domains Why So Many Entrepreneurs Hoard Secret Stashes of Domain Names

[Lox]

Dreaming up a new business starts with a domain name, and some entrepreneurs have hundreds of them.

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... many entrepreneurs have secret caches of unused websites — in some cases hundreds of domain names — kicking around. Each domain is like a beautiful little entrepreneurial fantasy, a kernel of business idea, just waiting for its owner to find the time or funds to get started (and presumably, to someday do the hard work of, you know, actually building that business). With domains costing as little as $2 to $20 per year to register, it’s tempting to buy up a website for even the vaguest outlines of a business.

“Looking through an entrepreneur’s domain portfolio is a bit like browsing through an old notebook,” says Thies Lindenthal, a lecturer at the University of Cambridge who studies the domain market. Although few of those ideas will bubble up into real businesses, says Lindenthal, “domain registrations provide an unfiltered snapshot of our collective entrepreneurial creativity. Or madness, in many cases.”

read more (medium)

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

Dreaming up a new business starts with a domain name, and some entrepreneurs have hundreds of them.

read more (medium)

... many entrepreneurs have secret caches of unused websites — in some cases hundreds of domain names — kicking around. Each domain is like a beautiful little entrepreneurial fantasy, a kernel of business idea, just waiting for its owner to find the time or funds to get started (and presumably, to someday do the hard work of, you know, actually building that business). With domains costing as little as $2 to $20 per year to register, it’s tempting to buy up a website for even the vaguest outlines of a business.

“Looking through an entrepreneur’s domain portfolio is a bit like browsing through an old notebook,” says Thies Lindenthal, a lecturer at the University of Cambridge who studies the domain market. Although few of those ideas will bubble up into real businesses, says Lindenthal, “domain registrations provide an unfiltered snapshot of our collective entrepreneurial creativity. Or madness, in many cases.”

read more (medium)

I was about to post that article as I found it interesting. thanks

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I too found it interesting and thanks for posting it @Lox. It is important to keep in mind that it is about business owners, or prospective owners, and not domain investors. I hope the article gets well read as I like the idea of thinking first of the possible domains when you have a new idea.

Bob

 

[Ategy]

It's important to point out that these people are the ENGINE to my domain business!

What I mean, is that as someone who goes very deep into the expiration auctions every day, it's exactly clever domains like "Alpha Mail" that stand out to me. More importantly is that most of these sorts of domains do not make it through conventional searches or filters, so I'm usually able to get a very small portion of them cheap or even at closeout.

I had my own very large "on the side" website back in 1999 into the early 2000s. Since then I grabbed a handful of "entrepreneurial" domains every year .. none of which that I ever ended up doing anything with. (Until 3 years ago when I finally decided to start "domaining")

It's important to realise that this is EXACTLY why experienced domainers say it's better to buy domains on the aftermarket as opposed to hand-registrations. That's because you're leveraging the creativity of thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs as opposed to just one (yourself).

It's also important to note that most such concept domains are indeed garbage .. regardless of who came up with it. But with thousands expiring and going to auction every day, there are always a couple hundred good ones .. and of those .. a handful that slip through the search/filtration cracks and end up at closeout.

So it's not that there aren't any good hand-reg's left .. it's just that the randreg domainer business model is a huge challenge because it's extremely difficult to get a volume of good creative names that will be appreciated by at least one other entrepreneur. However when you buy the best of expired domains, you know that there has already been at least one other person who liked it enough to register and pay renewals. That's not a little thing to be dismissed .. it's an important part of the probabilities and math involved in building a profitable portfolio.

 

[Lox]

Any entrepreneur knows it's tough enough trying to start a business without knowing consumers' mindset.

So when it comes to domain naming; are you living your own dream or someone else's.

When it's not about your idea, it's about their idea or maybe it's all about timing!

(Entrepreneurs start their own idea/enterprise in small size and slooowly rolling, waiting for that moment before the idea and consumers get on like a house on fire. It's called; the reaction)

Regards

 

[WatchDogue]

That was an interesting perspective on getting an idea, then " the idea " quickly followed up on by registering an appropriate name should the idea materialize into a business or venture.

I just checked our portfolio and have at least 26 names registered and parked for more than a dozen
or so years that followed " a bright idea " for a new venture / website.

I nevertheless like each of those 26 on their own merits regardless if I never pursue their one time
" bright idea " ventures that invaded my mind.

Their value, to me, is as potential future ventures or more likely. potential sales to
end-users - thus I do not feel I am hoarding 'em

And, have at least a dozen or more names that were similarly registered over the years that point or
re-direct to an active website that was similar in nature to " the idea ".

 

[Recons.Com]

Well, that is how I started domain investing.

I would "hoard" the names for my business ideas and then someone would come knocking with an offer.

 

[.X.]

