EnTrends

Frugal Frank and Wasteful Wally each
decided to leave the Rat Race and
start their own businesses. Neither of
them knew much about business other
than "buy low, sell high" but they
were both smart enough to
acknowledge their naivety and seek
out the necessary information.

The first task was to choose the Right
Business. Wasteful Wally hired a
consultant to evaluate his skills and
interests, survey the market in his
area, perform a competitive analysis,
and recommend an appropriate
enterprise.

Frugal Frank went to his local Library
and read current business magazines
and articles, and chose an interesting
opportunity that many experts agreed
would provide a growing market.

Next, they had to establish the
mechanics of a business. Wally hired
a Lawyer to incorporate his business.
Frank went online at his Library to
learn how to file his own Fictitious
Business Name Statement and apply
for his Federal Tax I.D. Number.

Each needed a base of operations.
Wally employed a Real Estate
Professional to scout out the perfect
location. Frank found the ideal space
in the daily paper at his Library.

Of course they needed a marketing
strategy so Wasteful Wally hired a
Marketing Firm who in turn hired an
image consultant. Together they
created a uniform Corporate Identity
and a comprehensive marketing
program.

Frugal Frank checked out the best-
selling marketing books from his
Library and read them over the
weekend. He used the step-by-step
instructions found in those books to
write is own marketing plan. When he
returned the books, he used the
Library's computer to create his own
logo.

Are you starting to see a pattern here?
Both Wally and Frank are getting all of
the right information they need to
launch a successful business. The
only difference is Wally is spending a
fortune while Frank is spending a few
dollars.

Almost the entire wealth of human
knowledge can be found at your local
Library. How-to books of every
variety, Autobiographies of
successful people, newspapers,
periodicals, videos, training aids, you
name it, if you Library doesn't have it,
they can probably get it for you.

They may even be open to
subscribing to a magazine you are
interested in. It doesn't matter what
business you are interested in. You
can learn about online and offline
business opportunities.

You can learn about wholesale, retail,
or service businesses. You can even
learn all of the legitimate ways to make
money from home. You can review
past and current magazines to see how
marketing trends evolve, how the
same product is marketed to different
market segments, and which marketing
techniques might work best for you.

Many Municipal Libraries are now on
the Internet. This is a portal to an
immeasurable amount of information
that is instantly accessible. There are
many tools available to you from your
local Library, use them every chance
you get.

Think of a trip to the Library as the
most lasting and rewarding investment
you can make; an investment in
yourself.

One last thing; Librarians are in their
profession because they love research
and they love helping others. Make
friends with you Librarian. Learn his
or her name, background, and
interests. The Librarian is the most