Morning Folks!!
I have been involved in emerging businesses and industries
all of my working life. I have seen the evolution of multiple industries from
embryos to their eventual peak and then the downturn and consolidation that
follows. It is filled with great times, conflict, change and then spun off to
whatever destiny there is.
I have watched this and been involved over and over. The characters change, the vehicles change but the scene itself does not. They all
start out small, warm, fuzzy and with few attracting a few others.
Words, thoughts and ideas. Our mind is allowed to explore
the extremes no matter what anyone might tell you. It is really interesting how
many people are threatened by new thoughts and ideas. They lash out at the
unknown. Not after thinking about it, but as a knee jerk reaction. Our animal
instincts perhaps at their rawest. But just because something effects you a
certain way does not mean you have to accept that. You can change and bend your
reality for the better.
The Internet is a place made up of words, ideas, pictures and
sounds. That translates into emotion and that is where folks go off the rails.
They are a slave to their emotions instead of mastering their emotions. Your
knee jerk reaction may be to want to kill somebody because they did you wrong.
Our mind is allowed to go there. But most of us realize immediately that is the
wrong way to handle it. That is because we have mastered our emotions. Problem
is while we may have harnessed those big emotions, it is the little stuff that
can become life changing and that is where you need to become the master.
These series of posts are designed to give you solid
information. Some opinion based, some fact based. Either way I don’t force
anyone to read or believe or do. The only thing I can do is share things the
way I see from my view point. It amazes me that the folks that could benefit
the most, are also those that have a hair up their ass. They would rather call
me names in behalf of their failure than to read between the lines. Than to try
different things. They bend what you say. They twist what you say and I guess
it makes them feel good. I have said dozens of times there are 1000 ways to
climb this mountain. Are they just deaf? Dumb? With attitudes like that they
are just passing thru. They won’t be in domaining in 3 years so why even take
them seriously? Most don’t have a single clue about business fundamentals
because they have never ran a business. They don’t understand the fundamentals
of sales because they never sold anything. They don’t understand negotiating
because they never negotiated anything but getting laid and probably did not do
all that well in that arena either. They don’t understand domaining because
they never took the time to stop and think they just buy. Yet they lash out.
They have bills bigger than their
incomes but are 10x smarter than everyone else. How exactly does that work?
So whether you flip domains, buy at auction, get domains for
SEO, buy expired domains for their links or whatever way you are climbing the
mountain, if you are making money, great! If you are not then don’t lash out,
LEARN. You don’t have to learn from me, learn from others, just make sure the
folks you are learning from actually are earning 6 or 7 figures. You can follow
failure, but it costs no more to follow success. I try and give back what I can
by reaching down with my thoughts and ideas. It is up to those that want to
succeed to also help pull themselves up. I can provide a rope. Many others can
provide a rope and do. Those that think they can get on top by pulling others
down will likely be angry and frustrated failures forever. They are the folks to avoid. Failures
because they will never allow themselves to succeed. Success comes with discipline,
good decisions and mastering your emotions and it does not matter what you sell
or what industry you are in. The rules remain the same and that is where so
many miss the point.
How do you explain to those
that have an attitude that if Franky, Kevin, Mike and myself went thru a list
of 100, $1000 domain names right now, that we would likely pick the same few
domain names and the rookies with the big mouths would pick pigeon shit? You can’t blame it on not being there in 1995. You can’t blame it for not being
there in 2003. This is 2010 and until you figure out what makes one domain have value and one domain worthless, won’t
make any difference what year it is. You either learn to spot great domains for
WHATEVER REASON or you don’t. Asset or liability. A basket full of liabilities
does not make you a domainer. So I will never win awards for 'Miss Congeniality'. Of the next 100 new domainers that come into the industry, I will piss off 90 of them. But 10 will figure it out. I will make 90 enemies and 10 friends. But at least I know the 90 to ignore and who cares if I piss them off? They have a decision to make now, get pissed off at Rick or use that same energy to get pissed off at themselves and be a success by learning to pick winners like Franky, Kevin and Mike.
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
anon
What a great way to wake up on Saturday morning for an ex-part time domainer. I became”ex” when I cleaned my portfolio of all the domains except those for me to use as an end user in my own industry (which were my best names anyway.)
