Board of Education Pains

[Jim]

Dear Starving JIM:

My advice is forget the school bid business.  It is not a lucrative
business.  Go for teachers and churches.  Don't go for Concerts either.
That brings prestige, but too much pressure, and too political.  You
may have to go for mailouts, but always follow up with phone calls a
week later.  Yellow page ads are better than most other types of advert-
ising.  Get your cards on Laundromat bulletin boards.  Those of us who
are established know that those new in the business will have to use
price as an incentive.  However, this usually brings you the cheapskates
to deal with.  We are glad to avoid them. It is legitimate to use price
in the early stages, that's part of the free enterprize system.
Eventually, you will not need to resort to that.  Provide service to
the out-of-town areas until you have enough locally that you can't
find the time to travel anymore.  Giving good service encourages
referrals.  Find small communities which no one else is serving.  The
locals there will actually help you develop business.  They appreciate
you coming to them.

Jim Coleman, Sr.