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BE YOUR OWN BOSS

Brief guide to establishing a home business, including advertising for a small business, move slowly, write it yourself, steady state, how much and where, sell with the truth.

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Good sound entrepreneurial advice is a commodity that's getting harder and harder to come by in these days of economic uncertainty. For that reason, MOTHER offers the following column by Dan Ogden (a fellow who launched his own multimillion-dollar venture in 1976 with a shoestring investment of $850!) . . . to provide all you aspiring businessmen and -women with the hard-facts kind of information you need to start a new enterprise (or keep an old one running) and to realize the fulfillment that can be had from operating your own business!

Too many "greenhorn" shoestring businessfolk are alternately fascinated and terrified by the "glamour" of advertising ... probably because the "ad game" is one of the most misunderstood aspects of running an enterprise. And it's also the area where a first-time-out businessperson is most apt to make mistakes (usually costly ones), often due simply to a misconception of the purpose of advertising. An entrepreneur can get caught up in the excitement of seeing his or her name in print, and start an ill-fated ad campaign without understanding even the fundamentals of good advertising!

As a commercial advertiser (one who uses ads to sell a product), your ultimate goal is twofold: First, you want to discover the unique advantages) of your goods or service . . . and second, you want to express that advantage, giving your customers one or more good reasons to try your offering. To help you achieve that aim, I'm going to present seven basic rules of advertising that should enable you to avoid the most common pitfalls.

MOVE SLOWLY

The first principle is, strangely enough: Put all advertising off until your business has established itself . Now I realize that may seem a little self-defeating, but it's actually a sound piece of advice for the fledgling entrepreneur to follow. As I mentioned at the beginning of this column, it's all too easy to get hooked by the glamour of the ad game and crank up a massive campaign before even you are thoroughly familiar with your product. You need to understand, and be in close touch with, your market before you advertise.

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