Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-14
Correspondence Of the Dispatch)


cess OF these enterprises depends very
largely upon the spirit and method with
which they are entered into And 10 these
energetic and entrrprislng young women
Il few hints may be valuable.
STARTING WITH RIGHT IDEAS.
II should never boz forgotten that bust
ness" and philanthropy are two dif-
ferent things. Both buyer and seller fire.
ouentlv conround the two. II may be-
questioned whether half the failures IN
business ventures by young women do
not arts. from this simple fact.
And I'm ike manner the woman who
goes into business exchanges the priVl-
leee of special courtesy to her SIX for IN
Jopendence and business reciprocity
Here again mistake is too frequent
IS made
\ business woman mus not consider
The weather nor q headache
Her family can no longer take a para
mount place with her.
she cannot afford To b. pleasant only
when she feels well, and flum or una'-
commodating when she has had oad
news The public is mercless. ana cares
nothing for her. body or soul,
II she needs a cashier or clerk IL Is not
enough for her that she has an lIl"
brother. or that her mother might taA'
IN, piace. The first question for her con-
sideration is the efficiency ot those rela-
lives for the vacant position.
HER FINANCIAL RELATIONS.
Because the debtor is woman, 1t is no
reason why she should receive speclai
financial accommodation.
The fact that she Is personally needy
e. mo- reason why she should not pay hrf
debts when they fall due
ft seems impossible to pluck out OF IN"
mind OF "A woman the idea ;h1t her per
eonal mathematics ought 10 DE t2N-i
into account in settling her business al
fairs and. curiously enough TINS H@'
las corrupted the business mind Of ne
other sex. II Is by no means unNn1Nh
for d man to 60 on paying interest - MS
q mall. client whose funds have disap-
pearol In bad investm ints. or on the other
hand u expect considerable financial
charity from her as To- the principal or
such investments; neither Of these az
| p-ciatous would survive moment be-
| tween two men.
Probably the very first lesson flr me
| woull-be business woman - earn IS that
| she should expect no consideration what
| ever on account Of her sex, or her personal
circumstauces--and should give none. The
| exact filing Of contracts, and the @Xact
! requirement Of dues l. the foundation
Of all good business.
FILLING \ CONTRACT
Likewise It should b, one Of her early
| Lessons that the exact filling OF contracts
refers both ID time and Uualty
Perhaps the most common OF all faults
/ In women who engage I'm small enter
/ priscs. is the feeling that n they cannot
| 10 the work now. or furnish the goods
to-day next week will 80 just AZ wen.
And II called 10 account for these delay.
. they consider the customers most I'M
: reasonable.
Equally unreliable are tfov rs 10 quality
% work II the job is done somehow.
that is enough for too many business
women. IN large establishm nts. where
the work a. done under a system and
there IS a reputation 20 preserve. iris
fault f. fneasur1bly remedi "a. "u' tlis
paper Is dealing with women presumably
young working for Themselves, or
controlling their business If they do not
perform all the work.
B HER RESPONSIBILITY TO HER CTS.
TONER'S
Another curious popularity IN the bust
/ ness ldtious Of woman. resulting directly
from her too-often lneXact habit Of n.uI
/ f. her treatment Of errors. I'm the yieY
/ Of many new business women, any mis-
take made IN the goods. in orders pro
1 cured. I'm work DONE must come out Of
the customer
! Now, II customer gives a definite.
! plain order and the dealer does not IN
that order. II IL the fault OF the dealer.
! and should D. borne by her This fault Is
D by no means confined to- women, II ia
true. but it IS especially prevalent among
them. The order should be exact and de-
fnl,e-in writing, If need-but once given
. 10 is the Dealers place 10 fill It. And mis-
takes are the loss Of the dealer not Of
the customer. The fact that such a mis-
/ take IS q dead loss 10 the dealer and eats
up all or more than her profit has no
thing whatever 10 do with the natter.
Whether IL IS Il question OF material. OF
work. OF time, or payment, an agreement
. should be met TO the letter. Just exactly
such quality OF work as was guaranteed
for the price. whether that be first or
second class. and the exact fulhllncnt OF
the contract as TO time. will make any
I woman's business a success. And with
out these she does not deserve It.
HOW TO GET AND KEEP 4 CTSTO-
AlER.
In all the various lines Of small enter
prises upon which women are now enter
ing. and some OF which they are invent
Ing, much depends upon the way the
young busness-WOmau meets the would
be customer.
A cardinal principle should De 10 60
anything that any one desires. Some way
must be- found to do even tf.' impossi-
Bile
Let TO possible customer disappear be-
cause you could not find some way 10
meet his or her wishes send tor the
goods wanted or even 90 10 the ci.y after
them. II II be only 4 dollars worth, Take
the strange Job # II have even the most
remote connection with your enterprise.
and DO e. though you must privately
sublet II. But let the customer always
find YOU ready and always sure 20 40
what H. wanted. This insures his reap
pearance. But II you cannot meet his
wishes the first time. he will find some
other person or place where they can be
met. and that - a fatal discovery.
Be ready in eXpedient. There Is no
business, even the largest ana most
systematic, that is not always running
against wall OF some kind, AID the
ability TO quickly and sometimes i'm
mediately find new way out Is Ques-
ton OF success or failure.
DON'T HESITATE.
II you cannot do a thing one way, do II
another. If the conditions will not allow
OF the end desired. change the conditions,
and that on the spot. She who hesitates
Is lost in these days. Yet. look before you
leap. A woman's natural impulses must
not be trusted too far. Readiness in
expedent' Is not OILY readiness. but readi-
ness in expedlent. To think quickly and
closely. 10 determine that some difficult
requirement shall be met. and to see along
what lines. II not all the details, and TO
! confns these two lines OF thought at
| the moment. Is 20 secure success in any
| line OF business.
Another quality which Will especially
conduce 10 the success OF the business
woman who proposes to herself 10 work
for others. il to do the work in her Gus
toner's own way. IL that customer
wishes IL done at unheard-Of hours. or In
! curious ways, or under difficult condi-