question Looking for a Mentor in these uncertain times

[Somertonian]

Hello all,
I have put this question out in the beginners section despite having been on Namepros for a few years. In the past i have been time challenged and financially challenged coupled with a large amount of procrastination and have not really moved along the Domaining journey much. Now we find ourselves in a world pandemic with all the associated restrictions that normality is looking very different today than it did a month ago or even a week ago. With disruption and change comes opportunity. I am fortunate to be able to work from home and i am in the higher risk group with my Type 2 Diabetes so am self isolating at home for the next 12 weeks at least.
I see my time challenges improving and my financial challenges are slightly better but not my procrastination. I would like to continue my journey in the domaining world and see the next few months as the time to do it.

Therefore i am asking if there is a kind soul on Namepros that has enjoyed some succes in the domaining business that would like the opportunity to Mentor me in my domaining journey.

I am hopefully deducing correctly from some of the posts recently on namepros that the natural current of domain name sales is being affected by the Corona Virus pandemic and many people are taking the opportunity to re-assess their portfolios and ride out this time of uncertainty. Hopefully this will give some domainers a bit of capacity timewise to pass on their knowledge to newer members and procrastinators (like myself) and give them a leg up the learning ladder so to speak.

I realise this is asking a lot as all of you that currently operate in the domain world have had to learn along the way yourselves and no doubt have had failures and mishaps along the way. But seeing as the other side of this pandemic may present a different world where more of the normal real world activity goes digital and reside on the internet now is the time to prepare and improve our knowledge to be able to leverage this potential opportunity.

To give a bit of background on me:

1. I have a portfolio of roughly 50 names i have hand registered over the last 5 years (i did have some more, but let them drop as they were either not good or i couldn't afford the yearly registering fees)
2. I have names in Crypto, DApps, DeFi, New Technology, some GEO names and a few randoms
3. I have my domains on Epik and Godaddy (in the process of moving from Godaddy to Epik)
4. I live in the UK
5. I would like to develop some of the names into websites, but mostly like to sell the domains
6. I ackowledge that my names are not great names but i am hopeful that a few will be worth developing/promoting
7. Willing to listen and learn as so far i haven't been able to 'crack this nut' on my own

I am happy to answer questions but would prefer private messages regarding my domains or personal questions. I hope that someone would like to help me move forward in these uncertain times.

Kind regards,
Somertonian

 

[biggie]

Hi

I would like to give this advice

1. keep your personal issues to yourself
that includes health, finance, family, etc.

why?

you don't know anybody here,
so why give personal information, that you don't know about others or.. that wasn't asked.

who you are, your aspirations and any domains currently owned, is sufficient for now.

2. don't post for a mentor

why?

because, you don't want to potentially set yourself up, to be misled, misguided, misinformed and mesmerized by hearsay, propaganda, and subtle promotions.

you, the newbie, are the fish that bait is cast for.
to command your attention, your loyalty, your cash and perhaps your voice.

so,
best to learn to use search feature for questions and answers
read thru the posts, to find logic and common sense
and there... you may find your own truths

Good Luck!

imo….

 

[Somertonian]

Hi

I would like to give this advice

1. keep your personal issues to yourself
that includes health, finance, family, etc.

why?

you don't know anybody here,
so why give personal information, that you don't know about others or.. that wasn't asked.

who you are, your aspirations and any domains currently owned, is sufficient for now.

2. don't post for a mentor

why?

because, you don't want to potentially set yourself up, to be misled, misguided, misinformed and mesmerized by hearsay, propaganda, and subtle promotions.

you, the newbie, are the fish that bait is cast for.
to command your attention, your loyalty, your cash and perhaps your voice.

so,
best to learn to use search feature for questions and answers
read thru the posts, to find logic and common sense
and there... you may find your own truths

Good Luck!

imo….

