The Sure Fire Way To Make Money With A Personal Computer


Edward Bulwer-Lytton stated "The pen is mightier than the 
sword." These days, not may people use the pen to write with. 
More often they use typewriters or, even more frequently, 
computers and word processors. But make no mistake, the written 
word is still very powerful, and if you own a word processor 
you are sitting on top of one of the most powerful money-making 
machines ever created.

Most people use their computer to do simple tasks, such as their 
taxes. Or they buy a word processor so their children can write 
term papers and get better grades in school. Very few people 
realize that their computers can make them money as well as 
fulfilling all of these other functions. If your computer is 
taking up desk space but not bringing you any extra income, it's 
time for you to put that machine to work for you.

Of course, the logical question is "How can my computer make 
money for me?" Computers are extremely versatile and can be 
programmed to do almost anything. Many different computer 
functions can be incorporated into a home-based business, but 
one of the easiest to master is the word processor. There are 
dozens of word processing programs on the market, and you should 
be able to master one in about five or six hours of practice. 
And,if you don't have a computer, don't worry. You can still 
cash in on this great business idea. many computer companies 
make word processing machines which are like super typewriters, 
combining the functions of both typewriters and computers.

Once you are familiar with your word processor, look out! You 
will be ready to take on the world with your home-based, word-
processing business.

WORD PROCESSING RICHES

Using your word processor to make money is easy. In fact, it's 
easy as finding someone who needs a document created and selling 
your service to them. Once you've read through the following 
suggestions, you will have lots of great ideas on how to use 
your computer to make money.

NEWSLETTER WRITING

A successful company needs to keep their employees up to date on 
company activities (such as corporate buy outs, company 
recreational events, and policy changes) and trade news (such as 
new legislation affecting customers, competition news and 
manufacturer updates). The easiest and least expensive way to 
do all of this is through an employee newsletter. 

The problem with this is most companies especially smaller 
ones, do not have the capital to hire a full-time writer. Many 
companies attempt to designate someone within the organization 
to write their newsletter, but this person is not a writer, in 
fact the one in charge of the newsletter is usually the secretary. 
Using nothing more than a typewriter, she tries to produce a nice-
looking newsletter in a few minutes she has to spare between 
projects. Needless to say, the result is usually less than 
spectacular.

That's where you and your word processor come in. Using your 
computer, you can easily put together a newsletter that looks 
very professional--with columns, bold headlines, graphs and even 
pictures. Bring a sample newsletter into a business and have the 
manager compare it to his current newsletter (if he has one at 
all). Then tell him that by subscribing to your newsletter service, 
productivity and profit will rise for two reasons. First, because 
he will not be paying someone from inside the company to write the 
newsletter. Second, his employees will work more efficiently because 
they will be better informed.

Before you know it, you will have 10 to 15 companies paying you to 
write their newsletter, and will probably be just about all you can 
handle. Since each one will be paying you about $300 a month for 
the service, you will need to make the decision whether to continue 
to expand your service and hire more help, or simply relax and let 
the money keep rolling in.

MAIL ORDER REPORTS

Fads and trends come and go, but one thing that will always sell 
is information. With your word processor, you have one of the best 
mediums for presenting information, and you can make a bundle doing 
just that.

Just walk through your local book store or library and notice how 
many self-help, diet and how-to books there are. This should give 
you a feel how hungry consumers are for this type of information. 
Once you've read through a few of these types of books, you should 
know enough about the subject to write a brief five to ten page 
report. With the computer, you can make the report look very 
professional through the use of page numbers, double columns, 
pull quotes in the middle of the pages, and a bold catch title.

When the paper is complete, it's time for you to begin the 
marketing procedure.  Take out an ad in the classified section 
of your local newspaper. Word the advertisement so that customers 
will be enticed to send you a check to learn more about the 
subject. Here are a few examples.

Tired of reading through useless diet books? TRY THE SECRETS OF 
CONTROLLING YOUR WEIGHT. Just send $3 to...

Plumbers charge over $100 dollars to make a house call. BE YOUR 
OWN PLUMBER, a new informed book, costs only $5. To order, send to...

Since printing costs will be minimal (between 25 cents and $1 
per report) most of the money you collect will go directly to 
profit. And, since these reports are easy to produce, you can 
use some of that income to write and print a new report and 
sell it the same way. See how easy it is to make the whole 
thing snowball?

Here are some more subjects you can easily write brief reports 
and sell through the mail:

* How To Grow A Garden
* Selected Mexican Recipes
* Stop Smoking
* How To Paint Your House
* Mail-Order Marketing
* Making Your Own Patio Furniture
* Camping Made Easy
* Easy Baking Techniques

If some of this appeal to you, think of something else. 
Just remember, the idea must appeal to a wide arrange of 
customers or you will not sell enough products to defray 
your production costs.

TYPING SERVICE

When you begin to use your computer, you will quickly see the 
advantages you have over a standard typewriter. You can easily 
check your spelling and grammar, set your margins and type face 
as you wish, and make universal changes throughout the document 
without retyping the entire thing.

Because of these extensive features, your computer saves you time 
and effort when typing documents, and you can pass those savings 
on to your customers. With your computer, you can easily input a 
document, proofread it, give a draft copy to the customer for 
approval, make changes, then print a final version--all in less 
time than it  would take a standard typist to type a single copy.

This is one of the easiest businesses to run once you master your 
word processor because all you need to know is how to type, no 
other talents are required. If you have a modern (telephone hookup) 
for your computer, you can even send documents across the country 
or around the world just as easily as you can deliver them across 
the street.

Your main concern in this business is finding customers who need 
typing done. Here are some customer suggestions and tips on how 
to get in touch with them:

Writers: There are literally thousands of people in this country 
who enjoy writing either for a hobby or as a source of extra 
income. By running an ad in one of the many writers magazines 
(such as Writers Digest or The Writer) you will get responses 
from writers all across the country who want their manuscripts 
typed.

Professionals: Small businesses often cannot afford the luxury 
of a secretary. Larger businesses sometimes have large projects 
to type but do not wish to hire someone extra. In either case 
an outside typist can be a valuable service.

Students: Many high school and college students don't have the 
time to type their own papers even if they do have the ability 
to. Especially during mid-terms or finals, a typing service can 
really make money at a school. Post flyers in every classroom 
and every bulletin board you can find.

The only requirement you need to stick to in this business is 
accuracy. No matter who you are typing for, they will stand for 
less than 100 percent perfect documents. Always check, double 
check, then triple check your work before you send it to your 
clients.

COMPUTING THE POSSIBILITIES

As you can see, with a computer or word processor, you can open 
up a whole new world of business opportunities. If you are one 
of the few business people who are still operating without one, 
you really should look into making that big purchase. While the 
initial capital outlay may seem high, a little ingenuity is all 
it takes to make the computer pay for itself.





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