Books:

Discovered! 505
Odd Enterprises

Hidden Dollars

How to Make
Money at Home

Small Business
of Your Own

You Can Own
a Business

For instance, anyone selling an asthma remedy makes a contract with this company. The former turn over their enclosures, envelopes, etc. and the rest of the mailing is taken care of by the Medical Mailing List Company.

Anyone at all familiar with "mailing lists" knows the value of names that aren't worked to death. The reason the Medical Mailing List Company does not give out their names to a buyer of their list is because others selling asthma remedies get a hold of this list and in a year's time it becomes practically worthless. The client who purchases their list of asthma sufferers doesn't even see the names. He knows, however, he has an excellent mailing list when it's guarded so closely.

There's a fine mail order business awaiting the person who specializes in select mailing lists, especially if the list enterprise were to be conducted on the same basis as the Medical Mailing List Company.

To do this with as little cost as possible one would have to advertise for a particular list, i.e. agents, book buyers, mechanics, arthritis sufferers, etc. in mediums where the cost of each inquiry wouldn't be so great. A booklet could be offered for a dime to cover cost of mailing on some pertinent subject that deals directly with the inquirer. A few insertions in low-cost mediums should start the names pouring in. The names should be segregated and placed on file.

When selling these names to mail order firms who have use for them, mention the fact these are original inquiry names. They could be sold outright, rented or sold the same way as the Medical Mailing List Company. The latter is the most profitable, in view of the higher rates per thousand names that could be charged for an exclusive list like that.

Rented letters soon grow "cold" after a year's time and when the demand for your names ceases to exist, the list is ready to be scrapped. You can see the value of the afore-mentioned company's method of selling their specialized lists. Another method would be to sell your inquiry names to about 10 advertisers on a subscription basis, every two weeks splitting the cost by one tenth of the average cost per inquiry, plus your commission.

Radio program inquiry letters are unusually good inquiries. If you can get a small part of the thousands of letters sent annually to a few radio stations, a profitable mailing list enterprise might result. One Ohio man, past the prime of life, found a way to make a livelihood from his home by selling such names. Through a friend he received permission to take over the thousands of letters received from all over the country on the strength of the broadcast sponsored. He lost no time in sending out form letters to mail order firms, offering copies of the list for one cent a name. His business soon prospered.

One Chicago firm has an exclusive service mailing postcards only. They also print the postcards in large sheets made to order for their clients. They're designed in a manner that they are inquiry cards. Still others are made asking direct sales right from the postcard. The usual order is approximately 20,000 pieces at $2 per thousand.

Many Business Reply Cards can be enclosed in one third-class envelope. A mailing like this is highly profitable for all parties, as well as the mailer. The prospect receives many different cards, and each one may be a postal reply card. He can select the reply cards offering deals in which he might be interested, and mail them to the firm for additional details.

SELLING CROPS OF SLEEPING FLIES—197
A mushroom raiser found out that the "pesky" flies that gathered around his manure-fertilized beds could be turned into a profitable side-line income.

Anyhow, the mushroom raiser was in a dither over his fly predicament and went to an industrial engineer, seeking prevention or control. The engineer installed a suction fan which drew the air and flies over refrigerating coils. The latter chilled the flies which were then dropped in their dormant state into large, waiting milk cans. When the cans were filled they were sold to frog raisers who immersed the flies in a brine solution, again rendering them in a state of coma. Live flies are good eating for frogs.

The lesson here is that even a near-calamity can be converted into a profitable side-line income. Files are a menace at any time . . . but not to this mushroom raiser!

THE TRAVELING NURSEMAID—198
Hotel life isn't an ideal life for children, yet many families live in hotels winter and summer long. Some hotels, when they can entrust the care of children to a responsible person, are willing to lend this extra "service" to hotel patrons with small children.

Women seeking an ideal job in beautiful surroundings should contact managers of hotels who would like to install this added service. Written or personal contacts (or both) should be made.

Too, vacationists come to swanky hotels with their children. It would be an added burden to keep a regular employee doing this type of work when many months out of the year there would be no work in this child catering service…a job that would take in a multitude of tasks for the benefit of the little patron. This would afford an opportunity to travel, working in one hotel during the summer and another in the winter, in a different section of the country.

Once a woman gets herself established in this line of work, many hotels would seek her services.

GREENBACK SELLING—199-200
There's a restaurant in Mississippi whose ceiling is a solid mass of hanging bills…a greenback ceiling. It's a custom started some time ago by a patron who was so pleased with his meal he attached a bill to the ceiling with his name on it. A reservation for a future meal in an excellent eatery!

Here's a combination of showmanship and good food that does the proprietor no harm. People come from far and wide to eat in the place where the ceiling is lined with hanging bills.

