Ideas for Adding some Variety to your Vegetarian Lifestyle

When you’re planning a healthy vegetarian diet, you’re only limited by your imagination. It’s important to incorporate a wide variety of whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits in different meals, including seeds and nuts. Variety is the spice of life, and it will help ensure your vegetarian diet is nutrient-dense, interesting, and fun! Aim for variety, even when you serve favorite entrees over and over again, by serving different side dishes, snacks and desserts.

Be creative in planning meals. Boost your consumption of beans and vegetables by eating these foods at lunch time rather than just for dinner. Make it a goal to serve a vegetable every day for lunch and two for dinner.  Plan a meal around a vegetable. A baked potato can be a hearty entree; serve it with baked beans, a sauce of stewed tomatoes or a few tablespoons of salsa. Or make a simple meal of sautéed vegetables and pasta.

Try new foods often. Experiment with a variety of grains such as quinoa, couscous, bulgur, barley, and wheat berries. Try fruits and vegetables that are popular in different international cuisines, such as bok choy.  Accentuate the positive. Focus more on healthy foods that fit into a vegetarian plan instead of foods to avoid. If you’re unsure how to include a new food into your vegetarian diet, ask the produce manager at your local grocer or health food store for ideas on how to prepare it. The internet can be a great resource for new recipe and preparation ideas.  But be sure that you’re building your menu on a strong plant food base.  Make them the core of your diet.

Don’t stress about getting enough protein. As long as calories are sufficient and the diet is varied, vegetarians easily meet protein needs. Grains, beans, vegetables, and nuts all provide protein. Vegetarians do not need to eat special combinations of foods to meet protein needs. However, it is important to be aware of fat. Even vegetarians can get too much fat if the diet contains large amounts of nuts, oils, processed foods, or sweets. 

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Vegetarians and heart disease

No matter what your reasons for eating a more vegetarian diet, there’s no denying the obvious health benefits that are derived from the elimination of red meat from your diet. On average, vegetarians have lower levels of the blood fats, cholesterol and triglycerides than meat eaters of similar age and social status have. High levels of blood fats are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Lacto-ovo vegetarians, those who eat eggs and dairy products, which contain cholesterol-raising saturated fats and cholesterol, have higher cholesterol levels than do vegans, as those who abstain from all animal foods are called. But even among lacto-ovo vegetarians, cholesterol levels are generally lower than they are among meat eaters.

Researchers have found that older men who eat meat six or more times a week are twice as likely to die of heart disease as those who abstain from meat. Among middle-aged men, meat eaters were four times more likely to suffer a fatal heart attack, according to the study. As for women, who are partly protected by their hormones and generally develop heart disease later in life than men do, the risk of fatal heart disease has been found to be lower only among the older vegetarians. 

  In a 1982 study of more than 10,000 vegetarians and meat eaters, British researchers found that the more meat consumed, the greater the risk of suffering a heart attack. Though eliminating meat from the diet is likely to reduce your consumption of heart-damaging fats and cholesterol, substituting large amounts of high-fat dairy products and cholesterol-rich eggs can negate the benefit. To glean the heart-saving benefits of vegetarianism, consumption of such foods as hard cheese, cream cheese, ice cream and eggs should be moderate. And the introduction of more vegetables, fruits and raw foods will definitely enhance the benefits of abstaining from eating meat.

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Caged chickens and hormones

If most of us thought about the conditions in which chickens used for meat and eggs are raised and slaughtered, we’d become vegetarian on the spot. Egg-laying chickens can be raised in cages with 6 chickens to a cage, each chicken getting only 67 square inches of space for its lifetime.

Unless they’re certified and labeled as being free-range or organic or natural, they might have been fed growth hormones to get them to slaughter faster, and antibiotics to combat the diseases which come from being raised in cramped and less-than-clean conditions.

And consider what the recommendations are for cleaning up after touching poultry? It’s recommended to clean surfaces with bleach to remove bacteria, and to wash your hands thoroughly after touching a chicken.

Do you really want to put something into your body that requires bleach to clean up after? Something that needs to be cooked to specific temperatures to be sure you’ve destroyed any bacteria that could make you sick?

Chickens and turkeys have become so mass-produced and injected with antibiotics and hormones that there’s no taste to it anymore, so why bother? Even the most humanely treated chicken has either been stunned in a salt-water brine before being beheaded. In John Robbins excellent book and video, Diet for a Small Planet, he shows us pictures of chickens being grabbed in groups by the neck and thrown into cages. Can you really consider eating a chicken with that vision in your head?

Any means of mass-producing animals for human consumption is by its very nature unhealthy and cruel for the animals, and unhealthy for humans as well. Even if you’re of the opinion that man is a natural hunter, how natural is it to eat an animal that’s been raised in captivity and fed a diet of hormones and antibiotics?

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Going Vegetarian during your Pregnancy

Now that you’re pregnant, you’re wondering if your decision to become vegetarian can still be carried out successfully during your pregnancy.  And while it is possible for you to obtain all the nutrients your body will need during pregnancy through a well-planned, nutrient-dense vegetarian diet, careful planning and observation will be crucial to your overall success transitioning to vegetarianism during your pregnancy.  In other words: take it slow and be smart!

A good vegetarian diet has a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, lentils, and nuts and some eggs and dairy or their equivalent if you so choose. Fast food, highly processed junk foods, and canned fruits and vegetables are eaten rarely if at all.  It’s imperative that you make wise food choices at this crucial time, since a pregnant woman only needs approximately 300 more calories per day and about 10-16 extra grams of protein; however, the body's need for certain nutrients increases significantly. Every bite you take is important when you're pregnant. While the RDAs (recommended daily allowances) for almost all nutrients increase, especially important are folic acid, iron, zinc, and vitamin B-12. Attention to adequate amounts of vitamin B-12 is crucial for vegetarians who choose not to eat eggs and dairy.

Work closely with your healthcare professional during this transition.  The changeover from a meat-eating to a vegetarian diet can be rough on your body as it actually goes through a detoxification process during the transition. So, you want to ensure your baby is getting all the nutrients it needs at this time, and is growing and developing at a healthy rate.  Start very slowly; perhaps only one or two days per week eating a vegetarian diet.  

Gradually work in soy- and plant-based proteins into your diet, and little by little use them to replace proteins obtained from eating meat products.  Be sure to adequately supplement your diet with a quality prenatal supplement, and get adequate amounts of exercise and exposure to sunlight to promote your body to naturally produce vitamin D. 

With careful planning, observation, and your healthcare professional’s guidance, the transition to vegetarianism during your pregnancy can be a cleansing and healthy start for both you and your baby to a lifetime of optimal health. 

