TEN GREAT WAYS TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY BY
BY
AVRIL HARPER
PREPARING CURRICULUM VITAE
This rather ominous-sounding title may at first seem a little off-putting,
and I wouldn't blame anyone tempted to skip this section in favour of
more familiar sounding business ventures. But think again, for here we
have an excellent opportunity to make up to £25 each time a conversation
take place with the potential customer, and the details of that conversation
are put to paper.
A curriculum vitae is nothing more than the biographical details, both
personal and career related, of persons wishing to change jobs or seek
advancement, training, and virtually any other change within their working
lives, which necessitates them giving interviewers, employers, and college
heads, sufficient details to make a full and accurate assessment of the
candidate.
At one time the humble application form was the order of the day requiring
one to neatly present personal data in little boxes on the employer's,
or whoever's individual forms.
Forms presented several problems, not the least being that their designer,
who like the rest of us are not infallible, often asked ambiguous questions,
or else allowed no space on the form for the inclusion of information
which those labouring over it considered of vital importance. In the
latter case the astute applicant would add a typed or hand-written addendum
to the form before submission. On too many occasions though, even the
experienced applicant could be left with that niggling feeling of, albeit
inadvertently, answering a question 'not quite adequately' or wishing
that extra space had been available to include more detailed information.
Here the curriculum vitae comes to the rescue, offering the candidate the
facility to include in the application, all of those details which he and
the intended recipient feel necessary for a fair assessment to be made.
It contains therefore all of the information required on a standard
application form and those additional points peculiar to the individual
applicant. But how does the inexperienced applicant or those with
insufficient time or inadequate facilities, go about the task of preparing
this rather ostentatiously named document in a neat, orderly and
professional manner? The answer is - they don't! They get someone
more experienced to prepare the document on their behalf!
This service, much needed in today's competitive job and education markets,
has led t the emergence of many specialist 'C V' enterprises. Fees range
from £25 to £40 and more, and all for what essentially amounts to handing
over a few copies of a short document.
Some offer the document in a 'designer' folder, often with the customer's
name gold-leafed on the front. 'Very nice' you might think and yes it
is - also very expensive, and to my mind unnecessary. The documents will
not be forwarded to the employer in their glamorous cases, and surely,
the more costs are kept to a minimum, whilst still providing a reliable
and accurate service, the more competitive will be the price asked of the
customer and the more customers will thereby be attracted.
The person who decides to enter this lucrative business must of necessity
have two prime qualifications: an ability to put his or her customers at
ease as personal details are elicited as fully and accurately as is
possible, and, access to a good typewriter or if possible one of the
most ingenious and invaluable inventions of our time, a word processor.
The document must be presented in typewritten form, but whereas even
the most accurate of typists, working with the best of typewriters,
will inevitably be tempted to cover up one or two odd mistakes with
that old favourite 'The Corrector Fluid', a word processor allows all
errors and amendments to be made before the document ever appears in
print. The end result is professional, and in the vast majority of
cases, completely free of typing and spelling errors.
RESEARCHING FAMILY TREES
Recent years have seen the emergence of a great interest in our heritage.
More and more people are interested in discovering their roots although
not necessarily, as some mockingly suggest, to discover possible family
fortunes, or hidden links with royal house, thereby allowing them to claim
the titles they always felt rightly to be theirs. As memories fade or the
older of our relatives die, essential information is often lost for ever.
Or is it?
In Government records, Parish registers, graveyards, and in many other
places there are segments of information which when located, and pieced
together, offer an extremely accurate and interesting profile of one's
family history.
Here a problem presents itself which precludes many a man or woman from
researching his or her family history - time in many of our lives is a
valuable commodity, and other demands allow insufficient time to undertake
the painstaking research which might of necessity take us to the far ends
of the country, even the world.
For a specialist researcher, several histories may be researched during
one trip to the appropriate archives or whatever, and since he or she
will be paid for hours worked, there will be little worry over long
hours researching, with not bean to show for it. Because costs can
rise alarmingly due to these fruitless hours searching for marriages
or births that have been inaccurately recorded by those before us, it
is advisable to keep the customer informed of the progress made on his
behalf, and inform him or her that further research is likely to be
time-consuming and subsequently expensive. He or she may then by
content to accept what you already have discovered. In the vast
majority of cases it is relatively quick and easy to accurately
present the details of the previous couple of centuries since official
records were made mandatory. For many people, the information you
already have will prove adequate.