Folks also came from miles around to patronize another man's ingenious Cafe. Here we find long rows of "personal" bottles of catsups and sauces. Many different brands and kinds. Each one a special favorite of one certain customer! The customer's name was on the label and the whole idea was carried out in much the same way as the old time barber shops used to handle the "personal" shaving mugs for their customers. Such showmanship could easily lead to "personal" glasses and cups for the use of one customer only. His name could appear on each separate piece. Favorite jams and jellies could be added to the rows of special sauces, etc.

BOARDING SCHOOL FOR FELINES—201
There's a boarding school for kittens in California which grossed $700 monthly for the young woman who operated it. High-spirited kittens are taken in for movie stars and vacationists. They're returned to the owners after a month's course in manners.

The kittens are given a regular training when they are three weeks old. They are taught various tricks like jumping through a hoop, sitting up, shaking paws, playing toy pianos, and swinging away on a tiny swing.

After a hard day's work the kittens retire to separate back-yard bungalows. Soothing symphony music is played for them by their trainer.

It wouldn't be difficult to start such a service near an exclusive residential section in your city. Many homes would like to have kittens but hesitate to do so for many obvious reasons. One of them may be baby at home. An unruly kitten may injure the child. But a trained kitten is an adorable house pet. And the trainee could charge $15 a month to house and train each kitten for its owner. Advertising or a well-written personal letter ought to bring in some very good clients.

CABINET ADS—202
Some Government Bureaus use glass-enclosed cabinets for news and lists. But one man made several of these cabinets for advertising purposes.

With the help of a go-getting youth, advertising was secured at so much per word. Merchants were eager to try this novelty in advertising. The cabinets were placed at vantage points around the city and soon became the talk of ad-conscious merchants. It wasn't long before he had 50 cabinets all over the county…and each one of them an inexpensive money-maker.

EDITING OR CO-PUBLISHING A "HOUSE ORGAN"—203
House organs, publications edited and published by, let us say, the automotive field or airplane industry, are usually restricted to just such huge concerns. The House organ contains advertising and reading material directly or indirectly associated with the industry publishing a newspaper or magazine of this type. It's quite an expensive proposition. That's one reason the smaller business houses don't go in for House organs, despite the fact they'd like to publish one very much.

One clever man did a little research on House Organs and decided he was going to edit one or more for the smaller concerns in his city. He didn't go to the ones that already had a publication of this type. He went to those that didn't and outlined his plan to them.

He fired facts and figures at his prospects, showing them how they could benefit by hiring him to publish a house organ for them. One firm accepted and that was a start. He also kept control of the publication by publishing it himself. In this manner he had a free hand in selling non-conflicting advertising to other firms in the vicinity.

However, why can't a House Organ be co-published along the lines of the small trade magazines in the mail order field? Let's take the Electrical field to see how a plan like this would work out:

Each small firm in this field could co-publish a house organ, taking charge of the distribution of the publication in their particular territory. The cover page could have their name and address on it, or even an individual cover for that matter. The cost of publishing a house organ in this manner would certainly be cut down to a minimum. The smaller firms could have a publication as good and even better than the huge concerns, with a tenth of the money it would cost them to publish a house organ themselves.

The inside pages of an organ like this would contain the activities of 50 or more dealers in the electrical field all over the country. They could have their own ads and own gossip, news, pictures, etc. in the co-published organ. Distributed locally, it would look as though the local firm published the magazine. It would bring in more business, create more interest in the customer as well as the employee field. Each house would receive a fair share of the house organ's pages. One can see that probably for the first time in their lives, many small businesses would be proud "owners" of a house organ that reached thousands of local people, not to mention the 49 other dealers all over the country.

The promoter of an "imprint" or co-publishing house organ would certainly reap rewards far beyond his imagination. A House Organ is a responsible publication reaching responsible people. It is NOT a fly-by-night promotional scheme. It's a business that can be worked as long as that particular industry or business exists. What's more, one is sure to get excellent co-operation from co-publishers who would work hard to make each issue better than the last one.

"U-LUG-EM-OFF"—204
There's an old established store in Massachusetts that saw its beginning some seventy years ago in a tent. Today its location is in a large shabby building—a store that hasn't been painted since it was erected. Furthermore, the windows have never had a special display in them. Things are just dumped in the windows in any old way and left there. The signs that advertise the place or the products are usually spelled incorrectly. All in all, this shop is downright queer!

The counters are roughly built, the interior of the whole store is crudely constructed. The store seems to take on the atmosphere of a big overgrown "country store." Perhaps it could be called a "hick atmosphere." According to the management, they accentuate this country way of doing business because it makes the place "different." The whole community is always talking about the crazy things this shop is doing or is about to do. Another reason for having a plain store is the fact that they can undersell other stores. Their overhead is extremely low and their "bargains" extremely attractive!