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How To Make It Big With A Used Book Store

Operating a used book store is a lot like owning a recycling center-not too glamourous until you take a look at the owner's bank account.

This is an ideal "absentee-owner" type of business, or a small investment type business for someone to start while holding down a regular, full time job. The type of person "best-suited" to running a successful used book store, is a man or woman who loves to read, has collected books over the years and enjoys associating with people of similar interests.

Start-up risks average high, with the average time period needed to become firmly established, about 3 years. After that "becoming established" stage however, you should be able to enjoy ownership of a business without extreme market fluctuations, plus an income close to $50,000 per year or more.

Ideally, a used book store will need a market population of at least 50,000 persons to support it. Try to locate your store in a "high traffic" area, as near as possible to a college or university campus. Something to bear in mind is the shopping habits of the average used book buyer: First, he is a browser. He notices your shop, drops in and begins looking around to see what kind of books you have available. If he spots something that really interests him, he'll probably buy then and there. If not, and provided you've made him feel comfortable this first time in your store, he'll be back-dropping in to browse whenever he's in the area.

Shopping Malls are an excellent locations for book stores. Locations near other, or "new" books stores are also very good- if the buyer doesn't find what he wants in the "other" book stores, he'll check your store. Grocery store shopping centers are generally poor locations for book stores of any kind.  It's important that there be a lot of casual strollers in your location area, and that you encourage these people to drop in, and browse around.

If you want the entire front of your store to be a show window...take pains to arrange your window display in an uncluttered manner, showing the kinds of books you have...However, a window display is not really necessary...more important is a window for the passers-by to see into your store...At any rate, if you do go with a window display, keep it low-never more than 36 inches high leaving a lot of room for the people passing to see in youe store, and notice the people browsing thru your books. We know of one successful operator who had members of his family, relatives and friends, purposely "browsing" thru his store, just to project that kind of image for

the store.

Once you have your store location selected, paint the entire interior in a dark, warm color, such as mahogany. Install a lighter shade of indoor/outdoor carpet throughout. The lighting should be indirect, and somewhat subdued to give the store a warm feeling.

Locate your checkout counter parallel to one of the side walls...You don't want it blocking or guarding the easy entry or exit from your store. You want your customers to feel comfortable just visiting your store. in other words, do everything you can to encourage the browser,because it's proven time and time gain that the browsers are the book buyers. Allow the people to come and do generally as they please;to pick up thumb thru the books that interest them; to read them and "fall in love" with them.

These will be your real book buyers.

Your book shelves should run along each side wall, and across the back of the store. Don't build them more than six feet high. Partition these shelves into sections about four feet wide, and at the top of each section, place a sign  indicating the general subject matter of the books to be found in that section.

Paper the walls of your store, from the top of your book shelves to the ceiling with posters--colorful and descriptive travel posters, broadway show billboards, concert posters and full color dust jackets from books that are perennially popular.

The next thing is to build or buy half shelves, tables and revolving racks for other or more books. The half shelves--about 4 feet wide by 4 feet high and similar to book cases in your home--should be located at right angles to your wall shelves, and in the rear of your store. The tables should be about 3 feet wide by 4 feet long, and about 30 inches high. These also should be located at right angles to your wall shelves, but closer to the front of your store. A revolving wire rack, to hold currently popular or specially featured books, and located at the front of your store, will be a special extra merchandising effort that'll really pay off in sales of your books.

In locating your half shelves and tables down the middle of your store, stagger them--one 3 feet from the wall shelves, the next one 6 feet out, then 4 feet and so on. This will allow people to be "seen" in your store; cut down on the appearance of a formal or military layout, and project a more casual atmosphere for browsing and this is precisely what you want. This kind of arrangement will cost you some space, but it will be worth it with increased traffic.

Another merchandising idea that works very well is a couple of revolving wire racks on wheels...These you push outside and position near the entrance to your store. You can feature popular paperbacks, and a few oversize hard cover books with bright, flashy colors in these racks.

Your store hours should match those of your neigbors...In fact, you cold "jump off to a quick start," by opening a half hour earlier than your neighbors. Use his opening half hour to take care of paperwork, and get yourself organized for the day. When the early shoppers see you're open early, they'll begin coming into your store to "browse and kill time" while they wait for the other stores to open.

If you cannot be there to "open the store," then hire part time help. The best arrangement is house wives or college students in 4 hour shifts at the minimum wage.

First off, write out a list of duties you want each clerk to perform while he's on shift. In addition to taking care of sales transactions, you might want him to do some stocking, dusting, cleaning, sorting and prcing..Regardless, you'll have fewer problems and enjoy bigger profits if you formally write these "shift duties" out, and post them as job requirements, and explain them when you interview for hired help.

Look for, and try to hire only book lovers who are personable, outgoing, and have some sort of business aptitude. You the train these people in all phases of your operation, with the thought in mind that they will run the store in your absence, and eventually be your store manager. the best way to find such people is by talking with your customers, observing which might be willing to work for you, and which of them might best fulfill your needs.

You'll need a outside sign for your store- preferably one that hangs right angles to the flow of traffic in front of your store.

Many successful used book stores utilize hand-carved wooden signs, while others display painted signs with calligraphic lettering. By all means, spend the extra hundred dollars or so to have spotlights installed on your store front, focusing on your store signs. Backlit plastic signs just don't create the comfortable image necessary for the success of a good used book store

Newspaper and/ or broadcast advertising will be much more expensive than it's worth. Your best bet is to create a comfortable feeling and open invitation for browsers, price your stock fairly, concentrate on personal service, and let word-of-mouth advertising and time do the rest.

Even so, you should run an ad in the yellow pages. perhaps and ad in the college paper, and from time to time, special sales ads in your local shopping papers. Inexpensive flyers inviting people in to exchange books, or to just browse, can be printed at your local quick print shop and handed out or placed under the windshields of cars in the larger shopping center parking lots. Advertising, and special sales during holiday periods such as Christmas, Mother's Day and Father's Day are generally quite effective in bringing new customers into your store.

Most used book store entrepreneurs use their own book collections as start-up inventory base. In addition, talk to as many neighbors, friends and relatives as possible for the donation of books. Then start making the rounds of all the garage sales and flea markets. You should have at least 10,000 books in stock when you open for business- and that's a lot of books. Search for books to sell-those you can buy for 25 cents or less--in all thrift shops, Goodwill stores and Salvation Army outlets. Church bazaars and estate sales also sometimes provide you with almost "complete" libraries.

