Southwest Airlines Partners with StartupNation® to Provide Podcasts and Business Advice for Entrepreneurs

Birmingham, MI – April 7, 2006 – The fast-growing, small business media and content company, StartupNation (www.startupnation.com), is teaming up with Southwest Airlines to provide podcasts to help entrepreneurs start a business and manage it successfully. The “Entrepreneurial Tips” small business podcasts will be available at StartupNation and will feature sound business advice, often highlighting many of the customer-service strategies that have contributed to Southwest Airlines’ success.

"Southwest Airlines is thrilled to partner with StartupNation to offer entrepreneurs, one of our core customer audiences, tools to succeed,” said Rob Brown, Southwest Airlines’ Director of Corporate Sales. "At Southwest, we are continually looking for new ways to demonstrate our commitment to our customers. Delivering this content through StartupNation is just another example of exceeding expectations in this realm.”

“The StartupNation community loves to learn from the companies who’ve made it, and Southwest Airlines is a great example of one that has differentiated itself with customer service and through its approachable, fun-loving brand,” states Jeff Sloan, StartupNation Co-founder. “We are excited to be able to bring Southwest Airlines into our mix so our entrepreneurs can learn from their success and also take advantage of special travel offers.”

Entrepreneurs that visit www.startupnation.com and enroll in SWABIZ may be able to take advantage of two special SWABIZ offers. New enrollees who work for companies with at least three employees can earn double Southwest Rapid Rewards credits. Additionally, any small business which books $2500 or more travel using its SWABIZ account, in the first 60 days of their enrollment, will earn a free, round-trip ticket. In the coming months, StartupNation and Southwest Airlines will also offer entrepreneurs and small business owners the chance to win a free, Southwest Airlines Vacation Getaway package and individual round-trip tickets. More details to follow at StartupNation.com.

About StartupNation® and the Sloan Brothers Founded by Jeff and Rich Sloan, StartupNation (www.startupnation.com) provides entrepreneurial advice via a nationally-syndicated radio program and through online content for entrepreneurs who want to start a business. The Sloan brothers are successful inventors, experienced entrepreneurs and authors of “StartupNation: Open for Business” (Doubleday). They’ve been featured in numerous, international publications and frequently appear on national television. For more information, call (866) 55-START or e-mail info@startupnation.com.

Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 62 cities in 32 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,000 flights a day and has 31,000+ Employees systemwide. Southwest Airlines was recognized for its top-notch service and low fares for the third consecutive year by Business Traveler Magazine. The magazine's 2004 "Annual Best in Business Travel Reader Survey" named Southwest as "Best Low Cost Carrier." The survey is conducted by independent research firm, Mediamark Research Inc., and is voted on by the magazine's business travel readers. For more information, please visit www.southwestairlines.com.

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Media Contact: Melanie Rembrandt, melanie@startupnation.com, 248-540-9660 ext. 333