WEAK POINTS AND STRONG

 1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and
  awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight;
  whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle
  will arrive exhausted.

 2. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on
  the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.

 3. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy
  to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage,
  he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.

 4. If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him;
  if well supplied with food, he can starve him out;
  if quietly encamped, he can force him to move.

 5. Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend;
  march swiftly to places where you are not expected.

The Little Land

When at home alone I sit
And am very tired of it,
I have just to shut my eyes
To go sailing through the skies--
To go sailing far away
To the pleasant Land of Play;
To the fairy land afar
Where the Little People are;
Where the clover-tops are trees,
And the rain-pools are the seas,
And the leaves, like little ships,
Sail about on tiny trips;
And above the Daisy tree
  Through the grasses,
High o'erhead the Bumble Bee
  Hums and passes.

In that forest to and fro
I can wander, I can go;
See the spider and the fly,
And the ants go marching by,
Carrying parcels with their feet
Down the green and grassy street.
I can in the sorrel sit
Where the ladybird alit.
I can climb the jointed grass
  And on high
See the greater swallows pass
  In the sky,
And the round sun rolling by
Heeding no such things as I.

Through that forest I can pass
Till, as in a looking-glass,
Humming fly and daisy tree
And my tiny self I see,
Painted very clear and neat
On the rain-pool at my feet.
Should a leaflet come to land
Drifting near to where I stand,
Straight I'll board that tiny boat
Round the rain-pool sea to float.

Little thoughtful creatures sit
On the grassy coasts of it;
Little things with lovely eyes
See me sailing with surprise.
Some are clad in armour green--
(These have sure to battle been!)--
Some are pied with ev'ry hue,
Black and crimson, gold and blue;
Some have wings and swift are gone;--
But they all look kindly on.

  When my eyes I once again
  Open, and see all things plain:
High bare walls, great bare floor;
Great big knobs on drawer and door;
Great big people perched on chairs,
Stitching tucks and mending tears,
Each a hill that I could climb,
And talking nonsense all the time--
  O dear me,
  That I could be
A sailor on a the rain-pool sea,
A climber in the clover tree,
And just come back a sleepy-head,
Late at night to go to bed.

The Land of Counterpane

When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.

MAIL ORDER TIPS

There is a lot of excellent material being written and sold for beginners 
to the mail order field. It seems everyone is ready, willing and able to 
offer their "words of wisdom" to the new business owner _ and this is GREAT! 
This action on the part of almost every stable mail order dealer only goes 
to further prove my point in this report.

Mail order is loaded with the best people in the world! Walk into any 
corporate-owned establishment and be introduced to "greed" first-hand. 
Please don't get me wrong _ there are some very well run organizations, 
but any time you hire employees, the dedication to your product or service 
begins to deteriorate.
In the early 1800's most of the businesses were owned by one person or one 
family. They took pride in their product and took the time to provide their 
customers with high quality. The other day one of my customers called to 
thank me for a publishing job I had completed for them. They said they 
couldn't find my company's type of quality at any price locally. They 
explained that the majority of people don't take "pride" in their wares.

The Goose With the Golden Eggs

One day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found
there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was
as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he
thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on
second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg
of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon
became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy;
and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he
killed it and opened it only to find nothing.

Greed oft o'er reaches itself.

The Fox and the Mask

A Fox had by some means got into the store-room of a theatre.
Suddenly he observed a face glaring down on him and began to be
very frightened; but looking more closely he found it was only a
Mask such as actors use to put over their face. "Ah," said the
Fox, "you look very fine; it is a pity you have not got any
brains."

Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.

IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND PASSEPARTOUT ACCEPT EACH OTHER, THE ONE AS MASTER, THE OTHER AS MAN

IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG AND PASSEPARTOUT ACCEPT EACH OTHER,
THE ONE AS MASTER, THE OTHER AS MAN

Chapter I
Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington
Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of
the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed
always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage,
about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man
of the world. People said that he resembled Byron--at least
that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron,
who might live on a thousand years without growing old.

Certainly an Englishman, it was more doubtful whether Phileas Fogg
was a Londoner. He was never seen on 'Change, nor at the Bank,
nor in the counting-rooms of the "City"; no ships ever came into
London docks of which he was the owner; he had no public employment;
he had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court, either at the Temple,
or Lincoln's Inn, or Gray's Inn; nor had his voice ever resounded
in the Court of Chancery, or in the Exchequer, or the Queen's Bench,
or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He certainly was not a manufacturer;
nor was he a merchant or a gentleman farmer. His name was strange
to the scientific and learned societies, and he never was known
to take part in the sage deliberations of the Royal Institution
or the London Institution, the Artisan's Association, or the
Institution of Arts and Sciences. He belonged, in fact,
to none of the numerous societies which swarm in the English capital,
from the Harmonic to that of the Entomologists, founded mainly
for the purpose of abolishing pernicious insects.

