THE COMPLETE HOMEWORKER
INTRODUCTION
This guide seeks to serve the interests of those who aim to earn their
living by means of work or businesses carried out entirely from home.
For many, that decision will be one inspired by reasons of circumstance
rather than choice, whilst for others the occupation chosen will be one
to further their aims as entrepreneurs in home-based and consequently
lower overhead businesses.
Many a highly successful business enterprise has commenced life with
nothing but the humble kitchen table as its entire complement of fixtures
and fittings.
We seek to identify only those opportunities that are likely to be
easiest for the newcomer to start up in, and which are also likely
to offer more by way of financial incentives.
Please read all sections carefully before you decide which opportunity
is for you. It is by no means unusual to discover a venture one
considers highly unlikely to be of much benefit, to subsequently find
that venture is the very one from which the individual comes to owe a
very handsome living for him or herself and family.
WE WISH YOU LUCK IN WHATEVER COURSE YOUR NEW CAREER TAKES!
ANTIQUES AND COLLECTORS' ITEMS
Not always an area in which any specialist knowledge is required of
the businessman or woman, the world of antiques and collectors' items
can be as basic or as specialised as one might wish it to be.
At one end of the scale, there are dealers whose entire operations
revolves around extremely rare and valuable specimens; at the other there
are those who deal quite happily and profitably in small items of
household 'junk', and just as many who deal exclusively in the highly
specialised fields of old postcards, stamps, ephemera (paper items),
books, coins memorabilia and so on.
Some dealers work entirely from home; others venture to car boot fairs,
antiques fairs, collectors' fairs and flea markets to supplement their
already lucrative incomes.
Those who choose to operate entirely rom home do so via many varied means,
almost certainly reaching their customers via the postal services, or
else by personal and prior invitation into their homes.
For some the manner of reaching their customers is to have lists of
suitable items prepared for perusal by one's potential customers.
Sometimes that list is printed into the body of collectors' or special
interest magazines, that is where the cost of such advertising is not
prohibitive. At other times, that list might instead by posted out to
intending customers who will then place their orders direct.
Many dealers in books, stamps, ephemera and postcards, operate an
approvals service for their customers, whereby selected items are
posted out to customers who then look through their packages usually
with a certain time limit being set or the task. Customers subsequently
return unwanted items along with remittance for those items retained.
Exactly who to mail those items is something which presents itself by
several means. The operator might compile a list of all persons who
have approached him or her from press advertisements. He or she might
instead join any of the many specialist collectors' clubs designed to
bring interested parties together and cater for their specialised
needs. Many such book and stamp collectors' clubs exist, and 'The
Ephemera Society' provides for the more exclusive needs of the
collectors of yesterday's paper items. At other times, the collectors'
needs are met via the many newsletters available to special interest
groups, as is certainly the case for the collector of early vintage
postcards. Simply joining these clubs brings the great advantage of
access to a list of all collectors and fellow members, and of course
their interests, from which the basis of a specifically targeted
mailing brochure might be planned.
Incidentally, those known to have an immediate and successful impact
in the antiques and collectors' field, have frequently been those to
have hit upon a collecting trend shortly before it takes of. Such was
the case around ten years ago when old postcards from pre-1st world
war times were almost universally available for a token 20 cents per specimen,
but which today can command anything available from o1 to several
hundreds of dollars each for the right items.
Other trends that created a very useful and profitable wagon upon
which to climb, included 'Beatlemania', anything to do with the 1950s,
Guinness memorabilia, and for book collectors there now is positive
dearth of Dr. Who, William, Billy Bunter and Rupert bear titles.
COACHING TUITION CORRESPONDENCE COURSES
Whatever it is you do best, you owe it to yourself and to others to
pass your knowledge on. And so we find the keen and proficient
swimmer taking classes in the local pool the experienced typist
teaching his or her skills to others; the proficient pianist catering
for the needs of those who would love to have a similar talent in
their own hands.
Teacher of whatever subject, whether academic, sporting or leisure
interests, will find a ready demand for their services. The infant
school teacher can offer coaching at evenings and weekends to parents
who might think their offspring a little slow in learning, or else
want to prepare them for school in the first place. For secondary
school teachers the chance of out of normal school hours work might
be more likely to present itself in the immediate run to GCSE
examinations, or else at re-sit time in the autumn.
Qualified personnel managers tech the basics of successful interview
techniques to eager job hunters; cake decorators and microwave
specialists invite parties of 'wannabees' into their homes for
one-our coaching sessions every week; craft workers, artists and
writers pass their skills on to others by all manner of means,
including private tuition, working in local school and colleges,
and giving demonstrations to local clubs and societies.
And further down the line are those who teach their skills and pass
their knowledge on by self-publishing their experiences and information
in manuals and sometimes correspondences courses which will
subsequently be marketed by direct mail or advertisements in
appropriate publications.
In this respect the person actually knitting the jumper or whatever
is required, might choose to personally design the required garment,
or else have it professionally designed y some outside expert.
Consider the fact that a great many intricate designs can easily
be produced with little more than the assistance of graph paper or
unused football pools coupon, with each small square taken to represent
one stitch in the pattern, and it becomes clear that almost all of
us can, if we set our minds to it, produce highly original pictures
and motifs for ourselves. One method of doing this is to section an
actual picture or photograph into squares of equal size to the grid of
the graph paper or pools coupon used, thereafter transferring the
color of the square on the original design to the corresponding
square of the pattern one is designing. From then on, it's a simple
matter of knitting these colors into the body of the garment itself.
Other openings for the experienced knitter might come as outwork from
knitwear suppliers, and providing services on a self-employed basis.
Consider for instance.
- Producing dolls' clothes
- Creating seasonal Christmas motif-festooned garments
- Informing local parents that they may obtain school woolies at a
lower cost than local shops are currently asking. Note too that they
will more than likely receive superior quality from you, with perhaps
a little personalisation of design included. Maybe you could incorporate
a subtle pattern; perhaps you might include all children's names labels
free of charge.
- What about a highly original service, producing Victorian-type wedding
dresses, with the bride's choice of design incorporated, and perhaps
offering to include panels bearing designs of sentimental value?
- Producing heirloom christening gowns.
- Designing and producing a range of clothing for premature and
smaller than average new-born babies.
Those experienced at sewing, similarly have much to offer those
seeking something just a little bit different from what is available
in our local high street stores. How about a range of frilly,
ribbon-bedecked and generally very fussy creations in which to sow
off our children? Such dresses often come with a high street price
tag of o50 and over; if you can produce something slightly lower
in price, then surely an advertisement in local papers, freesheets,
and shop window will bring an endless source of orders your way?
Local craft shops and children's outfitters are similarly keen to
take such items on a sale or return basis.
Again, alternative openings are available to the experienced
needle person, many of them basically similar to those for the
knitting enthusiast. Take or instance: a range of christening
outfits, premature and smaller baby clothes, fancy dress outfits,
wedding and bridesmaid outfits, and what of that perennial favorite
as December approaches - dolls' clothes?
