price, but the seller is open to almost any reasonable offer from the customer. Another thing you want to make a mental not of is
the way the merchandise is displayed and how the customers are allowed to browse.

You start your own garage sale by cleaning out your basement, attic, closets and garage. Talk to your relatives and friends; tell them what you're going to do and ask them for donations of
no longer used or unwanted items. It's here that you'll get your first experience in negotiating, and finally, an agreement for you to display and sell other people's merchandise for a percentage of the sale price. You'll find people explaining that they really don't have a use for a specific item or thy really don't want to keep storing it, but because of sentimental reasons, "just hate to give it away."

Once you've had a little experience with this type of seller, you will be able to advertise in the newspaper that you buy garage sale items, or take them on consignment for a percentage of the
final sales price.

It's best that your wife handle the garage sale itself---greets potential customers, "shows them around,"and generally engages them in conversation. If it's a woman staging the garage sale,
then arrangements should be made to have another woman "mind the store" while she's out digging up more items for sale.

The advertising angle is really quite simple, and shouldn't cost very much either. You should run an ad in your area shopper's newspaper for about three days in advance of, and up through the
day of your sale. Once you're operating on a full-time , every day of the week schedule, you'll want to change your ad schedule and the style of your advertising. But in getting started, go with small classified ads simply announcing your garage sale, emphasizing that you've got something of interest to everyone--everything form A to Z. To get ideas on how to write your ad, check your newspaper for a week or so; cut out all the garage sale ads you can find; paste them up on a piece of paper.
Then, with a bit of critical analysis, you'll be able to determine how to write a good ad of your own by determining the good and bad in the ads you've collected. Something to remember: The bigger and better you sale, the bigger and better your "getting started" ads should be. And the secret to outstanding garage sale profits is in having the widest or largest selection of merchandise.

You should have made an old-fashioned "sandwich board" sign to display in front of your house when your garage sale is open for business. This will pull in your neighbors, if you haven't
already informed them, and attract the people driving by. Sandwich boards are sometimes set out at key traffic intersections nor far from the site of the garage sale, to attract attention and point the way. (Check local ordinances to see if this is permitted in your area.)


Another "sign idea" practiced by a few sharp operators is the old "Burma Shave" roadside pointers. Here, you simply take a few pieces of cardboard and tack onto the power poles a about 200
yards intervals on a thoroughfare leading to your garage sale. You'll create a lot of traffic for yourself! Simply visit the public library and check out a book on limericks, adapt the ones
you find humorous, and start making signs. Once word here Though: Be sure to check your local ordinances before you start nailing signs to power poles.

By all means, search out and use all the free bulletin boards in your area. It's better, and usually much more profitable, to take the time to make up and attention grabbing circular you can post
on these bulletin boards than just using a written 3 by 5 card announcement.

To do this, pick up some "transfer lettering," go thru your newspapers and old magazines for interesting illustrations, graphics and pictures, then with a little bit of imagination, makeup an 81/2 by 11 poster type announcement of your sale. When you've got it pasted up, take it to any quick print shop ad have them print up 50 to 100 copies for you. The cost should not come to more than six or seven dollars.

If you make this "circular/poster" up with versatility and long-time usage in mid, you can use it over and over again, simply by pasting a new date. In case you were puzzled when we talk about "pasting" this is simply pasting another piece of paper on to the overall page. Say you have a circular with a date of Wednesday March 1st, and you want it to read Thursday, July 16th. Rather than do the whole thing over, simply write out the new date with your transfer letters on a separate sheet of paper,
cut it out to fit in the space occupied by the old date, and paste the new date over the old date. A good paste to use for this purpose is rubber cement. That's all there is to it; the printer does the rest.

