Stonebanks
Established Member
- Impact
- 148
Hello everyone!
As I start out on my path through the magical land of Domaining, my hopes are to learn, mingle, help, connect and become part of this industry that so many of you call home.
Especially here on NP.
Some are the kings & queens of investing and of flipping.
Some of us, like me, still have the initial trials to face first, to overcome them and to succeed in,
eventually becoming kings and queens ourselves.
But let me state: profit or not, I am here for the love of the game too!
The Short of it is this:
What’s your name?
A: AJ Van Blerk, a.k.a Stonebanks
Where do you live?
A: South Africa
What’s your level of expertise?
A: Novice with Domaining
How much experience do you have in the domain industry?
A: About 1 year
What would you like to specifically learn first?
A: Domain Name Values and Valuations, plus the art of selling anywhere
Are you currently working on any projects or ideas?
A: Yes, a small portfolio to start with
What are your short-term goals in the next year?
A: Learning the ropes and establishing myself
What are your long-term goals in the next 5 years?
A: To have a profitable, rotating portfolio of Domains and Sites
What was your first domain you purchased?
A: It was a DJ niche domain for a client
Why did you start investing in domains? Please tell us the story.
A: Fell in love with the product we're selling to be honest.
I'm also looking to develop an alternative profitable skill too
What do you enjoy most about domaining?
A: At this point, the hunt for domains, all the processes involved with that
Do you have any predictions for where the entire domain industry is going?
A: Location is important, for online and offline world, we all know that, it will have its highs and lows, same as the real estate game, but in the end, people will always need an address to set up shop or set up home, it's never too late to enter this industry from what I can see, it's simply different as it's always changing. It's the approaches to it, the strategies involved and the current economics that determine how you can plan for success inside it. And you can!
What would you like to delegate most when you’re domaining?
A: The repeatable core daily tasks that I can be removed from without crashing the flow of things, so that I can focus on the next steps to progress further.
What significant industry changes have affected you?
A: Nothing for me as of yet but please tell me if you have been hit hard, or catapulted forward due to industry changes, I'd like to see what the experienced folks around here have gone through.
Thanks for checking it out, I am looking forward to meeting you and possibly doing some good business together in future! See you around the forum
Do you enjoy reading a fuller story? Below is the longer version if you're interested!
Otherwise, please scroll down and drop a comment!
All I ask is for a 'hello'! But hey, if you want to share something too, please do!
The long story:
Hello all! My name, as I've stated, is AJ Van Blerk and I'm looking forward to meeting you!
The last time I was called a noob was back in the days I played Warcraft, but I'm indeed a newbie here and still relatively new to the buying and selling of domains as a product basically, and I can't wait to get into it,
to make those newbie mistakes and learn from it.
"You can't learn to swim on land", a statement I've always related with,
hence I already bought a couple of domains to get a feel for the newbie mistakes
(I'll be throwing them under Valuations soon to see what you think).
I'm definitely planning on being in it for the long run, adapt or die as they say.
First step for me now, I'm going to devour this website like Pac-Man,
what a treasure trove this is! As well as working on my list of names and selling them on.
My approach currently: Research, Research, Research - of this industry and trends,
as well as to improve my mastery of words and language during the same process.
Starting small, I'm going to start with flipping a couple hand reg. domains,
I have 25 of them to sell. Not a serious investment yet, money-wise.
I started with hand registered to get myself in the game, aiming for lower-end flips based on the quality of the names ($50 - $500 flips), I've seen that these can be flipped quicker to end users directly at times rather than waiting for an answer on a $x,xxx+ deal, which is what I need at this moment of my approach - speed.
I've seen these kinds of flips happen a lot over the past few months,
from some experienced domainers with hand registered DN's.
Plus, with the hand reg. domains being generally harder to flip for larger amounts these days, I like the challenge in it to test and grow my skills in this area (finding and convincing end-users) before moving on to bigger cash investments.