Hand and machine sewing professionals would no doubt benefit from a
little literal thinking, taking their minds away from the usual
opportunities that spring to mind in the creation of everyday garments
and one-off celebratory designs. Have you thought for instance of
commencing a design service, one in which you will measure up clients'
windows, take their individual design and color scheme requirements
into account, and produce curtains entirely personal to them? Those
with flair for design, whether inherent or acquired by appropriate
training, will find themselves occupying status much akin to interior
designer than curtain-maker, with fees and profits suitably inflated
as a result.
Amongst the many other areas desperate for your work are local ballet
and dance schools, amateur dramatics and pantomime companies, jazz
bands, and many other organisations heavily reliant on costume for
their promotions. Securing a contract with any of these establishments,
or else offering your services to parents and participants, might well
find steady stream of work coming your way.
Knitting, sewing, crochet and embroidery, though they might be those
crafts with which many of us are familiar, are most certainly not the
only areas in which outwork or opportunities for self-employment exist.
Think for instance of the skilled woodworker who is able to turn out
toys, ranging perhaps from simple building blocks to those intricate
rocking horses we would all love to acquire for our children but often
can't afford the hefty prices involved. Someone who can undercut
those prices asked by larger and specialist toy firms will almost
certainly find a great deal of business coming their way. That
person may also find his or her niche making dolls' houses, garden
furniture, perhaps even bird boxes, rabbit hutches and so on.
DVDstry is one of today's more popular crafts, perhaps explaining
the existence of several highly skilled individuals who will either
transform your photos of pets and family into DVDstries, or might
instead create a pattern from which you might personally create your
very own heirloom. Look into the many publications available for
craft workers today, and amongst the many original services available,
you'll find patterns for dolls' clothing, toy making kits and pattern
books, model making kits, quilting packs and templates, embroidery
kits, and so on. You'll also find specialist services such as
those which offer the design, perhaps also the completion of a
unique nursery sampler ready to present to proud new parents.
We have talked at great length about actually turning your own hand to
making things in order to profit in this highly lucrative field of
handicrafts; but what of teaching your skills to others? How about
writing instruction manuals for instance, or else complete correspondence
courses for really enthusiastic beginners?
Writing is in itself a very easy task; one simply lists all points
of relevance, which when combined will give the reader a working
knowledge of the craft concerned, following which the writer produces
the document in much the same manner as when writing the very same
information in a letter to a friend. Then he types up the document
or has it typed up for him. A study of suitable places in which to
advertise your book is now all that is required. Books can be
photocopied and collated quite inexpensively and efficiently in most
local print shops.
Plan your advertisement, studying and perhaps emulating the style of
other publishers whose advertisements appear alongside your own; then
telephone or write to the publication concerned to place your own
advertisement. When the orders come in, you simply pack your books
securely, post them off, and that's that!
Have you thought of selling your work yourself, perhaps offering a
range of toys at car boot fairs, craft or from small rented stalls
in already established craft centers and retail outlets?
But it really needn't all stop there. You might for instance offer
your services as a teacher or instructor of your craft - try the local
papers, freesheets, shop windows, even local colleges and adult
training centers.
ENGRAVING
Another prospective kitchen table enterprise, here one can offer
various options to those seeking engraving whether for decorative,
celebratory, or commemorative reasons, or else simple seeking to have
their personal possessions engraved and consequently made less likely
prospects for the opportunist thief.
Consult Exchange & Mart' and craft magazines for essential equipment.
Engraving can take many varied forms from etching onto glass, to simple
printing names and addresses onto key rings, making commemorative
plaques, and so on.
Your customer will come from all sections of the community, from
private individuals, to jewellers shops, clubs and societies, sports
centers and so on.
JEWELLERY
Jewellery is another craft product which can take on many varied
forms, from inexpensive and sometimes gimmicky ornamentation, to
expensive and just as elaborate and highly personalised creations.
It's another craft for which a wealth of appropriate 'how to'
publications, craftwork periodicals, local authority and correspondence
courses exist. In the pages of the many craft workers' publications
on the newsagents shelves, as well as in the perennial advertising
favorite 'Exchange & Mart', there are hoards of complete business
packages awaiting those interested in making money from jewellery
making.
Selling can take place in person, from sales on commission to local
craft and jewellery shops, car boot and craft fairs, by party plan,
at fleamarkets and trade fairs, and so on. For many, the answer
is to sell wholesale packages of finished items to those intent
instead on selling the end products themselves at any of the venues
mentioned here.
PICTURE FRAMING
Here the demand is for high quality craftwork, which if it can also
come at a realistic price, will command a steady stream of eager
customers. As for so many other craft and art services, a wealth
of 'how to' books are available to guide the novice through to
professional status as a picture framer. Equipment need not eat
too heavily into your capital and can be located in most of the
major craftwork and model making magazines on the newsagents'
shelves, as well as in advertising publications, including
'Exchange & Mart'.
Customers might come from the general public, via advertisements
placed in the press or in shop windows. You might instead provide
a service to local artists and art shops, photographers, antique
shops selling antique prints, print and poster shops and so on.
You might instead start in the really lucrative field of selling
antique prints, posters and early advertising material at local
antiques and collectors' fairs. The service of someone to color
your material before you frame it will again find a great many
customers flocking to your stall. Many individuals known personally
to the author, operate this service via mail order, from their
homes or from traditional retail premises.
Other skills from which to make money from home, whether on a
self-employed or outworker basis, include model making, for which
a variety of options exist, ranging from toy soldiers, to chess
sets, model cottages and so on. One highly enterprising individual
turned his love of old buildings into an extremely profitable
enterprise, designing and crafting miniature designs of local
historical interest, which were then transformed into moulds for
the making, painting and selling of miniature designs. Selling
takes place at car boot fairs, fleamarkets and collectors' fairs,
through the post from press advertisement, and in many shops and
crafts stalls operating in the locality. The business is set to
expand into creating models of famous locals, living or dead, but
nevertheless preserved for posterity via this talented model maker's
skills.
Sewing, knitting, dressmaking, quilting and embroidery - are all
skills that lend themselves equally to profitable business ventures,
as a glance through any of the magazines dedicated to craft working
enthusiasts will testify.
TOYMAKING
Toy making can range from very basic soft toys intended for heavy
and frequent handling, to a range of specialised items intended more
for decoration or celebratory reasons than play. Into the latter
category come such as the now highly successful Teddy Bear gift service
which, operating on a national scale, produces customised teddy bears,
sometimes with the name of the recipient hand embroidered on its
clothing; sometimes dressed in a manner which would indicate the
profession or employment of the recipient. And so we have teacher
teddies, traffic warden teddies, building site teddies and so on.
The same firm will also do a range of 'teddies to hate' and use for
dubious purposes a effigies; again the poor old traffic warden features
prominently in this section. But perhaps the greatest part of this
particular business is not only the highly personalised service involved,
as much as the fact that each teddy comes complete with its own name,
adoption certificate and usually is delivered by carrier instead of
less personal postal service.