You might place a small ad in your newspaper announcing that you're looking for good used books to buy. Generally, you evaluate a book according to the price you think you can get it for in your store. Then you subtract two thirds of that total, and offer that as your " buying" price. Always separate the books you feel certain you can sell from those you aren't sure about.  It's going to take awhile for you to become proficient as a book buyer, but with practice and some experience, you'll quickly develop the "intuition" you need to realize a profit on every book you buy. Always flip thru the pages of each individual book, and be sure of its condition before you quote a price. In many instances you'll also find that out of a box of 25 books, you're only interested in buying 10...The seller will generally be wanting to get rid of his books, now...And for a couple of dollars more than your "bid price" on the 10 books you want, he'll let you have all 25 of them..This is like a windfall to you because you can always use the "unwanted" books as leader items or extras to generate traffic during two-for-one sales; all books on a certain table for just a nickel each; or your choice of free books for everyone coming in to browse on certain days..

You should carry hardcover as well as paperback books. Pay no more than 25% of new price for a mint condition hardcover book, and buy only those you are certain can be sold in your store. pay no more than 10% of the new price for a mint condition used paperback, and steer clear of the hard-core sexually oriented books.

Visit the libraries and book stores in your area. Observe what people are interested in reading and what they're checking out or buying. Stock your store with these kinds of books.

below is a listing of the kinds or types of books you should consider stocking in your used books store:

 BUSINESS BOOKS: These should include books on leadership, career advancement, time management and people management.

HOW-TO BOOKS: These should include all the self-help and self-improvement manuals you can find--mail order, auto repair, carpentry, metalwork, home building, gardening, and business start-up.

COOK BOOKS: You'll probably be surprised at how many people buy books relating to the culinary arts. A well stocked cookbook section will mean definite profits for you. Forget about books on dieting, home economics, and etiquette--these just don't do well in used book stores.

SPECIAL INTEREST BOOKS: Watch and listen to the people of your area...Be on the lookout for people into World War, history, aviation, sports perfection, movies and just plain old book collectors...

PAPERBACKS: Women's romance, science fiction, mysteries, and historical novels are all good movers--currently enjoying an upsurge in popularity and sales. These will be the "best movers" in your inventory, so develop good sources of supply, and price

them for fast sales.

Building and maintaining your inventory, while continuing to rapidly turn that inventory over, can be handled in a number of different ways. It's not a good idea for you to exchange two or three of your customer's books for one of yours. There's always a variance in price, plus you may not want the type of books your customer is offering to trade.

The most feasible plan seems to be to give the customer a "credit chit" for each book you buy from him. Simply have a supply of business cards promoting your store, printed at your local quick print shop. On the back of the card, have them print something along these lines:

"The bearer of this card is entitled to _______________ cents credit on 50% of the listed price of any book at Ye Olden Book Store/s/ Your Signature."

Then when someone brings in a couple of books to sell, you pay him in credit chits, marking in the amount and signing your name on the card. An easier way might be to have your signature printed on the cards when you order them--you or your clerk would simply fill in the credit amount, and emboss the card with a notary-type embosser.

Usually, you allow 20 to 25 cents for mint condition paperbacks, and about one quarter of your selling price for hardbacks. Always make sure the customer understands that regardless of how many 'credit chits" he has, the credit chits can only pay for half the purchase price. This of course, is to protect your cash-flow

problems, and your income of "hard money."

Many used book stores add to their income potential by adding tape cassette lending libraries. These are a real money makers with a kind of service tat lends out "books on tape" and special learning programs where portions of the rental fee applies to the purchase of the original tape cassette.

A great many used book stores add to their income by running mail order book selling operations in addition to the retail business. This is a natural, either for a retail operator wanting to expand his market or a mail order operator wanting to increase his

income.

TYPICAL USED BOOK STORE START-UP COSTS....

1,000 TO 1,500 SQUARE FOOT STORE

RENT (1st and Last month's)..........$1,000 to $2,000

UTILITY & PHONE DEPOSITS.............$50 TO 300

INSURANCE (1st Quarter Payment).......$100 TO 200

LICENSES & PERMITS...................$50 to 250

INVENTORY............................$2,500 to 5,000

SHELVING & REMODELING................$2,000 TO 5,000

MISC (Decorating, checkout counter

      cash register, supplies........$1,000 to 1,500

LEGAL & ACCOUNTING...................$600 TO 1,200

ADVERTISING & SIGNS...................$1,000 TO 3,500

                                     __________________

TOTAL................................$8,250 TO 18,950

OPERATING CAPITAL....................$5,OOO TO 12,000

Entrepreneur should have enough operating capital in reserve to

not only keep the store operating for the first year, without

counting on anticipated profit, but also enough for unseen

emergencies without having to count upon income from the store to

see him through.

TYPICAL USED BOOK STORE MONTHLY OPERATING COSTS...

PAYROLL.............................$1,500 to $2,500

OWNER/OPERATOR SALARY...............$1,000 to $2,000

RENT/LEASE..........................$  600 to $1,000

ADVERTISING........................$  500 to $ 1,000

DEPRECIATION........................$  100 to     150

UTILITIES & PHONE...................$  150 to     300

PRINTING & STATIONERY................$  100 to     200

SHIPPING COSTS......................$  100 to     150

INSURANCE...........................$   50 to     100

MAINTENANCE.........................$   50 to     100

MISCELLANEOUS.......................&  100 to      150

                                   ____________________

TOTAL...............................$4,200 TO 7,650

OPERATING COSTS.....................$4,200 TO 7,650

ANTICIPATED SALES...................$5,000 TO 8,500

NET PROFIT BEFORE TAXES.............$  800 TO   850

PRO FORMA ANNUAL INCOME (B/T).......$9,600 to 3,000

A word of caution: Though you must project an open, COMFORTABLE invitation to browsers and would-be book buyers, you MUST also inconspicuously guard against shoplifters and outright thieves. The best is to place mirrors strategically throughout the store so you can see your customers from the checkout desk at all times. Your smaller and more expensive books should be kept up front SO that you can see them and what your customers are doing with them, without seeming to be guarding them. There are a number of theft prevention gadgets and devices available, but even more important is alert hired help that can keep an eye on the customers without making them feel they're being watched.

The risks of starting a used book store are high for the dreamer unaware that it's just another retail business and should be handled as such. Well organized and intelligently-operated used book stores are very stable, and they provide a very comfortable income for the owner-operator willing to persist thru the start-up period.

This can be the kind of business you've always dreamed of owning, but you'll have to have the patience to let it grow and the perseverance to see it thru to its ultimate success. With these thoughts in mind, I say reach for the sky and may the angels of paradise always be smiling upon you with endless good fortune!

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Survival Tips For Small Businesses

You may be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a local merchant with 150 employees; whichever, however or whatever---you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship."