Now I have only the perfect keyphrase or word domains, pure generics, and names that make me own an entire category, and they are working for me.
I don’t know a single person in my profession who reads Rick’s blog or cares much about domains. More business for me. I am looking for and finding a very special kind of traffic.
Before I worked for myself, I had an idiot boss who used to tell me over and over that”business is all about relationships” as his way of knocking the internet. I always replied that they must really appreciate me since I was the only one finding new relationships (via the internet) for the business. They didn’t, and I left.
Karl
Well-said Rick.
I have perused the portfolios of these drive-by opiners, these so-called”experts” on Domaining.com.
But these petulant charlatans spew and demand we pay homage to their ignorant musings.
I have zero respect for these rookie, attention-whores who demonize others, bully their way into the spotlight while their holding a pile of junk assets and a videocamera.
Sullys_Blog
Very inspirational. I look forward to more great information.
Tia Wood
“You either learn to spot great domains for WHATEVER REASON or you don’t. Asset or liability. A basket full of liabilities does not make you a domainer.”
That’s something to chew on for awhile. Thanks, Rick.
Dean
“Our mind is allowed to explore the extremes no matter what anyone might tell you”
If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise
-William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
Elliot
“But these petulant charlatans spew and demand we pay homage to their ignorant musings.”
Ouch. LOL :)
Altaf
Rick,
We will keep reading & learning as long as you post your insights. Never care about those naive nay sayers. We will remain ever greatful & you will remain great for ever if we succeed from your valuable advices. SURE! we will. Have a great time!sincerely,
Rob Lafaye
There’s no doubt that ‘we’ll all’ find plenty of good advice from people like yourself, Rick.
Obviously we’re all looking and curious enough to read what the other guy or girl is saying.
Your site was one of the first that I found when doing the ‘minimal research’ that I did before ‘plunging into’ the pool of ‘90% dead-end domains.’
What excited me was the ‘get rich quick’ impression I got from reading about the iReport.com sale. I’m a horseracing fan by nature because I love the challenge. It’s fast and before domains were the ultimate arbitrage for me.
Until recently I was losing my ass in domains. Not because of anyone’s advice…I’m the DIY type, too.
I agree that there’s no room for using others to get yourself attention. And I offer what I believe to be sound advice for today’s new interested investor.
If there’s something that won’t work as I see it, I say it. If I’m wrong, I’m still learning. But what I have learned is that I can read between the lines, and I’m a little late to the game.
With a small investment you can make money buying, branding, developing, and selling domains. That’s the point I want to make to people searching for solutions in today’s changing world — without having to read between all the lines.
Besides, there’s enough of that to do later today at the Preakness.
Thanks, Rick. I’m off to the races!
Kevin
pricked! hurts more than a little, but less than too much.
http://www.inc.sg
access
i get the feeling you’ve sold a whopper recently Rick? care to share?
Jeff Schneider
Hello Rick,
The very fact that Jeans.com did not sell at auction, only proves to us all that the key word secondary market auction platform, along with industry valuations are not where they need to be for Key Word Addresses. There is a concerted and foolish resistance by the Marketing and advertising firms to quality keyword domains.
Like it or not, the marketing firms prefer branded names. I thought that this resistance would eventually wain, but it is not happening. All the B-School brainwashing remains intact and brands remain KING.
Gratefully,
Jeff
Mike
you are the BEST, io mio
Perchboy
Great post, Rick. I’m still waiting for what would be your fascinating book. I want to buy an autographed edition.
10 Percenter
I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog and what you have to say along with all the varied viewpoints from your audience. It seems like each post brings us closer to the inevitable truth, something to be both feared and relished at the same time. Thought
provoking, insightful and most relevant though I hardly agree with any single persons viewpoint, it certainly is an interesting time to be Domaining.
More food for thought:
The Zen Master warns:”If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him!” This admonition points up that no meaning that comes from outside ourselves is real. The Buddhahood of each of us has already been obtained. We need only recognize it. Killing the Buddha on the road means destroying the hope that anything outside of ourselves can be our master. We must each give up the master without giving up the search. The importance of things lies in the way we have learned to think about them. How often we make circumstances our prison and other people our jailers! At our best we take full responsibility for what we do and what we choose not to do. The most important struggles take place within the self.
