The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com – Home of The Domain King®

Morning Folks!!

The past few months I finally have some satisfaction in that the posts I made were some of my most meaningful. Almost like a summary of everything I have believed and accumulated over the years. Not just domaining years, but all my years.

With the blog I tried to recreate what I had first written back in 1996 and 1997. When there was virtually nothing. Before Google was born. Just a different era and betting the farm on what I saw and exactly how it would unfold and WHY it would unfold that way. Like a rose blooming. So simple and so complex.

I am going to post links to what I believe are some of my best contributions. Most were in November, but a few came in October and September. So this can be a reference for both of us. Articulating a thought is a very difficult thing if your mission is to persuade. In selling or politics for that matter or even a lawyer and a jury, it is about persuasion. That's what we all do. The better the premise, the better the presentation the better you do and the better chance to persuade.

All I can say is people will waste YEARS trying to figure it out and blowing thousands of dollars but won't invest a couple hours reading a roadmap. I don't have all the answers, but I sure as hell have a few of them and the responsible comments hold many of the others.

If you were away for the holiday and did not read, before I had my '20 Year Plan' I shared what I did 20 years before that plan on the first link:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/lord-knows-i-cant-sing-introducing-sampson-and-ribeye-circa-1974.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/10/100-of-one-businessor25-of-1000-businesses-.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/10/need-more-money-dont-get-angryadjust-open-your-mind-change-your-destiny.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/10/if-you-are-not-making-money-in-domaining-you-are-doing-something-wrong.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/10/the-blame-game-defined-are-you-set-to-be-successful-or-destined-for-failure.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/09/nothing-to-fear-other-than-our-own-shadows-and-stupidity.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/ricks-top-10-bullet-points-to-being-a-successful-domainer.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/ricks-university-of-domain-names-free-90-day-course.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/make-a-million-dollars-in-domains-10-easy-steps-really.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/want-to-be-a-loser-here-is-your-blueprint-of-how-not-to-think.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/the-most-tumultuous-year-in-our-lifetimes-starts-tomorrow-heres-what-i-see-get-your-share.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/the-birdie-in-the-mine-dead-at-just-11-months-of-age-now-what.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/the-march-of-whatever-and-what-it-means-to-domainers.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/whatever-in-2000-and-whatever-in-2012-the-same-story-the-same-stubborn-domainers-.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/my-first-day-in-business-everything-starts-with-an-ideaproduct-and-a-sale.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/think-of-domains-like-you-think-of-diamonds.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/the-non-disclosure-clause-is-bullshit.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/32-jobs-by-the-time-i-was-19-2-jobs-after-that-then-into-business-for-myself.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/10/the-book-of-morons-trolls-and-blah-blah-blah.html

http://www.ricksblog.com/2011/11/index.html

http://www.domaining.com/feed/rick-schwartz/?p=1 is an easy reference for my posts of the last 12 month.

That's it folks. My top 20 posts this fall and some of my best ever imho. I hope you find GREAT value.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

There is FEAR in the domain Industry. That is the only word that can describe what I see. But it is unfounded fear the way I view the universe. Fear created by others because they WANT what you have.

Fear of a “Shadow” that can never duplicate a phenomenon even though they will try. They still talk about the Hula-Hoop. That was SIXTY years ago and they are stil looking for the second coming. Problem is the second coming did not look like a hula-hoop. It looked like a ”Pet Rock”.

For the last 2 years I have said during this economic turmoil that Ron Jackson would get on stage at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and report a record setting year of domain sales. I have been WRONG both times. But I believe in just 3 weeks I am finally about to be right. My timing was off, but the event unfolded as seen. Record setting domain sales in a tough environment.

Quite interesting to see fortune 500 companies buying WAVES of domain names just at a time where so many domainers are giving up. Are you folks CRAZY??