The end product should be presented attractively and in an easy to
understand way, perhaps with a family tree format, to guide the customer
trough the maze of dozens of forebears who often bore common ancestral
names through several generations.
YOU NAME IT
Recently, I came by a business which would not have surprised me to
discover had been started by a consumer competitions addict, but I sadly
have no evidence to support this deduction.
The business concerned was the invention of names for all manner of
businesses. Slogan creating skills were much in evidence in the shape
of a neat play on words, or use of those double-meaning words and phrases
which play such a big part in the life of the ardent competitor.
The price for creating these names was something in the region of œ14,000
a time. Now I'm not suggesting you set out immediately to compete
nationally with the firm concerned, but just think what opportunities
await you at a local level.
There are openings too for anyone who can provide slogans for delivery
vans and business premises, perhaps even for the firm's advertising
literature. My local florist and greengrocer bears the name
'Bloom n' Fruit'; another is 'Top of the Crops'. The latter was my
suggestion in a competition to name the shop, but sadly someone bet me
to the post with an identical suggestion. This is a business idea
currently in its infancy and well worth exploiting by someone with a
good feel for words.
INVENT-A-GAME
The creator of 'Monopoly' can surely not have suspected what a massive
cult following his brainchild would attract. Professor Rubik too, must
have been ore than a little pleased with the enthusiasm that greeted his
famous cube and Trivial Pursuits, it is sail, created almost instant
wealth for its creators.
Look at the above examples of extremely popular games and pastimes and
it should strike you that they all have one thing in common - each and
every one possesses that most unique of qualities, in the shape of
uniqueness itself! Look into any toys, hobbies or pastimes shop and
you'll find masses of games much akin to the admittedly, ever-popular,
Snakes and Ladders and Ludo. But once you've played one you've played
them all, and it's unlikely that any new game of a similar nature will
attract more than a passing interest, and this will reflect itself in
the relatively modest rewards the creator is likely to achieve.
Create something different as did the brains behind Trivial Pursuit,
and that maddeningly frustrating cube, and you could be onto one of
the biggest money-spinners ever to force its welcome advances onto a
population with much more leisure time at its disposal than ever before.
CHERISHED CAR NUMBERS
This is the re-name of what once were called 'private plates', and the
term usually refers to all of those vehicle registration number that
either have no year of registration letter, or else forms a combination
of letters and numbers, which when read, convey some message, or resembles
to a great or lesser extent, some familiar word or name. Sometimes though,
the letter indicating the year of registration can form an essential part
o the message or name suggested. For example, a car I see regularly
bears the registration 'JEN 1F' - clearly the property of someone named
'Jennifer'.
My dentist has two private plates, each bearing a group of letters highly
appropriate to his profession, namely: 'JAB' and 'GUM'. The comedian Jimmy
Tarbuck is the owner of 'COM 1C' and magician Paul Daniels flits around
town flaunting his own 'MAG 1C'.
Recent auctions of numbers by the Government, where extremely high
prices were paid for sometimes not too obvious combinations, must be
enough to convince you of the massive profits that are made every day
by leading dealers in the field. Even one sale can yield several thousands
of pounds, and the procedure for transferring the plate from the donor
vehicle to the recipient is fairly straight forward.
Rules are however set down by the Government and include such as the
requirement that the donor vehicle must have been taxed, tested etc.,
within a set period. Obviously those seeking a slice of the tempting
profits to be made must obtain these rules before undertaking any
transactions. Contact your local vehicle licensing department to vail
yourself of these easy to understand regulations.
Many local or part-time dealers in cherished numbers buy their stock via
local papers, either from advertisements placed themselves, or by the
intending seller. The buyer can then decide whether to resell the
plate privately, or else offer it to one of the national dealers who
advertise in such as 'Motoring Exchange and Mart'.
Even hanging on to a plate for several years will result in an investment
return that would batter the Building Societies' rates into submission.
A few years ago I saw the plate 'AH 4', something that would have been
highly suited to my name, and bearing the low number '4', it would invite
a much higher price that would say the number '100'. Its asking price
was in the region of œ3500, but sadly though more than a little tempted,
I didn't buy it. About five years later it was advertised for sale again,
at a much, much higher figure, and since it was advertised for only a
short period, I must assume that it sold. Today I see 'AH 50', a much
less desirable combination, with a price tag of œ13,000, and I agonise
over just how much that 'AH 4' is currently worth.
