Henry Ford became an example of early twentieth-century entrepreneurship when he founded a little company that grew into a giant. Each of the huge corporations you see throughout our country was started by an entrepreneur-one person or perhaps two or three working together. In fact, that is true of every business establishment.
France was once called a nation of small shopkeepers, but the United States is a nation of small businesses. Small business has been called the backbone of America. Stop for a moment and think how many small businesses there are just near your home. Most are owned and operated by one person, perhaps two, and there may be an occasional family owned and operated business in which the father, mother, and a son or daughter all work. Most small farms are owned by single proprietors, each an entrepreneur, but unfortunately they are fast disappearing as large corporations are taking over much of the farming today.
You find entrepreneurs on every street, even in the large cities where individuals may operate in the skyscraper section of the town. Retail stores, restaurants, motels, barbers, cleaners, laundries, painters, plumbers, electricians, as well as other craftspeople and service people are all entrepreneurs. In addition you'll find Taco Bell, Burger King, H. R. Block tax service, and many other familiar national chains of restaurants and services. Most of these are owned not by the franchisers but by the individual franchisee. Each is an entrepreneur who owns and operates his or her franchise unit. They agree to buy their food and supplies or whatever they sell from the franchiser and pay a fee for using the familiar name. However, they must risk their money and make the undertaking a success.
You, too, will join the ranks of enterprising Americans when you start your business. You will gain valuable experience now as an entrepreneur operating on a very small scale. Nevertheless, you are an individual assuming the risks and responsibilities of starting, owning, and running your own business. Who knows? Someday you may become another entrepreneur, another typical American independent businessperson!
SERVICE JOBS
This chapter is devoted exclusively to service jobs. There is nothing to make and nothing to sell, except in the last two job suggestions. You will need to purchase index cards to make your own business cards, but there is nothing else to buy, except for a few incidentals needed in some of the services.
Be sure there is a market for your service, do the very best job you can, keep accurate track of your time if you charge by the hour, and don't be afraid to give a little extra service now and then. Everyone likes a bargain, and your customers will, too.
Summer Play School
Before you decide to undertake this business, have your father or mother check with the company that insures your home to make sure that it will be all right for you to do this. The problem is that if a child is hurt, even though it is not your fault, there could be trouble, and you do not want that.
If there is no problem and you have lots of space around the house and enjoy working with small children, you might consider operating a summer play school for two or three of the neighborhood youngsters.
You will need a few toys and it would be helpful if you have a sand-box, swing, seesaw, and large wooden blocks. The children can be amused by playing games, reading stories, playing in the sandbox, and having a period when they may ride their own bicycles or scooters. There should be a planned program for each day.
You will probably find that a morning session is all you care to tackle. Should you undertake an all-day school, which means that the children must eat lunch, it would be best for each child to bring food and you provide milk. Charge by the day or week.
Washing and Waxing Cars
Cleaning cars is fun and profitable. There is a feeling of satisfaction when you finish your job, step back, and admire the shine. Ask the owners how they want their cars cleaned because most people have a special way they want it done. At first you may have to invest in five or six different kinds of cleaners and polishes to satisfy individual preferences, but cleaners are comparatively inexpensive, and the price you charge will take this expense into account.
In addition to washing powder, polish, and wax, you will need two pails, a couple of sponges, soft cloths, and work gloves for use when applying the cleaner and wax. Wash your cloths thoroughly after each cleaning. They will last longer and always be ready for the next job. If your customer wants you to use wax, be sure to rub it in thoroughly and buff it with a soft cloth. Charge by the hour, but if you bill by the job, determine first how long it takes to do an average size car. You may have to provide some kerosene to cut grease spots, and if a car is extremely dirty you should consider charging more because of the difficulty in removing the grease and other stains.
Babysitting
Readers of McCalVs magazine learned that boys can make as good babysitters as girls when they saw a picture of Harry Sussman, of St. Louis, bottle-feeding a baby while two older sisters watched. Like Harry and hundreds of thousands of other girls and boys, you, too, can earn money by sitting.
