The Poor Man`s Way To Riches Volume 4

THE POOR MAN’S
WAY To
VOLUME
DAVID BUCKLEY
This publication is designed to provide accurate authoritative
information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold
64th the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in
rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If
legal advice or other expert assistance is required the services
of a competent professional should be sought.
Copyright 0 1988 Lion Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book
may be reproduced in any manner whatsover without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or review. For information, write 8150 Mission
Gorge Rd., Suite 222, San Diego, CA 92120.
Some of the methods presented in this book may be illegal in
certain parts of the United States. This book is sold for information purposes only.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
lNTRODUCTlON.........................................ll
SMALL BUSINESSES THAT CAN MAKE YOU RICH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
SMART MONEY
ANGLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8i
SMART MONEY INVESTMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
CONTRIBUTIONS
David Brauner
David Forman
After receiving much “feed-back”
from readers of Volumes 1 and 2, I felt
the need for more articles on money-making
businesses which could be
started on a small investment. As a result, volume four includes more detailed
business opportunities
appealing to a wider range of people than did the
first two volumes.
Volume 4 concentrates largely on service businesses-such
reports as the
printing brokerage, services for senior citizens, patent brokerage, and others.
Both private and government economists tell us that the service industry
field will be the growth area of employment
in the late 1980’s and into the
1990’s. The businesses mentioned here are some of the easiest ones to start,
and the most profitable.
Additionally,
you’ll find that I’ve included quite a few names of firms
offering franchises, or business set-ups. Many of my readers, it seems, prefer
to enter a business offering professional training and financial assistance.
To sum up, volume four offers the type of comprehensive
and popular
business opportunities
seldom found within the covers of most “how-to
books.” I would be interested in getting feedback from you on how you
liked it. I don’t have time to answer every letter of course, but I will read
them all.
Thanks for your confidence in me, and I wish you the best of luck and
future prosperity.
Sincerely,
David Buckley, President
Executive Publishing Co.
-1 l-
SECTION
ONE
SMALL BUSINESSES THAT CAN MAKE YOU RICH
$1,200 Weekly Making and Selling I.D. Cards
There is a growing demand for identification
cards by businesses, institutions and individuals
who recognize the need for proper documentation
for security reasons. This is a little-known
business opportunity
that you
should consider.
There are basically two separate markets for your ID card business. One
is the commercial and institutional
market. Businesses which have had or
are susceptible to employee theft or sabotage, are prime prospects for your
service. This includes everything from electronics manufacturers and security
guard services to government
offices and department stores.
The other area is selling direct to individuals
by mail. Many people seek
personalized
ID to enable them to cash checks, open bank accounts, and
transact other business which is becoming impossible without proper identification to show the firms and organizations people deal with. For example,
if you don’t have a valid driver’s license, or other photo-type ID, it is just
about impossible to rent a house, obtain utility services, or even obtain
employment.
If you don’t drive, you’ve got problems.
Sources for Equipment
Probably the easiest machine to work with is the Polaroid ID system. With
this system, you can produce a full color photo ID card (or badge), bonded
in plastic and ready for issue in just two minutes. Since the camera is fixedfocus, there is little chance of error. Furthermore, the 55 pound unit is portable enough to take with you to your client’s place of business. For complete
details, including
price, contact:
Polaroid
Technology
Corporation,
Identification
Systems Marketing
manager, 575
Square, Cambridge, MA 02139. Phone: (617) 577-2000.
Another camera/laminator
system being offered is from General Binding
Corporation, One GBC Plaza, Notthbrook,
IL 60062. They also offer a compact, portable system. Their phone number is: (312) 272-3700.
Of course, if you are selling identification
cards for the mail-order market
(to individuals)
you can get by with a hand-held Polaroid camera which is
compatible
with their close-up lens. Laminating machines can be found
through large city yellow page listings.
-13-
Getting Started
Polaroid and GBC Corporation
will gladly demonstrate their machines
in your home or business at no charge. They’ll show you everything you
need to know about operating your camera and laminating machine. You
will know exactly how to make professional
identification
cards for the
commercial market. They even furnish pre-printed background formats so
you don’t have to design your own. Selling to businesses and institutions
is merely a matter of selecting of your cards, and advising that you will be
calling in a few days to discuss their needs.
On the phone, you get in touch with the purchasing agent, or other
executive in charge of such matters and arrange for an interview.
If they
grant an interview, they are interested. Keep pointing out in your pitch how
the firm can save money in insurance rates by reducing thefts, etc.
Selling by mail to individuals
is a different situation. Here you will be
primarily offering specialized ID usually carrying a “state” name on the card
which the customer specifies. Thus, you will have to design a background
format more official looking than that offered by Polaroid and GBC. The
firms currently in business will give you some ideas, as will the printed
samples elsewhere.
You might as well know now, rather than later, that you may encounter
some bad publicity from time to time concerning
your ID business. The
people who buy the personalized ID will be using it for a variety of reasonssome to maintain privacy, to start a new life under a new name, and in a
few cases, for illegal purposes. Anything can be used wrongfully,
but if it
bothers you, then don’t go into the ID business.
The law
Only two states, Nevada and North Carolina, have passed laws that deal
with the possession and use of fake ID. Nevada enacted legislation that
outlawed the possession, sale, or transfer of any document “for the purpose
of establishing a false status, occupation,
membership,
license, or identity
for himself or any other person.” North Carolina’s law deals only with the
fraudulent use or application
for another person’s birth certificate.
So, sell no identification
to residents of Nevada. Find out if your own state
has passed any recent laws concerning the manufacture, sale and distribution of identification
cards. It may be a good idea to have your customers
sign a statement to the effect that the ID card will not be used for fraudulent
purposes.
-14-
Many firms offer free “birth certificates, ” “diplomas,”
and other certificates
of one kind or another as a sideline to their operation. Most of the documents
being sold by these firms are not copyrighted. The sources listed in the sample
ads may no longer be in business-check
current classified ads for more
firm names.
Personally, I support those firms that offer alternate identification.
Most
people are not using this stuff to defraud anyone, but to protect themselves
from the ever-encroaching
“Big Brother” government of ours. Sure, a few
minors may get an ID and buy alcoholic beverages with such identification, but then they’d find a way to get it anyway.
PHOTO
I.D.,
fin&:
available.
Setid $5.00.
WJMO),
photo, name. address. weight, height,
hair. eyes, birlh date. Samples 2% American
Press. 2428 Spruce W. Buulder. CO lUUO!4. (BW
Designing ID Cards
Once you get back photos of cards being sold by firms already in business,
you’ll get an idea of some of the more imaginative styles that can be created.
The more professional and official the card looks, the better it sells.
You will have to ask the customer to send you a photo of specific dimensions, cut it out and lay it on your background format. Then you photograph
the two together into one. Signed areas and wording on the back of the
card are laminated with the photo.
Some firms don’t even m-photograph
the customer’s photo, but simply
paste it on top of the background card and laminate it with cheap “selfadhesive” type laminating material you buy in stores. This is a most unprofessional
ID card. To look official, it must have the photo and card
photographed
as one, and laminated with “hard” plastic.
There is a Police Technical Manual sold by Loompanics Unlimited,
PO
Box 264, Mason, MI 48854 entitled How Drivers licenses Are Made With
the Polaroid Camera. It tells you how to design legitimate ID cards as well,
and it is a very simple procedure. Write for the current price.
One thing you will need to have printed is a full-color circular for your
mailing package. Your competitors use full-color printing, and you will also
have to, ultimately. At first, you may wish to use black-and-white
however.
Or, if you have designed a professional card, then you could beat out the
competition
by selling a voided sample card for a buck or two. A sample
is always more convincing
than a photo anyway.
A quick, low-cost way to get into the mail-order ID card business, if you
don’t want to buy a machine, is to become a dealer for an existing ID firm.
Write the following
firms which offer products and services relevant to
operating an ID card business:
Service Web Offret Corporation, 2500 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 606,16.
They offer economical
four-color
printing by mail. Their phone is (312)
567-7000.
Cardinal Publishing, PO Box 5200, Jacksonville, FL 32247. Cardinal deals
in ID cards, diplomas, degrees, birth certificates, marriage certificates and
their phone is: (904) 396-l 744.
-17-
Polaroid ID Systems: as
versatile as the cards they
produce.
Only Polarord gives you a choice of
five systems to produce ID cards and
badges for any applicatron. Each system is self-contained in a rugged, fullyportable suitcase-size carrying case
that includes everything you need to
make and issue ID cards on the
spot-electronic flash, development
timers, die-cutter and laminator in one
55 pound unit. All that’s required for an
instant ID “studio” is a table, a color
backdrop, a chair for the subject and
five feet of floor space, and a 115VAC
outlet.
A complete ID card
in just two minutes.
1. Only five feet of floor space are
needed. The operator simply inserts
the data card In the camera, centers
the burlt-in aiming light on the subject’s
forehead and depresses the shutter.
2. Simple step-by-step rnstructions
and an illuminated logic panel tell the
operator exactly what sequence to
follow. Two ID pictures of the same
person may be made at one time so
you can have a duplicate on file.
3. The built-in die-cutter trims the
cards to precisely the right size.
4. The laminator seals the composite
ID card into the tough, durable plastic
laminate.
How to Start a Debt-Consolidation
and make $20,000 a month!
Business-
Americans owe a staggering amount of personal debts totaling over $307
billion dollars! This computes to roughly $1400 in debt for every citizen
of the United States. With the economy in its present condition, and more
people facing lay-offs every day, huge profits are being made by debtconsolidation
services.
What the existing firms offer is the opportunity
for a debtor to combine
all his payments into one. If a firm can get a creditor to reduce the debt
owed, or forego interest charges, so much the better if it can help a client
meet his payments. The debt consolidation
firm then makes arrangements
with the client’s creditors for new extended payment terms. The client pays
the consolidation
firm a specified amount each payday and the firm in turn
pays all his bills for him.
One of the largest firms in this business is Allied Acceptance,
PO Box
35500, Phoenix, AZ 85069. Their phone is (602) 995-l 141. For a yearly
fee, they will perform this needed service for debtors.
A few states have outlawed this type of business because of the few firms
which ripped off customers by keeping their money and not making timely
payments to customer’s creditors. Actually, no legislators have the power
to abrogate one’s right to make contracts with another, but they’ve passed
their laws anyway. If you live in a state which has “outlawed”
the constitution, you can still start your debt consolidation
service.
Most of these firms operate primarily by mail anyway and you can too.
Simply write to Loompanics Unlimited,
PO Box 264, Mason, Ml 48854 and
ask for the current price on their book, Directory of Mail Drops in the United
States and Canada. In another section of this book, I teach you all about
mail drops and how they operate.
A mail drop simply provides people and businesses with an address for
receiving mail. Most firms also offer re-mailing services and forwarding services for a fee. It is a simple matter to start up a business in any state by
mail. All you need to do is contact the attorney general’s office of a particular
state and find out if debt-consolidation
services are legal there, and what
the requirements
are. Some states require a bond, but this is no problem.
You then locate your mail drop address in that state.
(one page insert)
-19-
Slooo
PLEASE
SUPPLY
ALL
NAME
REOUESTEO
SPOUSE NAME
LIST
HOUSE OR
MOBILE HOME
INFORMATION
FROM
- $25,ooo
NAME
EVERY
CREDITOR
YOU OWE MORE
THAN
$2500
.4DDRESS
BALANCE
TOTAL BALANCE
OF APPLICATION
PI\YMENT
Getting Business
Once you have met the state’s legal requirements
and printed up your
stationery, the next step is to place classified ads in national magazines under
“Debt Services,” ” loans,” and “personal”
column headings. Your classified
ad will state something like, “Debt Problems? Quick relief. Bad credit? No
problem, etc.” This will bring hundreds of inquiries which you immediately
answer with a short letter on how your service is confidential
and that their
age, marital status, or length of employment
are not a deciding factor in
approving an application.
You will also enclose a pm-paid business reply envelope and a copy of
the enclosed sample application form, or one of your own design. The idea
is to not tell the individual
you are in fact a debt-consolidation
firm until
he fills out the application
and returns it to you.
The old advertising rule that you “don’t quote price until you establish
value,” goes for this business in that you don’t quote services until you
establish value. Once you receive a completed application,
you are in a
better position to formulate a proposed payment plan and notify your prospect as to what, exactly, you can do for him or her.
Your job will be to determine exactly how much money your client needs
to live on, determined by his monthly expenses filled in on the application.
Be realistic in this, as you don’t want to make it too hard on your client.
Remember, you need to devise a schedule so that the client can make the
new payments. Otherwise,
you lose your 6% service fee.
Once you figure out how much money a client can afford to pay on his
debts each month, you write or phone your client and explain that you are,
in fact, a debt-consolidation
firm offering him a chance to pay off his debts
on easy terms while still maintaining good credit. Write to some of the other
firms mentioned and you’ll see how they make their pitch.
You then devise a simple contract for him to sign which authorizes you
to contact his creditors and negotiate an extended payment plan, with lower
monthly payments. The advantage of having your firm talk to his creditors,
rather than the client re-negotiating,
is that creditors are more apt to deal
once they see that the debtor is in enough serious trouble to contact an
outside consolidation
service.
I know for a fact that you will be swamped with prospects once you make
your services known. And you will find that it isn’t just “blue-collar”
workers,
but large numbers of professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen
who are in trouble. Such people are in a very sensitive occupation and can’t
afford to be sued or forced into bankruptcy because of professional considerations. Your service offers a good way out, and they will pay for the
lifeboat you provide.
-21-
They pay you each month a specified amount, and your firm distributes
the money to their creditors in the agreed-upon sum-after
deducting your
l/2% monthly (6% yearly) commission.
It would be wise to have your
attorney draw up a suitable contract and explain any potential legal problems
you might face. He will probably recommend that you incorporate soon
after starting business.
Assuming your average client owes payments totaling only $4,000 yearly,
your 6% would be $240 per client per year. Just 100 such clients will bring
you $24,000 yearly! Once you get going, you can easily obtain a rotating
supply of at least 1,000 clients which would generate an income of $240,000
yearly or $20,000 monthly! These figures are based on my own knowledge
of one existing firm in the business.
A Business Making $60,000 A Day
There is a firm in Atlanta headed by Glen Braswell called Cosvetic
Laboratories. The owner became a multi-millionaire
marketing his mail-order
for Your Hair” which ran in most
product. Remember the ad, “Vitamins
magazines for several years? This was Glen Braswell’s first and most successful mail-order product.
My accountant was the head accountant for this firm a few years ago. Since
he is no longer employed by the firm, I am at liberty to reveal that the firm’s
gross daily business was averaging $60,000 per day! And this is strictly from
mail-order sales.
Today, the firm has expanded into all sorts of vitamins, cosmetics, and
food supplements. They now make retail sales through booths in certain
department stores and are publishing
a magazine called ‘Body Forum.’ It
sells for $9.95 per year and contains-in
almost every issue-an article on
the latest “fad” vitamin and, of course, a brand new related product so
customers can buy the latest miracle vitamin they have just read about.
It’s not too unusual a story of the power of mail-order selling. A firm, or
an individual, comes out with a product that is a runaway success, and adds
a complete line of other similar products to increase profits a hundred times
what they would be with a limited line of goods. What made the hair product so successful was the alluded-to-promise
that people could “grow” hair.
We both know there are no products that can grow hair, as did the FDA,
FTC and other consumer agencies that were constantly investigating
the
Atlanta firm. Recently, the government has passed a law prohibiting
firms
from claiming or inferring that their products can grow hair-they
must prove
it first. This came about after a multitude of Braswell competitors with grossly
exaggerated claims, created a furor of consumer complaints.
-22-
It may be too late to make a killing off another hair related product, at
least to the extent that the others profited. However, there is still an excellent
opportunity
to enter the same vitamin/cosmetic/food
supplement field by
starting out with a lead item. The demand is still on for weight loss productsdiet and exercise plans and devices, as well as for certain vitamins and food
supplements.
Not too long ago a gentleman sold one book by mail-order on weight
loss. For several months, he grossed $20,000 a day from this single item!
He made a lot of money, but once the bottom fell out of the market for
his product, he was out of business. Braswell, who knew one product
wouldn’t
sell that well forever, was smart enough to develop a complete
line of related goods.
As a beginner, what you need is one lead item which does well enough
to enable you to expand into a larger product line before demand falls off.
A lot of mail-order books will tell you that you can’t make money off one
product. This is false! It is harder to do, but it can be done; It is one of the
few ways a beginner can pyramid into a bigger operation.
A good way to make a lot of money fast is to get in on the fad items. For
example, the industrial solvent DMSO, which reduces pain and swelling
in arthritis victims, is now selling very well. I’ve even listed a wholesale
source in Volume 3 so that you can get in on the action.
In the case where you are trying to establish a permanent business, you
are better off concentrating
on developing a system directed specifically to
the overweight
crowd. It would still be open to anybody interested in losing weight. A word of warning, however: Stay out of the “gadget” field of
exotic machines which are unproven and phony-here
the FDA and FTC
clamps down hard and fast.
I would recommend a multi-page typewritten
plan for dieters as a lead
item. Check out the full page ads in the supermarket tabloids and you’ll
see several weight loss books or product ads in every issue. These firms
couldn’t run these $7,000 to $12,000 ads if people weren’t buying their
wares.
First, I would get a hold of every book on the subject of diet and condense
down the knowledge into a multi-page typewritten
report. My advertising
would emphasize the ease of the “unique”
program, how a person could
eat pretty much what he or she wanted, etc. The one thing you don’t want
to bring up is that any willpower,
exercises or self-control may have to be
employed.
I would also order some of the mail-order plans being sold in tabloids
and magazines to see what is offered. You should begin collecting all the
mail-order advertisements for diet and health products. This will be the best
-23-
course in mail-order copywriting
you can get. Note the type of appeals and
promises made in the ads-see which ones occur in most ads.
