Gift-Off Hot high-tech entrepreneurs

When resounding thuds erupted from the Omaha, Nebraska, officesof online gift-certificate business Giftpoint.com Inc., I askedowners (and siblings) Doug Nielsen and Julie Mahloch if amidinterview squabble had ensued. They assured me the ruckus in thebackground was only the construction work being done on their newoffice, but Nielsen, 32, did admit, "If we don't fightonce a day, we know we're not doing much."

Hardly rivaling Jerry Springer dysfunction, thisbrother/sister team's occasional tension stems from too manybrilliant ideas, according to Mahloch, 30. But having been inbusiness together since 1991 with anentertainment-coupon-book-turned-direct-mail venture, they'recertainly tuned in to each other's roles. "He's thebig-thinker, big-picture guy," she says, "and I jump in,start dialing the phone and talk to retailers."

Because the partners use consumer input to decide how toincrease their gift-certificate offerings, from restaurants toapparel stores to airlines, by the time you read this, they willhave transformed this 35-employee start-up into an "absolutelygigantic" enterprise. Among the first to sign on forGiftpoint.com's launch last December were Sharper Image, TheOlive Garden, Barnes & Noble and American Eagle Outfitters.Upwards of 300 retailer partnerships are expected by the new year,with expansion to include malls and large discount chains leadingthe growth.