Folks can buy practically anything from this huge department store! Anything from live alligators to skis! Their sales have reached as high as $10,000,000 in one year. "U-lug-em-off" is a slogan that they have been using for years and it simple means that the customer must carry his purchases home with him. There are no deliveries and all sales are for cash only. This humorous slogan is used time and time again in their advertising. For example, once they picked up a load of alligators for a low price. A sign was printed which read" Live Alligators—one simoleon each—U-lug-em-off". This was placed in a window along with the live alligators. The entire batch was sold in one day! A carload of bedchamber pottery was displayed in another window with a sign which read "2 cents each—no wrapping—U-lug-em-off." Believe it or not, the people actually lugged them off!

The names for the various departments are unusual such as "Ant Mary's Linen Shop," "the Fiddle Room" (music department), "the Upstairs Easy Basement" (balcony), etc. The newspaper ads play up the "hayseed" theme and are liable to described men's trousers as "pantz fer fellers." Grammar and spelling take a back seat in this unique store!

It is worth repeating here that the essential thing for the reader to catch in the foregoing "case history" is the fact that the store "exaggerates" the "hayseed atmosphere" because this practice attracts the attention of the prospective customer. And it gets them a lot of free advertising! It should be particularly noted that the absence of frills makes unusual bargains possible. Some, if not all, the merchandising ideas employed by this unusual store might be successfully duplicated in other stores.

TRAILERITES GO TO SCHOOL—205-207
Trailers, home-life on wheels, are getting more popular every day. However, there are many who hesitate to buy a trailer. They've heard of others who lived in them on a catch-as-catch basis, making a so-called "pleasure trip" truly a hardship.

The very reason why a New York man conducts a school for trailerites. He teaches the mechanics of trailers, short cuts to domestic comfort…really everything and anything that makes owning a trailer not only a pleasure but an economical way to travel too. Four members of this man's school traveled 4,000 miles for $60 apiece . . . all through "knowing how".

Another man answers questions pertaining to trailers for 25 cents each…by mail! Inexpensive ads in travel magazines and small Sunday newspapers do the trick of bringing in the quarters.

The former service could be worked in conjunction with a dealer who sells trailers. The dealer would gladly recommend your service as his own "free" tip to prospective trailer buyers. In fact your service would give him a valuable sales angle for those who hesitate to buy a trailer because they know very little about operating one economically.

Another service offered to trailerites was started by one of the clan who equipped his trailer with store goods and hauled it right into trailer camps accommodating from 100 to 10,000 trailers, and sold his goods at very reasonable prices, as was possible with his small overhead. Fishing tackle is another good item to sell at these places and other camping resorts if fishing facilities are available. Such Fishing tackle has been sold successfully by one enterprising dealer owning such a trailer store!

$2,000 PROFIT IN THREE WEEKS—208
Many small business people, gasoline stations, shoe repair shops, cigar stands, drug stores, etc. are looking for that extra push that brings in new and PERMANENT customers. One man sold them this idea to the tune of $2,000 profit in three weeks. Here's how he worked It:

He called on various business men and offered them an "advertising plan" that would bring many new customers to them. All they had to do was to agree to give something free in merchandise or some service to be advertised on 5,000 coupons that were to appear in 5,000 free coupon books. Upon presentation of the coupon the shoe repair shop would offer a free pair of heels, the dry cleaning establishment to clean a man's suit or ladies' dress, the garage a one dollar brake inspection free, or a special fingerwave by a beauty parlor, any 10 cent cigar by a cigar store, and so on. The idea was to bring in NEW customers. If the person who presented the coupon liked the service, if the goods he received were really worth while, the merchant would benefit by expecting a large percentage of these coupon holders to return as regular customers,

The merchant didn't have to pay a cent to the operator of this plan. His part was to merely sign an agreement to give the customer exactly what the coupon stated. Many merchants agreed to this, especially in cases where business wasn't so good.

The operator meanwhile was selling this coupon book for $1 . . . and the buyer received $21 worth of service or merchandise for that $1! The buyers of this coupon book were amazed to see such an offer. Everything was bona fide, as the coupon contained an agreement that every merchant listed in this book would proffer the service or give the merchandise upon presenting the book.

A cost of less than 10 cents per book, or less than $500 for five thousand was incurred. He ran classified ads and secured many salesmen to sell the books. A 50 cent commission was made by the agent per book. All the agent had to do was SHOW the book to a prospect and he made a sale. No high pressure sales talk was needed.

