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discuss Dilemma...Develop? Sell? Hybrid?

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ThatNameGuy

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Many of the domains I own are registered with a business idea in mind. Unfortunately development takes a lot of time and money that limits its potential:xf.frown:

While I've mentioned several of the ideas I've had in the past, the most recent idea I have involves "scoring" domains and business names similar to the way scoring works with credit, debt, vitals, and personal performance.

What to do? Stand alone, I believe the domains I own associated with "scoring" are pretty good, but with a business plan/model backing them, it should make them more valuable?

I mentioned "Hybrid" because I'm certainly not a developer, however I can add value to the name(s). What would you do? Thanks
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
There is potentially a lot more money to be made with a business operating on a decent (not necessarily a megapremium name) domain than there is to be made selling one percent of a domain portfolio annually for $XXX each. It obviously takes a different skillset to run a business than it does to acquire domain names but it seems you have the needed business wisdom to pursue that as an option. However, you need to focus on ONE idea at a time (and stop registering domain names). Otherwise, your time will be spread very thin and your business will never get off the ground. Website development solutions can be outsourced.
 
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There is potentially a lot more money to be made with a business operating on a decent (not necessarily a megapremium name) domain than there is to be made selling one percent of a domain portfolio annually for $XXX each. It obviously takes a different skillset to run a business than it does to acquire domain names but it seems you have the needed business wisdom to pursue that as an option. However, you need to focus on ONE idea at a time (and stop registering domain names). Otherwise, your time will be spread very thin and your business will never get off the ground. Website development solutions can be outsourced.
Thanks garptrader,
"ONE idea at a time (and stop registering domain names):ROFL:" I'm a sick puppy, but I know you're right:xf.wink: Is there a place on NamePros or another site that might specialize in the hybrid model I'm referring to? Thanks
 
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Bulloney
There is a considerable difference between merely creating content on a domain (like some of the pet websites I created back in 2009 with text and Youtube videos) and actually generating revenue from a business. AdSense and affiliate monetization is only going to work for very high traffic sites which manage to beat out the other 99.99% of sites competing for top rankings on Google for highly-searched phrases (i.e. I recall spending a weekend once trying to capture video content of a local 3x3 basketball tournament for a website. How much money did I make from Google AdSense as a result of a few videos? Third world wages at best). However, there are other ways to make money - lead generation or subscriptions for example. There are others who have followed that path but keep in mind most members of this forum are focused on flipping domains.
 
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Website business flipping is a tough market to be profitable. Just look at Flippa and you can see one example of a website-selling marketplace. Most of the top website-flippers seem to live in countries with low rents and cost of living to be able to make small profit margins worth the effort. Sure, many of these sellers make "starter" sites and repeat their same templates over and over, but some also try and make new working and unique websites, but many don't end up selling for much. And the sites that sell for larger amounts have been developed and worked on for years ... that's a lot of effort on a longer term investment.
 
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What's interesting, you shared in a previous post that just 20% of the domains you've sold over the years have every been developed. This sadly speaks to the "flipping" aspect of the domain industry. This is exactly why my plans are to market/sell my domains directly to end users. I'm still searching for a technical partner, but until such time that comes to fruition, I'll just continue to wing it.
 
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Website business flipping is a tough market to be profitable. Just look at Flippa and you can see one example of a website-selling marketplace. Most of the top website-flippers seem to live in countries with low rents and cost of living to be able to make small profit margins worth the effort. Sure, many of these sellers make "starter" sites and repeat their same templates over and over, but some also try and make new working and unique websites, but many don't end up selling for much. And the sites that sell for larger amounts have been developed and worked on for years ... that's a lot of effort on a longer term investment.
Thanks Kpett...like someone said, most domainers are trend riders and not trend setters. I recognized very early on that if I'm to be successful in this industry I was going to have to carve out my own "niche", and like my mantra says, "Make Something Happen". This "scoring" thing for domains is my way of sharing with this industry what I've learned from other industries. It's now up to me to make it happen for a small percentage of the 330 million domain names and the 100 million business names around the world. Thanks again:)
 