WHEN WORDS ARE SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH
Despite what we say to the contrary, most of us are sentimentalists at
heart, and here we have a trait which when capitalised upon, has created
highly successful businesses or those who have simply come up with a
unique or sufficiently different way of pandering to our afflictions.
Baby's first shoes can be preserved for ever in a coating of gold, silver
or bronze, thereby sealing those cherished memories of the owner's first
tottering steps for doting grans and grandads.
Every Valentine's Day finds a rush of firms offering Heart-shaped this,
that and the other, with which to woo the recipient of an overt and often
eccentric means by which to convey undying love.
Messages trail most conspicuously, on long, bright and highly noticeable
streamers behind the tail of a suitable noisy light aircraft.
'Teddy' in the shape of an individually dressed bear, can be delivered
almost anywhere, usually at very little notice. The message printed on
his sash will accomplish more than any gift card could ever dare to hope.
Champagne and baskets of 'not on my wage' goodies can be delivered to
the recipient's door, and almost every service offered can be individually
tailored to reflect the occasion. Silver weddings, 21st birthdays and
the birth of a baby are but a few.
Wedding cushions on which the rings are proudly displayed for blessing
and subsequent presentation, are neatly and lavishly embroidered in pastel
silks and tassels. The bride has a souvenir to cherish for ever, and the
skilled needle smith finds his or her bank balance suitable inflated.
I've seen to, the chance to have hand embroidered the wedding table
cloth upon which the guests have placed their signatures.
In a recent crafts magazine I find the offer of embroidery and needlepoint
kits, specially created from photographs the customer provides. Our dogs
and children at their most appealing can be recorded on cloth or canvas
for ever. This I must confess is something I could not resist, and when
time allows, my precious boxer dog, sadly no longer with me, will gaze
down at me from the space I will clear above our fireplace, for the
embroidered replica of her.
These examples, and I apologise for including so many but I have actually
barely touched the surface, must surely convince you of the potential
goldmine out there, for anyone who can dream up an idea to compete with
or better those services already available.
HOW TO DO THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER
Advice they say, is free. But I personally doubt this oft-quoted
statement, if the frequency with which new information guides spring
up is anything to go by. For anything from one to ten pounds, sometimes
more, you can learn exactly how to:
Avoid paying your debts
Get Rich Quick
Live and Work Abroad
Make Your own Cosmetics
and,
Unlock the Secret Power of your Mind
Imagine the profits you could make by selling a hundred or so guides
each week. Relatively inexpensive to produce, a good guide can have
customers clamouring for copies, sometimes at a profit of several thousand
per cent. You'll not I said 'good', and here the secret lies. Offer the
same manual as your competitors and you'll share the potential profits
with them. Offer something different, hopefully unique, and the market
is yours, as is the decision as to what price your guide will command.
I see one of the larger suppliers of business and self-improvement guides
offers, they boast, the only typewriter art manual on the market.
Very good it looks too, but how like y luck to find this manual, now
that I have no time to make designs on my typewriter, instead of twenty
years ago when I scoured the shops for this exact information.
Opportunity never knocks twice, so if you have access to information
which is currently not easily available, then write it up, have it neatly
typed, photocopies, and marketed in appropriate specialist magazines,
or in such as 'Exchange and Mart'.
As a keen entrant of consumer competitions with many years experience,
I realised that short of buying or borrowing copies of the many available
listings and dictionaries of clichés, well-known sayings, proverbs and
so on, there was no effortless way to avail oneself of this information
which so readily lends itself to the all-important task of creating
slogans.
I set out initially to pull together all of the relevant information and
incorporate it into one volume for my personal use, but ended up with
something so useful, I decided to advertise my 'Word master' in 'Competitors
Journal'. Now I do so regularly, and recoup handsome dividends for my
initial efforts.
I can almost her some of the complaints of 'never written anything for
years - not since I left school in fact'. This however is the very least
of your worries. If you know your subject and can write it up in a manner
that conveys it simply and clearly to the reader, then it makes not one
iota of difference that your grammar might not satisfy the Examining Board
of some high level English examination. You are selling information and
guidance, and that is all your readers require. Errors in your
presentation will be swallowed up in the value of the information
you impart.
When you've collected your facts and written them up, put the whole
thing to one side for a week or so and then read your work again.
