Snapshot 02/04 Allison Kugel, 29, founder of LongIslandLefty.com and TireSignal.com, Plainview, New York

Description:E-tailer offering products geared toward left-handed people;imported tire-pressure monitor caps and other automotiveaccessories offered on a second site

Start-up:LongIslandLefty.com, $500; TireSignal.com,$1,000

Sales:Projected combined sales for 2004, $1.1 million

Lose-winsituation: After being laid off post 9/11, Kugel foundsalvation while perusing an Internet start-up book her 15-year-oldbrother Jared had ordered. A supplier for left-handed productsintrigued the brother and sister enough that they pooled theirsavings to co-found LongIslandLefty.com. (Jared has since left thecompany.)

Southpawsrule! Operating lean and out of her parents' home, Kugelhad an old college friend-now a Web developer-create her Web siteplans in exchange for homemade cookies. Initially ordering fromsuppliers, the Kugels eventually started working with manufacturersdirectly, developing products like a left-handed notebook and canopener. Sixty percent of their customer base consists of parentsand their school-aged children, who often provide positivefeedback. "We get a lot of e-mails from kids," Kugelbeams. "Those are my favorite letters.

Two-tired:BIZ Experiencesship struck again when Kugel's father, who is inthe tire business, showed her the pressure-indicating tire caps hegot as a sample. While clever, the product had never gainedpopularity. Kugel discovered that her cousin was developing asimilar product, and the cousin allowed her to launchTireSignal.com, opting to be a ghost partner in the business.(Kugel is in the process of buying the cousin out.)

Starting with online orders and bulk overseas sales, they landedan account with AAA, and sales reps and distributors all over thecountry now sell the car accessory to retail stores. Kugel now hasoffices in Plainview and New York City as well as warehouses inClark Summit, Pennsylvania, and Long Island, New York.