The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-06-06
THE BOOMING BUSINESS.
It Has Become a Fine Art In This
Country.
Promoters Of Ame%icsn Schemes Are
Unapproachable in Their Special
LlueO-Their Method Of
Operation.

There is q surprising amount OF
British capital sunk in this country
every year in attempts to put foreign
commodities on the market" said n
man who makes business of floating
new schemes, recently. II am what is
known as a promoter, and I've had un-
usual opportunities for becoming fa-
miliar with the inner workings of these
enterprises.
There are just enough British sta
pies with large sale in this country to
induce other manufacturers to try to
place their goods on the market. Many
of these commodities are of such ex-
cellent quality that they would succeed
anywhere on their merits alone if prop
erly pushed, but the wealthy manufac-
turers on the other side seldom, go the
right way about placing their goods.
Because an article sells well in Eng
land is 10 reason why it would sue
cced in this country, nor will the meth
DDS that brought it into notice there
make. it known among us. The char
actcristics of the people of the two
countries are entirely different, and to
the failure to recognize this important
fact may be attributed the i'll success
Of nine out of ten of these enterprises.
''The first mistake is generally in the
Kind of man sent out hcre to boom
things. He bears the high-aown title
Of commissioner. and is known to the
firm as a faithful servant in whom
they have the utmost confidence. This
1I,cans that he is q plodding old fellow,
h;de-bound by British conservatism. In
the face of the wonderful energy he
meets with everywhere in this country,
he goes about his work with old-world
slowness.
Large sums of money set aside for
the purpose in hand are expended in
frequent trips across the Atlantic and
cabling over petty details that q live
American would never bother his head
about. AS much caution is exercised
III renting temporary Office or hiring
a porter as if fortune was at stake.
Not more than one method Of advertis-
ing is tried at once. A great deal of
time and money are thus expended
without producing any result, and IN a
year Or so the commissioner is recalled
and the scheme abandoned.
"The success of American promoters
abroad in floating schemes more or less
visionary should teach our British
cousins that the Yankee boomer is un
approachable in his special lire Of bus
less. More than once ne has taken ho,d
ot ore of these abandoned enterprises
and turned failure into success. The
points in which he differs from the
British commissioner are the ones that
are absolutely essential in this buzz
ness. He is familiar with the country
;:nd the characteristics of the people he
IS appealing to; he has that audacity
Hhich is suci, a great means OF ultimate
uccess in promoting, and he possesses
lhe wonderful knack, which distin-
euishes him from every other national
ity, of being able to catch OH.
"a peculiar feature of the promoting
business is that boomer will start iE
the west and work his way cast. Long
experience has proved to him that the
western people like novelty and arc al
ways ready to give new thing a trial.
\ good start is the main thing in this
business, and if an article has a paying
sale in the west a boomer can lay Siege
10 the more conservative east without
danger of becoming bankrupt in the
uttempt."-N. Y. Sun.