What country are you based in?
California, USA
Do you feel your location has an effect on your domain investing?
Yes, for the better, as it seems all auctions are timed the best for the benefit of US domainers. I am awake during most companies’ normal business hours for any email responses or problems that can arise and that helps.
How long have you been involved in domains?
I registered my first name 2008, but I really didn’t start thinking about investing until 2012.
Are you a full time domainer?
No, I am not, but I definitely taken it past a hobby stage in the last few years.
How did you find out about domain investing?
I found out about domaining in 2001-2002 from my niece visiting from Illinois, she was telling me how people were buying companies EMD domain names and selling the domain names to big companies for 5-6 figures. I think this was before the domain name Trademark Laws or right about when it was getting established. It just kind of stuck in my head after that conversation.
How many domains do you currently hold?
I have 594 names.
What's your favourite non .com tld/nTLD/gTLD?
I like the trusted and underrated .org as it’s been established a long time and most people know .org. I also like single word .io and starting to like .xyz
What's the best advice you've been given by another domain investor, either directly or through something they've said on twitter or in an interview?
I have received a lot of great advice over the years, but I will mention a current advice given in the last 3 years that has proven to be true.
My friend Alex Verdea advised me not to worry about the age of a good .com name if it’s only 1-4 years old could simply mean the current owner hasn’t held it long enough, never listed it for sale or hasn’t been transparent with the price, which could explain why no offers or why it hasn’t sold yet.
What kind of goals do you set yourself?
My goal is to scale up my portfolio with 2,500-5,000+ quality names that I can list for mid-4 figures or possibly 5 figures and consistently make $100K + a year.
Who are your top 3 domain investors?
To name off 3 investors would be unfair as there are many great domainers, including the unknown/silent ones we all hear about. So how about I categorize this question.
Broker/Sales: James Booth, Andrew Rosener and Kate Buckley
Education: Michael Cyger, Domain Sherpa guys and NamePros (Shoutout to Bob Hawkes)
All around knowledge: I would say my Twitter “Board Group” of guys Alex V, Dennis T, Ruban T, Yogi S, Jonny B and Darryl L. The last 2.5 years+ we chat daily about life, family and share A thru Z about domaining. I have learned a lot from these great group of guys than from anywhere. I consider this a consistent collaboration of a great team.
What's the toughest part of domain investing?
The hunt, learning what makes a good name and how to price them correctly. Once you figure out this formula it gets a little easier to scale up your portfolio with quality names.
How do you structure the domaining part of your day?
I start with checking my email accounts first for any sales, offers or newly add names to my account, then it’s off to the newsletters looking for good names, then I check Godaddy auctions as I am already signed in from the newsletters. Then I spend some time submitting names to top marketplaces. This amounts to about 2-3+ hours a day.
How do you manage your portfolio?
I have a relatively small portfolio and have most of my names are with Godaddy so the management part is easy with no spread sheets or Excel really needed at this time.
Do you also have any NFTs or Crypto in your portfolio?
Yes, I own Crypto but no NFTs.
What's the most you've ever spent on one domain?
$1075 for a single word .io name.
Have you ever done outbound? If so, were/are you successful?
Yes, I have, and I think all domainers should experience outbound early in their careers to understand how negotiations are conducted. My first outbound sale was $3495, I would call it a success.
I would like to give @DarrylLopez a shoutout it was Darryl’s e-book email script that help me with that sale.
If I may, there are other great outbound/domain e-books, two of my favorites are written by @YogiSolanki & @AlexVerdea
You're given $10k to spend on domains, how do you spend it?
Outside of domains, what other business/wealth/personal growth figures do you look up to?
The first person that really intrigue me was a guy named Brad Richdale a big direct sales and marketing guy from the 80’s and 90’s. His material kind of jump started my mind to always want to own a sales business.
Then it was one success figure after another year after year decade after decade Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
What do you do when you're not domaining?
I love to travel, spend time with my family and friends, go to Flat Track motorcycle races, go to SF Giants games and work on DIY projects around the house.
What advice would you give to people just starting out in domains?
I would recommend not buying a single domain name until you research the industry and decide if it’s for you! Then jump in slowly buying two-word .com names that are brandable, geo type or service-related names. These types of names can retail for $300-$5K, tend to sell easier, fit on a credit card and can be outbound if needed. Taking it slow in the first 6-12 months, join small social groups, be active in the domain Twitter feed will help you learn more each day from others and can steer you towards success.
