The Business Master (3rd Edition)

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CHAPTER II GETTING STARTED Now we're really getting down to the nitty gritty. There's going to be a lot for you to learn, but I will make it as easy as I can for you to follow. Just be sure that you understand every-thing as I explain it. If something seems unclear, go back over it until you understand. Remember, there's a lot of money riding on this. It would not be very much of an exaggeration to say that your entire future could be built on what you are about to read. We're going to start right at the very beginning by assuming that you are now contemplating holding your very first Beauty Pageant. We will travel step by step through to the end. At that point you'll be busy organizing your next Pageant. Along the way we'll explore many different avenues you may wish to follow. If you've already run Beauty Pageants before, I think you'll pick up enough thoughts and ideas to enable you to pyramid your previous profits several times over. Running Beauty Pageants is a business. I repeat this because it is something you must understand right from the beginning. It is a money maker and as with any other business you must abide by local, state and federal laws. * Giving Your Business A Name If you are going to run your Beauty Pageants under an assumed name, such as XYZ Beauty Pageant Enterprises, you will have to register under the Fictitious Names Act. Your local library, newspaper office or City Hall will be able to give you all the information you need. They will also tell you how much a Business License will cost. Usually just a few dollars. If you run Beauty Pageants under your own name and work out of your house, you could probably call yourself a con- sultant, which means you don't have to register a Ficti- tious Name. Your city may even decide you don't even need a business license, especially if you are "consulting" away from home and on a part time basis. First I will give you a broad outline of the things you will be doing next, and then I'll break it down into the various sections with which you MUST deal. 1. First, You will decide on a title for your Beauty pageant. 2. You will conduct a Market Survey. 3. You will decide where and when it is to be held. 4. You will prepare Entry Forms for the contestants. 5. You will prepare advertising. 6. You will price trophies and ribbons. 7. You will tentatively arrange for judges to be present. That is a broad outline of the things you will be doing before the Pageant actually gets under way. A quick glance at the list may daunt you a little - prepare advertising? O.K. So you've never prepared advertising before. It's not very hard, and you're going to receive a lot of help any- way, so don't worry. I'll tell you when to start worrying. * What You MUST Know About Beauty Pageant Titles Let's go to the beginning of the list. "Decide on a title". I'm going to take you into this very carefully because it is extremely important that you understand fully what I am about to tell you. Your first Beauty Pageant is going to be a fairly small affair. Even if it is a 'Full' pageant, it will still be quite small compared with the truly massive Beauty Pageants which are held across the nation. Perhaps you will be holding it in a small city called Namesville, a city of some 10,000 people. So you call your Pageant the "Sunny Skies Beauty Pageant", and because it is being held in the city of Namesville you will naturally be giving your Queen the title "Miss Namesville" because she will be a representative of the people of Namesville. Right? Wrong! Sorry - YOU CANNOT DO THAT. You cannot call anybody Miss Namesville, or any other name for that matter, without first checking to find out if the title Miss Namesville has been registered by someone else. Nor can you call your Pageant the Sunny Skies Beauty Pageant without first checking to make sure that nobody else had the same idea a couple of years ago. Let me explain why you must be careful as to what you call your Pageant and your Queen. Beauty Pageant titles can be registered in the same way that business names and Trade Marks are registered. They can be registered with the state and they can be registered in Washing ton, D.C. Some people, deciding they have a worthwhile title, may decide to register the name. They may forego the expense of a federal title and settle for the less expensive state title. It could be the state in which you are interested. In either case they can prevent you from using that title. When you think about it, it's pretty obvious. If you found that your recipe for soup was very popular around the neighbor hood and decided to make it a commercial product, you surely wouldn't think of calling it Campbell's Soup, even if your name WAS Campbell. If you did, and Campbell's Soups found out, you'd be in some very hot water. No pun intended. So it is with Beauty Pageant titles. So what do you do about it? There are three ways to go. 1. You can write to the Trade Marks office of your state capital and ask if the name you wish to use has been registered. If the answer is No, you may wish to register it yourself. It will probably cost you less than $20. (Ask for several names in case the one you want has already been registered. You could then go with an alternative). 2. Contact your City Hall and the local Chamber of Commerce. They will probably be able to tell you the names of any Beauty Pageants that have been held in your area, together with the name of the producer or director of those Pageants. 3. Write to The President of The Festival of Beauty, Mr. Charlie See. Charlie, as everyone in the business calls him, has long been recognized as the Pageant Master. He acts as a consultant to Pageants across the world and I know he will be pleased to try to help you. (I checked with him). I will be pleased to give you his address if you find you need it. If all three approaches indicate that the Pageant and Queen names that you have in mind are not registered marks, it is probably safe for you to go ahead. But what do you do if after all the precautions you have taken, someone contacts you and says that you are infringing their titles? Simply apologize, ask to see a copy of their copyright certificate, and if it is forthcoming, drop those names and pick new ones. If you can meet with this person, do so. Pageant people work together and help each other. If you assure this person that you made every effort not to tread on their toes, they will in all likelihood, go out of their way to help you to get your Pageant off the ground. * Market Research Made Easy Before you start making any positive moves at all, go out and take a look at a few other Beauty Pageants. Unless you live in a very, very small town, there will be a Pageant taking place somewhere near you. If not at this moment, then almost certainly in the very near future. You'll find Beauty Pageants advertised in newspapers and in the throw-aways. You can also try asking your local Chamber of Commerce, or even City Hall. Most cities, even the very tiny ones, have their own Queen. At this time, don't reveal that you intend to start running Beauty Pag- eants, just be content to find out what is going on in and around your area. Later you'll understand why I suggest this discretion. What do you look for when you attend one of these Beauty Pageants? Quite a few things. Make a note of them and take it with you when you go. 1. Who is running the Pageant? a. The name and address of the Producer. b. The name and address of the Director. c. The Name of the Emcee. 2. How many contestants are there? 3. How many helpers do they have? 4. How many trophies are awarded? a. To the winner and who else? b. What other prizes are awarded? 5. What are the age groups. a. How many in each group? 6. Where was it held? a. How much did it cost to hire the room? b. Did that include the P.A. system? 7. Was there music or other entertainment? 8. What was the name of the Beauty Pageant? (Obtain a program and if possible a blank entry form). 9. How many judges were there? a. Did you know any of them? b. Who were they? c. Were they local or national celebrities? 10. Were there any obvious foul-ups? (Judges mis-scoring, wrong contestant names, too much time taken between judging and announcing the winners, etc.) 11. What were the entry fees. 12. Were there extra fees for other categories such as, Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic etc. 13. Did any of the contestants have sponsors? 14. Did local business people advertise in the pro gram? 15. How long did the Beauty Pageant run? 16. Prior to the Pageant, did you see any advertising for contestants? If so, where? 17. Were the local media present at the Pageant? If so, which and represented by whom? 18. How were the stage and the room or hall decorated? 19. Did any other Beauty Pageant director or producer do any soliciting either verbally or by leaflet at this Pageant? 20. Apart from the usual trophy, what TITLE was given to the winner? Well there you have twenty questions, the answers to which will give you a very good insight not only to your local competition but also how much money your competitor is spending, how much he stands to pocket and what you have to do to compete. *** THINK *** Some people earn their living digging ditches for eight hours a day - or emptying trash bins - or washing cars. Some people spend two or three hours on the telephone a day - and earn more than ten times as much as the ditch digger. The difference? Ambition - Determination - A refusal to give in when it gets tough, and Knowledge. Plus:- A willingness to work when everyone else is playing. You'll be able to play later with bigger marbles.