JointVentures.com Bulletin

Morning Folks!!

This note has just been sent out to all JointVenture.com clients and since I did this all so publicly I think you are entiled to see it as well.

Rick Schwartz



Dear Friends, Colleagues and Clients.


The decision to take on 3rd party domains came as a result of a discussion on RicksBlog.com back in the early fall of last year. I personally thought it would be the right time and having domains even better than my own would help give us credibility and accelerate our vision.


Well instead of accelerating our vision it actually led us off that path just a bit and as you will read further below the delay of the new gTLD's factored in as well.


Business to me is a very solemn obligation. It is even more so when I deal with third parties. And even more paramount when I personally know most of you and even those I have not met, we have had a healthy amount of chat and emails etc so we do know each other.


So your domains became a priority. We have worked diligently for months developing these pitch pages for each and every domain. But the further we got down the road the more overwhelming the task became.



We spent many days and hours with the sales team trying to train them to be effective and professional. Most important to me was "Do no harm". I know some types of marketing will lower the value of a domain so we were very sensitive to that. And while we had 2 or 3 go getters, there was just nothing to get at this moment.


I had hoped at this point to have several successes to point to that we could build on. I can't do that.

I had hoped by December 31st that we would have presented enough evidence and enough successes for you all to swing with us for another year. But I can't do that either.


In fact, I can't even ask you for the next 6 months. We are not out to tie up your property and so I hear-by release each and every one of you and the contracts we have with you effective July 1. I would hope you allow us to pursue any active contacts. There are a few names we have ongoing and active negotiations on and I want to ask those folks to stay on board.


Dispensaries.com & MarijuanaDispensaries.com, SEOConsultant.com, CRMSoftware.com. But these all have multiple parties interested and we have ongoing and active negotiations. Deals are all within reach and we are working to get those deals.


There are a few others like Rings.com, Disrupt.com and Nope.com that we have had some talks but nothing concrete yet and think movement will occur.


So while I would like to keep running with those domains, not up to me. I know we have planted a lot of seeds on many other domains and in time they may sprout.


Our current clients can even forward us future inquiries if you would like me to respond in your behalf. I still see GOLD in them thar hills! But if the timing is wrong, I would rather preserve our relationship until the day when the timing is better. There is NO QUESTION that domain leasing or lease/option is the way of the future. I still see it happening by the end of next year. But it is too far off on the horizon to ask you to tie up your assets any longer.


Bottom line, we were not able to meet our own goals that we set. Bigger is not always better and scaling back to regroup and get more proof of concept on my own domains before doing anything with 3rd parties is the right thing to do at this point.



I am all about timing. I saw the future last fall and jumped on board. As you have seen, Leasing has become the buzzword around over the last 6 months or so. It is still coming. Delayed but not canceled. And that is why I would rather release our obligation now and have the ability to come back when we are ready and the future is a little closer.


I want to thank each and every one of you so much for believing in us and I am sorry we let you down. Truly sorry!! It weighs heavy on me personally as we promised so much and delivered so little.


It was not from lack of will, desire or belief. Many of us have given what we had as we were "All in" and we reached deep looking for a success. I still think a success lays in the future. I will still be trying to blaze that trail a little bit each and every day. But reality trumps what Danny Welsh and I see when we are talking about YOU and your assets and the TIME to accomplish what we set out to do.


So effective immediately the JointVentures site will be pulled down in the coming days and I will be replacing it with something else. I have not abandoned my original idea of Joint Ventures or leasing domains. In fact I am working on a brand new site that will be online in the next few weeks. More streamlined and hopefully more effective. Maybe more geared to PURE Joint Ventures as this is where at least we have the ball rolling and have had some limited success.

It saddens me more than words can say that we let you down. We created as much momentum as we could and it caught on. We took the lead on leasing premium domain names in a new direction and the marketplace was just not ready to buy into our concept. YET!!!!!!! 

 

But I still maintain that day will happen and I still believe that that gTLD's will be the catalyst for that event. We expected them to start rolling out in April-May and planned a T.R.A.F.F.I.C. event in May in Las Vegas to capture that excitement. 

 

We almost lost our shirt on that show in Las Vegas but it came together and we pulled it out and it was a success for the attendees. But as we all see the delays, it won't be until October or beyond before we will see what we expected to see months ago. That was the KEY component in my timing and expectations throughout this. 

 
So it is so long, not good bye. Delayed but not over. Just waiting for the universe to catch up with the future. 


Rick Schwartz aka Domain King®

Chairman, CEO & Co-founder
JointVentures.com


You Need Brains, Ideas or Money to Play the Game.

Morning Folks!!