“Once, in the Orient, I talked of suicide with a sage whose clear and gentle eyes seemed forever to be gazing at a never-ending sunset. ‘Dying is no solution,’ he affirmed. ‘And living?’ I asked. ‘Nor living either,’ he conceded. ‘But who tells you there is a solution?'”
Some of the 927 Eternal Truths:
1. This is it!
10. The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune.
11. You have a responsibility to do your best none-the-less.
18. If you have a hero, look again: you have diminished yourself in some way.
28. The most important things each man must do for himself.
29. Love is not enough, but it sure helps.
31. How strange, that so often, it all seems worth it.
Pattaya Girls Blog
Jeans are a high fashion item where a good fit is vital, not the ideal product to buy online. I would also argue that when it comes to Jeans brand is the most important factor. So the fact Jeans.com didn’t sell isn’t that big a deal and doesn’t make keyword domains in general any less desirable.
Anunt
Truth hurts…but here it is…there isn’t much of a chance for a new domainer to climb this domain mountain…probably one in one thousand…less than one percent will climb this mountain and succeed in today’s domain market!
It’s not like the 90’s or early 2000, where more than 75% of domainers could easily climb this domain mountain and be successful.
I don’t even think the best of the best domainers (Franky, Kevin, Mike or Rick) could start from scratch and re-climb this domain mountain in 2010…if the best of the best can NOT climb this domain mountain, the average joe sure doesnt stand a chance…so why keep telling people to even try…Rick, stop telling people to try, when the ending result is going to be failure…they are going to climb 25% of the way and fall down and get hurt…lose all their money! Domain game is dead in 2010 and beyond…there is a one in one thousand chance in success in the domain market in 2010…so why try?
I am one of the guys who became successful in the early 2000, but now, in 2010, even i dont stand a chance in domaining…the game has changed…people are going directly to google and using apps, etc, etc…domaining is dead in 2010 and beyond…
Save your hard earned money folks and do something else or follow Rick’s domain advice and lose money!
Rick, please stop lying to people…tell them the truth…Rick, do you really honestly believe with all your heart that people have a chance to climb this domain mountain in 2010…come on Rick…stop the bullshit…new comers in 2010 dont stand a chance…please save your money guys, try something else…you will thank me later for my money saving advice or go ahead and follow Rick’s advice and be very very sorry later!
Altaf
@Anunt,
What exactly do you want here?
Rick Schwartz
@Altaf
Anunt is a domain failure. Been around forever, accomplished nothing, has a bad attitude. never helped anyone. Just a piece of SHIT in the stew.
@Anunt,
If you continue to be the biggest asshole poster I will ban you and I have only banned spammers. Which you are as well. Nobody needs to read your negative CRAP. Grow up. Contribute or go shit somewhere else. You are a loser now, you will be a loser tomorrow.
My post could have just described you. Go short your ass somewhere else. You are NFG in my book. If others think you are cool, let them hang with you, just not here.
Do you have a drinking problem? Your posts sure sound like it. You are angry and because YOU failed, you want everyone around you to fail.
Tim Davids
Anunt is right. The name I bought 6 months ago for $300 and sold a few weeks ago for 1k was all just a dream :)
A nice dream though..,
Anunt
No need for name calling Rick…didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers Rick…just trying to save the new comers from making their biggest investing mistake of their life times in 2010 and beyond…
Liquidate all your domains and get out while you can…domain names are going to be worthless sooner than you think…you heard it from me first…this will be my LAST POST on your blog…Good Luck to you and other domainers!
LS Morgan
I totally disagree with Anunt that ‘domaining is dead’ in 2010.
The methodologies have certainly changed and the bar is higher- lets not lie. Idiots can no longer make money at it- but it is not as impossible has Anunt suggests.
No one knows who I am and no one ever will (well, Schilling did send me a Rumcake, but that was a one-off sort of freak thing and made me giddy as a schoolgirl).
I’ll never attend an industry show, I occasionally participate on blog comments or forums, but not much anymore. I just quietly make money with a hybrid strategy of mid to full scale development and flipping high quality aftermarket domains to end users.
