Online Merchant Attributes Success of Niche Product to Internet's Extensive Reach.

Alfredo Canedo www.earthstongue.com

Alfredo Canedo left Mexico City with his family when he was 9 years old. They came to the United States to be closer to the doctors his sister needed for her heart condition. He went to school and graduated from a Texas High School. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of his first semester of college for a variety of reasons. He and his girlfriend moved into a small one-bedroom apartment, and to keep ahead of the bills, they both worked two jobs.

Alfredo decided to sell horticultural products with his first site. He explains that in his native Mexico, mushrooms are a much larger part of one's diet. Grocery stores have a much wider selection of mushrooms there, and he has always loved them. He did some reading and research into growing various mushroom strains for oneself, and decided to try selling the mushroom and growing supplies in his first Internet storefront.

College Freshman Now a Step Ahead Thanks to Online Shoe Stores.

Brian Castleman www.shoe-shack.com

Bryan Castleman grew up on a farm in western Tennessee and is in business with his dad. His dad wanted to own a business selling shoes. He first tried selling men's and women's shoes, but the business didn't do very well. He then decided to sell boots. He began selling them to the employees of utility companies, such as Comcast and Verizon.

Bryan's dad built a warehouse and an office for the business on their family farm. He started sending out fliers and mailers to potential customers in 1985. He did okay, but his wife still had to work outside the home to make ends meet for their family. In 1994, he created an Internet website, but didn't make any sales and had very little traffic. He removed his website in 1999, and then put it back online in 2001.

Online Merchant Finds Greater Ease and Success Using StoresOnline Tools and Tips.

Michael Hedican www.storesonline.com/site/386121

For 25 years, Michael Hedican of Garden Grove, California, worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in the automotive industry. At age 52, he had had enough. He was tired of the hours and the hassle and was ready to try something else. He had been in sales his whole life, so he knew he wanted to sell some sort of product. And once he had sold some novelty toys on the Internet with great success, so he believed the Internet was where he wanted to try his new venture.

Michael had no entrepreneurial experience, except for a brief stint he had in his 20s when he started a promotional company for rock artists. The company didn't last. At the time he decided to leave the car business, though, Michael had been working with a business owner who was trying to sell women's finger nail polishes and supplies via a multi-level marketing strategy. The company struggled along until eventually it folded when the owner could no longer pay the commissions. Michael took over the product and tried selling it retail.

Focus, Commitment, and Sound Marketing Principles are Key to Online Success, says Former Wall Street Banker .

James Lane www.allamericanwatches.com

James Lane is very animated-and very entertaining. A native of the UK, CitiGroup brought him to New York to work in banking. Then one day his Wall Street job dried up. He had never had an entrepreneurial experience before, but decided then and there it was time for him to be in more control of his own life. At a StoresOnline presentation, he remembers the presenter saying, "The difference between those who dream of being in business and those who are in business is that those who are in business finally chose one day to start." That simple statement spurred him on.

"That speaker changed my life," James says. "I have friends who have dreamed of being in business for 20 years. And they even laughed at me for trying what I'm doing. But there they are all still drawing a paycheck and I have three businesses online."

Former Trucker Leaves the Road and Finds Success on the Information Superhighway.

Gerald West drove trucks for 30 years near Indiana. Five years ago he bought his first computer-hoping to open his own expediting company. Unfortunately, rising fuel costs meant the business never really got off the ground.

Gerald's computer sat for three years, rarely being used except to read an occasional email. Then one day Gerald looked at it and thought, "I've never owned anything that didn't earn its own keep. Either that computer is going to start earning me money, or it is going out by the curb." He immediately began looking for some sort of computer-based business. He briefly got involved with some self-proclaimed Internet "Gurus"-but those efforts went nowhere. He then tried some web-based multi-level marketing companies, but that didn't work either.

Then his life changed.