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS A New Form Of Networking

Seventy percent of Americans belong to one association. Twenty five percent 
belong to four or more associations. Our professional existence is held 
together by the network of people with whom we share common interests, even 
common goals. As technology gives us new ways to link up, communicate and 
share ideas, our need to identify with a collective presence reflects our 
need to become more significant. Today, this need is being fulfilled by 
privately organized, managed and funded trade associations.

FOR-PROFIT
If there ise anything that drives any venture to succeed, the principal 
motivation is profit - the commercial purpose for which any trade activity 
exists. Because we still maintain a mindset that associations should not 
be a money-making venture, it is difficult to imagine a trade association 
as a for-profit representative body of a particular trade.
However, as the efficiency, agility and productiveness of for-profit trade 
associations become evident, members become more confident that operating 
a for-profit trade assaociation is the only way to guarantee that the 
association will remain productive and beneficial to its members.

OBJECTIVES 
Unless your primary reason for creating a trade association is to lobby 
issues in Washington, your association's principal objective should more 
or less focus on information sharing. 

If you are creating a trade association as a forum for its memgbers to 
share ideas about their trade, it is essential that you provide your 
members this vehicle by which they can communicate, maybe even interact.
BEYOND MEMBERSHIP 
Since most associations get started with low membership dues, usually 
in the $20 to $30 bracket. Many associations are lucky to break even on 
membership dues alone. To guarantee its healthy existence, its financial 
foundations should expand beyond being exclusively dependent on membership 
dues.
Although most trade associations start off with a newsletter, it is in an 
edeal position to organize conventions (that provide members a forum to 
network, meet suppliers, and hear experts) which can be a prime money-maker 
for the association. 

telephone answering services

Most telephone answering services provide a variety of other services to keep their operators busy during the times when there are no incoming calls. These services range from typing, envelope addressing, computer input services, envelope stuffing, subscription soliciting and order fulfillment for mail order operators to reviewing books for publishing agents. In recent years some have even included private post office, mail drop and forwarding services. The important thing is to keep your operators busy doing some kind of work that makes money for you. When you decide to lease an office and get going, complete with switchboard - it's important that you try to get as close to the telephone company+s switching or exchange station as possible. This is due to the mileage charges it will cost you for land lines. Remember too that each exchange station handles prefixes
limited to customers within a certain radius of that station. What all of this means that if most of the business in your area have a 234 and 345 prefix, you'll want to locate your answering services offices as close to the station serving theses prefixes as possible. Basic installation and set-up of one switchboard will cost close to $4,000...

 Generally a metro population of 35,000 people will support a telephone answering service hoping for $50,000 per year; 75,OOO to 80,000 people will be needed for $100,000, and 150,000 people for $200,000 per year or more. For more help and further information, it would be wise to contact the Associated Telephone Answering Exchange, Inc. This organization, the industry's watchdog group, can update you on current practices and trends.

 Meanwhile in setting up your own facilities, keep your cost in line with a realistic view of your first year's anticipated income. It shouldn't be too difficult to find low-cost rental space in an older building not far from the telephone company's exchange building - the telephone company is usually just as reluctant to pay high rent as you are... Locating in an older, less than "beautiful" building should not detract from your business because few of your customers will ever actually see your offices. Most will sign up for your services either through your in-person sales calls on them, or your telephone soliciting efforts, and send their payment in by mail.

 You'll need 125 square feet of space for each switchboard you plan to eventually install. Also plan for a small reception area which can also double as a rest area for your operators and general office area for bookkeeping, billing and other administrative functions. Be sure there are convenient rest room facilities as well.

 Before installation of your first switchboard, the phone company will require an inspection of your office, mainly to determine if the floor is strong enough to support the weight of the switchboard. Save yourself a lot of frustration by explaining this to the real estate agents or building managers before they start showing you what's available. The best thing is to ask for certified copies of the original building blueprints or previous inspection reports, and have these in hand when you contact the phone company.