Have you noticed when cult figures creep onto our screens, that
a similar variety finds its way almost instantly into the craft shops,
this time in soft toy version? Here we find Mickey Mouse and Minnie,
Turtles, Marios, Care Bears and so on. At local fetes, rallies,
seaside resorts and anywhere potentially thousands of people
congregate, sot toy makers or their representatives are there to
provide for seemingly insatiable visitors' needs.
Soft toys can be sold privately, by mail order, by party plan, or on
commission to gents selling on the creator's behalf. Car boot fairs,
fleamarkets, craft fairs and trade fairs also lend themselves more
than adequately to the selling o such items. Additionally many shops,
craft and toy shops, are more than happy to carry your goods on a
sale or return basis, with commission earned for every sale made on
your behalf.
Into this section come the masses of wooden toys that prove so popular
with younger and older children alike: building blocks, dolls houses,
forts, rocking horses, and so on.
CURRICULUM VITAE SERVICE
This rather ominous-sounding title may at first be a little off-putting,
and I wouldn't blame anyone tempted to skip this proposition in
favor of more familiar-sounding business ventures. But think again,
for here we have an excellent opportunity to make up to o25 each
time a conversation takes place with the potential customer and the
details of that conversation are put to paper.
A curriculum vitae is nothing more than the biographical details,
personal and career-related, of persons wishing to change jobs, seek
advancement, and undergo virtually any change in their working lives,
which necessitates them giving interviewers, employers, and college
heads sufficient details to make a full and accurate assessment of
the candidate.
At one time the humble application form was the order of the day,
requiring one to neatly present personal data in little boxes on the
employer's or whoever's individual forms.
But forms presented several problems, not the let being that their
designers, who like the rest of us are not infallible, often asked
ambiguous questions, or else allowed no space for the inclusion of
information which those labouring over the form considered of vital
importance. In the later case, the astute applicant would add a
typed or hand written addendum to the application before submission.
On too many occasions though, even the experienced applicant could
be left with that niggling feeling of, albeit inadvertently, answering
a question 'not quite accurately' or inadequately, or wishing that
extra space had been available for more detailed information.
Here the curriculum vitae comes to the rescue, offering the candidate
the facility t include in the application all of those details which
he and the intended recipient feel necessary for a fair analysis to
be made. It contains all of the information required on a standard
application form and those additional points peculiar to the individual
applicant. But how does the inexperienced applicant or those with
insufficient time or inadequate facilities go about the task of preparing
this ostentatiously named document in a neat, orderly and professional
manner? The answer is - they don't - they get someone more experienced
to prepare the document on their behalf.
This service, much needed in today's competitive job and education
market, has led to the emergence of many specialist 'CV' enterprises.
Fees range from o20 to o25 and more, and all for what essentially
amounts to handing over a few copies of a short document.
Some offer the document in 'designer' folder, often with the customer's
name and address gold-leafed on the front. 'Very nice' you might
think, and yes it is - and very expensive too. To my mind such
glossing over is also highly unnecessary. The documents will not be
forwarded to the intending employer in their glamorous cases, and
surely, the more costs and kept to a minimum whilst still providing
a reliable and accurate service, the more competitive will be the
price asked of the customer, and the more customers will thereby be
attracted.
The person who decides to enter this lucrative business must of
necessity possess two prime qualifications: an ability to put his
or her customers at ease as personal details are elicited as fully
and accurately as possible, and, access to a good typewriter or if
all possible, a word processor or typesetting facilities. The end
result is professional, and in the majority of cases where word processors
are used, also completely free of typing and spelling errors.
Should this business seem a likely proposition for you, then send off
to several existing CV agencies for details of their services,
obviously presenting yourself as someone likely to require their
services. You will then be able to judge for yourself what documentation
and advertising is employed by the better firms, as well as taking the
undoubted advantage of incorporating the better points of all agencies
into your own.
HOME PUBLISHING
It's one of the most lucrative businesses ever, one requiring very
little in the way of starting capital; yet surprisingly, few people
have even heard of 'Home Publishing'. Good news indeed for those
business men and women currently earning anything from 1000% to 4000%
profit on each and every sale they make, often charging o20 or more
for an item that has cost o1, perhaps less, to produce.
Just how much home publishers make each and every week depends entirely
on the time and effort they put into their businesses; into the analysing
of advertising trends and techniques; into selecting suitable titles
to offer their customers; into establishing a good and regular list of
customer who, being satisfied with past purchases, will continue to buy
from them in the future.
'Publishing', loosely defined, is the preparation an distribution of
printed material, from which we can conclude that a 'home publisher'
is a home-based entrepreneur, needing no special business premises,
and requiring no stock other than one master copy of each publication
he or she intends offering for sale.
Some home publishers deal exclusively in publications relating to one
particular hobby or interest, for instance, consumer competitions or
stamp collecting. Others deal in a wide range of subjects, from
leisure interest, to self-improvement, to perhaps the most profitable
line of all, namely that of information concerning business and income
boosting opportunities.
Basically, the publisher selects and acquires those titles that form
his or her stock, decides upon the means by which they will be
advertised for sale, and subsequently place appropriate advertisements
to which prospective customers are invited to apply.
He or she then forwards the publication or publications, where cash
in advance has been requested, or else provides the potential customer
with a detailed sales leaflet, from which the inquirer will decide
whether or not to order the publication. The publisher usually takes
the opportunity to include details of several other publications in
which the potential customer might be interested. If the original
enquiry does not result in a sale, there is every chance that one of
these other publications will appeal to the inquirer.
Customer manuals and folios may be produced as photocopied versions
of the master document, or in professionally printed form if the
publisher desires. By shopping around for the best rates in photocopying,
or else installing a photocopying machine at home, the cost of manuals
can be kept extremely low, thereby making for far higher profit margins.
The market for information is vast, some would suggest unlimited, and
the means of reaching potential customers are similarly many and
varied, and perhaps best of all, inexpensive. Without costly business
premises and similarly prohibitive overheads, the publisher can
afford to concentrate his or her efforts and financial resources
into reaching that vast clientele awaiting each and every publication
brought onto the market.
To build and maintain a good customer list you must of course offer
only quality information, and for this reason the prudent publisher
will always chose the titles that form his stock with the utmost care.
It's surprisingly easy to acquire a good, extremely saleable title for
anything from o10 to o40 for reproduction rights; more of course for
sole copyright, the latter affording an enviable situation indeed for
the publisher to find himself in, for he alone will have authority to
offer the copyrighted manuscript for sale.
Your titles may come from one or more of several sources; direct from
the writer or his agent in the case of copyright; from the writer or
agent, or other publishers in the case of reproduction and resell rights.