5,000 books were disposed of in about three weeks by the promoter. He made 40 cents on each book, or a net profit of $2,000. The coupons were good for 60 days only. The merchants were fully satisfied. The idea brought new business. In the case of a service station, or other shops, the customer with the coupon usually felt obliged to purchase gasoline or other merchandise with the "free" service.

This plan could be worked by mail in another community. Form letters and circulars could be prepared telling about the plan. A sample book of coupons sent to the merchants. A well-planned mail campaign would bring in many signed agreements. Classified ads could be used. Agents secured. Town after town worked—and all by mail. If a suitable arrangement could be made with a printer, the project might be tested without any starting capital—paying the printer out of the first proceeds.

FLEET OF LITTLE AUTOS—209
The children's "auto ride", a comparatively recent amusement development has been very successful. The device has several small replicas of cars attached to a platform which circles, similar to a merry-go-round. It is, more or less, a horseless carousel with cars instead. Children take to the "auto-ride" because of their keen interest in the striking, luxurious-looking small autos.

There are possibilities in operating such an amusement enterprise, especially with another twist to the idea: Similar autos, but operated by self-pedalling, could be rented hourly to the younger set. The idea might be more appealing to them than the carousel idea. Moreover, it would require less investment. A fleet of these, gayly painted, in different models, would be a big hit with youngsters at beaches, parks and resorts.

MAIL OUT MONEY TO GET MONEY—210
Of all businesses the mail order business offers undreamed of financial returns when the operator turns his talents to the unusual.

It took nerve to do what a California man did when soliciting funds for charity. He actually placed a $1 bill in his letter explaining the charity to 175,000 people, 94 percent of the bills were returned; with an additional $270,000.

For success in mail order one should send something, not necessarily money, with the sales letter. A "sample" is an interest-arouser. It goads the person on into reading your proposition. Millions of letters sent out yearly are never read, because the prompter of the plan or proposition isn't alert to the ways of the mail order mind.

Some time ago one mail order man offered a beautiful handkerchief free to women if they supplied him with the names and addresses of three of their lady friends. In this manner he reached thousands of prospects to whom he sold other merchandise relative to women's wear.

COVERED WAGON RENTAL—211
An Ohio man rents covered wagons of ancient vintage to organizations and individuals who would like to use them in parades or for advertising purposes. Carnivals and fairs are eager to rent these wagons from this man. The success of his venture is thus far insured.

When the wagons aren't out on rental, the man conducts novelty rides, charging anywhere from 10¢ to 25¢ to persons who want to talk about the ride they had in a genuine covered wagon.

Eastern states would do well to give the covered wagon idea a good thought. Although the vehicles may be hard to get, they could be duplicated to resemble the real thing. A fleet of these wagons should mean the start of a vast enterprise that has no limits.

STREET CAR BUNGALOW COURT—212-213
In a California city street cars became obsolete with the advent of trackless trolleys. These were bought by a man who quickly converted the street cars into a "bungalow court." They were arranged neatly on a terraced lot facing the ocean.

Of course a little remodeling was done. The cars were placed in pairs, side by side, on cement foundations and partitions built across the middle so that each end became an apartment two cars wide. The result was a "home" of three rooms and bath.

A fleet of boats that aren't seaworthy anymore would be another excellent idea for a nautical "bungalow court" resort. Tourists would welcome this novel home situated by the ocean or lake.

MENU SUBSCRIPTIONS—214
A Chicago woman noticed that every small restaurant she ate in served the same type of meals with monotonous regularity. In fact it was the monotony of the meals that made her change from restaurant to restaurant.

She inquired into this strange situation and found that the restaurant owners had little time for planning of meals. Many of them rarely changed the weekly schedule of meals for years at a time. She learned that many of the Cafe owners had a hard time making up suitable menus—menus that had variety—that were different each day.

The woman informed them they were losing business, but the owners merely shrugged their shoulders and said they were powerless to do anything about it.

This brought action from the woman. She decided to bring something fresh and different to the restaurants in the city. Being a good cook herself, she devised various dishes. Cooking in smaller quantities is a cook's secret of that certain elusive home-made flavor and appeal, and she knew it, and put it to good advantage by introducing the system to restaurant chefs.

Gathering all this cooking data she offered her service via a mimeographed copy of menus and cooking tips daily. She sold the service for prices ranging from $5 to $8 per month for every restaurant that subscribed to her unique service. Each week every restaurant had a different and delicious meal for their patrons.

Anyone trying this idea should keep in mind the various seasonal changes in food, as well as religious food regulations i.e., Lent, Passover, various meatless days, etc.

SELLING MOVIE STARS' DRESSES—215
An Eastern dress shop specializes in duplicating frocks worn by the stars in current moving picture hits. Women who have seen the movie recently recognize the dress immediately and are eager to wear the Hollywood creation. Hollywood styles usually are the forerunners of women's styles throughout the country. This "beat", immediately upon the release of a picture, would bring many women customers to any dress shop, large or small, in the country.