You got to come to the table with some THING. If you come late to the game then MONEY is the equalizer. Pretty simple. To catch something early money helps but it may not be as important or there may be ways to leverage your IDEA but that takes BRAINS! That takes a lot more than money because you are seeing something that has yet to materialize and money alone can not make it appear. You have to have some vision. Some futuristic thoughts. Some experience that you can draw upon that shows you a vivid picture that is so clear you just can't understand why everyone can not see it.

So when you see things early, the pay to play is a lot less than when it is visible to all. But then of course you have to endure lots of stuff. But who cares? Major leaguers get called all types of vicious names but they are on the field earning millions while the folks in the cheap seats are spending millions and the full circle is that those that are yelling are also the ones that give value to those on the field to earn those millions in the first place.

Confused? I have no idea why. It is a pretty simple process that plays out in so many different arenas plus the arena of life itself.

Success come with how you approach things. If the approach is flawed than success is virtually impossible. Even with a perfect approach, success is not an easy thing to achieve. Successful people fail more than anyone. But to an untrained eye in the grandstand it is a failure. But for those playing the game on the field, they know how many swings they need to take to get a success. Not only does a .333 baseball player make millions and become famous for failing 2 out of 3 times, he is also swinging the bat and failing 3x when they strike out on just one at bat. So the ONLY way to learn success and have success is to embrace and understand that failure to some is just step closer to success for those on the field.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

What 40 Years of Championship Surfing Taught Me

Morning Folks!!

Many of you don't know that I compete in Championship Surfing to this very day. Been studying waves for over 40 years. If you are a surfer you need to learn to catch and ride the wave. There is no difference whatsoever in business.

Waves Baby!!

And what do surfers do when there are no waves?

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Have a Beach Party and wait until there are!

That is what I do as well. When there is business to be had there is no time to sleep and play. However when we have slow times like these, I don't sit around and fret. I just keep a keen eye open looking for the next wave. I don't waste my time and energy when there are no waves. But guess what? Even 80% of the 20% do. Not knowing the difference makes a HUGE difference. Now you know.

As far as the championship surfing. Well I have never been on a surfboard in my life. But that does not mean I don't have the ability to see, feel and understand the thrill. Then apply that to something else called "Business". I just found one single parallel that changed how I view things and it has served me very well for many years. I am a business surfer and I go for the gold every single day of my life!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

It May be 2013 for Some, but it is 2014, 2015, 2016 for Me.

Morning Folks!!

I know some people who walk and always look down at their toes and seem to always have bruises on their foreheads. Should I suggest they raise their level of their eyes to avoid that pain and the chances are the anger will be directed at the person telling them that. However a simple adjustment can change your destiny.

But let's be honest, we all have our heads looking at a different point in the future. Whether it just be for the hour, the day, the week, the weekend, the first of the month when the bills are due. April 15th when taxes are due. Sales this year vs last year and planning for next year.

My focus is probably all of the above. However I spend time each day planning for 12, 18 even 36 months into the future. I tend to "vault over" those canyons of bad business. That is the time I just sit back a bit and relax. Make hay when the sun shines and realize when it is raining you need to do something else or just go play.

Every TLD other than .com sells for less than .com. The counterpart of ANY domain name has more value with a .com on the end than .anything else. Guess what, it likely will not change in the lifetime of anyone reading this. So those that plan for 100 years from now, well you will be dead. The second coming seldom comes and when it does, it could be way past your life expectancy.

So in the late 90's and early 2000's when there was still PLENTY of .com domains around to build an empire, some focused on .biz, .info, etc and they are still waiting for their ship to come in. The POINT I always tried to make over the 15++ years is don't settle for the cheap seats when the box seats were there for the taking. Gold and diamonds were in the mine but some focused on the next big thing. TIN!

Tin has value. But when tin and gold sit right next to each other it is very hard to convince me that tin is better.

So here we are. .Whatever sells for 1%-10% of a .com IF you can even sell it. When and IF .whatever is EVER on PAR with .com, most reading this will be dead.    Here's to your health and wealth!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

The BIG Domain Industry BOOM!

Morning Folks!!

Ever heard the phrase "The calm before the storm"? These historical phrases are tested over hundreds of years and uncountable events. They are the most basic and fundamental building blocks we have. They consist of common sense, history and knowledge.

So while so many domainers are jumping out of their shoes each day with fear and worry I am sitting at the pool WAITING for TIME to pass. What is coming is SO CLEAR to see why are so many missing it? Some folk are always chasing shiny objects and just like a shadow, they never catch it. And they don't learn either.

There are BILLIONS of dollars coming to OUR POND in the WEEKS, MONTHS and YEARS ahead. If you can't figure out how to grab some of them $$$$, then you could not get laid in a whore house with a fist full of hundred-dollar bills. So those wringing their hands all day and questioning everything they do are being TRAPPED by their own MINDS!

