Page 200 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

companies and pick up magazines at little cost—usually about a cent a copy.
Some magazines may run a little higher but the most we ever figure on
paying for a magazine is twenty-five cents.

“We aim to have as complete a file on each magazine as it is possible to get.
We also try to carry as many different magazines as our storage space permits
and we are able to secure. If a call comes in for a certain magazine title or a
certain issue, we make every effort to secure it for the customer. For this
service a slight extra charge is made which the customer is usually willing to
pay if he wants the magazine.

“It took a little time to learn how to estimate values. I’ve sold books for a
nickel that I later discovered were worth several dollars, and magazines for
ten cents that had a current value of two dollars. But each time I made a
mistake of this kind, I remembered it. In the beginning, it’s best to stick to the
medium-priced magazines and books, until you learn more about the valuable
ones.”

In less than six months, it was necessary to expand the size of the shop so
more space was rented to care for extra business. Later, this store covered a
whole block and eventually a branch store was opened to care for the extra
business.

Quality Sells—Even Hamburgers

T

HIS story of a successful enterprise starts out with a creaky old jallopy and
eleven cents. Ted Lansmann, a young Californian, owned both the
automobile and the grand capital of eleven cents. On his way to give the old
auto wreck to a friend because he could no longer afford to run it, he came
across a hamburger stand on the route between Los Angeles and Pasadena.

The owner of the stand had given up hope of making anything of the business
and he was about to close up when the jallopy and its occupant came along.
After some conversation, the owner offered the stand in exchange for the auto