Page 282 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

edges of the drives cleaned up, removing the ruts from the roadways,
removing the brush from various spots where lots were unsold, leveling the
land in locations where it was rough, planting grass seed, and similar work
which the keeper was unable to do. He said it was difficult to keep lot owners
satisfied and to sell additional lots with the cemetery in such a condition.

Then the real obstacle came to light. There is always some obstacle to be
hurdled. The board member said they just did not have the money to get this
extra work done. But Mr. Ruggles was not to be stopped by this hurdle. This
alibi about not having the money is an ancient one. He thought for a moment.
Then an idea came to him. He told the board member that he might take
cemetery lots in payment for the job. The board member jumped at the
opportunity.

So a deal was made. The arrangement was that Ruggles was to receive
cemetery lots valued at $2,000 for the work specified. He hired a couple of
gardeners to help him do the work. In the meantime, he employed a salesman
on a commission arrangement to help him sell the lots.

Mr. Ruggles knew that the psychological time to sell the lots was when the
work was progressing on the improvements. Before the job was finished, the
lots had been sold. The labor and materials for the job actually came to less
than $500. The salesman’s commissions totaled $500. This left Ruggles with
an actual profit of about $1,000 on the deal.

It was a deal that made everyone concerned satisfied and happy. Mr. Ruggles
then started a more ambitious plan to make the same deal with cemetery
companies in other localities, with the result that he is now at the head of a
thriving and prosperous business, netting him several thousand dollars a year.

Turning Ashes into Gold

J

OHN TOWNS , assayer, owner of the Maryland Smelting & Refining
Company, San Antonio, Texas, struck gold right in the heart of the city! It