The plan for now is to hustle hard, including listing them where relevant, but mostly making use of a robust outbound marketing approach, where I have quite a bit of experience outside of domaining.
I'd like to improve my salesman skills and negotiating with end-users;
the process of going out and looking for buyers, then pitching them,
since I feel that auctions aren't seen by end-users who aren't there, nor aware of auctions at all.
This has become clear after some digging around that I've done,
I've come to find that there are still plenty of interested people out there that simply haven't heard of Flippa, nor Sedo or many others even, so I want to get to them too via outreach.
Ultimately, improving on the mistakes I make, also improving on the successes,
reinvesting from there and aiming for a bit higher level of domains and better quality from that of my first batch. When I've managed to adapt and grow, I do have a sizable amount of cash stashed away for a much more serious investment in quality names once I've gone through the initial trials and errors and can pick potential gems with more confidence.
I started my run at Internet marketing since mid-2008, since then I've had to purchase quite a few domains for both clients and myself, all for developmental use. Recently, I've started making it my goal to get involved in this industry and give it my all to make it a realistic and profitable possibility.
After quite a few months of learning the core of what is involved with domaining;
also as to who are the legends, the hotshots today and how they buy and sell,
the scammers, as well as the failures that all of us get at some point
(still thankful to those who've shared their failures with me),
it's now time for me to get some hands-on experience to improve further.
Months back, I started with what is ICANN, registrars, expired domains
and the rules of the game as it stands today, trademarks and all those sorts of issues,
like scams and fraud too and the life cycle of a domain; all those basic types of knowledge you need,
but I can easily still make mistakes early on, especially since nearly every place you deal with, from registrars, auction sites, to payment sites and all those have their own sets of policies and rules you need to be familiar with, so I'll be keeping my finger on this topic regularly as I go about my strategies, as to not get caught with my pants down. It's clear this industry has enough hurdles to take on without getting tangled up with the basics.
My short-term goals for the next year is to get a foothold in the market at first,
at the lower end of the scale for now, buying and selling on this level (cheaper hand reg. flips),
aiming to improve with each purchase and sale. All the information you need is out there to make better decisions and as I learn the mistakes involved, as well as with gaining experience,
I'll be able to make better use of the info at my disposal for even more guided decisions
(though I do tend to align with my 'gut' feeling a lot too) and then preparing for more serious investments
and not just flipping.
For the long-term, I plan to diversify across the board and hiring some hands along the way,
so that we can manage a portfolio of Flips, Investments and aiming for fresh/brandable types of names also that will be used for setting up some websites as we go too. With my history in Internet Marketing I plan to have a couple of solid niche sites developed and ranking over time, as I will have my hand on the pulse of the cornerstone of any site - the address (Location! Location! Location! lol), I feel confident that by that time in the future I can pick up some gems that are begging for a website to yield a solid, repeatable income over time.
So far, the thing I enjoy most about domaining is the hunt! Gathering info, choosing the names,
bouncing them around with my partner in this, looking for possible buyers,
negotiating with them and so many more aspects actually.
It's seriously all as much great fun as it is work!
Even all the 'not interested' responses and rejected pitches, or even all the unanswered pitches that I've experienced thus far is awesome, as it's been great for learning.
But let me ask, what do you enjoy most about domaining?
I always like to hear what others are experiencing!
And that's that for my giant intro!
I hope for any fellow newbies you've found something in here that may even be an inspiration to you to get going and start with the grind of learning, buying and selling, and most importantly growing!
I always enjoy being able to relate to others when we're all fighting the same fight, so please feel free to drop a PM for any ideas we can bounce around as fellow noobs!
To the experts: please don't hesitate to share your views on my current approach. I'm sure a lot will disagree with parts of it and I'd love to hear your opinions on it, I'm confident it can help me change up my game before I go on a losing streak.