Some of the things you can and should do include protecting yourself from expenditures made on sudden impulse. We've all bought merchandise or services we really didn't need simply because we were in the mood, or perhaps in response to the flamboyancy of the advertising or the persuasiveness of the salesperson. Then we sort of "wake up" a couple of days later and find that we've committed hundreds of dollars of business funds for an item or service that's not essential to the success of our own business, when really pressing items had been waiting for those dollars.

If you are incorporated, you can eliminate these "impulse purchases" by including in your by-laws a clause that states: "All purchasing decisions over (a certain amount) are contingent upon approval by the board of directors." This will force you to consider any "impulse purchases" of considerable cost, and may even be a reminder in the case of smaller purchases.

If your business is a partnership, you can state, when faced with a buying decision, that all purchases are contingent upon the approval of a third party. In reality, the third party can be your partner, one of your department heads, or even one of your suppliers.

If your business is a sole proprietorship, you don't have much to worry about really, because as an individual you have three days to think about your purchase, and then to nullify that purchase if you think you don't really need it or can't afford it.

While you may think you cannot afford it, be sure that you don't "short-change" yourself on professional services. This would apply especially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commit yourself and move ahead without completely investigating all the angles, and preparing yourself for all the contingencies that may arise, you're skating on thin ice. Regardless of the costs involved, it always pays off in the long run to seek out the advice of experienced professionals before embarking on a plan that could ruin you.

As an example, an experienced business consultant can fill you in on the 1244 stock advantages. Getting eligibility for the 1244 stock category is a very simple process, but one with tremendous benefits to your business.

The 1244 stock encourages investors to put equity capital into your business because in the event of a loss, amounts up to the entire sum of the investment can be written off in the current year. Without the "1244" classification, any losses would have to be spread over several years, and this, of course, would greatly lessen the attractiveness of your company's stock. Any business owner who has not filed the 1244 corporation has in effect cut himself off from 90 percent of his prospective investors.

Particularly when sales are down, you must be "hard-nosed" with people trying to sell you luxuries for your business. When business is booming, you undoubtedly will allow sales people to show you new models of equipment or a new line of supplies; but when your business is down, skip the entertaining frills and concentrate on the basics. Great care must be taken however, to maintain courtesy and allow these sellers to consider you a friend and call back at another time.

Your company's books should reflect your way of thinking, and whoever maintains them should generate information according to your policies. Thus, you should hire an outside accountant or accounting firm to figure your return on your investment, as well as the turnover on your accounts receivable and inventory. Such an audit or survey should focus in depth on any or every item within the financial statement that merits special attention. in this way, you'll probably uncover any potential financial problems before they become readily apparent, and certainly before they could get out of hand.

Many small companies set up advisory boards of outside professional people. These are sometimes known as power Circles, and once in place, the business always benefits, especially in times of short operating capital. Such an advisory board or power circle should include an attorney, a certified public accountant, civic club leaders, owners or managers of businesses similar to yours, and retired executives. Setting up such an advisory board of directors is really quite easy, because most people you ask will be honored to serve.

Once your board is set up, you should meet once a month and present material for review. Each meeting should be a discussion of your business problems and an input from your advisors relative to possible solutions. These members of your board od advisors should offer you advice as well as alternatives, and provide you with objectivity. No formal decisions need to be made either at your board meeting, or as a result of them, but you should be able to gain a great deal from the suggestions you hear.

You will find that most of your customers have the money to pay at least some of what they owe you immediately. To keep them current, and the number of accounts receivable in your files to a minimum, you should call them on the phone and ask for some kind of explanation why they're falling behind. if you develop such a habit as part of your operating procedure, you'll find your invoices will magically be drawn to the front of their piles of bills to pay. While maintaining a courteous attitude, don't hesitant, or too much of a "nice guy" when it comes to collecting money.

Something else that's a very good business practice, but which few business owners do is to methodically build a credit rating with their local banks. Particularly when you have a good cash flow, you should borrow $100 to $1,000 from your banks every 90 days or so. Simply borrow  the money, and place it in an interest bearing account, and then pay it all back at least a month or so before it's due. By doing this, you will increase the borrowing power of your signature, and strengthen your ability to obtain needed financing on short notice. This is a kind of business leverage that will be of great value to you if or whenever your cash position becomes less favorable.

By all means, join your industry's local and national trade associations. Most of these organizations have a wealth of information available on everything from details on your competitors to average industry sales figures, new products, services, and trends.

If you are given a membership certificate or wall plaque, you should display these conspicuously on your office wall. Customers like to see such "seals of approval" and feel additional confidence in your business when they see them.

Still another thing often overlooked: If at all possible, you should have your spouse work in the business with you for at least three or four weeks per year. The important thing is that if for any reason you are not available to run the business, your spouse will be familiar with certain people and situations about your business. These people should include your attorney, accountant, any consultants or advisors, creditors and your major suppliers. The long-term advantages of having your spouse work four weeks per year in your business with you will greatly outweigh the short-term inconvenience. Many couples share responsibility and time entirely, which is in most cases even more desirable.

Whenever you can, and as often as you need it, take advantage of whatever free business counseling is available. The Small Business Administration published many excellent booklets, checklist and brochures on quite a large variety of businesses. these publications are available through the U.S.Government printing office. Most local universities, and many private organizations hold seminars at minimal cost, and often without charge. You should also take advantage of the services offered by your bank and local library.

The important thing about running a small business is to know the direction in which you're heading; to know on a day-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to be aware of what your competitors are doing and to practice good money management at all times. All this will prepare you to recognize potential problems before they arise.

In order to survive with a small business, regardless of the economic climate, it is essential to surround yourself with smart people, and practice sound business management at all times.

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How To Start Your Own Home-Based Secretarial Service

A new approach to serving one of the oldest and most basic needs of even the smallest business community, a home-based secretarial service can satisfy the entrepreneurial needs of even the most ambitious woman!

This kind of service business with a virtually unlimited profit potential. Third year profits for businesses of this type, in metropolitan areas as small as 70,000 persons are reported ar 4100,000 and more. It's a new idea for a traditional job that's growing in popularity and acceptance.

As for the future, there's no end in sight to the many and varied kinds of work a secretary working at home can do for business owners, managers and sales representatives. Various surveys indicate that by the year 2,000--at least 60 percent of all secretarial work, as we know today will be handled by women working at home.

For most women, this is the most exciting news of things to come since the equal rights amendment. Now is the time to get yourself organized, start your own home-based secretarial service and nurture it through your start-up stages to total success in the next couple of years.

