Unlike other men of his generation, he believed I could succeed as an entrepreneur and encouraged me when other family members expressed doubts. He even helped me design and manufacture the leather handbag and belt I sold in my first mail order ad. It's not always easy to find a mentor, but if you are lucky enough to do so, treasure them and show them your thanks and appreciation. Because there are now 10,000 catalog titles competing in the Direct Marketing Industry and hundreds of thousands of e-commerce sites on the Internet, it is very difficult to start a mail order business from a kitchen table as I did 50 years ago. Catalogs are a very expensive undertaking that require lots of money and a large staff to handle everything from merchandising, creative, fulfillment, marketing, and customer service that are so vital to maintaining customer loyalty.
Many people run service businesses.
This is now a service economy so it is possible to grow a business the size of our company and larger. People lead very busy, time-deprived lives so they need more service than ever. To be a success you must first be passionate about your work. Half-hearted enthusiasm will not sustain you during the many challenges that will inevitably lie ahead. Until you have acquired experience and enough financing, keep your business plans relatively simple.