Description:
If leadership by example is the best way to inspire, you'll find plenty of inspiration in Striking it Rich.com. Rather than write another how-to-build-a-better-Web-site guide, Los Angeles Times columnist Jaclyn Easton profiles 23 successful sites, detailing what has brought these firms to their current status. For those who think reading the stories of Motorcycle Online and HorseNet holds little interest for what they're trying to accomplish, Easton advises in her introduction that a site's content is irrelevant--it's how the business is run that matters. The one point Easton hammers throughout these profiles is that all the site owners are passionate about their businesses--a quality more important than such buzzwords as "interactivity" and "stickiness." All of the subjects tell fascinating yet strikingly similar tales en route to becoming "incredibly successful" (though Easton's use of the term is a bit fuzzy). All of the profile subjects conducted extensive research and think more about how to serve their customers than what type of animation to include on their site. It's hard not to be inspired by a successful Web company whose business offers auctions of remnant steel (Weirton Steel). For anyone who isn't sure how to make a Web-based business a success, Striking it Rich.com is essential reading. --John Frederick Moore
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