Now let's talk about the 'insider secrets" of drawing people into your sale, and merchandising "gimmicks' that will result in the maximum sales and profit for you. First, call attention to your sale. Don't be shy, bashful, or self-conscious about letting everybody for miles about know that
you're having a garage sale. Some sharp operators do the next best thing to having the Goodyear blimp overhead: They rent miniature blimps, send them up above the housetops, and tether
them there on their sale days. Of course this giant balloon or miniature blimp has some sort of sign on the side of it, inviting people to the garage sale! this is one of the strongest available advertising ideas for pulling "traffic' to a sale of any kind. For more details, write to Pie-In-The-Sky Company, PO Box 5267, San Mateo, CA 94402.

You have to give your sale some flair. Put some posts up across the front of the property and run some twisted cree paper between them. Even better than crepe paper, run some brightly colored
ribbons. Invest in some colorful pennants and fly them from temporary flag poles. And don't forget the balloons!

Make your garage sale a fun kind of event with clusters of balloons anchored to your display tables and racks. Be sure to "float" them well above the heads of your customers as they are browsing through your merchandise displays.


Cover your display tables with colorful cloths. Don't hesitate to use bright colors with busy patterns. Regardless of what you sell, effective display is still predominately essential!


You cannot "dump" items haphazardly on a table, sit down and expect to realize great profits. The people doing the most business---making the most sales--are the ones with interesting displays, action and color.

Try to have as wide a selection of colors as possible in your clothing racks, and mix them for a rainbow effect. Make sure that your jewelry items shine and sparkle. Arrange them in and with
jewelry boxes, jewelry ladders and other items sold for the purpose of showing off jewelry while keeping it neatly organized. We know of one lady who regularly arranges jewelry items in a
battery operated lazy susan. Seeing this jewelry slowly turning on the lazy susan never fails to draw attention.

Think about it, and then study the methods of display used by "rack jobbers" in the stores in your area. These are the wire racks that usually hold card packaged items. This kind of display rack would lend itself beautifully for anchoring a cluster of balloons. Keep these things in mind, and build your individual displays as part of the whole; make it pleasing to the eye as well as convenient for your customers to browse through and select the items that appeal to them.

Look for some kind of interesting and unusual item to call attention to your sale--something you can set up or park in front of your house during your sale. Some of the displays we've seen along these lines include a horse-drawn surrey, a restored Model T, and old farm plow. But anything of an unusual and interesting nature will do the trick for you. One couple we know put up a display using a manikin dressed in an old time farm bonnet, long dress and apron. The display depicted a farm woman of old, washing clothes with a scrub board and two steel wash tubs. You have to believe this drew crowds and made people talk!

Wherever your imagination takes you, you have to be different and distinctive, or you'll get lost in the hundreds of garage sales going on all around you. If you'll take the time to employ a bit of imagination and set your sales up with the kind of flair we've been talking about, you'll not just draw the crowds, you'll end up being the one holding the most profits.

It's almost a compulsion of many women to go shopping, to search for the interesting and sometimes rare and valuable items. This fact will keep you as busy as you'll ever want to be--staging and
holding garage sales. The market is so vast, and the appetite so varied, that anything from a brass bedstead to a used dairy of somebody's long-forgotten grandmother will sell, and sell fast at garage sales. Put it all together, use a little imagination, and you'll easily make all the money you want!

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How To Start A Money Brokerage Business

...and Earn $100,000 a Year, Collect Large Fees Helping Others....and Borrow All The Money You Need

Becoming a Money Broker is one of the easiest and most rewarding endeavors available. Virtually anyone can become a Money Broker with the smallest investment. You can start this business on a
part-time basis, and earn large "Finders Fees," or open your own office and work fulltime with absolutely unlimited income potential.

Until very recently, the "secrets of money brokering" were closely guarded and known only to a few select bankers, investment corporations, and business consultants. No other business offers the potential income figure for so little investment! As an example, starting with less than $100, some
money brokers have made $100,000 their first year in their business! This is the ideal way for a man or woman to supplement his or her present income, or change professions after a period of time. It is an absolute "dream-come-true" for the semi-retired, or retired office worker.

There is hardly another business requiring less than $100 in start-up cost that can put you in a six-figure income bracket so quickly. None of them give you the power, prestige, or status---respectability in your community---equal to that of the Money Broker.