Reproduction rights as the name implies, allow you to produce and sell
as many copies of the document as you wish, often at a price you yourself
decide. If these rights come with 'resell rights' you may also
transfer reproduction and resell rights to other publishers, thereby
making very handsome profits indeed, and usually recouping the cost
of your own outlay with your very first order.
With exclusive copyright you might, quite rightly so, feel reluctant
to share your market with other publishers, which of course would
happen if you decided to sell reproduction rights, with or without
resell rights. Many publishers jealously guard their copyrights,
especially in the case of titles much in demand. Such a title could
well continue selling to the public for many years to come. With
copyright the profits are entirely yours; pass on reproduction rights
and the chain grows rapidly, until after just a few transactions
your title is shared by many publishers. If selling by direct mail,
remember too that the very same people contacted by you will almost
certainly have been approached with the same title by several of
your competitors - a huge waste of time, energy and money.
Home publishing is one of many sub-sections falling under the umbrella
of mail order, and as such those rules, tips and techniques that make
for increased profits in mail order apply equally to home publishing.
Arm yourself with as many books and manuals as you can on the art of
advertising, direct marketing techniques, and standards of mail order
professionalism in general. Remember to keep abreast of the times,
never stop learning and never ever stand still.
LIST BROKING
This is one big business proposition that requires an absolute minimum
of capital, but nevertheless offers extremely high rewards to the operator.
'It's not what you know that counts, it's who you know' or so they say.
In the business world this is indeed the case. Some firms survive very
nicely from dealings with only passing trade, or with customers drawn
into their premises as a result of effective local advertising campaigns.
Many firms though, and primarily those with no obvious business premises
for customers to visit, depend heavily upon postal contacts to sustain
an adequate level of trade.
In this category we find mail order traders and those dealing in
specialised product for particular sections of the public. There
are also firms for which business premises might be wholly unnecessary,
perhaps because they operate in short-term undertakings, as would be
the case for someone seeking to rent out sales and promotion pitches
at once-off exhibitions. What these businesses need above all are
lists - lists of potential customers who might otherwise remain unaware
of their existence.
Having acquired this list of potential customers, they themselves
contact the firms and individuals concerned, usually by post, in
contrast to normal business procedures where it is more often the
customer who arranges approach to appropriate sellers or service industries.
For firms requiring such contacts, the task of compiling lists for
themselves would n doubt be so arduous and time-consuming a task, as
to leave little or no time for normal business obligations.
The specialist list broker therefore collects or co-ordinates all
necessary information, and either sells his list outright, or more
likely hires out the addresses for once-off use only.
But it's not just potential business customers who may be contacted by
means of appropriate lists. addresses can be similarly provided for:
- Private individuals requiring set services and products
- Specific businesses, eg undertakers, grocers, hotels, etc.
- Schools
- Persons involved in particular sports or hobbies
- Craft workers
I have personally seen offers to sell or rent lists of people who take
an active interest in entering consumer competitions, people who collect
antiques and books, stamp collectors, even people interested in
contacting pen pals or being entered onto dating agency files.
The person involved in the mailing list business can compile lists
from scratch, (a time consuming exercise), or else he or she can act
as the middle man or woman for other people's lists, renting the list
at one price and subsequently hiring it out at another obviously higher
price.
The middle person or broker often buys or rents very many large lists
which are then split for hiring or sale to firms unable to afford the
larger lists, or not needing vast quantities of names and addresses.
Ideally, the names and addresses are offered on self-adhesive labels
to facilitate easier usage by the buyer or renter, and also to lessen
the temptation to use a rented list more than once, thereby breaking
the usual conditions upon which the list is supplied.
Lists should be kept 'clean', that is free of people no longer living
at the stated address,, or perhaps no longer active members of that
group to which they purport to belong. This cleaning exercise can be
done by making frequent mailings yourself, or else by analysing the
results of someone else using the list, and removing from the list all
communications removed as gone away or non-deliverable for whatever
other reason.
Prices vary greatly for these lists and it is not unusual to sell or
rent the same list several times each year, at a price ranging from
o25 to o125 or more every time. Very nice indeed!
MAIL ORDER
Far from the bustle and throng of shops with their queues, busy streets,
traffic jams, recessions and closing down sales, there's a group of
traders for whom business flourishes, though many might never even come
to see a customer, let alone make a personal transaction. All dealings
are carried out by post, with sometimes a telephone call to supplement
the deal, or to convey some message between dealer and purchaser. This
is mail order, widely accepted s one of the easiest of businesses to
begin in, and certainly one of the few in which massive fortunes still
lie in wait for those keen to join the ranks of dealers by mail.
Mail order is not easy, though it can for some be a quick route to riches.
Fast profits go to those determined to succeed, individuals who seek
never to be content with their efforts, and who strive continuously
to improve those already high standards they set themselves.
Mail order proves attractive to customers for many varied reasons,
primary amongst them the fact that most things offered by mail are
just not available from everyday high street shopping. For some, the
sheer ease of buying by mail is sufficient to warrant repeat and
continued custom. No queuing; no parking problems; no time battling
your way into town; and no travelling or parking cost involved once
you get there. And as we have already said, all of this assumes that
the customer can find the good concerned in the shops: for as many a
successful mail order dealer knows, success sometimes comes entirely
from locating and offering for sale items not available from any
other source. This may perhaps best be illustrated by reference
to the current boom in mail order publishing, where hundreds of
guides are available to those seeking business and moneymaking
opportunities, of which there is very little on offer in book shops.
For many dedicated buyer by mail, the principal allegiance is one of
excitement such as only mail order offers, in that once the order has
been placed, sheer anticipation is the order of the day until that
delivery is made.
So what do people buy by mail? The answer is 'practically anything!'
Anything that is, which the customer can be adequately informed of by
means of advertisements placed in publications, or communicated by
direct mailshot. The items should also be sufficiently light to keep
down the costs of postage or whatever form of delivery.
And so amongst those thousands of items sold by mail, we find clothes,
books, household items, and hobby items. Services too can be offered
by mail, as is discovered by a profusion of typesetting services,
stationery design facilities, writing services, insurance, printing,
circular mailing, and so on.
For the dealer, the benefits are numerous. It is in fact surprisingly
easy to make a good living in mail order, whilst benefiting also
from the inherent advantages of working one's chosen hours, working
from home, and selling whatever one wishes.
Mail order is also a very easy business to enter, and also one in which
to make massive profits for very little effort. It is also, ironically,
one of the main businesses abandoned in the newcomers' early days,
simply as a result of disillusionment of promises of vast fortunes
coming through their doors failing to materialise. The entire business
though, is one which becomes easier with experience, and even the big
names in mail order will admit to making massive and usually very costly
mistakes in their early attempts at selling by mail.
Selling can take place by several methods. That which is used at any
particular time depends upon the product or service involved, the price,
cost o advertising in relation to product price, and the amount of
information that must be conveyed to the potential customer if a sale
is to be forthcoming.
