HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: djohnson@ti.com (Doug Johnson)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Finding Used Car Buyers
Date: 14 Aug 92 22:32:10 GMT
Reply-To: johnson@.ti.com (Doug Johnson)
Organization: Texas Instruments VLSI Design Laboratory



How do you find people who are buying used cars?

We have a business that will inspect a car for a buyer.  For $80.00,
we'll come out to driveway, dealer's lot, wherever, in a well
equipped van with a certified professional mechanic, and inspect the
car, search for recalls, estimate any repairs, and estimate value.

So far, so good.  Our customers seem to be very happy with our service
and we get a fair number of referrals.  We are having trouble
expanding because we're having trouble finding cost effective ways of
finding used car buyers.  Sellers are easy, they take out ads in the
paper.  But buyers?

Our most successful ad to date is one that runs in one of those local
magzines full of classified ads.  A quarter page at the start of used
car section.  We have had steady and increasing calls and sales.

Things we have tried:
Ads in the AAA magazine -- lots of reader response cards, no sales.

Ads scattered among used car ads in the daily paper -- little response
    and expensive. 

We were featured by the consumer affairs reporter of a local TV
    station on the evening news --- a few calls right after the show,
    then nothing.  


Any suggestions?  Thanks -- Doug
From: dlhpfm!dlh@NCoast.org (daniel lance herrick)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: Super fast and inexpensive marketing
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 92 20:19:38 EDT
Organization: dlh Performance Marketing

markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Hunk) writes:

>    If I have a software product that expands on a smaller version which had a
> proven track record of popularity in the public domain, would it then make
> sense to start marketing the larger package by a direct mail campaign?
> 
>    For example, I can get a list of (say 1-5 hundred) addresses together, wri
> up an ad/order form, and send out the letters, get a few orders, sell, turn b
> some of the profit into a larger batch of letters in the next round, etc.
> 
>    It seems if the product really IS popular, I should be able to generate
> progressively larger batchs of letters on each subsequent round and bootstrap
> myself into a profitable self-supporting business after 3 or 4 rounds, with
> very little (< $250) initial capital on round 1.

This is how the fortunes are made in mail order.

Two details:

The list needs to be people who buy mail order.  Not everyone does and
mail to those who don't is wasted money.  It also needs to be people
who have use for your product.

Second, the letter needs to be an effective selling document.  The most
important thing is to test different letters against each other.  John
Caples' book Tested Advertising Methods will help you profit some from
other people's testing.  Claude Hopkins' book Scientific Advertising is
about why and how to test.

dan  of dlh Performance Marketing  POBox 1419  Mentor Ohio 44061
       NCoast.org!dlhpfm!dlh or ab.com!dlhpfm.uucp!dlh   (216)974-9637
"He who walks in integrity walks securely,
 But he who perverts his ways will be found out." Proverbs 10:9
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: bpoling@bluemoon.rn.com (Brock A. Poling)
Subject: Video Game Rentals
Organization: Blue Moon BBS ((614) 868-998[024])
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 09:04:32 EDT


Hi,

I am looking for a little advice on the Video Game market.  I am thinking
about buying a high priced machine and leasing it out to several local
vendors ($65,000).  This game is extremely popular, and I have heard
reports from players that they have waited in line 5-6 hours to play for
about 4 minutes at a cost of between $5 and $10.  With this kind of 
popularity I can't see how I could miss.  My initial thought is that I
would set this up for an arcade vendor, for a cost of $5000 for 1 week.
I get half up front half when I pick up the machine, and he buys the
insurance for the machine (while he has it).  The way I figure it, he 
will make his payback by keeping the machine 50%  utilized, so anything
above that is profit.  I will hit breakeven in about 12 weeks.  So here
are my questions.

1) Do arcade's make it a practice to lease/rent machines, or do they
   usually buy them?

2) Since I don't have $65k in my pocket if I solicited interested arcades
   to sign a tenative agreement, would a bank finance this, collateralized
   by the machine itself.

