Success Story: The Right Tool (box) for the Job

By Bridey M. Orth
Re-published by Marketing Basics

Never before has there been such a frenzy to start a home-
based business. This is in large part due to the growing
number of opportunities that are cropping up each day. If
you're looking for a way to work from home there's a
veritable smorgasbord of businesses to choose from.

But what's hot today are Internet-related businesses.
Whether you've already got a business and want to take it
online, or if you're looking to make money with some kind of
Internet business, you are not alone. People who don't even
own computers want to get in on what's being deemed, "The
Internet Revolution!"

We've all heard the stories of entrepreneurs going
from "rags to riches" because of the Internet. Who wouldn't
want to be part of that? The opportunity exists for all of
us to make money online, but the problem lies in knowing how
to do it.

Michael Fallacara, President of United Publishing Group,
recognized the need for direction in the way of online
businesses and knew he'd found a niche for his company. "I
wanted to give people an all-inclusive way to make money on
the Internet," he explains.

Michael is no stranger to the ways of the entrepreneur.
Years ago he left a lucrative career as an executive chef in
a major hotel chain to start his own business. But, first,
he tested the waters with a few ideas while still working
full-time.

He'd seen enough infomercials to know the business of
selling information had great income potential, so he and
his wife found out what was selling and then put together
their own version of an instruction manual on how to start a
home-based business.

"It took us about six months to create it and by the time we
were finished we had a 40-page manual that we sold for
$39.95," remembers Michael who saw immediate success. "We
placed ads in the paper, then put our money back into new
ads and in six months we were advertising in 1,000
newspapers, spending over $10,000 a month on the ads, but
making over double that."

This first attempt at his own business was a success and
Michael says it's what he needed to give him the courage to
try new things, "This experience motivated me to leave my
job and create my own products."

He started United Publishing Group (UPG) because he
preferred creating products instead of just selling
them. "We developed the Business ToolBox, which offers
information software programs and eventually we grew to
create Internet-related software programs, which we call our
Ecommerce ToolBox," says Michael.

"Many people know they want to make money with the Internet;
we give them ways to do that," says Michael, explaining who
UPG is targeting with their products. "The Ecommerce ToolBox
is for anyone who wants to tap into the Ecommerce
revolution. They don't have to have a web site, but if they
do, they're looking to turn it into an income-generating
site."

One of the products found in the Ecommerce ToolBox is the
online ad mall, WebAd Wizard. According to Michael, these
aren't the same old tools you'll find for Internet
entrepreneurs. He prides himself on unique and innovative
products that put small and home-based businesses on equal
footing with larger companies.

The WebAd Wizard sets up a web site that is likened to the
business section of the yellow pages, or in other cases, the
classified section of a newspaper. It allows anyone to run a
high-profit ad web site. It's ready to use, entirely
automated and can be customized for anything. The best part,
according to many users of this program, is you don't have
to hire anyone for the technical aspects. It's all done via
browser, which means the software is set up to instruct you
how to create your own ad mall.

In effect, these online ad malls become trading posts for
people with products to sell or businesses to promote,
depending on how its been customized. For example, Harry
Shields, a Florida-based business owner, has three online ad
malls:

http://www.leisuresales.net,

http://www.horsessentials.com and

http://www.cattlemallplex.com

On each of these sites, he's determined the focus, which
determines who will advertise on it.

On http://www.leisuresales.net, anyone selling recreational
vehicles (RVs), campers and equipment can advertise on his
site. But it's not just a simple banner ad, like you see all
over the Internet. The advertiser pays a fee and gets a full
web page ad with room for a 3x4 picture, three web links and
contact information. A web address is also established for
the advertiser to direct other potential customers to his or
her ad. It's all done on a template by following the
instructions of a browser.

Harry couldn't believe how simple it was for him to set up
his own online ad mall site and for his advertisers to place
their ads. He says, "My site was up only one day and over 15
people had placed ads. Because of UPG's software, they were
able to build their own ad and put it on my site without any
assistance from me. It's easy enough for just about anyone
to figure out."

Harry says he couldn't be happier with how his businesses
are going, "The most important thing I can say is I have
never in my life worked with a company where once you
purchase something they're selling, it actually works the
way they say it will. UPG offers excellent support for a
very functional product."

The responsibility to market these online ad malls rests
with the owner. So, Harry is out there coming up with
creative ways to promote his site so his advertisers have
better results. He's already come up with a plan for his
http://www.leisuresales.net site, and that's to expand. "I believe I've found a niche in what I'm doing. Over the next few years, I hope to have over 500 malls," he says.

"Because leisure sales is a large luxury item, to have only
one web site and mall wouldn't make sense. I want to have an
individual mall for each major metropolitan area," explains
Harry who reasons that this will work because of the
uniqueness of UPG's software. "I can set it up quickly and
it isn't costly to maintain."

Harry finds advertisers through major newspapers, in the
classifieds. Of course, he markets online through search
engines, but has found the traditional method of looking
through the want ads to be great for prospecting potential
online advertisers.

Michael's innovative software programs have created endless
possibilities for entrepreneurs to earn money online. Not
only with their own ad web site, but if someone has a home-
based business, an online ad mall is another option for them
to advertise to a large audience. As Harry says, "It works
both ways. It's an excellent business opportunity and it's a
good format for someone with a home-based business with a
number of products to promote."

And in Harry's case, there are additional money making
opportunities. Since he's looking to expand his malls to be
more localized, his company is looking for advertising sales
people in each area they're looking to cover. "We think
college students would be perfect because they're tech
savvy, need part-time work, are enthusiastic and computer
literate. But we're not limiting it to college students.
It's perfect for anyone who fits that description. We pay 33
percent commission right now, so it's a great work at home
opportunity."

Harry admits to being one of the millions of people who has
dabbled with Internet ideas, trying to turn them into a
profitable business. According to him, when he saw UPG's ad
in a home business magazine, he was amazed at what they said
they could do for the online entrepreneur. "I quickly got on
the web site, and purchased my first mall within two days of
seeing that ad," shares Harry.

"The main reason I acted so quickly in my purchase is
because I have an acquaintance in Miami who was trying to
develop something very similar. He started an Internet
company, backed with $50 million dollars, and spent almost
two years developing a software program that doesn't even
come close to touching UPG's capabilities."

The most unique aspect of the Internet is that it's leveled
the playing field for anyone interested in making money.
Nobody has to know the size of your company, where you're
based or anything about your background. But finding the
right opportunity is key. Under Michael's leadership and own
entrepreneurial vision, United Publishing Group has
developed and is working on plenty of other products and
tools to assist anyone with the desire to succeed online.