Our research indicates little or no risk involved, with most secretarial services breaking even within 30 days, and reports of some showing a profit after the first week! your cash investment can be as little as $10 to $25 if you already have a modern, electronic typewriter. You can set up at your kitchen table, make few phone calls, and be in business tomorrow.

If you don't have a modern, office quality electric typewriter comparable to the IBM Selectric--a portable just won't do, because it'll break down, wear out, and fall apart after a month of heavy use..If you're aware of this delicacy of a portable electric, you can conceivably begin with one, but you'll definitely have to graduate to a bigger, heavier machine as soon as possible.

An IBM Selectric, complete with start-up supplies kit which includes a dozen ribbons, can be purchased for less than a thousands dollars. On the contract, this would break down about to about $175 for down payment and monthly payments of less than $50 per month over a 2-year period. Naturally, you'd want to include the standard service contract which costs about $100 per year, and means that whenever you have a problem or want your machine serviced, you simply pick up the phone and call the service department. They'll ask you what kind of problem you're having, and then send some one to fix it immediately.

Shoestringers can rent an IBM Selectric for about $60 per mont, plus a small deposit. And those of you who are really on a tight budget, can contract an equipment leasing firm, explain your business plan, and work out an arrangement where they buy the machine of your choice for you, and then lease it back to you over five or ten year period for much lower payments.

Whatever you do, get the best typewriter your money can buy. The output of your typewriter will be your finished product, and the better, "more perfect" your finished product, the more clients you'll attract and keep. It's also imperative that you have one of the modern, "ball" typewriters. Only these kinds of typewriters give each character a clear, even and uniform impression on your paper. Typewriters of the "arm & hammer" type quickly become misaligned, producing a careless look on your

finished product.

As mentioned earlier, you can start almost immediately from your kitchen table if you've got a typewriter. However, in order to avoid fatigue and back problems, invest in a typing stand and secretary's standard typing chair just as soon as you can afford them. Watch for office equipment sales, especially among the office equipment leasing firms. You should be able pick up a new, slightly damaged, or good used typewriter stand or desk for around $20 to $25. A comparable quality secretary's typing chair can be purchased for $50 or less.

While you're shopping for things you'll need. be sure to pick up a chair mat. If you don't, you may suddenly find that the carpet on the floor of the room where your do your typing, needs replacing due to the worn spot where the chair is located and maneuvered in front of the typewriter. You'll also want a work stand with place marker and a convenient box or storage for immediate paper supply. If you plan to do a great deal of work during the evening hours, be sure to invest in an adjustable "long arm" office work lamp.

When buying paper, visit the various wholesale paper suppliers in your area or in nearby large city, and buy at least a half carton--6 reams--at a time. Buying wholesale, and in quantity, will save you quite a bit of money. The kind to buy is ordinary 20 pound white bond. Open one ream for an immediate supply at your typewriter, and store the rest in a closet, under your bed, or on a shelf in your garage or basement.

In the beginning, you'll be the business--typists, salesman, advertising department, bookkeeper and janitor, so, much will depend on your overall business acumen. Those areas in which you lack experience or feel weak in, buy books or tapes and enhance your knowledge. You don't have to enjoy typing, but you should have better than average proficiency.

Your best bet is selling your services is to do is all yourself. Every business in your area should be regarded as a potential customer, so it's unlikely you'll have to worry about who to call on. Begin by making a few phone calls to former bosses or business associates--simply explain that you're starting a typing service and would appreciate it if they'd give you a call whenever they have extra work that you can handle for them. Before you end the conversation, ask them to be sure to keep you in mind and steer your way any overload typing jobs that they might hear about.

The next step is "in-person" calls on prospective customers. This means dressing in an impressively professional manner, and making sales calls on the business people in your area. For this task, you should be armed with business cards (brochures also help..), and an order or schedule book of some sort. All of these things take time to design and print, so while you're waiting for delivery, use the time to practice selling via the telephone. At this stage, your telephone efforts will be more for the purpose of indoctrinating you into the world of selling than actually making sales.

Just be honest about starting a business, and sincere in asking them to consider trying your services whenever they have a need you can help them with. Insurance companies, attorneys and distributors are always needing help with their typing, so start with these kinds of businesses first.

For your business cards, consider a freelance artist to design a logo for you. Check, and/or pass the word among the students in the art or design classes at nearby college, art or advertising school. Hiring a regular commercial artist will cost quite a bit more, and generally won't satisfy your needs any better than the work of a hungry beginner.

Be sure to browse through any Clip Art books that may be available--at most print shops, newspaper offices, advertising agencies, libraries and book stores. The point being, to come up with an idea that makes your business card stand out; that can be used on all printed materials, and makes you--your company--unique or different from all others.

I might suggest something along the lines of a secretary with pad in hand taking dictation; or perhaps a secretary wearing a dictaphone headset seated in front of a typewriter. You might want something distinctive for the first letter of the company, or perhaps a scroll or flag as a background for your company name.

At any rate, once you've got your logo or company design, the next step is your local print shop. Ask them to have the lettering you want to use, typeset in the style you like best--show them your layout and order a least a thousand business cards printed up.

For your layout, go with something basic. Expert typing services, in the top left hand corner..Dictation by phone, in the top right hand corner..Your company logo or design centered on the card with something like, complete secretarial services, under it...Your name in the lower left hand corner, and your telephone number in the lower right hand corner.

Everybody that you call on in person, be sure to give one of your business cards. And now, you're ready to start making those in-person business sales calls.

Your best method of making sales calls would be with a business telephone directory and a big supply of loose leaf notebook paper. Go through the business directory and write down the company names, addresses and telephone number. Group all of those within one office building together, and those on the same street in the same block. Be sure to leave a couple of spaces between the listing of each company. And of course, start a new page for those in different building or block. Now, simply start with the first business in the block, or on the lowest floor in a building and number them in consecutive order. This will enable you to call on each business in order as you proceed along a street, down the block, or through a building.

You'll be selling your capabilities--your talents--and charging for your time--the time it takes you to get set up and complete the assignment they give you. You should be organized to take work with you on the spot, and have it back at a promised time; arrange to pick up any work they have, and deliver it back to them when it's completed; and handle the dictation or special work assignments by phone. You should also emphasize your abilities to handle everything by phone, particularly when they have a rush job.

Establish your fees according to how long it takes you to handle their work, plus your cost of supplies--work space--equipment and paper--then fold in a $5 profit. In other words, for half hour job that you pick up on a regular sales or delivery call, you should charge $10...

Another angle to include would be copies. Establish a working relationship with a local printer, preferably one who has a copy machine comparable to a big Kodak 150 Extraprint. When your clients need a sales letter or whatever plus so many copies, you can do it all for them.

