It is a well-known practice in business that networking is the most efficient means of gathering resources. Whether it be for information or in some instances help in difficult situations, networking became the buzzword of most businesses long before the growth of the internet and global communications. The idea of getting to know others in similar business positions allowed companies to position themselves to offer services to others in their network, expecting them to return the favor when they needed the services offered by their business.
Another method of expanding their presence and sales used prior to the internet was franchising. A person wanting to run his or her own business, but lacking a business plan or even a viable product, could open a branch of an already successful business and become an owner almost overnight. Using the companys experience, product and established name recognition, they could quickly build their own business. They paid, sometime dearly for the use of the companys name a business model, but they usually ran a successful operation.
Most pre-internet opportunities were limited by geography and when a person bought into a franchise...