Believe
it or not, bulletin boards actually work as traffic
builders
for just about any small business.
They
serve to enhance the community relations image of a business,
and
the space required to locate a bulletin board can be written
off
as a tax deduction when listed as advertising or public
relations
expense.
People
use these "business provided" bulletin boards to advertise
things
they want to sell, home-based businesses, and whatever they
might
want to trade for or buy.
Then,
they come back, sometimes morning, noon and evening
every
day, to check on them, or to see who else has an announcement
posted.
Each
time they come into the business owner's store or shop, they
may
not feel an obligation to buy something, but of course the
business
owner has the opportunity to sell them something.
Just
about anyone can organise a route of bulletin boards; charge
the
advertisers a small monthly fee; keep them up to date and neat
(which
will make the business owner happy), and make some really
easy
money in the whole process.
The
first step is to contact as many businesses in your area as
possible.
Grocery
stores, drugstores, barber shops, beauty salons, service
stations,
quick print shops, rental shops, mobile home parks,
shopping
centres, apartment complexes, which have foyers or
recreation
rooms - the list is endless.
Sell
them the idea of allowing you to install and maintain a
bulletin
board service for them.
Emphasize
the community service, the tax write-off, and the fact
that
you'll keep it neat.
When
you get ten or more signed to allow you to install a bulletin
board,
you're ready to start making your boards.
The
best plan (and of course the most economical) is to make your
own.
Cut
a piece of corkboard 3 feet by 4 feet, mount a 3/4 by 11/2
inch
frame around the edge, and cover this frame with a 3 foot by
4
foot piece of plastic.
Mount
the plastic with hinges at the top and a hasp at the bottom.
On
the back of the corkboard, install a couple of hooks for
hanging
it, and you're ready to go.
Make
up a sign - you can even type it out and use it as another
bulletin
announcement - something like this;
CITY-WIDE
BULLETIN BOARD SERVICES!
Your
announcement or advertisement displayed here
for only $5 per
month! For more information call 123456
Put
up your sign or announcement on each of your bulletin boards,
lock
them up, and install them in all your locations.
Ten
such signs with only 50 announcements per bulletin board
should
bring you an easy $500 per month.
When
you put an announcement from the same person up on more than
one
board, charge them $5 per month for each announcement on each
bulletin
board.
And
one other thing: the date of "run of display" ends should be
marked
on each announcement you put up on each of your bulletin
boards.
In
all likelihood, you'll have people waiting for space on your
bulletin
boards.
Keeping
records should be very simple and easy.
Start
with a loose leaf notebook, blank paper and a couple of
packages
of 3 by 5 cards. In your notebook, write
down the date,
the
amount of money and the number of announcements on display,
and
the contract number and expiration date of each control, and
the
location of the bulletin boards that particular announcement
is
on.
Arrange
the cards in chronological order according to expiration
date,
and file them in a storage box.
Once
you get rolling, you shouldn't have to service your bulletin
boards
more than once a week, and as more people see them, more
businesses
will want you to put one in their business location,
and
more people want to display an announcement.
Simple,
easy, and a real money maker for you.
This
kind of business is what the newspapers like to write about,
and
the local TV and radio stations like to carry as news of what
people
in their areas are doing as entrepreneurs.
So
take the feature editors out to lunch, make friends with them,
and
push for all the free publicity you can get.
That's
the plan.
It's
simple, easy, and depending upon the population density of
your
area, it could very well be the very thing you've been
looking
for to supply you an extra income.
It
demands little investment, not much of your time, and no
special
training or education.
But,
as with any other business venture, it takes action on your
part.
You
must get out there and set it up, and work at it being a
success
for you!
It's
really up to you and I wish you success in it!
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