This is the time when ambiguities and errors will show themselves and
allow you to make the necessary amendments. Of course if you have
the opportunity, and modesty allows, ask a friend or relative to read
what you have written and ask for their uncensored, constructive
comments and criticisms.
Then with one guide neatly tucked under your belt, get the drawing board
back out, think what else you have to offer or else could adequately
discover, and start all over again.
COME AND JOIN US
Rapidly growing towns and cities, and the need for many young people to
leave home in search of jobs, undoubtedly contribute to the feelings of
isolation and loneliness many people experience in their daily lives.
'Lonely in a crowd' they say, a term that very accurately describes the
inability of some individuals to find friends, or for small
special-interest groups to evolve from amongst millions of people in
the swirling streets of the bigger towns and cities.
Some mechanism is needed to facilitate the coming together of the
thousands of currently isolated individuals who share a common need
or interest. This is where the astute business person comes into play,
capitalising upon a much needed introductory service which can offer
extremely high rewards, for often little outlay, and relatively short
working hours.
This middleman co-ordinates, collates and acts as the link between
members and subscription holders of whatever club, society or group is
involved. Interested parties initially do nothing more than contact
the 'leader', who then pulls together the details of all clients; often
the names are listed and distributed to all other members, or else a
sub-group, within the overall membership. The co-ordinator normally
undertakes all business by mail, sometimes never meeting any of his clients.
The list he circulates is updated at regular intervals and necessary
amendments made, with a summary or a completely fresh list being forwarded
to all clients. Fees charged for the service are normally made on an
annual basis.
Many Pen Pal services operate in this way, as does the Collectors' group,
The Ephemera Society with its constantly updated register of members,
who are then free to contact any whose collecting or business interests
coincide or complement one another.
Sometimes a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly newsletter is forwarded to
all clients, as is the case in many Collectors' Societies, and such
as the many clubs which cater for the needs of those of us with an
interest in consumer competitions, allowing us to correspond with fellow
competitors for the sharing of news, views, advice and the all-important
entry form.
The newsletter itself might be another lucrative proposition and can even
achieve independent status. Some clients have no need to contact others
of a similar disposition, and find their needs adequately fulfilled via a
good and informative newsletter. Whether articles are introduced into
the publication is entirely for you or the needs of the group to decide.
What a good newsletter and a profitable one needs, amongst other things,
are such as a Diary of Events, update of the club scene in general, and
advertisements from clients or other suitable sources.
Loneliness as mentioned earlier might be the motivating factor in the
formation of many groups. Sometimes the gathering consists of business
people or those seeking opportunities to earn or learn, and so on, but
without any positive intention to meet or correspond with their counterparts.
Some magazines therefore co-ordinate activities or publications which
serve to identify many of the business opportunities currently available
or perhaps firms needing homeworkers.
A good example of one set up to list activities rather than individuals
is a new business venture I recently came by. Thousands of people up
and down the country make their living at the car boot sales, never
knowing what opportunities for buying and selling exist in other parts
of the country. A newsletter now carries details of other venues,
thereby eliminating the need to carry out extensive investigations to
discover new opportunities for oneself. It also carries very informative
articles on the 'finds' one can make in the course of buying and
selling everyday items. Perhaps its biggest advantage though, is that
it takes advertisements from nation-wide dealers and lists their special
requirements. Obviously by selling directly to them, the everyday car
boot trader can make a handsome profit without waiting for the next
venue to materialise, and without the need to guess as to the likely
value of those items about which he really has very little knowledge.
The newsletter itself consists of about 24 pages and sells at 50p, a
very small price to pay for the wealth of information it contains.
Advertising revenue will increase the profits for the producer of this
publication. When you think of the number of traders who will benefit
from subscribing to this service I'm sure you'll agree the potential
profits are enormous. How about trying a similar thing amongst the
antiques and collectors' fair in your area.
LIST SELLING
This is one big business proposition that requires an absolute minimum
of capital but nevertheless offers extremely high rewards in the process.
'It's not what you know that counts, it's who you know' or so they say.
In the business world this is undoubtedly true. Some firms survive very
nicely from dealings only with 'passing trade', or with customers drawn
as a result of effective local advertising campaigns. Many firms though,
and primarily those with no obvious premises for attracting the customer,
depend heavily upon postal contacts to sustain an adequate level of trade.