By studying these ads, you will know as much, and probably more than
the existing firms do about what makes their ads work. Remember, it is the
advertisement
that sells-the
product, regardless of its merits, is unknown
to the reader, and perhaps unwanted unless you can convince the prospect
otherwise.
As soon as possible, I would expand into as many lines as I could. At
the moment, it would be DMSO, Gerovital (G-H3), Jojoba oil, and cosmetics.
Price your products HIGH and package under your own labels. At least in
cosmetics, it’s the package that will sell. Contact a knowledgeable
advertising agency to assist you.
They say Max Factor started his cosmetics empire mixing batches of cold
cream in his bathtub. With professional assistance, you should be able to
do very well.
A Mail-Order
Cosmetic Business Concept
Since the cosmetic business is booming, and while we are on the subject, here is a concept you can consider for getting a share of this market.
The cosmetic business is unique, in the the cost of the product is often
far less than the cost of the package it comes in. It is not unusual for the
substance in a bottle or jar that sells from $1 to $10, to cost you less than
five cents. The container may cost from 10 cents to a dollar each.
The concept I have is to sell cosmetics by mail using a comparison test
gimmick. The idea is to go after the dedicated cosmetic user with a personalized program. I would develop a computer analysis of each client’s
cosmetic requirements. Coloring, skin tone, hair, favorite colors in garments,
etc. Then I would train women to hold free beauty seminars, and offer a
free computer analysis of each attendee’s beauty needs.
Using the computer analysis, the seminar director could point out what
was needed. Then she would advise the attendee’s that she had a program
whereby cosmetics would be formulated just for that person, and sent to
them by mail as needed. As part of the seminar, I would have comparison
tests made of all major cosmetics against the personalized formula offered.
There could be additional gimmicks in this, such as giving each person
who signed up a set of personalized dressing table containers in which they
could keep their cosmetics on display. Consider a beautiful cut-glass cold
cream jar personalized
with the owner’s initials. They would get their
cosmetics in a plastic container that would insert into the jar. Refills could
be sent in 2 cent containers, with 3 cent’s worth of ingredients, and priced
at whatever the traffic would bear.
-24-
You pay the agent who holds the seminars (or party plan in the home)
a percentage of business they generate as long as they are working. Thus,
a seminar that produced $500 in original business would pay them $150,
and then they would get say, 5% on additional business from that customer.
This builds an income base they won’t want to leave, and you’ll keep the
good people working.
Keep in mind that the cosmetic business is entirely one of perception.
The value to the customer lies in the results, not in the cost of the product.
The idea of having special formulas, just for the customer, is ego stroking
at its best. The formulas would obviously be standard for various coloration
and skin types, but the addition of a special perfume or coloration would
make it unique.
This is a deal to go after the high end of the business. The drug store
cosmetics customer is not your target. The middle income and working
woman with money to spend on herself would be the target here.
There are many private label manufacturers who will prepare the formulas
for you in bulk or package as you require: Evans Chemetics, Inc., 90
Tokeneke Rd., Darien, CT 06820; Kolmar Laboratories, Inc., Elks Park, Port
Jervis, NY 12771; Private Label Cosmetics, Inc., 20-10 Maple Ave., Fair Lawn,
NJ 07410.
How to Make $4600 in Five Days
One of the hottest businesses around is in computer portraits. Now don’t
let the name scare you. You don’t have to be a computer operator or
photographer
to operate a machine. You don’t even have to operate it
yourself-it’s
the perfect part-time owner business.
Some of those owners-whether
they be part-time or full-time are grossing big dollars. “Up to $4,000 a week in some locations” according to Entrepreneur magazine. I know of a two-man team that grossed $4,605 during the first five days!
Imagine a $4,000 a week business that’s 1. all cash, 2. does not involve
any franchise fees, and 3. is a complete turnkey operation. It’s a business
that combines today’s hottest trends-TV
cameras and instant pictures. The
high-quality
systems available
are portable and require no technical
experience.
The computer portrait systems can be set up anywhere-malls,
shopping
centers, conventions,
rock concerts, state and county fairs-anywhere
with
high pedestrian traffic. It’s an instant traffic stopper that makes a portrait in
seconds. The picture is first seen on a TV screen then dramatically
printed
before your eyes on a computer printout. You can also transfer the portraits
instantly to T-shirts, purses, calendars, dart games, and other high mark-up
profit items.
-25-
You can contact your local computer graphics store, photography
and computer equipment dealer for price ranges.
store
Sell “Classic Cars” You Assemble From Kits
Here is a business that has real potential given the high cost of new cars
and the high cost of fuel. The boom is on in small car buying, and this can
be translated into a unique business.
Demand for alternatives to Detroit products is growing so fast for some
manufacturers that they cannot keep up. The primary buyers of replicas like
the $45,000 Auburn Speedster are upper-income
professionals aged 35-55.
But there are wide ranges of ‘replicars’-the
1932 Model-A Roadster or
the 1957 Porsche Speedster-are
just two that are priced in the $8,000 to
$18,000 range. With prices of everyday cars reaching this level, the market
for ‘replicars’ is heating up even among lower income buyers.
A third market is the hard-core do-it-yourselfers
who buy ‘replicars’ in kit
form (for about a third of the cost of the complete car) and spends evenings
and weekends out in the garage with his dreams and a set of socket wrenches.
The simplest and least expensive approach to getting started is to set up
a dealership carrying ‘replicars’ in either kit or complete form for sale to
the public. There are a wide variety of cars to choose from, but it is vital
to investigate manufacturers carefully. Quality control problems are surprisingly severe in the ‘replicar’ industry-surprising
because you would not
expect this, considering
the cost of the kits.
To get started on a shoestring, you could make a deal with a used car
dealer to display your models, and get a commission on sales. This gives
you the opportunity
to get started with a couple of conversions without an
investment in your own lot. You might discover that marketing the deals
through used car dealers is a better deal than doing it yourself, and you can
concentrate on conversion work.
To make the conversions
you will need a small building and certain
necessary equipment, tools, etc. You will need some moonlighting mechanics
to do the work on evenings and weekends, and you can buy the conversion kits at wholesale prices from the sources as they are needed.
As you learn the business, you can develop your own conversion kits.
For more information, you should write to the following suppliers for catalogs
and price information
lists:
B.G.W. Ltd., PO Box 498, Milwaukee, WE 53201 (414) 783-4550; Antique
and Classic Automotive,
100 Sonwil Drive, Buffalo, NY 14225 (716)
684-9540; Total Performance, Inc., 406 S. Orchard St., Wallingford,
CT
06492 (203) 265-5667; Daytona Automotive
Fiberglas, Inc., 819 Carswell
Avenue, Holly Hill, FL 32017 (904) 253-2575; California Custom Coach,
15612 E. First St., Irwindale, CA 91706 (818) 969-l 753.
-26-
Jojoba Farming-How
to Grow Big Bucks
Rare jojoba oil (pronounced
ho-ho-ba) has been used for generations by
the Indians of Southwest North America, long before the arrival of the white
man. They used it as a scalp cleanser, a hair restorer, and a conditioner
to
add sheen and luster to their hair.
The oil comes from the seeds of the evergreen bush Jojoba, found in the
deserts of Arizona, California and Mexico. Nature has endowed the jojoba
with its own sustainer-it
does not become rancid. And while the plant was
virtually unknown several years ago, it has proven to be extremely valuable
in chemical industries and in lubrication
of high speed machinery.
The supply of jojoba is extremely tight, and prices for the “liquid gold”
reach $70 a gallon, 10 times more expensive than whale oil.
Ever since the U.S. banned all imports of whale-derived
products in 1971,
the search has been on for a suitable replacement for the precious oils which
we once got from the sperm whale (now an endangered and protected
species). The hardy jojoba has been growing wild right under our noses
but only recently did we discover what a rich source of valuable oil the
plant is.
The seeds of this long-lived and rugged bush yield an average of 50%
by weight of the colorless fluid-which
is chemically
classed as a liquid
wax. The plant is almost impervious to pests and disease, grows well with
little water and in soil with high salinity.
Because of similarities in the organic make-up of the two substance, jojoba
oil can be substituted for sperm whale oil in just about all of its applicationsincluding its use in automotive lubricants, solid wax (candles and polishes),
cosmetics and pharmaceuticals,
and leather softeners. Products containing
jojoba oil have begun to pop up in health food stores and beauty salons
all over the country. The “miracle”
liquid is being touted as everything from
a skin moisturizer
to a cure for baldness.
Glen Braswell of Cosvetic Laboratories in Atlanta (See section, “A Business
Making $60,000 a Day”)
sold jojoba oil as a scalp cleanser to remove
sebum deposits and stop hair loss. By mixing 5 drops oil with 25 drops of
water it can be used to remove make-up. It’s also good as a nail and cuticle
conditioner,
as a perfume base, and as a massage or suntan oil.
The oil is clear and odorless, and since it is non-toxic, some scientists are
experimenting
with the jojoba’s properties as an appetite suppressant, meaning it could represent the first “natural”
diet pill.
Although experimentation
with the jojoba is increasing all the time-l
,000
acre plantations of the woody desert shrub have been established in North
Africa, Australia, and Southwestern United States-there
are very few commercial jojoba-growers
in full operation. Thus, the field is still wide open
-27-
for, anyone
market.
who wants to take advantage
of this high-price,
low-volume
Jojoba Foraging
If you live (or plan to vacation) in any part of the 100,000 square mile
region where jojoba bushes grow wild, chances are good that you’ll be able
to locate a stand of the dry-land dwellers. Jojoba thrives in the coarse, welldrained soils of the foothills. The bushes usually grow at elevations ranging
from 1,000 to 5,000 feet, along washes or dry slopes.
Most of the miniature trees grow to heights of between three and seven
feet high although some hardy bushes reach heights of 15 feet! The oblong
jojoba leaves are gray-green or blue-gray, and nondeciduous.
To tell the
male and female shrubs apart, simply look for the distinctive brown nuts.
The male plant produces only small, dark flowers, and no fruit, while the
female will be loaded with golden seed cases.
During the prime picking season (mid-June to late September), jojoba beans
ripen at various intervals which effectively extends the harvesting period.
The large seeds are somewhat globe-shaped and hang in clusters of one
to three. An immature pod-and
therefore not ready for harvesting-will
be hard and green while a ripened bean will have a light golden, papery
husk that’s easily loosened.
Most of the “hulls will fall off from picking and you want to finish hulling
the balance since they are worth twice as much as they would be unhulled.
Later on, you contact one of the buyers listed and sell your product. An
afternoon’s work can yield up to $100 per picker.
Jojoba Farming
If you do not live in the southwest jojoba region, you will have to be in
a frost-free area in order to grow the plant-or
you’ll have to set up a
greenhouse.
You can get more information
on jojoba cultivation,
buy the seeds,
catalogues and books by writing to: Tom S. lanca’s lojoba Oil and Seed
Co., 1407 S. Date, Mesa, AZ 85210. His current price for hulled seed is
$10 pound, with discounts given for larger orders. You may also order by
phone at: (602) 833-4940. The cultivation
handbook is priced at $15 copy
and a two-ounce bottle of jojoba oil sells for $4.95. Additional
information
can be gathered by writing: The jojoba Center, 855 Linden Ave. Carpinteria,
CA 93013; University of Arizona, Office of Arid Lands, 845 North Park Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85719.
-28-
Sources That Buy Jojoba Seeds:
Tom S. lanca’s lojoba
(602) 833-4940
lojoba international
684-6790
Oil and Seed Co., 1407 S. Date Mesa, AZ 85210,
Corp. 855 Linden Ave. Carpinteria,
CA 93013,
(805)
New Jojoba Publications:
The lojoba Growers Association
is now the distributor for several new
publications
of interest to agricultural
researchers, suppliers, growers, processors, research chemists, product developers, distributors, and marketers
of jojoba. These books and reprints are now in stock for immediate ship
ment upon your prepaid request. Send US $55 for delivery of all four within
the United States.
1. )ojoba: New Crop for Arid lands, New Material for Industry. This 1985
book is by a distinguished
panel of the National Research Council,
chaired by Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Norman Borlaug. This authoritative
document will benefit anyone seriously interested in jojoba’s progress
toward commercialization.
1 copy $10, plus $2 postage/handling;
2-l 0
copies $10 each, plus $4 p/h; 1 l-99
copies $10 each, plus $8 p/h;
for orders over 100, please call for price quotation.
2. The Proceedings of the Sixth international
Conference on )ojoba and
its Uses. This 1985 book contains 58 contributed
papers on subjects
of general agricultural
development,
plant physiology,
genetic selection and propagation,
utilization,
economics and marketing of jojoba
oil and meal. A limited number of copies are available at this price:
$30, US delivery; $31, International surface delivery; $38, International
airmail delivery.
3. The lojoba Growers Association Membership Directory. This 1985 directory includes not only listings of member growers, but of associates and
affiliates as well. They are cross-referenced under the headings of: land
acquisition
and sales, investment programs, farm development
and
management, nursery services, seed purchase and sales, oil purchase
and sales, processing, marketing and several other categories. The directory is available for US $10.
-29-
4. lojoba, Desert Shrub to Commercial Crop. This
from the American Oil Chemists Society Journal
jojoba with emphasis on its chemistry and uses. It
colored pictures. For US domestic delivery, one
national airmail delivery, it is $5.
14 page 1983 reprint
is a good overview of
also contains excellent
reprint is $3; for Inter-
The Jojoba Grower’s Association
mailing address is: 142 Front St., Avila
Beach, CA 93424, U.S.A. (805) 595-7708
How To Become a Mailing
list Broker
Here’s a business that can be started with nothing but a box of letterheads
and envelopes, a telephone, and a few cheap classified ads placed in national magazines.
The direct mail marketing business is a billion dollar industry and is still
growing. In fact, with the increasing cost of fuel, estimates are that more
and more people will be shopping by mail. Thus, specialized mailing lists
by firms which rely on direct mail to reach these prospects will be in greater
demand.
Most names now are computerized
by mailing list firms which are making huge profits marketing these lists to business concerns. Typical orders
run from a low of $250, up to several thousand dollars at a time-so
this
is a big income industry.
As a mailing list broker, you will be working for firms which have computerized and on-hand, millions of names available for rental. Almost every
list-firm accepts brokers who assist in advertising their lists on a free-lance,
or independent
basis. Thus, you have at your disposal millions of names
which you can advertise and rent for a commission!
The standard commission is 5% and all you have to do is write (on your
professionally
designed stationery), or call some of the existing computer
list firms, and ask to be a broker.
It’s important that you understand enough about lists, demographics, and
the mail-order business in order to be able to talk to your list rental customers.
For starters, I suggest you visit your library and look for the following books.
If they don’t have them, they can order them from another library, or you
can purchase/order
direct from the publishers:
Direct Mail and Mail-Order Handbook, 2nd Edition, by Richard S. Hodgson.
Publisher: Dartnell Corp. SBN No. O-8501 3-007-7.
Successful Direct Marketing
ISBN No. o-87251-01 6-6
Methods,
by Bob Stone. Publisher:
-3o-
Crain Books
The computer lists firms and your broker will send you rate cards describing
the business and consumer lists they have on file, their rental rates, selections available, etc. You should re-type all this information
into 3-ring
notebook paper and put it in a binder so it will be easily available when
a customer calls about a specific list.
Naturally you advertise your lists via classified and small-space ads in
publications geared to firms that normally rent mailing lists. When they write,
or inquire about a specific type of list, you then send them your rate card
with your name on it and a description
of the list they are interested in.
You can type these up as requested in the beginning.
You can find names of computer companies amenable to broker deals
by perusing copies of: Direct Marketing Magazine, 224 7th St., Garden City,
NY 11530; and Zip, published by North American Publishing Co., 401 N.
Broad St., Philadelphia,
PA 19108.
How to Start a Mail-Drop Servicea lifetime income by mail.
A business that can bring you a lifetime income is the mail-drop, or remail
service. Many business firms and individuals
seek anonymity and privacy
in their business and personal affairs, so they hire an outside agent to receive
their mail for them.
Technically,
there are three separate services offered by a mail-drop firm.
A mail-drop
by definition
only receives mail and you make your own
arrangements to pick it up at the mail-drop center.
A remail service is a separate operation whereby the maildrop firm accepts
mail from you and puts it in a mailbox for you. Thus, if you are mailing
letters, no one really knows your exact location, or even the state you are in.
A mail forwarding
service is when a firm receives your mail and places
it in a larger envelope and then mails it to you- wherever you may be.
Thus, you can receive mail without anyone knowing your true location.
In practice, most firms refer to themselves as either a mail-drop firm, or
a remail service though the terms have a more precise meaning, and some
firms do not offer all three services. However, some firms offer optional phone
service and in a few cases, a notary service as well.
The reasons people desire a mail-drop are varied-from
escaping a past
to re-establishing
credit; from operating a business without
hassles to
establishing a new identity. In some cases it is even used for illegal purposesthough this is the exception rather than the rule.
It is important to remember that it is not your function to pass judgment
on the activities of your clients. But, neither is it your duty to protect a client
-31-
if the postal service performs an investigation
of their activities, although
most mail-drop firms notify a client if an investigation
is being undertaken.
Any potential client who divulges his business or personal activities by
asking leading questions requiring legal opinion or advice should be dropped. This situation places you in jeopardy if you are made aware of an illegal
or borderline
legal activity. Even though this type of situation will rarely
develop, just be warned.
To get started in the mail-drop business, you will need a form called “PS
Form 1583”. You can obtain one at your local post office. Most of the maildrop firms request a client to fill out this post office form, and in many cases
have it notarized, before their service will accept that client. Although the
form stays in your (the mail-drop) files unless requested by a postal inspector,
it is still a “turn-off”
for many legitimate customers who are paying for
privacy-not
more government
intrusion.
