So You Wanna Be A Millionaire?
No more excuses! One of these 11 ideas could turn you into the next Bill Gates.
Unlike some Internet entrepreneurs who adopt cautious,
"wait-and-see" attitudes, John Shriber didn't think
twice about whether Netizens wanted his product when he launched
Apartment Source in 1995. Shriber, whose New York City-based
company e-mails customers lists of available apartments for a fee,
was confident the Big Apple was hungry for his service. So when his
online apartment referral business pulled in $3,000 the first day,
"I wasn't shocked," remembers Shriber, 26. "I
knew it was going to work-just not quite that well."
With three new locations (in San Francisco, Miami and Seattle)
and sales of $2.3 million last year, Schriber has a right to be
confident. While Internet commerce is an unpredictable industry
that changes by the day, all indications suggest it will continue
to thrive: According to International Data Corp., a market-research
firm, worldwide Internet commerce is expected to grow from $32.6
billion in 1998 to $134.3 billion by 2000.
While books, music and software are still the most popular
products on the Web, Shriber's success proves other ideas can
work-especially if you target your niche. Shriber got the idea for
Apartment Source while working in real estate. Relatively low
overhead enabled him to start with just $19,000, borrowed from his
father. A niche market, excellent customer service and a keen sense
of the online community enabled him to succeed.
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By freelance writer Pamela Rohland and staff writers G. David
Doran, Heather Page, Debra Phillips, Elaine W. Teague and Laura
Tiffany.