In this category we find mail order traders and those dealing in
specialised products for particular sections of the public. There are
also those firms for whom business premises might by wholly unnecessary,
perhaps because they operate in short-term undertakings, as would be the
case for someone seeking to rent out sale and promotion spaces at once-off
exhibition. What these businesses need above all else are lists - lists
of potential customers who might otherwise remain unaware of their existence.
Having acquired this list of potential customers they themselves contact
the firms and individuals concerned, in contrast to normal business
procedures where it is usually the customer who arranges to approach
the seller or service industry of his choice.
For firms requiring these contacts, the task of compiling lists for
themselves would no doubt be so arduous and time-consuming a task as
to leave little or no time for normal business obligations.
The specialist list supplier therefore collects or co-ordinates all of
the necessary information, and either sells his list outright, or hires
the addresses out for once-off use only.
But it's not just potential business customers who can be contacted by
means of a suitable list. Addresses can be similarly provided for:
Private individuals requiring set services and products
Specific businesses eg. undertakers, grocers, hotels
Schools
Persons involved in particular sports or hobbies.
Craftspeople
Those of a particular profession
I have seen recently the offer to sell or rent lists of persons who take
an active interest in consumer competitions, those who collect ephemera
and books, stamp collectors, even those interested in being placed in
contact with pen pals.
The person involved in the Mailing List Business can compile lists from
scratch, (a time consuming exercise), or else he or se can act as the
middleman or woman for other people's lists, renting the list in at one
price and subsequently renting it out at another, obviously higher price.
The middle man or broker often buys or rents many very large lists, then
splits them for hiring or sale to firms who would not be able to afford,
or would simply not be interested in the larger list.
Ideally the names and addresses are offered on self-adhesive labels to
facilitate easier usage by the ultimate user, and also to lessen the
temptation to use a rented list more than once, thereby breaking the
conditions upon which it is rented.
Lists should be kept 'clean', that is, free of people no longer living
at the stated address, or perhaps no longer an interested member of
that group the list represents. This can be done by making frequent
mailings yourself, or else by analysing the results of someone else
using the list, and removing from the list all letters returned as
'gone away' or whatever.
Prices vary greatly for these lists and it is not unusual to sell or
rent the same list several times each year at a price ranging from
œ25 - œ125 or more each time. Very nice!
GIMMICKS AND SEASONAL ITEMS
In a previous section we considered the sometimes vast profits that
can be made by those pandering to the whims of the incurably romantic.
Teddy bears and balloons winging their way to all parts of the world
are only two of the many unique ways to convey the everyday greeting
in a truly unforgettable way, and one that will ensure the messages will
not go unnoticed in the mass of traditional cards the lucky recipient
will be inundated with.
A similar idea exists in the business of providing gimmicky or suitably
original goods and services, which tough not necessarily linked to the
conveyance of the greetings message, still provide something just that
little bit different with which to celebrate the many festivities and
special days throughout the year.
Mother's Day sees a wealth of mugs and plates, suitably inscribed to
make the heart of any mother melt when confronted with words she never
hears via the lips of her offspring. Mugs and plates though, are a much
overdone medium. Anyone who can think of something different, and market
the idea on a national or local basis, could well find his or her profits
for this one celebration sufficient to finance life's little luxuries for
the coming year.
I heard of one man who, gaining access to a word processor which enables
the operator to insert words into set spaces in a standard text, used
this facility to create Christmas Story books incorporating the names
of his customers' children, their brothers and sisters, pets,
school friends and hobbies, thereby offering a highly personal and
supremely individual gift idea. I doubt it you'll find anything
remotely as captivating for the child in your life in any High Street
store. Brilliant idea, and since I see his advertisement every year
as Christmas approaches, I must assume it's highly profitable one to boot.
This type of business proposition is one with which the originator
could well corner the market, and if sufficiently different and attractive
it may well be one that should be marketed nationally.
Think of all of the other festivities and occasions you could cater for.
Christmas of course is perhaps the most profitable time to channel your
efforts towards, but don't forget the vast potential of birthdays,
Easter, New Year, Father's Day, Valentine's Day - a great opportunity
for the slushier and even gimmicky propositions you might have in mind.
Different ways of saying 'Good Luck' on passing an examination or a
driving test, a more personal means of conveying a 'Thank You' than
is offered via the cards and flowers, are but a few of the other
messages your service could cater for. And can you think of something
to take over from those pink or blue pot creations and their everlasting
flowers, with which to mark the importance of the birth of a new baby?
You can? Great!