[Zeke]

"I'm just awful at marketing them."

Well, let that be the least of your worries. There are a lot of good books on the subject, lots of info online and eBay has lots of tutorials that might apply to non eBay activities. And, one of the best secrets in marketing is to not try to be too clever. People are not looking for someone that is that much different than the crowd. What you can do is find someone who is doing what you'd like to do and just copy that person's model. You could go out of the area to find such a business if that bothers you.

Spending money on print advertising is way too expensive for most small businesses. Don't waste your time or money. Do flyers, networking, a small web site, take advantage of any community or homeowner organizations, make yourself a news story and get publicity, and a lot of other things like that.

I once knew a guy that got a job at a local hardware store. He did electrical and plumbing (both good pay) on the side. His business grew so much that he quit the hdw store. But wait, there's more: He left the area for greener grass only to return. And he did the same exact thing all over again! I think the guy only had some cards printed up, that was his total expense. But he put himself in the place where the business was.

Say you like to detail cars. Park across the street from the car wash. (Beware, that's an example only. In most cities a license is required and the owner of the car wash will probably complain.) You get the idea, but be subtle. People also don't like noisy people.

If I wanted to get serious about welding on 911's, I'd buy a junk car, strip it to the tub and weld in all the replacement panels on one side only. A before and after deal. Then, I'd take it on a trailer to all the events that allow a display or a swap spot (take a few trinkets to sell to make it legit). That's putting yourself where the interest is. Advertising 911 welding to the general public would be totally fruitless.

Target your prospects. That's all I can tell you in this short space but PM me with any specific questions.