   Or, should I seek investors.  If I do this I thought I would make their
   payback 100% of their investment.  So, if someone lended me $5000 I 
   would return $10000 to them.  This would extend my breakeven to 24
   weeks (of utilization) and then everything else would be mine.

3) The machine comes with a 1 year warrantee, and a really good 24 hour
   service gurarantee, but if a vendor loses service for 24 hours how
   can I compensate him if I am on a tight schedule with the machine.
   Obviously, I don't want to eat the cost (of lost time) and neither
   does he.  So what would be a good understanding to come to?

4) What am I overlooking? and any info to the Video game business is
   helpful.

Thanks,
Brock.

 This is from
     bpoling@bluemoon.rn.com
who doesn't have his (or her) own obnoxious signature yet
From: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: Credit card fraud etc...
Date: 22 Aug 92 01:20:12 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Organization: Peirce Software
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v4


In article <1992Aug20.152530.7063@ac.dal.ca> (misc.entrepreneurs), asuncion@ac.dal.ca writes:
> 
> Are people willing to leave their credit card numbers with a 1-800 voice-mail
> automated answering service, when responding to a print ad? Are they worried
> about credit card fraud? Will this cut sales drastically?

I wouldn't do it.  I'll only give my credit card number to a business
that I have at least some confidence that it's not a fraud.  An ad
and voice mail seem just too much like it *could* be a scam.

--  Michael Peirce      --   peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org
--  Peirce Software     --   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
--                      --   San Jose, California USA 95117
--  Makers of...        --   voice: (408) 244-6554 fax: (408) 244-6882
--            SMOOTHIE  --   AppleLink: peirce & America Online: AFC Peirce
From: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: start-up questions
Date: 18 Aug 92 05:47:24 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Organization: Peirce Software
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v4


In article <1992Aug13.140726.17607@news.acns.nwu.edu> (misc.entrepreneurs), nader@bogart (Nader Sahyouni) writes:
> 
> Hello there, 
> 
> my brother and I have almost completed some software we hope to market and
> sell. We need to know how to:
> 1) get set up to receive Purchase Orders

You just need to say "We accept them."  Then you need to set up a
simple system to track them and collect them - some organizations
pay you late (and in a few extreme cases, never).

> 2) get set up to receive credit card orders

This isn't hard, just a pain and will cost you.  If you don't have
a retail store front you will probably need to deposit some money
with the handling bank and still pay a larger percentage than retailers.

When I got mine with Family Bank they even had someone come by and
photograph my office to prove I was really in business.  A friend
of a friend of mine works for VISA and he was telling me of the horror
stories they have with purely mail-order merchants.  They do lose
a fair amount of money to fraud and will try very hard to make sure
your not going to rip them off.

> 3) whether or not to incorporate and what kind (S corp OK? Worth it?)

Depends on LOTS of conditions.  Here in California incorporating isn't
cheap.  I'm a proprietor until my accountant tells me otherwise.

--  Michael Peirce      --   peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org
--  Peirce Software     --   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
--                      --   San Jose, California USA 95117
--  Makers of...        --   voice: (408) 244-6554 fax: (408) 244-6882
--            SMOOTHIE  --   AppleLink: peirce & America Online: AFC Peirce
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: ywlee@dante.cs.uiuc.edu (Youngwhan Lee)
Subject: Estimating number of buyers?
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 22:55:59 GMT

Hi,
I have a software. I need to estimate the number of purchasers.
This software is very speicalized.

Say, there is a 10,000 potential buyers. By potential buyers, I mean
the ones who inquired more information on the software. If the price
is right, what percentage of them would purchase the software in general? 
The assumption is no matter how the price goes low, all of them would not 
buy it. (Am I right?)

Can you people out there guess the number?

youngwhan.


Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: daf@wts.com (David A. (Dave) Fox)
Subject: Re: Credit Cards
Organization: Wegmans Transaction Services
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 15:59:50 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.211859.10154@wam.umd.edu> davesum@next10pg2.wam.umd.edu (David Andrew Sumner) writes:
>... hearing a lot from people who want to sell me credit card authorization 
>services.  What's the scoop?