SELLING 'OFF-THE-PAGE'
Here the item is described via advertising in appropriate publications,
or by display advertising or usually less costly lineage advertisements
in classified advertising sections. The reader is requested to send
the price of the item advertised, following which the dealer will
complete the transaction by fulfilling the order to the purchaser.
THE TWO-STAGE 'ENQUIRY' METHOD
Selling by this means involves placing an advertisement, briefly
outlining the main features of what is on offer, and inviting the
reader to write to the advertiser for further details. The dealer
then sends out a sales circular for the item or service concerned,
and additionally includes circular relating to other items available.
DIRECT MAIL
Direct mail incorporates many of the features of the enquiry method,
since the prospective customer is usually sent the very same circulars
that would be provided if instead selling by the enquiry method. The
mail order operator here, is not involved in promoting his wares by
means of advertisements placed in publications; rather he or she sends
mailshots (sales circulars) to names hoped to represent fair targets
for the items or services being promoted. That mailing list might be
the dealers own list; it might instead by hired from a mailing list
broker or fellow trader. The importance of a good mailing list can
never be over-estimated - it is the life blood of effective and
profitable direct mail.
When deciding what to sell, it is ironically better to sell something
already available from other dealers. Monopoly of stock on offer is
of course an ideal situation for which to aim, if that item is also
one actually in demand. An item extremely different to those offered
by your counterparts in mail order tough, is unlikely to earn you
very much by way of profits, if that item has no read market.
In choosing to offer something in the same mould as that your competitors
offer, you are of course offering something that someone, somewhere,
will already have tested market demand for. You are on fairly safe
ground, even if in choosing something similar, you will inevitably be
sharing your potential market with many other dealers.
And because you share that vast market place with other traders, here
comes to the fore one of the main means by which the astute trader can
ensure that his is the firm with which the order is placed. The trader
must therefore endeavour to make his or her offer different in some
respect; perhaps by offering a gift or special discount to purchasers,
that item being something not available from any other source.
One's advertising strategy must be planned carefully rom the very
outset, by investigation of all publications in which one's competitor,
if any, advertise. The operator is also advised to study the
frequency with which specific firms advertise, by what means, at what
product prices, whether by display or classified advertising, and so on.
It is essential that advertising is never skimped on;
NO ADVERTISING = NO ORDERS = NO BUSINESS. It is however, equally
essential that you do not simply place advertisements haphazardly,
without a full and meticulous investigation of the likely
suitability of the medium concerned.
Look to those publications in which competitors advertise, particularly
those whose advertisements have been placed for some time. Advertisements
that stand the test of time are working; from these very same
advertisements you may therefore learn a great deal about choice of
words and techniques, as well as the selected method of advertising.
Similarly, items that are promoted almost exclusively by direct mail,
speak volumes for the effectiveness of this particular marketing method.
This is often the case for business plans which require a substantial
outlay from investors, and which might also require much 'telling'
before 'selling' can take place.
So mail order is a learning process, and a business which must never
be taken for granted, even when massive and regular profits start
coming your way. Learning and striving for improved standards are
essential if the successful businessman expects to continue enjoying
the fruits of his labours.
A business allowed to stagnate whilst the proprietor takes inordinate
periods of time off, albeit deservedly, to enjoy too much in the way
of leisure time, is one which will invariably be overtaken by those
whose owners put business first, at least until that happy time when
the well-established business can indeed be left to run itself for
short periods of time, or else can be left in the capable hands of
staff the owner's new found affluence has provided.
SECRETARIAL AND OFFICE SERVICES
For those who can turn out neat and accurate typing within set deadlines,
a regular and often very high income awaits them. This might not be a
business with any place in the 'get rich quick' category, but certainly
it will provide extra cash for family commitments, and for offsetting
the burdens of unpredictable, but generally rising interest and inflation
rates.
Running a freelance typing or word processing service can also be an
ideal business opportunity for those who much of necessity spend most
of their time within the home. We find this business extremely popular
with mothers, the disabled, even 'failed' or discouraged' writers, who
nevertheless have equipped themselves with the typing skills their
preferred profession would have benefited from.
A business such as this takes time to build up in terms of clientele,
and your own reputation for good, efficient work, as well as ability
to meet customers' deadlines. You might in the very early days consider
the whole thing anything but worthwhile; perhaps you are spending more
on advertising than you are recouping in custom. Keep at it though, for
all businesses relying so heavily on advertising need time for what's
on offer to filter through to the ultimate customer, often from the shop
floor of a large corporation to the upper echelons of its management
structure.
Regular advertising leads to a faith in your ability to produce the goods.
You are, as yet, a faceless quantity, and one that can vanish as easily
as it appeared if your work is unsatisfactory. But someone whose
service has been advertised for some time gains a position of trust
in the minds of those they are seeking to attract. One hit wonders
and those who can't stand the pace, are unlikely to meet often tight
deadlines most businesses work to. Gain their trust an you will find
yourself the recipient of regular custom. Repeat custom and word of
mouth advertising from satisfied customers, could find your business
growing to full-time status, perhaps find you needing to sub-contract
work out to other efficient sources, or perhaps looking to employ
adequate emergency staff yourself.
WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED?
Naturally, you wouldn't start a venture such as this without the
physical ability to produce good type. You need not be a highly
qualified typist to offer such a service; you might not need any
qualifications at all; some of the best typists are self-taught.
I have known some keyboard operators who, falling into the latter
category, could batter the highly qualified ones into submission when
their accuracy, presentation, speed and professional abilities are
put to the test. Don't offer what you can't deliver though. If you
are accurate but your speed requires improvement, don't offer to
deliver a huge report at breakneck speed, when you know full well your
speed will need to be boosted to such a degree that your accuracy
will suffer. Wait until you can produce work at the speed such work
necessitates before you make rash promises. At the very best you'll
be paid, but you'll almost certainly lose the customer concerned and
suffer adverse word of mouth publicity at his next meeting with
counterpart in the business world. Don't bite off more than you
can chew!
As to the gadgetry you will need, there are many types of typewriter
and work processor on the market, ranging from the humble manual,
to the electric version, and on to the most wonderful of all
inventions - to my mind at least - the work processor. Which you
choose to operate with will depend largely upon finances available,
and will no doubt be influenced by what equipment you have so far
been accustomed to. Each as its advantages, though for the manual
typewriter I am somewhat at a loss to find more than its need for a
cheap energy supply from tired typists' fingers. Energy of the
electrical variety leads to a better, more even type and required
far less effort on the part of the user. 'Sorry' to advocates of
the manual, but today, unless you prove to the contrary, I think it
fair to say that the manual typewriter has long since outlived its
usefulness.
An electric typewriter will not set you back a great deal, and
purchasing one is something you should seriously consider if your
work is to be of consistently high standard. Equipment necessary
to the running of a business can be set against Income Tax
liabilities, so contact Inland Revenue office for advice.