See you all in the forum! (Was tempted to say "in the funny pages")
As I start out on my path through the magical land of Domaining, my hopes are to learn, mingle, help, connect and become part of this industry that so many of you call home.
Especially here on NP.
Some are the kings & queens of investing and of flipping.
Some of us, like me, still have the initial trials to face first, to overcome them and to succeed in,
eventually becoming kings and queens ourselves.
But let me state: profit or not, I am here for the love of the game too!
The Short of it is this:
What’s your name?
A: AJ Van Blerk, a.k.a Stonebanks
Where do you live?
A: South Africa
What’s your level of expertise?
A: Novice with Domaining
How much experience do you have in the domain industry?
A: About 1 year
What would you like to specifically learn first?
A: Domain Name Values and Valuations, plus the art of selling anywhere
Are you currently working on any projects or ideas?
A: Yes, a small portfolio to start with
What are your short-term goals in the next year?
A: Learning the ropes and establishing myself
What are your long-term goals in the next 5 years?
A: To have a profitable, rotating portfolio of Domains and Sites
What was your first domain you purchased?
A: It was a DJ niche domain for a client
Why did you start investing in domains? Please tell us the story.
A: Fell in love with the product we're selling to be honest.
I'm also looking to develop an alternative profitable skill too
What do you enjoy most about domaining?
A: At this point, the hunt for domains, all the processes involved with that
Do you have any predictions for where the entire domain industry is going?
A: Location is important, for online and offline world, we all know that, it will have its highs and lows, same as the real estate game, but in the end, people will always need an address to set up shop or set up home, it's never too late to enter this industry from what I can see, it's simply different as it's always changing. It's the approaches to it, the strategies involved and the current economics that determine how you can plan for success inside it. And you can!
What would you like to delegate most when you’re domaining?
A: The repeatable core daily tasks that I can be removed from without crashing the flow of things, so that I can focus on the next steps to progress further.
What significant industry changes have affected you?
A: Nothing for me as of yet but please tell me if you have been hit hard, or catapulted forward due to industry changes, I'd like to see what the experienced folks around here have gone through.
Thanks for checking it out, I am looking forward to meeting you and possibly doing some good business together in future!
See you around the forumDo you enjoy reading a fuller story? Below is the longer version if you're interested!
Otherwise, please scroll down and drop a comment!
All I ask is for a 'hello'! But hey, if you want to share something too, please do!
The long story:
Hello all! My name, as I've stated, is AJ Van Blerk and I'm looking forward to meeting you!
The last time I was called a noob was back in the days I played Warcraft, but I'm indeed a newbie here and still relatively new to the buying and selling of domains as a product basically, and I can't wait to get into it,
to make those newbie mistakes and learn from it.
"You can't learn to swim on land", a statement I've always related with,
hence I already bought a couple of domains to get a feel for the newbie mistakes
(I'll be throwing them under Valuations soon to see what you think).
I'm definitely planning on being in it for the long run, adapt or die as they say.
First step for me now, I'm going to devour this website like Pac-Man,
what a treasure trove this is! As well as working on my list of names and selling them on.
My approach currently: Research, Research, Research - of this industry and trends,
as well as to improve my mastery of words and language during the same process.
Starting small, I'm going to start with flipping a couple hand reg. domains,
I have 25 of them to sell. Not a serious investment yet, money-wise.
I started with hand registered to get myself in the game, aiming for lower-end flips based on the quality of the names ($50 - $500 flips), I've seen that these can be flipped quicker to end users directly at times rather than waiting for an answer on a $x,xxx+ deal, which is what I need at this moment of my approach - speed.
I've seen these kinds of flips happen a lot over the past few months,
from some experienced domainers with hand registered DN's.
Plus, with the hand reg. domains being generally harder to flip for larger amounts these days, I like the challenge in it to test and grow my skills in this area (finding and convincing end-users) before moving on to bigger cash investments.
