Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine
September 2005

"Seeing the Sites"

What: A marketing company that designs and hosts affordable, professional-looking websites for small businesses

Who: David Aitken, Brad Stone, Mark Strong and Leah Young of Heritage Web Solutions

Where: Provo, Utah

When: Started in 2001

How much: $1,000

"Give me $1,000, and I'll give you results." Those were the words David Aitken used to convince the owners of The Heritage Group to invest in his idea. Aitken, 30, was a call-center manager for the Utah company, which specialized in residential mortgage refinancing. Aitken knew the refinancing boom they were riding would eventually end, so he approached owners Brad Stone, 52; Mark Strong, 58; and Leah Young, 36, with a new idea: Help small-business owners develop websites to rival those of larger companies. So little capital was necessary to get started, says Strong, that investing in it was a "no-brainer."

Armed with only $1,000, Aitken hired a part-time telemarketer for $8 an hour to call business owners on a list he purchased for $250. Aitken made follow-up sales calls in his off hours. Once he started selling the $199 websites, Aitken brought on his brother Jeremy and friend Eddie Dockery to help build them. All three worked without compensation for several months, with the promise that if Heritage Web Solutions became successful, they would be guaranteed spots in the new company.

Heritage Web Solutions now has 65 employees, with Jeremy and Dockery still onboard. The Heritage Group has since ceased operations to focus on Heritage Web Solutions. The new company has grossed $1.3 million in sales to date-a figure it's on track to double by year's end. -Sarah Pierce