Part 1: Autographing a website and launching a niche success

First of all, can you describe your site and tell us what it offers autograph seekers?
The Autograph Report offers autograph collectors a resource for everything autograph related. We have over 600 pages of autograph articles and classifieds, advertising from some of the hobby's best companies, back issues, free email, a message board and membership in our club.

What was the first autograph you ever got?
My first autograph would probably have been a Rochester American (AHL Hockey team) from when I was probably 8 or 9. I have met Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe (ice hockey) in person, Bob Gibson (baseball), Keyshawn Johnson (US football) and all of the Buffalo Bills (US football team). Every autograph has a unique story behind it.

Whose autograph is the most valuable today?
George Washington brings in five figures; an auction just listed an Al Capone autograph valued at around US$20,000; Albert Einstein does well.

Was your love of collecting autographs one of the driving forces behind launching your website?
Yes. Two and a half years ago I bought a computer and I immediately went on the Web looking for autograph-related websites. After a number of searches I found that there really weren't that many good websites for collectors. I had no web design experience, but thought it might be cool to build a place where collectors around the world could visit and post their in-person and through-the-mail experiences.

After years of collecting, I built the site to be something that I, as a collector, would want to visit. I touted it as the only autograph magazine written 100% by its readers. The idea took off and soon we added content and developed the idea into a monthly magazine, just this January, also going to a print/subscription version.

What kind of research, if any, did you do on the feasibility of this concept?
I didn't do much research in the beginning. Since the idea was, at first, a hobby, I didn't mind building everything from scratch and learning things as I went along. Research wise, I found out where to register my domain and the cost involved and also someone to host the website at TheWebHost.

How successful did you imagine The Autograph Report would be and have your expectations been met?
I really thought we would only remain an entity on the Web. After two years of receiving subscription inquiries, I decided to make a business out of it. My expectations have been far surpassed. We now reach subscribers in the United States and as far as the United Kingdom.

Continued...