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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Guest post by: Dan Miller

Article Overview: Twin sisters Christa Pitts and Chanda Bell grew up in a house where their mother hid an elf named Fisbee somewhere each night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A few years ago the sisters suggested they write a book about Fisbee. Every publisher turned them down. "It's been done - it's not practical to package a doll with a book - it's too expensive - no one will buy them." So they knew their idea was stupid and you’ve never heard of Elf on the Shelf.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Twin sisters Christa Pitts and Chanda Bell grew up in a house where their mother hid an elf named Fisbee somewhere each night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A few years ago the sisters suggested they write a book about Fisbee. Every publisher turned them down. "It's been done - it's not practical to package a doll with a book - it's too expensive - no one will buy them." So they knew their idea was stupid and you’ve never heard of Elf on the Shelf.

Okay, apparently that’s not exactly what happened. They decided to print 5000 copies themselves and just promote it to their friends.

Things really exploded when actress Jennifer Garner was photographed carrying an Elf on the Shelf box. Today their products are in 10,000 stores. Oh wait, those are not just ordinary stores – they are Elf Adoption Centers – with names like Barnes & Noble, Coach House Gifts, Hallmark, and Books a Million.

In 2010 they were ranked #222 on the INC 500 list and honored as the Georgia Small Business Persons of the Year and had annual sales of over $10 million. The ladies in this family-focused publishing business remain dedicated to preserving the tradition of Christmas magic. What did you do after getting multiple rejection letters from publishers? What did you do when Uncle Harry criticized your idea for __________? Or when your neighbor thought your idea for recycling old tires was ridiculous? Didn’t we try to tell those Wright boys that no one would ever fly?

Are you sitting on your $10 million idea?

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Article Tags: 48days, business, career coaching, challenge, coaching, creative, dan, dan miller, entrepreneur, ideas, innovation, million dollars, new business, no more mondays



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Non-medical homecare franchise business model - I talk to people all the time who ask whether a franchise will work in a particular market. The answer, as I learned in law school, is "depends." It depends on whether there are many other providers of that service as independents or franchisees in the market you are looking at. It depends on the barriers to entry for others to start a similar business in the market or for a franchiser to sell a franchise offering similar services in the market; it may also depend on how the market is split into "micro-markets" of sizes that one franchise may serve. If, for instance, an established metro area with all kinds of services and shops is naturally expanding for some reason, then new areas will open up and create new opportunities for new franchises. One other thing to consider is the role law and regulations may play. I live in Virginia, a franchise registration state. Many franchisers avoid Virginia because of that fact. There may be franchise systems with hundreds of franchises and none in Virginia. If you live in a registration state, contact a non-registered franchise and see if they will get registered to possibly make a sale to you.
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