The plan for now is to hustle hard, including listing them where relevant, but mostly making use of a robust outbound marketing approach, where I have quite a bit of experience outside of domaining.
I'd like to improve my salesman skills and negotiating with end-users;
the process of going out and looking for buyers, then pitching them,
since I feel that auctions aren't seen by end-users who aren't there, nor aware of auctions at all.
This has become clear after some digging around that I've done,
I've come to find that there are still plenty of interested people out there that simply haven't heard of Flippa, nor Sedo or many others even, so I want to get to them too via outreach.
Ultimately, improving on the mistakes I make, also improving on the successes,
reinvesting from there and aiming for a bit higher level of domains and better quality from that of my first batch. When I've managed to adapt and grow, I do have a sizable amount of cash stashed away for a much more serious investment in quality names once I've gone through the initial trials and errors and can pick potential gems with more confidence.
I started my run at Internet marketing since mid-2008, since then I've had to purchase quite a few domains for both clients and myself, all for developmental use. Recently, I've started making it my goal to get involved in this industry and give it my all to make it a realistic and profitable possibility.
After quite a few months of learning the core of what is involved with domaining;
also as to who are the legends, the hotshots today and how they buy and sell,
the scammers, as well as the failures that all of us get at some point
(still thankful to those who've shared their failures with me),
it's now time for me to get some hands-on experience to improve further.
Months back, I started with what is ICANN, registrars, expired domains
and the rules of the game as it stands today, trademarks and all those sorts of issues,
like scams and fraud too and the life cycle of a domain; all those basic types of knowledge you need,
but I can easily still make mistakes early on, especially since nearly every place you deal with, from registrars, auction sites, to payment sites and all those have their own sets of policies and rules you need to be familiar with, so I'll be keeping my finger on this topic regularly as I go about my strategies, as to not get caught with my pants down. It's clear this industry has enough hurdles to take on without getting tangled up with the basics.
My short-term goals for the next year is to get a foothold in the market at first,
at the lower end of the scale for now, buying and selling on this level (cheaper hand reg. flips),
aiming to improve with each purchase and sale. All the information you need is out there to make better decisions and as I learn the mistakes involved, as well as with gaining experience,
I'll be able to make better use of the info at my disposal for even more guided decisions
(though I do tend to align with my 'gut' feeling a lot too) and then preparing for more serious investments
and not just flipping.
For the long-term, I plan to diversify across the board and hiring some hands along the way,
so that we can manage a portfolio of Flips, Investments and aiming for fresh/brandable types of names also that will be used for setting up some websites as we go too. With my history in Internet Marketing I plan to have a couple of solid niche sites developed and ranking over time, as I will have my hand on the pulse of the cornerstone of any site - the address (Location! Location! Location! lol), I feel confident that by that time in the future I can pick up some gems that are begging for a website to yield a solid, repeatable income over time.
So far, the thing I enjoy most about domaining is the hunt! Gathering info, choosing the names,
bouncing them around with my partner in this, looking for possible buyers,
negotiating with them and so many more aspects actually.
It's seriously all as much great fun as it is work!
Even all the 'not interested' responses and rejected pitches, or even all the unanswered pitches that I've experienced thus far is awesome, as it's been great for learning.
But let me ask, what do you enjoy most about domaining?
I always like to hear what others are experiencing!
And that's that for my giant intro!
I hope for any fellow newbies you've found something in here that may even be an inspiration to you to get going and start with the grind of learning, buying and selling, and most importantly growing!
I always enjoy being able to relate to others when we're all fighting the same fight, so please feel free to drop a PM for any ideas we can bounce around as fellow noobs!
To the experts: please don't hesitate to share your views on my current approach. I'm sure a lot will disagree with parts of it and I'd love to hear your opinions on it, I'm confident it can help me change up my game before I go on a losing streak.
See you all in the forum! (Was tempted to say "in the funny pages"
)