Biggie,
Many thanks for the reply, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

When I was writing this post I had 2 potential outcomes in my mind. Firstly the optimistic view that there would be some conversation with a few ideas and recommendations and maybe the odd offer of help from someone. The second pessimistic view was that I may attract criticism and negative comments along the lines of "Do your own Research", read posts etc.. like we all had to do to get where we are today.

I take onboard your comments around not revealing personal information, and will endeavour to remember that in future posts.

Your theme about newbies being bait for unscrupulous Namepros members to take advantage of is worrying and sets a sad low bar of professionalism for what I perceive to be the premier forum for Domain name investors. To get the impression that Namepros is in effect "Shark infested waters" and you "dip your toe in" at your own risk is contrary to the evidence I have seen of generous contributors like Bob Hawkes and Rob Monster for example.

However, I shall take caution in what I do on this platform and thank you for your wishes of good luck.

Kind regards,
Somertonian

 

[biggie]

Hi

I try to call it, like I've seen it and how I see it now.

noticed in your reply, how you speak about perceptions

some perceptions, are what can get you in the i'm talking about

you don't perceive somebody is knowledgeable,
you test it or confirm it, before you believe or follow it

to tell someone to do their own research is not pessimistic or negative, it's good advice
don't let your feelings, if you want professionalism, get in the way of learning.

as is, you're already namedropping and don't really know much, if anything.... about those you speak of.

and to make a point, that is typical of most newbies who get fed, rather than those who feed themselves.

contributions come in many forms and until you learn to discern the differences between them,
then the game will remain foggy

and forever you will need the voice of others to lead you.

as for how you perceived the "theme" you felt I was presenting about NP
you are entering waters filled with sharks,
and some swordfish, goldfish, a few whales, some dolphins and other creatures of the sea.

now, look at my join date and you'll see.....still here!

i'm not giving you the sweet,
because there are others who will sugar coat anything you want to swallow.

so.... what you got a taste for?

imo….

 

[equity78]

Hi

I try to call it, like I've seen it and how I see it now.

noticed in your reply, how you speak about perceptions

some perceptions, are what can get you in the i'm talking about

you don't perceive somebody is knowledgeable,
you test it or confirm it, before you believe or follow it

to tell someone to do their own research is not pessimistic or negative, it's good advice
don't let your feelings, if you want professionalism, get in the way of learning.

as is, you're already namedropping and don't really know much, if anything.... about those you speak of.

and to make a point, that is typical of most newbies who get fed, rather than those who feed themselves.

contributions come in many forms and until you learn to discern the differences between them,
then the game will remain foggy

and forever you will need the voice of others to lead you.

as for how you perceived the "theme" you felt I was presenting about NP
you are entering waters filled with sharks,
and some swordfish, goldfish, a few whales, some dolphins and other creatures of the sea.

now, look at my join date and you'll see.....still here!

i'm not giving you the sweet,
because there are others who will sugar coat anything you want to swallow.

so.... what you got a taste for?

imo….

Classic Don, one of the best posts of the year in my opinion.

I agree you need to learn yourself to get the basics. It's one thing getting a second opinion about something you feel strong about compared to asking and now you are following someone else's story. Instead of being the leading man/woman in your domaining movie, you are the friend, except it will be your money, renewals, anxiety and emotions.

If you ask someone what to buy, you will ask them when to sell? Someone might give you solid advice, you asked if you should sell for $500 they said yes, the name is an average to decent name. The advice would be seen as solid from an unbiased third party.

Now you see that name resold for $5,000, you are now pissed at the mentor.

Business Coaches get paid, I have never seen anyone in domaining say they want to pay their Business Coach or Mentor. So the juice is most definitely not worth the squeeze.

You help someone out for free, gave good advice but they either can't make a sale or sold a name that got resold and they are pissed at you because of that.

There is a lot of great information here, read it, learn it for yourself and then talk to others.