But, if you really want to create a stir in your new business venture,
you can forget the word 'typing' and substitute in its place the highly
respectable concept 'word processing'. Little more than a computerised
typewriter, the word processor renders typist correction fluid a thing
of the past, and dirty carbon residue need never again soil your hands
or the precious newly-typed documents they come into contact with.
At first, the thought of using a word processor can frighten the typist
rigid, but within weeks he or she will be using it like an expert.
No photocopiers and carbon papers are necessary, since the machine's
memory banks store work for as long as the operator wishes, thereby
allowing hi or her to churn out copies of past work at the mere touch
of a button or two. Work can also be produced virtually error free;
any errors that do remain are due usually to lack of observation, since
errors can be rectified before the document is ever produced on paper.
Typing appears on a computer screen and errors can be corrected immediately.
Additional software allows your spelling to be checked by the machine,
thereby allowing one of the great problems of any an otherwise accurate
typist, or now word processor operator.
All of these benefits of the word processor can lead to a doubling or
even trebling o your output. Never again need you start afresh on a
document that fails to come up to standard. The machine will adjust
layouts for you, alter typefaces, remove errors, change spacing,
etc., etc. Remember too, you are effectively able to offer the
customer something of a back-up filing system, merely because his
or her work will remain on disk, if necessary and convenient to both
parties.
Advertising your service as one of 'word processing' instead of 'typing'
can also create a more professional image, thereby leading to greater
customer interest.
HOW DO I ADVERTISE MY NEW BUSINESS?
There are several ways to bring yourself and your business to the
attention of potential customers, but remember that you are offering
something of an artistic service, and your first communication with
prospective customer must be one of total professionalism. A tatty
business card in the local fish and chip shop window will lead the
reader to wonder if your typing will be prone to a similarly
ill-thought out standard.
Take your business cards with you everywhere. Nothing looks worse
than a hastily scribbled telephone number on a tatty piece of scrap
paper when a potential customer's interest is aroused. That would
likely be the last you'll see of him or her, since subconsciously
that person will convince him or herself that your work is likely
to be of a similarly unprofessional standard.
Business cards are not limited to personal delivery. They can be left
in any suitable place where those requiring your services are likely to
congregate. I recently saw a batch of cards for a word processing
service, neatly displayed on the counter of a local photographic center.
I have also seen them built into the covers of home videos. Well, not
only the kids need the relaxation offered by the box - the TV that is!
I personally thought this method of advertising little short of ingenious.
Your card can be pinned in many places where custom might be attracted:
business clubs, job centers (for curriculum vitae and job
application forms), in youth clubs and on college notice boards
(students need their theses typing to a professional standard), etc.
You can also have postcards printed to advertise your business, and
A5 handbills are invaluable for popping through the letterboxes of
businesses old and new. Deliver them before the summer holidays
begin and you might find yourself inundated with work that would
normally have gone to agency temps when staff shortages necessitate
an additional pair of hands. You might even address a letter to
company managing directors informing them of your services at holiday
times and at other times when staff shortages are likely to exist.
Such an approach sows initiative - something usually much admired
in today's fast moving business world.
You can if your capabilities and other commitments allow, offer an
emergency service, with collection and subsequent delivery of documentation.
But never put another client's work to one side for the purpose of
attracting higher fees, unless you are already ahead of any predetermined
deadlines for that other customer. In gaining the gratitude of one,
you may well lose the respect and repeat custom of another.
Your postcard advertisements can be placed in suitable shop windows,
perhaps in larger stores and post offices which we all need to use at
some time or another. Don't disregard the little corner shops either.
You are unlikely to get big business deals from them, but you might
attract students, small business people, club secretaries, and so on.
Since such n advertisement is usually extremely cheap you should
consider it a worthwhile investment however little custom it generates,
unless of course that 'little' fails to rise above zero for any length
of time.
Don't be tempted to type these postcard advertisements just to save a
little cash. Remember the 'first impressions' rule and have them
properly printed. You'll save time to concentrate on the business
your professionally prepared advertisements generate. Again, with
the printed variety, you can have an attention-gabbing but subtle
design incorporated, that will inform the public of what service
you offer, long before they have read the text hidden amongst many
other advertisements displayed in the window.
WHO ELSE NEEDS SECRETARIAL SERVICES?
You will, as your business grows, find yourself serving businesses
large and small. Some will want a one-off service, and you might
never see that customer again. Others might need a regular service for
a very small workload on each occasion. At the other end of the scale
you might be offered one enormous job by a business whose secretary has
taken extended sickness leave. That same business might be so impressed
with your work that its management later decides to sub-contract to you
the entire workload of another employee who subsequently leaves the
workforce.
Never underestimate the importance of the smallest jobs you are offered.
Those small bread and butter pieces might not even seem worth the time
and effort involved, but a satisfied customer of whatever standing is
an added avenue for your much needed ongoing advertising campaign.
Local Newspapers
Local newspapers and freesheets are excellent places in which to
advertise your services. The same people who place their advertisements
in these publications are in all probability the same people who
will need your services at some future time. Temporary secretarial
agencies are expensive propositions; once the middle man is cut out,
your business becomes a much more inviting financial proposition to
businesses large and small, almost all suffering under the weight
of high running cost.
Advertise in the classified section until you are able to withstand
the higher charges of display advertising.
Business Enterprise and Self-Help Groups
Many such groups exist, some under government auspices; others created
by men and women for the promotion of their own business interests.
You will find entire buildings devoted to small workshops and retail
outlets, the businessmen themselves often working under Enterprise
Allowance Schemes. Other buildings are sub-divided into units, by
groups of private individuals for their own use, or else for
sub-letting to other usually smaller concerns. Craft shops flourish
in such environments, as do antique shops, printing establishments
and book shops. Almost all such entrepreneurs at some time will have
need of a typing facility, and you should therefore advertise your
business by distributing individual handbills, or having a postcard
advertisement placed on any communal notice board you might find.
Always be on the lookout for new business groups, and make sure you
are the first typing agency to get that all-important foot in the door.
Job centers and Colleges
Wherever students congregate, whether for educational or social needs,
you have a large and ready made market for your skills. Students,
not all of whose lessons include typing, require their theses to be
presented in a manner that will create a good impression for the
assessment body responsible for grading the work concerned.
In colleges and job centers you will also find one of your largest
and most regular sources of business, namely in the constant demand
for newcomers to the jobs market to have their curriculum vitae (CV)
and application forms neatly prepared, if they are to stand much
chance of entering the highly competitive world of work.
Obtain permission from college officials to have your advertisement
placed on suitable notice boards, and register the services you provide
with the appropriate personnel.
Many schools, colleges and universities, have student magazines which
again would provide an invaluable advertising opportunity.
Specialist Publications
Many specialist publications cater for people whose businesses are
largely dependent on mail order. Book dealers, stamp dealers,
ephemera specialists, dealers in a wide range of products, have
regular lists of offers prepared, often monthly, or distribution
to customers old and new. Their entrepreneurial talents do not always
extend to the typing of such documents they require, which must look
as professional as the service they offer. They must therefore discover
some means of having the sales list prepared on their behalf.
