Autoweb.com: The Success Story of Two Brothers; It Took Just $75 to Make It Happen!SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 1998--Can two brothers coming to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. with only $75 in their pockets create a thriving business on the Internet? A business that has already permanently changed the history of automotive retail and helped thousands of car dealers nationwide double their profits? Amazingly, brothers Farhang (Frank) and Payam Zamani have done just that! As co-founders of Autoweb.com, they now have one of the most successful electronic commerce sites on the World Wide Web. Their site, which allows consumers to shop for new or used cars and other automotive products and services online, is growing each day by leaps and bounds. Not only is their company the definitive leader in the fiercely competitive online automotive retail arena, but it also continues to redefine the potential for the overall concept of electronic commerce. Today, Autoweb.com is involved in hundreds of millions of dollars of car sales every single month! Although on the surface this may seem to be one more typical Silicon Valley success story, the reality is anything but. The Zamani brothers' story of escaping religious persecution  The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed.Please see the relevant discussion on the . in Iran and their subsequent arrival in the United States via Pakistan reads like a national bestseller. They experienced daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin personal challenge and hardship, but overcame them with strong family ties and an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. determination to rise above adversity. Their story is also a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of commerce in America, where two young brothers arriving with $75 between them can, with incredible drive and determination, build a multimillion dollar operation within 10 years of their arrival, and eventually go on to change the biggest industry in the United States! Looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a Better Way of Life While the odds of succeeding in any competitive business marketplace are limited, for the Zamanis, the odds of merely escaping to America with their lives were even lower. Frank and Payam Zamani grew up outside of Tehran, Iran, with their parents and sister. Following the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, the quality of life for Iranian citizens sharing the Zamanis' Baha'i religion had declined significantly. The Baha'i community in which the family lived had begun to face growing persecution and pressure to conform both religiously and socially. Life was very different from the nonoppressive, free-wheeling surge of innovation and investment taking hold thousands of miles away, in Silicon Valley, Calif., during the same period in the mid-1980s. By the time Frank Zamani, the elder of the two brothers, turned 21 and was about to be drafted into the Iranian army (in which he would have to serve for three years), the family faced a dire decision. A bloody war was raging between Iran and Iraq, and few young men returned from the front. Rather than stay and fight on behalf of a government that did not provide any rights for him, Frank decided to immigrate im·mi·grate v. im·mi·grat·ed, im·mi·grat·ing, im·mi·grates v.intr. To enter and settle in a country or region to which one is not native. See Usage Note at migrate. v.tr. to America and leave Iran without a passport, knowing he would be risking his life, and that if he were caught, the punishment would be severe. Leaving with only a few days notice, he fled Iran to Pakistan, guided across the desert by smugglers with other escapees whom he did not know. The journey took one week under perilous conditions -- hiding during most of the daylight hours, fleeing by Jeep in the middle of the night, dressing in the garb of local nomads, and relying on hired escorts who spoke a different dialect dialect, variety of a language used by a group of speakers within a particular speech community. Every individual speaks a variety of his language, termed an idiolect. and shared no moral, cultural or social values with those fleeing Tehran. Frank barely escaped with his life. But he did get out of the country and settled temporarily in Pakistan among a community of Iranian Baha'i refugees -- others also seeking freedom from the oppression of their homeland and looking for a better way of life. A year later, the story was repeated, as Payam, Frank's younger brother Wiki is aware of the following uses of "'Younger Brother":
tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. , Payam was only 16 years old when he left his home in Tehran. Finding the Land of Opportunity Reunited "Reunited" was a #1 hit in the United States in 1979 by the Washington, D.C.-based group Peaches & Herb. Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 5 1979 Succeeded by "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer , the brothers moved a year later to America, settling in Modesto, Calif. Frank and Payam spoke no English, and together, miraculously, had only $75 to their name. After working odd jobs odd jobs npl → chapuzas fpl odd jobs npl → petits travaux divers odd jobs odd npl → , saving money, learning the language and completing U.S. high school equivalency equivalency the combining power of an electrolyte. See also equivalent. requirements, Frank eventually entered California State University, Chico References 1. ^ "California State University, Chico", Yahoo! Education, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-28. , where he studied computer science and received a computer science degree. Almost simultaneously, his brother, Payam, entered and attended the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). at Davis, outside of Sacramento, where he obtained a degree in environmental toxicology toxicology, study of poisons, or toxins, from the standpoint of detection, isolation, identification, and determination of their effects on the human body. Toxicology may be considered the branch of pharmacology devoted to the study of the poisonous effects of drugs. . While still going to school, the Zamanis -- both ambitious and hard-working, and by now, fluent in English and the American lifestyle -- also worked long hours at what would become their future places of employment. Frank put his computer science degree to work at Pacific Bell and did some consulting on his own, later joining Microsoft Corp., where he served as an engineer for the Power Point Division. Both during and following his tenure at U.C. Davis, Payam had the opportunity to gain invaluable business and management experience through his involvement in the Student Works Painting program, a student-run and staffed residential painting franchise network. Beginning as a summer intern intern /in·tern/ (in´tern) a medical graduate serving in a hospital preparatory to being licensed to practice