Sports

EASY MONEY FOR OLDER PEOPLE

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EASY MONEY FOR OLDER PEOPLE
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Many people around Norwich are very grateful to me, James Heggerson, and my wife Maxine, for sharing a few acres of our neighbours spare land with the general public.

However, as much as we enjoy mixing with other people, our purpose in converting part of this property into picnic grounds was not entirely an altruistic one: we had to find some way of making additional profits for our coming old age.

A few rows of trees and a lovely little stream, which ran along the local ‘A’ road, provided the inspiration for a project which has proved to be very profitable for us.

It took considerable time to provide the necessary facilities and equipment, but I did a great deal of the work myself.

One entire summer was spent in cheaply gravelling a suitable access road; bringing in electricity; providing water for
drinking and toilet facilities (where the local Portakabin branch were of great assistance); and I spent many long hours in
the construction of barbecue pits.

Some of the trees had to be removed to make way for picnic tables and benches, which we built ourselves.

Rubbish bins had to be provided (it’s amazing what so-called professional bins cost when metal dustbins are so cheaply
available!), and I chopped/bought an initial supply of firewood and charcoal.

Maxine and I decided to provide activities which would require a minimum investment in equipment.

Arrangements for archery were made simple by piling bales of hay in the back of some inexpensively constructed targets.

Horseshoe throwing, quoits and badminton courts were also provided for without too much difficulty, and an open field
nearby furnished ample space for amateur football games.

As it turned out, the sport which our visitors, young and old, enjoyed most was wading in the cool water of the pool on a hot summer’s day or just resting and chatting together under the trees, while the children enjoyed a sense of freedom.

Maxine takes the money at the gate – a flat rate of admission to the grounds which includes the use of a picnic table and
barbecue pit.

There was an extra charge for firewood when it was needed.

The first year paid off so well that we decided to invest some of the profits in building a swimming pool, utilizing the water from the brook, and forming a Limited Company, to protect ourselves in case of any unexpected downturn in business.

We charge for the use of the pool and the small showers, and this has brought in additional income.

Next summer, we are probably going to have a small horse riding ring.

Many days in winter we can turn a local small hill into a family sledging resort – you’d be amazed at how many adults join in!

I keep some fires going in the barbecues where the participants can warm hands and feet, and where there is always a hot cup of coffee ready!

A small admission charge brings considerable revenue during the winter months.

There is bound to be some spare land within about 25 miles of you where you could do the same, probably starting off very small.

The landowner would only require a little money (after all, it’s all profit to him!), payable only after you’re received
admission charges, of course.

I MAKE GOOD MONEY FROM LOCAL FISHING

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I MAKE GOOD MONEY FROM LOCAL FISHING
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My name is Richard Robson, formerly unemployed, and living a few miles from the M6, outside of Barrow in Furness, Cumbria.

I found a comparatively effortless way of earning money for myself, which produced around £12,500 last year.

I expect to increase this considerably as the years go by, but it has taken careful planning to get this far, and there is more to be done before I can retire and sell this interesting sideline.

About five years ago, I decided to convert a number of acres of unproductive land near my council house into a public fishing area.

I found that I could call on the Department of the Environment for free technical advice, and even for some financial
assistance with the idea, the latter enabling me to go onto the Enterprise Allowance Scheme later.

From chatting with these, the plan that resulted was for the construction of a small holding pond of about an acre in which to raise stock, and for the improvement of two quite small ‘lakes’ already on the property.

The warmer of these was to be used initially just for bass fishing with others to be added next year, and the colder lake,
which was spring fed, was to be kept stocked with trout.

A good access road had to be built from the entrance of the farm to parking spaces within easy reach of the lakes, but this was easily achieved with local gravel and cinders being laid on the relatively flat surrounding land from the local ‘A’ road.

Drinking water and toilet facilities were provided at these locations, and I found Portakabin of York particularly helpful
here.

So, the first few months, I continued signing on as usual, but was soon taking my first money by simply leasing the lake to the local Angling Clubs, one of which I am a member, who went in together on the arrangement and paid me a nice fee for the use of the lakes by their members that season.

The next year, I established a fee of £12 per day for individual fishing on the property.

