*********************************************************** HOME BUSINESS NEWS IDEAS AND SOURCES *********************************************************** COMPUTERFEST 1992 The Dayton Microcomputer Association, Inc, will present their 17th annual Computerfest, Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30th. The Computerfest will be held at the Hara Conference and Exhibition Center, 1001 Shiloh Springs Rd., Dayton, Ohio. Computerfest is the largest and longest running computer show in the midwest. The past few years have seen tremendous growth in both vendors and attendees. Last year's Computerfest drew over 15,000 people, double that of two years earlier. Those people wishing to have space for a booth(s) should register now. The earlier you register, the better your chances of securing the space you want. The sales area at this years Computerfest will be divided into two parts--the professional area and the flea market area. Until June 30, 1992, professional booths are $200.00. Beginning in July, 1992 and thereafter, professional booths will be $250. Flea Market space is $25.00 until June 30, 1992, and $30.00 July 1, 1992 and thereafter. All professional booths and flea market spaces have electricity (120 VAC) provided at no extra charge. Normal set- up is 6 AM to 10 AM on Saturday. Friday night set-up from 6 PM to 10 PM is also available. To get a vendor registration form and reserve you space at Computerfest 1992, contact MARK HANSLIP, 143 Schloss Lane, Dayton, Ohio 45418: (513) 263-FEST. APPLE, SHARP PARTNERSHIP Apple Computer Inc. and Sharp Corporation of Japan, have announced that they have entered into a long-term partnership to develop "next-generation" personal information devices. The agreement will enable the companies to merge Apple's computer software and hardware expertise with Sharp's experience in making small electronic devices that display information on liquid crystal screens. An Apple spokesperson has outlined a plan for creating "personal digital assistants." The envisioned pocket-sized electronic devices would combine the functions of personal computers with those of tiny consumer electronics devices such as pocket organizers. PR NEWSLETTER If how to go about getting publicity for your small business is a mystery to you, a monthly electronic newsletter, FOUR CORNERS, may be able to help. The newsletter is offered by several on-line services including CompuServe, Delphi, and GEnie. PR expert David Reid Kerr is editor of the newsletter which offers advice on how to organize and begin a publicity campaign, sending out press releases, and more. FOUR CORNERS also provides some tricks and strategies small business operators can use to get the best publicity possible. Call (212) 924-4735 for more information about the monthly electronic newsletter, FOUR CORNORS. PERSONALIZED CHILDREN'S BOOKS A relatively new, but potentially lucrative, home-based business is that of making and marketing personalized children's books. The stories in each book are professionally written and feature a specific child as the main character. The child/s name (and sometimes photograph) ,age, hometown, as well as the names of relatives/friends and pets are incorporated throughout each story by computer. Each book is also professionally illustrated. Once you have a personalized children's book dealership, you'll actually be making and marketing the books from your home or on location. The books may be sold at fairs, parties, malls--even by mail order. The marketing is up to you. Here are some of the companies currently offering information about making personalized children's books: BEST PERSONALIZED BOOKS, Inc, 3107 Chapel Downs Dr., Dallas, TX 75229--for an information kit call (214) 357-6800; MY VERY OWN BOOK, D&K ENTERPRISES, Inc., 2953 Ladybird Lane, Suite 12, Dallas, TX 75220--call (214) 353-9999; PRESTO PRINT BOOKS, John Hefty Co., Inc.--call (904) 934-1599. PET PROJECT John Breen, of Duram, North Carolina was walking his dog one day when the idea came to him-- why not put together a Who's Who of American Pets? There are millions of pet owners in America, and many of them would surely be willing to spend a little money to have their beloved pet immortalized in print. And 34 year old Breen, whose background is in computers and accounting, brought the idea together. For $5, he will put your pet's name and brief biography in WHO'S WHO OF AMERICAN PETS. No pet will be discriminated against. All an interested pet owner has to do is write their pet's biography in 75-100 words and send it (along with the $5) to: WHO'S WHO OF AMERICAN PETS, P.O. Box 2820, Durham, NC 27715, by September 1st. Your pet will make it into the publication, and you will also receive information about the subsequent publication of the hardback book and its cost. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHAREWARE If you thought that the best software could only be bought in stores, the PC-SIG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHAREWARE (4TH edition) from Windcrest will come as a pleasant surprise. Before you plunk down any more of your hard-earned dollars on high-priced retail software, check out "try-before-you-buy" software that can actually save you hundreds of dollars. The 4th edition of PC-SIG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHAREWARE, features over 650 pages of descriptions and reviews of the vast assortment of shareware in PC-SIG's library. It could be the most convenient and affordable way for you to shop for the programs you need. The PC-SIG Library is the largest source of quality, low-cost shareware for IBM PCs and compatibles. The PC-SIG ENCYCLOPEDIA offers buying information in an organized, easy-to-use format, and delivers a comprehensive overview of your shareware options. For more information about the PC-SIG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHAREWARE (4TH EDITION) contact Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0850; Phone: (717) 794- 2191. For toll-free Fax ordering call 1-800-932-0183. MAKE MONEY WITH VIDEO AND 35MM CAMERAS Written by television news photographer Paul Kasper, HOW TO MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR CAMCORDER OR 35MM CAMERA takes the reader on a step-by-step tour through a wide array of marketing possibilities. In addition to dozens of fully-explained money- making ideas, Kasper presents illustrated photo tricks and techniques for both video and 35mm cameras. HOW TO MAKE MONEY WITH YOUR CAMCORDER OR 35MM CAMERA can be purchased directly from Kasper Publishing, P.O. Box 20181, St. Petersburg, FL 33742, for $9.95 plus $1.00 for postage and handling (Florida residents add 60 cents state sales tax). BE A WEEKEND ENTREPRENEUR Exhibit marketing at weekend events is one of the hottest trends in merchandising. It is fueling the growth of many new small businesses, as well as providing many existing enterprises with new distribution outlets. Enterprising merchants, manufacturers, crafters, and service providers are displaying and selling their goods and services at weekend craft fairs, trade shows, shopmarts and swapmeets all across the nation. Billions of dollars are changing hands and many people are seeking information about starting a weekend venture. Weekend entrepreneurs are comprised of full-time employees who are establishing part-time businesses they hope will grow into full-time endeavors, women who operate home- based businesses in order to accomodate household and family obligations and retired individuals who want to stay active and earn extra income. Interest in this method of merchandising is so high that there are literally hundreds of crafts fairs and trade shows staged every weekend. Crafter's malls are opening in several parts of the country and indoor swapmeets and shopmarts that feature only new merchandise are springing up with facilities for as many as 750 vendors and parking spaces for thousands. Anyone thinking about getting into exhibit marketing by selling goods and services at weekend events should get a copy of HOW TO BE A WEEKEND ENTREPRENEUR by Susan Ratliff and published by Methods Press. The easy-to-read guide will help beginners get started and seasoned exhibitors earn more profits from their weekend ventures. HOW TO BE A WEEKEND ENTREPRENEUR features illustrations, a user-friendly format and a simple, no-nonsense approach full of useful examples. It can be read in one sitting and contains lists of resources entrepreneurs can use to get started. HOW TO BE A WEEKEND ENTREPRENEUR is available at bookstores or by sending $13.00 to Marketing Methods Press, 4350 E. Camelback Road #260G, Phoenix, AZ 85018. Phone: (602) 840-7308. FREEBIES A 21 page booklet written to help you manage your budget and suggest ways to invest in the future is available free by writing to: Financial Planning, American Council of Life Insurance, 1850 K. St., N.W., Washington, DC 20006. If you've even gotten into trouble shopping by mail, Bess Myerson's Consumer Guidelines could come in very handy. To get these guidelines send a SASE (#10)to: Bess Myerson's Guidelines, Direct Mail Marketing Association, 6 East 43rd St., New York, NY 10017. Valuable information on protecting yourself against credit card fraud is available in a free booklet titled "Who's Got Your Number?" To get this booklet send a SASE (#10) to; Consumer Affairs Office, 19th Floor, American Express Co., 