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  "Make More Money and Have More Fun"
with your small business!

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October 10, 2001


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A FREE electronic magazine...                    October 10, 2001
=================================================================
B I G   B U C K S   I N   A   B A T H R O B E
Make More Money & Have More Fun With Your Small Business!
=================================================================
Publisher:  Dave Balch, "The Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)
 http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com     mailto:DaveEZ@DaveBalch.com
  Back issues at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/bucksarchive.htm
    Comments, suggestions, or questions are always welcome.
(Scroll to end for subscribe / unsubscribe instructions)
=================================================================
I n   T h i s   I s s u e . . .
=================================================================
   1. Feature: Article "A Single Word"
   2. Feature: "Ask Dave" - Can I help with a business problem?
   3. Feature: "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."
   4. About "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe" Newsletter
   5. Who the Heck am I, Anyway?
   6. How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe
PLEASE FORWARD THIS to each of your friends who have small or
home-based businesses; they'll LOVE you for it!  (Be sure they
know it's from you, or they'll think I spammed 'em!)  Thanks!
(c)2001, A Few Good People, Inc.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11111  A r t i c l e   "A Single Word"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Dave Balch, the "Stay-at-Home CEO"(tm)
There's no denying it; words are powerful.  I'm talking P O W E R
F U L!  A single word can change your entire perception of a
situation.  A single word can completely change the effectiveness
of a marketing or sales message to your market.  A single word
can have an effect on your entire business.  Let me explain what
I mean.
About 20 years ago I developed a software product for large
mainframe computers.  Remember that there were no PC's in those
days; mainframes were the biggest computers normally used by
businesses and those that had them typically had their own staff
of programmers.  My software was a tool designed specifically for
those programmers and helped them with testing and debugging.
Naturally, I had to clearly convey the functionality of my
product to my market (corporate programming groups), but it was
complicated to describe.  "…a tool that allows your programmers
to manipulate data files and make quick changes and fixes for
testing, debugging, and troubleshooting…" What was that again?
Then one day, like a bolt of lightening, it hit me.  My product
is an editor.  Period.  An "editor".  What a concept!  Why didn't
I think of that before?  An editor.  Now it is crystal clear.
Programmers know what an "editor" is.  My software allows them to
"edit" their data.  Bingo!  A single word changed my entire
perception of my own product, and enabled me to clearly describe
to my market exactly what it does.  It also allowed me to list it
in directories and catalogs where the listings would be most
effective.
Many years ago, the makers of Sweet 'n Low were in a quandary.
How do they increase their sales when their product is everywhere
already?  Being in the sweetener business, they tried to think of
creative ways of selling more Sweet 'n Low.  Then they realized
that they were not in the "sweetener" business after all; they
were in the "packaging" business.  Instead of selling more Sweet
'n Low, why don't they package other condiments?  Catsup,
mayonnaise, relish, mustard, etc. could all be sold to their
existing customer base.  A single word changed the direction of
their entire organization.
At one time the train industry was trying to figure out how to
attract more passengers.  Then they realized that they were in
the "transportation" business, not the "passenger" business.
Suddenly they had an entirely new market, and began transporting
freight, oil, coal, vehicles, etc.  A single word is all it took
to change history.
What is it that you do?  Instead, maybe I should ask, "What is it
that you think you do?"  Ponder that for a moment.  Here's an
exercise:  define what you do and write it down in twenty-five
words or less.  Be very careful, concise, and clear in your
description.  Expand your thinking for a moment:  are there any
other words that could be used to describe what you do?  One of
those new words just might give you a surprising insight into
what you could be doing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22222  "A s k   D a v e"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   (Can I help you with a business problem?  I will field
   business questions in every issue.  Send them to