Only make copies on the very best of dry paper copying machines, and only for 50 copies or less. More than 50 copies, it'll be less expensive and you'll come out with a better finished product by having them printed on a printing press. When your furnish copies, always fold in your copying or printing costs, plus a least a dollar or more for every 50 copies you supply.

By starting with former employers and/or business associates, many businesses are able to line up 40 hours of work without even making sales call. If you're lucky enough to do this, go with it, but-

Start lining up your friends to do the work for you--girls who work all day at a regular job, but need more money, and housewives with time on their hands. You tell them what kind of equipment is needed, and the quality of work you demand. You arrange to pay them so much per hour for each job they handle for you--judging from the time you figure the job would take if you were doing it, or on a percentage basis. I feel the best arrangements is on a hourly basis according to a specified amount of time each job normally takes. 

Whenever, and as soon as you've got a supply of "workers" lined up, you turn your current assignments over to them, and get back to lining up more business. If you're doing well selling by phone, and your area seems to respond especially well to selling by phone, then you should immediately hire commission sales people. Train them according to your own best methods and put them to work assisting you. Your sales people can work out of their own homes, using their telephones, provided you've got your area's business community organized in a loose leaf notebook style. All you do is give them so many pages from your notebook,

from which they make sales calls each week.

Even so, you should still make those in-person sales calls..If for some reason you get bogged down, and can't or don't want to, then hire commission sales people to do it for you..Generally, women selling this type of service bring back the most sales. And for all your commission sales people, the going rate should be 30 percent of the total amount of sale. Point to remember: Sooner or later, you're going to have to hire a full-time telephone sales person, plus another full time person to make in-person sales for you--Eventually, you want workers to handle all the work for you, and sales people to do all the selling for you--So the sooner you can line up people for these jobs, the faster, your business is going to prosper.

Later on, you'll want a sales manager to direct your sales people and keep them on track, so try to find a "future sales manager" when you begin looking for sales people.

Your basic advertising should be a regular quarter page ad in the yellow pages of both your home service telephone directory and the business yellow pages. You'll find that 50 percent of

your first time clients will come to you because they have an immediate need and saw your ad in the yellow pages, so don't skimp on either the size or the "eye-catching" graphics of this ad.

A regular one column by 3-inch ad in the Sunday edition of your area's largest newspaper would also be a good idea. Any advertising you do via radio or television will be quite expensive with generally very poor results, so don't even give

serious consideration to that type of advertising.

By far, your largest advertising outlays will be direct mail efforts. You should have a regular mailing piece that you send out to your entire business community at least once a month. This is handled by sending out 200 to 500 letters per day. For this, you should obtain a third class postage permit or else these postage costs will drive you out of business.

Your mailing piece should consist of a colorful brochure that describes your business. It should explain the many different kinds of assignments you can handle--a notation that no job is too small or too large--and a statement of your guarantee. Do not quote prices in your brochure--simply ask the recipient to call for a quotation or price estimate.

It's also a good idea to list background and experience of the business owner, plus several business testimonials or/ compliments. You could also include a couple of pictures showing your workers busy and actually handling secretarial assignments. The most important part of your brochure will be your closing statement--an invitation, indeed--a demand that the recipient call you for further information.

All this can very easily be put together in a Z-folded, 2-sided self mailer. Again, look for a freelance copywriter and artist to help you put it together. Once you've got your "dummy" pretty well set the way you want it, make copies of it, and either take or send it to several direct mail advertising agencies. Ask them for their suggestions of how they would improve it, and for a bid on the cost if you were to retain them to handle it for you. Listen to their ideas and incorporate them where-and if- you think they would make your brochure better. And, if one of them does come in with a cost estimate that's lower than your independent, "do-it-yourself" costs, then think seriously about assigning the job to them.

  This is definitely the most important piece of work that will ever come out of your office, so be sure it's the best, and positively indicative of your business. This will be the business image you project, so make sure it reflects the quality, style and credibility of your business--your thinking, and your success.

Your brochure should be on 60 pound coated paper, in at least two colors and by a professional printer. The end result is the Z-folded brochure--Z-folded by the printer--with your third class mailing permit showing on the cover side. This cover side should be flamboyant and eye-catching. You want your mailing piece to stand out in a pile of 50 or 60 pieces of other mail received by the recipient.

When you're ready to mail, simply take a couple of cartons of your brochures to an addressing shop, have them run your brochures through their addressing machine, loaded with your mailing list, bundle them and drop them off at the post office

for you.

This takes us back to the planning on how to compile your mailing list. I suggest that you begin with Cheshire Cards by Xerox. You type the name of your addressee on the cards, maintain these cards in the order of your choice, take your boxes of cards to the addressing shop whenever you have a mailing, and there's no further work on your part. The addressing shop loads their machine with your cards, prints the address on your cards directly onto your brochures, and gives the cards back to you when the mailing is completed. A mailing of 100,000 brochures, via this method--generally could be completed and on its way in one 8-hour day.

In essence, you'll want to solicit business with a regular routine of telephone selling, in-person sales calls at the prospective client's place of business, media advertising and direct mail efforts. All of these efforts are important and necessary to the total success of your business--don't try to cut corners or spare the time or expense needed to make sure you're operating at full potential in these areas! In addition to these specific areas, it would be wise for you to attend chamber of commerce meetings, and join several of your area civic clubs--you'll meet a great number of business leaders at these meetings and through their association, you'll gain a great deal of business--and even help in many of your needs.

Once you're organized and rolling, you can easily expand your market nationwide with the installation of a toll free telephone and advertising in business publications. Perhaps you can add to your primary business with a "mailing shop" of your own--the rental of mailing lists--specialized temporary help services--telephone answering services--and even survey work..

The "bottom line" thing to remember in order to achieve total success, is planning. Plan your initial operation through from start to finish before you even think about soliciting your first customer. Get your operational plan down on paper--itemize your needs, estimate your costs, line up your operating capital, and set forth milestones for growth.

Set profit figures you want to be realizing 3-months... 6-months... 1 year... 2-years... and 3-years from your business start-up date. Learn all you can about the "support systems" involved in operating a profitable business--planning, advertising, selling, bookkeeping, and banking--and continue to up-date your knowledge with a program of continuous learning. Do your homework properly, an there's just no way you can fail with a Home-Based Secretarial Service.

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How To Develop A Worldwide Distributor Network

When you select a product, your choice should be based upon your knowledge of how and to whom you're going to sell. You may have the greatest bargain in the world, but it will be of no value to you if you don't know who's going to buy it, or how you are going to get the word out about it.

The first rule of achievement of a fortune is to produce or buy your product for pennies and sell for dollars. So after preliminary market research to determine who'll buy your product, the next question to answer is: How munch will the majority of this market be willing to pay for your product?

