akcoupons.com new venue for Anchorage: this company began operations in Anchorage last August, and is expanding into other Alaska markets as well as nationwide.

• Author: Cutler, Debbie

George Sikat, 34, is an entrepreneur at heart. He is owner of Shoot-N-Edit, a video production company he runs out of his South Anchorage home, and is working on producing Home Alaska Television Show, a series dedicated to homeowners living in the Great Land. But his newest adventure, akcoupons.com, is testing his strength as a business owner.

Sikat started akcoupons.com, an Internet coupon site, in August 2002 and the site showed great promise initially. The first month, 30 businesses signed on as advertisers, though about one-third of those were freebies designed to introduce people to the business. Over the next few months, another 20 or so advertised. Business was looking good. But then he hit a slump.

No problem. Sikat knew the idea was a good one and feels confident his business will do well. So despite the lull in profits he will soon expand operations from just the Anchorage area to include other areas like Fairbanks and Juneau. He even has plans to go national.

"The national site is lovetosave.net. I'm $10,000 away from going national. It's literally at the click of a mouse. All I have to do is upload it."

Cost to advertise on his site is $325 for six months or $625 for 12 months, which includes four coupons per month. Vendors can change the coupons every month. Consumers can go to the site at any time and print off coupons, free of charge.

"People can print out as many coupons as they want," he said. "The vendors understand that. The vendors do not put themselves at risk. The coupon is designed so it will be copied, photocopied and e-mailed to friends. Vendors want that.

"Instead of waiting for a coupon, stumbling on a coupon or hoping to find a coupon, at akcoupons.com you just go online and get the coupon you want."

Currently about 55 vendors are offering coupons, including restaurants, auto detailers, hairdressers and gyms. A bonus, according to Sikat, is that no questions are asked of those printing off coupons.

"A lot of coupon companies out there ask for too much information," he said. "They want to know your e-mail address, the demographics, how old, how much money. Our site is designed not to be intrusive."

Sikat got the idea for his company after watching a television commercial for the U.S. Postal Service. In the commercial, the owners of a drycleaner mailed out coupons and the result was more customers. Sikat thought about mailing out coupons for Shoot-N-Edit and even bought stamps to do so. But then he decided the...