Pete Rose was great because he ever gave up. And by never giving up he squeezed another 10% out of himself each and every time. That 10% extra effort would result in a 50% success rate. Point is MOST give up just before the finish line. Too bad for them. They had victory within their reach and FEAR of failure made them give in. Passion lost out to fear. Persistence lost out to fear. The ONLY thing to fear is not giving it 110% each and every time. That is the only failure to fear.

How do you describe something not visible to the naked eye? An event about to unfold? Some see ghosts and I see opportunity. Some see shadows and get driven by fear.

Some are worried about the new gTLD’s. I still only see opportunity. Whatever downside that can happen is nothing more than the tide coming in and going out. Inhaling and exhaling. I just see much more upside than downside.

But, that is what makes a “Market”. That is why they have 57 flavors of ice cream. That is why markets go up and down. As businesses you job is not only to “Whither” the storm, but it is to “Thrive” during the storm or directly after the storm.

Don’t believe how things will unfold? Tell me that in 4 years from today. Can you survive for another 4 years? Steady as she goes. Fear makes bargains. There are bargains out there. There are deals out there. There are terms out there because there is more “Circumstance” out there than in most of our lifetimes.

Point is it is times like THIS that fortunes are made. The worst times provide the largest opportunity. My suggestion to those core domainers is to be in a strong cash position so you can buy FEAR! So you buy the unknown at a deep discount. Fear is driving the market when really nothing has changed. The power of your knowledge will more than offet anything the future can throw at you. These are the best of times because there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I think most of history was based on limitations. What you could not do. What you were not allowed to do, dream or think. That changed over time for some when many questioned the limits and decided to define new limits or break the limits completely. That is called the freedom of “Positive thinking”.

That thinking process allows you to visualize and taste success or anything for that matter without actually doing it yet. . Rely on yourself for that success. Based on whether you had the true fire in the belly for that success. That seems to have given way to an entirely different type of thinking. The “Entitlement think”.

Entitlement think is very dangerous and then of course you become dependent on others to take care of you where you are lacking. Everyone pays the price for that.

Forget about it in the political sense of entitlement. I see it right here in the domain industry. 500 real domainers and thousand and thousands that think they are entitled to the success those 500 enjoy but that they never even worked for. Never struggled to get. Never took the risk. Never had the faith. Never did what is needed to join the 500 who would happily welcome them to the group and even write a blog post to lend a helping hand.

Problem is those that I am talking to are shaking their head while the 500 that get it are nodding their heads. The 2 groups look at the world from an opposite viewpoint. The thousands have to explain and excuse and are so busy doing those antics that they refuse to take the time to listen to the 500 and how they see it.

Those 500 see things that the naked eye can’t. Like opportunity or just reading between the lines without distorting the message to fit their own agenda.

Timing is everything but you can come into THIS industry at ANY time and make your fortune IF you start to think and see things like the 500 do. The 500 are not some super geniuses. They just have a vision and follow thru each and EVERY time.

No other business on this planet has more opportunity than what we are doing. If success is eluding you, then it is obvious that you are doing something wrong. I have spent over a decade trying to explain what constitutes a good domain. A domain with value. It has less NOW to do with the extension and more to do with what the domain means. Meaningless domains are worthless until you find somebody that is more clueless.

My only goal is to expand the 500 into 5000. Your success won’t change my success. Is not a threat to any of the 500. We for the most part, don’t look at life that way. We give back. We want to guide and help. Plenty of room for everyone.

Mike Berkens discusses what CRAP “Domainers” bought during the opening of .CO when they could have had anything. Because they don’t understand what makes a domain have value, they pick Pigeon Shit when there is a FEAST of Great domains available. They are stuck . That is why 10 great domains make you a domainer and 1000 domains that mean nothing and nobody wants makes you a pigeon shit farmer.

