FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2000
Citigroup Expands Big-Business Advantages for Small Business at Bizzed.com
First account aggregation for small business
New York, NY —
How to effectively consolidate business accounts online and expand into international markets and the government arena are the key new features of bizzed.com, the online portal developed by Citigroup for America's 23 million small business owners.
The release of the new-generation financial and information tools, titled Accounts at a Glance and Business Builders, underscore bizzed.com's commitment to providing small business owners with focused, hands-on content and online services.
It also demonstrates Citigroup's commitment to a multi-tier strategy of delivering products and services to customers through whatever channel they prefer.
"As we mark our full first year in business, bizzed.com remains true to its initial mission of becoming the strategic and practical online resource of choice for entrepreneurs seeking to expand and shape their business," bizzed.com general manager and CEO Karen Sokota said.
The introduction of the online account aggregation feature, Accounts at a Glance, on the bizzed.com home page is a breakthrough for small business. Powered by Yodlee.com, it is the first time that business owners are able to place onto a single screen a variety of online data from multiple sites and access a financial snapshot of their business on a small business portal. Data collection can range from bank accounts and credit balances to email accounts and mileage rewards.
"It is an extremely efficient online tool for today's time-pressed small businessperson," Ms Sokota said.
Adding further to bizzed.com's focused content are the new comprehensive information tools, Business Builders. Designed to help capture new sources of revenue and growth, they provide small business with access to comprehensive services and support to expand their businesses into foreign markets or federal government.
The government contracting Business Builder, located at http://gov.bizzed.com, guides users through focused content on how to cut through red tape and sell products and services to the federal government, which each year earmarks $46 billion for goods and services purchased exclusively through small business.
The international gateway Business Builder, located at http://international.bizzed.com, offers access to services and support to expand business into foreign markets, underscoring the fact that 95% of the world's population and two-thirds of its purchasing power are outside the U.S.
All the new services are free and can be used by any visitor to the bizzed.com site.
Since launching in September 1999, bizzed.com has delivered targeted financial services and practical hands-on information and guidance to more than 50,000 registered small business users.
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About Citigroup
Citigroup (NYSE: C), the most global financial services company, provides some 100 million consumers, corporations, governments and institutions in more than 100 countries with a broad range of financial products and services including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage and asset management. This includes the trusted brand names Citibank, Travelers, Salomon Smith Barney, CitiFinancial and Primerica under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella. Additional information can be found at www.citigroup.com.
About bizzed.com
Bizzed.com delivers the power and depth of Citigroup by providing leading Citigroup products for small businesses from among its trusted brands, including Salomon Smith Barney, Citibank and Travelers, with the safety and security that is guaranteed by Citigroup. In addition, bizzed.com has established relationships with carefully selected, world-class organizations that growing businesses can trust to develop their enterprises. Bizzed.com is a unit of Citibank NA.