You will have to decide for yourself whether you should use the form
and discuss it with your local postmaster. I know of one instance where
an obnoxious
postmaster sent back mail addressed to a mail-drop firm
because they didn’t file the forms, but there is no legal authority for the
postmaster to do this.
There really isn’t much else to explain about the business except that you
should write some of the firms now advertising to see what rates are being
charged for various services and how to word your sales letter. You’ll find
their ads in the classified sections of supermarket tabloids, mechanics-type
magazines, and others at your newsstands. Go now and do likewise.
Two useful publications you may wish to purchase are: A Remail Service,
and Directory of mail-drops in the United States and Canada. Both are
available from Loompanics Unlimited,
PO Box 264, Mason, Ml 48854.
How To Start A Dating Service
There are few services more useful than dating services. You provide men
and women of all ages with a short-cut to finding people with whom they
can truly enjoy themselves. You can provide them a safe and sure way to
meet prospective dates without the aggravation of going to bars and meeting
strangers who might turn out to be their exact opposite, married, or even
worse, weirdos.
Your dating service can provide these people with a personalized, inexpensive means of finding those whose personalities most closely match their
own. And you can provide all these benefits to others at a considerable personal profit.
The business has been around for many years, but it still is a money-maker
and very simple to start up. Here’s how it works:
1. Register the name of your dating service, acquire
open a checking account for your business.
a post office box and
2. Place an ad in your local newspaper, college newspaper, or spread the
word in some other fashion that a new dating service is available which,
for a small fee, will provide dates for people with those best suited to them.
3. Check your post office box a couple times a week and send a copy of
the “Dating Questionnaire”
(reprinted below) to those who respond to
your ad.
4. When the questionnaires
are returned with the fee you have specified,
go through them, matching characteristics, until you have found for each
respondent a certain number of dates who meet his or her requirements.
5. Mail the respondent
prospective dates.
6. Deposit
the names, addresses, and phone numbers of these
your incoming
checks.
Another approach, and one which will enable you to charge more money
for your service, is to rent a video tape player and camera. You then record
an interview with each client. Other members can then see and hear their
prospective dates before meeting them face-to-face. A few firms using this
technique are making over $15,000 monthly.
(one page insert)
-33-
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Make $1,925.00 Daily Profits From Photography
Without Being a Professional Photographer
Americans are hung up on pictures. Photography has zoomed into popular
acceptance during the past decade or so. Thus, there’s money to be made
in various photography-based
businesses, even if you are not an experienced
professional photographer.
And of course, it’s a snap to set up a business
having other people operate it while you do the managing-from
a desk.
Bear in mind that each community
is likely to have special photographic
needs. In a highly residential area, for example, there should be heavy
demand for portraiture and for picture processing services. In an area having a heavy concentration
of business and industrial establishments,
other
types of photo services may be better money makers. But do not err by
categorizing
any given area too quickly in terms of stereotypes because
conditions
do change.
For example, in these times of soaring crime rates, especially burglary,
more people are hiring professionals to photograph and document their
valuables to more easily substantiate insurance claims in the event of theft.
Such services are likely to be in especially high demand in affluent areas
where more families have valuables, such as jewelry, furs and works of art.
While some businesses are set up to market high-quality
photographic
products made by professional photographers, other enterprises cater to the
needs of amateur picture takers. People who never develop their own
darkroom
skills use professional
laboratories
to have their snapshots
processed. But there is increasing disenchantment
with the really large massproduction
services on grounds that delivery times are often inordinately
long, prized films get lost and the quality of processing is variable. Thus,
smaller companies keyed to provide faster, more reliable processing services are becoming increasingly
popular.
You can always buy camera equipment and attempt to market your own
pictures. But that can be a difficult way to make a buck unless you are an
exceptionally
good photographer and/or find some sort of “specialty”
that
offers opportunities
without too much outside competition.
However, one
proven way is to use special camera equipment that makes large color photos
virtually instantaneously
and do promotional
work in such places as supermarket complexes. One young entrepreneur
in New Mexico, for example,
supports his young family while putting himself through college by operating
his Fantasy Productions
special photo “events”
using a Polaroid Special
Events-2 camera.
Big sellers are shots of kids with Santa Claus, Disney characters or the
Easter Bunny. During one two-day session, some operators are grossing
$3,850! This represents 1100 pictures at $3.50 each.
-35-
Despite rising costs of film and photographic
paper, Americans,
as
individuals
are not likely to give up their beloved pictures, and business
and industrial users of photo services can’t afford to give them up whatever
the cost. Even the amateur snapshooter is likely to sacrifice other nonessentials, if necessary, to keep the family album well stocked with pictures
of growing children.
Polaroid markets many new models and camera systems that use fastdeveloping film, allowing the photo to go from the camera to the picture
mount without delay. Check with your local camera store or the camera
section of a larger department store. With the purchase of a good Polaroid
camera, you are entitled to various support services, including advice from
field personnel, training programs, ideas kits and newsletters-depending
on the system you purchase. Try to find a camera which is both versatile
and portable so that you will not be restricted by the need for a power outlet
or by an overly bulky, heavy camera.
For complete information, write to: Polaroid Corporation, 575 Technology
Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, (617) 329-2125.
Photographic
Inventory
is a franchised service specializing
in photodocuments
of personal, legal and industrial
properties.
For example,
individuals
who have had their home furnishings
and other valuables
recorded photographically
have the best chance of recovering losses through
insurance in the event of loss due to fire or burglary.
All kinds of businesses and industries also have heavy investments in equip
ment that should likewise be photo-documented.
Photographic
Inventory
actually documents much more. For example, the service makes photographic progress reports of construction
projects, and engages in legal
documentation-even
going to court to testify to the authenticity
of the
photographic records presented in evidence during trials. The service is said
to be popular because clients receive 8 x 10 color prints at the same cost
others charge for black-and-white
pictures. You need not worry about film
and print processing which is done by the franchiser.
You can get into the business within 72 hours on purchase of about $400
worth of photographic equipment, which you may in fact already own. You
are provided a workbook that explains in detail, exactly how to become
a photo-documentation
expert. The franchiser receives a 10% royalty of the
amount you charge for processing and printing.
Custom photo labs could be operated for profit by thousands of competent
amateur photographers.
Some who have tried this type of wholly independent photo business say a fledgling custom lab operator can earn as much
as $20 an hour, or $100 an evening making quantity black-and-white
prints
for public relations firms and other business and industry customers.
-36-
Many professional photographers
send their own black-and-white
films
to custom labs for processing and proofing, and small companies at times
farm out darkroom work so that their company photographers
can spend
more time actually shooting pictures.
If your business thrives, your investment in equipment may rise also. You
will need developing
tanks, a good enlarger, a timer, two or three thermometers (especially if you get into color work), and a clean work area.
Prints spotted because of dust in the air won’t help keep customers, and
you can’t spend hours “spotting”
such prints if you want to make money.
Bear in mind that in custom lab work there is no room for error. Your client
may have hundreds of dollars invested in his negatives. Thus, you (or your
hired photographer)
must know your craft, and take every precaution to
ensure top-notch results every time you step into the darkroom.
Developing and proofing are not big-profit items in a custom lab’s services,
but they are essential because they help attract customers who may also
need your more lucrative services. Custom printing can be very profitable
or it can be a loser. If the customer wants special cropping, burning-in or
dodging to improve print quality, you will use more materials and time;
so charge accordingly.
Also remember that you can make a dozen prints
from one negative faster and cheaper than a dozen single prints from twelve
separate negatives. Work out a fee schedule to make allowances for such
processing differences.
When you get into bulk order, like running off a hundred prints from one
negative, the after-printing handling can be time-consuming.
For this reason,
you should investigate the resin-coated papers that fix and wash in a few
minutes, and dry in seconds. Buy supplies in bulk for discounts, and base
your cost calculations
mainly on making 8 x 10 prints which are standard
in most applications.
At the start, avoid such special services as retouching
or making copy negatives. That can come later after you have established
a reputation as a competent lab operator.
Shooting kids in their own backyards is a proven way to turn amateur
photography skills into a real money maker. One woman I know averaged
from $150 to $200 per shooting session that lasted about five hours and
used up $30 worth of supplies. Once she made $600 on a single job. And
this was before inflation came along to increase the costs of all services,
including free-lance photography. At that time, the lady photographer charged
$14 for a single 8 x 10 print, or $24 if mounted on masonite. Prices for
larger sizes ran: $22 for an 11 x 14 inch print ($35 mounted) and $32 for
a 16 x 20 inch print ($52 mounted). You can use these prices as a starting
point to calculate your own fees, taking into consideration
the now higher
costs of printing paper and film, and how much profit you feel you must
make per hour of work.
-3 7-
The secret to success in this type of photography
is an ability to make
really good pictures-something
clearly superior to those blurry or badly
posed shots that fill so many family albums. Avoid the over-posed, overlighted indoor portraits that professional studios like to turn out. Go for shots
showing children at play or repose in natural surroundings-youngsters
with
their pets in the backyard, climbing trees, examining
flower petals, for
example.
Limit your camera equipment to efficient, portable types so that you can
move about without being hampered by a clutter of useless gadgets. Wear
practical, informal clothing so that you won’t hesitate to flop down in the
dirt to get a better angle. And forget your normal adult “dignity”
because
you’ll get better pictures and have more fun if you can meet kids on their
own terms. Incidentally,
if a backyard simply is not amenable to good
photography (i.e., bad lighting, filled with junk) just trot the family to a nearby
park for the shooting session.
You’ll work more efficiently
if you have two single-lens-reflex
cameras:
reflex because you get what you see, and aren’t likely to chop off heads
or feet; two of them so that one can be fitted with a normal lens, the other
with a 135mm telephoto lens for close-ups. An alternative is to use one
camera equipped with a quality zoom lens. Load your camera(s) with Tri-X
black-and-white
film so you can shoot even in dense shade. You can do
your own film developing
and proofing, or turn that part of the job over
to a custom lab. But do your own printing if you have the skills because
you know best what you had in mind when shooting the pictures, and you
are the best qualified to crop and dodge pictures to create quality products.
Remember, these products will be considered true “gems” by customers
and they will keep coming back for more year after year if they are fully
satisfied.
The Fastest Growing
Money Making Hobby
Doll house miniatures are the fastest growing hobby in the United States,
industry sources say. With individual
doll houses selling for as high as
$30,000 each, and retail sales expected to reach $150-$200 million this
year, it’s a business you cannot afford to overlook.
Six years ago, retail outlets for doll house building materials and products
totaled about 100, today the figure is nearer 4,200. Furthermore, only two
years ago an estimated 200,000 consumers were involved, and the figure
is now around 500,000.
The business has grown from doll houses and toy furniture into a genuine
collecting and craft hobby. It is a hobby with a long tradition, going back
to 2,000 B.C. in Egypt. It was primarily a pastime of royalty; but, during
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the 16th and 17th centuries, it became a popular collector’s hobby among
the wealthier
middle class. In Holland,
it became traditional
to present
miniature settings as wedding gifts. During the 19th century, many businesses
advertised and promoted their services and products through the use of
miniatures.
It had some brief popularity
in this country prior to World War I and a
brief revival in the 1950’s, but the emergence of television as a source of
entertainment
ended the brief stint of popularity
it enjoyed.
Many people continued to collect miniatures of specific items, such as
ceramic horses, frogs, flowers, etc. It’s only been in the last four or five years
that miniatures have, once again, become a widespread craft and hobby,
with the highest rate of growth taking place in the last eighteen months.
National publicity is giving a big boost to the hobby, and many miniature
projects have been featured in magazines, newspapers, and on television.
The retail market has grown up quickly in this field because requirements
for a starting inventory in miniatures is not high. Many successful miniatures
shops, no bigger than 15 by 20 feet, have been started because, with miniatures, you can display a lot of product in a very small space. Investments
ranging from a few hundred dollars up to three to five thousand dollars were
common starting investments for a retail miniature store.
The thing that makes it interesting to prospective retailers or mail-order
dealers is the wide variety of products currently available on the market.
As an example, in the 1975 Hobby industry of America Trade Show, there
were only half a dozen exhibitors featuring miniature merchandise. In the
1977 show, there were close to fifty.
Who Buys Miniatures?
The demographics of the miniature collector and buyer are: a female, about
35, married, with children, who lives in the suburbs and whose income
level lies in the $10,000 to $30,000 range. On the average, she has been
involved in miniatures less than two years; she started out buying low-priced
items with the idea of making a doll house for her children and discovered
that she became interested in it herself. From that point, she bought more
expensive pieces with a view to furnishing her own doll house for display.
As in all hobbies, the interests tend to vary according to individual
taste
as to what is collected and displayed.
The one interest that appeals to the female collector is that, after purchasing a doll house, she discovers the need to decorate it just as if it were a
real house. This involves a certain degree of fantasy, in that she can purchase
things for her doll house that were not possible in her actual home.
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She can allow her imagination
to soar in choosing wallpaper,
flooring,
lighting, and other decorating effects and indulge herself in what she might
actually enjoy having around her in full-scale size if she could afford it.
The second facet of the miniature field is nostalgia. People tend to see
miniatures as a way to recall happy moments of their childhood
or a way
to create, as adults, something they never had as children.
And a final motivation
is the collecting instinct. The idea in the back of
every collector’s mind is that, if they do a good job with their collection,
it will become an investment, and they will make a profit from their hobby.
While this may not be a primary factor, it is one important factor in having
them consistently upgrade their collections; and, when they discover through
publicity that something similar to theirs sold for several hundred or several
thousands of dollars, it stimulates them to even more purchasing and
upgrading of their collection.
Before investing money in a hobby of this kind, there is some concern
about its faddishness-whether
it’s something that is strictly temporary and
will give way as soon as something more interesting comes along.
As with any hobby or collection,
there are those that come and go, but
this has some definite appeals which could make it into a long-term or lifetime
hobby. One of those appeals is the ability to display it in your home and
gather compliments from those who view it. This is not easy to do with stamp
collections, and other small-unit collectible items that must be kept in albums
or stored in a safe place for fear of robbery. It is also something that allows
a great deal of creativity and looks like a long-run proposition.
If you are thinking about opening a retail miniature store, you should be
prepared to invest approximately
$3,000 to $5,000 in initial inventory to
assure enough of a turnover to make it worth your while.
Going into mail-order, you could initially have less inventory and more
promotion in order to get the dollars rolling in and keep the turn-over coming. Apparently, there are enough sources of supply at the present time to
keep a fairly substantial mail-order operation well supplied.
Miniatures are sold in two ways: fully finished and in kit form (the socalled unfinished furniture and material on the market that can be painted
or otherwise decorated). The main sources of income come either from the
fully finished piece which the purchaser can put on display immediately,
or the kit which they make themselves.
Assembling miniature furniture is not a complicated
task when it comes
in kit form, and many people enjoy it. A simple piece can be assembled
in just a few hours’ time. All kits should be displayed with a fully finished
piece so that people know what they are getting, along with clear instructions in each kit to make assembly easy.
-4o-
One experienced dealer suggests that you should carry furnishings from
at least three periods in your general line. Check your area for existing shops
and find out the preferences of people in that particular part of the country
for furniture type. For example, Californians seem to prefer Victorian styles
while, in other parts of the country, Early American furniture is more popular.
Most doll houses that are currently being furnished have at least two
bedrooms. One is generally treated as the adult room and the other as a
nursery or child’s room. So you must carry a variety of furnishings for each
type of room, probably in two or three different styles. In the kitchen, it
is suggested that you carry furnishings from at least three periods: an old
fashioned kitchen, 1930’s kitchen, and a modern kitchen.
In choosing merchandise, you should carry something in most price ranges,
but go heavier into the quality goods. Middle and higher-priced
merchandise brings more serious collectors into your store and creates a longer-term
relationship.
In displaying your miniatures, you should take a page from the furniture
store dealers’ methods of operation. Furnish individual
rooms around your
store-dining
rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, child’s rooms, kitchens,
bathrooms, studies, etc. This way, a customer can see how the various kits
and merchandise you carry will blend into a finished product. You should
also carry several different styles of doll houses and all of the accessory items
such as wallpaper, lighting fixtures, rugs, and even doll figures, should this
type of display interest the customer.
Promotion
and Advertising
A successful dealer reports that he gets his best results from the Sunday
society section of his local newspaper, and puts more money into suburban papers than the large metropolitan daily papers. Suburban papers reach
primarily the market he’s looking for and cost much less money.
He displays his wares all at local doll house and miniature shows, particularly those sponsored by non-profit organizations.
He puts displays in windows of stores, and any place else they are wanted,
as long as the name and address are included; and he is effective in forming clubs associated with The National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts
(A.M.E,), Box 1178, Brea, CA 92622, (714) 529-0900.
The miniature shows are sponsored by this organization,
and it has had
tremendous growth in past years. You should join it yourself and urge all
of your customers to become members, and start a local club if one does
not already exist.
-41-
Mail-Order
Sales
Now, this is obviously a business that could be a very successful mailorder operation, in that you could offer a broader line of merchandise than
would be available at a local store.
There is the opportunity
to sell people sets or series of room settings (in
a similar manner as is done in book clubs). If they order the first unit and
pay a nominal charge for it, then each additional unit is shipped to them
monthly or every 60 days for additions to a specific room setting they have
chosen. This way, they are spreading out their cost, and you are building
up a substantial backlog of future orders, expanding your operation at a rapid
rate.
To give you an idea of how this can be done, you can write to: The Museum
Store, Art institute of Chicago, Michigan and Adams Sts., Chicago, Illinois
60603. Ask for information
on their Thorne Room Collection.
They have
created some 68 slides, one of each room that is displayed in their museum.
