What Would You Say?

Let's say that I literally had nothing. Say I had $478.22 to my name and I've been unemployed for the last 9 months. I had no real friends like the type that would let you crash at their house if you needed to. I'm without a car because I sold it to pay off some debt to keep me out of legal trouble.

Say my wife wanted me out of the house after the first of the year so her boyfriend can move in. Say most of my family has passed or in jail and that I'm only left with a second cousin in another state that I only talk to around the holiday's.

Say I've been looking a job with no success and Home Depot won't hire me because they think I'll split once I get another office job.

Say I've studied internet marketing and direct mail for a few years just never did anything with it. Say I've tried to get some offline clients but haven't seemed to land any yet.

Where would you start to pick up the pieces, start making money and get your life back together?

Matt

Call Tiger Woods Agent and ask if you can be Tiger's Houseboy at his house in Switzerland.

DA

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by CopyCub

Let's say that I literally had nothing. Say I had $478.22 to my name and I've been unemployed for the last 9 months. I had no real friends like the type that would let you crash at their house if you needed to. I'm without a car because I sold it to pay off some debt to keep me out of legal trouble.

Say my wife wanted me out of the house after the first of the year so her boyfriend can move in. Say most of my family has passed or in jail and that I'm only left with a second cousin in another state that I only talk to around the holiday's.

Say I've been looking a job with no success and Home Depot won't hire me because they think I'll split once I get another office job.

Say I've studied internet marketing and direct mail for a few years just never did anything with it. Say I've tried to get some offline clients but haven't seemed to land any yet.

Where would you start to pick up the pieces, start making money and get your life back together?

Hi Matt,

That's a pretty dire picture!

I think the first step is that the person in your scenario has to somehow take care of the basics... like food and shelter.

(I'll just say "you" from now on, rather than "the person in your scenario"... It's understood I just mean the general "you", not a specific person "you".)

That has to be the first step.

$478.22 - if you're extremely frugal - can take care of that for a little while.

You might even be able to get accommodation and/or food cheaper or even for free in return for doing some work. There are some businesses and organizations which will do this - you do some work, and get accommodation and/or food at a reduced cost or even free.

Once you've got a place to stay for a little while and some food to eat, then you need to take care of a regular income.

What you should do really depends on your skills, background, contacts, and so on. I don't think there is a "one size fits all answer" - since the best thing for me to do might be quite different from the best thing for you to do, because of our possible differences in personality, skills, knowledge, interests, people we know, etc.

I would sit down and make a big list of all the possible things I could feasibly do to make an income, with low risk, and relatively fast. (You don't have the "security" to try high risk things right now, I would say, with just $478.22 minus your food and accommodation costs to your name. And that $478.22 isn't going to last long, so you need the income relatively quickly.)

Take into account all your skills, past experience, your knowledge, any qualifications you have, the opportunities available to you where you are, any other resources you have, etc.

That list includes all the kinds of jobs you could do, along with other more "businessy" things. It's always possible to do multiple things - both work a job, and in your extra time, supplement your income from a (low risk) business activity.

You should also consider all your contacts, since contacts can often lead to jobs or to customers (either directly, or through their contacts). In addition, you should consider the pluses and minuses of traveling to the city where your second cousin lives, so you have someone to turn to for help if you need it (since you mentioned that in this scenario, you have a second cousin).

"No man (or woman) is an island" - and there is no shame in turning to people you know to help you get the work or business you need to get yourself back on your feet. In fact, it's probably the fastest way to succeed, since instead of one brain (i.e. your own) trying to solve your problem, you'll have multiple brains working on the problem, with all their knowledge, experience, and contacts too.

When I say you could do a "low risk" business activity, that generally means something you don't have to spend much money on. If you can sell something before you even pay for the product (e.g. selling based on a sample or even a brochure), or before you need to create it (such as selling a service), that's pretty good from a risk point of view.

That's what I would do... I would start with making that big list. Then, I'd consider the most likely to succeed options, and figure out the best ways to proceed along those lines.

By the way, making this list is not necessarily a fast process. You might be able to do the "first draft" in an hour or two. But you'll probably find over the next few days, new ideas will "pop" into your head out of nowhere, which you can then add to the list. Often these later ideas are among the best ones.

I don't think there's a "one size fits all" solution, in my personal opinion... The solution has to be tailored to fit each unique individual!

