Create My Sales

 The Southern country abounds in undeveloped sources of profit that are little thought of, or entirely overlooked; many of which are regarded as “too small a business” to claim attention.

Doesn’t this describe the information that is on the web and in old books and magazines etc. that are just waiting to be developed into a new ‘product’ and taken to market?  We are so pre-occupied with innovation and the idea that unless it’s new it can’t be of any use that we overlook what is freely available.

It might be “too small a business” for some people but to us it’s a NICHE just waiting to be developed.

 Our hills and forests abound with spontaneous productions that, if prepared for market would realize a handsome recompense to the gatherer.

Old books, magazines, comics, postcards, adverts, films or any other media you can think of are out there.  All we need to do is to “prepare them for market” and realize the reward.

But, just like the fruit that is out there we need to put in the time and effort to prepare it for market.

• First of all we have to find it, just like the bush that is hidden away and laden with fruit - FIND
• Then we need to gather it in and sort it, weeding out the good from the bad - FOCUS
• Finally we can package it ready for market - FINISH

 The worn out lands of middle and western North Carolina, last year, yielded thousands of dollars of blackberries, sumach leaves, and various kinds of fruits, which, until within the last few years, have been estimated of little or no value.

Just like those berries and fruits that for many a year had been classed as of little value so it is with the mass of Public Domain material that we have at our disposal.

And in such great variety, berries, fruits, nuts of all colours and shapes so it is with Public Domain material.  There’s enough variety to suit every taste and Niche and ready to yield a return to those of us who invest our time and effort in gathering and packaging it.

Green fruit, if shipped in good order before it gets too ripe, sells readily in our market at remunerative prices.  The early and late kinds pay the best.

“Shipped in good order” and it will find a ready market.  But make sure you “Niche it”.  Just like the fruit that’s too ripe, if we try to sell it in a market that’s saturated with “fat” products the return will be small.  But get in early before the niche is overexposed and our return will be much greater.

Don’t just Niche it - Microniche it!

The oak, hickory, ash, pine, cypress and other timber of our section, is equal in value to our richest gold mines, if properly worked.

My son builds furniture - not any old furniture - he builds bespoke, hand-crafted furniture.  He doesn’t have the facilities and marketing machinery of the big guys (who import it mass produced from China) but his customers are prepared to pay many, many times more than what they would pay in a shop.  Why?  Because he “works it properly”.  He adds value, his workmanship is of a far higher quality and they know they could never buy the same thing from the shops.

The big guys on the web may have their “gold mines” so don’t try to compete with them.  Rather use what they pass by and work it and you too will have your own little gold mine.

We have endeavoured to present a few practical hints, hoping our people may be induced to try some of the “small things” herein presented.

A hundred or so years ago these words of wisdom were written to encourage people to go out and search for those hidden sources of income that were ignored by the vast majority of people.

Today there are hidden sources just waiting to be found and taken to market.  The product has changed but the principle remains - FIND a NICHE - FOCUS on preparing it - FINISH by taking your product to market….and reap from those HIDDEN SOURCES OF INCOME.

This article was created out of a single page which I found in a book from the Advertising Ephemera collection at Duke University entitled “useful Hints to the People” published in 1868.  It was just one of those serendipity moments when I stumbled upon this page but almost immediately I could see the parallel with what we are doing today with Niche products created out of PD material.  I hope it will be of help to you in some small way.

Acknowledgements: 

Advertising Ephemera Collection - Database #A0687
Emergence of Advertising On-Line Project
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/

FIND FOCUS FINISH  is the copyright of http://www.ThatPublicDomainDiva.com