These are all miniature rooms on permanent display that show both American
and European room settings. You can take several of these rooms and use
them as your collection series. If you have picked half a dozen of the best
rooms you could find and arrange to have kits (or finished pieces) made
to furnish those rooms, you could then operate your negative option mailorder program so the customers could complete one or more rooms as they
wished.
In addition to the slides, the Institute has two illustrated books of the collection, one on European rooms and the other on American rooms. To order
the slides or books, write to the address given above.
Advertising by mail-order should be done in publications
that reach the
women with the demographics
we have indicated. By running a small ad
consistently,
offering a free catalog and perhaps a brief historical booklet
on the art of miniatures and miniature collecting, you could gradually build
up a substantial mailing list for your products.
There will be new products coming on the market as this industry expands;
and a mail-order operator is much better able to capitalize on it than are
retailers.
There is plenty of merchandise currently available to begin a mail-order
operation, and a small catalog, with some room settings in full color and
a list of kits and accessory items carried in back, would do a good job for
a mail-order operator.
The major advantage of this type of mail-order operation is the inexpensive shipping costs of the materials. They are very light-weight,
and secure
light-weight
shipping containers are readily available.
-42-
Trade magazines covering the miniature field are two published by Clifton House in Virginia. They are:Nutshe//
News and Miniatures
Dealers.
You can write to: Clifton House, Clifton, VA 22024 for subscriptions.
Miniature Collectors, published by Aquire Publishing Co., 170 Fifth Ave.,
New York, NY 10010, is another similar trade magazine. Other trade
magazines covering miniatures and other hobbies include Profitable Craft
Merchandising,
PO Box 1790, Peoria, IL 61656; Creative Crafts,PO Box
700, Newton, NJ 07860; and Miniature Gazette, published by A.M.E., PO
Box 1178, Brea, CA 92622.
If this business interests you, here are a few more addresses to get you
going:
Sonia Messer Imports, 4115 San Fernando Road, Glendale, CA 91204,
(818) 243-l 111. It offers period doll house furniture plus accessories, sup
plies for lighting, etc.
Doll Domiciles, PO Box 91026, Atlanta, GA 30364. It markets doll house
plans for resale. Fully detailed architect’s working drawings for authenticallystyled doll houses.
fieldwood
Company, PO Box 223, Ho-ho-kus, NJ 07423. It has pm-made
furniture, accessories, building supplies, houses, wholesale and retail catalogs.
Handcraft Designs, 87 Commerce Drive, Telford, PA 18969.
catalog of pre-made miniature furniture of most popular eras.
Offers a
The Do//house Factory, Box 456, 157 Main St., Lebanon, NJ 08833. It
sells an illustrated 45-page retail catalog and includes a dealer discount price
list if your request is submitted on business stationery.
Ark Miniatures, PO Box 817, Capitola, CA 95010. It distributes a number
of manufacturer
lines and also has its own product line of dishes, prints,
furniture, and accessories.
This is a business with a a steady future. A collector becomes
and goes for bigger and better items to add to the collection. You
a customer with a $50 purchase and end up selling him $10,000
merchandise in just a few years. With a growing base like that, your
can grow in the same proportions.
Try it.
-43-
a fanatic,
can start
worth of
business
Miniature
House Supplier list
Handcraft
Designs,
Handley
Dover
House,
Inc., 87 Commerce
2945 Handley
Publications,
The Lawbre
j-5 Wood Products,
Meador
Hill
IL 60060
Emerald St., Dallas, TX 75229
LA 71106
Co., Box 406, Old Stone House Road, Carlisle,
3630 So. Iron St., Chicago,
Ltd., 3937 Oakcliff
Products
Wholesale
Industrial
Arvey Corp., Consumer
NJ 07006
Ct., NE, Atlanta,
Co., Box 6871, Greensboro,
Inc., Box 2326, Cedarburg,
GA 30340
NC 27405
WI 53012
Products Div., 3500 N. Kimball
Services for Senior Citizens-Permanent
PA 17013
IL 60609
Brick and Stone Co., 343 Route 46, Fairfield,
Perfection
Hawk
St., New York, NY 10014
Rd., Unit M, Mundelein,
Inc., 11309
Comet Industries,
Houseworks,
PA 18969
TX 76112
Frame Shop, 417 East 70th St., Shreveport,
Harmony
Mini
Dr., Fort Worth,
Inc., 180 Varick
Co., 888 Tower
Dr., Telford,
Ave., Chicago,
IL
Income
Are you looking for an income opportunity
that offers emotional as well
as financial rewards? Do you care about other people and want to make
their lives better? Do you have a few hours free between breakfast time and
dinner? If so, you may want to consider starting your own business to provide a service for the elderly.
In America today, there are some 24,000,OOO people over the age of 65.
It is estimated that by the year 2000, this number will zoom to 40,000,OOO.
You’ll be particularly interested in the fact that over 90 percent of these people
live independently.
That is, about 21 ,OOO,OOOolder Americans live in their
own homes or apartments, or with family members-usually
their own
children. Only two million or so of the elderly are confined to hospitals
or nursing homes.
-44-
Here’s more good news: The large majority of these older people have
to watch their budgets, but they do have enough funds to purchase what
they want or need.
In other words, about one person in ten all over the country is an older
American. Thus, if you live in a town of 50,000 people, it is safe to figure
that 5,000 of them are potential customers for any service for the elderly
that you can offer!
What services do the elderly use? Basically, the answer has two parts. First,
they often need help in doing certain tasks that used to present no problems
for them-driving,
cleaning, cooking, performing household repairs, getting
to medical appointments, shopping, and exercising. Second, they need companionship,
at a time in their lives when some of their friends and family
may be separated from them-either
by death or distance-and
when their
own lifestyles have slowed down a little. A younger person may think nothing
of walking to visit a friend who lives 10 blocks away, but such a trip can
be hard for someone who has trouble walking, or hearing well, or seeing
perfectly. A third kind of service for the elderly is one that children of older
parents especially appreciate: a check-in program that makes sure the older
person is feeling well, has enough groceries, and remembers any important
details, such as taking medication
on schedule.
Opportunities
in the field of services to the elderly are still excellent,
although there is evidence that a growing number of enterprising
people
are beginning to capitalize on this market.
For example, Sally T., a housewife in Ohio, has organized a shopping
trip service for older people in her community.
She uses the family station
wagon and works only between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., the hours when her
children are in school. Sally drives senior citizens to local supermarkets and
shopping centers, dropping them off and picking them up on a set weekly
schedule. She also helps them carry purchases into their homes. She charges
$3 a trip (average distance 4 miles) and serves an average of 12 people a
day. Her profit after expenses (gasoline and car): $150 a week.
Warren J., a student, spends his weekends working in a nearby retirement
village. He describes himself as a combination
handyman and mechanic.
He works on cars, does simple plumbing jobs, installs and removes storm
windows,
sweeps out eaves, and moves heavy furniture pieces so the
homeowners
can clean behind them. Warren charges $7.50 an hour and
averages about $200 a week.
Crystal D. is blind and lives in Washington,
D.C. She provides telephone
companionship
to elderly people who live in the nation’s capital by calling
each client once a day to chat and make sure everything is okay. She charges
$50 a month. The fee is usually paid by the older person’s son or daughter
who may live out of town. Crystal lines up new business by taking ads in
-45-
out-of-town newspapers to catch the eye of children living there and having
parents in Washington,
D.C. She limits the number of clients to 20, to be
sure she has enough time to devote to each. In addition to the income her
service provides, Crystal also fills her days with interesting conversation and
real friendships.
Twice a year (on the client’s birthday and during the
Christmas season) she pays an in-person visit at no extra charge to her longtime customers. Last year, Crystal earned $12,000.
Here are some ideas for services you can offer to the elderly:
Driving Service-You will be driving clients from their homes to desired
destinations. These places may include the grocery store, department stores,
movies (afternoon matinees are often priced lower and appeal to the elderly),
beauty shop or barber, cleaners, doctor or dentist, optician, veterinarian (for
pet owners), bank, public library, or post office. You may also wish to offer
a Sunday morning church route.
Try to establish a fixed number of destinations and a timetable for being
at each place. You may want to repeat the route two or three times in a
morning or afternoon, to give your clients flexibility
in their shopping or
other errands. Those ready to leave can join you in the car while the others
continue to shop until you return on the next trip.
It usually works best to schedule each client on a specific day. In planning your schedule be sure to leave extra time for slow walkers to reach
or leave your vehicle.
Shopping Companion- In this personalized service you pick up a single
client at his or her home, drive him to a desired place, and go with him
on the errands. This arrangement may be preferred by someone who has
difficulty walking, or carrying packages, or seeing clearly. Your probable
destinations will include supermarkets, clothing stores, shopping malls, card
shops and museums.
Shopping Service-You’ll
obtain a shopping list from a client and buy
the desired items for him or her. You may want to limit the service to groceries
and cleaning products only, or you can shop for clothing, gifts, stationery,
stamps, and other items.
Cooking Service-If you are free at lunch time and at the dinner hour,
you can cook a nutritious meal for clients in their homes. Tasty menus can
be planned so that your time in the kitchen is minimal (grilled sandwiches,
omelets, broiled foods, salads, and vegetables). This will allow you to serve
two, three, or even four clients at each meal time. (A lunch at 11, 12, and
1 o’clock; a dinner at 4, 5,6,and 7 p.m.). Clients will provide groceries unless
special arrangements are made in advance.
-46-
This service is especially appreciated by those who are fearful of burning
food, those whose vision limits their ability to cut or peel ingredients, and
those with arthritis or other diseases of the joints whose hand movements
are limited.
Cleaning Service-Some older people are unable to manage tasks like
pushing a vacuum, mopping the floor, or cleaning in hard-to-reach places.
You can arrange a schedule of appointments with a variety of clients, usually
working 2-3 hours a week for each.
Household Repair Service-Older
people especially need help in performing routine repairs: changing the oil in their cars, fixing dripping faucets,
cleaning screens and filters of the heating system, replacing light bulbs in
high places, removing storm windows,
installing insulation,
and so on.
You may wish to set up your service so that you visit each client on a
regular basis (once a week or every two weeks, for example) and perform
whatever chores need doing. Or, you may prefer to schedule appointments
on a call-in basis, visiting each client only when a specific job is waiting.
Exercise Service-Some
elderly people need to exercise regularly but have
a fear of trying to do this alone. You can help them by providing a regular
routine of exercises for them, and accompany them as they carry out their
program. For example, you may let someone hold your arm and walk a
specified distance each day, or you can accompany someone for a daily
bicycle ride. Other clients may prefer you to lead them in easy calisthenics
in their homes.
Pet Care Service-Older
people who own pets sometimes need help to
exercise their animals, especially in bad weather. You can offer a pet-walking
service to take a dog out once a day (or more often) for each of several clients.
In addition, you can drive the pets to veterinarians for shots and take the
animals to be groomed.
Yard Service-People
living in their own homes may no longer be able
to cut the grass, weed the garden, prune trees, trim hedges, or otherwise
care for their yards as they would like. Yard care, while a seasonal service,
can be profitable and enjoyable to someone with a green thumb.
Companion Service-As
a companion you will spend a specified number
of hours daily staying with a client in his or her own home. For much of
the time you can simply talk, read, watch television, or relax, although you
may also be asked to prepare simple meals, help entertain guests, administer
medications,
do simple cleaning chores or run errands.
-47-
Telephone Companion- Like Crystal D., you may provide a valuable service for the home-bound
elderly by calling clients daily to make sure all
is well and to brighten their lives. You can offer this service from your home,
phoning clients daily to make sure all is well and to cheer them up with
some good conversation.
Especially if clients are located within your dialing area, there are no expenses involved
beyond the monthly cost of
telephone service.
Elderly Day Care-In a growing number of families, an older relative shares
the home while both the younger marriage partners have daytime jobs. This
creates a problem: what can be done for the elderly person during the hours
when everyone else is away from home? One answer is to provide day care
for the elderly.
The service is patterned on the more familiar day care programs for preschool children. You will offer a homey setting where older people can be
dropped off in the morning and collected at night. If you have a house that
is large enough for this purpose, and if it meets the standards for elderly
day care that may be set up by your city or town (check at city hall), you
may capitalize on this money making service.
Although you will want to study carefully the regulations that apply to
your particular area, at a minimum you will probably be expected to have
a large house with wide doorways, bathrooms on the same level as the living area (no stairs to climb), handrails near doors and in halls, and an area
for food service (a good-sized dining room will do). Also, your home will
need to be inspected regularly for safety and for cleanliness. There may also
be regulations specifying that a minimum number of beds or a resting area
be available during daytime hours, or that nutritious meals be provided.
How to Begin Your Service
The first step, of course, is to work out all the details of the service itself.
Decide exactly what you are prepared to offer, and check with the appropriate
local offices to learn whether you may need a license to perform the service.
Next, form a plan for attracting clients. Ask yourself where the elderly
you want to serve are living. The answer may be a local retirement community, your own neighborhood,
or another part of the city. Then, make
a list of the ways you can make contact with these people. For example,
to reach those in a retirement village, begin by contacting someone in the
project manager’s office. Also find out whether the community
has its own
newspaper or local bulletin board, and consider advertising in these places.
If you have selected a specific area of town, talk to local clergymen.
-48-
As you make these contacts, your primary goal is to gain ideas for reaching
potential clients. Be sure to follow up on every suggestion you receive.
Then, choose a nice day and simply walk through the neighborhood
you
have targeted for your service. Talk with any residents who are in their yards,
and be sure to pay a visit to any potential clients whose names have been
given to you by any of your sources. It is quite possible that one or two
such walks will produce all the business you can handle at the beginning.
Always keep in mind that the elderly, perhaps more than any other age
group, are fearful of strangers and cautious about their security. Respect this
fact by avoiding “high pressure” tactics and by being prepared to present
credentials proving you are who you say you are. Consider investing in
business cards that identify your service and give your name, address, and
phone number. Printed information is often reassuring, and having business
cards will give you something to leave behind after your visit.
You may also want to contact local news editors at the radio, television,
and newspaper offices serving your area. These people may be interested
in featuring you and your service in print or on the air-such
publicity will
bring you additional
business.
If your service has a specialized appeal, try to work directly with those
it can appeal to most. For example, if you will be providing an exercise
service, you could speak with doctors in the neighborhood.
They may have
patients who require exercise and who are looking for help in obtaining
it. Or, if you hope to operate a telephone-companion
service, think about
choosing an out-of-town
newspaper as a place to advertise; this can make
people served by the newspaper aware of your service in the town where
their elderly parents may be living. Advertising locally may also be a good
idea if your budget can afford this expense.
No matter which service you decide to provide, you will enjoy a double
benefit from the work you have chosen. First, of course, you will have an
income opportunity
which provides the profits you want. And second, you
may find you have a nice “inner feeling of pleasure” in knowing that, while
you are making money, you are also helping older Americans to participate
a little more fully in their world.
Average Charges
Chauffeur service
Shopping companion
Shopping service
Cooking service
$5~$6/hour (per
$8-$9/hour,
plus
10% of shopping
$25$30/six-day
ed (more if you
supplies.
-49-
person)
parking
bill, or $lO/hour
week if food is providmust purchase
Cleaning services
Household
repair service
Exercise service
Pet care
Yard service
Companion
service
Telephone companion
Elderly day care
$lO-$lS/hour
$lO-$12/hour
$8-$1 O/hour
$25-$30/week
for walking a pet, plus
$lS/hour
to drive the pet anywhere.
$1 O-$1 S/hour
$125-$1 Wweek
(5 days)
$60-$80/month
$5-$6/hour
(per person)
-5o-
How to Make $1,000 weekly as a Printing Broker
At one time I dealt with a printing broker who was making an average
of $1,000 weekly in this profession. He could have made even more if he
had the desire to pursue the business full-time.
As a printing broker, you will be an independent salesman for several area
printers. Virtually all printing firms, both large and small are willing to offer
a broker’s commission to anyone who brings them business, whether he’s
an established broker or not.
The Concept
The concept is to break down a printing job into its component parts and
use specialists to do each part of the job. This system gives you a low price
and oftentimes far better end results than a job done by one firm. In general
terms, printing jobs are broken down like this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Art work-pasteup
Typesetting
Negatives and plates
Paper stock
Presswork
Bindery and finish
By using specialists at each step of the process, you have access to better
selections of products and services, and usually much lower prices than a
standard shop offers.
Don’t make the mistake of charging your jobs to yourself and then collecting from your customer. There is too high a risk of being stuck for jobs
because your printer made a mistake, or the customer won’t pay.
You should use the customer’s credit to have the work done, and collect
your fee from the sources you use. The sources grant credit, bill the customer
direct, and you are out of the financial risk area. While you may lose some
time because a customer does not pay, you don’t lose any money.
Build a Source File
The first step is to locate all the sources of printing services in your area.
Take some sample jobs around to get bids so you will have an idea of their
price ranges. Build up a card file with names, people to contact, price ranges,
delivery times, etc., on each source.
-51-
GKAPniCAKTf
G-KY
Helpful Terms in Advert&g
and Printing
Hot T”pa - typeserting
made from ho, melal cast in relief.
The metal Ifself is no, used m offset printmg.
However.
bl&
wh,,e “proofs”
of ho, ,“Pe ma” be used. a.~.. pastedap
for ,eprod”c,,on.
&ck
“p
- printing
fhe “second
snde.”
Ehd
- pri”,,ng
which giver the appearance
“off”
the edger of the paper. Thas IS achwed
edger. Most magaz,nes have “bleed”
cme,s.
Blue Penciling
- a term sometmes
or ,nd,ca,,“g
re-wtl,er
of copy.
_
of hawng been Wnted
by trwnming
the
used by edl,arr
for correctmg
House Orpan - a camwe penodical
or newsletler
lausd
or organ~rarmn
for its members, cus,omers
or prospects.
by a firm
lndia Ink - dense. black mk preferred
far drawngs
and ruling
m preparatm
of art work for photographmc
reproduction.
ltalin
- type wth
a rlghuhand
slant.
