StrikingitRich.Com: Profiles of 23 Incredibly Successful Websites You've Probably Never Heard Of (Paperback)

by Jaclyn Easton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If leadership by example is the best way to inspire, you'll find plenty of inspiration in Striking it Rich.com. Rather than write another how-to-build-a-better-Web-site guide, Los Angeles Times columnist Jaclyn Easton profiles 23 successful sites, detailing what has brought these firms to their current status.

For those who think reading the stories of Motorcycle Online and HorseNet holds little interest for what they're trying to accomplish, Easton advises in her introduction that a site's content is irrelevant--it's how the business is run that matters. The one point Easton hammers throughout these profiles is that all the site owners are passionate about their businesses--a quality more important than such buzzwords as "interactivity" and "stickiness."

All of the subjects tell fascinating yet strikingly similar tales en route to becoming "incredibly successful" (though Easton's use of the term is a bit fuzzy). All of the profile subjects conducted extensive research and think more about how to serve their customers than what type of animation to include on their site. It's hard not to be inspired by a successful Web company whose business offers auctions of remnant steel (Weirton Steel).

For anyone who isn't sure how to make a Web-based business a success, Striking it Rich.com is essential reading. --John Frederick Moore

Review
"Easton's withering interrogation methods and her experience as a business reporter elicit some precious nuggets of inside information." -- Upside Magazine

"StrikingItRich.com reads more like a burst of fascinating short stories than a business book. These are real tales of real people making real money." -- Vic Sussman, Commentator for public radio's

"These colorful case studies will introduce you to Webpreneurs whose experiences point the way to the future. It's both fun to read and also helpful." -- Alan M. Webber, Founding Editor, Fast Company Magazine

"This book is a must read for anyone currently doing business on the Web or for all those wondering what all the excitement is about." -- David Bohnett, Founder and CEO, GeoCities

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 249 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (March 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071355790
• ISBN-13: 978-0071355797
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,463,177 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've Read It 3 Times, February 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Strikingitrich.com (Striking It Rich.com) : Profiles of 23 Incredibly Successful Websites You've Probably Never Heard Of (Hardcover)

There is so much incredible information in this book that I have read it three times, using a highlighter pen of a different color each time. If only all other Internet books were as good as "StrikingItRich.com"!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars People With Bad Comments Did Not Read This Book, September 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Strikingitrich.com (Striking It Rich.com) : Profiles of 23 Incredibly Successful Websites You've Probably Never Heard Of (Hardcover)

While most people who reviewed this book gave it 5-stars there are couple who rate it less. I can tell you as someone who has read "StrikingItRich.com" 3 times and bought 7 more copies for business associates that these "bad reviewers" could not have read this book.

Citing some of these sites as not successful? Nuts! Easton gives us all the revenue numbers. These are not "home spun efforts" as one of these commentors below wrote, but bona fide business with anywhere from 1-100 employees.

If you're not serious about making money online don't read this book. If you are, "StrikingItRich.com" will become your bible. Better yet it will insure your success and inspire you as you read these stories of folks just like you and I making it big.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Web Entrepreneurs, November 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Strikingitrich.com (Striking It Rich.com) : Profiles of 23 Incredibly Successful Websites You've Probably Never Heard Of (Hardcover)

This book exceeded my expectations. While the primary title is distracting and somewhat misleading, the subtitle gets it right.

What struck me about many of the profiles were the incredibly useful details disclosed by some of the vendors. Sure, a few vendors are basically boasting and (I suspect) exaggerating their returns, and some are conspicuous in failing to share information that some others disclosed (such as net advertising revenues).

I actually think this book should be on the "required reading" list for anyone starting a web-based business, simply because it highlights some of the key issues and reasons why some of these businesses are successful (and by implication, this should give some clever people good insight or warning as to why some other business ideas are lacking).

My only hesitation about the book is that since it only profiles successful businesses, including some that are in very narrow niches, it may lead some new web-based business owners to be overly optimistic about their new projects. For example, the first "niche" site profiled in the book reports earning $330 CPM for its advertising (and the book explains why this is).

A little "reading between the lines" does help (start by simply noticing what information is included in some profiles but not others, and imagine why one vendor didn't share their information). Also note that some of the "successes" seemed (to me, at least) to be more likely than not to be short-lived.

The book is also a "good read" -- ideal for an airplane trip or relaxed weekend reading; each of the 23 profiles can be read completely independent of the others (in any order, so you can start by reading about the web sites that are most similar to your business, and then move on to gain insight from other businesses that seem completely different). I don't recommend the book as bedtime reading, because even if you want to just read one chapter, you'll probably be unable to resist reading another profile, and another -- plus your brain will begin grinding with new ideas as you read, making it harder to get to sleep.