One Minute Entrepreneur Tops New York Times Bestseller List

PROVO, Utah — June 5, 2008 — The One Minute Entrepreneur, published in April 2008 by Currency/Doubleday, has appeared on several bestseller lists, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and as the #1 New York Times business bestseller for the month of May.

The youngest of the book's three authors is Ethan Willis, who currently gives most of his attention to his role as chief executive officer at Prosper Inc., a Utah-based distance education company he cofounded in 1999 with Randy Garn. Willis' entrepreneurial experience also includes founding three other companies: Adcafe.com, a leader in online lead generation; TSN, an online business tutorial with over 20,000 members; and Education Success Inc., which has sold more than 400,000 downloadable business courses.

"Growing up in a family of nine children, I was aware that making ends meet was a frequent challenge. People are always looking for ways to supplement their income, and entrepreneurship can make that possible," Willis said. "As the book highlights, finding the right mentor and applying proven techniques is critical to starting a successful business. I've seen it my life and in the lives of our students."

For the book, Willis provided a list of twenty key characteristics which are common to today's successful entrepreneurs, based on his experience with Prosper's 40,000 students. This list of "E-strengths" is designed to help readers discover their entrepreneurial potential. Considering the current state of the U.S. economy, the release of the book is timely. The book is also finding international success, with strong sales in Brazil, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

"Especially in a soft economy, there is often a necessity for entrepreneurship. Prosper is uniquely positioned to give students the training and one-on-one support they need," Willis said. "Our students are proof that it is possible to start a business and secure a better future for oneself using the principles we share in The One Minute Entrepreneur."