 Once you are ready to go, consider the attitudes and feelings of the people who will be working long hours on the switchboards for you - invest in some cheery paint for the walls, non-glare lighting, carpeting for the floors and a few wall prints, pictures or other decorations. Look around for good used office furniture and buy or lease only what is absolutely essential. A pocket calculator and a used manual typewriter will work fine until you get the business running on a dependably profitable basis.

 When you order your first switchboard, listen to the telephone company's instructions, read the operating manual and attend their training sessions. The more you know about the equipment, the easier it's going to be to operate it, and the more you'll under stand your profit potentials.

 The traditional telephone company switchboard is known as the model 557 or TAS-100. This board handles 100 incoming secretarial lines and 15 office trunk lines. With this board, you have the capabilities of receiving incoming calls and making out going calls at the same time. You also have a business answering line which can be used as your number for customers wanting to use your number as their business number and/or for special events such as a special number of survey replies or telephone orders such as advertised on television for one-time-only sales promotions.

 Even though you have the capabilities of 100 incoming lines, you shouldn't activate more than 5 or 10 more than your actual customer list, it+s then a simple matter for the phone company to activate or "tie-in" according to your needs. Your rental/lease payments to the phone company for equipment includes all maintenance, so when ever you have a problem or something isn't working properly to suit your needs, call and ask the phone company to send a repairman.

 Some of the extras you can get with your board includes a "secrecy switch." This feature prevents an operator from listening in if a customer has already picked up his phone after the operator has answered. The customer could then request the operator to hang up and conduct whatever conversation he wants with the caller.

 Another feature is the "position-splitting" key. This involves plugging in a second head set and simply turning the key to enable two operators to work the same board during an especially busy period. When your customers want to call to check with you for any messages, you can have them call their own number if they are calling from a different number, or pre-designated trunk line. Most answering service owners experiment both ways until they decide upon the system that works best for them. Which ever method is finally chosen should be decided upon with the efficiency of the operators in mind.

 In addition to your switchboard, you should install a time clock and message racks. These are ideally located above or on top of your switchboard. The operator then takes the call, jots down the message, punches the time clock and then quickly slips it into the customer+s message box. When the customer calls in for his messages, the operator retrieves the messages from his message box, reads them to him, again punches the time clock with each message slip, and drops them into a "dead message" box.

 You should keep these message slips for totalling at billing time, so it's a good idea to have each operator file them in your customer folders as they finish their shift on the board. Retention of these message slips for at least 30 days is not required, but it is a good policy to practice. You may find a customer will want to check a message received or double-check his billing against your records.

 Basically, your message rack can be either pigeon-hole compartments in a wooden box designed and built to fit your space, or lazy-Susan clips similar to what any restaurants use for fast food orders. At any rate, you shouldn't have any problems in finding what you need on the open market.

 It isn't necessary that you have specially designed or printed message slips, but you should have a plentiful supply available and within easy access to your operators. Simple 4 x 5 inch pads should be all you'll need, and if you'll check with your local quick print shops, you'll find most of them willing to make up a thousand or so pads of 50 to 100 pages each, from scrap paper, for almost next to nothing. Another essential to plan on - buy in wholesale lots and keep handy for your operators - is pens. It may be exasperating until the business is on a sound profitability basis, but in a busy month, one operator can easily go through 100 or more pens. Don't fight the how's and why's, just charge it up
as a business expense and order more pens.

 You'll need some form of maintaining basic customer information such as address, name and number to contact during an emergency and any special answering instructions. For this, simply go with 3 x 5 or 4 x 5 index cards and place them in each customer's message slot for easy operator reference. Many services have these cards laminated in plastic to prevent them from getting dirty or deteriorating with constant use.

 Efficiency is the name of the road leading to profits in any small business, so when you begin with one switchboard, make sure you have that position-splitting key, and that you balance the board - half of them on one side and half on the other side. This will enable you to put two operators on that one board in times of emergency. Your customer lines must be distributed according to usage across the board for maximum efficiency of your operation.

 Each time a customer "signs" for your service, you should have him sign a simple contract that specifies the name and address of the firm to be billed for the service, and the typed name as well as the signature of the person authorizing the service. There should also be space on this contract for alternate phone numbers, names and addresses as well as phone numbers of persons to contact in case of an emergency, and any special answering instructions the client may want you to use. Don't forget to include a clause requiring a 30-day notification of cancellation by either party to the contract. It's also a good idea to state that a full month's payment must be made for any partial month's usage, in order to
cover any disconnect charges. You'll probably want to stipulate that the last month's base charges are to be paid at the time of service approval, in order to enhance your working capital situation.