-.
appear on the pholograplnc
negstwe used for PIare-making.
Therefore.
the Pas,e-up or keylme
“,a” contan
lmgh, blue guadc
lmes v,h,ch w,ll not reproduce.
Bold
Face - lhis Ii”.
Bored - a wchnque
Paragraph or fealure.
Cap.
- short
C,ptim
is se, in bold
for drawing
Cenmr Spread
or booklet.
Lead - “rhymer
w,,h wed”
between
hnes. Far example.
tvp’.)
10 a cer,a,n
Latterpress
- prlnrlng
- refers IO the smoun,
of space
,h,s 818 P,. type “leaded”
1 pot”,
on the relief
prlnclple.
Copy
‘or “capmlr”
- a legend
‘ace lo, bald
a,,en,,on
wh,ch
or upper
case Iu.c.,
,den,,fm
- the pa,, of ‘mng
Line Art or Lane
- black and whl,e orlgmal which does
not requ,re halttone
reprod”c,,on.
In “lt”e cop””
lhere are
no In-between
,ones 0‘ gre”.
Margm - the unpnnted
edge wh,ch surrounds
rhe prnnred mage.
CAPITALS.
an ,l,us,ra,,on.
pager
I” rhe center
a‘ a magaztne
Cold Type - typesetting
accomplished
wthou,
the use of molten
lead or “ho, melal.”
Cold type mcluder pholagraphlc.
ruban.
dmc,.mpresrmn.
B,C.
Nqatwe
- a fdm
Offset
- h,hog,aph,c
Pas,b”p
repltca
0‘ ,he original.
pr,“,,ng.
- ,he or,g,“al
Pica - p,,nter’s
0, ““us,&
measurement
Plats - the f,na,.
t., be reproduced.
‘or o‘fse,
app,ox,ma,,ng
prm,,“g.
116 o‘ an Inch.
p,,n,,ng
master ehoch conla~ns the mage
May be metal. plamc 0, other male.4.
Proo‘ - a dnrec, ,mpretrmn
a‘ type 0, a pho,Ograph,c
repraductmn
a‘ what rhe mnted
,ob should look hke
In offre, pr~nrnng, r~lverpr~ntn.
brown-prmtl
and amilat
graph,c “proofs”
are rome,m,esp”lled
before p,,“,,“g
to make s”re ,ha, every,h,ng
,I r,gh,.
Rmwchmg
- ,mprov,ng
a phcmgmph
w,h
photo
in order
anwork
Reverse - a “negawe”
e‘tec, 4” pr,nt,ng
I” which fype or
,llustraf~on~
wpear
m whlre on black instead of black on
WhlW
Ruh - a lme
may constnute
man” dofferen,
SaddfbStitching
staples fhrmgh
Cropping
- placing black or red pencil marks
margins and corners to md,ca,e what portion
illustramn
is to be reproduced
cut - B wnteis
prtnting.
Offset
Dummy
term ‘or a” engrewng
used I” letterpress
printing
does no, use “cuts.”
- a rough
Engnvinp
- a metal
layout
plate.
of how
the prinwd
NO, used m offset
Gltmv
- uwaIIv
re‘m to a glass” photograph
must be”half~toned”
in order 10 prim.
“.,‘,on.
- the re~ll, O‘ a co”,i”“w,,one
~llurtration’s
having been “rrsened”
in order that it ma” be printed.
H..d,
which
lor crayon) a, the
of a phom or
- short for 7,eadllnes.”
are ,econdev
headlInes.
There
into
job is to appear.
May be used to form a box or a szr,~ of rules
a “fatm.”
Lone rules ma” be handled
I”
,h,ck”esses.
ei,her w,h a pen or by machme.
- bmdmg
the ourstde
a bockle,
or magazine by drwng
folded edge IO the very cenfer.
Sam serif - refers fo type faces which are lackang in serifs.
Thas is sam nerlf fype. This IS Eerif ,ype. The senfr are the
“tails”
on the fYpograph#c
characters:
Scoring - “bruirdng”
to facalilate
folding.
paper
or card smck
m a ~4)
line in order
pnnting.
or snapshot
photograph
o,
a pattern of tin”
48 also “subheads”
whch
Stripping
neg8fi”es
dots
Tint
- the prmess of preparmg
for pls,e-mak,ng.
- a pattern
0‘ dors whnch
Wash fffustration
- ccmmonl”
“washes”
of black mk which
by the halflone
process.
rhe negative
reproduces
and
or a series of
BS a tone.
used in farhmn an. Employs
appear grey. Mus, be reproduced
When this is ready, go back to each source and tell them you are going
to broker jobs for them-that
they will bill customers directly, and that you
will give them credit statements on each account which they may accept
or reject. If they are agreeable, you then negotiate commission
rates with
them. Many times they will simply agree to mark-up their standard prices
by whatever commission you want to be paid. This system gives you room
to wheel and deal in pricing out large jobs. Since all you are investing is
time, you will use about as much time on a small job as on a large one.
So, you might take a 15% commission on a small job and a 2% commis(see next page.)
sion on a very large one.
There is little profit in fooling around with letterheads, envelopes, and
the like. You need jobs in the $1,000 and up range in order for your specialized services to have a real effect on costs.
Don’t get involved in business forms as there is little profit margin and
no way to save money breaking down jobs into components. Business forms
are specialized, and the firms that print them are large and fully equipped.
The big money for a broker is in promotional
and advertising printing.
There is $100 spent for this kind of printing for each dollar spent in business
and office forms.
To advertise your business, you should call all the businesses involved
in promotion and advertising.
Explain that you can save them substantial
sums of money from their printing bills while still maintaining
the quality
and service.
You will need to visit your library and learn all you can about the printing business so you can converse with printers and clients. Most of this
you will learn as you conduct your business, so don’t worry if it seems too
technical.
Vanity Publishing
There could be an opportunity
for building a solid business representing
self publishing
authors with a legitimate service.
Vanity publishing
has a bad name because it has been run as a racket
rather than a legitimate
business. Those in it represent themselves as
publishers looking for manuscripts. When the author sends in a manuscript,
they get back a scam letter praising it, but unfortunately
it’s not quite right
for the list. However, if the writer would be willing to bear part of the expense of printing, the publisher would gamble on it becoming a best seller.
In reality, the author bears all the costs and supplies the vanity publisher
with a handsome profit because few books are ever distributed,
and no
legitimate sales effort is made.
-53-
Now, there is nothing inherently wrong about a writer paying to have
his work published. Some of the best known literary names in history got
started by self-publishing. The literary types who sneer at the practice presume
no self-published
work has any literary merit. Since most of these critics
have never had anything published that anyone has ever heard of, their
opinions are of no importance. Suppose a poor writer does pay $5,000 to
print a book-so what? The critic who sneers at it is driving an $18,000 sports
car when a used Ford would get him where he’s going just as well.
Given that fact of life, why not offer a legitimate service to writers who
are willing to pay to get their works printed.
First, you set them up in business as publishers so all their expenses are
tax deductible.
This takes in Uncle Sam on the losses, since he will be in
on the profits. Next, you arrange the best deal on typesetting, proofreading,
art, design, printing, binding and shipping that you can.
The Marketing
Plan
Next, you supply the new self-publisher a marketing plan that can get some
books sold. You supply him or her with a program for getting publicity,
reviews, listings in catalogs, library orders, a direct mail sales program, and
a method of getting placement in bookstores.
You point out that if the self-publisher
takes one market area at a time,
and uses the proper techniques to get news stories, interviews on radio and
TV talk shows, speaking engagements and reviews by local art reviewers,
he can snowball his book into respectable sales.
Guaranteed Sales Program
Here is a concept you might use to get books by self-publishing
clients
into book stores. You set up racks to carry “First Editions.” Then you have
your authors sign a couple of hundred of their books. You put these racks
in bookstores on a “guaranteed
sales” basis. You pay the bookstore 40%
of the selling price. Pay 20% at the end of the placement. The self publishers
bear this cost indirectly through your fees, but get 100% of the sales price
on all books sold.
To hype the sales, you could print up a little folder pointing out how
valuable a limited, signed first edition of a famous author’s first work would
be. Then run some pictures and background
of your authors to let the
customer know them better.
You might use the same gimmick by mail-order, starting a first editions
club and sending the same gimmick by mail-starting
a first editions club
and sending the same information
to members who get the books at a
discount.
-54-
The idea is to give the self-publisher an honest opportunity
to make some
sales, and possibly go on to become a well known author.
Your Income
Your income should come as agent’s or broker’s commission. That is, you
collect a percentage of the total funds spent by your client for production
and marketing of his book. You could base the percentage at 15% as advertising agencies do; 10% as literary agents do, or on a negotiated basis with
both percentage of amounts spent and fees on top of that.
You have a good many ways to make additional fees if the book is selling. You can take commissions on books you place through your connections; on sales of subsidiary rights you negotiate (movies, book clubs, overseas
licenses, etc.) and even a share of lecture or personal appearance fees your
client receives.
As you can see, there can be a substantial income if you get a hot book,
and a good income for services rendered regardless of the sales results.
There is one major source of information
that will give you contact with
just about everyone concerned with the publishing
industry both in production and marketing. It is: The Literary Market Place, published by R.R.
Bowker Co., Box 1807, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. It gives you printing, typesetting, design, binder, and fulfillment
sources along with lists of reviewers,
exporters, publicity sources and many other services. This would be the key
to making deals for your clients.
If you are not familiar with the publishing
industry, you can get a free
report that gives you a bird’s-eye view of the industry by sending a stamped,
self-addressed,
long envelope to: Shirley Soffer, Publicity Manager, R.R.
Bowker Co., 1180 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. Ask for the
report of the Book Publishing Industry.
Since you will, in a sense, be competing
with and replacing vanity
publishers, you should know what they do that could be objectionable
and
how they operate in general. You can get this information
free from the
Federal Trade Commission,
Washington,
DC 20580. Ask for Vanity Press
Findings-Dockets
7005 and 7489.
A very complete book on self-publishing
is titled, The Self Publishing
Manual. It is published by Dan Poynter, a successful self-publisher.
It will
cover almost everything you need to know in order to provide an honest
service to your clients. Current price is $14.95, and can be ordered from
Parachuting
Publications,
Box 4232, Santa Barbara, CA 93140.
-55-
How to Become a Patent Broker plus
How to Patent Your Inventions Yourself
Several Product Development
firms have been the center of lawsuits and
nationwide
publicity for their questionable
business operations. The problem was that they promised to “market” the product and never fulfilled
that promise. They also made other claims as to the viability of applying
for a patent on specific inventions.
In some cases, they were even taking
people’s money for inventions already patented!
The market still exists, however, for a legitimate patent brokerage firm
that can assist people in filing for a patent, an expensive and desired firststep toward promoting a new invention-or
so most people think. An inventor
normally has to employ a patent attorney to secure a patent, and their services aren’t cheap, running $600 minimum to the thousands of dollars in
their effort.
The concept here is to offer a service of helping people apply for a patent
on terms they can afford. You act as a broker between inventors and patent
attorneys, or by offering to assist your client in filing for the patent on his
own, thus saving a considerable
amount of money. You will not become
involved in promising any type of “product development”
services or other
promotional
services which have received so much bad publicity of late.
However, there is a potential sideline for offering books and courses which
help the inventor market his invention on his own.
Starting such a business is merely a matter of advertising in the magazines
normally read by inventors and mechanically
oriented people; magazines
such as Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Car and Driver, Elementary
Electronics, etc.
The second part of this report is devoted to teaching you how to apply
for a patent yourself, or likewise, for other people who wish to employ your
new services.
How to Patent Your Inventions
Yourself
It has been said that an invention is nothing more than a fighting interest
in a lawsuit. This being more truth than poetry, the first thing an inventor
must do is to make sure he is keeping accurate and detailed records of his
work.
When you conceive the original idea, start a notebook with the date on
which you originally thought of the idea. At each step in the inventive process, keep notes and include drawings (no matter how rough). From time
to time, bring in witnesses to explain your idea. Finally, always sign your
book verifying your level of accomplishment
at that particular time.
-56-
Make sure that you keep a permanently bound book with numbered pages
so that you won’t be accused of adding material later in the sequence of
your work (loose-leaf notebooks are not to be used for this reason).
One good practice is to have a picture taken with witnesses at some stage
of your work (with the first model, etc.), have it signed and dated. This is
irrefutable proof of progress and creation.
If you are forced to prove you are the original inventor, you will have
to supply the following
information
in court. The dates of:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
the first drawing
first written description
first disclosure to another person
other acts and dates of them that prove conception
of actual reduction to practice
when start of reduction to practice took place
So, keeping these factors in mind, keep careful notes. It can mean the
difference between an invention
owned, and one lost.
Always keep your records in ink, it makes them permanent, not readily
challengeable
as to later changes, erasures, etc. Accurate records are many
times the keys to a fortune, or loss of one. So, do it carefully.
Reduction to Practice
Every invention
must be ‘reduced to practice.’ That is, it must be put
together with the hardware into a working model. Your witnesses must see
it operate and understand how it works. Reduction to practice is the point
of the whole effort in creating a new invention. To get a patent, you must
prove reduction to practice. While it is true in most cases that the patent
office won’t ask you to provide a model (except in cases where the examiner
simply doesn’t believe it will work), you still must have your own working
model to prove it works.
At the time you make the test, you must have witnesses who can sign
a statement that they have seen the model, and all the components to itthat they understand it, and understand the results of the test. Obviously,
the witness should record this information
in your record book, and it’s not
a bad idea to have the witness keep a record of his own as well.
In making your disclosure, you should state these points for purposes of
complete clarity. First, state the objective you seek with the invention. Second,
define the invention. Third, detail and describe the uses it will be put to.
Sixth, estimate the importance of your invention; and finally, identify the
inventor or inventors involved. Follow these suggestions and you will have
a solid claim to inventor’s rights.
-57-
Patent Office Disclosure Service
The U.S. Patent office can offer you a service to help you verify your right
to the invention. The Patent Office will accept and preserve for a period
of at least two years “Disclosure Documents” which may be used as evidence
of conception of an invention.
A disclosure document may be any paper
which discloses an invention and is signed by the inventor or inventors and
forwarded to the Patent Office. It is not a patent application,
and does not
represent a filing date for a patent. It will be retained in confidence at the
Patent Office like a patent application. Complete details on this service, and
a sample Disclosure form are included in Volume II of The Poor Man’s Way
to Riches.
Getting Your Own Patent
When you have your invention ready, and are prepared to proceed, you
have two paths from which to choose. First, you may obtain a patent, and
second, you may try to sell without a patent. Both courses have advantages.
Many times a patent is really nothing more than an ego trip for the inventor. A sort of diploma he can hang on the wall to impress his peers. With
the odds of about 1000 to 1 against the average invention ever getting into
production,
it’s a lot to pay for a pretty piece of paper.
Some buyers of inventions want a patent prior to considering it. But, others,
among them some of the largest corporations
in the country, would rather
see the idea before a patent has been applied for. Their reasoning is that
they can write better claims than the inventor can. They fear the inventor
will have left a good idea wide open with a faulty patent.
The true value of a patent is not so much in the protection it affords, as
in the eyes of the prospective buyer. If he is not interested in it, then the
protection becomes the major interest.
If your idea is a true “breakthrough”
type, then you may be sure that a
patent will be instantly challenged, and even stolen outright. The company
doing the stealing, reasons that they can make more with the product than
losing a lawsuit might cost them, and they can keep such a suit in litigation
for years. They can design around it, claim prior art or disclosure in court,
or simply ignore you and let their lawyers fight yours. They are in a better
position to sustain such a battle than you are.
Your choice is important, and you should weigh your options carefully.
Only in the most unique circumstances should you attempt to get a patent.
The circumstances
in which you will actually be in a toll-gate position in
a major industry is in patent demanding. If you can patent another air brake,
cotton gin, linotype machine, traffic light, phonograph, etc., then do it. But,
-58-
if you are dealing primarily with an innovation,
an improvement
on a product or process, you will probably be ahead of the game to try and sell it
without the patent.
But if you decide to go ahead with the patent, then you will want to set
up a definite procedure, and it is possible to do this yourself to save attorney’s
fees.
The Patent Attorney
You can take your invention to a patent attorney and he will endeavor
to secure a patent for you. You are limited in your choice of attorney (or
agents) by those licensed to prosecute patents by the Patent Office. The Office
has a list of those in your area-write
the patent office and they will send
them to you for free. Otherwise, they will sell you a booklet listing them
all, for $1.50 or so.
Remember this, however, the attorneys don’t work cheap. You can figure
$600 minimum
into the thousands for their effort in getting your patent.
And, not all of them are “Mr. Nice Guys” either. You can be really hurt
financially
by hiring an attorney. If you are going to get one, shop around
carefully, get the names of some of his clients and see what they say. Also,
make sure he has some expertise in your field. You can ascertain this by
questioning
him about the technical points in your invention.
Try to avoid letting them string-bet you-i.e.,
getting you involved for a
little money, and then hitting you up for more and more as things progress.
Get a firm commitment from him right at the start and you’ll be a lot happier.
Do it Yourself
To prosecute your own patent application,
start with a search. Your first
step is to institute a “pre-ex.”
This is a preliminary
search to discover
inventions already under patent that would make it impossible for you to
get a patent. If you have been doing research on your invention, you probably have already investigated prior art. If not, then you should make the
search.
You have a couple of choices here. You can make the pre-ex yourself,
or you can hire a patent search firm to do it for you. Normally, the charge
for this will be from $50 to $100, or more. Don’t fall for any of those ads
that offer a search for $6.00 or so. It just can’t be done for that little.