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When you find one let me know.
The problem I find with a technical partner is they want to be paid:xf.frown: Few are entrepreneurial in spirit. I'd give the right partner as much as 33% of my business, but they lack the vision of what that could mean....just millions of $,$$$.$$$:xf.grin:
 
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The problem I find with a technical partner is they want to be paid:xf.frown: Few are entrepreneurial in spirit. I'd give the right partner as much as 33% of my business, but they lack the vision of what that could mean....just millions of $,$$$.$$$:xf.grin:
I hear what you are saying. I would give 50%
 
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I am not sure I have much to suggest. It takes a huge amount of time to develop a site meaningfully (I am sure it gets less those who have better technical skills than me, but I think it is still a lot). I think for most of us one major and a few minor sites are the most we can handle, and even with that there is not enough time to do it properly.

The idea of finding co-developers could work in everyone's benefit, but it is not surprising that it is hard to get those with skills who are willing to do it only for some sort of stake.

The idea of an enterprise where you provide the domain name free (including renewal), and they develop, and you share on some formula the revenue from the site, in theory makes sense, but in practice lots of issues (like how either party ends agreement, renewal, control of what goes on site, how revenue decided,etc.). To give an incentive to the developer, I think that it might work best with an agreement that for the first x$ revenue per year, the split is say 40% to domain name owner, 60% to developer but after a certain amount per year it becomes something like 95% to developer where most of the work is.

I have not idea whether some sort of international competition or link to a co-op web development school or student competition or ?? might make it work. I have no idea whether a site like fiver would allow one to post requests on these lines, and if so whether it would get a response. I think a hybrid idea has merits, but is hard to make work in practice.

Has anyone had success getting something like this working? (not that lack of past success means there can not be future success, just to learn from past)
 
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The problem I find with a technical partner is they want to be paid:xf.frown: Few are entrepreneurial in spirit. I'd give the right partner as much as 33% of my business, but they lack the vision of what that could mean....just millions of $,$$$.$$$:xf.grin:
You don't have a business. It's like offering them a third of an air guitar
 
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I am not sure I have much to suggest. It takes a huge amount of time to develop a site meaningfully (I am sure it gets less those who have better technical skills than me, but I think it is still a lot). I think for most of us one major and a few minor sites are the most we can handle, and even with that there is not enough time to do it properly.

The idea of finding co-developers could work in everyone's benefit, but it is not surprising that it is hard to get those with skills who are willing to do it only for some sort of stake.

The idea of an enterprise where you provide the domain name free (including renewal), and they develop, and you share on some formula the revenue from the site, in theory makes sense, but in practice lots of issues (like how either party ends agreement, renewal, control of what goes on site, how revenue decided,etc.). To give an incentive to the developer, I think that it might work best with an agreement that for the first x$ revenue per year, the split is say 40% to domain name owner, 60% to developer but after a certain amount per year it becomes something like 95% to developer where most of the work is.

I have not idea whether some sort of international competition or link to a co-op web development school or student competition or ?? might make it work. I have no idea whether a site like fiver would allow one to post requests on these lines, and if so whether it would get a response. I think a hybrid idea has merits, but is hard to make work in practice.

Has anyone had success getting something like this working? (not that lack of past success means there can not be future success, just to learn from past)
Thanks Bob...i'm not privy to say who, but I just reached out to a register/registrar that I've done some business with to see if they might be interested in partnering with me in some capacity. Your thinking outside the box is very helpful. While garptrader told me to STOP registering names, I couldn't help but registering a couple of "scoring" names that apply to "brands" as well as "domains". I even picked up a .com domain similar to "Appraise My Brand" that compliments another domain I own, "Score My Brand"

I need to partner with a developer who sees value in what I can bring to the table. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses, and good partners understand that about each other. Thanks again Bob.
 
