https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy How I Built This Podcast: Angie's List- Angie Hicks en-us 2021-02-23 16:01:10 UTC 2025-09-24 11:53:52 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4a1.png andersonreese52 https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247619716 Factor: Entrepreneurship
Angie Hicks had just graduated from college in 1995 and was looking for a job, she had interned at a small venture capital firm and worked for Bill Oesterle, who became a mentor to her. That summer Bill had invited Angie down to Columbus, Ohio where he was looking to start a business, but he wanted her to commit for a year. Angie did not think of herself as an entrepreneur, yet she took the chance anyways and packed up all her belongings to move to Ohio. Angie began working on what would become Angie’s List after getting inspiration from a similar service back in Indianapolis, called Unified Neighbors, which helped homeowners find trusted home improvement businesses. She started advertising by going door to door all day long, and considered a day successful if she sold just one or two subscriptions. Even when it was just her working at every stage of the growing company she stayed focused and motivated herself. She also had incredible networking skills and therefore built up a large network that helped the business grow significantly.]]> 2021-02-27 03:33:03 UTC https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247619716 andersonreese52 https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247620598 Factor: Labor 
Angie Hicks was a one man show for a significant chunk of time during the company’s first couple of years before the business grew to a substantial number of members that Angie needed extra help managing the two locations, so she hired Maggie. Angie later went on to pursue a degree in business management at Harvard university where she gained important knowledge but ultimately chose to stick with her roots and came back to Angie’s List where she continued to grow her entrepreneurial skills.]]> 2021-02-27 03:34:01 UTC https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247620598 andersonreese52 https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247621567 Factor: Land
The resources required for Angie’s list initially included paper for magazines, and oil/ gas personally for Angie Hicks to be able to drive back and forth from her two offices in Ohio and Indiana. 

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As Angie’s List began to grow its membership it looked to expand to the growing world of the internet in 1999, so they bought computers and hired website design engineers to create an online page for Angie’s List. Angie still continued to write her magazines and advertise through networking, but soon found that over half her new members registered through the new website. So, she worked to expand the website and move Angie’s List more online, which allowed her to expand to more cities and reach more people.]]> 2021-02-27 03:35:32 UTC https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247622164 andersonreese52 https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247635078 Angie's List today serves over 3 million members in almost every city, Angie’s List continues to add new features and find innovative ways to market to new customers. The company and Angie Hicks in particular likes to be actively involved with the community, both the members and local businesses, where she can help and advise businesses to optimize customers experiences and create a welcoming environment.

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The company started out in a small office building in Ohio with just one or two phones, but as the company began to grow it was time for Angie’s List to start expanding their market. They bought Unified Neighbors in Indianapolis about 3 years after business started picking up. Now Angie managed two offices and she found herself driving back and forth between the two cities that were 3-4 hours apart. ]]> 2021-02-27 04:56:19 UTC https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247685418 andersonreese52 https://padlet.com/andersonreese52/e0akv1bl8uaeufsy/wish/1247687541 How they came up with the name will surprise many people, but Angie's List is not named after its co-founder, Angie Hicks, but after the kind neighbor in Columbus, Ohio that extended her hand and helped Angie Hicks get started on her entrepreneurial journey.

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