Your second choice is to do the pre-ex yourself, and it is preferable simply
because you stand to learn so much by doing it. There is a third choice,
and one sometimes taken by Patent Attorneys. That is to go ahead and file
the application
for a patent without a pre-ex. They reason that the pre-ex
-59-
will cost more than it would cost to file for the patent, and then let the
examiner do the job. This is one method if you are willing to gamble the
cost of the filing and amendment costs.
If you are a first time applicant, you should make the search yourself just
for the experience. If at all possible, you should go to the Patent Office to
do it. It’s located in the outskirts of Washington,
DC-Crystal
Plaza, 2021
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington,
VA
The big advantage to doing this is to see for yourself what you are up
against. You will find 300 subject classifications, and some 64,000 subclasses
on file. You can also visit the technical and scientific library there. It has
over 90,000 volumes of bound periodicals
devoted to science and
technology, as well as some 120,000 books on those subjects. You are free
to peruse them. While you are there you can get some valuable free help
in locating the subject classifications that would need searching, and copies
of those patents that have a bearing on your project.
Doing it the Hard Way
If you can’t get to the Patent Office, then you can accomplish the pre-ex
by mail, and a visit to a nearby library can provide a file of all patents on hand.
These libraries have printed copies of patents bound in order of issuance
(but may not be complete). They may have micro-filmed
lists of patent
numbers by class and sub-class. Some will in turn have the Index of Patents
and Classification Manual. You should also check your nearest state university, as they might have Classification
Manuals and other materials.
On the next page is a library list. In addition to these libraries, there are
over 400 other Public and University libraries that have the Official Gazette
and the Index of Patents and Classification
Manual.
Starting the Search
The first step is to discover the class and sub-classes that fall in the category
under which your invention will be classified. To do this, locate a source
of the Index of Classifications near you. This index comprises an alphabetical
listing of technical and common names of arts, processes, machines, articles,
compositions
of matter, etc. The typical entry will be comprised of a class
and subclassification
number.
If you were dealing with spark plugs or igniters you would first locate the
classification SPARK PLUGS. The key word is SPARK and under it you would
find some seventeen classifications
ranging from Spark Arrestors to Spark
Switches. Under Spark Plus you would find this listing: PLUGS 313 118+.
This means that the patents for spark plugs would be found in Classification
-6O-
number 313, and there are sub-classes starting with 118 (the plus means
additional
sub-classes).
Now you go to the Manual of Classification
and get to Class 313, going
down to sub-class 118. There you will discover sub-classes 118 to 145 that
deal with spark plugs. Descriptions for the sub-classes read like this: 11 g-Seal
of Valve for Electrode Chamber; 121-Reversible; 129 With Transparent Part;
142 Gap Along Axis; 145 Between Center Electrode and Insulator. By reading
these sub-classes you can discover which ones fall into the area in which
your invention will touch.
Next, write to the Patent Office for a list of Patent Numbers in each sub
class (or classification)
you need to search. They make a charge per page
for these number lists.
When you get your page of Patent Numbers, go to the Library with the
patents on file, look up the numbers of those on your list. This is the search,
and it can be a big job. As you locate patents of interest that need further
study, write down the numbers, and you can order copies of these from
the Patent Office for 50 cents a page.
If you find that there is no prior art in these prime categories, you are probably safe in filing. But, it may be that a patent that is primarily the same
art as yours has been recorded in another classification.
You can get a clue
to this while making your search by looking at the patent references cited
by the examiner on issued patents. These are at the end of the patent, and
give the cited references by patent number. If you find a patent that is close
to your invention, then by all means, look up the reference cited for additional clues.
Determining
Patentability
Here’s what are trying to establish with the Patent Office in applying for
you patent: that your invention is unique and novel in the art it is intended
for. Here are things you cannot patent:
1. An idea, as opposed to a mechanical device
2. A method of doing business such as an assembly line system. But, you
can patent the assembly line devices.
3. Printed matter (that is covered by copyright law)
4. An inoperable device
5. An improvement to a device which is the result of mere mechanical skill,
as rearranging an assembly of parts or an adaptation of an old principlei.e. glass doors as opposed to wooden ones. It must be a new and novel
approach.
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If your idea is not disqualified
because of these reasons, then you can
apply the following
criteria to test its patentability:
1. If it has been known and used by others in this country before you apply,
it’s a no go.
2. If it has been described in a pub1icatio.n in this, or a foreign country before
you apply, it’s a no go.
3. If it has been patented in a foreign country, it’s a no go.
4. If it is in public use, or on sale one year before the patent application,
it’s a no go.
These criteria will apply in all cases, and if one of them is applicable,
they will save you time and money that would have been wasted in attemp
ting a patent.
As you make your search, you will want to keep in mind the attitude of
the Patent Office, and the reasons they give to deny a patent.
First, the Patent Office is not set up to help inventors make money. It is
there to “provide public benefit, and advance technical knowledge.”
This
‘pro bono publico’ attitude works against the inventor by trying to grab a
large piece of protection from a patent. You might as well know this now
as well as later: it is almost a certainty, whether you prosecute your own
patent, or if an attorney does it, that your initial application will be rejected.
Now, this doesn’t mean you won’t get your patent, it means that you will
have to change your claims, and adjust your attitude toward the invention.
There are three general areas of rejection that most inventors will run into. The first, is referred to in “35 U.S.C. 102,” which means the invention
is not new enough. The examiner will cite one or more patents that have
prior claims to the art you are seeking to patent. This is almost a certain
death knell to your hopes of getting a patent. You will already have discovered
this in your pre-ex.
The second classification
is cited as “35 U.S.C. 101,” which means that
the patent sought is too frivolous to grant. An example would be a square
golf ball, or a whistle that doesn’t make noise. Except in such extremes,
the patent will be accepted if all other criteria are met.
The negotiable reference, and the most difficult for both the examiner and
the inventor is “35 U.S.C. 103.” It gives as a reason of acceptance the “nonobviousness”
of the invention. This refers to the state-of-the art being such
that anyone well versed in the field would later anticipate your invention.
Thus, after the invention of the clothes pins, the Patent Office might well
say that anyone in the field could anticipate such a need for the pins.
In general, this can be overcome by re-writing your claims (putting them
down in more specific terms), to prove a definite area of novelty. In making
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your search, you will want to keep this in mind-if
your idea shows up as
a by-product, or is discussed as a logical extension of the art, you will have
problems getting your patent. But, if there was only anticipation,
and no
specifics, you can probably write around the objection in making your claims.
For the most part, your search is pretty well going to show you if you
are in the “novelty ballpark” or not. Close study of the patents already granted
in your area will soon show you just how close a shave it’s going to be.
How to Read a Patent
Patents must be written so that anyone familiar with the art can easily read
and understand the process and the construction
of the item in question.
Therefore, if you understand the art you are working in, you will have little
trouble understanding
the patents you turn up in your search. If you are
not familiar with the art, then you will have to get help from someone who
is. You will find that the patent has a drawing in specific detail on the front
page. A cursory examination
of the drawing will tell you how close the patent is to your idea, and will help you quickly discard those patents that
have no bearing. There may be one or more drawings of various sections
and parts for you to examine of each invention. The title of the invention
will appear on the first page, or at the beginning of the specifications
of
the invention.
In all recent inventions,
a brief abstract of the technical
disclosure to be found in the specifications
appears first. It is under the title
of “Abstract of the Disclosure.”
Examination of this will confirm or deny
your suspicions of whether the invention is prior art in your field, or not.
Following this, you will find a summary of the invention,
including the
objectives, it’s nature, etc. Then the specifications will be set forth in detail,
referring to the drawings which are numbered by part. The specifications
are then followed by the claims, and at the end of each patent, you will
find the references to patent numbers that have a bearing on your particular
invention. These are valuable reference points for you to add to your search.
Summarizing you patent reading then: You find the title of the invention,
the name and the residence of the inventor. You find the abstract of
disclosure, and then you find any cross references to related applications
that do exist. You get a brief summary of the invention, descriptions of the
several views of the drawings by number, detailed descriptions of the invention, and finally, the claims and the examiner’s notations of applicable
inventions.
By reading patents and learning their language and particular sequence,
you will soon be prepared to write your own patent.
When you have completed your search and are satisfied that you have
all the necessary information
together, you are ready to proceed with the
application.
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The Drawings
The first step will be to get your invention on paper in graphic form. You
will need drawings of the applicable parts of your invention that will apply
to the patent. You can obtain a copy of a report on the general rules for
doing Patent Drafting from the Patent office.
There are professional firms that specialize in making these drawings, and
you can locate them through the yellow pages of your phone book under
Drafting Services. Their prices are as varied as their skills and level of service.
An alternative to this is to find a “moonlighter”
who will do the work
at home, and charge you half of what the pros get. You can contact them
with an ad in your neighborhood
paper, or sometimes a local firm that sells
drafting supplies will give you the name of one or two.
A third alternative is to contact local schools (colleges and junior colleges)
that have drafting courses and get a top student to do the work. Sometimes
the instructor will help you find a good student who is qualified to do the
work.
A final alternative is the Patent Office. If time is no object, you can make
arrangements to have them do it.
If you study the guide available from the Patent Office, you will get enough
information to know what you need, and judge the competence of a draftsman to do it properly.
By carefully observing the drawings in related patents, you can figure how
to put yours together. Just follow the system others used, and you won’t
be too far off. Note the numbering system used to explain the invention,
and apply this to your drawing.
Shop around to find the best price commensurate
with decent quality,
and don’t worry too much about having it perfect. If there are some flaws
in the final drawing, the patent office people can correct it at a reasonable
cost to you.
81. Drawings Required. The applicant for patent is required by statute
to furnish a drawing of his invention whenever the nature of the case admits to it; this drawing must be filed with the application.
Illustrations
facilitating an understanding
of the invention (for example, flow sheets in
cases of processes, and diagrammatic
views) may also be furnished in the
same manner as drawings, and may be required by the office when considered necessary or desirable.
35 U.S.C. 113 Drawings. When the nature of the case admits, the applicant shall furnish a drawing. No names or other identification
will be permitted within the “sight” of the drawing, and applicants are expected to
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use the space above and between the hole locations to identify each sheet
of drawings. This identification may consist of the attorney’s name and docket
number or the inventor’s name and case number and may include the sheet
number and the total number of sheets filed (for example, “sheet 2 of 4”).
83. Content of Drawing. (a) The drawing must show every feature of the
invention specified in the claims. However, conventional
features disclosed in the description and claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a proper understanding
of the invention, should be illustrated in the
drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled representation (e.g. a labeled rectangular box).
(b) When the invention consists of an improvement
on an old machine,
the drawing must, whenever possible, exhibit in one or more views, the
improved portion itself, disconnected
from the old structure, and also in
another view,(i.e. much of the old structure as will suffice to show the connection of the invention therewith.)
Writing
the Patent
When the drawings are complete, you are ready to write your patent application. With some careful study, and preparation you can do a competent job. If you have the intelligence
to create the invention, you have the
ability to write the patent application.
Your first step is to organize all your notes and records and to summarize
them. It’s best to do this on tape, rather than going through the laborious
process of writing them. If you will organize your tape dictation in the same
sequence that you are going to write your application,
you will have the
information
you need to get the material down on paper in proper fashion,
and the writing of the patent application will be much easier than you might
expect.
The invention must have a name, and the shorter the better. It should simply
describe the invention in as few words as possible. The Cotton Gin, Electric
Light, Clothes Pin, Safety Pin, etc. are common usage, or trade names applied
to well known inventions.
In describing the invention for patent purposes
you would say for example, An Automatic Short-Staple Cotton Seed Extractor
or an Illuminated
Electric Light Bulb or Tube, a Fastening Device for Wetwash, a Fastening Pin With Shielded Tip. Always describe the invention
in the title in terms of the art, and in what it does.
The Abstract of Disclosure. You have already written a disclosure of your
invention, and it’s in your notes. The first section of your patent application
will be the Abstract of Disclosure, about 150 words disclosing what the
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invention is, how it’s made, why it’s unique, and the problem it solves. Just
boil it down to those four points, and you have the first part of your patent
written.
Background of the Invention. The next section takes up the background
Your opening
of the invention in two parts. First, “Field of the Invention.”
line reads like this: “This invention relates to the field of. . . ” and you name
the general field it’s in (Sporting activities, broadcasting, metal work, home
building, transportation,
etc.). The next line begins particularly,
this invention relates to. . .” and you name the specific area in the general field in
which your invention falls. Examples:
Sporting Activities (general)
Broadcasting (general)
Metalworking
(general)
Fishing (specific)
Microphones
(specific)
Metal Fastenersfspecific)
So your opening lines would read like this: This invention relates to the
field of sporting activities. More particularly
to the sport of fishing, and to
an improved (method your invention improves, etc.). Finish that paragraph
with a description of the improved method your invention makes possible.
Description of Prior Art. The second part of “Background of the Invention” is the report on what your pre-ex has turned up in the way of inventions that relate to, but do not fill the need which yours does. You open
this section something like this: So far as is known, the simple and improved (your invention)
described and claimed herein has not been known
heretofore.
You go on to describe what prior art exists, the problems with the prior
art your invention solves, and quote the Patent Numbers and Inventor’s
names in the related patents you have discovered. Briefly explain any that
have a direct bearing on your invention, and show how they differ and fail
to solve the problem that yours does.
Summary of Invention. In this section you describe your invention in some
detail: This invention relates generally to an improved (your invention mentioned here). More particularly this invention relates to a (the specific problem the invention solves).
Thus, if we were using a fishing reel attachment, it would read: This invention relates generally to an improved fishing reel attaching device. More
particularly this invention secures the reel tighter to the rod as more pressure
is applied to the line.
Then you go on to describe what the invention does, and the problem
it solves. When you finish this in 100 words or so, you begin a new
paragraph, starting with this line: Therefore, from the foregoing it should
be understood that objects of this invention include (the improved method
your invention
offers).
This section will outline in general terms the claims you are going to make
for your invention.
Taking the electric light, as an example, Edison might
have said in his Summary statement “. . . understood that the objects of this
invention
includes: an improved method of providing artificial light; the
provision that the light will be created by electricity; the provision that the
light will be contained in a glass bulb made into a vacuum; the provision
that it will be possible to use electric lights in all areas by placing them in
simple sockets; that one power source will provide electricity to light all
lights; that they can be turned on and off with a simple switch; etc.” In other
words, lay out the things it will do, and how they are done. You can make
claims here that might be disallowed
in the claims section.
When you have finished the summary, end it with this paragraph:
These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from a
study of the following
disclosure in which reference is directed to the
attached drawings.
Brief Description
you have offered
of The Drawings. Here you explain
in your drawings.
Font, side, elevated,
the various views
etc.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment. The first paragraph of this section outlines the problems in the art that your invention will solve. Edison
would have discussed open flame lighting and it’s danger, poor quality, etc.
This is what you do about the existing situation. Then, in the second
paragraph, you show how your invention will solve the problems outlined
in the first paragraph.
This has several effects. First, it proves novelty and patentability.
Second,
it lays down the groundwork
for broad claims writing to obtain maximum
protection. Study other patents using this technique and you will get the idea.
The third paragraph begins your description
of the hardware of the
invention by describing it point by point from the numbered drawings. Start
with number one, and describe what it represents and what it does, and
go through to the end of the numbers on your drawings. By studying the
patents you found, you’ll be able to see how it’s handled. Follow the method
they have used and you will be in good shape.
The Claims. The final section of your patent is the claims. This is what
it’s all about. The claims are what protect you. The stronger, broader, and
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more claims you can get approved, the better your chances of making a
profitable sale of your invention
later on.
This is the part that separates the men from the boys. You will be well
rewarded by carefully studying and breaking down the claims on inventions you have turned up in your search. You will note the claims work
like a chain. Each claim is a link, and each subsequent claim is linked to
a previous claim. As an example, let’s suppose God was going to patent
earth. His primary claim would be a sphere, 7,000 miles in diameter,
weighing 6,000 billion-billion
tons, surrounded by an atmosphere, containing
land, and water, spinning in space around the sun at one complete rotation
every twenty four hours, and one complete orbit around the sun each 365
days, etc. Then would come the dependent claims, earth consisting of 120
elements, atmosphere held in place by gravity, exterior to be 2/3 water and
l/3 land, and so forth. Each claim linked to the primary or previous dependent
claim.
In doing this with your invention, go back to your summary, and write
up the material there as your primary claim. Then, go through the construction of your invention,
point by point, and make your dependent claims
that create the essential novelty of the invention.
If you were patenting a
fishing reel, you can claim all novel points of construction, but not the known
methods. For example, your reel is geared like all other reels, you can’t get
protection on the gear system. But, your winding device is different. You
can claim all points in the winding device in series for protection.
Now, one important point about writing claims that even your best friends
won’t tell you. If you prepare your own patent application,
the examiner
will help you write proper claims. Here is a reprint from a section of the
Patent Examiner’s Rules of Practice:
707.07 (j), State When Claims Are Allowable on Inventor Field Applications; “When during the examination
of a pro se case, it becomes apparent
to the examiner that there is a patentable subject matter disclosed in the
application,
he shall draft one or more claims for the applicant and indicate
in his action that such claims would be allowed if incorporated
in the
application
amendment.
This practice will expedite prosecution and offer a service to individual
inventors not represented by a registered patent attorney or agent.
Although this practice may be desirable and is permissible in any case
where deemed appropriate by the examiner, it will BE EXPECTED to be applied in all cases where it is apparent that the applicant is unfamiliar with
proper preparation of patent applications.
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Now, this doesn’t mean you get a free patent attorney. It means that if
you have a valid invention, the examiner is duty bound to help you write
claims that will enable the patent to be granted. It is possible the claims
will not be all that you would want them to be, but neither are those that
attorneys and agents write and get through in many cases.
