How do I get started?

Dear Ask 3 Guys,


Ok, so I need some advice, and this will be simple for you three lovely gentlemen, I'm sure, as you seem to have been hugely successful in your own endeavor.

Eddie, you know me pretty well. I'm sure you know that I'm very intelligent, but I sometimes have lack of focus and organization, but since I already know you, I'm hoping to get some perspective from all of you.

I want to start a sociologically-based book club (i.e. politics, social & world affairs, physical/emotional abuse, drugs, etc.). I've been wanting to do this for a good while now, but for some reason while reading my emails last night, something clicked inside my head and I had this overwhelming feeling to just do it. I need to get this project started and stop sitting on my ass just thinking about doing it. However, I have no idea how to really get started.

I've posted bulletins on both MySpace and Facebook to see how much interest I can generate, and, while I've had a few positive responses, I have also received a good bit of responses from people who just don't seem too fired up. I was thinking of printing flyers and posting them up around different college campuses in the area just to set up an initial meeting. That way, I'll have a chance to explain, on a much deeper level, my ideas and maybe get some people more interested.

Another thing, I don't have a place to really hold these discussions. A girl I know on student gov't at my school(Nunez) said she'd bring my idea to everyone's attention at the student gov't meeting today, and she said she may be able to convince them to give me a classroom one night every other week.

But, if that doesn't work out, then what? I can't hold too large of a group of people at my house, and parking would be impossible.

I don't want to charge extensive fees, as this is supposed to be fun and sort of like an escape from tedious everyday activities.

Obviously, I have to charge dues, so I can order the books online, but they'll be second-hand from an online bookstore, like Amazon. So how much should the dues be? Ballpark?

Basically, I think I may be in over my head. I mean, I think I can do it, it's just a matter of not knowing how.

Any help or advice you guys could give me would be amazing, and greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

KareBear
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Dear KareBear,

Victor's Take:

I too, a while back, tried to start a book club. I love to read and write, so I reached out all of my MySpace friends (at the time, Facebook was in its
infancy) and got ZERO response.

I think you have some good ideas. I think flyers on college campuses is one.
Also, I would continue to reach out to my MySpace and Facebook families.

Don't worry about ordering the books yourself. I would have an option for members to buy their own books or you can order the books for them, only after collecting the money. Why take on more responsibility than you need to?

As far as meeting - I think this is the biggest challenge and may be why a bunch of people are not buying in. People are busier now than they have ever been - school, work, kids... Why not consider an alternative option like an online meeting? GoToMeeting.com is a great site, reasonably priced and here is where you need to collect your dues (number of members / cost of monthly site membership = dues to be collected). Also, by having online meetings, you open your club up to many, many more people...

There is an old saying: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
Don't try to do it all at once, a sense of failure or being overwhelmed will set in. Take it one step, one member at a time.

Good luck to you...

--Victor
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Ronnie's Take:

I would go to some social groups and organizations and ask to hand out flyers or give a presentation at the meetings. Flyers at gyms might work also. Also flyers, and help from Barnes n Nobles or Borders. I think they would be happy to help. I would avoid telling them the amazon connection, but, either way, having readers come to their place of business would interest them.

Your biting of a lot just for a fun interest. You must set the prices based on your time invested. Ask 3 Guys was a fun time investment that became a handful with little return. I still enjoy it, but expect that outcome also. Which leads me to you could advertise on the Ask 3 Guys website (we are real cheap LOL).

--Ronnie
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Eddie's Take:

Good for you for having the ambition to bring your dreams to fruition. When delving into any new endeavor, it is smart to perform a SWOT analysis to ensure that all factors are considered. The analysis identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with you plan. It sounds like you are on the right track; however, the initial steps required to start something are much more difficult than developing the concept.

With Ask 3 Guys, we were very lucky. Over a few beers, we kicked an idea around about giving advice to people via a website. After looking into it, I found out how inexpensive it would be to start the site. Less than a week later, we went live. Of course, it has not been a cake walk. We have struggled with maintaining the desired amount of traffic, but we are still hopeful.

My caveat to you is that you should not even worry about what your friends or family suggest. Even if they are all for it, their participation would be highly unlikely (I speak from experience with A3G). We have a few close people that have been with the site from the beginning, but most of our avid readers are people we do not personally know.

So, if I were you, I would look into doing something over the internet. Start a small social network that allowed people to discuss the book of the month or something. Websites are cheap, and you can even start it out with myspace or facebook to see what kind of interest you get. Post flyers at coffee shops... that would be a great place to start.

Once you get the message out there, be prepared to put in your time. You never know, it could blow up.

Good luck,

Eddie
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