Since credit card companies change a percent of each transaction you authorize,
the way to reduce the percentage your charged is to authorize a LOT of 
transactions.   So you may have only 20 - 50 transactions a day and get charged
(for instance) 10% of each transaction.  Some company comes to you and says
we can authorize your transactions for a 7% charge.  You of course see yourself
saving money and eventually agree.  That company deals with the credit card 
companies, but they are doing not only your transactions but your neighbors, 
and their friends, etc.  So they are authorizing 2000 - 5000 transactions a day,
so the credit card company charges them only 1% of each transaction. 

This is obviously a simplified version of what is happening but that is the
basics.

Dave
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <stddisclmr>                                            uunet!wts!daf
Dave Fox             And Remember: Do not underestimate the power of the Force
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <stddisclmr>                                            uunet!wts!daf
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Hunk)
Subject: Super fast and inexpensive marketing
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 01:23:30 GMT

   If I have a software product that expands on a smaller version which had a
proven track record of popularity in the public domain, would it then make
sense to start marketing the larger package by a direct mail campaign?

   For example, I can get a list of (say 1-5 hundred) addresses together, write
up an ad/order form, and send out the letters, get a few orders, sell, turn back
some of the profit into a larger batch of letters in the next round, etc.

   It seems if the product really IS popular, I should be able to generate
progressively larger batchs of letters on each subsequent round and bootstrap
myself into a profitable self-supporting business after 3 or 4 rounds, with
very little (< $250) initial capital on round 1.
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: user log1@UBC.MTSG.CA
Subject: stock quotes
Organization: Univ. British Columbia
Distribution: can
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 18:03:55 GMT

Is there a newsgroup that gives stock prices (daily)?
Lucio
 
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: cd651@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Wally L. Blume)
Subject: Candy Store
Reply-To: cd651@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Wally L. Blume)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 08:12:51 GMT


 I am in the process of starting a candy store, to sell any and all
candies. I figure on a small storefront in a heavily populated area
with a small inventory to begin with. I may decide to build to suit
on a vacant lot to develop a distinct look for the store. Has anyone 
had any experience in this? Would it be worth offering a delivery service
similar to flower delivery. Should I stick to expensive candies or sell
all types including penny candy. Has anyone got any suggestions?
-- 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   /   / __  /  /     |         Wally Blume         |"God does not play dice
  /   / _ / /  / /_/  |      Internet address:      |  with the universe."
 /_/_/ /_/ /  / __/   | cd651@cleveland.freenet.edu | -- Albert Einstein
From: edshost%Solomon.Technet.sg (KC Siaw)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: national info
Date: 14 Aug 92 13:55:22 GMT
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Philippa Morrissey (philippa@cssc-syd.tansu.com.au) wrote:
: Hello 
:  
:  I'm looking for information on a country by country basis that covers things like demographic info, trade regulations, geographical info, cultural info,  etc. 
: Is there anywhere that this kind of information is available? I'm from Australia and I need the information quickly.
:   
:    Hope someone can help. Thanks
: 
: -- 
: Philippa Morrissey - AOTC      |MHSnet: philippa@cssc-syd.tansu.oz.au
: Advanced Network Products      |Snail : 320 Pitt St, Sydney 2000.
: Customised Software Solutions  |  or PO Box A226, Sydney South 2000, Australia.
:      Centre - Sydney           |Phone : +61 (0)2 395 3467   Fax: +61 2 395 3225
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: philippa@cssc-syd.tansu.com.au (Philippa Morrissey)
Subject: national info
Organization: Customised Software Solutions Centres, AOTC
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 04:19:01 GMT

Hello 
 
 I'm looking for information on a country by country basis that covers things like demographic info, trade regulations, geographical info, cultural info,  etc. 
Is there anywhere that this kind of information is available? I'm from Australia and I need the information quickly.
  