Advertise your services in book trade publications, stamp dealer and
collector magazines, 'Exchange and Mart', 'The Trader', and many
other similar publications. Browse round the larger newsagents to
familiarise yourself with likely advertising outlets.
Writers, of which there are thousands in this country alone, often need
someone to transform their notes into professionally typed manuscripts
suitable for the eyes of busy editors and publishing executives.
Many writers will have acquired the necessary typing skills but
a great many more will not, perhaps have no interest in doing so,
particularly if their work is in demand from very high paying market.
Again, advertise your business in the many specialist publications
for writers and via the chairpersons of local writers' groups.
Your library should be able to assist you with details of local groups.
A glance at 'The Writers and Artists Yearbook' will provide you
with details of some of the many publications writers obtain,
usually on a subscription basis.
Anywhere Potential Customers Congregate
Here lies perhaps the largest marketing opportunity of all. Most
people however busy, find recreation and leisure facilities an
essential part of their lives. Whether it is the local pub, or
the sports center of small villages or massive city centers, an
ideal opportunity presents itself for you to reach hundreds of
potential customers. Ask if you can have your card or advertisement
displayed prominently on notice boards, or even on counter - in
better establishments of course - you don't want to soil your business
reputation by having a pile of your cards end up as missiles in the
regular Saturday brawls some watering holes are renowned for.
You might even offer to type certain items free of charge, in exchange
for publicity for your business. College magazines, club newsletters
and church bulletins, all lend themselves well to such a prospect,
if their readership is sufficient to compensate for the loss of
profits you will incur whilst doing this unpaid work. If the readership
is small, forget it, unless of course the item being typed is of
minimal proportions too, in which case you might include such a public
spirited gesture in your overall business strategy. Ensure that
your advertisement or acknowledgement will adequately describe the
services you provide.
New and Expanding Businesses
As soon as you are aware of a new business coming to your area, or one
that is opening additional premises, have your advertisement delivered
through its door. You might discover many people who otherwise would
seek full-time or part-time staff to cater for their needs, but who
would infinitely prefer to relinquish the responsibilities of employer
status in favor of a freelance service which will involve payment only
in respect of work done and doesn't include hours spent awaiting work.
Restaurants, Hairdressers, Taxi Firms, and al Businesses issuing price
lists, etc.
Many businesses have need or revised price lists and information
bulletins, either for the windows of their business premises or else
for delivery to potential clients. Remember to include these in your
advertising plans.
And Also
Many typing and secretarial agencies offer various spin-off services
to extremely good effect. Hairdressers for instance, might jump at
the chance of having their documents delivered to homes in the locality.
Whether you personally do the job of delivery is entirely for you to
decide, but it takes the burden from them, and might tie the balance
in your favor when deciding where the initial job of preparing the
handbills should be offered.
Many businesses would no doubt appreciate a secretarial service that
offer to collect work to be undertaken and usually deliver the final
product. A same day typing service might gain you the edge on other
typing agencies.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
ACCOMMODATION ADDRESS SERVICE
This is a business proposition presenting an attractive level of
profits for very little effort expended. A business operated from
home, wit few overheads, here we also have something which can be
operated with very little time and space at one's disposal.
The service provided is that of allowing others to have their mail
forwarded to your own or your business address. Often the reason is
one of protecting the customers' own privacy; at other times it's
because customers live in accommodation that isn't their own, and
from which they have no absolute entitlement to operate a business.
All you do is allow customers to use your address, following which
you will have their mail forwarded to them on a prearranged basis.
Take a look at the many advertisements offering such services in
'Exchange and Mart', and the scope will no doubt become apparent,
particularly where an attractive city center or decidedly rural address
can be offered. It may be that certain customers will have particular
requirements; some might want their post forwarding daily; some by
recorded post; some will be happy with a weekly delivery. Your charges
will be dependent upon what specific requirements might be expressed.
Contact a few already established accommodation address services for
details of what charges and special facilities they operate.
Then make yours even better.
GROWING AND SELLING HOUSEPLANTS
Here we have a product for which a ready market exists amongst young
and old alike, whether requiring such plants for their own enjoyment
or as presents for relatives and friends. Nurseries, garden accessory
shops and florists are also amongst the many customers for whom your
'growing' business will cater.
Usually all you need to start out in business is a selection of donor
plants from which cuttings will be taken, before being replanted in
small pots and grown to a sufficiently attractive size for marketing.
Apart from those outlets detailed earlier, I have also seen plants
presenting a constant stream of customers for their growers, when
displayed in the boot of cars at local car boot fairs, at fleamarkets,
from roadside stalls, and from pitches at indoor and outdoor markets.
:GENEALOGY
RESEARCHING FAMILY TREES
Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a great interest in our
heritage. More and more people are interested in discovering their
roots. although not necessarily as some mockingly suggest, to discover
possible family fortunes or hidden links with royal houses, and thereby
facilitating access to titles they always believed were rightly theirs.
As memories fade or the older of our relatives die, essential information
is often lost for ever. Or is it?
In government records, parish registers, graveyards, and in many other
places, there are segments of information which when located, and pieced
together, offer an extremely accurate and interesting profile of one's
family history. Here a problem presents itself which precludes many a
man or woman from researching his or her family history. Time! Time
in many of our lives is in extremely short supply, and other demands
allow insufficient time to undertake the painstaking research which
might of necessity take us to the far ends of the country, even the world.
For a specialist researcher though, several histories may be researched
during one trip to the appropriate archives or whatever, and since he
or she will be paid for hours worked, there will be little worry over
long hours researching, with not a bean to how for it. Because costs
can rise alarmingly due to these fruitless hours searching for marriages
and births that have been inaccurately recorded by those before us,
it is advisable to keep the customer informed of the progress made
on his behalf, and where necessary inform the customer that further
research is likely to be time-consuming and consequently costly.
He or she may then be content to accept what you already have discovered.
In the vast majority of cases it is relatively quick and easy to
accurately present the details of the past few centuries since official
records became mandatory. For many people, that information will in
itself prove more than acceptable, and will almost certainly be more
than they would have discovered for themselves.
The end product should be presented attractively and in an easy to
understand way, perhaps with a family tree format to guide the customer
through the maze of dozens of forebears who often bore common ancestral
names through several generations.
BABY SITTING AGENCY
Not usually something for you might need to offer personal service,
but rather one in which you can act as co-ordinator between those
persons requiring a baby sitting service and those prepared to offer
their services as attendants. As co-ordinator of so vital and
important a list of potential baby sitters, it will be one of your
major responsibilities to ensure the suitability of those you place
on your list. Mature teenagers, adults of both sexes, teachers and
nurses, are usually likely to feature amongst your most reliable
'workers'; but be careful and always make assessment of suitable
candidates one of your primary objectives.
Your services can be advertised in the press, in local shop windows,
to mother and toddler clubs, in maternity clinics and hospitals,
even children's clothes shop windows.
