WhipsBook is a social networking startup with a niche in the world of transportation. Its website will connect people who share a common interest in cars, trucks, motorcycles or any other method of mobility. WhipsBook will be similar to other well-known social networks but also offer a one-stop hub niche-oriented site for not only businesses, but also hobbyists, enthusiasts and professionals of all ages.

WhipsBook will have four revenue-generating Products and Services categories, as follows:                                                                                                                  

Advertising:  Display (CPM), text (CPC), pop-up, flash/DHTML, interstitial, video, email, on-site  sponsorships and advertorials. Targeting methods will include contextual, behavioral and geo.

Sales Commissions:  Individual product listings and retail affiliates.

Contests & Games:  High-quality contests entailing trivia and puzzles; sweepstakes with cash  prizes for an entry fee with no annoying extras; and free games hosted by online game  providers.

Accessories & Memorabilia:  WhipsBook logo t-shirts, sweatshirts, parkas and baseball caps;  memorabilia representing the past and present. All items will be outsourced to local  manufacturers thereby eliminating the need to carry inventory.

WhipsBook will be a dynamically evolving entity, continually seeking to meet its user’s wants and needs. In addition to the above categories, it will be recognized as the place to come for accomplishing vehicle-oriented tasks such as restoration, product guidance, purchasing and selling, swap meets, auctions, immediate vehicle repairs, one-on-one technical “how-to,” interpersonal support and socializing. In addition, there will be an entertainment area where individuals can play games either one-on-one, in small groups, or as teams.
For transactions regarding purchasing, selling and “paid for services,” PayPal will be used as the payment medium. WhipsBook will feature a model similar to eBay’s for members to buy and sell goods and services - including vehicles and parts for all makes and models since the invention of the automobile.

Milestones
• Create business plan & executive summary                         January 2012-Present
• Put together web team, begin building website                 August-September  2013
• Acquire premises, equipment & supplies                             August-September 2013
• Launch website                                                                                March 2014
• Break-even profitability                                                                 December 2014
• Begin replacing consultants with employees                          January 2015
• Consider worldwide expansion, 2nd round of financing      July-December 2015

Competition and Competitive Edge:  There are several forums and blogs for auto and other vehicle enthusiasts but, currently, no social networks - WhipsBook will be the first. Although the following social networks are not direct competitors, they are in the same general business and listed in size order: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,,Pinterest, MySpace, Google +, DeviantART, Livejournal, Tagged, Orkut, CafeMom, Ning, Meetup, MyLife, and Multiply. WhipsBook will also benefit from the increasing popularity of other social networks thereby promoting its own growth.
WhipsBook’s competitive strengths are its timing, foresight and uniqueness. It is well positioned timing-wise, just after the 2011 Web 2.0 Summit held by the World Economic Forum, to enter this new phase of the Internet’s evolution. This summit provided validation on the timing for starting WhipsBook.

Business Model:  The WhipsBook website will be user friendly and intuitive and not just for males but females as well. WhipsBook’s unique proposition will not only satisfy a wide range of needs for its members, but will also give them many reasons for coming back to the site regularly. The “proof of concept” has already been established by the successes of its competition. As such, WhipsBook’s membership growth will benefit from the increasing popularity of other social networks. The majority of content will come from its members.