 

[Somertonian]

Hi

I try to call it, like I've seen it and how I see it now.

noticed in your reply, how you speak about perceptions

some perceptions, are what can get you in the i'm talking about

you don't perceive somebody is knowledgeable,
you test it or confirm it, before you believe or follow it

to tell someone to do their own research is not pessimistic or negative, it's good advice
don't let your feelings, if you want professionalism, get in the way of learning.

as is, you're already namedropping and don't really know much, if anything.... about those you speak of.

and to make a point, that is typical of most newbies who get fed, rather than those who feed themselves.

contributions come in many forms and until you learn to discern the differences between them,
then the game will remain foggy

and forever you will need the voice of others to lead you.

as for how you perceived the "theme" you felt I was presenting about NP
you are entering waters filled with sharks,
and some swordfish, goldfish, a few whales, some dolphins and other creatures of the sea.

now, look at my join date and you'll see.....still here!

i'm not giving you the sweet,
because there are others who will sugar coat anything you want to swallow.

so.... what you got a taste for?

imo….

Biggie,
Thanks again for taking the time to respond. Your message is consistent and I will reflect on what you say. I fully appreciate that your longevity on this forum gives weight to your words and I respect that you didn't need to respond again so for that I again thank you for your time.

Kind regards,
Somertonian

 

[Somertonian]

Classic Don, one of the best posts of the year in my opinion.

I agree you need to learn yourself to get the basics. It's one thing getting a second opinion about something you feel strong about compared to asking and now you are following someone else's story. Instead of being the leading man/woman in your domaining movie, you are the friend, except it will be your money, renewals, anxiety and emotions.

If you ask someone what to buy, you will ask them when to sell? Someone might give you solid advice, you asked if you should sell for $500 they said yes, the name is an average to decent name. The advice would be seen as solid from an unbiased third party.

Now you see that name resold for $5,000, you are now pissed at the mentor.

Business Coaches get paid, I have never seen anyone in domaining say they want to pay their Business Coach or Mentor. So the juice is most definitely not worth the squeeze.

You help someone out for free, gave good advice but they either can't make a sale or sold a name that got resold and they are pissed at you because of that.

There is a lot of great information here, read it, learn it for yourself and then talk to others.

Equity78,
Thank you for contributing to the thread. I see you are also a long standing member of the forum, so I respect what you say. It is harder sometimes to hear what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.
Kind regards,
Somertonian

 

[lock]

Make the best decision based on the current market that day.as each domain is up for renewal reassess it based on current climate. It is going to be time to cull and improve portfolios as you wait it out. With everyone working from home there may be a demand for domains with the ones succeeding but some domains including premium gtlds that may not be actually valuable enough to cover a handful of renewals against the risk. The biggest risk is to the gTLD market as premium renewals and values get too close together. This Coronavirus might be a total curse to gTLDs and we expect a lot of drops in a good climate as people experiment with type ins but the rest of the registrations for the extensions may not be enough to keep these going.

 

[equity78]

Equity78,
Thank you for contributing to the thread. I see you are also a long standing member of the forum, so I respect what you say. It is harder sometimes to hear what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.
Kind regards,
Somertonian

The first thing you or anyone coming into domaining has to ask themselves is why?

Before we ever get to selling domain names, the first question one has to ask oneself in 2020, Why do I want to be a domain investor?

Possible answers are:

I think it's easy (It's not)
There is a low barrier to entry and startup costs can be minimal. (That can be a plus and a minus)

I am well versed in linguistics and this just seems like a natural fit.

I love to name things, I am the person that named the family business, I have given friends names for their product or service, I really enjoy doing that.

I just believe in the growth of the Internet and believe it still has a long way to go. (maybe investing in Verisign or GoDaddy would be a better opportunity).

But you really need to have a firm answer and understanding of your answer as to why you are doing this.

 

[Investful]

You are welcome to private message your domains or other personal questions.