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You don't have a business. It's like offering them a third of an air guitar

If I had an ongoing business why would I need them? All businesses start with an "idea" first. Just think how much you might be worth today if Bill Gates had offered you a third of his air guitar:xf.wink:
 
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Thanks Bob...i'm not privy to say who, but I just reached out to a register/registrar that I've done some business with to see if they might be interested in partnering with me in some capacity. Your thinking outside the box is very helpful. While garptrader told me to STOP registering names, I couldn't help but registering a couple of "scoring" names that apply to "brands" as well as "domains". I even picked up a .com domain similar to "Appraise My Brand" that compliments another domain I own, "Score My Brand"

I need to partner with a developer who sees value in what I can bring to the table. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses, and good partners understand that about each other. Thanks again Bob.

That was a good idea to stop registering names. Right now you're running full steam ahead, without any success in what you already have. Typical newbie mistake. Now it seems it's so bad, you're looking to develop. And what exactly does Hybrid mean? You either develop or you don't. Does hybrid mean develop "a little bit"? A site with just a few pages? What?
 
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Dilemma...Develop? Sell? Hybrid?.......QUIT.

I mentioned "Hybrid" because I'm certainly not a developer, however I can add value to the name(s). What would you do? Thanks

This is what you should do. Quit. If you do not know how to develop a domain, then you do not even know what a domain is. News flash - there is no value in your portfolio - you can register these types of names any day of the week, even ten years from now. They're just recurring bills. You're a speculator and a bad one at that. An aluminum can found on the side of the road holds more value than your domain names.

In an earlier post you mentioned selling beer pong live to Coors, Heineken, Budweiser, Corona - OH, maybe you mean MillerCoors, ABInBev, Modelo, Heineken Holding NV - you would probably do better contacting an actual brewery than a brand. I would think with all your business and marketing experience you would know better. And, please let me listen in on the call. Do you really think a brewery is going to want to be associated with the abuse of alcohol? The domain is worthless.

If you really want some good advice then learn about wordpress and hosting - it's not that hard. BUY A REAL DOMAIN. I'm not talking about a $1.99 dot piece of crap that your going to drop next year. Man up and spend $5,000 on a real domain. Then you might get excited about developing one. If you haven't taken the time to develop just one domain, then you're speculating on something you do not understand. You will do better trading the pink sheets.

I've read your posts and you've been given very good advice by a lot people here, but you've chosen not to listen. I'm not going to feed you again. I still can't believe I've bitten.
 
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That was a good idea to stop registering names. Right now you're running full steam ahead, without any success in what you already have. Typical newbie mistake. Now it seems it's so bad, you're looking to develop. And what exactly does Hybrid mean? You either develop or you don't. Does hybrid mean develop "a little bit"? A site with just a few pages? What?[/QUO
That was a good idea to stop registering names. Right now you're running full steam ahead, without any success in what you already have. Typical newbie mistake. Now it seems it's so bad, you're looking to develop. And what exactly does Hybrid mean? You either develop or you don't. Does hybrid mean develop "a little bit"? A site with just a few pages? What?
Hey there Johnnie Gala...what do you know? I've already had plenty of success much to your chagrin? Contact me personally...maybe I can help you:xf.wink:
 
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Bulloney
There are many reasonably-priced development options but Godaddy's Managed Wordpress Hosting is certainly a good starting point. You don't have to worry about the constant need to update Wordpress due to security issues. It is fairly straightforward and the technical know-how is minimal. It is also likely you have domains at Godaddy.
 
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Dilemma...Develop? Sell? Hybrid?.......QUIT.

I mentioned "Hybrid" because I'm certainly not a developer, however I can add value to the name(s). What would you do? Thanks

This is what you should do. Quit. If you do not know how to develop a domain, then you do not even know what a domain is. News flash - there is no value in your portfolio - you can register these types of names any day of the week, even ten years from now. They're just recurring bills. You're a speculator and a bad one at that. An aluminum can found on the side of the road holds more value than your domain names.

In an earlier post you mentioned selling beer pong live to Coors, Heineken, Budweiser, Corona - OH, maybe you mean MillerCoors, ABInBev, Modelo, Heineken Holding NV - you would probably do better contacting an actual brewery than a brand. I would think with all your business and marketing experience you would know better. And, please let me listen in on the call. Do you really think a brewery is going to want to be associated with the abuse of alcohol? The domain is worthless.