It's truly sad to see that we are each our own biggest enemy and/or obstacle. While we always lash out, it ALL comes from within. You can either be in control of human nature or you can be controlled and victimized by it. But make no mistake. it is all SELF INDUCED! A choice we make because we each have the POWER to change our will and our destiny.

Today you can choose to be a victim or a winner. 80% wake up every day as a victim and the other 20% reap the rewards that are just sitting there because of it.

So go cry in your soup. It's a HUGE leap for that 80%. Nobody likes being taken out of their comfort zone. So they are all STUCK!

STUCK is a choice. You can be a Mover and a Shaker. But the bullshit swirling around in the minds of the 80% paralyzes them into inaction. STUCK! Those folks only have time and energy to lash out. They are insulted by the reality of life. They take it personally. I am amused at first and then saddened that they are stuck, sit on the side lines, fear every decision and since they make bad decisions, they should be scared!

So the #1 problem that the domain industry has is the same that every industry has. There is an 80/20 mix and the 80 spend all their energy trying to bring down others while the other 20 spend their energy in moving and shaking and still have enough time to try to have others see the path to success no matter what you do in life, who you are or even where you came from. Today starts now. Each day starts. Who is controlling YOUR day? Me? lol Some guy on TV? Some BS in your head?

You can go to school for 1000 years. You can obtain the highest degrees. You can be the most brilliant person walking. You can have every gift in the world. But if you don't understand and control human nature, if you can't make good decisions, if you can't see past today and learn from history, then it is all trumped by those that can.

Who is a better boxer? The guy with a 9-0 record or the guy with the 100-5 record? Chances are the 9-0 guy has never been truly tested. Chances are the 100-5 guy has seen it all and has been tested. Learning how to fail may be the only path to learning how to succeed. And everyone yelling in the grandstand is 0-0.

So here is a time capsule type post. Business is slow right now. So what? It's called summer and for a lot of folks they have not enjoyed a summer in several years. Well, they are going to adjust and enjoy this summer and business will limp along like a calm before a storm. But come September and on until the following September, things are in store for a huge turnaround. By December 31st 2014 the talk of recession will be gone and the recovery will feel like a BOOM!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

What is the Evidence that the Recession is Over or About to be?

Morning Folks!!

Look from 2008-2013 and you will find that this has been the first set of posts I have talked about a recovery and the recession being over. Today I will explain exactly what I see and tell you why NOW is the time.

If you paid attention in 2008 the way the top economists explained the DIRE time we went thru as a ball bearing on a shiny, flat 18" plate that a restaurant server may carry over his head as he walks through the dining room and the ball bearing was out of control, rolling all over the place and the fear was the ball bearing would fall off the plate and the economy would crash and be out of control. Well the economy crashed but they held control because the ball bearing never fell off the plate. Barely! They admit it was out of control.

So why is the recession over now or about to be as I will explain? Well now they DO have control again. Now they can MANIPULATE things. Now they will use their power to make sure YOU and ME pay for the calamity that was mostly man-made by the political class.

But here is the real reason. Lets look at a Lawn and a Drought.

So a drought comes and your lawn is brown. That is a recession. Just using water as an example instead of money. So the lawn turns brown in 2008. In 2009 not only is it brown, it is brittle. By 2010 there are patches of lawn missing and the drought continues. Then a bit of rain happens in 2010 and some green appears. But then it does not rain again and back to even more lawn disappearing. In 2011 it begins to rain again. So green shoots appear. Then again another 9 months with no rain and the lawn is brown and dirt spots. Then 2012 happens and the drought is still present but there is some rain here and there and there is some green here and there.

2013 comes and the drought is still present but there are some spring rains and there are some folks starting to get more aggressive. But there is still a hot summer to get thru in 2013 and the drought is still a very big problem. But after the summer, NORMAL seasonal rains are going to appear and the difference is that this time the rain will be enough to carry things through the winter of 2014. But the lawn is improving. It looked a lot worse in 2010. There was some false hopes in 2011 and 2012. We are in the process of bottoming out right now. Bottoming out does not mean it is over. It means that you can see the end and plan for it and take advantage of it. I believe we are at the point where the economy can sustain itself as we move into the next business cycle that starts in mid August and int September and then beyond.

How?

By understanding what the politicians will do to. What people will do. What business will do. What stagnation looks like. What stagnation is Stagnation is already in the rear view mirror even tho some are getting a glimpse of it right now because just like a big bad storm, the worst sometimes comes at the tail end.

Now, it is dangerous to talk about politics but politics is at the bottom of this heap of shit called a recession and politics only makes things worse. People make things better. Time makes things better. Change of attitude makes things better. When folks get sick and tired. There are other factors at work. Anger and frustration are playing into the equation.

