debate Business schools need to make Online Branding courses mandatory?

[katerleonid]

From the start, the title is a quote from the Castello Brothers.
I have two examples, but you probably know many more.


Why do business owners skip domain names when they are so cheap?

Let’s take The-pack.ai - they just raised €5.8M in funding.
They registered their domain 8 days ago only because thepack.ai had already been purchased 12 days earlier by coincidence… by a domainer.

Now thepack.ai is listed for $19,995.
A domain that could have cost $135 now costs 148× more.

Why?
Because the business owner skipped buying the exact-match .ai when they had the chance.

Don’t tell me they didn’t know about the business idea more than 12 days ago.
Funding doesn’t happen in 12 days.
(Unless I’m wrong.)


Another example, and in this case, I believe the owner might not actually need the .ai domain:

Spellbook.ai sold for $2,225 in June 2025.
Now it’s listed for $195,000.

There is a company (with a 2024 trademark) that owns Spellbook.com and redirects it to the exact-match .legal domain.
Why didn’t they acquire the .ai in June this year?
Because they have the trademark?
They just raised $50M in October 2025.
In Spellbook’s case, I believe Scott Stevenson ignored the hype and went straight for a legal TLD, given that he already controls the .com.

Let’s also take cocobet.com as an example. I suspect the owner might be BetCoco.
Why did they let it go for $4,150 in 2024? And why weren’t they monitoring their brand or related domains?


The conclusion:
Why do so many companies skip cheap domain names directly related to their business?
Why don’t they monitor them?

 

[Hypersot]

I noticed you mentioned Euros.

Assuming the company you mentioned (the-pack) is from EU,

people from a few countries in EU prefer the clear distinction between the words that dashes offer compared to the mess that a long string individual words can create. Maybe that is the reason?

Edit: forgot to mention that I don't disagree with your post, just wanted to give another view as to why something might have happened.

 

[katerleonid]

That could be the reason, yes. But it might also be because their exact match was already registered because they simply forgot about it. I mean, they could have taken both and redirected the exact match to the hyphenated one.

 

[Nathan K]

It appears the company name is "Pack" and not "The Pack." Their current domain may be a placeholder while they negotiate for Pack.ai (which is also on the market).

 

[Lox]

It appears the company name is "Pack" and not "The Pack." Their current domain may be a placeholder while they negotiate for Pack.ai (which is also on the market).

Nope, they'll not go for .ai , .com is the next

unr.edu/ai

 

[katerleonid]

Nope, they'll not go for .ai , .com is the next

unr.edu/ai

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lox]

That could be the reason, yes. But it might also be because their exact match was already registered because they simply forgot about it. I mean, they could have taken both and redirected the exact match to the hyphenated one.

thepack.tech rebrands as the-pack.ai

scenario: possible conflict of interest... thepack + business edu + ai = 1 example

EU businesses use " - " for a good reason ...exp. in Germany... in this case Italy.

Yes, funding round can be done in a couple of hours. That's why the VC folks follow the announcement channels

+ etc

Regards

 

[katerleonid]

Since I didn’t know their old domain, I now believe they could have bought the non-hyphenated .ai version earlier, just as a defense mechanism, especially since it was very cheap 13 days ago. I could be wrong, though.

 

[Lox]

Since I didn’t know their old domain, I now believe they could have bought the non-hyphenated .ai version earlier, just as a defense mechanism, especially since it was very cheap 13 days ago. I could be wrong, though.

Early stage funding rounds (cash) are about the-project, functions, not about building brand name. When startup reach at least 2nd seed round (more often series B) , investors and funders inc. founder/s will sit , talk, examine data, hire external marketing/branding agency, ...and decide about the future- marketing and branding /brand name.

 

[biggie]

Why do business owners skip domain names when they are so cheap?

Hi

if “business owners” had the mindset to acquire their emd and alternatives too….
then they wouldn’t need to buy the domain from me and you

wtf,
should be glad you get opportunity to capitalize on their ignorance of domaining, and of course without infringing


imo….

 

[katerleonid]

Hi

if “business owners” had the mindset to acquire their emd and alternatives too….
then they wouldn’t need to buy the domain from me and you

wtf,
should be glad you get opportunity to capitalize on their ignorance of domaining, and of course without infringing


imo….

Thats true.

 

[cooljub]

I think quite often it's because they are ignorant (or stupid). They think if their exact-match name is registered, then an inferior one will 'function' just as well.
I know a girl who works in marketing for a local firm who are operating on an inferior domain. Their exact match .com has been for sale for years for around $4k. I urge her every time I see her to buy it, but years later, they still haven't. They must spend at least £100k per month on wages.

 

[katerleonid]

Reminds me of the kid who bought hello.app for around $150,000 and then let it expire two years later. There are always two sides to a story.

 

[Rippa]

Leaving specifics to focus on the overall post title of Business schools and Online Branding courses: Yes, we need more education about online commerce and to recognize the fundamentals. Why the lag? For truly older folk, some are still only slowly recognizing the "information superhighway" is here to stay. Maybe there is prejudice against youngsters offering courses. Probably many such young folk or others with insight can do better focusing themselves on business rather than on educating others. Mandatory courses are a tough question. I've taught many years in business schools and a large proportion of students aim at corporate jobs rather than entrepreneurship. Finally, this theme is now so fundamental I'd pitch it for being mandatory in high schools.

​

 

[katerleonid]

I’ve been a freelancer for almost 18 years, but now I believe I made a mistake and should have taken a job sooner. So yes, I believe your data is correct.

 

[Rippa]

I’ve been a freelancer for almost 18 years, but now I believe I made a mistake and should have taken a job sooner.

It can be painful to look at lower income & bank balance and imagine a cushy corporate job. But then subtract the drudgery of commuting, and the toxic boss. The lateral thinking & continuous education required as a freelancer keeps the mind percolating... but you can't eat that.

 

[katerleonid]

It can be painful to look at lower income & bank balance and imagine a cushy corporate job. But then subtract the drudgery of commuting, and the toxic boss. The lateral thinking & continuous education required as a freelancer keeps the mind percolating... but you can't eat that.

I actually got a job that lets me grow and learn (and it’s remote), and my boss is great. Yes, it’s a dream job for me, but at the same time, not everyone gets this kind of luck.

 

[nicenic]

Hi, katerleonid

Maybe IP strategy rarely aligns with pre-funding operational priorities.