"Basically, I've always wanted to do something on the Web," Cusimano said at his home office in Port Richey. "And you've seen what's out there. Everyone's like, wow, there's only a few choices out there on the Web to buy and sell."

Few choices, dominated in the public's mind by the two big kids on the online selling block: eBay and Craigslist.

"Whatever you're going to set out to do, chances are someone else is already doing it," Cusimano said.

The trick is to figure out what they aren't doing and what they are doing that could be done better. Cusimano believes he has done that with Hastogo.com. He spent nearly five years studying eBay, Craigslist and other classified ad sites. Even as that research went on, he spent two years acquiring the software needed and working with his Web designer, Brandon-based JH Studios, to create a site that was efficient and user-friendly to buyers and sellers alike.

Opening an ad on the site, Cusimano pointed out the first thing that catches the eye. The page is clean and uncluttered. All the information about the item is clear and organized.

Ads can include up to 10 photos, all free of charge. Most sites offer no more than four photos, Cusimano said. And unlike on other sites, each photo can be enlarged in a separate window. This is an especially attractive feature for real estate ads, he pointed out. Ads can also include locator maps, another nice feature in real estate ads.

One of the most common problems Cusimano saw on other Internet classified sites was with the way items are categorized and the tools to sort through those categories. A seller's ad can get lost among a sea of items within a day or two of being placed, while buyers with something specific in mind can spend forever sifting through items.

On Hastogo.com the category breakdown is more specific than on other sites. Cusimano said he is considering giving sellers an option to augment their free ads, offering bold headings or preferred placement for a small fee.

Hastogo.com has also been designed to let customers shop geographically. Searches can be worldwide or aimed at a specific country or state. It's still a work in progress, but eventually the site will allow users to click onto any city in any state.

"The good thing is you can search by radius around a ZIP code," Cusimano said.

If you want a business venture to be successful, he said, the first thing you need is product or service that people very much want or need. But even once you've built a better mousetrap, you need to market it in today's world, and one of the most important steps is to come up with the right name. Ever since he's tuned himself into online classified ads, and especially lately just living in Pasco County, the one personal theme he's seen and heard time and time again is people with items, especially big ticket items that they need to sell - "It has to go."

"I was amazed the name was available," he said.

Now it's a matter of getting that name out there. Familiarity breeds credibility when it comes to branding, and Hastogo.com not only hits the nail on the head in terms of what the site is about, it hits people where they live.

The Hastogo Hummer, designed by Black jack Wraps, in New Port Richey, is meant to generate local buzz about the site, Cusimano said. Eventually, he plans on having one last publicity hurrah by giving it away to whomever places something like the 25 millionth ad on the site.

That sounds like a lot, but Hastogo.com is designed to be a worldwide classified ad site. Today, eBay and Craigslist routinely get that many postings in a month. Two things to remember, Cusimano said, is those sites both started with a single guy, too, and there's nothing that says you have to be based in California to an Internet success.

"There's always room," he said. "Especially in this area, in Pasco, where are so many people having a hard time, everyone can use something like this.

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