a. Research and find one (1) small company (less than 15 employees) in your hometown - gift shops or specialty item stores. Provide a brief background on who they are, where they are located, and the services they provide.

b. Schedule a meeting with the business owner or a company employee knowledgeable on their business operations to discuss their advertising methods.

c. Address the following during your meeting. Be sure to document the results in detail.

1) What type of advertising methods do they use? 

2) Why did they choose to use these methods? 

3) Are they using an advertising agency or placing the advertisements direct? 

4) Have these methods been successful for them? Explain why or why not. 

5) Has the cost of advertising been worth it? 

d. Based on your research, the types of products or services being sold, do you feel the company will be around 5 years from now? Explain.