BJM Free Press |

Temporary Help Agency

The high cost of maintaining a full-time employee contributes to the growth of the temp-help business.

Minimum Start-Up: $10,000
Average Start-Up: $100,000
Revenue; $100,000 - $2.5Mil
Profits; $25,000 - $250,000
One Person Business: Yes

Advancement in computer hardware and software enables companies to staff mean and lean, preferring to hire temps during peak seasons rather than lay off workers during slower times.

On any given day, over 1 million people work on temporary assignments. By 1995, trade statistics estimate that 1.25 million jobs will go by way of “temps”, creating an aggregate annual payroll of about $10 billion.

These figures suggest that the temporary help business is here to stay.

Unlike the temp boom of the late 70s, today’s temp-help has gone beyond clerical help, with 37% of placements involving professionals.

JOB MATCHMAKER

A temporary-help service acts as a matchmaker between businesses seeking temporary help and individuals who want a job.

The temporary agency pays the employee on a weekly basis a set rate, and in turn bills the business/client a predetermined rate, usually 10% to 15% more than was paid the employee.

START-UP HURDLE

If there is a single hurdle that makes starting a temporary-help agency “difficult”, it has to do with your ability to cover the payroll up front.

As a temp agency, the demand for cash flow presents a two-sided problem.

While you are expected to pay your workers on a weekly basis, you are also expected to extend your clients 30 to 60 days credit.

So while you’re waiting to get paid, you need to have enough cash to cover your payroll.

For example, if you place 10 workers at 40 hours each for the week, at a rate of $8 an hour, it would require $3,200 cash for the week. That’s $12,800 in 4 weeks!

To avoid this problem, it is advisable to hire your workers as independent contractors.

You can act as their agent, and collect your commission when they are paid.

NAFTA Exporter: Mexico

To draw attention to a vast export promotions arsenal available to individuals and businesses seeking to export to Mexico, a program called EXPORT MEXICO was developed through a partnership between business and government.

Mexico is our fastest-growing export market. With the implementation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), this market is expected to provide even greater opportunities.

Why Mexico?

When your fastest growing export market is right next door, you’ve got to harness it and seize the opportunity.

Exports to Mexico have Increased from $12,.4 billion in 1986 to $40.6 billion in 1992.

Mexico’s 86 million consumers prefer U.S. goods. 70% of every dfollar Mexico spends on foreign products is spent on U.S. goods.

Rising levels of disposable income among Mexican consumers helped increase our exports by 50% since 1991.

THE NAFTA FACTOR

In the last decade, the Mexican market has become more open, instituting unilateral, market-opening reforms.

The North America Free Trade Agreement will help further accelerate the growth of U.S. exports to Mexico, opening new doors to U.S. companies.

NAFTA will create the biggest market in the world right at our doorsteps, over $6 Trillion with 370 million people.

NAFTA will make nearly half of all U.S. exports qualify for ZERO tariffs.

NAFTA will open Mexico to U.S. service exports, including such industries as insurance, banking, accounting, advertising and more.

GETTING STARTED

If you’re seeking to export to Mexico, you can call Flash Facts facsimile service and order Mexico market information sent to you via fax, free of charge. The number to call is (202) 482-4464.

The system includes among its many documents NAFTA updates and upcoming trade events.

You can also call (202) 482-0300 to consult trained desk officers from the Department of Commerce’s Office of Mexico regarding the most cost-effective ways you can enter the Mexican market.

SPECIAL FINANCING

The Commerce Department’s Office of Mexico publishes a comprehensive manual called “A Guide To Financing Exports To Mexico”, which you can obtain free of charge by calling the Flash Facts line and requesting document number 0420.

For Mature Audiences Only

It is not the intention of this publication to proliferate or encourage sexually oriented merchandise. However, as an observer of entrepreneurial activities, this medium would be naive and pretentious to ignore a profitable, legal business that could possibly be of interest to others.

The concept is plain and simple. Renting video tapes is profitable business. Renting adult videos is even more profitable.

