Turning Pennies Into Millions

Reuters:

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 ̩migr̩ 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 Рeven gold Рto 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

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