 Check with the phone company - find out if they or you are to bill the customer for hook-up charges, and the line into your switchboard. By all means get everything written out and fully explained in the contract. You will be money ahead by paying a good contract attorney to put all that you want into a legal contract that not only protects you, but also is binding upon your customers.

 One other item of paperwork you should have is an Errors & Omissions Insurance Policy. This protects you and your operators against any liability from mistakes or missed messages - very good to have, and available at very low cost through the Associated Telephone Answering Exchange, Inc. by special arrangement with Lloyd's of London. Your other insurance needs are those basic to any business. Always shop around for the best rates.

 In the beginning, you and your spouse or partner can operate a telephone answering service. However, we strongly suggest that you add to your operator staff just as quickly as you customer list warrants. The longer you try to operate with just two
people, the longer it's, going to take you to achieve real profitability.

 Remember you want a 24 hour, seven-days-a-week, full service operation. This will require at least three full-time operators for your board, plus at least one relief operator - and don't forget about commission sales people.

 Ideally, you should try to hire people with telephone switchboard experience, but in order to get these people, you may have to offer short-shifts, moonlighting jobs to regular telephone company operators. It will take some time to train inexperienced people, so bear this in mind when you begin looking for people to hire. It's always a good policy to hire your new, inexperienced people for the evening shift. Break them in by having them "sit in" with an experienced operator during the day-time hours, and have someone close at hand during their first week on the evening shift before turning them loose to handle the board by themselves.

 The most important qualifications to look for in an operator are voice and attitude. The voice must be pleasant and sound alert, interested and ready to help the caller. Warn your operators never to allow their "personal feelings" to show through when they are answering the phone. They represent your business and your customers. As such, they must project a professional manner at all times.

 Teach your operators to answer the phones with a "happy smile" in their voices. Train them to take their time with the callers, and get the message right by reading the message back to the caller, and also be sure they ask the caller for the correct spelling of his or her name. Unless specifically instructed otherwise by a customer, insist that your operators never allow an incoming call to ring more than twice before answering it. Hardly any thing frustrates anyone calling a business number more than a telephone that seemingly rings forever before someone answers it.

 You can start your inexperienced people at $4 an hour, and your experienced operators at $6 an hour. Try to explain to them that the success of your business depends on them, and as your business prospers, so will their monetary rewards . Get them involved and interested in helping you succeed.

 It's going to take aggressive selling on your part to reach success with a venture of this kind. You must spend at least 50 percent of your time making sales calls - if you can't or don't wish to do any personal selling, then you will have to hire at least two full time sales people to take your place. In addition to your own sales efforts or people who fill your shoes in this area, you should hire at least one other full time salesperson. You should plan to have someone making telephone solicitations for at least 3 hours out of each working day.

 Selling your service - building an ever larger customer list - is the name of the game for real success. You've got the start up information, and from here on, the rest depends on your own ambition.

Associated Telephone Answering Exchanges, Inc.
Bankers Square
100 Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-3770

TYPICAL EQUIPMENT COSTS

 Two Operators Chairs................................................................................$90
 Desk & Chairs............................................................................................100
 Two side chairs.............................................................................................50
 Bookcase.....................................................................................................50
 Filing/Supply Cabinet....................................................................................50
 Calculator.....................................................................................................50
 Used Typewriter.........................................................................................150
 Base for Switchboard...................................................................................60
 Message Rack..............................................................................................75
 Time Clock.................................................................................................250
 Office Furnishings/Decorations.....................................................................150
 5 thousand message pads...............................................................................25
 24-dozen pens...............................................................................................12
 Switchboard lease (one board)..................................................................4,000
 Cable Installation (one board)....................................................................1,500
 Rent on office...............................................................................................600
 Utility deposits................................................................................................50
 Business Licenses...........................................................................................50
 Business Insurance........................................................................................350
 Legal fees.....................................................................................................100
 Supplies........................................................................................................200
 TOTAL.....................................................................................................7,962eek on the evening shift before turning them loose to€

FIREPLACE AND STOVE WOOD

FIREPLACE AND STOVE WOOD: In running a program of pre-cut and split fire place and stove wood, you combine all the principles we've discussed so far, into either a whole sale or retail firewood supply sales outlet.