Most adults will watch x-rated tapes (adult videos) only occasionally. This attitude does not warrant them to purchase video tapes. They would rather pay a premium to rent the tapes that they want.

BUY WHOLESALE

Sources for adult videos include local distribut6ors, used tape distributors, and catalog houses.

The average adult video costs $40. In volume, you can buy them wholesale for around $15 each.

RENTAL REVENUES

Since adult videos are not sensitive to release schedules, they do not get dated in the same manner as theatrical films. As a result, adult videos generally enjoy a longer shelf life.

Because of this, it can be rented more often and over a longer period of time.

Where the average video can be rented approximately 40 times over a period of 12 months, adult videos can extend well in to 50 or 60 times.

If you rent your videos even at $2 each, you can expect rental revenues of around $100 per tape per year.

If you purchased the video for $15, you have just multiplied your investment 4 times.

Furthermore, you can offer your year-old tapes for sale for around $12 each.

(Note that selling adult videos across state lines is a Federal offense. If you want to sell tapes, sell them to your members in your local area. Likewise, you should check your local zoning regulations regarding this business.)

OTHER CLUB BENEFITS

An adult video & book club can be more attractive and more profitable if the benefits and activities offered to members go beyond books and videos.

You can offer club members special cruises where members of the opposite sex can be paired and offer special discounts available to couples.

You can also organize parties that charge admission, where single people can meet.

5 WAYS TO GENERATE QUICK CASH YOU NEED BY RUNNING A MINI-BUSINESS, PART 5 of 5

Continuing from part four, mini-businesses:

INCREASING YOUR INCOME FROM YOUR PRESENT BUSINESS

The easiest way to bring in more income quickly is to offer a special price or package of your current products or services. Your only upfront expense will be getting the word out about your special. Depending on the type of business you run, this expense could be minimal.

For example, one of the services I offer, in addition to my publishing efforts, is custom typesetting and layout work. I could offer a special price for a limited time, or a quantity discount off my normal per-page pricing. In this case, the most cost effective marketing method I could use would be to prepare a flyer for the special (no cost to myself but time spent creating the flyer and copying costs), and distribute it to my best customers and those prospects I would most like to have as long-term clients.

Besides the quick business I’d get from the special, I may entice a few newcomers into my fold that will bring long-term business my way. Used correctly, this technique can provide the quick income you need, while building your permanent customer base.

CONCLUSION

Every business has hard times at the start. That’s just a fact of life or the self-employed. It doesn’t have to be so bad, though, if you plan ahead and take whatever steps are necessary. Package your products and services for quantity sale. Run a small secondary business. These are the ways to reinforce your main business and keep it afloat in rough water.

This is part four of a five part series. Click to read part one, two, three, or four.

5 WAYS TO GENERATE QUICK CASH YOU NEED BY RUNNING A MINI-BUSINESS, PART 2 of 5

Continuing from part one of a five part series:

MINI-BUSINESSES

There are countless businesses you could run as a quick cash producer. I’ll go into a few that I think are the best ideas for most people. Come of these may sound minor league, but that’s what they’re meant to be: easy-to-run, low time and expense businesses you can use to up your income.

CURB NUMBER PAINTING

Here is a great opportunity that can work for anyone in any sort of community. What you will be doing is painting address numbers on curbs for a fee. Why would anyone want this service? Answer this question in your marketing and you’ll find great success with this.

If your house number is painted on the curb in front of your house, it is easier for emergency vehicles (police, ambulance) to find the house, as well as friends and family who aren’t familiar with the area. I’m sure you’ve tried to find someone’s house at night before, but had trouble seeing the numbers on the house. I’ve seen some house numbers that I couldn’t see during the day, much less at night!

Anyway, you should be able to start this business for less than $50. Here are the supplies you’ll need for this service: reflective white highway spray paint (available from paint supply houses), black highway paint, 3″ tall number stencils, wide masking tape, a few old rags, and flyers. The flyers should read something like this:

(Your business name, address, and phone, centered at top of page)

If the police or an ambulance had to find your house at night, would they be able to see your house numbers? If friends or family were trying to find your house for the first time, would they get lost?

