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Entrepreneurs jumpstart business on Web

Entrepreneurs jumpstart business on Web

1/3/2009 6:54 PM
By: Bonnie Gonzalez / News8 Austin

Jill Clark and Mandi DuPuy, owners of Two Green Moms.

Some of the Internet's biggest Web sites and most powerful companies were once nothing more than a few big dreams in a small garage or a bedroom. It's the garage-to-greatness approach and some local entrepreneurs are doing just that. They're turning their passions into profits in this sluggish economy.

Jill Clark and Mandi DuPuy know the advantage of running a business online.

"Especially in these economic times, it's a great opportunity to run an online business, compared to actually having a storefront," entrepreneur Clark said.

Clark and DuPuy are the minds behind Two Green Moms and they run full operations out of their homes. Two Green Moms is a startup business in Waco that sells environmentally conscious products and apparel, such as customized recyclable bags. Their business has only been up and running for 11 months.

Clark said the possibilities for profit making in an online venture are out of this world.

"The amount of bags that we sold and the amount of bags that we're forecasted to sell is fantastic," she said.

Like Two Green Moms, Tim Welter and his business partners also run a home based business called Persnickety Tim's, which is an online coffee vendor. His workshop is by his garage where he roasts and packages a variety of coffees.

"I love the coffee that we produce and my wife takes care of all of the orders and we have other people we've hired to do a lot of the work and it really works out well," Welter said.

Local business start-ups might be a viable option in light of the current shaky economy.

For Welter and Clark, their online businesses are not their primary jobs. Clark runs a promotional products company while Welter is an ER Physician.

"With the economic times as they are, it's been a great additional business for me and for Two Green Moms," Clark said.

Welter agreed.

"You know, it's always a good idea to have some extra income … multiple streams of income."

With the world at their fingertips these online businesses are keeping their virtual doors open.