Another point in the manual refers to material that is allowable except
as to form. It states that when the examiner finds applications that have patentable subject matter, but the application
and forms are poorly drawn and
not allowed in their present form, the manual states the examiner’s action
should be constructive in nature and when possible he should offer definite
suggestions for correction-and
possible calling for an interview to get early
agreement on allowable
claims.
So, you aren’t out in a jungle alone on this. The Patent Office will help
you, as they should, and even if you fall short on your writing of the patent,
assuming your invention is novel and patentable, you will get the help you
need to complete the job.
The secret to success in this is to study the problem. Get some granted
patents on items you understand and study the forms, summaries, abstracts,
and claims they used. You can see by the way they handled it how you
can handle yours. And if you fail to get every single point just right, you
still have the Patent Examiner to help you out.
The following
outline is a summary of how to write your patent application. Follow it step-by-step, and you will be right on the mark when you
send in your papers.
Outline
for Writing
Your Patent Application
First, the material must be in the English language. All papers which are
to become part of the permanent records must be legibly written or printed
in permanent ink. Use one side of the paper, reserve one and one half inch
margins on the left side of the page, and at the top of each page. Use legal
size (8-112 x 13 inch) paper, use a typewriter, and double space with pages
numbered at the center of the bottom margin.
Erasures, additions or deletions made before the application
was signed
and sworn to, should be clearly referred to in margin notes (or foot-notes)
on the same sheet of paper where they took place, and then initialed or
signed and dated by the applicant.
Applications
must be complete before it will be placed on the files for
examination.
Applicants have six months to replace any defective papers
or drawings after notification.
All parts of the application
should be filed together. Otherwise a letter
must accompany additional parts identifying the application they are intended
for.
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The application
must be signed by the applicant in person, The oath or
declaration will be accepted as the signature when attached, and refers to
the specifications
to which it applies. Full names must be given, including
at least one given name without abbreviation together with any other given
name or initial.
The papers filed will not be returned for any reason. Keep duplicate copies
of all papers, drawings and other materials you file. Otherwise you’ll pay
a fee to get copies from the Patent Office. Here is the sequence of your
application:
A. A specification
a. Title of Invention
b. Abstract of the Disclosure
c. Cross References to Related Applications
d. Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
2. Description of the Prior Art
e. Summary of the Invention
f. Brief description
of the drawing
g. Description
of Preferred Embodiment(s)
h. Claims
B. An oath or declaration
C. Drawings, when necessary
(if any)
When you have your application
in and receive notice from the Patent
Office that it has been accepted for processing, you will have about six
months or more to wait for some action.
You can make inquiries from time to time as to the status of your application, but you must wait your turn, and it can take up to three years from
start to finish, if you get a patent.
The First letter
Your first notice from the patent examiner will probably be one that
disallows your application for reasons of error in the application. You forgot
to do something, sign something, state something or otherwise goofed on
the format of the application.
You will have up to six months to remedy this, and, of course, this will
delay full consideration
of your application.
But, at least the ball has started
to roll.
When you have the formalities taken care of, the next letter from the examiner will probably disallow your claim for patent protection for any one
of several reasons. These have already been discussed.
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The most likely objection from the examiner will come in the area of
claims. He may disallow one or even all of them. But, as we have mentioned before, he can help you write the claims that will get the application
through.
Your best bet in this case would be to travel to Washington and have a
meeting with the examiner and get it settled there. Otherwise, you can try
it over the phone.
In the meantime, if you want to hone up on what he will be doing, you
can order a copy of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It’s a looseleaf reference guide for patent examiners. It is not easy reading, but if you
want to know what’s happening, this guide will tell you. You can get the
current price from the patent office.
The problems of getting past the examiner can be as many and varied
as the number of inventions in existence, but if you are honest and diligent
in your efforts you can succeed.
When you must reply to the examiner, you’ll have a given time period
to do so. If you fail to respond in that period, your application is considered
to be abandoned.
Extenuating circumstances
such as illness or incapacity
of one kind or another can be exceptions. If you prove this to the satisfaction of the office, they will sometimes reinstate your application.
The max;
imum time, by law, to respond is six months, but that time can be shortened by the Patent Office. So, when you get a demand for a response, pay
close attention to the time allowed.
Interferences
On rare occasion your application will coincide with another application
for essentially
the same invention.
Only one can be granted a patent,
however, and this is where the records of the inventor revealing who was
the first to conceive of the idea, and reduce it to practice by filing of the
patent application,
becomes most important.
A board of three patent examiners will examine the evidence presented
to determine who the patent will be granted to. If one inventor has no valid
evidence of the date of conception and reduction to practice, then the date
of filing of the patent application
shall be the date his case rests on.
The inventor has the right to appeal the decisions of examiners to the Board
of Appeals in the Patent Office. The Board usually consists of three examiners
(also, the Commissioner
of Patents and his assistant can sit).
The inventor pays a fee for the appeal and another fee for filing a brief
supporting his position. This is probably not advisable for the inventor. If
you want to go that route, you need an attorney to present your case.
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The Oath or Declaration
When you have finished writing up your patent application,
you must
accompany it with an oath or declaration
before it will be accepted and
processed by the Patent Office. The oath is given and signed before a notary
public, and duly notarized. This is the best procedure. The Declaration
is
a notarized statement of invention ownership.
Copies are available from
the Patent Office. Make three copies and keep two.
Summation
You can prosecute your own patent application if you can invent something
worthwhile
and if you will take the time to study the system, and carefully
work out your application.
It’s simply a matter of a little confidence
in
yourself, and the necessary time to do it.
You can save hundreds, or even thousands of dollars by so doing. And
you will have the skills to make up to $15,000 monthly by assisting other
inventors in filing their own application.
Some books on the subject you should read are: Techniques for Obtaining Your Own Patent, by H.M. Muncheryan, published by Howard W. Sams;
Inventions, Patents and Their Management, by A.K. Berle, published by van
Nostrand Reinhold; Encyclopedia of Patent Practice and Invention, by Robert
Calvett, published by Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co.; The United States
Patent System, By Floyd L. Vaughn, published by Greenwood
Press. Also
the newsletter, invention Management,
published by Institute for Invention
and Innovation,
Inc., Box 436, Arlington,
VA 02174.
How To Start and Operate a Co-op Advertising
Business By Mail-Make
$5,000 monthly.
High prices have made cagey buyers of us all. You probably use discount
coupons to save money at the supermarket, taking advantage of refunds offered by manufacturers
of food and household products. As any coupon
addict knows, this is a great way to save money. But a much more effective
way to use coupons to economic advantage is to open your own independent, direct mail co-op coupon business.
In Volume 3 of The Poor Man’s Way to Riches, I reported on a variation
of the discount coupon business. This program differs in that the merchants
pay for the printing and distribution
of the coupons up front. Also, with this
method, you rely on mailings to distribute the books to customers free,
whereas the other method consisted of actually selling discount books. This
variation is more amenable to repeat business from merchants and does not
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require you to sell a large number of books to people, but to sell only a
few merchants on your program.
And in case you doubt the popularity of coupons, consider the following
statistics: Almost 80% of Americans redeem coupons, and coupon volume
has increased ten-fold from 5 billion in the early 1960’s to more than 50
billion by 1980. Between 80 and 90 billion coupons are estimated to be
in circulation right now. Based on a 5% redemption rate, 35% of the coupons
will be redeemed within a period of 2 to 3 weeks, 80% within 4 to 5 weeks,
93% within 6 to 7 weeks, according to Donnelly Marketing, of Dun and
Bradstreet Corporation.
This shows that most shoppers redeem coupons in
a relatively short time. The coupons monitored by Donnelly Marketing seem
to invite consumers to try new brands that they do not regularly use. On
the average, about 65% of all coupons redeemed are from non-regular users
of the brand. This varies by product category: from cigarettes, 83%; pet food,
63%; food, 62%; cleaners, 62%; soaps, 51%.
Thus, it’s clear that eye-catching direct mail coupons have a demonstrable
ability to capture the attention of heavy-user consumers and to move them
to act and quickly buy the special products. Huge national companies like
Nabisco, Proctor and Gamble, Nestle, and Cheesebrough-Ponds
have million
dollar advertising budgets, and can well afford to blitz the country with discount coupons. Included in their overall costs are 5 cent handling fees for
each coupon which must be paid to retailers who return manufacturer’s
coupons.
Co-op Programs
Small businesses obviously cannot realistically expect to achieve the kind
of spectacular results that are possible in the national campaigns of large
companies. But reliable market surveys show that co-op coupon programs
do bring in excellent results, even on a much smaller scale.
Ninety-two
percent of retail customers come from a radius of eight miles
of a store, and about 75 percent from a two-mile radius. McDonald’s,
for
example, reports 80 percent of their customers are drawn from within two
miles of their restaurants. So, coop advertising coupons sent to residents
within an eight-mile radius of a store have a better than average chance of
bringing in new customers. There is no need to spend a lot more money
to attract residents from outlying districts, who are not likely to drive long
distances to shop.
In each co-op mailing, from ten to twenty merchant’s discount coupons
are sent to 10,000 residents in the target area. Not only do these merchants
save a bundle on advertising costs, they avoid the expense of handling fees
because coupons are redeemed by the customers directly at the store that
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offers the special discount. A direct mail sales promotion, if undertaken on
an individual
basis, costs 20 cents or more per piece; coop mailing brings
the cost down to 3 or 4 cents per piece, and for that very reason can be
competitive.
Co-op mailers are also assured of exclusivity,
because in any one mailing, only one-of-a-kind
businesses are included: for example, a single car
wash offer, one sporting goods store, realtor, burger shop, or laundry.
The independent entrepreneur who operates a coop advertising coupon
business contacts shopkeepers,
restaurants, theaters, and other small
businesses in a chosen area who might want to use coupons to attract new
customers. He helps each advertiser select the coupon layout, color, logo
and wording best suited for that business. After enough clients are found
and sold on the plan, an order is sent to a coupon printing company which
prints proofs of all the coupon designs chosen by the advertisers. If they
are approved by the clients (your customers), the orders go through for final
printing. The coupons are collated and packaged in attractive envelopes,
which are then mailed to 10,000 residents in the target area. A good book
on setting up your couponing business, published by Lion Publishing Co.,
6602B El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92115, is Couponing For Profit. You
can order by phone-265-8777-or
by mail at the address given above.
Start-Up
One way to begin your own co-op coupon business is from scratch, hiring a commercial
artist to design sample coupons and selecting a printer
to do the work for you. But this is costly and time-consuming,
and you are
bound to make a lot of mistakes until you get the hang of things. If you have
sufficient capital, patience and the right skills, this can be very rewarding.
But chances are you might do better and learn the ropes faster by working
with one of the companies that specializes in printing color coupons.
These firms offer sales training programs and comprehensive
operating
manuals that spell out successful business procedures for independents who
deal with the parent company. They also provide pro-forma sheets that detail
operating expenses and project profits. Two such companies are TreasurePak of St. Petersburg, Florida, and ESP CO-OP of Belleville,
New Jersey.
The following summaries provide some further insights into the ways in which
these companies are alike and how they differ. It’s up to you to take it from
there by writing for further details.
Treasure-Pak. This company targets a wide market of consumer needs.
Every coupon in the mailing represents a savings or value to someone in
every family: a hamburger and french fries for the kids, a wheel alignment
for the family car, perhaps a free house plant for Mom, or savings on clothing,
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furniture, food, jewelry, housewares, hardware, and reductions on such services as TV repair, dry-cleaning,
or auto repair.
The company says that by following the patterns they lay out for you, you
will not only achieve success, but will avoid most of the pitfalls encountered
in business. Their recommendations
are based on past trials and errors, and
on many successes. Unless you have some experience in printing, advertising or related fields, heed the warnings and save yourself a lot of headaches
by following
the Treasure-Pak program.
Treasure-Pak explains how to make successful sales presentations,
and
how to overcome sales resistance. They give samples of previous successful
mailings so you know what typical coupons look like, and can show them
to prospective clients.
Included in the manual are pro-forma sheets listing gross sales revenues
after deduction of production costs, including printing, listings, collating and
inserting, addressing, standard envelope sizes, layout and typeset, and
postage. Distributors determine their own prices for coupons, while the cost
per advertiser can range from $300 to $450. Treasure-Pak suggests starting
low and increasing the price as you become more experienced. For example:
If the number of coupons in your mailing is 16, at a cost to each advertiser
of $300, your gross sales revenue is $4,800. Your gross profit after production costs and postage comes to $2,500. Gross profit for 12 coupons is
$1,620; for 11 coupons $1,180; and for 8 or 6 coupons, $740 and $300,
respectively.
Treasure-Pak helps you plan your market mailing zones on a large street
map and a zip code map furnished by the post office. The marketing strategy
is to mail to three or four local zip code zones. Smaller merchants mail to
the one or two zones closest to their businesses; larger accounts may elect
to reach out further to cover three or four zones. Treasure-Pak uses computer readouts, from every zip code zone in the country, in order to provide useful economic breakdowns.
They also list types of businesses rated as primary and secondary targets
and tell you how and where to prospect for new customers. There is no
need to restrict prospects to conventional
retailers. Many small businesses
operate from home bases, so don’t ignore people who clean chimneys and
gutters, make dump runs, offer home maintenance services, or run a freelance writing business, photo service or art studio.
Local merchants should favor your direct mail coupons over your competitor’s coupons because the Treasure coupons are eye-catching four-color
jobs printed on glossy, enameled stock. They offer better discounts than the
usual black and white coupons printed in daily newspapers, and have better
graphic appeal than the one-color, matte-surfaced coupons common in many
local promotions.
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You and your clients are sent Proofs of Mailing from the U.S. Post Office
for your records, so you know when, where, and to whom your coupons
were mailed. There is no need to hire a local person to drive around and
stuff mailboxes. There is no franchise fee. All Treasure-Pak associates are
independent
operators who run their own businesses. For more information, write to: Treasure-Pak, Inc., 2228 28th St. No., St. Petersburg, FL 33713.
ESP Co-op. This is an established twenty-one year old company. ESP offers an appealing full-color concept and a cartoon character symbol as company logo.
An ESP franchisee can easily operate from home, using only a Post Office
box and no answering service. It is not necessary to invest in heavy inventory or expensive office space.
Mailings of full-color coupons are sent to approximately
10,000 households
in preselected zones; each zone can receive at least four mailings per year.
A franchisee would have from 25 to 30 mailing zones within the franchise,
which means he has the capacity to distribute 100 to 120 mailings each
year. The cost of a mailing includes printing, inserting, sealing in full-color
envelopes, labeling, sorting, delivery to the post office and postage. Franchises set their own prices. One co-op mailing costs each advertiser a little
over 3 cents for each coupon. The total cost to the advertiser comes to about
$375. If an advertiser mails on an individual
basis, the cost would be approximately
$2,525. Thus, each advertiser saves $2,150 by mailing with
ESP Co-op.
The franchise fee buys: an in-depth training program for the franchisee
and all his sales staff; a franchise area; full-color point of purchase aids, illustrated maps and demography of his franchise area; full-color floor displays;
complete one-year supply of all necessary printed material (20 items) including flyers, forms, contract order forms, stationery, envelopes, cards and
letters.
After deduction of production costs and sales commissions, the profit per
mailing for the franchisee can be over $1,000. A minimum of twenty co-op
advertisers is included in any one mailing.
How to Make $150,000 Yearly
As a Manufacturer’s
Representative
Many years ago a young man in Milwaukee,
Harry Epstein, took a trip
to New York. There, he saw for sale, an article he’d never seen before. It
was a metal ashtray the bottom of which was made of cloth and filled with
sand. You could put this ashtray on the arm of a chair and it would stay
there quite firmly. The ashtray sold for a dollar.
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“They’d go over big in Milwaukee,
or anywhere else,” thought Epstein.
“I could sell them!” Being an experienced salesman, he located the manufacturers of this novel ashtray, and when he returned home he had brought
with him the exclusive sales rights for three states-rights which would remain
his so long as he could maintain a certain sales average.
Epstein decided to handle Milwaukee
himself, and to hire salesmen-on
commission-to
sell the ashtrays in the rest of his territory. He soon had
four salesmen selling the ashtrays for him. The ashtrays were selling like
hot cakes, and before long, he returned to New York, found several other
items he could sell, and made deals with their manufacturers.
He retired
a wealthy man.
The manufacturer’s
representative
is first and foremost a salesman, but
with one difference: he doesn’t have to do any selling himself; he hires
salesmen to do it for him. He collects what is called an “over-ride”
on their
commissions from the companies he represents. The salesman, for example,
may get a 10 percent commission, while the manufacturer’s
representative
gets 3 to 5 percent. In effect, he is a sales manager, but he is his own boss.
He may represent one or two companies, or a dozen.
You must be an experienced salesman to succeed in this highly profitable
business. If this describes you, it is just a matter of finding manufacturers
who do not have-but
who could profit by having-representation
in your
territory.
To get started, be on the lookout for new manufacturing firms. They spring
up almost every day and very often their sales are limited, initially, to the
area in which the plant is located. News of new companies may often be
found in such publications
as the Wall Street journal. A very good way to
find prospects is the one used by Harry Epstein: Go to a big industrial center
such as New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago and tour the stores. When you
find good items that are not for sale in your own area, it’s very likely that
the company has no salesmen there. You become their representative.
The important thing is to try to get different items that can be sold to the
same buyer; if, for instance, you find a good housewares item, look for further
housewares items. The more items in the same category a salesman has,
the better are his chances of getting orders per call.
Your chief capital investment may be the cost of a trip to find new merchandise and contact the manufacturers.
Aside from this, your initial costs
are nominal: letterheads, business cards, salesmen-wanted
ads-and,
if you
have no office, perhaps the rent for a hotel room to interview prospective
salesmen. (You actually don’t need an office; many highly successful
manufacturer’s
representatives
work out of their homes).