So once again I am taking my time to point out how to change that dynamic. Most of you folks are much smarter than me. Have a better education than me. Are younger and more energetic than me. Have longer to look into the future than me. But until you understand noun’s, verbs and adjectives and how those elements are the FOUNDATION of domaining, and then match it with the size of the audience and the buying power that audience has, you will be without a compass, direction or a destination. You will wallow in frustration and anger and fear. That's called a 'Bad Attitude'. Most grow out of it. Some are stuck for their entire lifetimes. EVERYONE has the choice. EVERYONE!

You my friends are entitled to NOTHING! But you have the POWER to do, to be, to achieve, anything you want. If things are failing, just STOP. Stop and regroup and look at it differently. Lashing out frustration NOW, proves you don’t have the power to change even when you really do.

So hate me for telling you the hard truth. Hate me for being right. Hate me for 100 reasons. But don’t anyone hate me for THEIR own shortcomings, failures and other obvious thoughts of entitlement. This is business and nobody gives a rat’s ass.

Success in domaining has little to do with domaining and everything to do with the thinking process and understanding how different groups think. It has more to do with attitude and direction. Domains are the vehicle. Shoes are the vehicle. Any commodity service or idea is the vehicle. It should take you only a few days to learn about the vehicle. A few MONTHS at most.

But it takes a lifetime to learn that you ain’t entitled to anything but air. The rest is solely up to each and every individual. Some never learn that. Maybe they just don’t know because they just can’t see it. Education is WORTHLESS without that element. Without a positive attitude all the knowledge in the world won't overcome some of the simplest obstacles in life.

So they live life on false hope with no foundation of success. Walking EAST to find the SUNSET!! Ain’t EVER gonna happen my friend. But a SIMPLE adjustment changes the dynamics of everything in life. But until they STOP and take the time to turnaround, their destiny is decided and that single element controls them forever. Not me, not you, not Santa Claus.

I bet I have written similar posts to this 10-15 times over the years. The ones that can benefit the most, are the ones that get those with a bad attitude angered the most. Go figure. In my pea brain I figure if I reach one mind, it was worth my time. If not, it just reinforces what I already know and what the 500 already know.

This is not unique to domaining. In every single sector you will find those 500 and you will find those that have not made it. But in EVERY case, in every industry, in every sector, the mindset is what determines success. The 500 would likely find success with many vehicles. That is why a successful CEO in one business can go into any other business and can have a very good chance of repeating that success. He may know nothing about the product. He can learn about the product. But you can’t learn a good attitude. If you stuck yourself with a bad attitude you wlll carry that undeveloped mindset for a lifetime like it was your best friend even tho the 500 can clearly see it is your worst enemy. Attitude is everything. Sooner we learn that, the better life we have.

Some take things personally when I talk in generalities. I mention no names. Just a way of thinking and that sets off the folks that can benefit the most. The 500 are never threatened by debate. They learn from it. The others, they just do what they do and repeat hardship and failure for them and their families and blame me or whoever is convenient at the time but NEVER look at themselves. How sad in this day and age where in a recession we still have more opportunity than ANY POINT in history!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

I went to 3 different High Schools in my last 3 semesters of school that were 3000 miles apart. It was not easy then and it is tough when I look back now. The longest I went to any school was 3 years. In total I went to 7 different school systems in 6 different states. I was a good student until about 13 and then with so many moves and different levels of this and that I began to lose my way. I was always the “New Kid”. I started falling behind and losing interest. By the time I hit the middle of 9^th grade, I gave up and never applied myself again until the day I dropped out of college and my life began.

But even then I paved a road of mediocrity. I never used all I had. I used enough to get me through life. I was homeless in those days but not without a roof. I traveled the next 15 years living out of a suitcase. Jimmy Carter was President and the economy was MUCH worse than it is now because there were much fewer options in life. Gas lines. Some towns were basically out of business. Long distance phone calls were expensive and there was no Fed Ex. No Computers. There were 3x5 index cards and I was too lazy to use them.

And then one day, things started to change. It was 1993 and I was playing Duke Nukem and just lost $65,000 in options. (Remember iOmega?) It was a devastating loss because I never lost that much money at one time in one day. The good news is that I learned to lose even more and that taught me how to make money.

