Looking for a way to use your skills as a desktop salesperson or editor to start a new business? You might have an idea here that’s worth a closer look.

Somehow, about every six weeks, a neat and tidy flyer shows up on my doorstep with coupons for the local auto shop, pizzeria, vet, beauty salon, local florist, and a car cleaning service. home. I use the $5 pizza coupons and maybe the $5 off an oil and lube change without even thinking about how this brochure came about. So I figured it out!

Well someone in my town is an entrepreneur, sells the ads, creates graphic designs for the ads, has the local print shop involved, and uses retired seniors to walk around the neighborhood handing out the 20-30 coupon flyer.

What this person does is sell advertising space in the brochure for literally pennies per coupon, ensuring that no two types of business are ever printed at the same time. I see a lot of these coupons over and over again, which tells me they must be working!

This lady guarantees that a certain number of flyers will be distributed and charges her customers for the 1,000 coupons. Some of the distribution is door to door, but I also see some of them on a small shelf at the local grocery store.

I did some research and discovered that there is a lot of information on the internet about how to get into the coupon business. Most of what I read was positive. There are coupon color scheme tips that are cheaper than other color schemes (didn’t know that) and that printers are very competitive in bidding on this type of work.

Now the question remains can you sell the ads? Most business owners will be receptive to your sales call. Give them a color swatch of a coupon. They have likely purchased a similar coupon ad in the past. The business owner will want a written guarantee that he will distribute the amount he promised, so make that guarantee a strong selling point.

Your advertising fees are charged up front, so very little business capitalization is required. Make sure the printer is paid for and set aside some funds for those door-to-door seniors.

You can even buy a mailing list or addresses by zip code and get into the mass mailing business. Business owners you approach, if asked, will likely say you’re doing them a favor since they don’t have the time or experience to do it on their own.

Online experts agree that the hardest part is selling space for the first issue. Be sure to include in your advertising contract the specific number of hand-delivered or mailed brochures, that no two businesses will be alike in the same brochure, and that each coupon will be in an elegant two-color publication. When the coupons start generating business (the pizza delivery guy knows it works), he’ll have no problem selling ads for the second edition.

Your homework: You should do a Google search using the key phrase local coupon posting business where I just got 262,000 results. Take and take notes and put the best ideas to work!

One last tip: be sure to read the information about digital coupons. What a profitable additional addition to your new business it could be!