To get started, you'll need stationary, envelopes, and business cards with your own letterhead. When ordering, be sure to include your phone number. Also have copies made of your Fee Agreement.
We have presented a typical Fee Agreement form (which you may duplicate after eradicating the instructions we have given in blanks)

As we started, the investment in this business is small; when you have your stationary, envelopes, cards and the Finder's Fee Agreement in hand, you have spent part of it. The other part will
be discussed now, because you have to "find" both borrower and lender to really get underway.

Once you have your "working paper," you will run some advertisements in your local paper under the headings "money to Loan," or "Business Opportunities." Typical ads might read:

   MONEY AVAILABLE FOR BILL CONSOLIDATION, HOME REPAIR,
   BUSINESS EXPANSION, ANY WORTHWHILE PROJECT CALL JOHN
   423-8821

(This ad would be used to "pull" BORROWERS)

   BUSINESSMAN NEEDS CAPITAL FOR EXPANSION. EXCELLENT
  COLLATERAL AND REFERENCES. CALL JOHN JOHNSON AFTER 4:00 PM
  423-8821

(This one would be to attract LENDERS)

In response to the calls or letters from prospective clients, you will have to be prepared (really BE prepared by practicing) with the proper answers and sales pitch--(to the prospective
borrower): "Yes, this is John Johnson. Thank you for calling.First I will explain how we operate. I'm a money broker, Mr. (USE HIS NAME!)____. I bring you, the borrower, and the lender,
together. I have different money sources available---banks, insurance companies, private investment groups of doctors, dentists, lawyers, and other professional people. My sources are in business to make money by lending out money. Let's see-- I need to determine your needs and the purpose of the loan in order to properly prepare the necessary financial papers for your loan request as many as ten different lending groups in order to get the loan for you. Once I have an approval on your loan request, I'm paid anywhere from 2% to 10% of the total loan figure...important for you to remember, though, is that I don't get paid less I GET the loan for you. I do, however charge a $100 non-refundable Application Fee to cover my expenses in preparing your request for loan papers and presenting this portfolio to the lenders. In a nutshell, that's how these types of loans are negotiated. Now then, how much will you need?

(Note that five successful registrations per will bring you $500 each week.)

This is where you begin to acquire the information you are going to need to proceed--the amount of money needed---purpose of the loan---terms the borrower wants for repayment--and a profile of
his background--education, employment record, date of birth, Social Security number, marital status, general health, and number of dependents.

Next you type this information onto the proper forms, assembling all into a portfolio and presenting it with a cover letter to at least five different lenders for their consideration.

When the loan is granted, you collect your Brokers Fee--a pre-determined percentage of the total loan figure.

   (TYPICAL FEE AGREEMENT FORM)

YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

AGREEMENT FOR FINANCIAL SERVICE

The undersigned,   Borrower's name, hereby appoints YOUR NAME, as
his Agent and authorizes him to submit to lenders data
information supplied by the borrower, for the purpose of the
lender making a loan or investment direct to the undersigned. The
undersigned aggress to pay to YOUR NAME, a fee of ___% of the
amount of the loan or investment obtained. The undersigned hereby
pays to YOUR NAME, $____ as a non-refundable fee for the time
involved to appraise the feasibility of loan requested; this fee
is separate from any
other fess due, if the loan is obtained.


                                         
___________________                  _______________________  
  Date                                 Borrower

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A Checklist Of Questions To Answer Before You Buy A Franchise

Franchise businesses such as Wendy's, McDonald's and Jack-In-The-Box are booming. The people setting up franchise ideas and businesses know a good thing, and are really promoting this idea. Franchises for just about every conceivable kind of business are being sold in ever increasing numbers.

Some franchises are  very good. They treat both the franchisor and the franchisee very well. Others are very one-sided. Still others are almost total rip-offs that trap one into paying ten to fifty times the actual value of the business idea, equipment, or whatever it is they are trying to get you to buy.

Before putting any money into a franchise, you should investigate  everything completely. We've prepared a list of questions you should be asking, and should get satisfactory answers to before investing.

