This document discusses the author's experience starting and growing the company Miva over many years, including surviving the dot-com crash. It provides advice for small businesses, including focusing on serving clients well and having their own intellectual property rather than competing on commoditized products. The author emphasizes developing niche expertise, staying innovative but not chasing every new trend, and truly understanding target customers.

1. Start Up to Success:
The good, the bad, the ugly

2. “I’m Not A Rat!
What Am I
Doing In This
Race?”

3. My Miva Story – Part 1
SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR “ORIGINAL” MIVA
SOLD OUR PRODUCT THROUGH WEB HOSTING COMPANIES
I PERSONALLY TRAVELED 18 - 20 DAYS A MONTH
WHEN THE DOTCOM CRASH HIT – I WAS “BURNT OUT”
MIVA WENT SURVIVAL MODE (2002-2003)
SOLD MIVA, INC. IN 2004 TO FINDWHAT (NASDAQ: FWHT)
18 MONTHS ON CORPORATE WELFARE
TOOK SOME TIME OFF (18 MONTHS)

4. My Miva Story – Part 2
STARTED ANOTHER SOFTWARE COMPANY (FAILED)
WEIGHT LOSS (DR. PHIL SHOW)
“DO YOU WANT TO BUY MIVA (MERCHANT)?”
PUT TOGETHER A TEAM TO PURCHASE MIVA MERCHANT FROM
“FINDWHAT” (THEY HAD REBRANDED TO MIVA)
REBUILT COMPANY, SUPPORT FIRST, THEN BUG FIXES
RISE OF THE SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE MODEL/WORLD
RISE OF THE NON-TECHY ETAILER
RISE OF THE “MID-MARKET” ETAILER

5. Challenges In Our World
VC FINANCED MONEY LOSING MACHINES
-SHOPIFY
-BIGCOMMERCE
BIG COMPANIES GETTING IN OUR SPACE
-AMAZON WEBSTORE
-GODADDY
-SQUARE
-EBAY (MAGENTO)

13. How Do We Deal (Philosophically)?
FOCUS ON OUR CLIENTS
SUCCESSFUL CLIENTS, WITH GOOD ROI ARE ALL YOU NEED
“DOG-FOODING”
- SITE BUILDS
- SELLING MIVA THROUGH MIVA
PUTTING YOURSELF IN THE CUSTOMERS SHOES (FROM A BIG
PICTURE STANDPOINT)
AS A SELF SUSTAINING PROFITABLE PRIVATELY HELD BUSINESS,
WE’RE ULTIMATELY IN CONTROL

14. How Does My Story Apply To You?

15. How Does My Story Apply To You?
AMAZON IS THE WALMART OF ONLINE COMMERCE
WALMART IS THE AMAZON OF BRICK AND MORTAR COMMERCE
WHAT ON EARTH CAN A SMALL BUSINESS DO?
AMAZON/WALMART CAN (AND WILL) KILL YOU, IF YOUR PRODUCT IS
A COMMODITY
THEY’RE ALL BUT POWERLESS IF YOUR SUCCESS IS BASED ON
YOUR OWN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

16. How Does My Story Apply To You?

17. Grow Rich In A Niche

18. Create Your Own Product Line

19. Create Your Own Product Line

20. Create Your Own Product Line

21. Have a unique angle on someone else’s product line

25. Be An Expert In The Space

26. Be An Expert In The Space

27. Be An Expert In The Space

28. Stay Up To Date But Don’t Chase Fads
YOUR OWN AUCTION SITE
FLASH (TECHNOLOGY) BASED ECOMMERCE
VIRTUAL REALITY MALLS (SECOND LIFE)
FACEBOOK STORES
GROUP BUYING (GROUPON TOO)
FLASH SALES (NOT THE TECHNOLOGY) SITES

31. In the last 15 months, Fab laid off 565 employees,
dropping from 750 to 185 employees. Selling
products online is a “hard business to be in,”
Goldberg said.
At its worst point, Fab was burning through $14
million a month, Goldberg revealed, and was forced
to layoff hundreds of people. “It was an excruciating
year,” Goldberg said.

35. Focus On Knowing Your Customers
WHO ARE THEY
HOW OLD ARE THEY
WHERE DO THEY LIVE
HOW DID THEY FIND YOU
WHAT COULD YOU DO TO SERVE THEM BETTER
BUILD A COMMUNITY AROUND YOUR CUSTOMERS
LEAD WITH YOUR UNIQUENESS

36. Thank You
@RickMiva
rwilson@miva.com
www.miva.com