A hundred years ago, the McCreery Manufacturing Company of Toledo, Ohio, had just the thing for the entrepreneur who wanted to earn $20 to $30 a day. While the price of the equipment was not disclosed in this ad from the February 1915 issue of Popular Mechanics,  the company could set you up with one of its B.B. Power Vacuum Cleaners, which would allow you to go into business for yourself. In fact, the enterprising man could acquire two or three such machines “and profit from others labor. No doubt that is what someone is doing with you.” The ad noted that thousands of homes will never own a vacuum cleaner of their own, and they “will never think of owning them when they can depend on you.”

The machine gave the owner the ability to start small. “Start with one home on a street–soon half the homes in the neighborhood want regular service.” In addition, there was the promise of trade from churches, lodge rooms, dance halls, hotels, and hundreds of other places.

You could send a letter or postcard for full details, or just show up on their doorstep at 1010 Front Street in Toledo.  The ad offered to reimburse your travel expenses (up to 300 miles) if you bought.

Presumably, you left the machine on the street outside, and ran the hose into the house, much as carpet cleaning businesses do a century later.

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