KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffIn just 11 days, start up internet business in Charleston is booming
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By Crystal Britt
CHARLESTON, MO (KFVS) - A couple of young local entrepreneurs is hoping their gamble on a new Internet business leads to something huge.
The Charleston natives just launched a shipping web site at the first of this month, and in just 11 days it's taken off like they wouldn't believe.
"Since we started this, it's been getting crazier and crazier", said Kyle Kemp-Co-Owner.
Less than two weeks old, theshippingdock.com appears to be well on its way.
"It's taken off a lot quicker than we thought," said Charles Graham-Co-Owner.
While in its infancy, the company's been in the works for the past year or two.
The brainchild is 25 year old Kyle Kemp, and his partner 29 year old Charles Graham, both from Charleston.
"Right now it's all day all night," said Graham.
www.theshippingdock.com is a free site for people looking to have items shipped like for instance, say you bought a large item on Ebay or Amazon.
"Like a car for instance that is out in California and needs to get to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Instead of contacting a car handling company direct and getting an outrageous rate, they can go to our site", said Graham.
The clients post the information, and transportation companies can bid for their business.
These local guys make their money by charging a 10 dollar flat fee to the carriers.
"In the past 11 days we've been open we're at about 5,000 users and 1,150 transportation providers who are actually looking and searching for bids," said Graham.
It's all with little to no advertisement, just old fashioned word of mouth and e-mails.
The owners have three other employees to help them manage the site and the phone calls.
So far they've helped with the shipping of everything from wind turbines to the family dog.
"It's one of those things when you're as sure as we are, you're pretty sure it's gonna work," said Kemp.
"We're not trying to become overnight millionaires, but if Ebay or Amazon one of those big dogs wants to buy theshippingdock.com then we'll negotiate that", said Graham.
If Bill Gates could start his business in a garage, just imagine what these entrepreneurs could launch from their humble office in Charleston, Missouri.
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