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1. Medical Solutions International, Tempe, Ariz.
- 2005 gross revenue: $3.4 million
- 2006 gross revenue: $11.2 million
Robert Woltz has grown this nursing placement and administration service at an incredible rate (see "Technology drives network of nurses for hire"). MSI provides individual nurses on short-term contracts to medical facilities. The company has a network of more than 10,000 registered nurses, with more than 500 actively placed at any given time in hospitals in the United States and internationally. Nurses get benefits, incentive programs, flexible work schedules and long-term stability.
2. Surefire Marketing and InternetLifestyle.com, Potomac, Md.
- 2005 gross revenue: $3.3 million
- 2006 gross revenue: $2.6 million
Yanik Silver truly leads the ultimate "Internet lifestyle" of fun, freedom and financial independence as a result of his success on the Web (see "Internet 'dunce' specializes in adventure"). Yanik parlayed a few hundred dollars and an office in a one-bedroom apartment into a multimillion-dollar operation. He hawks, well, anything that sells, but he started by offering downloadable, formatted forms that people could purchase to use in their own business endeavors.
3. Ocean Summit Travel, Louisville, Colo.
Pamela Smith started Ocean Summit Travel from her home in Louisville, Colo., in July 2002 after having run another venture-backed startup. After she successfully marketed her own beachfront condo in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for rental, other people starting approaching her to help them rent out theirs. And off she went. She expanded on the idea by marketing the vacation rentals of other vacation-home owners in Colorado ski-resort areas. Now she handles rentals located at beach resorts in the Caribbean, South Carolina and Mexico, as well as most of the ski areas in North America.
4. Wizard Industries, Glendale, Calif.
Billy Carmen's company manufactures and distributes more than 60 products. In addition, it uses a patented product-marketing system called SampleRewards that powers the company's 100-plus Web sites. The Web sites provide a platform to bring awareness to new inventions and products to the news media, retailers and consumers. In addition, the system provides education and resources for new-product inventors and manufacturers. The company also produces a live-event trade show called "The Celebrity Trade Show."
5. SteamShowers4Less.com, Fort Wayne, Ind.
SteamShowers4Less.com is David Novak's eBay success story. It's a Web site that offers products for luxury bathrooms on a budget. The company specializes in walk-in and whirlpool computerized steam showers in all brands and all sizes.SteamShowers4Less.com prides itself on being the first company to manufacture its own iPod-compatible unit. Its models have FM stereo, speakers, computer control, LED lighting, foot massagers and much more. Makes for a good place to think up new business ideas!
More from MSN Money and StartupNation
6. Wunderdog Sports, Golden, Colo.
Geoff Kulesa created Wunderdog Sports to cater to the 100 million people The Wall Street Journal says like to gamble on sports. The company is one of the world's leading providers of sports predictions and wagering advice to people in the market. The company positions itself as an advice resource for smarter wagering decisions. Think of it as the Merrill Lynch of sports wagering. Wunderdog Sports has become the fastest-growing company in the industry, averaging more than 450% annual revenue growth. More than 100,000 sports fans rely on its advice daily.
7. Birol Growth Consulting, Solon, Ohio
By focusing on the role of the owner as the "fuel" that drives a business, Andy Birol speaks to hundreds of groups of entrepreneurs, helping thousands achieve their goals. Birol has interviewed more than 5,000 businesses and has packaged the learning into consulting for business owners who want to succeed.
8. Home Remedies, Hewlett, N.Y.
Debra Cohen's Home Remedies is a referral-network business that screens and refers local home-improvement professionals. Contractors in the network pay a pre-negotiated commission to Home Remedies for any work secured, which means that the service is free to homeowners. Cohen also markets business packages to individuals across the country looking for a viable home-based venture. Her HRN business packages include a copy of the HRN business manual, "The Complete Guide to Owning and Operating a Successful Homeowner Referral Network," along with business forms, Web site development, management software, consultation and promotional material.
9. Write 2 Market, Atlanta
Lisa Calhoun's Write 2 Market provides writing for clients big and small. Her company actively helps people create sales-focused connections with their current and potential clients. Her company uses press-release marketing, white papers, direct mail, Web copy and other media to achieve measurable sales and lead-generation results. Automatic Data Processing, HCR Manorcare, Kaiser Permanente and Emory University are among its clients.
10. The Welcome Committee, Mooresville, N.C.
Suzanne Meyer pioneered this local advertising service as a literal welcoming committee that personally greets new homeowners, introducing them to the community. Her revenue model comes into play through advertisers who like to target buyers of the more upscale homes. She provides advertisers access to these attractive prospects, who are known to spend heavily on home-related products and services within the first 90 days at their new addresses. The sponsors receive prospect lists of all the newcomers visited on their behalf. She's planning to open up the model to other entrepreneurs.
Editor's note: Financial details are included only for the top two ranked businesses. Financial information for the others is not being published to safeguard their privacy.
Published Nov. 5, 2007
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