These dress duplicates could be sold with free photographs of the particular star who wore the dress, and also the scene in which the dress was pictured. The idea back of this is "proof" that this dress is exactly the type dress worn by a movie star in her latest picture.

"DRESSING GOWN" BARBER SHOP—216
A Canadian barber shop does a landslide business because it had added an extra as well as invaluable service to its tonsorial customers.

The barber shop merged with a tailor shop. When the customer gets a haircut he can have his clothes pressed while he is in the chair. He is given a dressing gown by the tailor, and then steps into the barber's chair while his suit is being pressed.

That means a customer can go into this barber shop and come out spic and span from head to toe. And it's all done in one place. Men are notorious for their passion to buy or subscribe to anything that saves TIME for them.

A barber and tailor could find this plan working to their mutual advantage. Each undeniably would experience twice the usual business when a satisfactory "marriage" like this is made.

BOOK STORE SUBSCRIPTIONS—217-218
Book stores usually have a limited clientele, but there is one book store that has some 1800 people entering its door every month. It's a book store that deals in magazine subscriptions, selling yearly paid-in-advance subscriptions at a discount of 40 per cent to 50 per cent. The provision that allows them to make this saving to the customer is that the subscriber pick up his magazine at the bookstore every month.

The idea back of this is to stimulate the sales of books in the store. 1800 prospective customers monthly is a sizeable clientele.

One bookseller tore up a cookbook and wrapped one page of it with every package that went out of his store. Women usually find the recipes interesting enough on the one page to go back to the book store for the cook book. The name and address of the store was rubber stamped on the single page.

THE "TRADE-MARK" HOBBY—219
Over a period of years a man and his wife collected registered and unregistered trade-marks as a hobby. They had copies of about a half million of them, 200,000 of them were unregistered. The hobby is said to have earned for them some $3,000 a year!

The trade-marks were classified and filed. A manufacturer wanting an original trade-mark was supplied one for a fee. Of course the unregistered trade-marks were sold. The man would also supply anyone with an original trade-mark.

Their collection of trade-marks grows at the rate of 25,000 per year. There is no reason why a similar enterprise couldn't be started. There certainly is room enough for one.

PRIVATE PICNICS—220
If the reader has an acre or two of land that is located on a lake, in wooded territory or in some similar scenic section of the country side, there is a mighty good chance to make this land pay a large profit each year!

There aren't many private picnic grounds in the country today and the need is great and the rewards splendid for the enterprising man who takes advantage of this opportunity to serve. Take that land, fence it in completely. Have some carpenters and other workmen construct a large number of benches and tables, clear the land for a baseball field, build an outdoor dancing platform, some devices for the children's playground, clean up the beach (if any) and bring in loads of white sand, if needed, etc. There is no end to the attractions that could be constantly added to such a private park if the enterprise showed promise. A swimming pool would attract many more customers if your land is not located on a lake or at the oceanside.

Hundreds of lodges and clubs are throwing outdoor parties each summer. Usually these people have to hold their picnics at the nearest public park making it necessary for everyone to wear buttons or ribbons to separate them from the usual weekend crowds. These groups would certainly prefer to hold their gatherings in a private park where they would have exclusive rights to the whole place for the day.

It wouldn't be necessary to charge the people for the use of the grounds because extremely large profits could be made from the paying concessions located there. These stands could sell ice cream, popcorn, candy, soda pop and other refreshments. A nickel "juke box" could provide the music for the dancing and the profits would be considerable from this source alone! If the park was extremely successful a small three piece orchestra could be hired for extra large organizations.

If the gross receipts were big it might be good business to offer the officials of the organization a small percentage of the profit made. This plan would be an attractive inducement and would make many groups decide to pick your private picnic park as their new outing headquarters!

SELLING NEWSPAPER BOXES—221-222
This was the brain-child of a youngster who had a newspaper route. In his spare time he made several sample newspaper boxes to protect the family newspaper, from the weather. The boxes were offered to his customer's at 50 cent each.

The youngster wasn't devoid of showmanship in his salesmanship. He offered to paint each box to match the house and the sales came in faster than the time it took him to make the boxes.

A man handy with carpenter tools should be able to capitalize on this idea. Newspaper boys could act as agents. A small backyard shop could start turning out these boxes by the hundreds, especially with the advanced carpentry tools that can now be purchased. Instead of hand-saws many hardware stores sell saws powered by small electric motors.

The boys could be given a commission on each sale and another home business could be started with a minimum of capital. After sales reached the saturation point a list of newsboys could be purchased from a New York firm dealing in names and addresses and the same project could be worked by mail successfully. Many young boys are eager to earn an extra dollar. A simple, to the point sales letter and a descriptive circular showing the box, retail price and the newsboy's commission should start a large mail order business around one youngster's idea.