125 Broad St., New York, NY 10004. Would you like to get some free publicity for your home-based business? Find out how by writing to: MountainView Systems, 930 S. Washington, Suite 111-HO, Scranton, PA 18505. Have you ever thought how nice it would be if you could make money simply by watching TV or reading the daily newspaper? Sounds pretty fanciful, doesn't it. Well, according to Ken Roberts, creator of Real People/Real Money it is entirely possible to make some pretty substantial profits simply by knowing how to use information you can get from watching television news and/or reading the daily newspaper. You can find out how this is possible by writing for a free 44 page report and cassette that Ken says clearly explains everything. To get the free report and cassette write to: Ken Roberts, Real People/Real Money, Dept. MMR, 111 W. Topa Topa St., Ojai, CA 93023-3260. A free home employment report, describing several potentially profitable home-base opportunities is now available from Consumer Network. The report provides information about specific home-base opportunities as well as how to get started in one of these businesses. To get the report, send a long SASE to: Consumer Network, Dept. M2, Box 8138, St. Paul, MN 55108. Information on how to start your own mail order and merchandising business can be obtained free from the Specialty Merchandise Corporation. The information is contained in a cassette "20 Minutes to Financial Success" and a booklet titled, "A Professionals Guide to Specialty Wholesaling". Both the cassette and booklet are free upon your written request to: Mr. C.L. Priesel, Specialty Merchandise Corp., 9401, De Soto Ave., Dept. 12-39, Chatsworth, CA 91311-4998. Women who want to start up or expand a small business can get free information about 25 demonstration centers across the country that charge small fees for advise and counsel. The demonstration centers offer one-on-one counseling to women on all aspects of business. To get a free list of the 25 demonstration centers write to: SBA, Office of Women's Business Ownership, Demonstration Project Sites, 409 Thirs St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20416. TELEMARKETING SCAM It seems like the first few months of the year brings a proliferation of sweepstakes notification cards in the mail. The postcards utilize a toll-free 800 number to entice "lucky winners" into calling to find out about their "prize". If made, the toll-free call soon turns into the equivalent of a 900 call. Here's how the scam works: Hundreds of unsuspecting people receive postcards giving "official notification" that the recipient has "definitely been awarded" at least one prize. The prize(s) must be claimed by a certain date, which is, in fact, immediately. The possible prizes range all the way from a $100 U.S. Savings Bond to $10,000 in cash. Since the "winners" need only call a toll-free number to find out about their winnings, many people do respond. The toll-free number features a recording with an excited voice declaring the caller is indeed a winner. The recording informs the caller that to claim his/her prize, simply send the company a SASE and wait for three or for weeks. Or the caller can remain on the phone to hear all about the prize(s), at a cost of $3.90 per minute. Those callers who do stay on the line (and many do) get to listen to another recording explaining a process involving entering an "award identification number" phone number and address. And don't count on winning the $10,000. Winners always get a $200 certificate that can be applied to the purchase of items that are shown in a brochure. The items--usually not name brand merchandise-- include a vacuum cleaner, television and china set. All the items are ridiculously overpriced, and well beyond the value of the $200 certificate. Winners who made the toll-free call, then stayed on the phone for the rest of the recording will, besides getting their $200 certificate, receive a bill from a Dallas-based Audio Telecom.. The bills look like standard phone bills and vary in amount from $11.70 to $15.60. They aren't standard phone bills however, they're just another part of the scam. The thought of being an instant winner of either cash or merchandise can be enticing to most of us. The thing to keep in mind however, is that you can't win a contest you didn't enter. And nobody's waiting for your call so they can give you expensive prizes or a substantial amount of cash. Heroes of the 90'S In their new book "Making It On Your Own" (Acropolis Books Ltd., $12.96, pb.), Drs. S. Norman Feingold and Leonard G. Perlman say the current economy is spawning 1,500 new businesses every day. Also, according to the authors, by 