WIPE OUT DEBTS WITHOUT BANKRUPTCY

WIPE OUT DEBTS WITHOUT BANKRUPTCY

In 1938 a federal law was passed known as the Wage Earner Plan. It is administered by the same branch of our courts that handle bankruptcy. You must be a wage-earner to use the law - that is the primary requirement. The Wage Earner Plan does not in itself 'wipe out' debts, but a little-known proviso of your filing requires that your creditors must appear to verify your indebtedness to them. Statistics indicate that 40% fail to appear, in which case, those debts are indeed 'wiped out'. In some cases 100% of the creditors fail to appear, which enables you to wipe out ALL your debts without bankruptcy. If some of the creditors do appear, then the court allows you to spread your payments out over a three year period in smaller amounts so that you can afford to pay.

Once you file under the Wage Earner Plan, you stop bill collectors, lawsuits, judgements, assignments, seized bank accounts, and other actions against you. And to top it off, your credit rating is, in many cases, improved because you made an honest effort to work with the lending firms. Additionally, if the seller used deceptive trade practices to induce your purchase, your debt may be wiped out under the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code. Under the Homestead Act, your residence can be exempted from levy to the extent determined by local law. Check at your local courthouse.

THE FREE CREDIT CARD TRAP

THE FREE CREDIT CARD TRAP

They arrive in your mail - a conspicuous looking mail piece from some

"official looking" bank claiming that you have been Pre-Approved for a

Mastercard or VISA credit card.

Of course, you don't have to have any credit. You can even have bad

credit or have just filed bankruptcy or even be rated as a "slow payer."

It doesn't matter because these companies want to give you a second

chance!

These companies want to make it easy for you to obtain a credit card

because they only want your money!

How the thing works is that you must send $35 to receive an

application that provides you with a name and address listing of

banks willing to give you a VISA and/or Mastercard without any credit

approval. That's a stiff price to pay for a sheet of paper, don't you

think? The instructions that come with the application will let you know

how the scheme works. You must open up a bank account with the

bank once that bank approves you. Big deal! They make it appear

that you have won some contest or something and people will feel

"good inside" that someone has approved them.

But that's not all. The minimum amount you must deposit is $200 but

you can deposit as much as you want. In return, you get a Mastercard

or VISA credit card with a credit limit up to the amount you deposit.

Wow! What a great honor! This is no break! Think about it. If a

stranger gave you $200 to hold for him until Friday wouldn't you feel

safe in granting them a $200 loan?

I mean it's their own money you've got. If they default, you've got the

full amount to pay off the loan. It takes a twisted mind to take $200

from you, grant you $200 credit with your own money plus charge you

astronomical interest rates just to take the money from your hand and

give it back to you. That's insane!

Of course to combat this insanity, the great and wonderful banks

claim to help fix your credit report. They say that if you maintain

payments in a correct fashion, this information will be reported to the

credit bureau.

Yea, right! When Shell calls the credit bureau to check your credit for a

gas credit card, your report shows 47 defaulted loans and a

bankruptcy.

However, there is one company that you make payments to on-time.

Big deal. Don't you think the rest of your bad credit will still be the

deciding factor in Shell's final decision. You bet you bottom dollar!

Look at this: the bank makes money from the interest of your deposit.

The bank also makes money by charging you 18% to 22% interest for

the right to use their Mastercard or VISA. Plus the bank is guaranteed

their money because if you don't pay on time, they take the money out

of the bank account you opened with them along with any interest you

have accumulated.

Why would anyone with $200 to deposit want a credit card with a

$200 limit? If you have $200 and want to buy an item for $200 go out

and purchase it. That way, you'll own it lock, stock and barrel. No

interest, no payments, no hassle! Plus, you won't owe your soul to the

company store sort-of-speak.

Credit is a wonderful thing if you use it intelligently. I know people who

charge $100 at the beginning of the month and use that $100 to make

$300. It's free money for 30 days. Then, when the bill comes, they

immediately pay the entire balance and come out smelling like a rose

with $200 to the good.

Credit is also needed in certain circumstances for establishing clout.

You can't call in a telephone order unless you can charge the purchase

to your credit card. This delays you getting items you want now.