1. Has your attorney studied the franchise contract, discussed it completely with you, and do you both approve it without reservations?

2. Does the franchise require you to take any steps which are either illegal or even border on illegal, or are otherwise questionable or unwise in your state, county or city?

3. Does the franchise give you an exclusive territory for the length of the franchise period, or can the franchisor sell a second franchise in your territory?

4. is the franchisor connected in any way with any other franchise company handling similar products or services?

5. If you answered yes to the above questions, what is your protection against the second franchising company?

6. Under what circumstances can you end the franchise contract, and at what cost to you?

If you sell your franchise, will you be compensated for your goodwill or will it be lost to you?


8. How many years has the firm been offering you the franchise been in operation?


9. Does the company offering you this franchise have a reputation for honesty and fair dealing among its franchisees?


10. Has the franchisor shown any certified figures indicating exact net profits of one or more of its members, and have you personally checked the figures with these people?


11. Will the franchisor assist you with: a) A management training program; b) An employee training program; c) A public relations and advertising program; d) Capital; e) Credit; f) Merchandising ideas?


12. If needed, will the franchisor assist you in finding a suitable location?

13. Is the franchising firm adequately financed so that it can carry out its sated plans?

14. Does the franchisor have experienced management, trained in depth?

15. Exactly what can the franchisor do for you that you cannot do for yourself?

16. Has the franchisor investigated you carefully enough to assure itself that you can successfully operate a profit to both of you?

17. Does your state have a law regulating the sale franchises, and has the franchisor complied with that law to your satisfaction?

18. How much equity capital will you need to purchase the franchise and operate it until your income equals your expenses?

If you can get the answers to each of these questions, and those answers satisfy you, then you're probably thinking about buying a pretty good franchise deal. However, if you're in doubt about any of these points, be sure to check it out and know the answers for certain before you invest or sign anything.

Buying a franchise can give you a measure of security, and in some cases, sure-fire profits. Business surveys show that fewer than 20 percent of all franchised businesses fail. This is in comparison to a 60 to 80 percent failure rate for ALL new businesses started in this country each year.

Information regarding specific franchising ideas can be found in the franchising directories, which are generally available at the local library. Often there will be a notice posted in franchise outlets themselves.

If you can afford the entry into this business, statistics are on your side. You are now armed with some CAUTION and STOP and GO signs!

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Secrets Of Getting Free Advertising

The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just to think of listing them.

One way is to write an article relative to your particular expertise and submit it to all the publications and media dealing in the dissemination of related information. In other words, become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get the word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and "tag-along" everything you write with a quick note listing your address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more information.

Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of the radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most
people realize. Write a letter to the producer of these programs, then follow up an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of
interest to the listeners or viewers of the program--perhaps even saving them time and money.

Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include the posting of advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don't discount the idea of handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busy shopping centers and malls, especially on weekend. You can also enlist the aid of the middle school students in your area to had out circulars door-to-door.

Some of the more routine methods include having a promotional ad relative to your product or service printed on the front or back of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your
return address.

Be sure to check all the publications that carry the kind of advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will give you Per Inquiry (PI) space--arrangement where all orders come in to the publication, they take a commission from each order, and then forward the orders on to you for fulfillment.

Many publications will give you a contract for "" space. In this arrangement you send them your ad, and they hold it until they have unsold space, and then at a price that's always one third or less the regular price for the space need, insert your ad. Along these lines, be sure to check in with the suburban neighborhood newspapers.

If you send out or publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet, get in touch will all the other publishers and inquire about the possibilities of exchange advertising. They run your ad in their publication in exchange for your running an ad for them of comparable size in yours.

Finally, there's nothing in the world that beats the low cost and tremendous exposure you get when you advertise a free offer. Simply run an ad offering a free report of interest to most people--- a simple one page report with a "tag-line" inviting the readers to send money for more information, with a full page advertisement for your book or other product on the backside. Ask for a self-addressed stamped envelope, and depending on the appeal for your report and circulation of the publication in which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with responses!

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