Another youngster is reported to have cashed in on the necessity of many households still using the old fashioned ice box. He made an "ice blanket" which he guaranteed would pay for itself in 10 days in conserving ice!

His "ice blanket" was a piece of outing flannel dipped in paraffin oil then run through a clothes wringer to squeeze out as much of the oil as possible. It was then folded and packed in a cellophane wrapper, with a colored circular concerning the money saving features of the blanket. All orders were to be shipped to the name and address on the order blank found on the circular.

The feature of the "ice blanket" excluded air and slowed up melting when the blanket was wrapped around a piece of ice in the ice box.

There are millions of homes who still rely on the ancient ice box. The blanket, therefore, has many good prospects all over the country.

WILD FLOWER STANDS—223
There's a strange attachment between wildflowers and human beings, even with persons who as a rule don't care for flowers. Yet wildflowers can be had for the taking in nearby forests and sold most anywhere for a handsome profit.

One young man secured many different types of wildflowers and sold them to several florist shops in his town on a consignment basis. The florists paid him his share on only the flowers that were sold. But he wasn't satisfied with merely the florist's trade. He induced grocery stores and drug stores to handle his wildflowers, giving them 25 per cent of the receipts. At intervals he would "work" in the stores and push his own flowers. The storekeepers liked that.

When a business like this begins to gain impetus, the wildflower salesman would find little time for picking them. Children in small towns or in farming districts would be glad to pick all types of wildflowers for a little spare money.

Showmanship in salesmanship would once again payoff handsomely, if the names of the wildflowers were displayed on large display cards. Usually wildflowers have very interesting names, and the name of the flower would enhance its sale to even the most disinterested person.

Many housewives pride themselves in being able to gather apple blossoms and cherry blossoms to "dress up" the home. The green leaves and white blossoms of the Apple tree is something that will sell on sight. City dwellers are avid purchasers of wildflowers. This is ONE business where "starting capital" is absolutely unnecessary.

A PAN, WATER AND GUARANTEE OF GOLD—224-225
For 50 cents a California gold mine owner will let amateur prospectors pan for gold on his property. He guarantees none will leave the premises without some of the precious ore, but no one has ever taken any more than $2.00 worth for the entire day.

Of course the "gold mine" is worked out. The owner thought up the idea of making some money from it by announcing in newspapers that amateur prospectors can come out to his property and "mine gold" for themselves. He'd supply them with expert instruction on how to mine in a "glory hole", pan, water, and the gold!

The announcement caused a mild sensation. Week end vacationists came to the "mine" for the novel entertainment. Quarters had to be built to house the people who looked for something "different" to do…and panning for gold was indeed a novelty. Even though only a tiny trace of the precious metal was found, the "gold miners" got their money's worth.

There are many worked-out mines of all types that can pattern a paying business after the California "gold mine". In fact a "dude gold mine" can be moved East with a few tons of "pay dirt" from the West. Eastern folks would gladly pay for the privilege of panning some dust for themselves. A "Gold-Mine" attraction could be a part of some other enterprise, such as a resort, roadside business, tourist camp, children's camp, etc.

THE CAFE WITH A "BROADCASTING" STUDIO—226
Hobbies can be put to work and pay handsome dividends, according to the novel "broadcasting studio" operated by a Michigan Cafe owner, which makes more money than any other Cafe in town.

His two hobbies were: 1. Experimenting with radio equipment. 2. Collecting phonograph records. From the first hobby he converted a coal shed into a "broadcasting studio." The latter was equipped with two electric phonographs and a microphone which were hooked up to loudspeakers in the restaurant.

In the restaurant a list of 3,000 recordings were posted on the wall. The customers had the privilege to use a second microphone installed in the eatery and ask for any selection they wanted, talking direct to the "announcer" in the shed. The man in the "studio" would usually dedicate the number to some person in the establishment.

Here's a sound investment for proprietors of eating establishments. Talking directly to the "announcer" and having a song played for the customer is a business builder that shouldn't be overlooked.

WISHBONES FOR SALE—227
Another instance of "waste" turned into a profitable business is the unique venture conducted by a New York woman who sells wishbones from turkeys, chickens and other poultry.

The wishbones undergo a special electrical chemical treatment before being inscribed with special greetings, dressed with ribbon bows, sprayed with artificial flowers and sold as decorative good-luck novelties.

The market for these good-luck wishbones are weddings, birthdays, graduation presents and gifts for special occasions. These can also be inscribed with a needle-pointed writing instrument. "Good luck" or any other short congratulatory message is usually found on this wishbone, which the woman sells for a $1 and more.

