Religious seminaries don't teach business courses, so many priests have a naive view of business and labor relations. They often see the market economy as "a means for dividing the economic pie, thinking that people who get a big piece are taking away from someone else." Paulist Father Robert A. Sirico suggests that they read George Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty," which makes an eloquent case for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs must seek out societal needs, investing time and personal wealth at great risk. The wealth that they create (and distribute) need not be immoral, nor are business losses divine punishment for greed. "Entrepreneurs often are the greatest men and women of faith among us." [Forbes, 11/22/93, p. 162.]

The average self-employed worker earns 40% more per hour than other workers, and may also benefit from high returns on capital invested in their own businesses. [Andrew Yengert, Pepperdine University. Michael J. Mandel, BW, 10/17/94, p. 88.]

When Mortimer J. Adler was compiling his Syntopicon for Britannica's "Great Books of the Western World," the project was threatened after exceeding its $1M budget. Adler met the challenge by personally selling a "Patron's Edition" of the Great Books. (One executive bought 45 sets.) [Gary Samuels, Forbes, 2/28/94, p. 42.]

When Jan Davidson of UMaryland couldn't find a software publisher for her Speed Reader program for kids, she self-published with $6K from her children's college fund. 5,400 copies sold at $50, launching Davidson & Associates in 1983. Her husband took over distribution in 1986, after sales hit $4M. They went public in 1993, keeping stock worth $300M. 1992 profits were $6.1M on sales of $40M, with titles such as Math Blaster, Word Attack, and now Kid CAD. On-staff programmers, artists, and musicians develop the products, and the Davidson's control much of the distribution channel. "I did think by now I'd be leaving the office before 6 p.m.," sighs Jan Davidson. [Damon Darlin, Forbes, 11/22/93, p. 148.]

Can you make money selling statistical analyses to businesses? Maybe, but Fair, Isaac & Co. has occupied the credit-scoring niche for 38 years. It made $8.6M pre-tax profit on $67M in sales for 1993, with 30% annual growth for the past 5 years. The company has developed specialized statistical techniques for loans, credit offerings, sales prospecting, IRS screenings, and other applications. The math is so complex that states have backed off on requiring lenders to disclose their credit scoring rules. (Lenders stopped doing business in Vermont rather than comply.) F&I itself has only had one collection problem: a company that went bankrupt after buying their software and not using it. [Joseph R. Garber, Forbes, 2/14/94, p. 164.] (They've also verified that astrological sign is not useful in screening credit applicants.)

Business opportunities and SEC small-business initiatives (Rule 504 Uniform Public Offerings) can be explored on the Uniform Capital Access Network (UCAN), http://www.ucan.com/ucan/. "UCANow! for Windows" software can be downloaded to help generate Form U-7 for UPOs. "UCANet" bulletin boards help investors and entrepreneurs connect. Ron Robertson (rkr@ucan.com), Research Triangle Park, NC. [Frank Taylor (ftaylor@heechee.trinet.com), net-hap, 11/12/94.]

Inventors now have several WWW home pages. Start with http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/Departments/Rewired/Re-WIRED.html, then check out http://www.issi.com/misc/articles/Scenes.html and http://is.rice.edu/~riddle/dl94.html. There's also a Lego home page, http://legowww.itek.norut.no/faq/FAQ.html, and one for the Nomic invention-oriented game, http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~s2119737/nomic-faq.html. [siproj@ripco.com, alt.inventors, 10/4/94. David Joslin.]

The Entrepreneur Network is a $10/year newsletter for inventors and investors. Available patents, book reviews, tips on trade shows, finding advisors, business incubators, and entrepreneurial news from the Michigan area. Ed Zimmer, 1683 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor MI 48105-1891; 800/468-8871. Subscriptions $10/yr. [Ed Vielmetti (emv@recepsen.aa.msen.com), 11/16/94.]

Thinking of marketing a high-tech invention? Panasonic now replaces high-margin electronic consumer products on a 90-day model cycle. (Think again.) [NYT, Money, p. 9. EDUPAGE.]

Business FAQs: Entrepreneur Magazine Group sells $60 loose-leaf notebooks packed with advice for small businesses. (I'm sure each consists of a topic-specific section plus many "canned" sections for all similar businesses.) Also books, audio tapes, software, and sample letters and legal documents. For $10 more you can join the American Entrepreneurs Association (AEA), which puts you on the mailing list for a bimonthly newsletter and discount offers: insurance, travel and travel services, rental cars, magazines, etc. Some of the 200 business guides cover desktop publishing, newsletter publishing, mail order, information brokerage, import/export, seminar promotion, and generic consulting. Other binders cover business plans, home-based businesses, incorporation, non-profit incorporation, marketing/sales management, and employee management. For a general introduction to small-business start-up, consider buying "The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Owning a Small Business." (Or check your library for "women's" business books.) If you want _all_ the generic management sections -- from venture capital to selling a business -- get their 1650-page, 3-volume Small Business Encyclopedia for $149 (plus any start-up guide for $34.75). 30-day guarantee. 1-800-421-2300. [AEA catalog, 11/13/94.]

(Cheaper and faster than getting an MBA. One caution: put no faith in AEA's claims for average net profits. $60K/year for information brokers is much too high, from what I've read, and many people go broke without making $75K/year from mail order or $120K/year from import/export. Those figures must be for businesses that have survived beyond 5-7 years. Newsletter publishing is listed at $24K/year pre-tax profit on a $40K average start-up investment ($17K minimum), which doesn't allow for Internet economies. $5K is plenty for a home computer, printer, phone, and fax, so printing, postage, and advertising must dominate the remainder. Good prospect lists or marketing channels are a crucial element of every business plan.)