medicine. in·tern or in·terne n. , Payam moved from division manager, generating $20,000 in profits, to district manager, responsible for recruiting and training other student painters, and eventually to general manager of Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern operations, where he was responsible for overseeing 700 employees and managing more than $2.5 million in business! Through his work with the organization, Payam honed his entrepreneurial skills and acquired the human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. and employee-training expertise that would later become an integral component of Autoweb.com's business model. Not surprisingly, 10 of the top performing student employees who worked with Payam at Student Works Painting later joined Autoweb.com in various capacities. While both brothers were enjoying successful occupations, the sense of entrepreneurialism and the desire to start a business still resided in the hearts of both Frank and Payam. Although neither Zamani had any direct experience running a technology company, Frank's personal experience of buying a car when he had first arrived in America and the drive of both brothers to succeed were the only ingredients they needed to create Autoweb.com in late 1994 in Frank's apartment bedroom in Cupertino, Calif. Frank's technology background and critical thinking provided the know-how to fuel the site's start up, and a hungry online marketplace provided the consumer interest in the concept of online car buying. Autoweb.com went live in April of 1995. During its first week of operation, the site had less than 100 visitors. Today, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a USA TODAY/Intelliquest poll, consumers overwhelmingly have named Autoweb.com the best car-buying service on the World Wide Web. The site is involved in more than $640 million in car sales every month. Autoweb.com also receives nearly 300,000 customer referrals each month, and has a growing new and used dealer network of more than 4,000 member dealerships throughout the United States and Canada. "It was difficult coming to an unfamiliar country where we didn't speak the language and where we really had to rise above basic challenges simply in order to survive," said Payam Zamani, co-founder and executive vice president of Autoweb.com. "But as we grew accustomed to the business environment in this country, we combined our will to succeed with our love of technology and cars to create Autoweb.com. This dream never could have happened if our parents hadn't had the foresight to insist that we leave Iran when we did, and seek a more fulfilling life here in America," concluded Payam Zamani. How Autoweb.com Works Where did the idea of Autoweb.com originate? "Americans love their cars, but are not necessarily in love with the traditional car-buying process," said Frank Zamani, co-founder and president of Autoweb.com. "Autoweb.com offers people who are short on time or find visiting car dealerships This article is about car dealerships. For the indie pop band, see Dealership (band). A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new cars and/or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or stressful an online buying experience that is easy, fast and fun. And through our site, we also provide additional products and services such as financing, insurance and the ability to advertise private cars for sale giving users just about everything for autos on the Web in one place," Frank Zamani added. In this wired age, new car buyers need never set foot inside a car dealership again -- if they don't want to. Now they can use the Autoweb.com web site to visit virtual showrooms, where they can enjoy the same services that they'd receive in-person at a car lot -- from inquiring about car availability and pricing, to even scheduling delivery of their newly-purchased car to their home or office -- all from the comfort of their personal computer. Is it possible for two brothers from a country with a radically different social, cultural and business architecture to revolutionize rev·o·lu·tion·ize tr.v. rev·o·lu·tion·ized, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·ing, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·es 1. To bring about a radical change in: Television has revolutionized news coverage. 2. a traditional U.S. industry that has seen little or no change in more than 50 years of doing business? The answer is a resounding re·sound v. re·sound·ed, re·sound·ing, re·sounds v.intr. 1. To be filled with sound; reverberate: The schoolyard resounded with the laughter of children. 2. "Yes." Not only is it possible, but Autoweb.com is hugely successful and offers major benefits for both consumers and dealers. Online car-buying is here to stay, and Autoweb.com offers a proven model for success that has already redefined the entire automotive industry The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006, more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide. . "We've created a new paradigm New Paradigm In the investing world, a totally new way of doing things that has a huge effect on business. Notes: The word "paradigm" is defined as a pattern or model, and it has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework. for car retailing," added Payam Zamani. "Autoweb.com is simply the best, most affordable way to buy or sell car." Through hard work and the strength of family, Autoweb.com is a true American success story. Background Founded in November 1994, Autoweb.com (http://www.autoweb.com) is the leading online brand for new and used cars, where informed, motivated buyers are put in touch with an exclusive network of the highest-ranking dealers in the United States and Canada. Using Autoweb.com, consumers can inquire about car availability and pricing, secure a loan, compare auto insurance rates, check vehicle recall and service data, or advertise their used auto for sale. The company has strategic partnerships with Yahoo!, State Farm Insurance, USA Today USA Today National U.S. daily general-interest newspaper, the first of its kind. Launched in 1982 by Allen Neuharth, head of the Gannett newspaper chain, it reached a circulation of one million within a year and surpassed two million in the 1990s. , Nations Bank, C/NET's Search.com, Netscape Communications, Infoseek, Lycos, and Car and Driver Online, and is a seven-time recipient of PC Magazine's "Hot 100 Web Sites" Award. Consumers overwhelmingly named Autoweb.com the best car-buying site on the World Wide Web, according to a recent USA TODAY/Intelliquest poll. For more information, contact Autoweb.com, 3270 Jay Street, Building 6, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054. Telephone: 408/970-9100, Fax: 408/777-9553, Email: info@autoweb.com.
CONTACT: Autoweb.com, Santa Clara
Anita Corona, 408/970-9100, anitac@autoweb.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard Inc., Los Angeles
Jamie Ludowitz, 213/629-4974, ludowitj@fleishman.com
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