Web Site Aims to Boost Black E-Community

Search and e-newsletters have helped IZania.com boost its membership and advertiser base.

The site is devoted to helping African-American entrepreneurs sell their products and get ahead. Over the past year, www.izania.com, has experienced a 400% growth in traffic and a 300% increase in membership, says Roger Madison, CEO of the Columbus, OH firm.

Madison formed IZania LLC as a way to connect African-American entrepreneurs, professionals and consumers online, and promote the growth of e-commerce. The site offers a directory of African-American businesses, news, commentary and online networking forums and other features.

The whole idea behind the company came to him when he was looking for an African-American plumber near his home and could not find one, says Madison.

Madison, now retired, had been with International Business Machines Corp. for 28 years and was looking to do something that would help smaller firms, especially African-American ones, get a piece of the e-commerce action..

First, Madison began building a directory of such firms that now numbers about 11,600. During the same time, IZania has been able to attract about 6,000 weekly visitors to his site, a number he hopes to bring up to 20,000 this year.

The member base extends to such countries as Kenya and Nigeria. “We even have one member in China,” says Madison.

In addition, IZania.com has been able to attract about 50 advertisers, including magazines, health and beauty products and greeting cards.

Last November, the company launched an auction Web site www.iZaniaMarket.com, modeled loosely after EBay, says Madison. One of the reasons he started this site was to provide his members — many of whom are entrepreneurs with their own Web sites — a means not to compete against each other.

“Our sellers only pay small transaction fees when they sell something,” says Madison. “So, now Black entrepreneurs can target the growing community at IZania by listing at the newest Black Internet market.”

Looking ahead, Madison’s hoping IZania’s content as well as its auction site will bring the firm at least 20,000 weekly page viewers who spend more than four minutes per page, “because those are the kinds big numbers that get noticed by advertisers.”