They were attracted by a large sign alongside the local main road where it approached the entrance to the land.

I also advertised – to a small extent – in the local Cumbrian newspaper until the facilities became well-known.

I make additional income through the sale of bait and fish-hooks (easily available on 90 days credit) as well as through the rental of boats, poles and fishing gear.

At busier weekends, I can charge local refreshment vans (teas and coffees, along with burgers and the like) £30 per day to park on the land.

I find that the visitors enjoy the comparative privacy which a fishing area affords and also the assurance that they are very likely to return home with some fish!

Well satisfied fishermen come back again and again as long as the season lasts and are the first to return when it comes again.

This year, I expect to earn further revenue by providing a picnic area for the convenience of families who would like a
relaxing place to wait for their fishermen to return to shore.

Doubtlessly there are innumerable ponds and lakes on farms across the entire country which could be put to profitable use in meeting the tremendous demand for privately owned fishing and recreation areas.

If I’ve done it – so can YOU!

Good luck

PERSONAL SPORTS SCORE-CARDS

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PERSONAL SPORTS SCORE-CARDS
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A beautiful idea that’s sure to put a lot of cash in your pockets!

It’s an idea that definitely fulfils a need, and has tremendous market potential virtually anywhere in the whole world.

As you probably already know, our ever-improving standard of living is giving everyone more and more leisure time – time to play, and enjoy doing the things that bring them happiness.

Bowling and golf are two sports that have experienced a tremendous growth surge within just the past 5 years.

There’s something about both of these sports that challenges a person against himself – spurs his inner determination to become perfect in his ability to play the game.

You can capitalize on the abundance of leisure time, the challenge of the game, and man’s determination to do better the
next time out than last time, with Personalized Bowling or Golf Score-cards.

The only investment needed will be a little bit of your time, and then your idea should just about perpetuate itself.

Here’s how to get organised and started.

1) Make several photocopies of a personal score card. Paste these copies onto light weight card.

2) Make a list of the sporting goods stores in your area, particularly those in the areas of your bowling and golfing
establishments.

In fact, if you have several, it would be best to group each list of sports stores with the bowling or golfing facilities by
area.

3) With your example of the Personal score card, call upon the owners or managers of these bowling and/or golfing outlets.

Use a low-keyed sales approach, explain the workings of your product, and sell them on the idea of putting up the money for the basic supply of cards and printing.

This will enable you to reap 10% profit from the sale of advertising on the cards.

These facilities benefit from an advertisement on the front page of each score card.

Your sale to the bowling/golfing facilities managers should be for the provision of one to five thousand of these cards, which they’ll make available to their patrons free of charge at their cash control counters.

4) You can either hire commission sellers or do the selling yourself.

It would be best to do your own selling, because once you’ve got the card sold, you’ll not have to do any re-selling – just call on your advertisers about once every three months to perpetuate their contracts with you.

It will be important, though, for you to “drop in” on your advertisers at least once a month to check to see how things are
going, and if they’re pleased with your advertising.

If you don’t drop on your advertisers except at renewal time, you will find it very hard to sustain them as advertisers.

5) You should charge each advertiser at least £100 for exposure of his “one by one” display ad on 5,000 of your cards for 3 months running.

With space for a total of twenty such ads, which the advertiser supplies for you, each bowling or golfing facility that you set up with these personal score cards should mean a couple of thousand pounds on profit.

6) When you’ve sold your adverts, and collected the ads they want to run on your score-card, take the sample card to your printer, any quick print shop will do, and have them help you with the paste-up and tell him to print 5,000 for you, and to finish them by folding them.

Your costs should all be absorbed within the money received from the bowling or golfing establishment you first sold the cards to.

When your cards are ready, simply take them to the original bowling or golfing manager, exchange a few amenities and leave them with him for handing out to his patrons and customers.

From start to finish, the whole project shouldn’t take you more than a couple of weeks.

And if you only sold one full card every three months, this would still mean a very easy annual income of £12,000.

Of course the ideal situation is to go on selling these cards, using the same principle, to as many different bowling and
golfing centres as possible.

In small towns with only one or two such centres, travel to the surrounding towns and sell the idea to them.

This is the idea.

It’s very workable anywhere in the world.

The next step, and the rest is up to you!