 

[alcy]

truth is... there are no quick easy money solutions in domaining.. or any money making venture in life...

else everybody would use those.. and we all know thats not how the world works.

the truth is that when you talk about domainers going through a long learning curve of experience, loses and gains.. that curve is necesary for all. including you. otherwise, you will never learn anything.

in short there are no magical quick money formulas on this planet. all u can do is put effort and time and learn and if you do it right, you will get one day rewarded.

the good news is, namepros is the perfect place to do it. but it will take months or years. depending on how intensly you do it. all the best. be safe with virus!

 

[biggie]

It is harder sometimes to hear what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.

Hi

if you keep that frame of mind, then it will help you stay balanced.

as there are lots of words that newbies like to hear, because such language along with the tone, reinforces hopes, dreams and aspirations.

imo...

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Thank you for starting a really important thread @Somertonian, one which has already produced a number of valuable responses with lots to think about. Thanks for sharing, and I wish you the very best in your domain investing.

I think @equity78 struck a key point when he wrote this:

The first thing you or anyone coming into domaining has to ask themselves is why?

Before one even thinks about getting a second opinion, we should think carefully about the answer to the why we are in domain investing at all, along with being clear on our time and money available to invest, our time horizon, our risk tolerance, and how we would define success. Your initial post goes a long way to answering that.

Sometimes the word mentor means different things to different people. Does a mentor help guide in a direct way through opinions? Does a mentor mainly keep out of the way but is there for an occasional second opinion? Is a mentor there mainly to help with locating and using tools or information sources or guide to where answers to questions are to be found?

I believe in mentorship in general, but not at all through direct opinions in a day to day way. I think it is best for any domain investor to fully take responsibility for their own decisions, and it is too easy to start down a slope of letting someone else unduly weaken that responsibility by asking things like "which of these domains are worth keeping".

NamePros is an amazing community. I firmly believe that the vast majority of NamePros members provide information and opinions that they honestly believe are good advice. However, keep in mind that we each, naturally, answer from our own perspective. That is why ownership of our own decisions is so critical. And that is why each defining our own goals is so important.

Finally, it is maybe helpful to think about the types of "advice" we daily get on NamePros. I would divide it into the following categories.

1. Opinions Someone is basically telling us what they think.
2. Techniques Someone is helping us learn to use some tool or technique.
3. Information Someone is sharing new information such as product, change procedure, etc.
4. Data Someone is sharing data that might inform domain decisions
5. Logic There should be a logic behind actions, and a second opinion can help sometimes
6. Ideas A thread is people essentially brainstorming ideas on a topic

Other NamePros members, whether you regard them as one of your mentors formally or not, can help with many of these things. Someone knows how to do a transfer from A to B and I am stuck. Someone has mastered making landers using service X that look really nice. etc. I see no downside in getting help from that person, provided they truly have done what they are helping with.

Now some techniques are more tricky, like negotiation is a good example. There I would want to feel sure the person giving the advice has read and thought about what negotiation experts say, has done some valuable negotiations themselves. etc. But if getting help with how to search for other TLDs registered and for sale, or making a nice lander, I think only experience with that is important.

Information, as long as true, and not offered with some hidden other agenda, can be shared by most. I don't particularly care if someone has sold a 5-figure name to tell me that a price increase in Y is coming up, or that there are now new lander options at GD, or the commission structure has changed at Z, for example.

Data can be shared, naturally, by anyone, with the caveat have they really invested the time in a proper analysis and have they looked at it objectively, rather than trying to push some angle with just one side.

Ideas and brainstorming: I see value in listening to everyone, even those relatively new. But keep in mind that whether any idea has any value to us personally depends on our own personal definition of why we are in domaining and how we define success.

The very best wishes for success in this period as you redefine your focus a little bit, @Somertonian. I hope I speak for many, when I say don't hesitate to reach out for help, but at the same time keep in mind that you are the expert in your own portfolio and the one responsible for your own decisions.

Stay well everyone.

