Web Advantage, Inc.

Soon after she incorporated, she sent er a letter offering the SBDC’s free business consulting services. She felt secure in the offer due to the fact that the SBDC is a government-funded agency (as compared to other sales solicitations she was receiving), and with $0.00 in revenue she had no reason to turn down free business consulting.

In our first meetings, she helped her identify the things that she needed to do to run a legitimate business (such as apply for a business permit) and to help launch and grow the business (like creating a five-year action plan in lieu of developing a full business plan). After three months in business, based on feedback from prospects, she realized that her future was in providing online marketing services – she needed to totally revamp her business model, turning her company into a services agency, and needed to learn everything she needed to do from scratch. At that time, there was no formal training or classes in online marketing, so she just went online and learned as she went.

“Russell’s advice at this time was invaluable and he became my sounding board, imbuing me with the kind of confidence I needed as a small businessperson in a new frontier. For example, Russell supported my innovative idea of training stay-at-home mothers (my “mommies”) to become my telecommuting workforce when I needed staff but couldn’t afford to hire anyone full-time (an idea that eventually won me the 2000 Aetna “Smart Solutions” award).”

I was able to direct her to the technology incubator at Harford County’s Higher Education & Applied Technology (HEAT) Center after a lease contract fell through at the last minute. She became a tenant of the HEAT Center for ten years, which allowed her to survive the dot-com crash.

I also helped to introduce her to various government education and aid programs for consideration and local business and municipal contacts with whom she should be acquainted. These contacts led to certifications (MBE), mentors, new hire referrals, and to such honors as a seat on Harford County’s Economic Development Advisory Board, the 2002 winner of Harford County’s Bush Declaration Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit, nominations for the Harford Award and the AETHENA Award (for which she was a 2007 finalist), and lastly, a seat on Harford County’s SBDC Advisory Board. The pinnacle has been being named the Maryland SBA 2007 Small Business Person of the Year.

“What’s remarkable about all the guidance Russell has provided to me throughout the years is that if I take a look back at the goals of my action plans Russell “made” me write down, I have achieved nearly all of them. For example, I stated that I had wanted to become a recognized expert in my field, and now I author a popular bi-weekly column, “Online Media Buying Agency Strategies,” as contributing expert columnist for a top Internet marketing resource site, ClickZ (.com). I have appeared on television, in many print publications, and I frequently speak at diverse industry conferences.”

In 2006, with 13 staff members, her agency grossed slightly less than $3M in annual revenues, a feat that still astounds me.