Biznik has raised a small round of "friends and family" financing that it will use to continue development on its social network for small business owners. It plans to use some of the money to add development support, bolster public relations and host more events.

Currently, Biznik claims more than 9,000 members, about half of whom reside in the Seattle area. Those members use the site to host small events or connect with others who may have expertise in a certain business area.

"It is a marriage between online networking and face-to-face networking," said co-founder Lara Eve Feltin. "What I think distinguishes us most clearly is the fact that you can meet someone at a face-to-face event and then you can build that relationship on the Web site."

The site primarily targets small business owners like dog walkers, graphic artists, accountants and photographers.

Members sign up for free, but additional services can be attained for $10 or $24 per month. Feltin said that about 6 percent of the members have signed up for the enhanced services.

The company also attains revenue through its events, including the BizJam conference as well as through sponsorships. Intuit just signed up as a premier sponsor of the site.

Biznik is starting to look at ways to expand the concept beyond the Pacific Northwest, which will be the goal of a BizJam conference that it helps sponsor later this year in the Phoenix area.

Feltin declined to disclose the amount of the financing, though she said it was less than $1 million. It is enough money to carry the company through the rest of the year, she said.

In other news, Biznik just started working with Seattle's Eyejot so that members can upload five minutes worth of video messages.