Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

nhgnikole,

(Thanks for the link to that community magazine info.  I`m going to look at that more closely.)

For someone like myself who is  trying to launch a small business while working an 8-5 desk job 40 hrs. with her butt glued to an office chair all day long    , having no flexibility whatsoever in my work schedule to even allow me to attend networking groups, etc. (there are not even many here that I know of) and no time to actually get out there and actually meet people,  I rack my brain on what else I can do to get things moving in the right direction, but never give up, working day-by-day, on my future business goals, even if it feels I am only progressing at a snail`s pace at times!   RIGHT THERE....THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF PEOPLE  I want to reach out to and help provide a way for them.  People like myself!   Not ones who have time to attend networking functions, or already have quit their day jobs to run their business full-time, or people who are outgoing enough to go door-to-door.  I`m not going to go after those type of business owners.  That is how I would be different from the networking groups that meet over coffee or tea.  I want to be the outlet for small businesses in the community who are "stuck" on not having the time or not having the money to move forward.  They are stuck in a never ending loop- no time, no money to advertise , nobody knows they exist because they don`t do anything about it to get themselves known, so they give up!!  I wish I could just give these people a loudspeaker and stand on main street so all their problems would be solved...What about the shy,  backwards folks out there who are business owners, super intelligent, have outstanding  business plans, yet they do not get out there and meet people like the need to.   What other options are there for them besides spending hundreds and hiding behind a newspaper ad?  I need to find a way to help people like this and that is how I would be different...

ANOTHER EXAMPLE.....Just the other night I saw someone do something illegal just to have an outlet for them to advertise.   They were driving around in their car putting flyers in our neighborhood mailboxes.  We were outside and saw them do this, so my husband got the flyer out of the mailbox and tossed it.   Well, here they must have forgotten they had already hit our place and stopped by a second time!  As they were putting the flyer in the box, they glanced up at us and you could tell they realized they goofed.  It was a small-town new landscaping business who had no other means to get their name out!  THIS IS THE TYPE OF PERSON I NEED TO HELP IN THIS TOWN.

I went to check out your website briefly and it looks like something I want to take a closer look at real soon!

Thanks

Thanks

 

I guess I was thinking reverse phychology would stand a chance...

 

 

The ballpark figure for producing, publishing, and mailing a magazine depends on a variety of factors. But you would be looking at $500/1000 to $2000/$3000 depending on the initial implementation. If you started off with a two page black/white with information front/back your costs are going to be much lower than if your want to produce something with numerous pages, glossy and in color. Overall this sounds like a pretty good idea to me and it sounds like you know your market. To support this with advertising, the most important part would be your circulation figures. Can you produce even a single page prototype, even with pencil and paper if necessary. You could take this to a printer and get an idea of the costs and you could test it with people. That might be a sensible next step.

This discussion seems to be moving in two parallel tracks. :-)

If I understand it, the one problem is that people looking for ways to promote their own business are having a hard time, unless it`s in print or online.

The other problem is people who are trying to connect with local people, either to sell a product from their business, or to work with people in that area.

Either way, I think the basic problem is that the Web is fantastic if you want to reach the entire planet, but it`s like swatting a fly with a tactical missile, where it comes to local business.

However, everyone finds using the Web to be convenient. Much more so than reading a piece of paper, driving off to someplace, or trying to find an advertising device somewhere in town.

I can see a two-pronged strategy here. Build a Web site that focuses exclusively on ONLY your local area (town or sister-town area). Use that site for content, where you could charge for business advertising or offer coupons, or whatever. The point is *local area!*

But then spend your physical running around effort in promoting only the URL to that local area. That would be a whole lot easier, I`m supposing, than trying to promote an entire newsletter, magazine, or other cyclical (and/or subscription) printed item.

Not to mention that printed anything these days tends to get lost in the blizzard.

When was the last time you saw a Web site *constrained* to only a local area? If you bumped into one, by accident, it likely was for some other local area that had nothing to do with YOUR local area. :-)

Look at local, small-town newspapers. They manage to do it, and keep their content relevant to only that small town. Sure, some voyeurs or researchers might find the site, but so what? More importantly, people who are considering moving to that local area find the site very useful. How come?

I think it`s because less and less online content these days is directed to local people, with particular interests ONLY in that local area. It`s all "the whole world," or getting noticed, or getting traffic, or building sales.

The whole point of a cottage industry is localization, small size, fast maneuverability, personal passion, and quick turnaround.