So when you step back, look at HISTORY and what politicians do and the manipulation that happens, it becomes fairly easy to predict things. Elections then come in play and things magically happen.

Look, I can go much deeper into the weeds but unless you are paying very close attention to some of the hardest to find info, it won't make sense. But when I say the recession is over it is not over in the sense of there is a big honeymoon and roaring comeback. It is the fact that we have bottomed out or in the midst of a summer bottoming out. The fact that after a very slow and hot summer, business will finally heat up in a HEALTHY way. The last weak companies will collapse and disappear and the lawn will be cleared of those dead weeds and make way for a green lawn period. Droughts and floods. That is the way of the world. That is history.

Look, there are MAJOR fundamental problems. We can't control things we can't control. It's ugly. But that aside because inflation will solve some of that.

And then look closer to home in our little pond. By the fall there will be many gTLD's rolling out. Some will do business. Some will collapse. This is a grand experiment of a grand experiment that has yet to prove itself.  But it brings in eyeballs, coverage and dollars. Where is the downside? Oh I forgot, because of being a victim to human nature so may of you worry and fear stuff you should not worry about or fear.

If you look to history you will find out where to be BEFORE you need to be there. Getting there AFTER is just following the herd.

When things change they change faster than you can react. For example the DAY the market turns, real estate adjusts 10%-20% immediately. A bear turns into a bull and so does the price of doing business. And it is no secret that the most desirable and the most undesirable properties sell FIRST!

In  early 2009 I wrote about the Economic fog we were in. There was zero visibility. Today there is clarity. Some of it is not pretty. But it is pretty clear that true stagnation is long gone and recovery is finally under way regardless of the significant headwinds and summer to come. Speaking of  summer, folks are going on vacations they may have passed up during the past few summers because they are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

The History of Surfing Waves and the Connection to You Today. Your Destiny Awaits!

Morning Folks!!

There is a reason they teach history and there is even a bigger reason to pay attention to it. "Those that don't know history are destined to repeat it." Now they figured this out in the 1700's and I am sure even before that. So what is the excuse today? One of the oldest realities that has stood the test of time for HUNDREDS of years and today what is the excuse for not understanding such a SIMPLE sentence? A very powerful and simple sentence with huge ramifications for you and you own DESTINY!

So what happens when you don't know and understand history besides repeating it? Well the biggest thing is it makes you react to false positives. You chase shadows. You live in fear.

But it is a FACT that history does repeat itself. So if you know this FACT, there are ways to take advantage of life and situations because what is to come is not that hard to foresee because it has all happened before. Just a new set of players and a new set of circumstances.

If you are a surfer this means you ride the top of the wave almost all the time. Because you KNOW that WAVE, You have seen that wave before. There are all types of waves and when you time a wave right you do GREAT!  You bend destinty in your favor.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Save the Date. August 16th, 2013

Morning Folks!!

There has only been one other movie I have ever touted. The Social Network. If you have not seen it, I am shocked because there is a DIRECT LINK to domaining and making a brand online. So the only word that comes to mind is "Dereliction".  But you can easily fix it in SECONDS!

But this post is about "Jobs" which is the movie about Apple. Don't go see it to be entertained. Go to learn. One tidbit could be life changing. So I know what I will be doing on August 16th. I hope I learn just 10% of what "The Social Network" taught me. PRICELESS.

So if spotting opportunity is not your strong point, maybe being at the right place at the right time will help you understand.

Rick Schwartz

John McAfee Unleashed. Hilarious, off the Wall, Must Watch, Video!!

Morning Folks!!

My brother sent this to me a few days back and then I saw it in the news today. John McAfee released a youtube.com video that is VERY funny. VERY out there. Definitely worth watching. ADULT CONTENT!!


 

 

Enjoy!

Rick Schwartz

 

I Stated the The Recession Was Over on June 9th! Now Even Bernanke Agrees.

Morning Folks!!

So 13 days ago I pronounced the recession over with THIS POST!  "The Finanical Recession is Over. But a Recession of the Mind Remains and Lingers."

I followed up the next day with THIS POST. "Champions and Challengers."

So I was VERY CLEAR about where I thought we were/are.

Not all were on board.

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Then this week something happened.  Bernanke repeated what I had said just 10 days later. Did he call me?? Now make no mistake about it, the PAIN is FAR from over. But we are at the bottom or soon will be. This summer IS the bottom and when the fall business heats up, we are off and running and the BULLS are finally loose on Main Street and not just the stock market.

So let me try again.

The Financial Recession is Over. But a Recession of the Mind Remains and Lingers. That's a GUT call. It was then supported by folks that are "Experts" just days later. Gut can trump all. Gut allows you to react before the facts unfold. That is called opportunity and opportunity is the key ingredient to making money and having a success.


Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz