Entrepreneur Started Biz in College
Inc.:
Alex Algard is a true entrepreneur. His companies – WhitePages.com and CarDomain.com – are born from his passions. Both are thriving businesses in Seattle. Both survived the dotcom bust – no small feat!
As a Stanford University graduate student, Algard was frustrated by his inability to track down an old friend: he wasted time on Internet searches and wasted money calling 411. He created a better, less costly way to access directory assistance information.
WhitePages.com began as a dorm-room hobby. In 1997 he purchased the domain name and went live as online phone directory. It caught on like wildfire. By the end of 2000 more than one million people used WhitePages.com each month, prompting Algard to incorporate it and sell online advertising.
Under his leadership, the company has been profitable since 2000, and earned more than $52 million in 2006. Today it is the 41st most trafficked Website used by more than 23 million people each month. It powers 150 million searches monthly!
Algard founded CarDomain in 1998 as an online destination for automotive enthusiasts. It’s one of the earliest Web 2.0 companies, with a focus around online communities. Alex has served as chairman and CEO at CarDomain; today he’s Chief Car Enthusiast.
Photo by CarDomain.com.
Damian P. on September 24th, 2007 9:56 pm
These days, there are many entrepreneurship opportunities and it’s never to early to start. I remember it like yesterday…starting with one phone call (believe it is still 888-383-SHOW), stepped into the innovation showcase retail business, branched off, then sky-rocketed from there. The opportunities are out there, you just need to find them. My hat goes off to all who takes the leap into being their own boss.
Jeff Brooks on September 26th, 2007 8:13 am
I saw their add in the retail specialty magazine and was amazed at what kind of products are coming to the market these days.
Its just a big “WOW” factor!
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