Best wishes,

Dien

[MMacGillivray]

Hi, Matt - that sounds like a terrible place to be ...

In those circumstances, I'd make a quick list of the types of job which have accommodation. Service jobs don't usually pay as much but, when bed and board is thrown in, the pay stretches a bit further.

• Hotel staff
• Care home staff
• Housekeeping companion

This isn't a long-term solution, of course, but is just designed to get a roof over my head. There are probably other service jobs which fulfill this requirement as well.

To make it easier for someone to employ me in this type of job, either I'd get written testimonials from previous employers or someone in the community who has some standing - minister, doctor, lawyer, etc. or approach previous employers and ask them if they would be prepared to give me a good reference.

I might go back to previous employers and see if they have a vacancy where I could fill in for a short time for a weekly cash wage?

I have a full driving licence so would be asking myself if there are any jobs advertised where I could be trained to do long distance, heavy goods delivery or some such?

I wouldn't much like driving taxis, but I guess I might find out what possibilities exist there.

I'd seriously considering working more than one job and keep my expenses down to a minimum.

Whatever happened, I'd try my absolute best to keep smart; it's so much easier to hire someone who looks the part. Polished shoes, well-pressed suit, hair well groomed - it's all part of the sales pitch to get me that essential job.

Best wishes and I hope it all works out -
Margaret

Matt,

One thought would be to search through SowPub archives several years back and further when biz ideas were flowing like a flood through here.

A lot of the ideas discussed were things a person could put together for as little as a small pitch book would cost once you found something you could get excited about.

I have always loved advertising and marketing for small businesses so my memory is more along the lines of email marketing (NO cost except what it would run to collect email addresses and an autoresponder).

Text Messaging is HUGE these days and reaches people where they are and especially when catering to younger audience of say 50 and younger.

I say search the archives because I just haven't seen many ideas flowing in recent years as I did way back when. Don Alm, Vondre, Skip Rosell all had a number of ideas freely discussed here. Of course there were many other contributors than them but they were constantly either coming up with a new idea or perhaps more often an older idea with a new twist which made it a new idea.

Don had a book of ideas in Midas Report that I bought years ago. Not sure if he is still marketing that or not but I have done some of the ideas and made money. Even if he is not for some reason selling it actively ... hey, he has a computer and can probably print you off a copy so I'd ask (if that was of any interest to you).

At one time Vondre had a bunch of ideas he shared in a membership site but I don't know if he still does that or not .... Google and see.

Skip Rosell is a faithfull idea marketer and for just pennies (almost) you can access a large selection of ideas. http://makemoneyalerts.com/

One thing I have done in the past was sell ads on a coffee mug. This was before the computer in my life but I found a company that would sell printed coffee mugs. I read about them in a moneymaking mag. The company was called AdverMug and I ordered their info with samples.

I was all excited and while waiting on the package to come I asked the owner of a local diner if they ever had broken coffee mugs that needed replacing and she said yes. I asked if she had to pay for those mugs out of her pocket and again she said yes. I asked, "Would you like to get delivered 144 new mugs every 3 months totally free ... she asked "HOW"?

I explained that I would put the name, address and phone number of her diner for free and deliver these mugs to her every 3 months and they would include the ads of 8 small businesses on them. She liked the idea so I asked her who she would recommend I talk with. She gave me the names of some people who frequented her restaurant to contact.

There were two of these people in the restaurant at the time and one overheard me talking with her and asked what it would cost. I said $75 up front and $75 upon delivery. He bought on the spot. He gave me his business card for me to get logo from.

I didn't have a receipt to give him, nothing to show anyone because my package of info had not yet arrived and I had not done one yet but I went and bought a receipt book and delivered his receipt later when I delivered him a mug. (Each advertiser got a mug when I picked up the balance.)

When my package arrived I loved everything except the price of the mugs because they wanted me to buy from them and they were pricey as I recall. I did some looking and found a company that would do them for far less so my profit was about $700 on each batch of 144 mugs sold and delivered.

The really fun part was there was no real selling involved. I had asked Shelby (diner owner) to call and let the people on her list know I was coming by. She contacted 4 or 5 of them while I was standing there and told them she was working with me on a project and was sendin me over with an idea that she thought they would be interested in.

Since I offered a non-compete agreement it was a no-brainer. PLUS ... they felt almost obligated since Shelby had called and she had thought of them instead of some competitor. My first mug was sold in an afternoon because 3 businesses were within blocks of Shelby's diner.

