Santa Rosa Beach, FL – (February 4, 2011) – Three local websites that began as a hobby have created a national entrepreneurial trend that has already spread to 25 states and 65 other towns, in less than 10 months.
Featured in the February issue of Entrepreneur magazine, TownWizard (www.TownWizard.com) is the result of a partnership between locals Jeff Armstrong of Seagrove, Darren Nelson of Destin and Mike Ragsdale of Santa Rosa Beach.
Ragsdale first launched www.30A.com with the goal of creating a simple online guide to all of the daily events, activities and businesses along Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A. Today, 30A.com has over 31,000 fans on Facebook alone, and its circular blue logo is one of the most widely recognized brands in the region.
But the idea didn’t stop there. Ragsdale partnered with his friends to roll out similar guides for Destin (www.DestinShines.com) and Panama City Beach, and soon after, the team created TownWizard, a software and marketing solution designed to help other entrepreneurs create custom mobile guides in their communities.
“It’s inevitable that every town and neighborhood will eventually have its own mobile app guide,” said TownWizard’s Co-Founder Jeff Armstrong. “The only question is, who will be the first person to create it? It’s a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs in every market.”
Entrepreneur magazine recently learned of the service and featured the Santa Rosa Beach company in its new Small Investments, Big Ideas, HUGE PAYOFF issue. With over 2.5 million readers, Entrepreneur magazine has the largest newsstand circulation of any business monthly, and it’s been the #1-selling business magazine for 5 years running. Their website generates 93 million monthly page-views and reaches an additional 6 million people every month.
“We couldn’t ask for better exposure,” said Darren Nelson, who owns the Destin Shines brand. “It’s exciting to work with so many different entrepreneurs every day, from Hawaii to Vermont, from Ontario to West Palm Beach. It’s taking off very fast, and we’re barely getting started.”