 The easiest and most profitable operating procedure is to set up a wood lot where whole logs are delivered to your location. Part-time workers saw these logs into 16 to 24 inch lengths for you. A couple of people with chain saws should be able to cut two cords of wood per hour. A couple of people working a power log splitter should be able to keep up with the people on the chain saws. And a couple of other people stacking this wood onto pallets as it's split, or for storage until sold, would be all the help you need.

 If you can set your business up along these lines, you'll realize the greatest profits and not have to get involved in the physical part of the business. The big thing to remember is that - as the business owner and operator - your time should be devoted to selling the end product.

 If you decide to be a wholesale supplier, and sell to retailers, advertise for and hire commission sales people to call on the retail outlets in your area. You'll need help in covering all the possible opportunities for retail sales of your firewood.

 You should be selling sacks and pallet loads of firewood. Remember: The more you can divide a basic cord of firewood into sacks or pallet loads, the greater profit you're going to make from each cord of wood you sell.

 You'll find most people buying cords or truck-load quantities of firewood before cold weather sets in, and after that, people will buy in quantities only large enough to get by, or to last out a sudden cold snap. If you should also sell bags and pallets of wood to the general public, after setting up retail sales outlets, be sure that your prices at least "average" those being charged by the retail sellers. Never "under-cut" the price your retail people are charging.

 If you decide to do all the selling yourself - in other words, act as your own retail outlet - you'll need to advertise.

 Start out with a large three-column wide, by four-inch deep display ad in your local paper. Unless you've had advertising experience, at least contact the advertising instruction class at your local community college for help in the layout and writing of this ad. If you're not far from a large metropolitan area, you can often contact the advertising agencies in that area, and get free-lance help to assist in the makeup of your advertising.

 Plan the appearance of this ad for a Saturday morning paper. Make your opening a big event - much the same as a grand opening or special anniversary sale - with free coffee, donuts and balloons for the children. Ideally, the opening of this kind of business should be staged on a weekend in late September or early October, and designed to acquaint the people in your area with your firewood business.

 Get the name, address and phone number of everyone who shows up. This can be handled very unobtrusively by giving away free prizes requiring the attendees to your event to fill out simple prize drawing forms. The prizes can be a free cord of wood, dinner for two at a local restaurant, or even movie passes.

 The whole purpose of your grand opening show is to let people know that you're open to serve their needs; to get them to discover your location; and to implant in their minds the memory that you can supply them with the means to keep warm when the weather turns cold.

 Quite naturally, many will find your services to be more convenient, time-saving and less bother than whatever methods they're currently using. As you talk with your customers, listen to their "complaints" about their present methods of fire wood procurement, and then alleviate those problems with the services you provide.

 After your grand opening, a small 2 by 4 inches display ad in the yellow pages of your telephone directory plus the posting of advertising circulars and business cards left with woodstove and fireplace suppliers, insulation and remodeling contractors and lumber yards in your area is about all the advertising you'll need to do. However, it would be wise to follow the lead of the "snow tire" people, and whenever the weather forecast shows a cold front or winter storm moving in, again invest some money in radio and newspaper advertising.

 Statistics prove that 20 percent of your potential market will prepare for cold weather by purchasing before the cold weather sets in. Another 30 percent of the market will wait until the first cold snap hits, then buy from the first supplier that comes to mind. Finally, the remaining people will have to be "sold" via suggestion of the benefits your business provides.

 This is the period when you begin profiting from those names, addresses and telephone numbers of people who turned out for your big opening event. Simply set up a telephone selling program utilizing the services of commission telephone salespeople, and
follow up on those who had registered.

 You can conceivably operate this business from your home or backyard, and definitely on a part-time basis, but the prospects of immediate success, with outstanding profits are so great that it would be wise to plan on a big operation from the start.

 A receipt pad for taking orders, a "daily diary" or ledger type of bookkeeping system, a calculator and a telephone should suffice for office supplies and equipment. Until you're over the hump on the profit side, you can keep your sales receipts in a shoebox or daily staple together and store in chronological order.

 A couple of other points to remember: Hardwood burns the longest and gives off the most heat; firewood that has been cut in the spring and seasoned through the sum mer is the kind most people will be willing to pay premium prices for; and giving the customer a "little extra" for his money will result in greater and longer-lasting success than quick profit schemes.

 Once you've got your basic firewood supply business on a profitable basis and running smoothly, you'll find your facilities and business expertise ideally suited to adding extra profit producing lines such as the sale of firewood accessories, woodstoves, built-in fireplaces, home insulation or weatherizing services, recycling and perhaps even home remodeling. quantities of firewood before cold weather.