   mailto:DaveEZ@DaveBalch.com )
   Ask whatever you'd like... all letters will remain anonymous.
   Maybe my 2-cents'-worth will make you "Big Bucks"!
   (Maybe not!)
Today's question:
----------------
Dear Dave:
I have the skills, I just have not understood how to identify the
unique product and/or service I could provide in a home business.
Any ideas for how that is done?
                                      C.C.
   Dear C.C.
   The first thing I would tell you is to make sure that you do
   something that you enjoy.  Don't pick something just for the
   money potential because if you hate doing it, you'll be
   miserable no matter how much money you make.  In fact, if you
   make a lot you'll hate it even more because you'll feel
   trapped.
   If you're interested in golf, say, then do something related
   to golf.  Anything to do with golf will probably excite you;
   instruction, golf information, clothing, books, equipment,
   tours, etc.
   The next thing I would say is that whatever business or
   product you choose, you must believe in it whole-heartedly.
   For example, if it's a weight loss product, you better KNOW
   that it works.  If you don't, you won't be effective
   convincing anyone else to believe in it enough to pay you for
   it.  Besides, if you don't believe in what you are selling,
   how can you feel good about it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
33333 "M e a n w h i l e,   b a c k   a t   t h e   r a n c h..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       A glimpse into the life of this "Stay-at-Home CEO"
   (Photos and short bios of the complete "cast of characters"
   are posted at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com/theranch.htm )
Living in the forest as we do, we are close to nature.  And being
close to nature we find ourselves in the midst of a variety of
her creatures, some of which we find rather surprising.
Take Marilyn, for example.
Marilyn in a toad that is living in our garden.  We named her
Marilyn because, well, I don't know, it just seemed like a nice
name!  Anyway, we were surprised that a toad would even exist in
the forest at an elevation of 5800 feet, much less find US!
She (uh-oh...  I HOPE she's a 'she'!) has found a lovely rock to
hide under, but sometimes we take a peek to say 'hello' and we
can't find her.  She blends in perfectly with her surroundings
and is almost impossible to see.  Sometimes she gets very vocal
and croaks away like there's no tomorrow.
We often find bugs for her and she takes them right out of our
hands.  I wonder what will happen to her when the snow comes...
we are seriously considering putting her in an aquarium for the
winter (no, we will not fill it with water!).
I wonder what other critters are out there, making their way to
our 'neck of the woods'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
44444  A b o u t  "Big Bucks in a Bathrobe"  N e w s l e t t e r
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome! You are receiving this because either:
   -I know you personally and thought you'd like it
   -I asked you if I could send it and you said "Yes"
   -You requested it on my website or after seeing me at a
    speaking engagement
   -Someone forwarded it to you because they thought you'd
    like it.  Scroll to the bottom for subscription instructions.
My goal is a bi-weekly newsletter that will:
   -help you with your small or home-based business
   -share articles of interest
   -be informal and informative
   -answer specific questions asked by readers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
55555  W h o   t h e   H e c k   a m   I,   A n y w a y ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've generated over $5 million (so far!) from my own home-based
software business and I have a lot to share with you about how I
did it and what I learned along the way.  Now, as a professional
speaker, I offer programs that will help you and your employees
"Make More Money and Have More Fun" with your small or home-based
business!
Visit me at http://www.TheStayAtHomeCEO.com for descriptions of
the programs and educational materials that I offer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
66666  H o w   to   S u b s c r i b e   /   U n s u b s c r i b e
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note:
   - This newsletter is sent every other week.
   - Subscriber information is NEVER shared with
     anyone for any reason.  PERIOD.
   - Contact me at mailto:DaveEZ@DaveBalch.com
   - HOW TO SUBSCRIBE  If this issue was forwarded to you
     and you would like to receive your own copy,
     click here
                   A Few Good People, Inc.
                        P.O. Box 824
                    Twin Peaks, CA  92391
                       1-800-366-2347

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© Copyright 2003, A Few Good People, Inc.
P.O. Box 824
Twin Peaks, CA   92391
800-366-2347
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