If you like the idea of making some money offline then this idea could be for you. If you have ever needed to call on the services of a local business of any type then you will know how difficult it can be to find someone trustworthy and reliable exactly when you need them.
This is where you come in. If you can create a directory of local businesses to distribute around your local area you can potentially make a lot of money in doing so. And there are several different ways you can go about it.
Most of us have moved home at some point and when it comes to settling in and finding the local services that we need it can be tricky. If only someone was there and waiting with a list of local services and businesses that everyone needs at some time or another.
I’m sure you can see that if you could create a directory like this and get the local realtors to agree to give away a copy to each and every person who bought a property in their area, you could soon have a lucrative business on your hands. The realtors could even keep a stack of your booklets in a prominent place in their offices.
Now you might be wondering how you could make money from this if the directories are given away for free, but most businesses would gladly pay to be introduced to new people in their neighborhood. What you would do is charge businesses for their advert and details to appear in your directory, and make sure that the charge will cover the cost of printing it – with some left over for you on top of course.
Make sure you get a few quotes for printing costs; if the printer is local ask if they would give you a discount in return for including their own advert in the directory.
Another way to do this is to create a directory that you could simply deliver door to door, or pay someone else to deliver them for you. You would still charge people to have their adverts included in each issue, and you can come up with advertising packages where people can save money if they advertise for longer.
Once you get your head around the idea you could come up with several different ideas for themed directories, such as ones based on eateries, essential services such as doctors and dentists, and home services. You could even expand into neighboring areas as well as maintaining a directory for your own area.
The key to success here is to make sure you keep all the details of the advertisers current. You would need to set up a system whereby advertisers should let you know if anything changes and their details change, otherwise the directory could soon become out of date. Think about releasing a new issue every few months, or perhaps even every month if you want to keep it fresh and deliver it door to door all the time.
If your brain is now firing up with ideas, why not start writing some of them down? Add your comments below before you make your first steps into local publishing though! Good luck.