Google’s free Apps click with entrepreneurs

In less than a year, Micaela Birmingham has gone from new mother to new entrepreneur. After being given a baby stroller with no sun protection, she devised her own shade and started selling it. The fledgling business owner runs her entire operation, which she named CityMum, using Google Apps.

"I have two employees, celebrity endorsements and distribution in several different countries," says Ms. Birmingham. "I started with a dishrag in my kitchen." Revenues for CityMum are expected to hit nearly $1 million by September, the end of its first fiscal year.

More than 2 million businesses, or 25 million users, currently take advantage of Google Apps http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html . The company says more than 3,000 businesses sign up each day.

By Kira Bindrim

Full Story: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100811/SMALLBIZ/100819962