He Harnessed ADHD and Made Millions Social Networking

Peter Shankman doesn't "suffer" from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He thrives on it. He uses it to drive his rabid social networking and from that created a business that was profitable almost at launch. He makes millions and helps hundreds of thousands with a unique service called Help A Reporter Out, or HARO for short. And his start-up costs were a pittance.

It's a very simple concept, actually, and that's part of its beauty. Shankman has both a journalism and a public relations background. He once served as an AOL news editor, then went on to found The Geek Factory, a successful boutique marketing and PR strategy firm in New York City with clients worldwide. He was constantly being asked to connect reporters with expert sources. Eventually he found that a good deal of his day was taken up with queries from reporters who were doing a story on, say, age discrimination in the work place, and who were looking for quotes from lawyers who specialize in this and people who had been victims of age discrimination.