There are legions of good-luck charm worshippers all over the country who are willing to spend $1, $2 and even $3 for a luck piece of beauty and grace. In fact the wishbone venture could be worked profitably in any locality.

Another market for the novelty is the large number of baby gift shops. Such wishbones are painted light blue and pink and then sold as charms to tie on baby gifts.

Around Christmas time they are painted gold, green, silver and red, decked with a pine cone or a tiny bell, and sold for place cards or tree decorations.

THE USED HOUSE LOT—228
The used car lot has nothing on the "used House Lot" operated by a Chicago man who purchased old buildings for a mere trifle and either wrecks them or rebuilds and sells at a profit. This took place prior to the war. There are a lot of old wrecks still standing, despite the housing shortage, waiting to be patched up for quick sale!

Some of the smaller bungalows are moved over to the "lot" where people can go house hunting for a bungalow of their choice. If the prospective house owner has a lot ready, the Chicago man moves the house right onto the lot.

SPEAKING THE TRUTH PAYS—229-230
A Southern restaurant capitalizes on "truth". Unlike many restaurants that charge fancy prices for mediocre food, this one has a menu made up that speaks the truth.

A typical menu of their's will read: "Tasteless meat loaf, 45 cents." "Fat, greasy spare ribs, 40 cents," or "small, dry tough steak, 60 cents." The first time a customer looks at the menu he can't believe his eyes. An inquiry brings the answer that it has been their policy to speak the truth of the food they offer.

Whenever a dish is real good, they don't hesitate to mention the fact on the menu. The customer knows exactly what he's getting. There are no surprises when the food is served.

Many businesses would find more customers walking through their doors if they spoke the truth about their merchandise. Business men should try this method. It works more often than not.

Of course the above instance is a pretty good example of a business slyly "kidding" the customer. Naturally their food wasn't as bad as the menu so humorously stated. Nevertheless, there is a pretty good idea behind the whole thing that some of the readers of this book might be able to adapt to other businesses.

Kidding the customer or the nationally advertised product is good showmanship on rare occasion. An owner of a small general store in a western state gave it a try and the idea seemed to appeal to the customer. Remade up a big batch of signs, each one kidding a certain nationally advertised product (which he stocked) and also signs which made humorous "digs" about his own line of goods. He particularly "went after" the weird claims some firms make!

The unorthodox signs made the customers gasp at first but as word got around more and more folks made it a point to visit his store every week. They wanted to see his "latest" signs. The customers came—they laughed—and they made purchases!

It wasn't long before this man found his profits increasing. So much so that he was able to build a bigger store and to stock it with an even greater variety of goods!

Any good copywriter could turn out similar signs for the reader desiring to use this sales stimulating method for his own contemplated business.

LOUSY TOMATOES FOR SALE—231
Today's tomatoes at this market are even too lousy to throw at tenors" is a typical advertisement published frequently by a western market. But that isn't all of the advertisement. It ends with this advice: "Better wait until tomorrow when they will be superb but rather high priced". And when "tomorrow" comes folks swarm to the market.

Such frank advertisements seem to produce a psychological effect on the public. They believe them. At this fine market one will find enormous quantities of fresh produce, sprawling over a large field for it is an outdoors market. The produce is attractively arranged in many little white stalls.

The promoter of this outdoor market collects 5 per cent of the gross receipts from the various farmers who have their produce there for sale. An average of around 12,000 cars may be seen parked at the market on week days which will grow to some 18,000 on Saturdays. However, all customers do not come in autos.

When this business was started, the promoter advertised direct, to the farmers to get them to co-operate on the plan. From its very inception, the market "clicked" with the public because they liked the quality of produce and were influenced by the frankness of the advertisements. A Bulletin was mailed weekly to a select mailing list of prospects (purchasers), but in a short time the Bulletin was put in the daily newspapers.

The 100 white stalls at this outdoor market form a huge square, and from the outside, only the solid back walls of the stalls are seen. Many networks of broad walks are viewed on entering by one of the several openings. A fairyland to delight the senses begins here. Orange and purple fruits fresh and juicy, crisp tomatoes plump and red, pastries, fish and meats all are displayed in a vision of abundance. The odors are tantalizing. Fresh, hot loaves of bread just out of the oven, and candy bubbling in a cauldron lend their fragrance to the scene.

A market like this would be an asset to any large community and no heavy capital would be necessary to start. The originator of the one outlined herein had little capital and started in depression times and garnered a fortune in a few years. By having plans, methods and operations different, in developing a similar market the chances of success would be greatly increased. A little "glamour" and showmanship are the ingredients for success in such enterprises.

