Business : Clickstop Inc. Expands its health and beaty brand portfolio through acquisitions

06.7.10 A commerce-based Web site started as a class project and grew into a thriving small business for former University of Northern Iowa (UNI) computer science and finance student Ben Frein. The company he launched in 2006 during his sophomore year has been purchased by eCommerce company Clickstop, Inc. of Urbana, Iowa.

Clickstop operates online stores in specialty categories and employs 26 persons in its sales, fulfillment, marketing, and administrative departments. Established in 2005, the company has enjoyed steady growth through acquisition and application of Internet marketing techniques to optimize placement of its sites within search engines. The domains purchased from Frein are well-trafficked and hold solid PageRank, both factors in holding competitive status for Internet-based businesses.

Frein and Clickstop each view the sale of My Hairstyling tools.com and BellyBling.net as a success. For Frein, the sale of his company is an opportunity to place increased resources behind the stores and leverage consumer demand for the body jewelry and grooming products. Clickstop finds value in diversifying its verticals while retaining a valuable employee. “These new brands are in a position for us to utilize our resources and capitalize on the opportunity that Ben and his staff created. In addition, the size of the acquisition is ideal for us at this time. We’ll be able to allocate team resources to these brands and hit the ground running,” said Clickstop CEO Tim Guenther.

For the past year, Frein has simultaneously been a Clickstop employee while operating his own company with the support of a staff of 3 talented students. Serving as Director of Internet Business Development, Frein managed site migrations and SEO strategies for Clickstop's online brands. With the sale of his company to Clickstop, Frein moves into a Vice President role overseeing Clickstop's health and beauty brands, including: My Hairstyling Tools.com, BellyBling.net, TruWell Health and Wellness, and Fitness Fire. Frein has helped expand Clickstop operations by relocating to Des Moines, Iowa.