Not if you have curb numbers!

Curb numbers are 3″ tall address numbers painted with high-quality, long-lasting reflective white highway paint on a black background. They are highly visible both day and night. You can have professional quality curb numbers by (business name) for only (insert your price).

If you would like this valuable and helpful safety measure, please fill out the coupon at the bottom of this flyer and leave it, along with a check for (price), made out to (business name), in your mailbox. We will be painting numbers tomorrow, starting at (insert time). Thank you!

NOTE: Our service is 100% guaranteed! If you are not satisfied with the quality of our service, call us and we will repaint your numbers or refund your money, no questions asked! (Business name, address, phone)

——————————————-
Name: _____________________________________

Address: __________________________________

Phone (Optional): _________________________

Please leave this coupon, along with a check for (price), in an envelope in your mailbox before (insert time) tomorrow. THANK YOU!

Prepare a batch of these flyers on your computer, or produce an original and photocopy it. It is crucial that it look professional. Take your time, and don’t handwrite it! If you can’t produce a quality original yourself, paying someone else to do it right will pay off in increased business.

Be realistic when setting your price. This is a very low cost service for you to offer, so there will be a good profit margin built in. I would say the price range for this service would be between $3 and $10, with $5 being the most likely for success.

The best neighborhoods for this business are newer, middle to upper income developments, though almost any neighborhood will produce orders, if the price is right. Drive through the neighborhoods in your area and look for those with house numbers that are hard to see.

When you find a neighborhood that looks good, go door-to-door with your flyers. It’s not necessary to knock on doors and do a sales pitch. Rubber band the flyers to door handles, or put them in newspaper boxes. DO NOT put them in mailboxes, as this is illegal. It should only take two or three hours to blanket an average size neighborhood area. The best time to do your distribution is on a Saturday morning, so you can do your painting on Sunday afternoon. This leaves the week untouched for your main business.

The day after you distribute the flyers, return to the neighborhoods you hit. Go to each mailbox and, when you find one with an order, use your masking tape to outline a rectangular area on the curb that is big enough to contain the house numbers. Then, paint the black background. Paint all the backgrounds for the neighborhood before painting any numbers. This will give the black paint time to dry.

When painting the numbers, take your time, make sure your stencils are straight and securely taped in place with your masking tape, and spray your white paint evenly and generously. Wipe up any drips, and touch up as necessary to make your job look flawless.

If you get any calls from dissatisfied customers offer to repaint their numbers or refund their money. Don’t argue and don’t have hard feelings. You might get one or two people who take advantage of you, but that’s a worthwhile chance to take. You see, the guarantee will help to sway any people who are undecided about your service. Offering a no-questions-asked guarantee can greatly increase your business, so why not offer it? If you’ve done a good job, and offered true value for your customer’s money, you shouldn’t get many calls.

Get more orders easily by visiting the same neighborhood 2 to 3 weeks later. Leave flyers at the houses that didn’t get numbers last time. You should get new orders from those who saw your previous work.

A good idea for building order volume is to offer a neighborhood volume discount. For example, if you’ll distribute 200 flyers in a neighborhood, offer 10% off on everyone’s orders if 50 or more people participate. This can help entice people to do a little sales work on their neighbors for you! Note this offer boldly on your flyers.

My final word of advice is to practice before you do any actual painting. Pick up an inexpensive patio block and practice on it. Only an hour or two of practice should be necessary.

A side benefit of this business, besides the income it will generate, is that it will get you out of your office for a few hours each week. Enjoy the fresh air! Plus, the exercise can’t hurt anyone. Good luck!

NOTE: There is a kit for curb numbering that includes interlocking brass number stencils, 2 cans of black paint, 2 cans of white paint and instructions for $39.95 plus $4.95 for shipping. Order from Magic Systems, Inc., Order Dept., P.O. Box 23888, Tampa, FL 33623-3888, or call (800)237-9106 with your credit card.

This is part two of a five part series.  Click to read part one, three, four, or five.