Sophia Steinberg, who lives in New York City and does a lot of babysitting in high-rise apartments in uptown Manhattan, has this advice to offer:
"Insist that the parents leave the telephone number of their doctor and the home, restaurant, movie, or other place where they expect to be. This won't always be possible, of course, if the parents are taking a drive or have made no definite plans. In that case, suggest they call you at least once during the evening, and leave the telephone number of a responsible friend whom you can call in an emergency.
"In case of fire, the first thing you must do is get all the children out of the house. Don't stop to put the fire out yourself or call the fire department. Get the children out!
"Never spank, hit, or strike a child, no matter how naughty he or she may be.
"Don't help yourself to the refrigerator, cookie jar, or box of candy without permission. (It may seem unnecessary to say this, but I have heard of lots of sitters who fail to observe this rule.)
"If you want to use the radio or TV, ask permission first.
"Never entertain friends while on the job or visit with them on the phone. Only bring a friend if you have obtained permission beforehand from your customer.
"Don't fall asleep on the job unless the parents say that you may lie down on the couch and take a nap.
"You may want to consider charging an extra half dollar an hour (or more) for hours worked after midnight.
"If you become sick or something happens that makes it impossible for you to sit, try to find another person to take your place and notify the family as soon as you know that you cannot sit."
Mowing Lawns
In many communities there is plenty of work available for those who want to start a lawn-mowing service. Whether you have a power or hand mower, do a thorough job and hand clip all edges where the mower cannot cut, as well as any tall blades of grass that the mower may have missed. When cutting close to flower beds, be careful that you do not harm any plants that bend out over the lawn. When finished, sweep the paths and walk free of all grass clippings and dirt. Charge by the hour but slightly less if the owner provides the mower and gasoline.
Helpful hints: Be careful not to throw the grass clippings into flower beds. When you cut, if possible always operate the mower so that the grass cuttings are thrown away from the grass still to be cut. Otherwise you will be cutting the grass clippings again. If the grass is very long, you may have to rake up the clippings. Ask the owner whether that should be done before you start, since it will cost more money. Also beware of cutting grass when it is wet because it will tend to clog up the mower.
Raking Leaves
This is a good fall occupation that is done best on clear days when the leaves are not wet and heavy and when there is no wind. Find out what the owner wants done with the leaves: raked into a neat pile by the curb, carted to a compost pile in the backyard, or burned. Note that burning leaves is against the law in most communities, but not all. If you are to burn the leaves, watch your fire carefully so that the leaves do not blow and spread the fire to nearby lawns. After raking, sweep the walks and gutter clean.
Helpful hint: Provide yourself with a drop cloth (an old sheet will do) into which you can rake the leaves and then carry them to wherever they are to be disposed.
Sweeping Sidewalks
This was the first business the author undertook when he was eleven years old. He carefully prepared handwritten advertisements to place in neighborhood mailboxes (before it was illegal to do that as it is today), and to each he attached an "Odor Blank" (his wife says he still can't spell). The neighbors were so amused when he returned the next day to sign them up, most of them agreed to have their sidewalks swept for a nickel each morning and he was in business.
You know that the way to solicit business is to give short sales talk, not leave "odor" blanks! Get yourself several regular customers and promise to sweep their walks before you go to school so that their properties will look neat all day. Don't overlook the curb, which also should be kept clean, as should the porch steps. A quarter a sweep for regular customers would be a fair price, unless the walk is extra long. In winter offer the same service for shoveling snow, but charge by the hour.
Meeting Trains
If you live near a subway or suburban railroad station used by lots of commuters who walk home from the trains, you can make extra money by offering to rent umbrellas on rainy nights. You can do this in the following ways:
- Let the customer carry the umbrella and you follow along behind so that you can bring it back to the station in time to meet the next train. When you first start, purchase an inexpensive umbrella and see if your family will lend you a second one until you can afford to add to your stock.
- Rent the umbrella to the customer, asking for a deposit of one or two or more dollars, depending on its value and age. Take the customer's name and address, and explain that when you call for the umbrella you will return the deposit and collect a rental fee of a dollar (or whatever you decide to charge). Between trains you can collect umbrellas from customers who live near each other, then return to the station to rent them again.
Helpful hint: Charge more for distant places, since it will take you longer to go there to collect your umbrella.
Painting
Many home owners have indoor and outdoor furniture and other articles that need painting from time to time. Those who have not replaced the old-fashioned storm windows and screens also need to give them frequent paint jobs.