1995, 15 million Americans will be working at home. To focus thousands of entrepreneurs on new opportunities, these eminent career counselors have targeted 501 new business with the greatest potential for the future. "Entrepreneurs are the heroes of the 90's say Drs. Feingold and Perlman. They explain how to be your own boss, and be financially independent. "Making It On Your Own" is a guide to financial success providing information on start-up capital, tax structures, and advertising as well as industry trends and where to go for expert advice. The authors stress that talent, luck, a unique idea and good business advice are all important, but strength of character is the one factor all successful business people have in common. The "Making It On Your Own Entrepreneurial Quiz predicts how successful a potential business owner can be. The authors give practical tips for women, young adults, the disabled, minorities, retirees and everyone who has ever dreamed of being their own boss. "Making It On Your Own" is published by Acropolis Books Ltd., 13950 Park Center Road, Herndon, Virginia 22071. ----+---TL----+-T--2----T----3--T-+----4T---+---T5----+-T--6----T----R--T-+--r GAMEBUILDER CONTEST GameBuilder software is holding a special contest for programs producedd with the GameBuilder development system. The GameBuilder program allows non-programmers to easily produce fully animated graphic adventure games without writing a single line of code. GameBuilder comes with a complete painting program, sound editor, and word and action script editor. GameBuilder owners must submit their GameBuilder made programs by 10/30/92. The contest will award over $500 in cash and prizes along with a possible marketing contract. For more information about GameBuilder write GameBuilder, Box 312-M, Jackson, OH 45640. PC TOOLS 7.1 Central Point Software bills PC Tools as the utility package that can do it all. The latest version has programs for everything from running a DOS shell to conducting a remote- control communications session. PC Tools also works well with Windows 3.0. It can create its own Windows work-group and has separate icons for each component in the group. The package consists of seven modules: PC Shell, a set of DOS utilities that functions as a shell; Desktop Manager,, a note pad, outliner, calculator, terminal program; and calendar rolled into one; CP Backup, a backup-and-restore utility for hard disks; PC Secure, a file-security program; Compress, a misnamed disk defragmenting program; Diskfix, a disk-and- file-repar utility; and Commute, a remote-control communications program and file transfer utility. PC Tools' Mirror utility can rescue you from disaster. It makes a backup copy of the root directory and the file allocation table whenever it runs, storing two copies of the directory and FAT. If your directory is damaged, Mirror's companion program, Rebuild, can reconstruct the directory using the information that Mirror saved the last time you ran the program. Therefore you should set up your autoexec.bat file to run mirror each time that you boot up the computer. Despite its many features, PC Tools is easy to use, and like The Norton Utilities, it works well under Windows 3.0. The package has too many manuals and lacks a central index, but the program's hypertext-like on-screen help file largely offsets this shortcoming. Cost $179. MICROSOFT INTRODUCES PROFESSIONAL TOOLKIT FOR VISUAL BASIC Microsoft Corporation today introduced the Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic TM, the company's highly successful programming system for the Microsoft R Windows TM operating system. New programming tools and controls in the Professional Toolkit make it easier for programmers to access the newest technology in Windows -- including multimedia, handwriting recognition, and object linking and embedding. Also included are a collection of custom controls that allow programmers to quickly plug advanced features and functionality into their programs such as graphing, spreadsheet-like grids, and graphical 3-D user-interface components. Combining the Professional Toolkit with Visual Basic provides a single-source solution for a broad range of full-featured Windows-based applications. Professional programmers can use it to enhance existing applications created with Visual Basic as well as to create new ones. The new features include controls to enhance applications with the following technologies: Object linking and embedding technology (OLE)., Pen-based computing, Multimedia, Graphing, Grids, Multiple Document Interfaces (MDI), More than 15 new controls, The Windows help compiler, a set-up kit that helps developers create standard