When I was a kid like many other kids, I collected coins. In coin collecting 'Circulation' is the keyword. How many coins in circulation is
the basis for value. The less available, the more they would normally be worth.
It is also the word used to describe the condition of a coin. Uncirculated means
it has not been used. It is brand new.
In this business, part of how I judged it was exactly the opposite. Larger
circulation was better. I hired many to pass out brochures. I knew they had done
their job when I began seeing them in the garbage. That meant that I flooded the
trade show with my material. I had the market circulated. They may not need my product but my job was to make sure they knew it existed. I planted the seeds that
needed to be planted and just like in real life, most don't germinate into
sales. But a percentage do. My focus was to make the conditions right to
penetrate that percentage. The garbage can was my odometer. They were empty the
first day of a show. But there would be a point during every 3 day show that I
would hit critical mass. Where attendees knew my product was available. Where
any interest was evident or sometimes not so evident but actually kept for
reference and another source.
investment known as domain names. Get out not to a trade show with 50,000 people
in a confined space for 5 days but to an entire planet?? How do you circulate
that?? Network Solutions was a registry but was dysfunctional. It certainly was
not an advertising or marketing machine like GoDaddy.com. So the head of the
snake (Network Solutions) was not even in the game. They were passive. The few
that were into domains were each working in their own universe. Many scared to
step out of it and the rest not wanting to. Trying to keep it all a secret. But
since few if any were really communicating back then, who knew where anyone
stood?
At first they rejected what I was saying. So I would venture to other industries
like real estate where they would reject it much more intensely. That happened
at other venues as well. So I went back to 'Jonathan's World' in late 1996 to find out it
was there no more. Eventually finding my way to Ynot and bumping back into
Jonathan. Jonathan became my single biggest aid in circulating my far fetched
ideas on domain names. He was a well respected and innovative webmaster with a
huge persona. In between that time we had met at a pay per call show in Los
Angeles. Just 1 day after the first adult Internet gathering happened. I pulled
out my list of domain names from my back pocket (all 126 of them) and we sat for a while and discussed what I had and
what I saw coming. He saw it too and that really was the beginning. He acted
like a line backer protecting a quarterback and allowed me the platform to
circulate my crazy beliefs. That was aided by payouts that were 100x what the average was at that point in time. While most were making 1/10 of one penny per visitor, I was earning a dime. I actually thought my calculator was broken or I was doing something wrong until the checks strated coming in. The checks started coming. Nothing was broken. It just proved there was gold in them thar hills. Gold nobody believed was there until that moment. Circulation had finally begun. Now to repeat it 6
billion times. And if not 6 billion than at least every English speaking
country.
to 2000 and the first domain board. Just my first attempt to have something
stand up on domain names alone. A chance to circulate and have domains stand up on their own. A starting point. I made a few opening posts and figured I would talk to myself. One by
one they came. Eventually more boards opened. To me, more circulation. More chatter.
More soldiers. Then 2004 TRAFFIC. Again a way to circulate the message with
slightly more assistance and a bigger playing field. That was the single biggest
blast I could have dreamed of to help 'Circulate' the message. It's all about
circulation. Steve Forbes and all other speakers are to qualify and circulate.
Then fast forward to today and all the blogs. More and more soldiers spreading
the word and gospel of domain investing. How could you not love it? I do. I love
it and it gives me great satisfaction as it has become so manistream and
circulation is going strong and the first question I asked has already been
answered. How to circulate domain names to 6 billion people? I think I can
safely say I see the stuff in the garbage can and that signals success. Look
where you like, I find my success in the trash
Have a GREAT day!
It’s All About Circulation and the Trash Can
Morning folks!!
Later in life I was selling products and I printed millions of brochures.
So enter domain Industry. Getting the message out of this great product and
The first chance I had to 'Circulate' about domains was the adult industry.
So I can get bogged down on these early stories all day. A LOT happened between 1996 and 1999. No period in my life has ever matched that era. It was like decades packed into months. Let's fast forward
RegFeeNames.com
Excellent Post Rick!
It’s great to see you back this year with some excellent posts we have missed not seeing you around.
We are all foot soliders out there working our ass off to promote this industry.
Im sure in another 10 years time we shall reflect on this moment see what seeds we have planted watching them grow.
Payments may not be as high and many people are dropping domains, so if you dig deep in the trash you can find some beautiful domains.
Regards,
Robbie
Tom B
Rick-
This is by far the best post you’ve written since i started following your blog. The experience you speak of applies to any business…you must believe, persist, and overcome. Great job.
Scott Alliy
Rick,
I found it interesting that HomeDepot just announced layoffs. What they are saying is that the market is not there but what they are missing is that the market has shifted and for all intents and purposes they don’t know how to talk to the new market. People like my sone whi is 27 married one year and about to buy their first home.
Will they need home repair services and supplies? You betcha. I recently acquired HomeRepairVlogs.com. so what is the relation to Home Depot? Well, my college educated son and his wife are on the internet a great deal and could certainly use home fix-it repair tips of the type that might be shown on HomeRepairVlogs.com and once they watch the how-to video with the sponsor name all over it where do you think they would buy the repair items?
So, it seems that companies would rather admit defeat then learn how to leverage the internet and invest in domains and in internet business ventures that could increase their profits and save jobs.
Old habits die hard :-(
Thanks for sharing your visions most of which I agree with and turn out to be spot on.
SA
M. Menius
What an excellent post. It’s about vision. But not everyone can relate, because their view extends only 6″ in front of their face. They see only what is immediately in front of them, and not beyond.
I discovered the”domain community” in 2004, quite late compared to most … although I had been researching & planning (in solitude) my way to break into the game around 1990-2000. So many seeds were being sown that I was not aware of.
However, there were many like-minded domainers who had the same fundamental vision of where the internet was headed and how important domain names would become.
For every forward thinking investor, there are 20 naysayers/doubters and pessimists. They are so determined to be”right” that they miss opportunities passing by right under their nose.
While some are forecasting the end of domaining, I see the tide reaching out even further as the net literally infiltrates every element of society. The business world are just now coming into an early awareness of the true importance of domain names. The message is getting out. There are even larger waves of growth building.
seosoeasy
Rick, iam new to your blog and iam proud and lucky that i had read an excellent and everlast article from your great releases.Thanks for sharing with us and i will keep following your blogs.
Jarred Cohen
Great post Rick!
Rob Sequin
Interesting look at things from your”heart”. :-)
domain guy
this is detailed insight into how the domain king thinks and relates.and gives domainers insight into ricks thinking.an excellant post.when the brochures”were in the garbage can” the market was saturated. it will not take that long as 80% of the market is concerned google controls too much search. others will be looking for the direct navigation route.after a dozen corpoate success the word will spread.the field is now leveled and the new economy has a platform to grow on….
Impaptupgeale
Hi all,
my friend told me about this forum so i decided to sign up.
hopefully i can participate in some lively discussions here!
looking forward to talking to you all. :)