Do you enjoy painting and can you do neat, careful work? If you think you would be successful in this business, check with your local hardware or paint store to see what you would need in the way of equipment. Probably two or three bushes of different widths, a package of sandpaper, a scraper, a razor-blade scraper for getting paint off glass, and some inexpensive wipe cloths will be all you need. If there are not any old sheets or other large pieces of cloth at home that you can use for drop cloths to cover floors and furniture in the area where you are painting, buy a plastic drop cloth at the hardware store. Your employer will supply the paint and thinner, unless he or she directs you to purchase them.
Helpful hint: Clean your brushes in kerosene immediately after painting and save the used kerosene in glass bottles with tight lids (mayonnaise bottles are good for this). The pigment will settle to the bottom of the jar and within a few days you will have clear kerosene that you can reuse.
Walking Dogs
People who live in city apartments and have dogs are prospects for a dog-walking service. After school and Saturdays (and possibly Sundays, too) you can walk the dog for half an hour or longer and probably find time to handle dogs for three or four customers in an afternoon. Figure out how long you will be working for a customer during the week and apply your hourly rate to the number of hours you will be working. Charge by the week.
Reading to Shut-Ins
Shut-ins, blind, and elderly people are all good prospects for a reading service, and you will find most of them glad to see young people. You must speak distinctly and read well, but not too quickly. Practice at home reading aloud to yourself before you solicit business. When you call on prospects, offer a free reading so that the person can determine whether you would be satisfactory. Charge by the hour. Pastors, rabbis, doctors, librarians, and visiting nurses should be helpful in suggesting prospects.
Managing a School Cloakroom
Whenever there is a dance, play, game, or meeting at school, there may be need for a cloakroom, particularly if you live in the normally cooler part of the country. This is especially true at a dance, when everyone wears good coats and, depending on the weather, hats, gloves, and scarves. You will have to obtain prior approval of your principal; he or she is more likely to be interested if you offer to donate a percentage of your profits to the school's general organization, your class fund, or a local charity.
You will need to line up one or two assistants if business is good, and it will be necessary to make yourself many sets of coat checks. You can do this inexpensively by using 3" x 5" index cards. Fold each in half and write the number 1 on each half of the first card, number 2 on each half of the next, and so on. When you receive the first coat and hat, tear the number 1 card in half, give one piece to the owner, and put the other on the coat as you carefully lay it down on a table together with its hat, gloves, and any other clothing that the owner may give you. Instead of the usual plate that begs quarters, it would be more dignified and better business to put up a large sign that reads something like this:
Watering Lawns and Gardens
This is a good part-time summer job that leaves you free most of the day because you do not want to start watering until late in the afternoon. Offer to water every day or as often as the customer wishes. Usually people want to have their lawns soaked well and prefer to use a sprinkler. Thus, if you obtain several jobs in the same neighborhood, you can keep a number of sprinklers going at once by continually going from one to the other in order to change their locations and wet the entire lawn areas. Ask your customers how long they want the sprinkler to soak the grass. Carry a watch, notebook, and pencil to keep track of every time you move a sprinkler. It may be necessary to use a hand nozzle in order to finish off most jobs.
Make certain there are no local regulations prohibiting watering on certain days or during designated hours of the day. Charge by the job rather than by the hour.
Renting Beach Chairs
Do you live on or near a beach where people come to spend the day or part of the day, and do you think there is a chance of building up a rental service for beach chairs? It is a nuisance for people who come to the beach by car, and particularly elderly people, to have to carry chairs in addition to all their other gear.
Before deciding to do this, make sure that you may conduct this busi-ness on the beach. Be certain that no concessioner already has exclusive rental rights. You can start by buying three or four inexpensive folding chairs or finding second-hand chairs, then repainting and recovering them in attractive colors. If there proves to be a demand for your chairs, you can purchase more out of your profits. Solicit business by talking with visitors and offering to set up the chairs wherever they wish. Charge by the day.
Weeding Gardens
If you can tell a weed from a flower or vegetable and like to work in gardens, you can find customers for a weeding service. Weeding vegetable gardens is not difficult because only one kind of vegetable is usually grown in a section of the garden. A flower bed is quite another matter, particularly if there are many different varieties growing in it.
