Seeking idea for $50-$100 small business services or products to offer.

Great ideas-thank you! Here is one of my ideas that "paid" off. Don Alm actually inspired me several years ago to sell ads on a magnet. I designed a 6" X 4" maget and sold 1/2" spots to local businesses. I touted it as a "business directory" and sold about 28 spots at $150 each. I also told business that I would print up 5000 magnets and deliver them to every door in town. I neted several thousand dollars on this project. I was somewhat known in town, but not as a marketer. It was hard work, but if you can walk in and ask for the owner and show them an example(mock-up) you can do this. Another way to do this would be to sell less ads and charge more. Don's ideas do work if you work. I hope this inspires someone to go for it. Also, I am a middle school PE teacher in Iowa. Thanks again to those who have taken their time to share ideas.

Here is another project that I completed (inspired by Don Alm) that "paid" off. I found a graphic designer on Craigslist that could design my ads. I decided to create a pizza box top flyer with business card-sized ads on the front and back. I created a mock-up and started walking in businesses and asking for the owner. I sold them for $195 each, and there were 10 ads per side, with the pizza place's ad in the middle(a coupon). It was a full-color flyer with a glossy finish. I simply sketched out the ad design and sent it to my graphics guy, Tim. Sometimes the business had a camera ready design of their business card and it was easy to have Tim just pop that into the flyer. This was a little easier project due to only having to sell and design 22 ads. The pizza place agreed to tape a flyer on each box that was sold as a take-out order. His ad was free on both sides of the flyer. I also paid for the scotch tape to attach the flyer. I did this twice and the pizza owner was happy each time. I will probably do this again in the summer so I have time during the day to sell. If I can do this anyone can. It is scarry until you sell the first ad, then you get a huge confidence boost and away you go. You can do this!

According to Martin B, he had a butcher friend who had a shop. He designed one page for the butcher and sold 10 biz card ads on the back to other local biz, printed up 1,000 black and white flyers locally ($100) and charged each advertiser $50. Did it in a day, had $400 left over.

The butcher signed an agreement to let Martin do this for a year.

My thinking is you can skip the butcher and sell 8-10 ads on each side, Gotprint charges $215, shipping included, for 2,500 full color flyers. Sell the ads for $100 each = $2,000 minus costs = approx. $1,800. Divvy up the flyers between those who bought an ad, for each of them to stick in the bag when someone buys something. You now have 20 biz promoting each other.

Maybe you could even sell the ads for more.... Rinse and repeat,

Eva

P.s. If you sell a lot of ads, instead of a flyer, make a "directory style" newspaper. Start out with a 4 page paper, build out from there.

http://www.makemynewspaper.com/Getti...ed/Prices.aspx

This company makes printing a paper very affordable.

Hi Eva,

Nice searching and Finding...

Always feel free to Expose those Never-ending {Specialized} niche URL's and Ideas! ...

Some excellent examples and {Twistable} concepts, business models in Digging through their own Web directory of Creativity and Options & Much, much more...
http://www.makemynewspaper.com/samples/default.aspx
http://www.makemynewspaper.com/getti...templates.aspx
http://www.makemynewspaper.com/profi...nny-pages.aspx
http://www.makemynewspaper.com/newspaper-designs.aspx
http://www.makemynewspaper.com/Industry/Default.aspx
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9250433.htm
https://www.google.com/search?q=http...ient=firefox-a

All the best,
Phil

Also, check out http://www.churchnewspapers.com/ It is the same company, explaining how you can make a paper for your church,

Eva

P.s. If you do not have Indesign, you can actually make the paper in Microsoft Publisher, no problem.

P.p.s. If you prefer a "whiter" paper than newsprint, they do have it for an additional 15%.

Hey Bret....here's one for ya since you've had experience with "Magnets"

I call it "Magnetic Menus To Go". 10 Ads with a To Go Menu printed on a Magnetic Sheet.

I get $360 per Ad for 500 Menus....$3,600 per restaurant (about 72cents each) "72cents to be on a local consumer's fridge...for a YEAR? You kiddin' me, Mr Biz Owner?

MidasMan