In fact some companies will try and make you feel "low class" if you

don't own a credit card. I am proud to say that I DON'T OWN one.

When I'm in a store and they say "Would you like to put this on your

charge?" I promptly say, "No, I pay for everything I buy!" They

immediately shut up. And if they would snap back with a rude answer,

I'd leave the stuff sitting on the counter, walk out of the store and get

what I needed somewhere else. You don't have to take abuse just

because you don't choose to line the pockets of the rich credit card

companies! It's insane!

If you've ever had a credit card and charged $200, you know you end

up paying back $400 or more (unless you pay the balance within 30

days.) Stop allowing these so called banks to rip you off.

THE CHEAPEST WAY TO DISTRIBUTE 8 1/2 X 11"

THE CHEAPEST WAY TO DISTRIBUTE 8 1/2 X 11"

CIRCULARS

Co-op Mailing (short for co-operative) means that two or more

businesses share in the cost and distribution of a direct mail

campaign. It's kind of like having you and another non-competing

business split the cost of printing, aseembling and mailing an

advertising flyer to a shared (same) marketbase.

Co-op dealing is very beneficial (and usually safe) for everyone

involved. One example of co-op dealing in mail order is to send your 8

1/2x11" camera ready circular to a co-op printer and they'll print your

ad on one side, their ad on the back side and ship them back to you

for a low cost of around $10 per 1,000. You get your printing almost

free and the other dealer gets his or her flyers mailed on the back of

yours free.

But what do you do with them when they are mailed back to you? If

you're new to mail order it's doubtful you have a mailing list to

distribute them to. Plus, postage costs alone would run you about

$290.00 first-class. At this rate it would have been cheaper to send

the camera-ready to a tabloid or adsheet publisher rather than by a

co-op. But don't despair.

Simply have the printer ship your copies to a co-op circular mailer

instead of sending them to you. A couple good circular mailers we

recommend are BMG Services, PO Box 429, Johnson KS 67855

(your cost is only 1c for 8 1/2x11 pre-printed circular) or Thorn Gifts,

1807 Stillwater #5, St Paul MN 55119 (your cost is only 5c for each 8

1/2x11 pre-printed circular.) Why the difference in price? BMG mails

by bulk rate and Thorn mails by first-class. Either method is effective

and sure beats paying 29c each.

In addition, you benefit from the mailing list of the circular mailer. If

this particular mailer sells a mailing list, having them do a 1,000 or

5,000 "test" mailing for you would be a way to test their names. You

should get a few responses from a mailing of this size but it all

depends on "what" you are offering and the "price" you are offering it

for. It's very difficult to sell any item for more than $50 on a 8 1/2x11"

circular. For items costing more than $50, you need to use the two-

step approach. In other words, use the 8 1/2x11" circular to generate

inquiries and follow-up with the complete sales materials that

constitute the higher price the customer may decide to pay.

Another idea is that you could contact a dealer with products and

services not conflicting with your own and ask them to co-op mail for

you. In this deal, you would pay for the 2-sided printing (with the

mailer's ad on back of yours) and he/she would mail them for you free

of charge. It works!

Another way to co-op deal in mail order is by co-op advertising. High

Mountain Advertiser and Popular Advertiser are both long running co-

op publications. You place your ad the first time through a dealer and

all future ads are 50% less. Then you have the option of mailing pre-

printed copies with your name in the publisher's block as an

authorized dealer. When other people order advertising, they will send

their orders to you.

You keep 50% of the money and send the rest (along with the order)

back to the publisher. This way, you can have your 8 1/2x11 circulars

printed and mailed in a publication at a 50% savings.

Coal Publishing, 27 South 4th Avenue, Highland Park NJ 08904 also

offers co-op advertising in their "Small Business Keeps America

Growing" tabloid. For the low cost of $35 per tabloid-size page, you

can have your 8 1/2x11" circular along with four 2-inch ads printed and

mailed to a whopping 5,000 circulation. All you are responsible for is

the mailing of 200 of them. Any beginner can handle mailing 50 per

week to a mailing list or to their own customers. Besides, no one can

offer you a 5,000 honest circulation for this price. This is a real money-

saver!

