Startup Angie Hicks Shares Her Secrets to Success

A lot has changed since the mid-1990s when Google and email were barely in use. Here, the service rating site founder explains what sets her small business apart.

EXPERT OPINION BY BILL MURPHY JR., FOUNDER OF UNDERSTANDABLY AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, INC. @BILLMURPHYJR

Jun 21, 2013 Getty Images

Well, that was quick. After a week of hopscotching across the country–and an itinerary that SBA employees have assured me did not include open bars or lavish hor d’oeuvres–National Small Business Week is wrapping up in Washington.

The keynote speaker at the main event is Angie Hicks, cofounder of Angie’s List. So I got on the phone with her and tried to get her to spill her secrets ahead of time.

I wanted to know two things. First, how can entrepreneurs apply the lessons learned from her experience in starting Angie’s List to their own business? And, second, how can small businesses succeed on her site?…