Usually you will be required to do is maintain an efficient appointments
diary, and perhaps keep a reserve of 'on call' baby-sitters who might
jump in at the last minute to cover emergency situations. Cash is
usually paid to the person dropping the baby-sitter at the client's door,
with accounts submitted for time over and above that initially paid for.
Baby-sitters themselves might be paid on a weekly or monthly hour-related
basis.
Rigid rules and regulations not unnaturally govern all those responsible
for children's welfare. Contact your local Department of Social
Services before you set out in this highly lucrative and much in
demand business venture.
CHILDMINDING
A little like baby sitting, but here children are usually cared for
in childminders' homes. Again rigid rules govern those responsible
for children's welfare, details of which are available from local
Social Services offices.
Children are usually cared for during the day, often because both
parents go out to work. Occasionally the childminder's services are
required on an emergency basis only, perhaps during parents' illness
or incapacity.
Register your services with the local Department of Social Services
who will send out representatives to investigate your suitability for
this work. Nothing untoward is required other than a safe haven for
other people's children.
Advertising can take place by much the same methods s those outlined
under 'Baby Sitting Agency'.
:GIFTSEVICE
MAIL ORDER GIFT SERVICE
A mail order gift service might exist to fulfil any of several
requirements, not all of them much to do with finding and providing
the ideal gift for the recipient. For many, the sheer ease of
ordering is the deciding factor; for others it's the opportunity to
offer something unique; for others it's status that proves the
deciding factor when we discover a service so expensive and
outlandishly expensive (messages trailing behind light-powered
aircraft; thousands of balloons released into the air; bottles of
ever so unashamedly expensive champagne delivered to the door).
For others, the mail order gift service simply allows guaranteed
delivery at a distance and overrides the possibility of forgetting
the occasion.
Amongst those to have discovered the potential of the mail order gift
trade and exploited it to the full, are flower specialist Interflora,
now a nationwide concern that allows the donor to place his or her
order by means of a telephone call to provide necessary delivery details.
These coming into the arena a little later include as varied an assortment
of businesses as one is ever likely to encounter: the teddy delivered
to the recipient's door (sometimes he or she - the teddy - wears clothing
emblazoned with appropriate and highly individual message); baskets
of individually selected items just as much expensive as they are
appropriate to the needs and interests of the recipient; original
copies of the 'Times' or other national and provincial newspapers
published on the actual day the recipient was born; hand embroidered
quilts in which each patch portrays some event or item of importance
to the recipient, and so on. Usually a quick look through some of the
more up-market women's glossies is sufficient to convince the reader
that here is a market worthwhile penetrating, particularly if he or
she can come up with something just that little bit different to what
is already on offer.
GROWING AND SELLING HERBS
Take a look at the uninviting packets of herbs and garnishing products
available in many supermarkets and it's not surprising to discover that
many people would walk miles to discover an alternative to this
particular 'convenience' product. For those with fine palates and
purses to match, only freshly picked herbs will provide for their
superior requirements. Into this category fall many higher-income
households, restaurants and hotels, delicatessens and up-market food
outlets. Someone who can provide potential customers, perhaps on
contract, with a regular supply of herbs in which quality and variety
are also significant factors, might well find their businesses
achieving hitherto unexpected proportions.
Yet other herb growers have extended their enterprises to cater for
those who would prefer the bagged and dried variety, perhaps offering
a greater range at lower prices than the shops; often sops are their
major customers for herbs provided in bulk at reduced prices.
NEWSPAPER CLIPPING SERVICE
For those willing to carry out a few menial tasks before the real work
of earning begins, a newspaper clipping service could be just the
answer.
The aim of the exercise is to select and cut out all items of news
reportage that might prove of interest to other than the newspaper's
or magazines original readers. But who wants news when it's yesterday's
news? Actually, quite a lot of people, amongst them writers and
historians, genealogists and geographical researchers, and not
forgetting the actual people or organisation at the center of the
news or article concerned.
Many clippings services cater almost entirely to the needs of writers,
whose time as for all of us is limited; the less time spent researching,
the more time for writing and consequently earning their living.
The clippings service will offer items under categories - as many
different categories as possible! And so, the writer might be able
to request all available information on 'hats', or 'boxer dogs';
perhaps he or she might instead find a mass of information relating
to a particular geographical location he or she intends making the
focus of a future article. Such services are usually listed in 'Writers
and Artists Yearbook' and in all of the many magazines and newsletters
produced for writers, both aspiring and professional.
Alternatively, instead of the potential customer coming to you, you
might offer the information you have to that person it involves.
Many firms would be pleased to receive details of reports about them
placed in various parts of the country. A potentially unlimited
market awaits you in respect of trade journals. For instance, all
magazines and journals relating to such as hairdressing or carpentry,
will be interested in clippings from other publications, and if
from other countries the market can be almost unlimited. The service
would of course extend to providing such clippings to all trade
journals in whatever part of the world, something that could best
be done be either obtaining duplicate cuttings or else having them
photocopied before dispatching. Most journals set their own prices
for the information they use, in much the same way as they set the
fee paid to writers; at other times you might be able to indicate
your cost per cutting. For old cuttings, the fee you ask will
obviously be much higher than something cut from yesterday's paper,
but not always, and writers for instance often expect a set number
of cuttings for a specified fee.
SELLING BOOKS
Either sell cheaply all books that come your way, or specialise in
books on set subjects: local history, biographies, specialist subjects,
novels or whatever. Such can be sold by list or on approval to those
attracted by advertisements placed in book collectors and special
interest magazines.
CHERISHED NUMBER PLATES
Many drivers seek number plates a little bit different from those of
fellow drivers, whether for investment purposes, to hide the age of
their vehicles, or else for pure snob value. Massive profits can be
made in this business, by firms which do not always have to acquire
the plates concerned in the first place, but might instead offer to
sell plates on behalf of current owners for percentage of the takings.
:CALLIGRAPHY
CALLIGRAPHY
This is the rather grand name for the even grander art of creating
beautiful handwriting and printing. We find swirling flows of
lettering, created by hand with the aid of special pens and inks,
adorning menus in the better eating establishments, on examination
certificates, formal invitations, signs, notices and doorplates.
Courses in calligraphy are available at local colleges and sometimes
from correspondence schools.
CROSSWORDS
Crosswords are surprisingly easy to produce with a little practice,
and many books on the subject of writing will guide the beginner
through the basic techniques. As an adjunct to producing crosswords
for the many markets requiring the services of the compiler, there
is the opportunity to provide 'personalised' crosswords for clubs,
presents, individuals and so on. I have seen advertisements from
people offering to create crosswords incorporating words appropriate
to that person who will receive the end result as a gift: names,
dates, pets, occupations, hobbies and such, all proving suitable
for inclusion.
THIS CONCLUDES 'THE COMPLETE HOMEWORKER'
THANK YOU FOR READING