For the sake of our discussion, let's say that you've written a "How TO" manual on how to make $100,000 a year compiling and selling mailing lists. You check with a number of printers and get a production cost of $1.50 per book in lots of 1,000. You figure that with sharp advertising, you can "sell a million" of these books at $10 per copy, but that advertising will cost you $1.50 per book. Thus far, the basic cost of your book is $3 per copy.

Even though you will probably be the one selling most of your books, you must realize that it will take you an awfully long time to move out a million copies of this book. It will keep you busy 25 hours a day, 8 days a week to do it all by yourself. So the thing to do is recruit as many other people as you can to help do the selling. This means setting up a dealer distributor network.

To do this, you must make it worthwhile for other people to sell your product. You offer a percentage of the sales price to each book they sell for you. Generally, this is about 50% for each single copy sold; 60% when purchased in quantity lots of 25 to 99 copies; and 75% when purchased in lots of 100 copies or more. The important thing is to shave your profits to a minimum when you have other people doing the work for you.

Let's use, the, our example of a $10 book that costs you $1.50 to produce in lots of 1,000. For people who buy from you in lots of 100 copies, you could cut your profit to $1 per book, sell it to them for $2.50 per book, and let them do all the advertising, as well as the selling. Don't offer more than 50% on single copy dropship sales, because you'll have to furnish this type of dealer with selling materials, and continue to do most of the advertising yourself.

Setting up your distributor program will require advertising and a sales kit for the sellers. Thus, you should make up a series of "Dealers Wanted" ads and place them in as many different publications as you can.

The national "opportunity" magazines are the best place to place your advertising for dealers. Remember, the ad should be a call for dealers, distributors and independent extra income seekers. Do not try to sell your product in this ad. Use it only to enlist or recruit people to sell for you. Remember too, the more you run your dealers wanted ad, and the more different publications you run it in, the more people you'll get to sell your product for you. The easiest way to go is with "Dealers Wanted" advertisements in as many worldwide publications as possible.

You'll lose your shirt attempting to recruit sales people via direct mail, and you'll never make any headway with just a "Dealers Wanted insert" in each book you sell. If you want sales people, you must advertise for them.

To actually get these interested opportunity seekers to sell your product for you, you'll need a dynamic sales letter and seller's kit to send out in response to the replies to your advertising. This kind of sales letter is usually four pages in length, printed on 11 by 17 inch paper, to sell the prospect on the idea of selling for you, use the amount of space and paper that's necessary.

If you've written sales letter properly, that's all there is to it. Some people charge an "up-front" dealer's registration fee. We don't recommend this, for a number of reasons--mainly because it immediately eliminates a great many people who might want to least try to sell the product for you, but are not willing to "pay" to sell for you.

Some sellers charge $1 to $5 for details and complete dealership set-up to offset the cost of the initial seller's kit and postage. This is what we recommend at the start. If you offer your program for nothing, you'll get as many responses from curiosity seekers and opportunity collectors as from bona fide prospects.

If you charge for the dealership set-up, you should include a sample of your product. For the more elaborate sales kits and expensive products, most people ask for deposit, which is refunded after a certain number of sales are made by the dealer. Any charges more than $5 should not be mentioned in your "Dealers Wanted" advertisements, but held over and fully explained in your sales.

This is how you set up a dealer/distributor network: Get other people to sell your product for you! You can, and should be prepared from the start, before you place your first dealers wanted ad, and proceed only as you can afford the advertising costs from the profits of sales of your product.

It's simple, and it's easy, and, it can make your rich! You had to have real interest to have ordered this report. We hope that it has motivated you with the entrepreneurial spirit, and that you act on it!

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Super Profitable New Techniques For Selling Books By Mail

The total number of books sold by small, part-time mail order entrepreneurs is growing each year. Total sales each year for the past five years have increased by almost 30-percent over the previous year's sales.

Two "new angles" have greatly contributed to this phenomenal

growth in total sales.

One is the practice of offering a wide selection of books via "mini-catalogs" The other "angle" is the practice of sending these "min-catalogs" to prospective buyers as "inserts" in printed materials the prospect has already ordered.

Mini-catalogs are usually printed on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper, then folded in half along the length, and simply slipped inside the covers of a magazine or the folds of a newspaper. Often-times, a mini-catalog is folded and sent out as a self-mailer. Both of these methods of obtaining circulation are very profitable.

A book-selling "mini-catalog" is made up of a "full-page commercial" on the front page. This is your main sales thrust, or primary attempt to sell a "featured" book with ease of your mailings. The second, third, and half of the last page of the min-catalog should be two columns of listings of other books you have to offer.

Each listing should consist of the title of the book offered, followed by a short description of either the book itself, or how the book can benefit the buyer. This is then followed by the catalog number of the book, and the price.

The bottom half of the page of your min-catalog should be devoted to your customer order coupon. The "mini-catalog" should be typeset, and printed on a different color of paper for each mailing. Recent sales results indicate that the better quality paper your mini-catalog is printed on, the more sales it brings in for you.

Two major publishers who are currently supplying ready-made catalogs for your use in generating business are;    PREMIER PUBLISHERS of Forth Worth, TX, and WILSHIRE BOOKS of N. Hollywood, Ca.

Write to them on your letterhead, and ask for samples of their promotional material.

Once you've got a mini-catalog with which to advertise your books, you must bring all your efforts to bear on the problem of obtaining maximum circulation of your mini-catalog among the prospective book buyers.

The easiest and least expensive method is as follows: Check at your newspaper offices for a listing of all their distributors and/or route carriers. Contact these people and ask them to give you a price they would charge to include one of your mini-catalogs with each paper they sell or deliver. Determine how many "min-catalogs" you'll need for this kind of distributors, have that number of min-catalogs printed, hand them out to your contracted distributors and newspaper carriers; then sit back and prepare to fill book orders. It's simple and easy, but best of all it really results in big profits for your book-selling business!

Another simple method would be to line up students from different junior high schools in your area, and pay them each $10 per thousand to deliver your min-catalogs door-to-door. If you have junior high school age children, this could be the easiest and least expensive method of distribution for you.

Major cities also have professional distributing services which deliver advertising material to the residents. Check your local phone directory for their names and addresses.

The orders which you develop through the local distribution method can be filled by mail.

To expand your market beyond the local area, you need to solicit the business by mail. Several excellent books are available on developing sales by mail. A few are listed here. Order from the distributor who supplied this report to you.

