From $7/Hour to $2076/Week: 24-Year-Old Gas Jockey Wins 'Homepreneur of the Year' Award

February 1, 2010

BEAR LAKE, MI, and VANCOUVER, BC – Marco Barberini, owner and founder of Overnight Pet Tags, was today named 2009 Homepreneur of the Year by CityMax.com, makers of the CityMax.com small business website software. The 24-year-old's e-commerce website was chosen the winner from 8 finalists, 400+ nominations, and 30,000+ online entrepreneurs across North America.

"It's a huge honor to be recognized," said Barberini, who founded the online business in 2006. "A few years ago my wife Heather and I realized we were tired of living paycheck to paycheck and started focusing on Overnight Pet Tags. Using CityMax.com, we built out our website and started ranking in the search engines. Our online sales have increased by 100% each year and our dream is to tag every pet in the United States."

Barberini, a former gas station employee, quit his job in 2007 to work on OvernightPetTags.com. The website currently generates between $6000 and $8000 monthly, and Barberini says he only requires 7 to 10 hours weekly to maintain the business.

"Marco embodies the spirit of today's home-based entrepreneur," said Dean Gagnon, Chief Evangelist and President of CityMax.com. "We're proud to help him and other small business owners make money online. Our goal is to help 1 million entrepreneurs."

Runner-up: Michael and Mary Peterson of UnusualThreads.com. Michael and Mary are a retired couple in California selling celebrity fashions to customers all over the world. Their online business generates over $25,000 monthly in addition to 1500+ unique visitors.

Runner-up: Meredith Patterson of MeredithPatterson.com. Meredith is a true Hollywood triple threat - from her appearances in major TV shows such as All My Children and Boston Legal to appearing on Broadway and producing her own music. She has leveraged her website to land major roles, increase her profile, and sell her singer/songwriter album.

The CityMax.com Homepreneur of the Year contest recognizes the top home-based entrepreneur based on the following criteria:

  • Innovation and originality
  • Entrepreneurial spirit
  • Revenue generated through home-based business
  • Prior experience and success
  • Business sustainability and scope
  • Online voting

Prizes include: Grand Prize – A prize package valued at $10,000: including a round-trip flight to Vancouver, Canada, three days in a beautiful luxury hotel, the Red Carpet treatment, a day of 1-on-1 expert consultation at CityMax.com HQ, a complete redesign of the winner's website, and a life-time subscription to CityMax.com for the winner and five small businesses of his choosing.

Runner-up Prizes – Complete website makeover ($1,000 value) for each winner and a lifetime subscription to CityMax.com for each winner and three small businesses of their choosing.

About Overnight Pet Tags

Founded in 2006, Overnight Pet Tags has helped keep over 32,000 dogs, cats and other pets safe. Overnight Pet Tags prides itself on quality, speed and craftsmanship, offering pet tags for as low as $4.95 and free overnight shipping. To help reunite owners with their loved ones, the company offers a free Lost Dog Database. Overnight Pet Tags also provides bulk pet tags, pet jewelry, collars, and online forums for pet lovers covering everything from pet name ideas to dog humor and holiday photos. For more information visit: http://www.OvernightPetTags.com.

About CityMax.com

CityMax.com is an easy-to-use online business website builder company that empowers entrepreneurs by providing them with the tools and education to achieve their dreams. Since 1999, hundreds of thousands of websites have been built using our technology.

With our all-in-one website builder solution, customers can create a complete online store without ever having to learn design or computer programming. Based in historic Gastown, CityMax.com currently employs 36 staff and two Directors of Greetings (DOGs) named Jack and Farley.

Contact Information:

Patrick Lok
Town Crier
patrick.lok@citymax.com
1.866.448.4588 ext.169

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