This is simple stuff ... and fun. That was years ago and I still drink coffee from my very first coffee mug project with her. If you have interest I'll take a snapshot of it and email it to you.

Oh ... on that first mug, I only sold 4 ads which I placed on the front of that mug. The back half I placed MY ad for Ad Specialties & Business Promotions. I had seen an ad for Kaeser & Blair in the same magazine as I saw the AdverMug ad and had ordered their package which is where I ordered my mugs from.

When I delivered the mug to the advertisers I made certain they saw my ad on the back side of the mug and asked if they would keep me in mind in the future for other needs.

From my first mug sale when I delivered the mugs the pest control company ordered calendars and flyswatters from me, a brake & alignment company ordered ink pens and key tags, a parts house ordered some caps and tee shirts and the feed and seed store ordered some caps from me so I was up and running .... to the bank. My profits total from that first mug sale was over $1000 when I add the profits from the above promotional products.

WOW ... it has been a long time since I thought of all of this.

Anyway ... I hope something I have mentioned has triggered an idea in your own mind for this individual that you are seeking a solution for.

Merry Christmas!

Randy

Matt,

Start by reading these two threads...

Michael Ross' Challenge http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2077

Answer http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2118

HTH,

Michael Ross

[Ankesh]

Thanks Michael for sharing those links. Great refreshing the memories. That thread is a must read - especially Linda's and Dien's responses.

Thanks Matt for posting a tough hypothetical question.

My advice would be: start something simple. That can be scaled.
Simple and scalable = can get you out of any mess without your having to work hourly jobs at McDonalds or Homedepot.

One awesome article I read recently:
The taste that launched a 1000 parking tickets:
http://www.pinkberry.com/press/50/16...g-tickets.html

Its about how Hyekyung Hwang started selling frozen-yogurt. She only sold 2 flavours. And she sells it for $4.95 - a very high price for frozen yogurt! But because she fills a gap in the market - "healthy as well as tasty frozen yogurt" - people from all over the place come to buy from her! She serves 1300 to 1600 people a day! (Which puts her profit over $4000 per day!) And she's achieved all this from a poor location.

Action Summary:

1. Find a simple need in the market place.
2. Focus and meet that simple need. Get rid of all the distractions and add ons and advice - and yes - even possibilities.
3. Promote like crazy.
4. Scale up.

Originally Posted by Ankesh

....hypothetical question.

I didn't actually say this was a 'hypothetical' situation but I did phrase it as one.


Thanks for the advice so far!

Matt

Given the current economy, your plight is topical and newsworthy.

If you don't mind the spotlight ON your 'problem,' here's what you could do...

1) start a blogger (free) blog using your new domain name ($10)...
www.How[name of your town]HelpedMe.com

2) Make your blog be a DAILY diary of your jouney OUT of your dire situation -- starting with ALL the background of how you got INTO the mess -- especially as it pertains to things "out of your control -- ie: the economy."

3) Send out press releases + do interviews. Buy a pay-as-you-go cell phone
($30, incl. 300 minutes at Wal-Mart) -- that way you can respond to the press calling at ANY TIME.

4) Use your blog to document the LOCAL people + biz's that help you out.

The people + biz's who help you out instantly become famous for doing so, via your blog.

You could even give them a 'certificate' they could display -- "I/We Helped [your name], etc."

Maybe the whole thing has enough "legs" to go national!! After the blog gets going + some people/biz's DO help you, send out NAT'L press releases + call Oprah, etc.

Cheers + happy new year!

-- TW

For Don Alm, or anyone that can assist.

Greetings,

My name is Kelly Jones and I am an American living in Taiwan. I have lived here for 8 years teaching English and have tried establishing another business to eventually quit teaching.

I have good ideas but lack funds to get anything big started. Then I remembered that when I was in college I worked for an outfit from Canada that sold Pizza Hut and Oil Change Cards. I made good money doing that on breaks and when I had free time.

I would be very interested in trying to establish such a thing here in Taiwan. Lots of young people looking to make some money and I could be the marketing company that got the contracts for products and did all the printing. Giving young people the pamphlets with value cards to sell and they pay me at the end of the day.

I would like it very much and would be gratefull if you could provide me with sample PDF's of the cards you have done and also any contracts that you may have to sign with the retailers.

Also your mentorship in assisting me getting it going would be a tremendous value.

Sincerely,
Kelly Jones