There are thousands of others out there, just like me, who have no interest in ‘the limelight’. Who have no interest in ‘domaining celebrity’ like the”domainer bloggers” and bullshit Look-At-Me artists who’ve accomplished nothing of note… people who just STFU and keep cashing the checks. So, I don’t know why you say Domaining is dead in the year 2010, Anunt. It’s working just fine for me and plenty of others.
Stephen Douglas
@Brian K
Exactly. Rick likes to spout rhetoric, even comparing his”domain picking” abilities with top domainers who have 500 times more domains than he owns and who’ve reached a financial threshold that Rick is still trying to reach.
Don’t forget, Rick first made his money not using domains the way your grandma would want you to. His”I started with only $1800″ comment doesn’t mean that’s all he had in his bank acct. lol
I’ll give Rick credit for printing my posts, but his attack on people who supposedly buy”pigeon shit” shouldn’t be Rick The Domain King’s concern, should it? He’s a major success, so why should he even take the time to gloat about his domain choices over those who haven’t yet reached his success? Is he selling an ebook about domain evaluation? Couldn’t find anything out there like a”Domain Graduate” ebook with Rick’s name as author.
Since I’m the only domain expert in this business that offers”evaluation” services to separate your”pigeon shit” domains from your portfolio, and I do it for cheap for a lot of people, I think I have a dog in this fight.
Brian K nailed it on the head when he asks Rick a simple question:”What makes a domain pigeon shit?” I have confidence that Rick can’t tell you the”bottom range” of domains he finds valuable. That means, will Rick tell you if he thinks your domain is worth only $500, is it”pigeon shit”?
So, if I presented ten $1000 domains to Rick, I’d bet him $1000 that most domainers (over 50%) would pick the same domains that he picked, if he could pick only three, and everyone else be able to pick four.
So, Rick should ask Andrew (Dub-A) if he could put together a simple survey with ten $1000 priced domains from the auctions from the”Domain Auction Success Story, Rick Latona” auctions” holding Rick’s”picks” secret for 15 days while Dub-A ran the survey inviting everyone to vote. What would it reveal?
That Rick’s”picks” aren’t any better than the rest of the crowd on average.
Rick loves to rant, and so do I. I admire Rick for his successes and he has the right to rant, and he’s never stopped me from commenting”here” at least. Lol.
Put Rick’s rhetoric to the test. Maybe he’ll stop spending time showing us how stupid we are and how smart he is. His comment”The rookies with the big mouths would pick pigeon shit” is clearly a”dare” by the Domain King.
I say we take him up on it, and ask him to put money up to back up his words. When he loses, he’ll humbly admit he’s wrong and give the $1000 award to me, which I will then give to his favorite charity.
Tim Davids
@Anunt again :)
You were not the first to say domains will be worthless…that would have been around the years 2000-2001. Coincidentally about the same time F. Shilling started domaining LOL.
This is all fun debate but bottom line is you can make money anytime in any business if you put the time and effort in.
brian K
@ stephen
just to clarify
I wish I am 10% as successful as rick is at domaining.
I was trying to fish for some of his secret sauce.
I want to make sure I am not buying crap (pigeon shit)
So my question again is what would be pigeon shit domain and what would be a good pick up?
Maybe rick can post a couple of examples
LS Morgan
Good domains are domains that have resonance, meaning and succinctly define something without having to be ‘creative’.
Pigeonshit domains are the ones that don’t, backwater TLDs, etc.
Someone bought Numismatics.co.uk on SEDO for about $800. I was first underbidder, and will be kicking myself in the ass for a long time for not just sucking it up and buying that. That was a great, great name and an example of the sort of gold that’s popping up out there right now for way, way cheap.
vNumismaticSite.cc would be an example of a shit domain.
Michael
Good article, I want to be one of your Friends. :) I just want to see if I can get my domain biz to make 4 figures before I call myself and expert! LOL I think I have a eye for picking out a good domain name, just haven’t master selling then. I am going to read through more of your blogs. Thanks for the good information!
Stephen Douglas
@Brian K
I’m not going to sell myself on Rick’s blog because that’s in bad taste. However, if Rick doesn’t post what he thinks are”pigeon shit” domains in his comment section for this article, you can reach me to tell you my opinion on my blog. You can reach it by just clicking my name.
Come on Rick! Tell us how to know what pigeon shit domains are! ;-)
Rick Schwartz
@ Stephen……
Morgan Linton posted a perfect PIGEON SHIT domain that even YOU can understand.
