In Six Months, Or Less, This Business Could Take Off. Now Is The Time To Get In On It..

It's Winter in Australia. (In six months or less, it will be Winter in the US and Europe and the UK.)

And in this week's local paper - June 12 edition - there are seven people selling firewood. In the May 8 edition there are only two firewood sellers. In the April 10 edition there is one. And before that there are none.

Previously, I've mentioned how the number of cleaners' ads drop off in the cooler months and pick up in the warmer, 'spring cleaning' months.

The firewood sellers and the cleaners are two examples of trends that are around us every day and which repeat year after year after year.

There is no reason why a person - maybe you - couldn't be a cleaner in the Spring and Summer and sell firewood in the Fall (Autumn) and Winter.

And if that doesn't float your boat, pick one of the other yearly trends to be a part of...

July 4, Christmas, Easter, Passover, Ramadhan, Hannuka, Queens Birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Secretary's Day, Red Nose Day, Walpurgisnacht, Halloween, Equinox, Solstice, SuchAndSuch Day or Week, etc., etc., etc.

And what about locally?

Surely there are yearly goings on in your suburb or city. Or a suburb or city you know of.

Look at Roswell. Classic example of sponging off of an event.

Okay, so we all can't have alien space craft maybe crash in our backyard. But hey, surely there is something in your area.

And if not, remember what the seasons bring... firewood and cleaning are only two small examples. There are plenty of others.

Do a bit of thinking. Sit down with a pen and paper and figure out what people will most likely be buying in the months ahead.

Whatever it is, get hold of some NOW while people do not want it (while demand is low) and hold on to it for a few months until people do want it (when demand is high). Or find a source NOW and get ready to market when the time is right.

Michael Ross.


The time is right for success.

> Whatever it is, get hold of some NOW while
> people do not want it (while demand is low)
> and hold on to it for a few months until
> people do want it (when demand is high). Or
> find a source NOW and get ready to market
> when the time is right.

> Michael Ross.
I have been doing this in a small way for years now. Buy off season recreational equipment in the off season, repair refurbish and flick it off as the season starts. Think Campervans, convertibles, motorcycles, surfboards in winter. When summer comes start buying winter toys and selling summer ones.
BTW: that firewood business is a tough one. You will be very fit by the end of the season, slinging wood around. The complement to a firewood business of course is a tree removal business. This way you get paid both ends of the deal.
Heres what you need: trees, good chainsaws, a tip truck that holds a cord, a storage yard, hydraulic splitter, cheap casual labour.

Hi Michael,

Thanks! Your post reminds me of something I stumbled on to last year....

I had bought an inexpensive, new Australian scenic 2002 wall calendar, for a little project I was going to try. The project didn't end up going ahead, so I decided to sell the calendar on eBay.... No use wasting it.

The calendar just cost me $2. But on eBay, I sold it for about $14 !

There was a bidding war between two people, one in Germany and one in New York state. The person in New York state eventually won....

She sent me an email after she won the auction. She told me that she was an Australian living and working in the USA, and she was feeling a bit homesick.... That's why she HAD to have that calendar - it reminded her of home! The only place she knew where to get one from New York state was through my auction!

That got me thinking... How many homesick Aussies are there living outside of Australia who would also want an Australian scenic calendar? Unfortunately, it was too late in the year for me to take advantage of this realization....

But this applies elsewhere too. How many homesick Americans are there living abroad, who would love to have an American scenic calendar? It's hard to get these overseas! How many English are living overseas, who have little way of getting a scenic English calendar? And so on....

This is another "seasonal" business which I believe there is a demand for.... Service your homesick fellow countrymen living overseas, by selling them things which remind them of home. Many will pay a higher price to get them, to at least return home in their hearts....

- Dien Rice

I lived in So. Calif. for many years and bought and sold many things from TVs to appliances and cars, trucks, boats, property and you name it (chatteling).

One item I liked to load up on in the cooler months were small, window air conditioners around 5000 to 8000 BTU rating that were great for bedrooms.

They were advertised by private parties in the local pennysaver papers for around $20 to $25 each and often for just $10 - all in good working condition. I could take my time in getting them, since there was no demand in the cool months.

Then, when the summer heatwave would come (and it always did) I would simply advertise two (yes, just two) for $135 and $165.

There were plenty of these air conditioners advertised during a heat wave, but were sold very quickly, since there was only one available per ad. But, when they called my ad to inquire about if I still had it, they were shocked when I said yes and literally "begged" me to hold it for them.

Since I had about 50 of them in my garage (only the two were shown operating in bedrooms with the doors closed, so it was nice and cool when I showed them operating, I was able to sell several a day for days at a time.

As soon as one sold (always for full asking price) and was loaded into their car, I'd grab another from the garage and stick it in the window and let it run for the next customer.

I would only sell them in good working condition, and can only remember buying two that ended up not working.

That was a nice few thousand dollars a week by just preparing way in advance.

Now I just paint addresses on curbs for $1000 to $1500 a week most of the year for more continuity.

Lawrence

Hey Lawrence...you sound like a true "wheeler/deeler" but what about your address painting thing........

