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Approximately one fifth of Web surfers seek out adult material on line and if asked, most would guess there's a stereotypically sleazy guy behind each of their favorite sites. The reality behind one of the web's most successful adult oriented sites is just the opposite.
Danni's Hard Drive (www.danni.com) was conceived, designed, created and launched by entrepreneur and former magazine model/stripper Danni Ashe in July 1995. In just over two years the site's initial 70,000 hits a day has grown to 5.0 million, gross revenue has grown by more than 2000% and her original staffing of one part-time assistant has grown to 15 full-time employees. It is evident that this 30 year-old's entrepreneurial skills, keen business sense and Internet savvy are responsible for making Danni's Hard Drive one of the Internet's fastest growing companies.
The key to Ashe's success is being able to differentiate Danni's Hard Drive from other similar adult sites. Like others she offers a premium subscription area for downloading pictures, 24-hour video teleconferencing and a variety of merchandise. What makes Danni's Hard Drive a special Internet destination is the content control that each of the featured models is able to contribute. Fans get to know the models on a more authentic basis because so much of the editorial comes directly from them. Danni's vast experience in the industry allows her to not only satisfy her customer's interest but to also present the models and dancers in a way that respects them as individuals.
In addition to high quality content, Danni's Hard Drive has managed to offer a level of customer service rarely found online. Each day thousands of email messages are replied to within 24 hours, toll-free operators are available 7 days a week and customers receive personalized thank-you notes with their orders.
Industry analysts predicted that this was the year the Web was to become an enormous electronic shopping emporium. However, for most, sales came in far below expectations. While other sites are struggling Danni's Hard Drive is flourishing and Danni Ashe has become the subject of abundant media coverage. Danni has been profiled on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, the front page of USA Today, in the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Business Journal, Inter@ctive Week, Yahoo Internet Life, The Boston Globe, London Guardian, The Oakland Tribune, The New York Times, The Seattle Times, Vibe Magazine, Internet Underground, the Politiken and in numerous TV appearances including World News Tonight and Politically Incorrect. The prestigious U.S. News & World Report asserted that [the enormous sales activity on Danni's Hard Drive] "flies in the face of what everyone knows about Internet Commerce… sites like Ashe's may provide the rest of the Web's merchant community with a few important pointers on how to make money".