Have the customer explain what is in the bed and which the unwanted weeds are. If you doubt your ability to recognize weeds, perhaps you'd best think twice before accepting the job. Charge by the hour.
Taking Children to School
Do you live too close to school to be eligible to ride the school bus? If so there may be small children who live near you and go to your school. Perhaps you can save fathers and mothers the trouble of taking these small tots each morning and, if all pupils are dismissed at the same time, you could also bring them home. Such a service would be worth five or six dollars a week to most parents.
Cleaning Silver, Brass, and Copper
Few people enjoy cleaning their silver, brass, or copper dishes, bowls, pitchers, candlesticks, utensils, and other objects that they display about the home. A service that carefully cleans such articles is well worth trying out because you need so little investment and there should be prospects who would welcome such help with this burdensome chore.
You can buy chemically treated paper or cloth that will take light tarnish off silver but will probably prove too expensive and ineffective for your purposes. These products are not able to clean badly tarnished silver or brass as a rule. Your best bet is to use one of the old standbys like Wright's Cando or Gorham's silver polish or similar cleaners for silver, and Nixon or a similar product for brass and copper. Obtain several soft rags and you will be in business. Be warned, however, that silver and brass cleaning calls for a lot of hard rubbing.
Ask your customers how they prefer you to clean their silver, copper, or brass. Be extremely careful handling each article so as not to scratch, dent, or drop it. When you have finished cleaning all eating utensils, wash them in hot soapy water and dry them thoroughly with a clean dish towel. Charge by the hour.
Keyboarding
Are you a relatively fast and accurate typist? If so, you can probably earn money keying letters, resumes, and so forth at home during your spare time. Always use good paper and make sure your work is neat and error free. Check in town to find out what the going rate is for professionals, and scale your rate down somewhat since you are in the beginning stages.
Prospects will include classmates who want their themes typed, small businesses with letters, bills, or other jobs to be typed, stores or firms that need envelopes addressed, and relatives or neighbors who occasionally require typing assistance of one kind or another. If you live in a college town, the students may keep you busy typing their papers. Tell your pastor or rabbi, public librarian, and school librarian about your service because they may know of people who need a typist.
Running Errands
Frank Bishop and his brother Walter ran a unique service. They called themselves "the Errand Boys" and advertised their service to home owners and other residents, telling them that each afternoon between five and six, and Saturdays from ten to twelve and four to six, they would be available to run errands of any kind. They left their cards at each home so the residents would have their phone number handy in case they needed them to go to the store for a loaf of bread, come over and mind the baby for a little while, bring the children home from a birthday party, or do almost anything within reason.
This is a good business to enter with your brother or sister or a friend, for that matter. One can cover the phone calls while the other is out running the errands. Charge by the hour with a minimum charge equal to half of your hourly rate.
Changing Storm Windows and Screens
Here is a seasonal job for those who live in the northern part of the country where most homes are equipped with storm windows and screens that must be changed twice a year. In the fall you can offer to take down and store the screens and then wash and put up the storm windows. In the spring you can do the reverse. The newer aluminum storm sash and screens are easy to handle but there are still a lot of homes that use the older heavy storm windows and screens. Elderly people especially need this help even for the storm windows that are easy to change.
Washing Windows
Many home owners do not want to wash their windows or do not have time for the job. That is where you can come into the picture and earn some money. Buy a bottle of window cleaner-it may come with ammonia-and make certain it has a spray attachment. All you need to do is spray the cleaner evenly over the glass, wipe it with a clean cloth to make certain that the liquid is evenly distributed and has dislodged the dirt, then wipe it again with a clean cloth; if necessary, wipe with a third dry cloth to make the glass shine. Carry a razor blade cleaner- one of those little gadgets that holds a razor blade to be used in scraping paint off glass. When you come across any paint spattering; whisk them off with the blade. Charge by the hour.
Helpful hints: Although it will be safe to use a step ladder to reach first floor windows, do not use any ladders to climb higher. It is not worth the risk. Instead, obtain one of the inexpensive window washing sponges on a long handle that will enable you to clean the outside of windows from within the house. If it is impossible to lower the upper sash because it is painted shut on the outside, you will find it almost impossible to do the outside of that window and you should inform the customer. Never sit on a windowsill with your legs inside the house. That, too, is very dangerous.
