Rama Rao is living in a big town in Andhra Pradesh with his wife and son. He told me, "I am 50 years old. My wife is a school teacher. I am working as a head clerk in a private business firm. I have spent a lot of money on the higher education of my son. After reading the New Indian Express articles on self-employment, I too want to become self-employed."
"I am glad to hear about your decision. How much did you spend on your son's education?" I asked him. "Even though my son scored good marks in +2, his marks were not sufficient enough to get a free seat in a Medical college. Many established private medical colleges demand Rs.30 lakhs as capitation fees. As I didn't have that much money, I have put him in a newly started medical college by paying Rs.15 lakhs. Every year I'll have to spend Rs.3 lakhs on tuition fees and hostel expenses," Rama Rao replied.
"How did you manage to raise Rs.15 lakhs?" I was curious. "I had a small ancestral property. I sold it to raise the required money," said Rama Rao.
"Have you thought about your interests and opportunities around you?" I asked him. He replied, "Nowadays people don't mind spending in lakhs on education and health. I have sound knowledge on professional courses and colleges in India and also the hospitals in South India. I can help students find good professional colleges and patients find the safe hospitals. Can I make money through these projects?"
"If you tie up with colleges and hospitals, the management of these institutions will pay you fat referral fees," I said. Rama Rao said, "I just want to give information and make money. Becoming an agent is risky because it involves big money. If something goes wrong, people will hold me responsible. I have many such projects in my mind but don't know how to execute."
"Well, I don't think people will pay you for information if you don't add value. As you don't want to take any risks, I'll tell you about a project that does not involve heavy investment or risk. Two Mumbai housewives and three Tamilnadu housewives are earning above Rs.7,000 a month working from home for a few hours a week," I told him. He said, "I am interested in any project that is related to education."
I said, "I have already written about this project in detail a few weeks ago in Money Spinners column and you can read it on my website. I am telling you about it now because it has great income potential especially for housewives and home-based workers. A few New Indian Express readers are actually making money from projects based on the system. Fifty years ago, Glenn Doman found out that it was possible to teach children Math, Science and languages from the age of 6 months. If you learn his system, create your own system using his findings and teach it to the mothers of young children, you can earn decent income."
"It sounds great. Where can I learn the system? Will it take a long time to learn it?" Rama Rao asked me. I explained, "You can learn every rivet about the system in three days. You can impart this knowledge to your customers in a few hours. You can buy the books written by Glenn Doman from amazon.com. Big local book sellers may be able to import the books for you. Read these books thoroughly. Create your own study materials and your own system as Glenn Doman's system is copyrighted. Don't misuse Glenn Doman's name. That is not legal. Then organize one-to-one or one-to-three coaching classes for pregnant women and new mothers. You will not have to spend more than 3 hours per client. You can charge Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,000 for the training and study materials. If one is really interested in making money working from home and doing something good to the society, learning this system will not a problem."
Rama Rao said, "What are the titles of the books?" I replied, "Though there are many books by Glenn Doman, I suggest you buy How to Teach Your Baby to Read, How to Teach Your Baby Math and How To Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence. Go to amazon.com or gentlerevolution.com or iahp.org."
Rama Rao borrowed a piece of paper and a pen from me and noted down the details. "I am going to jump on to this project immediately. I am confident of making more than Rs.10,000 a month within six months," Rama Rao said and took leave.