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Business Idea: Profit-Pulling Pickets
By: Mike Morgan
http://homebusinesshelper.com
The news media tend to give disproportionate publicity to
anyone who parades around carrying a picket sign. Even more
attractive to the media is several people parading around
with picket signs!
So why not capitalize on it? A rent-a-picket service is
extremely profitable, yet costs virtually nothing to set-up
and run.
Let's say someone has a gripe... and who doesn't? The gripe
can be against a local business, a neighbor, the town
government... anyone.
The person can rent your picketers, complete with picket
signs, to "protest" in front of the target's home or place
of business.
Here's how it works...
First, you create a pool of willing picketers -- homemakers
and college students work well.
Then you find your clients. As usual with a home-based
business, your three most effective methods for finding
clients will be:
o Free publicity. As unique as this business is, you'll get
oodles of free publicity.
o Classified ads, and
o Word-of-mouth and customer referrals.
Charge a base price $20 an hour per picketer. Of course,
what you charge is completely up to you -- tweak it to fit
your circumstances. For example, you could charge $15 an
hour per picketer if the client wants 6 or more picketers.
Whatever you charge, set a minimum number of hours (three is
good) that the client must purchase.
When a job comes in, you simply contact your picketer pool
and offer them, say, $7-8 an hour.
The day before your picketing is to take place, contact the
local media outlets and let them know there is a protest
scheduled at a particular location at a particular time.
Assuming 1) you will be one of the picketers, and 2) you
charge the client $20 an hour per picketer, and 3) you pay
your picketers $8 an hour...
Let's say your client wants four picketers for a four-hour
picket.
o The client pays you $320 ($20 x 4 picketers x 4 hours)
o In turn, you pay out $96 ($8 x 3 picketers x 4 hours)
o Leaving $224 gross labor profit for you!
Now, before you start doing cartwheels with dollar signs
where your pupils should be, there are a few things to
consider. Out of that $224...
o You'll need to buy "sticks" for the placards to attach
to. You can get 1/2" x 2" x 8' very inexpensively at your
local hardware store... just cut them in half for 4-foot
lengths.
o Who will make the picket signs? Of course, the cheapest
route would be to make them yourself. However, consider
contracting a local art student to make them up as
needed.
o You'll have to subtract advertising costs.
Everything said and done, you'll still clear almost $200 on
a 4-person, 4-hour picket -- $50 an hour isn't bad for part-
time money!
Finally, picketing is absolutely permitted (in the U.S., at
least) by the First Amendment to the Constitution... BUT
that protection only extends to the point that your rights
infringe on someone else's.
With that in mind, before you picket anyplace in your town,
find out what your local regulations are. For example, your
picketers must be on public property or have the property
owner's permission. Also, in most cases, your picketers must
keep moving and cannot obstruct pedestrians.
And, of course, always remember that each picket is
business, it's not a personal crusade... so stay on the
right side of the law and obey lawful orders from peace
officers.
---
©2003, Mike Morgan. Reprinted with permission.
http://homebusinesshelper.com
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