Managing a Toy Swap Shop
Children of all ages tire of their toys and would be glad to swap or sell them for something different. Brian Hogan started a toy swap shop in his basement, and you could do the same in your garage or barn. He had "swap hours" from four to five o'clock each afternoon and every Saturday morning when parents might come with their children.
As toys were brought to his shop, Brian marked each with a tag telling the price the toy's owner thought it was worth and the name and address of the owner. He also cleaned them, if necessary, so that they would be more appealing to interested customers. "I had to help some parents and small children decide what a fair price was," he said. "I explained to each customer that I would keep 25 percent or a quarter of the selling price as my commission." Brian advertised his service by calling on parents and leaving a business card with each, as well as posting a business card on community bulletin boards.
Managing a Magazine Swap Shop
Along the same lines as Brian Hogan's toy swap shop was Esther Rawson's magazine swap shop. She realized that many boys and girls who have outgrown playing with toys spend much of their time reading magazines and comic books. Few of them, however, saved the magazines once they had read them, and she believed that this was a terrible waste. Why not recycle them and make them available for others to enjoy?
"I started my shop in a very small way," she explained. "In order to build up a stock of magazines when I first opened the shop, I put in my own magazines and bought up a number from friends. Then when customers started coming I had something for them to buy. At first I bought magazines; but I quickly discovered that I was putting out too much money, so I started taking them on consignment. That means I paid for them only after they were sold. I gave the owner 75 percent of what I sold them for. The remaining 25 percent was my commission."
This required Esther to keep books accounting for the magazines received and the commissions due their owners. She priced most of the magazines at half their original cost. When magazines were brought to her to be sold, she wrote the name of the owner on the top of each and kept a record of the owner's address separately. As magazines were sold she wrote down in her account book the name of the person who owned the magazine, the date, and the amount of money to pay the owner. When she paid the amount due the owner, she crossed off the information in her book. "I tried to keep my records as simple, but as accurate and current, as possible," she said. "That way it was not a lot of work." Esther also advertised by putting up notices on bulletin boards and telling all her friends about the service.
Cleaning Houses
When selling your service to the house or apartment dweller, explain that you can do the hard, dirty housework. List some of the chores you will do each week-vacuuming floors, rugs, draperies, walls and furniture; washing woodwork wherever necessary; washing Venetian blinds; dusting the furniture, books, and bookshelves; scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen floors; and any other cleaning the customer wishes to have done. For a service of this kind you would not be expected to bring equipment but would use the customer's vacuum, scrub brush, pail, and so on. The first time you report for work asks the customer to instruct and show you how the work should be done so you will be sure to do a satisfactory job. Charge by the job.
Washing Dishes
"At first the guys thought I was nuts," Clarence Wilson confided to us, "but when they saw my new English bike they wanted to know how to get into the dishwashing business, too." Clarence's face was covered with freckles and he had a broad grin.
"Whose dishes do you wash and when?" we asked.
"When couples or single people entertain a lot of friends, they like to do it royally," he explained. "That means a lot of dirty dishes, glasses, pots and pans, in fact, a mountain of them. They tell me it adds to their enjoyment to know they don't have to do dishes after the company goes home.
"I get there and start washing when the soup or appetizer dishes are brought out. That way it isn't bad because you can keep ahead of them.
What I don't like is to walk into a kitchen where the dishes are even piled on the floor. That's murder!"
"How do you charge?" we asked.
"By the hour, even if they have an electric dishwasher. While the dishwasher's churning away, I can do the pots and pans. Customers get double value for their money, right?"
He grinned and cocked his head to one side. "One thing I forgot. Sometimes I even wait on the table. I have a white jacket I bought from one of the mail-order houses. When I take off the jacket, I put on my apron and climb into that dishpan."
"Are there special rules a young person who waits on tables should observe?"
"Rules?" he repeated and laughed. "I don't follow rules, but I know enough to be polite and do all the serving of guests from their left side, take from the right. The hosts will tell me what to do anyway, and as long as the server doesn't spill soup down somebody's back, they aren't likely to complain."