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How much you make depends upon how good you are at spotting prospective items, the size of your territory, what kind of deal you can get from
the manufacturers, and how lucky you are at securing good salesmen. There
are many manufacturer’s reps who NET two or three thousand dollars a week;
there are some who make ten times this and pile up sizable fortunes. The
money is there to be made.
Make and Sell Gold, Silver, and Diamond JewelryDouble Your Money Every 90 Days!
Gold, silver, and diamonds are constantly touted as the greatest investments
of all during economic hard times. I have advised my readers to consider
gold as a long-term investment and as a hedge against inflation. Profits can
be made on the short term if speculative investments are your bag.
Diamonds have risen some 700 percent in price over the past 30 years,
but their prices are determined
and created more than anything by the
DeBeers near-monopoly.
And, of course we saw what happened to silver
prices when Nelson Bunker Hunt and the government
manipulated
the
markets.
There is a much safer way to make a nice profit in gold, silver, and
diamonds. This is in re-marketing them. Looking at the current market for
gold bullion, for example, you can see that it takes a substantial investment
to buy a bar of gold. This blocks out millions of people who would like
to own a little gold themselves. How do you get around this high initial
investment?
Become a Manufacturing Jeweler
The answer is to become a manufacturer
of pure gold, silver, and diamond jewelry. You get gold bullion and divide each troy ounce into 2 pennyweights of pure gold (l/lOth of an ounce). Using the lost wax casting
technique, you produce 10 pure gold units in a shape and form of your
choice: a nugget, pyramid, luck symbol, etc. You mount them in a plastic
ball filled with mineral oil. This has two advantages: Pure gold is too soft
to be worn as jewelry, and the plastic ball magnifies the size of the ornament you have created.
Simple Marketing Plan
You use a very simple, no problem marketing plan. You make a deal with
local jewelers to sell your solid gold ornaments for a 33% mark-up, and
you leave the units on consignment.
The jeweler has no investment, and
makes a third of the retail price.
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Getting Cheap Gold
You can get your raw gold at half or less of the market price by buying
junk gold and reclaimed silver. Advertise in the same papers where you
buy old gold. (See Volume II of The Poor Man’s Way to Riches for details
on this). You pay to have the gold and silver refined, and use that as your
stock. You can buy inexpensive, but genuine diamonds precut from manufacturer’s found in Thomas’s Directory of Manufacturers.
For the moment, let’s concentrate on gold jewelry. You first buy five ounces
of gold (at today’s prices, about $500/ounce).
You create 50 pure gold ornaments that will sell for $132 each. That brings in a total of $88 gross to
you after the retailer’s profit. You gross $4,400 return. You allow $4 per
unit as cost of production, or $200 for casting, etc., which gives you $2,800
total cost. Your income from the gold deal is $1,600 profit. You can also
deduct the depreciation
on your equipment, and other business expenses.
You are paying for nothing to store the gold, and even if they don’t all sell,
you still have the gold at no marketing cost.
The Key to Success
Here is the secret of success in marketing this deal. Prepare a little booklet
to accompany each unit explaining that pure gold pays for itself. Show the
historic rise in the prices of gold, and tell the potential buyer that this unit
‘is pure gold, no alloys added. Include a certificate in the back with a
guaranteed buy-back at the spot price of gold. The purpose of the booklet
is to convince the buyer it is an investment and not just an adornment.
Of course if you obtain the junk gold for $1,400 per five ounces, and
each distributor
moved only 100 units every 90 days, then you will double
your money every 990 days. This can be repeated indefinitely
by securing
more jewelers to sell your ornaments.
There is one other point to this. If the government stops the public from
buying gold again, the established users of gold, such as manufacturing
jewelers, can still buy it.
It takes some hustle and some time, but this is one way you can turn gold,
silver, and diamonds into a genuine profit no matter what happens to their
prices.
It is not a difficult little venture to get into, nor is lost wax casting a difficult process to master, and you may even come up with some better
marketing ideas than those I offer here. The key to this program is to move
down into the market and let the little guy have a shot at owning some pure
gold.
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You can get information
on lost wax casting from Lortone, 2856 NW
Market St., Seattle, WA 98107; B. ladow and Sons, Inc., 53 W. 23rd St.,
New York, NY 10010. jewelers too/s and supplies, from William Dixon Co.,
752 Washington Avenue, Carlstadt, NJ 07072. Books include: jewelry Making for Fun and Profit, Helen Clegg and Mary Larom. New York, McKay,
1951; and inventive jewelry-Making,
Ramona Soldberg. New York, Van
Nostrand, 1972.
It’s Being Done
In case you think this idea is too far out to be worthwhile,
I can tell you
the big money promoters are out chasing the market now.
Not jewelry, but the same basic idea of making gold available in small
quantities is a proven money-maker. A company called Gold Standard Corporation, 1127 W. 41st St., Kansas City, Missouri 64111, is putting out a
coin they call ‘The Adam Smith Cold Ten Piece.’ It contains one tenth of
an ounce of pure gold. They sell it for premiums of 12% above spot gold
prices, and are touting it as a collector’s item, and they are selling them.
Another firm called Kennesaw Mint of Kennesaw, Georgia, is selling
privately minted silver coins for premiums of almost lOO%! And now South
Africa has started offering l/2, l/4 and l/lOth ounce sized Kruggerands. Some
mail-order firms are selling miniature gold-plated Kruggerands and copies
of other rare gold coins-many
made into necklaces.
Check out the next section, Smart Money Angles, and you’ll see a most
unusual way to market privately-minted
coins using a tax-credit inducement
for the buyer. Here is an idea that just might make you and your organization very rich.
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SECTION
TWO
SMART MONEY ANGLES
How to Get $17,000 Cash For Doing Almost Nothing
Golden Age Memorial Club. On the surface this may sound a little morbid,
but the benefits it provides at a time of need make it attractive to participants.
The purpose of the club is to provide a $1,000 cash benefit to the family
of any member who passes away. It is not to be confused with any type
of insurance plan. This is a private club that can be organized through factory workers, civic clubs, and so on.
Basically, a person can become a member for a fee of say $17. He pays
no dues of any kind but each time a fellow member of the club passes away
he contributes
$1.50 to the club. Until the 1,000 members are enrolled,
the initial membership fee of $17 is held in trust and returned if the membership cannot be completed. If any member passes away before the club is
completed, there will be no benefits paid, but, the membership fee is returned
to that individual.
So it is in the interest of each new member to help get other members
into the club as quickly as possible. Of course, when a member of a completed club passes away, a new member must be enrolled to take his place
in order for anyone else to receive the full $1,000 benefit.
The club organizers, (i.e. you), profit through the membership fee plus
the additional 50 cents paid over the cost of the $1,000 benefit paid. Thus,
you collect $17,000 free and clear upon enrollment of 1,000 members. Then
you make $500 each time a member dies.
Word-of-mouth
from other members who have an active interest in seeing the membership filled as quickly as possible will generate a lot of free
advertising and a lot of $17 fees. You might also wish to visit nursing homes
and obtain more members.
Additionally,
there is nothing to stop you from organizing several groups
of 1,000 members each. Every “club” brings you another $17,000 profit.
How to Recover and Sell Platinum
From Auto Catalytic Converters
There is a firm called, Gemini Industries, Inc., 2311
Santa Ana, CA 92705 (phone 714-250-4011)
which
tained in each automobile
converter. At this writing,
price is $495.OO/oz., and the price of palladium is
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South Pullman Street,
buys the catalyst conthe current platinum
$12O.OO/oz.
The process involves going to junk yards and buying their converters, cutting open the converter shell, and removing the catalyst. Most auto junk
yards don’t know how to sell these parts and you can normally buy them
cheaply. Gemini will not buy the stainless steel converter, but as scrap it
can be sold for about 10 cents per pound. There are three types of units:
Pellets, three-way pellets, and Honeycomb.
Pellets are mostly found in pre-1980 GM and American Motors vehicles.
The price for the pellets is $1.81/lb.
The three-way pellets are found in post-1980 GM and American Motors
vehicles with a price of $4.16/lb.
Honeycomb
units are mostly found in Ford, Chrysler and foreign autos
and have a price of $5.69/lb.
Gemini deals in minimum shipments of 1,000 pounds, and you are responsible for the shipping costs to get the unit to their conversion plant. For more
information,
write for an information
brochure to Gemini Industries, (address shown above).
Payment for a catalyst contained in catalytic converters is subject to weight
and assay verification
for platinum and palladium content. Gemini makes
settlement and 80% payment within one week upon receipt of the material
to their plant, and the balance is paid shortly thereafter.
If you live in anything other than a very small town, you should be able
to locate at least 100 wrecked autos with converters still attached. Nearby
towns should provide enough sources to fill your minimum 1,000 pound
shipment.
I would hire teen-agers to do the work of removing the converter and cutting the catalyst out of the stainless steel converter casing. Your job will be
to locate all the junk yards and negotiate for the purchase of the converters.
It’s easy to see that you could gross a hefty $1,050 from your first 1,000
Type A catalysts, and $3,650 from your first 1,000 pounds of Type B catalysts.
You certainly won’t get filthy rich from the first few sales, but then why
pass it up-it’s
a start. And who knows what price platinum will be selling
for in the next few years, or even by the time you read this. Incidentally,
for every $50 per ounce increase or decrease in the spot price of platinum,
add or subtract 30 cents per pound from the above catalyst prices.
Run For President-Get
Free Publicity for Your Business
One of the great American dreams is to become president of the U.S.A.
That is a most unlikely prospect, but anyone who is 35 years old, and a
native born American can run for president.
I have an idea here that will raise hell with the federal election bureaucracy,
and will get you all kinds of publicity (most of it bad) but all of it fun. The
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idea is to set up a service to nominate and provide detailed information
to
anyone who would like to be a presidential candidate. It costs nothing to
file for the office, but there are endless forms to fill out.
The idea is to provide anyone who wants to be a footnote in history, and
have actual proof that they were an official candidate for president. You
can sell them on the idea of how it will generate publicity and extra profits
for their business, or use the idea strictly to publicize your business.
You provide potential candidates with a filing service, send them some
buttons, posters, and cards with their name and picture on them as a presidential candidate, and give them the necessary instructions for filing the forms
required by the Federal Election Commission.
After they have filed, they have two options. They can stay in the campaign, and vote for themselves in the election. That vote will be recorded
in official election returns, or they can simply file, then notify the election
commission stating that they have terminated the campaign, thus avoiding
filling out any more forms.
Run ads: “If you are 35 years old, and a native born American, we’ll show
you how to become an official candidate for President of the United States.
We will nominate you, provide you with posters and buttons with your picture, and handle the initial paperwork. You vote for yourself, and become
a part of official presidential
history. Write for details.”
This will get you the response, and you send them the information.
You
can get full details on how to file, and the records needed from the Federal
Election Commission, 1325 K St., NW, Washington, DC 20463. Follow their
instructions
and you’ll be offering a legal service.
Once the word gets around that you are doing this, there will be all kinds
of publicity.
Most of the writers and politicians will say you are mocking
the office, causing the election commission great difficulty, exploiting our
system, etc.
The point is, the more they holler, the more people you’ll get interested.
I can see a guy who owns a tavern using it as a business builder, holding
a nominating
convention
for his customers and using your service to file
the winner. He gets posters, buttons, etc. All the customers wear them and
vote for him. You make money from the service, from selling the buttons
and posters, and you get national publicity.
I would do it myself if I had the time simply to show my contempt for
the politicians
of both parties, and for the federal government
in general.
I think you could have a ball, and possibly make a lot of money at it.
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Instant Mail-Order Profits With
A loan Application Filing Service
Several firms are raking in mail-order profits by operating a mail-order
loan service. The service consists simply of furnishing people who respond
to your advertising with five (5) loan application
forms which they fill out
and return to you.
When you receive the completed applications back, you then affix stamps
and mail the applications to five mail-order loan companies. Naturally, you
don’t reveal the names and addresses of the loan companies to your
customers.
The firms in this business run classified ads mentioning “loans available”
in varying amounts on their signature and receive loads of inquiries from
interested people. They generally charge $10 to $15 for the service.
People willingly
pay these small fees because they believe the loan service has access to lenders unknown to the customer, as they very well may
be. Some customers also assume that the filing service has some sort of “pull”
with the lending firm, as well.
There’s plenty of room to pick up a few thousand dollars by openly competing with the existing companies doing this. For an example of how they
make their presentation,
write to:
Worldwide
Financial
Systems, PO Box 27191,
Atlanta,
GA 30317.
You can locate names and addresses of mail-order lending firms in Volume
I of The Poor Man’s Way to Riches or in supermarket tabloids and other
magazines.
Start a Vacation Home Clearinghouse
A local publishing opportunity
is in presenting a catalog of vacation home
rentals. Vacationers pay $15 for the booklet which has photos and descriptions of homes for rent.
You also collect $35 or so from owners of houses and condos who pay
to have their places listed. Additional income can be garnered from restaurant,
souvenir shop, and tourist attraction ads included in the booklet.
If you don’t live in a vacation area, you can work a variation of this program by publishing
a photo book of apartments and homes for rent.
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SECTION
THREE
SMART MONEY INVESTMENTS
Save Your Pennies-A
Riskless Investment
Because of their two-sided value-as
currency and as a commoditypennies represent an ideal investment medium for small investors. There
is no minimum
investment, no expertise needed to acquire them, and no
commission
whatsoever to pay a broker.
Unlike a “dollar”
bill, pennies are made of a valuable industrial metalcopper-and
they have a meltdown value that is permanent and tangible.
It can only be boosted by inflation.
And, at the same time, pennies share an advantage with dollars in that
they are government-backed
legal tender; They will always be worth l/l 00th
of a dollar. Thus, however the economy fluctuates, they have an appreciation potential and only a slight downside risk.
Granted, you won’t earn interest or dividends, but then neither do you
with gold, silver, or diamonds. This is strictly a long-term investment opportunity, unless the U.S. gets into another war-then
prices could shoot up.
The United States’ one-cent coin weighs 48 grains based on the troy weight
system. With the exception of a period during World War II, the penny has
contained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc since 1864. Ten pennies
weigh a troy-ounce,
and since there are 12 troy-ounces to a troy-pound,
120 pennies weigh a pound.
Furthermore, there is a pound of copper in 150 pennies, which means
it would take $1.50 worth of melted pennies to get a pound of copper. You
would also have to pay melting costs (a few cents per pound) on top of the
$1.50 in order to convert the pennies for their copper content. Or, you could
sell your pennies to a scrap metal dealer, who, as a middleman, would build
melting costs and other overhead into whatever price he offered you for
your pennies.
Another factor is the likelihood that all pennies may be on the threshold
of exploding
in value. There is a real possibility that they will disappear
from circulation-at
least in their present form. This is because it now costs
the government about 3-l/2 cents to mint each penny, if you take into account
the cost of the coin’s metal, labor, and other overhead expenses. It is a losing
proposition,
and one on which federal budget-cutters
might well zero-in.
If so, the coins will take on collector value.
One fundamental factor is the role of the Soviet Union in the world copper
supply. The Soviets currently produce about as much copper as they consume, and their demand is bound to increase.
Meanwhile,
the United States may also be running low on fresh sources
of copper to meet our burgeoning needs. The federal government has studied
the situation in strategic and critical metals for its stock-pile, and has decided
to buy, at some unannounced
future date, 1.2 million tons of copper for
the national defense stockpile.
Of course, for the moment at least, Canadian pennies have more copper
content than American pennies and your money will buy more because of
the exchange. However, they are planning to “dilute”
the copper content
very soon because of increasing prices.
The question is, how much should be hoarded, and what should you do
with the rolls of pennies?
I would recommend that you set aside a $20 week “hoarding”
goal for
yourself, if you can afford it, and continue as such until the government
cancels the penny from circulation
or they disappear because of coin
meltdowns or hoarding. You should store the pennies in bank wrappers and
place about $20 to $30 worth in a strong plastic bag so your hoard will
be manageable. The bags should be stored in a basement or other ground
floor installation-they
could cause a ceiling to collapse if stored improperly
due to their weight.
“You Better Save Your Confederate Money, Boy!”
After nearly 120 years of bad jokes about Confederate money, the South
is at last having the last laugh. Confederate money and bonds are increasing in value at the rate of about 20 percent a year, which is about the same
rate that the American dollar is decreasing.
As a result, even the most commonplace
bill now brings $2, while the
most valuable will command in excess of $25,000. Other notes and bonds
fill the range in between $50 and $500 apiece, depending on their rarity
and demand.
The Confederate States of America (CSA), in the span of four years, issued
some $2 billion in bills and another billion in bonds. Since many private
printers handled the currency work, there are literally scores of variations
of each bill denomination,
from $1 to $1,000. Standard bonds were sold
for amounts from $100 to $100,000.
Although there are many variables in pricing and trading the currency,
the single most important is supply and demand, with the money taking
precedence in popularity
and value over the bonds.
Generally, those notes commissioned when the capital of the Confederacy
was in Montgomery,
Alabama,(during
the first year of the war in 1861), are
more valuable because there are fewer of them.
The denomination
of the note, except for one identifying mark, has little
to do with the collector’s value. So a $5 bill printed by Hoyer and Ludwig
of Richmond, with an engraving of some Blacks loading cotton, brings over
$1,100 if it’s in good condition. Meanwhile, a $500 note printed by Keatinge
and Ball of Columbia,
SC, and picturing Gen. “Stonewall”
Jackson only
draws about $13.
The CSA issued several lines of fractional paper money, but again, because
of inflation, they had no need to print anything smaller that 50 cent notes.
At one point in the war, the CSA treasury authorized a mint to coin prototype 50 cent pieces out of silver, but decided against issuing the coin since
“hard money” was being hoarded.