Then I got these Tony Robbins tapes. Life changing and to this day I still have never heard 16 of the 20 cassettes. That was the last day I was ever “Mediocre”. That put me on a new path. Instead of playing Duke Nukem, I developed a novelty Wrist Watch and never left my office as I designed the product and got a source and began shipping. From idea to first shipments in 6 weeks! And I never left my office. I was on the NBC Nightly News the day I got my first shipment of OJ Watches.

Now while I sold thousands, I just broke even with the watches.But it was a learning experience that made it so valuable. I was able to break loose of those chains in my MIND that were keeping me mediocre when I should have been tasting excellence. I now had a road map in place to do things.

That was the moment. That was the event. That was what changed my life. Not that it was bad before, but I worked way too hard to just be mediocre and I deserved to be better than that.

So I changed my outlook and like magic my life changed. That gave me the fuel to keep making more improvements. Manage my time better. Finish projects. Enjoy a level of success that I never had before and all I did was look at things differently and instead of the lip service of talking about things I just went out and did them with less energy than it would take to EXCUSE FAILURE!

My only regret is I did not learn this in my teens or 20’s. Not until I was 40 did I figure it out. After that life is like cutting butter with a hot knife. Failure is harder to achieve than success. Failure hurts and success does not. Just so many realizations I wish I had figured out earlier. And while I will never fear failure, today failure is only a step closer to success. In those days failure was end of the road.

The single biggest thing I learned was that failure or success is determined at the beginning not the end. You arrive at failure in the last hour, but your failure was predetermined during your first hour. The only thing I can do is share what I have discovered along the way and help you apply it to the domain business or any business.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Don't be part of the 98% of the masses that GIVE UP! They give up, throw in the towel and often when they are at the brink of achieving their goals. 98% just give up. They lose. They lose not by some outside force. They lose not by some force of the marketplace. They lose because their MINDS just gave up. Lost patience, collapsed. That allows the 2% to come along and scoop up YOUR success with little or no effort. You did YEARS of work, they get rewarded for YOUR work in minutes. All because you gave up.

Imagine you are 5 years old and you are on a 20 hour trip to Disneyland. It is 11 hours into the trip. Instead of focusing on the reward for putting up with the 20 hour trip, you feel dejected. You are tired and cranky and you want to turn back before you get your reward. That is a TRICK played by your mind and it is YOUR JOB to outsmart your mind. Outsmart the feeling that can only sink you. Now imagine the same scenario after 18 hours. All pain no gain if you quit and turn around. The result, 36 hours of driving with no results to show for your time. But guess what?? 98% of all people do exactly that when it comes to business goals. They quit just before they realize their goal. Instead of the great feeling you get after a great success, they get nothing but a sick feeling every time they look back. Instead of getting fuel for the next task, they added an anchor to their leg and their minds. That automatically makes the next task even harder to have a success with because instead of exercising their “Success muscle” they have exercised and made stronger their “Failure muscle.”

The main KEYS to all this is TIME, PATIENCE and TIMING. If you picked the wrong TIME to do something your results may not be the same if you had chosen the RIGHT TIME. Unfortunate as it is, when the RIGHT TIME comes, many are so battle fatigued that they are ready to give up at the PRECISE MOMENT they should do the exact opposite and work their hardest as their GOAL is right over the next horizon. They just ran out of patience and a great victory has been snatched by the jaws of defeat.

Don't even think about being part of the 98% of masses that embrace failure and fear success. Don’t feed failure and starve success. Don’t be one to achieve failure because you give up on the doorstep of success. And more importantly, don’t fear failure unless you give up and don’t learn anything. Failure on the journey is an opportunity for success unless you give up. If you make a wrong turn on the way to it is only a failure it that is the point you decide to give up. For the 2%, that “Failure” is no failure at all. It is a CLUE to your next success!

Have a GREAT day!

Rick Schwartz