If you really want some good advice then learn about wordpress and hosting - it's not that hard. BUY A REAL DOMAIN. I'm not talking about a $1.99 dot piece of crap that your going to drop next year. Man up and spend $5,000 on a real domain. Then you might get excited about developing one. If you haven't taken the time to develop just one domain, then you're speculating on something you do not understand. You will do better trading the pink sheets.

I've read your posts and you've been given very good advice by a lot people here, but you've chosen not to listen. I'm not going to feed you again. I still can't believe I've bitten.
I can't believe you bit either....stay tuned:xf.grin:
 
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Hey there Johnnie Gala...what do you know? I've already had plenty of success much to your chagrin? Contact me personally...maybe I can help you:xf.wink:
Not in this business you haven't. You can't help me with anything there. In this business, you're just a typical newbie that wastes a lot of money buying bad names.

I also want to point out, you do realize that everybody here weren't born domainers and have past experience in business and such? Some do this for a living, some do it on the side and do different things. Some of things you talk about, where you think you're doing something special, is just offline marketing? Nothing new. I'm sure there are plenty of people here that have vast amounts of more business experience and success than you.
 
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Bulloney
There are many reasonably-priced development options but Godaddy's Managed Wordpress Hosting is certainly a good starting point. You don't have to worry about the constant need to update Wordpress due to security issues. It is fairly straightforward and the technical know-how is minimal. It is also likely you have domains at Godaddy.
Thanks garptrader...Wordpress may be a good starting point, but not for me. When i ran a successful medical billing business, my IT partner handled all that. I'm the idea guy, the startup guy and the name guy ...always have been and always will be. As for my "scoring" idea for domains and brands, a buddy of mine, PHd/Professor/Statistics just retired, and we're talking about "scoring" right now. Thanks again.
 
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Dilemma...Develop? Sell? Hybrid?.......QUIT.

I mentioned "Hybrid" because I'm certainly not a developer, however I can add value to the name(s). What would you do? Thanks

This is what you should do. Quit. If you do not know how to develop a domain, then you do not even know what a domain is. News flash - there is no value in your portfolio - you can register these types of names any day of the week, even ten years from now. They're just recurring bills. You're a speculator and a bad one at that. An aluminum can found on the side of the road holds more value than your domain names.

In an earlier post you mentioned selling beer pong live to Coors, Heineken, Budweiser, Corona - OH, maybe you mean MillerCoors, ABInBev, Modelo, Heineken Holding NV - you would probably do better contacting an actual brewery than a brand. I would think with all your business and marketing experience you would know better. And, please let me listen in on the call. Do you really think a brewery is going to want to be associated with the abuse of alcohol? The domain is worthless.

If you really want some good advice then learn about wordpress and hosting - it's not that hard. BUY A REAL DOMAIN. I'm not talking about a $1.99 dot piece of crap that your going to drop next year. Man up and spend $5,000 on a real domain. Then you might get excited about developing one. If you haven't taken the time to develop just one domain, then you're speculating on something you do not understand. You will do better trading the pink sheets.

I've read your posts and you've been given very good advice by a lot people here, but you've chosen not to listen. I'm not going to feed you again. I still can't believe I've bitten.
Just one more thing wurdd...i suppose you have a PHd in computer science, statistics or something similar? If you do, you may want to talk to me....who knows, you may learn something. I've mentored many youth on the finer points success in business. Let me know if I can be of assistance. Thanks for your input:xf.wink:
 
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Thanks garptrader...Wordpress may be a good starting point, but not for me. When i ran a successful medical billing business, my IT partner handled all that. I'm the idea guy, the startup guy and the name guy ...always have been and always will be. As for my "scoring" idea for domains and brands, a buddy of mine, PHd/Professor/Statistics just retired, and we're talking about "scoring" right now. Thanks again.

phD in computer science and you can't work with Wordpress? You're full of it.
 
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