   Hope someone can help. Thanks

-- 
Philippa Morrissey - AOTC      |MHSnet: philippa@cssc-syd.tansu.oz.au
Advanced Network Products      |Snail : 320 Pitt St, Sydney 2000.
Customised Software Solutions  |  or PO Box A226, Sydney South 2000, Australia.
     Centre - Sydney           |Phone : +61 (0)2 395 3467   Fax: +61 2 395 3225
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: burgoyne@highlite.uucp (J. Robert Burgoyne)
Subject: Re: Trademark advice
Organization: Gotham Communications Research
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 13:50:32 GMT

Remember, we're not lawyers. But some of us may have been in the same
situation you now find yourself in.

hutch@bellman.lanl.gov (John Hutchinson) writes:
 [Stuff about how he wrote and named a software program, and later finds out
 a large company is using the name for similar software on a different 
 computer platform.]

: is larger and more well healed financially than I am.

This may be the most important factor in making your decision. Are you 
prepared to pay a $200+ per hour trademark attorney to do battle for you?

: Since they have made
: advertisements in national magazines and created 4-color flyers and 4-color
: packaging, it's obvious they also have a sizeable investment in the product.
: I have _not_ made a big dollar investment in this other platform as yet but
: certainly plan to once the conversion is completed.

What does sizeable mean to you? What does big dollar investment mean to you?
 
: Should I:  a) Send them a "cease and desist" letter through my attorney,
:               claiming ownership of the mark due to first use?

This is probably not the way to go unless you're ready to battle to the death
(perhaps of all your financial resources).

:            b) File for registration of the mark ($200 filing fee) and then
:               send the "cease and desist" letter?

Wouldn't seem to have any bearing on the matter.

:            c) File for registration and wait (3-4 months) until I receive my
:               actual trademark registration and then send them a "cease and
:               desist" letter?

3-4 months? Try 16-20 months. Anyway, even registered trademarks are 
contestable for the first 5 years of registration.

:            d) Simply send a nicer letter explaining the situation and
:               requesting dialog so that we can resolve the problem?

In the best of all possible worlds, this would be the best thing to do.
You can scour these United States far and near, but you'll be hard pressed to
find an attorney who doesn't attempt to disuade you from trying to do this.
 
: My goals in this issue are: 1) Avoid ANY costly legal battle;
:                             2) Retain the right of my product name,
:                           OR
:                             3) Obtain a small cash settlement and _I_ will
:                                change to a different product name.
: 
: My attorney has me confused.  What do YOU think?

What kind of law does your attorney specialize in?  What do you expect your
attorney to do for you? All an attorney can do is tell you the consequences
and risks associated with your options a) - d). The final decision will 
still be yours to make.

Robert
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
From: daf@wts.com (David A. (Dave) Fox)
Subject: Re: Advice about producing plastic cards
Organization: Wegmans Transaction Services
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 15:47:11 GMT


    It will be difficult for you to obtain blank cards, and a machine to produce
them into cards that will be usable.  After all you could duplicate my own cards
with such a machine.  You need a very viable business to do such a thing.  
However it is possible to have the company who produces the card imprint them.
There are a ton a federal laws that you will have to work thru, no you can't 
just make a card.  The numbers on the cards are not randomly assigned by 
companies there are some pretty strict federal regulations on what numbers
can be used where, and some numbers are assigned to you.   The biggest company 
producing cards is called DataCard, I believe they are located in Minnesota, 
Minneapolis I believe, and they have sales people placed in different cities 
around the country.  

    This is not a cheap industry to start up in.  After you get through all the
federal regulations about why you need a machine to produce cards, a bottom of 
the line machine can easily cost you $100,000.  Although, I am not sure of 
exact pricing.

Dave

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <stddisclmr>                                             uunet!wts!daf
Dave Fox                      And Remember:  On clear disk you can seek forever
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: cliff@allen.com (Cliff Allen)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: Software packaging/shrink wrap
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 20:56:14 EDT
Organization: Allen Marketing Group - Raleigh, NC

derrick@cs.washington.edu (W. Derrick Weathersby) writes:

>    Does anyone have information on getting a software product packaged and
>    shrink-wrapped for the least amount of $$?  Any related info will be
>    greatly appreciated.