Helpful hint: Young women should wear a white blouse, dark skirt, and a pretty apron when serving dinner in a home.
Running a Fix-It Service
Are you handy at repairing small appliances and household articles? In every home household gadgets get out of order, window panes and sash cords in old-fashioned windows need replacing, window shades get stuck, doors need oiling, woodwork or molding comes loose, carpets need tacking, leaking faucets need new washers, and countless other things go wrong.
Many home owners have no idea how to fix such things and would welcome a fix-it service to assist them. You need not be a professional mechanic because you would not tackle anything that requires the services of such a trained professional. You merely need to have an interest in doing such work because it challenges you, and you need access to a few "how-to-do-it" books that will tell you exactly what to do in making minor repairs. Charge by the hour.
Planning Children's Parties
Jeff Parker of Cleveland started a party-planning service after his mother asked him to plan games for his youngest sister's birthday party. On the day of the party, his mother was taken sick, so he was forced to run the whole affair. To his surprise, he enjoyed every moment of it, and when the mother of one of the small guests asked if he would do the same for her, he was in business.
"The secret of my success," he said, "is to keep the kids so busy they haven't time to get into trouble. I do this by having several games planned. The minute one ends, we start another. After an hour of games they're ready for the ice cream and cake-and then home. I get my ideas from books in the library, and I always plan new games or change some of the favorites so they don't recognize them. The problem is that you often get the same kids again and again. Prizes are very important, but they don't have to be expensive. When I discuss my plans with the mother or father, we agree on the games to be played and the number of prizes he or she should buy."
"Do you provide refreshments, too?" we asked.
"No, that's up to the parents. However, we agree on a certain time when I'll stop the games and take the children into the room where the refreshments are waiting. I stay with the children and keep them under control. This frees my employer to entertain the other parents as they come to pick up their children. I charge fifteen dollars as my fee."
Managing an Employment Office
Are there enough teenage employment opportunities in your town to warrant opening an employment office? Such a service would be a great help to parents who seek teenagers for babysitting and other jobs, for businesses that need part-time help, and for the teenagers themselves who seek work. Before you decide to start this business, be sure you have your parents' permission and make sure that they understand it will require a lot of telephoning on your part and incoming calls, too.
You will want to prepare simple application blanks to be filled out by each teenager who seeks employment. Obtain a number of 7" x 9" cards and prepare them like the sample below.
On the reverse side of the form include a sentence like this:
"I hereby agree and promise to pay (the name of your agency or your own name) for each job it gets me a fee of 10 percent of my earnings (signature of applicant)."
The applicant should sign her or his name where indicated and also clip a snapshot to the form, so that prospective employers who review several applications can visualize each applicant.
You should prepare some other forms to record job openings that come your way. On each you will want to note the employer's name, address, phone, type of opening, employment hours (and days of the week), preferred age and sex of teenage employee desired, plus any special information that would assist you in selecting the right person. The employer should not be charged any fees.
Establish regular office hours, preferably two or three days a week, when you will be home to register teenagers and receive requests from
Name
Address
Age
School attended and grade:
Previous employment, if any
Type of job wanted
Days and hours preferred:
Telephone number:
Two references:
Employers charge each applicant a small registration fee of about $1.00, with the understanding that this will not be returned even if you cannot find the applicant a job.
You should be prepared for emergency calls late in the afternoon when parents may call for babysitters because they suddenly have decided to go out or the sitter who was engaged has called in sick. That is when you go to work and start calling sitters who are in your file.
Advertise your service by calling on home owners and business people and leaving your cards with them. You can get your teenage workers by telling friends; word should spread rapidly. If you can afford to put an advertisement in the classified ads of the local paper and you live in a town where these ads are widely read, it would probably pay to advertise once or twice.
Care taking
When many people leave their homes vacant for any length of time, they want to have someone check the house frequently to make certain everything is all right. Thus, a burst water pipe would be discovered before serious damage was done. Also, if it is evident that someone is watching a house, burglars are much less likely to break in.
Part of such a service might include airing and cleaning the house just before the owners return. Also shopping for groceries, in accordance with instructions left by the owner, would prove helpful to returning travelers.