installation programs, coupon for a free copy of Rumba Tools for Visual Basic, and custom control development kit. "Visual Basic is very intuitive," said Walther De Petris, Senior technical consultant at Marathon Systems Inc. "With the availability of the Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic, we can easily enhance the environment via the variety of custom controls provided." "The Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic provides me with a great set of custom controls," said Ted Young, president of The Young Software Works. "Now I can get an application up and running in record time, giving me time to make the application more powerful and easier to use." Microsoft teamed with six independent software developers -- Crescent Software, Desaware, MicroHelp, OutRider Systems, Pinnacle Publishing and Sheridan Software Systems -- to provide the new tools and controls in the Professional Toolkit. "The ability of these developers -- and more than 40 others -- to quickly create add-ons for Visual Basic demonstrates the value of the extensibility built into Visual Basic and Windows, "said Risse. Overall I must rate this as a very solid set of tools for anyone who uses VB. Pricing and Availability The Professional Toolkit for Visual Basic is available now for the suggested retail price of $299. Microsoft Visual Basic with Professional Toolkit is available for the suggested retail price of $495. WINDOWS 3.1 Microsoft also is releasing the latest version of Windows (3.1). Version 3.1 offers many improvements over Version 3.0.. These include: easier instalation, improved speed, faster printing, redesigned file manager, and an applicatiors reboot. Overall, these are major improvements that can help make Windows faster and easier to use. The upgrade is just $50 for registered users of windows. Contact Microsoft at (800) 642- 7676 for more information. BUSINESS DIRECTORY Fairview NJ. . . The 127 year old family publishing company of Phellon, Sheldon, Marsar Inc., annnounced the availability of the 108th edition of SHELDON'S MAJOR STORES & CHAINS directory on March 25th, 1992. This directory is the best source available for the executives and buyers within the Department Stores, Department Store Chain, Women's Store, Women's Store Chain, Resident Buying Office, and other major Store Chain industry. Complete and accurate listings for each store is the trademark that has earned the SHELDON'S MAJOR STORES & CHAINS directory the title; "The bible of buyers names". All orders can be mailed to, Box 517, Fairview, NJ 07022 or telephoned into the toll free number 800-234-8804. Phelon, Sheldon & Marsar Inc., have held the price of the SHELDON'S MAJOR STORES & CHAINS directory to $125 again this year. WRITERS' JOURNAL If you're a writer, your success depends on how salable your writing is. The Writer's Journal helps make your writing better by bringing you the important information on style, technique, editing, publishing, copywriting, research, marketing, copyright law and other topics you need to be successful. Special sections in the WRITERS' JOURNAL also prevent poetry discussion and critique, as well as book reviews, software reviews, desktop publishing advice, and the business aspects of writing. And since all writers can benefit from the success stories of other writers, the Writers' Journal makes it a point to bring you interviews with published fiction and nonfiction authors so you can benefit from their experiences. Address: Writers' Journal, 27 Empire Dr., St. Paul, MN 55103. 100 WAYS TO BRING BACK PROSPERITY Since the recession began, Rockville, MD C.P.A. Barry R. Schimel has helped some struggling business clients generate over $10 million in enhanced profits with his 100 battle- tested business strategies. Mr. Schimel now reveals these strategies in a new recessioon-survival guide, 100 WAYS TO PROSPER IN TODAY'S ECONOMY (published by Acropolis Books Ltd., 13950 Park Center Rd., Herndon, VA 22071, Phone: 703- 709-0006. "The recession is far from over," says Mr. Schimel. "There were more than one million bankruptcies in 1991. Employee layoffs are rising dramatically. Banks are reluctant to make loans. I predict we are in for a decade of lean times." The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has endorsed 100 WAYS TO PROSPER IN TODAY'S ECONOMY for use by its members because its strategies work for all sizes and types of businesses and organizations. Each strategy chapter is followed by an "Action Form" so decision-makers can prioritize that strategy, assign a staff person to implement it, and project the potential dollar effect. The book becomes "A Master Action Plan" for business success or survival in hard times.