He cleans the bathrooms in his office building to help pay for rent for his Web-based businesses, which are designed to connect executives in the recreation industry. Otherwise, it might not be able to survive. Belicove's life, sans even a car, is a far cry from the lavish lifestyles many dot-comers lead with catered breakfasts, arcade games and dry cleaning services. We will do anything to give ourselves the competitive advantage, but we have no competition. The Outdoor Network offers news, job links and field knowledge, Belicove said.
Subscribers run the gamut from public schools to tour operators to wilderness-based therapists.
In the next year, he wants to dramatically bolster the number of subscribers to 10,000 thorough controlled circulation. Jeff Liddle says he uses the network nearly every day. He often snags tidbits from the Web site that help his company, Minneapolis-based Wilderness Inquiry, which leads roughly 10,000 people on backcountry trips. Many of the nonprofit's clients have mental or physical disabilities. Liddle recently passed a news tip from The Outdoor Network to several Wilderness Inquiry leaders who were taking a trip to Yellowstone National Park.