"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
