Internet Empire Starts In Rural Mississippi Run-Down Metal Warehouse Released by: Alexa Ferotina Web Site: http://www.londonstimes.us He was out of work and out of money and had a used $100 and a book called "Internet For Dummies". Email: rick@londonstimes.us Keywords: cartoons, comics, ecards, funny gifts, funny gift ideas, far side, the far side, silly gifts Update Date: 12/2/2006 12:47:02 PM Hits: 141 Descrption:  Rick London started Londons Times Cartoons in a metal run down warehouse donated to him by a friend in 1997 for his "studio". He was 43 years old and decided to become a cartoonist (though he didn't draw very well). London says "People thought me of dubious character at best, first for wanting to become a cartoonist, and secondly because I was not all that artistic. Nobody wanted me as 'the odd neighbor with a vision'. But that didn't stop him. With $300 (all he had) he bought a used IBM clone computer, a phone line, a lot of rice and beans, a book called "Internet For Dummies" and a sleeping bag. He slept on the concrete floor. He learned the Internet, started recruiting illustrators who would render his ideas on speculation (he had written about a thousand), and got to work. By 1998, he had a website on a free web server, could not yet afford a domain, one illustrator partner, and about 70 cartoons up (more popup ads than cartoons). Fast forward to 2005. London, by now was living in a high rise in Hot Springs, Ar, had his own domain, an inventory of about 5000 cartoons; an illustration team of seven nearly-full time illustrators and was in the Alexa top 100,000 websites on the Internet. The cartoon site is at http://www.londonstimes.us Fast forward again to 2006. London has a worldwide following, about 6500 cartoons, and his site remains one of the highest ranked on the Internet. It receives about 4000 visitors per hour, or 5.6 million hits since January of 2005 (today is December 1, 2006), a superstore with over 65,000 cartoon image products in 23 categories, his own private label of gourmet coffee gift baskets (complete with gourmet mug and coasters), and much more. The Superstore address is http://www.londonstimesssuperstore.com and it boasts one of the largest if not the largest collection of cartoon gifts and collectibles on the Internet. Many have compared the cartoon favorably to Gary Larson's Far Side, but London says "To me that is a compliment. If anyone was my inspiration he was...along with Leigh Rubin, Jon Mcpherson, and Dave Coverly. In fact Dave, Jon, and Leigh spent countless hours with me on the phone and email showing me the ropes when I started. I'll never forget their generosity." London also just launched Londons Times Ecard site which features his cartoons in ecard form complete with music and a place for a private message for senders. It can be accessed at http://www.londonstimes.us/ecards/ecards.html . He offers a free 30 day trial and then just charges 8.50 a year, half of other quality ecard sites. London is also a full-time business student at Western Governors University, and plans to go on for an MBA "if my health and sanity hold out," he jokes. For more information contact sales@londonstimes.us or call 501-442-0099