Bob

 

[Somertonian]

Bob,
I really appreciate you commenting on my thread, as I have a great respect for your sage words that are always considered, thought provoking and well worth reading. I have had some very good advice in the thread and also in some private messages and through these conversations I have realised that I need to:

• Adjust a few things,
• Be bolder and get stuck in,
• Reflect on what I have done and not done,
• Take the emotion out of my names,
• Be careful of what i reveal about myself,
• Read what has already been said (sometimes many times before)

I have now gained a couple of people that I can ask questions of privately as well as ask the good people of Namepros in the forum.

Now is the time to take stock, repair, rebuild, rebrand and get ready to take off when the uncertainty recedes as it surely will (just don't know when).

Thank you to all that have kindly taken the time to comment.

Kind regards,
Somertonian

 

[Indianad]

Thank you for starting a really important thread @Somertonian, one which has already produced a number of valuable responses with lots to think about. Thanks for sharing, and I wish you the very best in your domain investing.

I think @equity78 struck a key point when he wrote this: Before one even thinks about getting a second opinion, we should think carefully about the answer to the why we are in domain investing at all, along with being clear on our time and money available to invest, our time horizon, our risk tolerance, and how we would define success. Your initial post goes a long way to answering that.

Sometimes the word mentor means different things to different people. Does a mentor help guide in a direct way through opinions? Does a mentor mainly keep out of the way but is there for an occasional second opinion? Is a mentor there mainly to help with locating and using tools or information sources or guide to where answers to questions are to be found?

I believe in mentorship in general, but not at all through direct opinions in a day to day way. I think it is best for any domain investor to fully take responsibility for their own decisions, and it is too easy to start down a slope of letting someone else unduly weaken that responsibility by asking things like "which of these domains are worth keeping".

NamePros is an amazing community. I firmly believe that the vast majority of NamePros members provide information and opinions that they honestly believe are good advice. However, keep in mind that we each, naturally, answer from our own perspective. That is why ownership of our own decisions is so critical. And that is why each defining our own goals is so important.

Finally, it is maybe helpful to think about the types of "advice" we daily get on NamePros. I would divide it into the following categories.

1. Opinions Someone is basically telling us what they think.
2. Techniques Someone is helping us learn to use some tool or technique.
3. Information Someone is sharing new information such as product, change procedure, etc.
4. Data Someone is sharing data that might inform domain decisions
5. Logic There should be a logic behind actions, and a second opinion can help sometimes
6. Ideas A thread is people essentially brainstorming ideas on a topic

Other NamePros members, whether you regard them as one of your mentors formally or not, can help with many of these things. Someone knows how to do a transfer from A to B and I am stuck. Someone has mastered making landers using service X that look really nice. etc. I see no downside in getting help from that person, provided they truly have done what they are helping with.

Now some techniques are more tricky, like negotiation is a good example. There I would want to feel sure the person giving the advice has read and thought about what negotiation experts say, has done some valuable negotiations themselves. etc. But if getting help with how to search for other TLDs registered and for sale, or making a nice lander, I think only experience with that is important.

Information, as long as true, and not offered with some hidden other agenda, can be shared by most. I don't particularly care if someone has sold a 5-figure name to tell me that a price increase in Y is coming up, or that there are now new lander options at GD, or the commission structure has changed at Z, for example.

Data can be shared, naturally, by anyone, with the caveat have they really invested the time in a proper analysis and have they looked at it objectively, rather than trying to push some angle with just one side.

Ideas and brainstorming: I see value in listening to everyone, even those relatively new. But keep in mind that whether any idea has any value to us personally depends on our own personal definition of why we are in domaining and how we define success.

The very best wishes for success in this period as you redefine your focus a little bit, @Somertonian. I hope I speak for many, when I say don't hesitate to reach out for help, but at the same time keep in mind that you are the expert in your own portfolio and the one responsible for your own decisions.

Stay well everyone.

Bob

As always @bobhawkes...thank you!!!!

 

[cooljub]

You see @Somertonian ? mentors are all around you

 

[coolhands]

This is man @Bob Hawkes , Deserves a Medalhttps://www.namepros.com/members/bob-hawkes.1002079/