ABSTRACTThe targeting of advertising messages to potential customers is one of the most challenging tasks facing small businesses today. Most small businesses do not feel that their advertising dollar is spent with any real sense of accuracy. Despite information from national rating services, local and/or regional media representatives and their own past experiences, most small businesses feel that their advertising placement budgets are based on instincts rather than planning based on empirical data.This article is the first in a series of six which describe a regional Media Buyer Guide Model and the process utilized to establish the model and related start-up business. The business was started in one rural midwestern, relatively small, Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). Based on the success in that area, it appears that the effort and business can be successfully replicated elsewhere. The authors are also the entrepreneurs who have been involved in the project from the initial creative idea stage to the business start-up and operation stages.Subsequent articles will detail the Media Buyer Guide and provide detailed information about the related challenges and successes tied to the initiation of the Media Buyer Guide. Client examples will be provided throughout the series for a hands-on, real life flavor.