When I (PL) started to sell a significant number of copies of
Money Is My Friend, it became evident that I needed help or the time
I spent packing and shipping would reduce the time I had available
for selling. I had to find a part-time helper.
When you need your first employee, you won’t be able to afford
or use a full-time person. Your first hire should be a part-time
helper who can run errands to the post office, copy center, and
bank as well as take care of some of the simpler and more tedious
computer work, such as printing and data entry. It’s a perfect job
for a trustworthy college or high school student who wants to learn
about business. A part-time worker who frees you up even just a few
afternoons a week can make a big difference.
When you have to do everything yourself, your creativity may
be limited by the knowledge that implementing any new income-
producing idea means additional work for you. When you hire an
employee, he or she can implement some (perhaps all) of a new
idea. Your management challenge is to use the time the part-timer
frees up to produce income more rapidly than the salary you pay.
Some small business people even have several part-time employees
with very different skills, before they hire a full-time employee. Re-
member, though, even the most conscientious employee may not
be as motivated as you and will require supervision.Network Marketing
As you investigate various business opportunities, you are sure to
come across network marketing. Hundreds of businesses in fields as
varied as tax advice, nutrition, discount travel, health and beauty
products, and health insurance offer entrepreneurial opportuni-
ties. Associating with a good network marketing company provides
several significant advantages compared to starting a business on
your own. The advantages are:- You work for yourself but not by yourself.
- There is the possibility of earning from the efforts of others.
- There is the possibility of earning residual income.
- The company solves the business problems of finding and
maintaining sources of products to sell.
The major disadvantage to network marketing in our experi-
ence is the low percentage of people who make a full-time living at
it compared to the number who get started. With the information182 Overall Business Model