The best way to advertise your service is to call on home owners and leave your cards. By keeping your ear open for any news about people planning trips or cruises, you may learn of families who are leaving town. Although people take vacations throughout the year, you can eliminate all families with children while school is in session.
Tutoring
Are you such an exceptionally good student in one or more subjects that you are qualified to tutor boys and girls who need extra help with their studies? Those who have failed a subject are often given a chance to take a repeat examination at the end of the summer. Some pupils who were weak in a subject or missed school due to illness hope to brush up during vacation. For such students, tutors are generally needed.
Your principal might suggest the names of students in need of such assistance. You could then call on their parents and offer your services. If this is not feasible, your best way to drum up business is to call on parents of classmates and leave your card, asking them to tell their friends about you should they be seeking a tutor for their children.
Teaching Dance
If you watch a crowd of young people gyrating over a dance floor to the deafening music of a band, you would hardly suspect that anyone had to learn how to dance. Some people pick it up easily and naturally; others need instruction because they are timid, have no sense of rhythm, or have no idea how to start. These teenagers would welcome someone their own age to show them how to dance. Perhaps you are the one to teach them.
A playroom is an excellent place to give lessons. If there is no suitable room in your house, teach in the homes of your pupils. You will need records, CDs, or tapes to provide the music, and undoubtedly your pupils will own players. This is one business that offers an excellent opportunity for a brother and sister to form a partnership, thus attracting both boys and girls as customers. A further possibility is for a brother and sister who enjoy dancing to form a dance team-a modern version of the famous Fred and Adele Astaire partnership. There is often a market for such entertainment at local balls, dances, and other social affairs.
There is a gradual return to more formal dances with the traditional waltz, fox-trot, and other "old-fashioned" steps. If this is true in your town and you find enough interest in learning these dances, perhaps you could teach them.
Scrubbing and Waxing Floors
"I built up a good business," Myron Goldberg was telling us over a soda at the drugstore. "You see, few people like to scrub kitchen or bathroom floors. It's hard work and scrubbing with a brush is usually the best way to get dirt and stains off. Waxing is no fun either, but I like my business, there's plenty of it, and I make money."
"What equipment would a young person need who is interested in starting a similar service?" we asked.
"That's all the equipment I have," young Mr. Goldberg answered, pointing to two galvanized pails at his feet. One held a scrub brush, a can of scouring powder, and clean rags; the other held a bottle of liquid wax, a can of paste wax, and softer, clean rags.
"Unless a customer wants me to use a special cleaner," he went on, "I like the hot water, scrub brush, and cleansing powder best. One pail holds the scrubbing water, the other holds rinse water. After I've scrubbed, I rinse the floor and wipe it with a clean damp rag. That gets up the powder. Then I move on. As for the waxing, again it's a matter of the customer's choice. But I should point out one important thing. Certain liquid cleaners and waxes are made for rubber-tiled floors and will dissolve asphalt tiles. I'm always very careful to see that I use the right wax and cleaner. Also," he added, "today much of the linoleum does not need waxing and wax should not be used.
"Most of my customers do not use water on wood floors-it not good for them. Instead they use a liquid or paste wax which cleans and then waxes when it is polished. You know," he added brightly, "there's nothing nicer than a sparkling floor after it has been cleaned and it shines likes new."
Myron charges by the hour and also bills his customers for cleaners and waxes if they do not provide them.
Young people who love animals may find it profitable to take care of pets while their owners are away from home. Some people prefer to leave their pets at home rather than put them in kennels, and they would be interested in having you come each day to feed and water them. Others might want to have you take their dog out for a walk each day in addition to feeding it. A few might like to have you take their dog into your home to care for it, if the animal would not be upset in a strange place or run away. Cats won't leave their familiar surroundings as readily as dogs, and it is just as easy to let them stay in their homes and leave food and water for them each day.
Parakeets, canaries, fish, turtles, and caged animals can be cared for in your home-provided that your parents agree to this arrangement and, if you live in an apartment house, it is permitted to have animals in the building. If you do this, be sure to obtain full instructions from the owner as well as the name of their vet in case the animal gets sick. Charge by the day.