If you market the direct mail method, it's a good idea to send a good

circular you plan to keep around for awhile to a mail order printer and

have 1,000 printed on 1 side. Then, you can use the back of 100 or so

for testing purposes of other circulars. Run down to the copy shop and

run the circulars through the copier by printing on the back side. Only

run 100 or less and send them to the best names you can find. If they

pull orders, you may have a winner and can have 1,000 printed.

Nothing is more annoying than being stuck with 1,000 circulars with

something you want to mail on one side and something outdated on

the back.

NOTICE: Rates and prices shown here were current at the time of

writing. Call for quotes.

SELECTING THE RIGHT BUSINESS NAME

SELECTING THE RIGHT BUSINESS NAME

Ask 500 people already in business how they decided upon their

business name and you will get 500 different answers. Everyone has

a story behind how they chose their own business name. Even if the

business is named after their own birth name, there's a reason why

this was done.

When you open a business, in a sense, you are causing a new birth to

begin. This new birth was created from an idea alone by you or your

associates. It will have its own bank account, it's own federal

identification number, it's own credit accounts, it's own income and it's

own bills. On paper, it is another individual! Just as if you were

choosing a name for your own unborn child, you need to spend

considerable time in deciding upon your business name.

There are several reasons why a good business name is vitally

important to your business. The first obvious reason is because it is

the initial identification to your customers. No one would want to do

business with someone if they didn't have a company name yet. This

makes you look like an amateur who is very unreliable. Even if you call

your company "Kevin's Lawn Service," a company name has been

established and you are indeed a company. People will therefore feel

more comfortable dealing with you.

Secondly, a business name normally is an indication as to the product

or service you offer. "Mary's Typing Service," "Karate Club for Men,"

"Jim-Dandy Jack-of-all-Trades," "Laurie and Steve's Laundry,"

"Misty's Gift Boutique," and "Star 1 Publishers" are all examples of

simple business names that immediately tell the customer what

product you offer.

However, most people will choose the simple approach when naming

their business. They use their name, their spouse's name, their

children's names or a combination of these names when naming a

business. The national hamburger-restaurant chain "Wendy's" was

named after the owner's daughter.

However, research has proven that these "cutesy" names are not the

best names to use for a business. Many experts claim that it makes

the business look too "mom-and-pop-sie." However, this depends on

the business. If you are selling something that demands this mood or

theme to appeal to your market, it's best to use this approach.

Personally, I am inclined to name my businesses with catchy names

that stick in people's heads after we have initially made contact.

Names like, "Sensible Solutions," "Direct Defenders," "Moonlighters

Ink," "Printer's Friend," "Strictly Class," "Collections and Treasures,"

and "Starlight on Twilight" are all good examples of catchy names.

These types of names relate to your product or service but serve as a

type of slogan for your business. This is a big help when marketing.

A friend I know owns a business called "Mint and Pepper." He grows

and sells his own line of raw seasonings to people in the local area. At

a get-together for small businesses, he passed out his business card.

The card had a peppermint candy glued on the back and the slogan

read: "Your business is worth a mint to us." This marketing concept

not only got my friend noticed and remembered, but brought in several

large orders for the business.

When you name a child, you may not decide upon a definite name

until after they are born. You do this because a name is sometimes

associated with a type of personality. When you name a business you

may need to wait until you have a product or service to sell and then

decide upon a business name before going into the business itself

because your business name should give some clue as to what

product or service you are selling. A business named "Joe's

Collections" normally wouldn't sell car parts and a business named

"Charlie Horse" would not sell knitting supplies.

To generate ideas - begin looking at business signs everywhere you

go. Notice which ones catch your eye and stick in your mind. Try and

figure out "why" they stuck in your mind. Naturally, the business

"Dominos Pizza" sticks in your mind because it is nationally known.

These don't count! Look around and notice the smaller businesses.

Take your time. Within a few days you should be able to come up with

a few potential business names.

Then, when you finally find a few names you really like - try reciting

them to other people and get their opinion. It won't be long until your

business will have the proper name that will carry it through it's life!

MAIL ORDER HINT:

Try to avoid very long names so they will fit into small display ads.

Amalgamated International Enterprises can be easily presented as

AIE - which is easier and shorter to spell.