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125 ways to make money with your typewriter

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1. Do start operation in your own home, if at all possible.
2. Don't have false pride and a show-off attitude, and, because of these, put on an expensive "front".
3. Do have good operating office and accounting facilities, with desk, files, orderly system.
4. Do have an excellent letterhead, billheads, cards, with adequate advertising on it; not cheap, poorly printed material.
5. Do have good telephone service, rightly listed, with your telephone number on all your printed matter.
6. Do have a fitting sign outside, briefly describing your name and service.
7. Don't have an incompetent person answer your phone calls. Use careful courtesy in phone conversation.
8. Don't expect immediate profitable operation.
9. Don't fail to keep records of all transactions.
10. Do subscribe to all technical journals dealing with your specialty or line.
11. Do start with a money reserve in bank, however modest.
12. Do have modern up-to-date tools, the equipment of good machinery necessary.
13. Do use first class, not cheap or shoddy materials.
14. Do attend very meticulously to your credit standing, so as not to get any reputation for slow or reluctant payment.
15. Do discount your bills, if at all possible, even though it pinches.
16. Don't fail to pay an obligation as per your promise, even if you have to borrow to do it. Business reputation is based on promise-keeping.
17. Do not hire any help you can possibly do without until there is very clear evidence that you will have work enough. Do all possible work yourself.
18. Do keep in close personal touch with customers, even if there is no order at the moment.
19. Don't let any customer feel that you are casual or indifferent to his patronage.
20. Don't charge "what the traffic will bear"—charge a reasonable, honest price that will make the customer want to come back.
21. Do some advertising—after giving most careful attention to the best that you can really afford.
22. Don't fail to make careful reports for tax and other government requirement, on time.
23. Don't take in a partner hastily because he has money and you need it badly. A partner who is not a productive force in the business can be a fatal drag.
24. Don't "sell stock" or incorporate. It is not a type or size of business which calls for stock-selling or incorporation.
25. Do hire competent help when you really need it to meet promises to customers and keep them from exasperation at delay.
26. Do bend every energy to "meet your deadlines," deliver your jobs at the time promised, meticulously.
27. Do expect customers to pay promptly, and do send statements, on the first of the month, without fail.
28. Do call your customers on the phone, asking (pleasantly) for payment if their account passes 30 days.
29. Do have clear understandings with customers—on instructions, materials, prices, terms. Permit no chance of misunderstanding.
30. Don't be discourteous with a cranky customer—keep cool and offer reasonable satisfaction of claims.
31. Don't take verbal instructions—try to have them put in writing, or else you put them in writing and confirm.
32. Do use every opportunity presented to push or publicize yourself and your work. Look for whatever publicity is possible.
33. Don't fail to ask a particularly well-satisfied customer for a letter expressing such satisfaction. Such letters are useful in persuading some reluctant customers.
34. Don't quarrel or row with any employee or customer, as it starts a current of ill will which may spread by word of mouth.
35. Don't expand too fast and optimistically or you may lose what surplus you have rolled up.
36. Don't let a poor helper or incompetent workman create dissatisfaction or make a poor representation of your standards.
37. Do put back into your business at least a 20% share of your net profit, so that your service will be improved, modernized.
38. Don't let an enthusiastic sales representative claim more, promise more than you can deliver.
39. Don't stretch a point or take a chance on "getting away" with poor service or over-charging.
40. Don't let more than 30 days go by without contacting your customers.
41. Don't fear competition, but if you get stiff and dangerous competition, sail in and offer something unusual.
42. Do keep your set-up flexible without too many hard and fast commitments) so that in times of slump—you can trim down to a "skeleton" organization.
43. Don't splurge on your "inventory" your stock of materials, in the hope of profiting from price rises, or for any other reason. Always buy only for a 30 to 60 days period ahead (or less if it is fitting to do so). Don't let salesmen over-sell you.
44. Don't give anybody any promissory notes—they have a way of suddenly coming due at most dangerously bad times, and could bankrupt you.
45. Do constantly try to widen your territory or number of customers.
46. Don't get set in a rut, without effort at growth. A business is always dying at one end, growing at another end. If you're in a rut, the business must die for lack of new growth.
47. Do establish early personal relationship at a good bank, seeing to it that you meet one of the vice presidents, and that he knows your business.
48. Do borrow money on short (90-day term) from the bank in the ordinary course of business, and meticulously pay back the loan on due date, even if you borrow some more shortly thereafter.
49. Do travel about to see what others are doing in your field, to get new ideas.
50. Don't try to do everything yourself if your business increases; and if you hire somebody to help run the business be sure to give both responsibility and authority to them and don't expect them to do everything precisely as you would do it.