I do understand the anger when you wake up to find you own a lot of pigeon shit and then have to go get a job. As far as your valuations, give me a break. They are not worth the paper they are written on. And to be clear either is anyone else’s.
“Pigeonshit domains are the ones that don’t, backwater TLDs, etc.
Someone bought Numismatics.co.uk on SEDO for about $800. I was first underbidder, and will be kicking myself in the ass for a long time for not just sucking it up and buying that. That was a great, great name and an example of the sort of gold that’s popping up out there right now for way, way cheap.
vNumismaticSite.cc would be an example of a shit domain.”
Stephen Douglas
Hi Rick,
What domain did Morgan Linton post is the one you’re calling the”perfect PIGEON SHIT DOMAIN” that even”I” would understand? I didn’t see a link or the domain in your comment above.
I work with clients from all business fields regarding domain”picks”, including the domain industry. First of all, my evaluations of domains are worth MORE than the paper they’re written on, because I’ve evaluated millions of domains for several domain companies in the last six years. Those domains I selected were then sold to other domain companies/domainers for millions of dollars. You may think I’m talking about”appraising” and putting a price on them, which I’m not. I”evaluate”, which means pointing out the premiums, typos, TMers, builders, flippers, and”good god what were you thinking” domains.
If you’re referring to me”waking up to find I own a lot of pigeon shit domains and then I have to get a job”, you don’t know me or my domains, or my investment strategies for domains. I’m surprised how little you know about me.
If I choose to work for someone, it’s because I like them (except one, who we share that feeling). I believe in their company, and they pay well on my terms. I work on my own time, and included in this perfect work scenario (telecommuting) is the opportunity to learn more about the domain industry, its direction, its main players and inside information than you have in the last six years. That’s valuable education in the”domain streets”. You’ve learned your way basically on your own, calling your own shots, and I admire your success absolutely. However, spending your time calling out a general unnamed landscape of domainers to dog them about buying”pigeon shit” is really beneath you, Rick.
Anyway, I am still willing to put up $1000 for your charity in a bet that I could pick at least 80% of the same valuable domains you picked, supported by any”backup review team” you suggest. I’m not sure I’d go with 100 choices, that’s too wide a field. But I’d offer that bet on 20 domains, five picks each. I’ll put my reputation and the cash on the line in the name of charity. Maybe a few other domainers would like to take the same bet, you know, for charity. We can discuss the arrangements if you agree. It would be fun, and beneficial to our charities.
Put the money where the rant is…
peaceout
Rick Schwartz
Stephen,
Most new domainers buy pigeon shit. That’s a a fact as unfortunate as it is and the market PROVES they own pigeon shit, not me. Liabilities opposed to assets. Why don’t you tell them the truth? Oh, I forgot, how could you give a valuation and put $0? That would piss them off if you are worried about that and not giving them the truth about value.
Just one of the reasons I don’t believe in valuations. Unless you have a”Pigeon Shit” stamp, that is. :-)
Valuations are relative and since we are talking about a unique asset the ONLY valuation is after the fact. After the sale is made. Valuations before are WORTHLESS and folks using it to justify their prices look like FOOLS! How’s that??
If some MORON waves a foolish and worthless domain valuation in my face, I know he is a rookie. I know he is a waste of time. I know that somebody ripped them off. I would never even answer their email. It’s the kiss of death in doing business with me. Sorry pal, THAT is how I feel about folks that give valuations. And if you charge for those worthless valuations, then that is just taking advantage of know nothings.
Let me be 100000000% clear. There is not a single person in this industry (Including me) qualified to give valuations. The ONLY valuations that should be going on are the personal ones based on the particular domain you are buying at the moment or the one that just sold. ALL others are not worth the paper they are printed on. That’s what I believe.
MS.Small Businesses
BEST post…
right now i was so very interesting to climb to the mountain..
very fun while reading these article!
Jeff Schneider
@P-Girls Blog
You obviously do not know about the holographic scanners coming to all future computers, that will accomplish perfect fit for all clothing.
All of us have to be visionaries that think outside the box, to enjoy success.
Take todays date, for a little bet, 5/23/10. Jeans.com is a steal for 1 mill.$. You can take that to the bank.
Gratefully,
Jeff