INEXPENSIVE TRAVEL—232
A Texas man heard of many students who longed to travel but were without funds to go on an extensive trip. A motor-bus was purchased, a driver hired, and thus equipped, he conducted a bus load of students at $8 each on a 1200 mile trip. The price for two weeks was $17 each. There were approximately 25 passengers.

Group transportation is very popular with people who would like to travel but haven't the funds to do so. These trips, including sleeping facilities and meals, can easily be arranged, at so much per passenger. $1000 is taken in on a trip conducting 25 passengers at $40 each. Even when expenses are accounted for, the net take should make an excellent living for the travel promoter.

It would be wise to hire a bus driver. One person could seek out the business. The latter would consume a lot of precious time which couldn't very well be devoted to driving a bus.

THE "COFFEE URN" GROCERY—233-234
One grocer left competition far behind. An urn of coffee, complete with cream and sugar, was always available in his store to serve his customers, who kept returning to his place where they knew they could enjoy a delectable, fresh, hot cup of coffee FREE.

This idea could work to suit any business. A beauty shop or knit shop could serve tea. In the summer time iced tea or iced coffee could be served. One knit ship offered tea, with their compliments, and the customers enjoyed this refreshment as they learned to knit.

AUTO PRESCRIPTIONS—235
A Los Angeles man conducts an auto clinic on wheels. There is need for an impartial automobile ills analyst in every community, especially if he conducts his business just like this man does:

For a trifling sum he will drive to any auto owner's garage or home and analyze the car's ailments. Everything is checked. If there's anything wrong, the owner is given a list of the ills.

The success of his venture lies in the fact that this auto analyst does not repair the car himself. His job is an impartial diagnosis. Not even a "recommendation" to some garage is mentioned. His work meets with popular approval because the customer knows the auto analyst hasn't any axes to grind. And many automobile owners know a few garage mechanics who would like to foist anything and everything on the man who knows nothing about a car's machinery.

CAB COMFORT—236
A cab driver in a large eastern city has the most unusual taxi. When the customer steps into his cab he finds all the popular brand cigarettes before his eyes. Too, the cab is stocked with the latest magazines and a basket of apples. "Enjoy your ride with a smoke and a magazine" seems to be his motto…and a paying one at that. He insists his tips are larger than that of any other cab driver the city.

BUTTERFLY RANCH—237-238
A little-known yet highly profitable industry is the raising of butterflies so adeptly handled by a California woman who made herself $100 a week in this unique venture. And the "farm" or "ranch" as she called it didn't take one acre of land!

The first month she raised and sold 1,500 butterflies. By the third month of operation she is said to have sold 10,000 more, netting her more than $500! There's a market for butterflies and that's what should be kept foremost in the minds of those who contemplate a similar enterprise.

A small part of this "market" is the many department stores who wish to use the butterflies for advertising purposes, or "stunt" advertising; the society people who use them as special decorations on lavish occasions; the jewelers who specialize in this sort of thing; and the many colleges and high schools who use them for laboratory work.

A hundred or so assorted butterflies to start with ought to bring a population of one hundred thousand. The female butterfly will lay around 250 eggs in one season. Insofar as getting a starting stock of butterflies, the woman had a method of her own. She called it her "sugaring process"…diluting brown sugar with water and Jamaica rum, making a paste of it. It was then smeared where the butterfly would most likely alight, trees, stumps, etc. The "picking" started at dusk with the aid of a flashlight and sack. The captured butterflies and moths were placed in the sack, made unconscious for a short time by the use of an "anaesthetic" from a bottle of cyanide.

The captured stock was fed dried apples which were soaked in sugar. This helped to make the butterflies breed faster. However, there are many books in the public library on this fascinating subject and those who go in for butterfly breeding ought to avail themselves to this free knowledge on a business that can stand competition anywhere.

In England there is a most unusual butterfly breeding farm, complete with its own flowers, herbs, vegetables, mulberry trees, scented rosemary, bayrose, beech, sycamore, nettles and dandelions. Everything and anything that may please the caterpillar's appetite.

At the proper time this "fodder" is collected in sacks and the caterpillars that thrive best on that particular diet are put in with the leaves. The "farm hands" are paid good wages because the income is large. Each breeding produces 12,000 swallow-tail butterflies! The "farm" has an interesting appearance because of the treetops which are completely swathed in huge bags to protect them from birds.

Today's chemical treatment of the butterfly makes it a valuable business to those who can raise them successfully. The brittleness has been overcome and the powder on the wings retained by the use of chemicals. That's the reason they can now be mounted in many ways and used as a "live" decorative piece for milady's hair-do, dress, hat or corsage. Usually they are made attachable by the use of flexible silk-covered wire and can even be attached to the stem of a flower in a vase by this manner—or to a lamp shade!