The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1913-06-06

Opportunities Today Are Better
Than When Wanamaker Be-
gan His Career.

AZ Cells hoT and why Wanamakel
became Merchant Prince"
Doubling your business will not in
volve as much risk as letting 1t stand
still
1t win not involve more work TO,
you personally.
IT should not take up as much oil
your time as your present business de
mands
+ Big business are not marvellous"
1t is simply this way:
| You take no special notice of O
business until 1t becomes very large
Then, as you look at 1t specifically
and as whole, 1t appears extremely
complex. Fundamentally 1t may be
almost identical with your own small
business. The difference is Just a
matter Of multiplication.
You say that John Wanamaker Is
A truly wonderful man. He is. But
you let yourself get such an exagger-
ated idea of Mr.. Wanamaker's men,
tai processes that you greatly under
rate your own capacity and the limit
less opportunities for profitably util-
Izing that capacity
Don't Make Wrong Comparison.
III you happen to be a merchant with
small store on Columbus avenue. do
not compare with the John Wanna
maker of today compare with the
John Wanamaker Of the day when he,
100, had but small store
You say. But times were differ
emit then"
We admit that.
But fortunately for you, the differ
ence is in your favor There are
more people to patronize you. There
are better and quicker and cheaper
methods Of securing patronage in any
line of business.
while, times" in some ways, were
different when Mr.. Wanamaker start
Cd, human nature was the same Phil
adelphia, even then, was an old and
large city. There were plenty of
stores without Mr.. Wanamaker's
Nearly every merchant In every line
felt that he had about all the com
petition he could stand and great
deal more than he really ought to
nave Hundreds of merchants had
tailed in the old city because they
couldn't stand the competition.
Mr.. Wanamaker started in a small
way and developed from day to day
and week to week. Any merchant
can do precisely the same thing now.
How Mr.. Wanamaker Did Il.
II New York city had ten million
inhabitants, instead of FIVE million.
there would be about twice as MANY
stores and the pressure of compe-
tlion would be just about the same
as 1t Is today-just about the same
as 1t was in Mr.. Wanamaker's early
days, when there we're fewer people
and fewer stores.
Mr.. Wanamaker didn't do ANYTHING
magical He didn't put money into
newspaper advertisements and expect
the advertisements to bring magical
results.
Here is just what he did: Bought
carefully, displayed his goods advan-
taEeously, trimmed his show windows
attsactively. instructed his clerks to
adhere TO his own square-deal policy,
and then he started with moderate
amount OF newspaper advertising.
which brought him moderate returns.
lie didn't get nor expect wonderful
returns. He was just plain, practi-
cal business man. But he was per
sistent. He grew with his business.
When months advertising showed
fair margin of profit he increased
MS appropriation the following month.
The fact is that the Wanamaker bust. !
ness grew just about the same as
thousands of other businesses. except
hat Mr.. Wanamaker kept up the
steam pessure-the newspaper ad-
Fertising-every business day while |
he multitude of merchants competing |
with him advertised infrequently and |
You Can Do the Sams Today.
1t would not be logical to saw that
III businesses in any one line could
De doubled But pick a half dozen
tores at random-or half dozen
Wholesale houses or manufacturers
md the business OF each probably
AN be quickly increased one hun
lred per cent to one thousand per
ent.
NO matter who or where Won arc
We now pick you, at random. and saw.
you have a small or moderate sized
BUSINESS there are about ten chances
one that you are not making any.
mere nearly as much net profit out
IL as could easily be made by prop
riy revising your methods.
we are dwelling upon these points.
avs writer in Facts, 10 emphasize ,
he fact that big businesses are not
show you that there
lay be an exceedingly slight differ. ,
ace between you and that competitor !
yours who does a million dolIays'
orth of business while you are doing :
Venty-hve thousand dollars worth
nd that slight difference may consist :
faulty methods in your office which n
outsider could point out to you h
an hours time. /,
A combination of ways can be de.
sed TO increase almost any business =
ON two-fold TO ten-fold. :