#366 FORTUNES WITH BOOKS MANUAL, BY LEE HOWARD...$7.95

#360 FREE ADVERTISING FOR MAIL ORDER DEALERS....$10.00

#365 &50,000 A YEAR FROM MAIL ORDER ADS.........$10.00

THE END OF THIS REPORT

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Money-Maker's Secrets To Renting Profitable Mailing Lists

As an entrepreneur involved in selling and/or promotion of something by Direct Mail, you should already know  that most important aspect of your mailing have to do with the sales letter or circular you send out, and the mailing list you use. With these thoughts in mind, and assuming you've got what should be an order-pulling sales letter or circular, let's focus our attention specifically on the problem of finding mailing lists that produce profitable orders.

Common sense should tell you that without a good mailing lists, the time and money you spend for market research, advertising layout and knowledge relating to the "rules of direct mail," will just be wasted effort. In other words, unless you get you offer

to the buyers, you might as well save your time and money.

In order to reach your most-likely buyer, you must first determine who your most-likely buyers are. This is not so hard as it might appear. Actually, it's just a matter of recognizing that automotive items will appeal to car-owners, while household

gadgets will sell best to the homemakers.

Regardless of how easy its is, this is the most-often over-looked part of the beginning entrepreneur's planning. suffice it to say that if you don't know who you're going to sell a product or service to, your product or service is going to be pretty hard for you to sell.

The next thing to really look into, is the competition your product or service faces. If it has a limited market--not too many people would stand in line to buy--and you are competing with virtually the same product as supplies by other companies--then you're going to have to either come up with a strong "hidden angle" or else face defeat before you even begin...

These are the "keys" to success in selling anything via direct mail--pin-pointing exactly who your buyers are, presenting your offer to them with an angle not being used by your competition, and concentrating all your sales efforts only on the most-likely prospects.

Assuming you "know" who your most-likely buyers are; that you've got a "winning" sales letter or circular--and, a product or service these people "will stand in line to buy," then your problem is to get the message to these people.

Do not think you'll "save some money" by renting or buying inexpensive mailing lists from advertisers in all those ad sheetsand "mail order" type publications that seem to flood your mailbox. You'll waste a lot of time, and spend money chasing the

wind with these lists.

These list offered by "mail order" dealers are compiled from ad sheets, mail order publications, and/or incoming offers received by the list -seller...These people also compile lists they use...A lot of them compile their rental lists directly from the

telephone/city directories...And even a few of them work the "envelope stuffing" scheme to compile their rental lists—They offer commissions to people who pay to join their envelope stuffing programs, and then sell or rent the names of the people

who join their program...The people who join the program are advised to compile lists from any number of sources, send out a commission circular, and receive a commission for each incoming order. The names of the buyers are then compiled onto another list, and sold by promoters of this scheme to some of the larger list-brokers as bonafide mail order buyers...Any time you rent a list of 5,000 or more names from mail order type operator, you can almost certainly count on the lists that's 1) Five or more years old...2) Filled with names of people who have moved...3)

Going to be dominated with names of other mail order sellers...

Before renting or buying a mailing list from someone, use the same kind of common sense you use in deciding upon a doctor, lawyer or auto mechanic. something else to keep in mind—whenever you rent or buy mailing lists from someone who has or is

advertising for dealers or mailing list brokers, you are going to end up with a list of names used by many mail order dealers, generally with the majority of them offering the same products or services.

The best thing to do is to take a note pad and pencil to your public library..Ask the librarian to let you look at the Standard Rate & Data Service Directory pertaining to mailing lists. Within this voluminous directory, you'll find the names, addresses and

telephone numbers of virtually all the reputable mailing lists brokers in the country. These brokers explain within the directory the different lists that are available for rent, what kind of buyers the lists are made up of, and the date the list was last cleaned--that is, the last time all the names on the list were verified relative to the correctness of addresses.

Select a half dozen or so of the list brokers handling the kinds of lists that are made up of buyers of products or services similar to yours...Jot those names and addresses down on your note pad..then go home and call them on the phone...

Tell the list broker about yourself, what you're trying to sell, how much you're asking for it, and your-long range plans. Almost all of them will want to see a sample of your mailing piece, and more often than not, a sample of your product as well. Don't be

afraid to talk to these people--they're in business to help you, and if they "steer you onto" a list that doesn't make money for you, they figure you'll not buy from them again, so it's to their benefit to see that you get the "right" list for your mailing

piece and offer. Most of them are will critique your mailing piece and offer, making suggestions for improvements when appropriate, and in general, act as a consultant to see that you realize a profit thru their services.

Once you and the list broker have decided upon the mailing list best suited to your offer, he'll generally require you to rent a minimum of 5,000 names. The going price will range from $35 to $95 per thousand names. Expensive, maybe...But if you pay $475 for 5,000 prospective buyers, and end up with 1,500 buyers of a $20 "how-to" manual that you've written and printed at a cost of 50 cents per manual--that would mean a gross of $30,000..minus $750 for 1,5000 manuals, plus another 60 cents each to send each of these manuals out via 4th class  mail witch would amount to $1,035. Add these figures together for a total of $1,785 and subtract this total from $30,000 and you stand a very good chance of netting $28,000 or more...

So, you see, the important thing is to get your offer to your most-likely buyers. The only way to do this--the fastest, and least expensive way--is to work with a reputable mailing list broker and forget about all that "wheel-spinning" within the circle of mail-order-type people. Really, so long as you deal with " mail-order-type" people, small-time dealers and advertisers--you'll never achieve anything beyond a busy-busy,

hand-to-mouth existence in this business.

The bottom-line reason for most of the entrepreneurial failures in the mail order business is simply that the beginner tries to cut corners by using less that the most productive mailing lists available. Indeed, the years are littered with people from all walks of life who have had a good product and/or service ideas, but failed to "get their ideas off the ground." Generally, these people were trying to "save money" by compiling their own mailing lists, advertising in "all-seller" type mail order publications, and/or sending their offers out to "mail-order-type" people found in the ad sheets or to lists purchased from advertisers in these publications. In almost every case, the entrepreneur's efforts along these lines, and based upon a "saving money" philosophy, has always ended in heartbreak and great financial loss for the

entrepreneur...

YOU CAN SUCCEED, STARTING FROM SCRATCH!  But, before you attempt

it--before you "jump in and reach your own mail order fortune," be sure you arrange all the odds in your favor..Anything less than the "rules" stated within this report will surely be a waste of time, and result in failure...

Remember: Your product has to be something you can buy or produce in finished form for pennies, and sell for dollars. There has to be an "eager" market for your product or service. You must project the most professional of all images of yourself as the "company" or supplier in all your sales letters, circulars, advertising and/or dealings with your prospective buyers. And you must "know" who your buyers are, and then concentrate your efforts to reach only those people with your offer...

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