I've done that from time to time but could never make enough money to keep at it or make it worth my while. It seems like its not a big priority for a lot of people and flyers were not that big a draw. I also know other friends that had the same experience like I did. What the heck do you do to make that much money and you say every week?
Care to share?

Peter Thorton

Peter,

My initial efforts with address painting sounded much like your own. I started several years ago as part of a fund raising team for the Children's hospital. We did raise money and I thought I could continue on with it as a personal moneymaker, but that was not the case.

Like you said, it's not a priority for the general public and I just did it from time to time when I needed a few bucks.

Here's what happened to change all that:

Two suggestions from customers resulted in a new and different style of address that people really, really liked. Then last year, I learned of a public campaign by the fire dept. about the importance of visible home addresses - especially at night when seconds could count during a 911 emergency and I used some of those materials in my marketing.

I experimented with various fliers and other approaches that resulted in a very specific structure the includes timing and specific actions to pull all the business I can handle day in and day out. I experimented with pricing and side jobs (extra address for corner homes and steps and also re-doing old faded addresses).

The real interesting thing is that the addresses I do serve as automatic and constant marketing for the product itself, since they are so visible and attractive by stimulating the desire of neighborhood residents to have one for their home.

I've incorporated two other basic home services that can and do earn me in excess of $1000 per week EACH. However, a combination of two or even the three make for a consistent response that I'm in full control of.

I don't need to worry about being involved with a company that can change things whenever they want or go down the tubes with them if they do. This a a direct cash business that gives me total finacial security and to me, that's the only way to go!

I'm going to put a program together about what I do with this for others to work and profit from, but right now, I'm spending most of the day working, testing and making great money.

I like this more than buying and selling merchandise because I simply create the product on demand and don't need to chase them down or compete with others for the same merchandise! (I did that for way too many years to know that there's better ways to make money with personal control)

Please feel free to email me with other questions and I'll do my best to answer what I can for you.

Lawrence
[email protected]

> Hey Lawrence...you sound like a true
> "wheeler/deeler" but what about
> your address painting thing........

> I've done that from time to time but could
> never make enough money to keep at it or
> make it worth my while. It seems like its
> not a big priority for a lot of people and
> flyers were not that big a draw. I also know
> other friends that had the same experience
> like I did. What the heck do you do to make
> that much money and you say every week?
> Care to share?

> Peter Thorton

Eventhough I've developed a very specific marketing structure that produces great money when followed, the real crux of this is being aware of and understanding the psychology involved.

At times it feels like me against them (my doing certain things that prompt their response - and I do mean very predictable response), but to understand others is to understand yourself and this is what makes for a most viable business approach.

There's a certain sense of security to know that if I do A + B that C will usually result. Therefore I can do a lot more of A + B to increase my income at will. And it seems to work better with this than most anything else I've ever done.

Just imagine a street with 20 or 30 percent of homes having unique and attractive addresses. The desire to be included (even call it "peer-pressure")will result in 80 or 90 percent end up doing it.

There's cool, warm and hot neighborhoods that respond accordingly and knowing how to locate them is part of success with this.

Lawrence
[email protected]

> Peter,

> My initial efforts with address painting
> sounded much like your own. I started
> several years ago as part of a fund raising
> team for the Children's hospital. We did
> raise money and I thought I could continue
> on with it as a personal moneymaker, but
> that was not the case.

> Like you said, it's not a priority for the
> general public and I just did it from time
> to time when I needed a few bucks.

> Here's what happened to change all that:

> Two suggestions from customers resulted in a
> new and different style of address that
> people really, really liked. Then last year,
> I learned of a public campaign by the fire
> dept. about the importance of visible home
> addresses - especially at night when seconds
> could count during a 911 emergency and I
> used some of those materials in my
> marketing.

> I experimented with various fliers and other
> approaches that resulted in a very specific
> structure the includes timing and specific
> actions to pull all the business I can
> handle day in and day out. I experimented
> with pricing and side jobs (extra address
> for corner homes and steps and also re-doing
> old faded addresses).

> The real interesting thing is that the
> addresses I do serve as automatic and
> constant marketing for the product itself,
> since they are so visible and attractive by
> stimulating the desire of neighborhood
> residents to have one for their home.

> I've incorporated two other basic home
> services that can and do earn me in excess
> of $1000 per week EACH. However, a
> combination of two or even the three make
> for a consistent response that I'm in full
> control of.

> I don't need to worry about being involved
> with a company that can change things
> whenever they want or go down the tubes with
> them if they do. This a a direct cash
> business that gives me total finacial
> security and to me, that's the only way to
> go!

> I'm going to put a program together about
> what I do with this for others to work and
> profit from, but right now, I'm spending
> most of the day working, testing and making
> great money.

> I like this more than buying and selling
> merchandise because I simply create the
> product on demand and don't need to chase
> them down or compete with others for the
> same merchandise! (I did that for way too
> many years to know that there's better ways
> to make money with personal control)

> Please feel free to email me with other
> questions and I'll do my best to answer what
> I can for you.

> Lawrence
> [email protected]