Weronika Cybulska never intended to stray from the corporate path. But when the recession hit and she lost her marketing job with a New York jewelry manufacturer, the recent MBA graduate set her sights on entrepreneurship, replicating an online auction site she saw thriving in her native Poland.
The 28-year-old émigré and her husband Krystian, a computer programer with expertise in financial services, invested six months of sweat equity to develop BidRodeo, an auction site that offers popular items such as iPads, electronic games, appliances – even gold – to the highest bidder.
“I think Americans are really big bargain hunters,” said Cybulska, who runs BidRodeo out of her Jersey City, New Jersey apartment. “So we decided to give it a shot.”
BidRodeo just reached its one-year anniversary – an eternity in the world of online auctions where sites quickly come and go. It hosts 10-12 auctions daily, up three-fold since its launch. The site boasts 25,000 registered users and active bidders each spend a minimum of $10, with some paying as much as $340 for packages that allow them to bid on more popular items. Ten bucks gets ten bids, while purchasing a bigger package offers discounts on the dollar.
“With online retail and online auctions, I think there is huge growth potential,” said Cybulska, who is projecting BidRodeo sales in excess of $1 million for 2010. “The sky is the limit.”
Screenshot from BidRodeo