Call Corporate Disk Co. and ask for a demo disk and information on their 
packaging services.  While they do a lot of high volume duplicating and 
packaging, they also do work for small volume software companies, too.

Call (800) 634-DISK and ask for Lauri.

Cliff
From: ivory@e7sa.epi.syr.ge.com (John Ivory)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Lexis,Nexis please
Date: 20 Aug 92 18:32:58 GMT
Reply-To: ivory@e7sa.epi.syr.ge.com
Organization: Tower Concepts

Apologee... I had no place else to turn.

Question... I want (need) access to Lexis/Nexis; Where do I turn?
Who do I call?  Who do I write?  I can get all the other answers
(how much does it cost, etc) once I at least establish contact
with them.

Thanks...  As always.

John Ivory
From: asuncion@ac.dal.ca
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Credit card fraud etc...
Date: 20 Aug 92 15:25:30 -0300
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada


Are people willing to leave their credit card numbers with a 1-800 voice-mail
automated answering service, when responding to a print ad? Are they worried
about credit card fraud? Will this cut sales drastically?
From: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: Software packaging/shrink wrap
Date: 18 Aug 92 05:53:20 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Organization: Peirce Software
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v4


In article <1992Aug12.214317.5889@beaver.cs.washington.edu> (misc.entrepreneurs), derrick@cs.washington.edu (W. Derrick Weathersby) writes:
> Hello all,
>    Does anyone have information on getting a software product packaged and
>    shrink-wrapped for the least amount of $$?  Any related info will be
>    greatly appreciated.

If you really want to save money do it yourself.

Until we grow big enough to justify it, we are doing our own work.
It helps alot that my wife is a talented graphic artist and designed
all out art work.  We ordered the various parts (box, slip-sleave manual, reg
card) and have plenty in inventory for now.  I just sit down every
now and then and build 100.  Sure it takes some time, but at this
phase in the business I'd rather earn the sweat equity myself.  It
also give you a really good idea of what it takes to do the job when
you graduate to having other people do the work.

Give it a whirl!

--  Michael Peirce      --   peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org
--  Peirce Software     --   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
--                      --   San Jose, California USA 95117
--  Makers of...        --   voice: (408) 244-6554 fax: (408) 244-6882
--            SMOOTHIE  --   AppleLink: peirce & America Online: AFC Peirce
From: cliff@allen.com (Cliff Allen)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: Lexis,Nexis please
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 22:12:00 EDT
Organization: Allen Marketing Group - Raleigh, NC

ivory@e7sa.epi.syr.ge.com (John Ivory) writes:

> Question... I want (need) access to Lexis/Nexis; Where do I turn?
> Who do I call?  Who do I write?  I can get all the other answers
> (how much does it cost, etc) once I at least establish contact
> with them.

Call Meade Data Central at (800) 543-6820.  They're in Ohio.

Cliff
From: Grant.Cunningham@p55.f54.n105.z1.therose.pdx.com (Grant Cunningham)
Newsgroups: misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Types of Financing for a Franchise
Date: 7 Aug 92 13:54:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: therose.713594709.F00005

C. Carlson wrote about "Types of Financing for a Franchise".
Here's what GRANT CUNNINGHAM thinks:

 CC>   What besides a detailed business plan and history of the franchise
 CC> would a lender consider?

Your personal balance sheet and resume, heavy on the management experience.

 CC> How much of a hindrance is it that I don't have
 CC> a lot of my own personal finances to invest?

Probably fatal.  If you don't have enough confidence to invest in your own
enterprise, why should they?  You're going to have to raise at least 20% on your
own before anybody's going to talk to you.  The SBA seems to be leery of
investing in franchised operations; even then, they'll require a minimum of
10%.

 CC>  Is having a partner (though
 CC> he's in the same financial boat, read average semi-poor college student)
 CC> a plus or minus in securing funding?

If he's got no money, he'd be considered a cash drain.  Forget him, unless he
can come up with half of your initial capitalization.

 CC>  but hey, at college, I'm buying myself an education!  :-)

Given the state of our educational institutions, maybe not even that.  <g>

-=[ Grant ]=-

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