Washing Dogs
Owners of dogs that require regular baths with soap and water may welcome your help, provided you can manage the dog when it is being bathed. Be sure that the owner tells you exactly how he or she wants the bath to be given. Report for work with an old raincoat or rubber apron to protect your clothing. Your best prospects would be elderly people or those who have physical limitations and, therefore, cannot handle their pets themselves. Charge by the hour.
Running a Clipping Service
A clipping service subscribes to all of the local newspapers and con-tracts with individuals or businesses or organizations to clip all news items and advertisements that refer to the client who pays for the service. Your prospects should include the following: businesses, restaurants, radio stations, churches, schools, organizations, and prominent individuals (such as writers, musicians, sports personalities, artists, and so on), all of whom are mentioned frequently in the newspapers and may want to keep a complete file of the articles in which their names appear.
Once your clipping service is under way, you will find that you will probably need at least two copies of each newspaper that you clip. That is because frequently there will be articles to be clipped appearing on both sides of a page, or an article may be continued on the reverse side of a page. It is important that you read through the newspapers carefully so that you do not miss a single mention of one of your clients. Keep a list of your clients in front of you as you read so that you will be constantly reminded of their names.
Clip each article neatly and mount it with rubber cement on a piece of 8Vi" x 11" white paper. At the top of the sheet type the name of the newspaper and the date the article appeared. If your business grows, you can have rubber stamps made with the names of the newspapers you read and clip-this will save you time.
Charge by the clipping, 250 each unless you have a client who is mentioned frequently and for whom you might reduce the charge slightly.
Running a Shopping Service
This service differs from the errand service previously suggested. That service was for people who needed odd errands run now and then. This service differs in that it would have regular customers who rely on you to do most of their shopping for them on a regular basis, probably once or twice a week. Your prospects would be shut-ins, the elderly, and those who have difficulty walking, all of whom would not be able to push a cart around a grocery store or supermarket. Many of them might be living in senior citizen housing developments. Other prospects might be working people who would welcome the service because it would free them of doing the shopping chore at night or on Saturdays when they want their free time for other purposes. In addition to grocery shopping, you might also buy clothing, hardware, medicine, and other items as needed from time to time. For those who must depend on others to buy the necessities of life, this would be a most important service.
Ask your customers to prepare lists of what they need and to specify the amounts and preferred brands of groceries and meats they want. It would be best to pick up the list rather than take it down over the phone, unless a customer lives some distance from your home. Picking up the list affords the customer opportunity to give you special instructions he or she considers necessary. It would probably work best if you shopped for one customer a day so as not to run the risk of mixing up the orders.
Charge by the hour from the time you leave your house until you return home.
Finding and Selling Golf Balls
Bob Towey lived near a golf course and worked up a good business finding and selling used golf balls. He went out every evening during the summer, and weekends in the spring and fall seasons, to "beat through the rough," as he called it. "Rough" is the golfing term for uncut fields or woods that border on a golf course.
"I take a stick or golf club," he explained to us, "and walk through the rough where I know from experience that the dubs lose their balls. I don't just wander around like most of the other fellows, but start at one end of a field or piece of woods and walk back and forth in straight lines, each time advancing about three feet. As I walk, I beat the tall grass and bushes with my stick because balls have a habit of nestling in a thick clump of grass or under a broad leaf. By being thorough, I find just about every ball that has been lost."
Bob washes the balls carefully; if the paint is badly worn but the covers are not cracked or cut, he repaints them with a good grade of white enamel.
"I sell most of my balls to golfers at the parking lot," he said. "When I see them getting out of their cars, I ask if they need any good balls. Most of them are delighted at the chance of buying secondhand washed or repainted balls at half the cost of new ones."
Selling Hot Cocoa
Nothing hits the spot in the dead of winter when you are out skating, coasting, or skiing like a cup of hot cocoa. Do you live near a pond or hill or ski slope? If so, how about selling hot cocoa to children and adults?
Recipes for cocoa will be found in every cookbook or on most cans of cocoa. Carry your cocoa in a gallon thermos jug; this will keep it piping hot. Serve your drinks in paper cups-the kind that holds hot liquids.
If you like to make cookies, brownies, fudge, or cupcakes, there should be a good market for one or more of these sweets along with your cocoa. It's nice to munch something when you drink cocoa, and since your customers will probably be hungry as well as thirsty, there's opportunity to increase your volume of business and profit, too!
