In a message, Paul Short wrote to All:
 PS> How do you think a BBS specially designed for Small/Home Based 
 PS> Business people would do?
 PS> 
 PS> I have been considering this for some time and would like any 
 PS> feedback on the subject. The BBS would be set up mainly as a 
 PS> resource center and information exchange for entrepreneurs. 
  
  If your goal is profit, I have been trying to do that for the last two 
years in Sacramento.  Most of the callers are wannabes looking for easy 
answers.  Not many of those want to hear the truth about earning money, much 
less want to do the work to earn money.
  Not too many paying subscribers either.  This town has a large base of 
experienced BBS users as well.  If you are not multi-line with megastacks of 
business related CDs, the users will go where there are lots of files.
  BTW, a recent article in Home Office magazine rated good and bad markets 
for home businesses.  Starting a web page design service was in the Top 10.  
Starting a BBS was in the Bottom 10.
  
  On the other hand, this BBS was set up with two missions.  First, was to 
provide a BBS where clients of our home based word processing business could 
upload/download files.  The second mission was to provide a resource center 
and information exchange for small businesses and home based businesses.
  
  After two years, the first mission of providing additional support to our 
clients has been successful.  That first mission is now supplemented with web 
page presence and e-mail file transfer to our AOL and ISP (Pacbell.net) 
accounts.
  The second mission has been a failure.  The kind of activity we hoped would 
occur did not appear.  So, the second mission of our BBS is changing.  Our 
new focus will be on Nature and Science topics.  This will tie-in with the 
new nature and science mail order style catalog we will be bring back.
  We had a nature and science related products catalog business a few years 
ago.  We liked the products, and we liked the type of clients we met.  It 
just wasn't bringing in enough money for the time invested so we closed it.
  Today, we are in better shape financially and we have three very young sons 
who are interested in nature and science.  Starting up the nature/science 
catalog will help us teach the boys about nature/science.  And maybe we can 
expense some camping trips as part of the business.
  As the boys get older, we can use the catalog business to teach them about 
buying/selling, trading, taxes, and all the necessary things for business.
  Did I mention the boys are also interested in money? (grin)
  
  Anyway, Paul, send me an e-mail if you have more questions about my 
experience running a business support BBS.  Maybe the things I have done 
wrong will help you in your efforts.
  Be seeing ya!
  - Franco Rios
    franco.rios@EVillage.gigo.com
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