This story appears in the
December 2000 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Have you ever noticed your competitors featured in national
business publications and wondered, "How'd theydo
that?" Tracey Spotts, founder of ProfilesUnlimited.com, might
be able to help you establish your name in print, too.
Spotts, 39, launched her Alexandria, Virginia, company, which
has put together a growing database of entrepreneurs from virtually
every industry, earlier this year. By working with an advisory
committee of experienced entrepreneurs and media professionals,
Spotts created this resource for journalists who are searching for
that perfect source for a story. Already, the database has been
used by such national publications as The Wall Street
Journal.
Spotts previously worked in public relations for a national
association of entrepreneurs and picked up some good advice for
starting her business from its members. After working with a number
of media professionals who needed entrepreneurial sources for their
stories, the idea just clicked. "I saw a need for journalists
to find interesting entrepreneurs," she says.
"ProfilesUnlimited.com is a way for the media to find you,
instead of sending press release after press release, [which]
usually end up in the trash."
An annual listing on ProfilesUnlimited.com runs $2,000. For that
fee, entrepreneurs can post a bio, a media kit and a fact sheet. In
addition, business owners' profiles include their responses to
several standard questions. That, says Spotts, is a key feature of
the site: "Reading the person's own words helps the
journalist get a feel for who the entrepreneur really is and what
makes that business different."
Gwen Moran is president of Moran Marketing Associates and
founder of BoostYourBiz.com, a marketing information resource for
small businesses. E-mail her at gwen@boostyourbiz.com.