I want to publish a coffee table book, with God’s clouds telling a story with some of his most beautiful masterpieces. I have a couple of publishers that have seen my work and were thoroughly impressed with my backstory and photographs. One has sent me a proposal to publish but when I consulted legal council to look at the contract, he discovered my profit margin of 35% was too low. Is there or are there ways to get published without coming out of pocket up front? – Jessie

Jessie,

If you are self publishing you will always come out of your pocket. But if a publisher is charging you out of pocket expenses then that is a rip-off. No publisher should charge you any money, because you are providing the product.

I need to know how I can put my homemade garlic sauce in stores, thank you. – Joann

Joann,

Do you have a distributor and have you created any packaging for you homemade garlic sauce? Because this is a very limited market for a certain type of food. Because the average person, unless you are cooking Italian and middle eastern dishes don’t use garlic that much in your recipes. What is making your homemade garlic sauce? Now, you maybe on to something, because I do not cook with Garlic that much.

What is the best way to start investing? – Pamela

Pamela,

The best way to start investing is to talk to your local banker. A simple procedure is to commit a monthly fee to invest in your future. The monthly fee will purchase stocks based on the average. Some months it maybe high and some months it may drop down. Over a long period you will be purchasing an average price. Most big banks are tied to stock firms, such as Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. They are creating a one stop shopping arena.

I want to open a business and would like to use my own ideas. I’ve also looked into a franchise for the same type of business. It takes less money to open up the franchise. I really would prefer to open up with my own ideas and concepts but I don’t know how to come up with the liquid assets I will need to start the business. Do you have any recommendations on how to get money to start a new small business? – Kynisha

Kynisha,

The number one rule in starting a business is to have a business plan. This business helps you sell investors or loan officers at banks to give you money for your idea. So you have to develop the business plan first. I would also advise you to visit your local Small Business Administration office. They are very helpful and their services are free, plus they have a wealth of information that you can read to gain experience in your field and to create a business plan.  https://www.sba.gov/writing-business-plan

Mr. McDonald, I’m a cosmetologist and would like to expand my career in the movie/model/TV industry. I would like to know how do I find an agent for jobs in these areas of work? – Wanda

Wanda,

Please contact a bookstore in Los Angeles called Samuel French Book Store and they will tell the type of book that you need to buy that will list the various agencies that book makeup artist.

Rushion, I’m also interested in starting a franchise. I’d like to start out with one before getting involved with starting more franchises. How can I accomplish this with a minimum amount of dollars? Though, I live in Dallas, I’m open to relocating. Interested in opening a Merle Norman Cosmetics or Wing Stop. – Jacqueline

Jacqueline,

These are two extremes. Please visit your local Small Business Administration office to review the expenses in both franchises. Both are very competitive fields. Both have high profit margins if you have the traffic.

Good Afternoon Mr. McDonald..
I shared some information a while back. Since then I have moved forward. I’ve been hosting a Radio Talk Show for the past 5 1/2 years. The show objective has always been to inspire, UPLIFT & educate the community positively. My husband & I have a DJ Company. We DJ for various events in our area. I enjoy bringing joy to all occasions. Last year I was inspired to host red carpet events locally. My purpose is to bring what seems impossible right where you are. I receive greater joy from people’s responses than they do walking the red carpet. And I purpose to make every feel like a STAR that walks the carpet. I do some interviews as well on the carpet. My question is how do I best market this service? Thank you in advance for your service. God Bless you more. – Loretta

Loretta,

In order to market this service you have to create a hosting sizzle reel. That sizzle reel should feature the many events that you have hosted and display your personality. This is your official marketing tool and it will help you get hosting jobs in the future. If you don’t have tape, you should start recording yourself when you host, so you can build a reel for the future.

Mr. Rushion McDonald, I am a podiatric reconstruction surgeon specializing in bunion and hammertoe correction with a decade worth of experience. I have practices in Manhattan, NY and Silver Spring, MD. Why I stand out from the other doctors who perform this service is that I fix the bunion and corns with a cosmetic result. In fact, I have come up with a new procedure I call the Tiara Toe Technique which yields phenomenal results with virtually no scars. African American women, when comparing ratios, make up the majority of patients that seek out these procedures. However, it seems that I am getting beat out by my male causation cohorts due to a lack of visibility. I feel they are able to leverage good publicist and agents thereby marginalizing me. I often get their re-dos and the patients say, “If I only knew about you first.” My question is how does one find a publicist that can really get the coverage needed in media for maximum exposure? Who are the people to contact to let them be aware of ones presence? Is there some sort of secret directory of these people? How do you find legit agents so that one may obtain endorsements for related products? –Fix Your Feet Facebook Page

Fix Your Feet Facebook Page,

Thank you for this question, because I have had corn removal surgery in the past and you serve a very important role for any shoe wearer in this country. I think that you already have your promotion, because you are always doing re-dos.”Why redo your surgery! Walk to me First!” That is your slogan. You should interview several PR firms that can help, because you are in a business where you need to be in the face of your customers. When they feel pain, they need to see your name. Also, you start by marketing your brand in those monthly bulk mailers. I look through them all the time when I get them in the mail. If you land with a PR firm, they should be pursuing you media interviews and offer some free services to help get yourself on TV. Start some summer campaigns to get your feet looking good for the summer. “Don’t Hide your Toes! Showcase Your Toes!”