The hoarding happens for many reasons, collectors such as myself hoard specific names, my favorite is “Exact Match” keyword domains and 4 letter .coms along with one word dictionary .orgs , then you have the niche speculative domainers who will stash the up and coming next big thing domains, I play in that pool as well, just not on a large scale

I have 3 separate portfolios, I move names from one to the other , when a name makes into portfolio #3 , it is strictly for sale, portfolios #1 and #2 are pretty much my stash of collectible domains

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

Unfortunately (for Endusers) or Fortunately (for domainers) endusers tend to neglect registering domains they should "hoard" even after they have launched their "big idea".

Case in point. You launch a company with the name "SBI Ripple" but don't register SBIRipple.com (Not mine)

As far as domain hoarding there is domain overkill ands domain underkill.

I wonder how many tech guys or marketing experts these "idea makers" have that basically say "eehhh that'll do guys!"

It still amazes me how big companies still drop the ball and domainers grab such domains for reg fee,.

 

[Zilla]

every time I get a new name, I believe the map of my business empire getting extended...I have to wake up myself some time...

 

[GoKaizen]

Lol good article. I can relate and this is why name spinners are so popular.

 

[platey]

It's important to point out that these people are the ENGINE to my domain business!

What I mean, is that as someone who goes very deep into the expiration auctions every day, it's exactly clever domains like "Alpha Mail" that stand out to me. More importantly is that most of these sorts of domains do not make it through conventional searches or filters, so I'm usually able to get a very small portion of them cheap or even at closeout.

I had my own very large "on the side" website back in 1999 into the early 2000s. Since then I grabbed a handful of "entrepreneurial" domains every year .. none of which that I ever ended up doing anything with. (Until 3 years ago when I finally decided to start "domaining")

It's important to realise that this is EXACTLY why experienced domainers say it's better to buy domains on the aftermarket as opposed to hand-registrations. That's because you're leveraging the creativity of thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs as opposed to just one (yourself).

It's also important to note that most such concept domains are indeed garbage .. regardless of who came up with it. But with thousands expiring and going to auction every day, there are always a couple hundred good ones .. and of those .. a handful that slip through the search/filtration cracks and end up at closeout.

So it's not that there aren't any good hand-reg's left .. it's just that the randreg domainer business model is a huge challenge because it's extremely difficult to get a volume of good creative names that will be appreciated by at least one other entrepreneur. However when you buy the best of expired domains, you know that there has already been at least one other person who liked it enough to register and pay renewals. That's not a little thing to be dismissed .. it's an important part of the probabilities and math involved in building a profitable portfolio.

I have tech venture concept ideas all the time and I buy the two keyword. Com of my ideas and the domain name just sits on my digital shelf

I buy my tech venture domain names of my ideas for reg fee because traditional mindset does not understand the digital era of tech venture

I have no competition as I am stuck ahead of the digital curve lol but I know what domains Facebook and Google will want and why they will want them and I own a few of them because I think like them

Domain name investors see the value in a domain name

Tech venture concept bods match domain names with their ideas because they have the vision for an idea that no one has yet had which is why the domain name is of no value to anyone that does not have the vision for the idea behind the domain name

 

[biggie]

this is why name spinners are so popular.

I sold 'webspinner.com' years ago



imo...

 

[platey]

Well, that is how I started domain investing.

I would "hoard" the names for my business ideas and then someone would come knocking with an offer.

I've yet to receive an offer lol

 

[Not a robot]

Great article. If you listen to what domainers think in DimainSherpa, you would hear similar thing. When they acquire a domain, they envision what business can build on top of it. Also, many of them have some domains that they want to develop, even though most ideas don’t come to fruition.

 

[platey]

The reason anyone pays to park their car is because I couldn't be bothered to make my tech venture vision of my idea a reality

Although obviously I do own the keyword. Com of my idea that I bought for reg fee lol

It just sits on my digital shelf lol

 

[BrandEntrance.com]

Dreaming up a new business starts with a domain name, and some entrepreneurs have hundreds of them.

read more (medium)

... many entrepreneurs have secret caches of unused websites — in some cases hundreds of domain names — kicking around. Each domain is like a beautiful little entrepreneurial fantasy, a kernel of business idea, just waiting for its owner to find the time or funds to get started (and presumably, to someday do the hard work of, you know, actually building that business). With domains costing as little as $2 to $20 per year to register, it’s tempting to buy up a website for even the vaguest outlines of a business.

“Looking through an entrepreneur’s domain portfolio is a bit like browsing through an old notebook,” says Thies Lindenthal, a lecturer at the University of Cambridge who studies the domain market. Although few of those ideas will bubble up into real businesses, says Lindenthal, “domain registrations provide an unfiltered snapshot of our collective entrepreneurial creativity. Or madness, in many cases.”

read more (medium)

In today's Gig Economy it makes perfect sense for an entrepreneur developer to invest a few bucks here and there and have some choices for the next project that enables them to 'accumulate'.

You have to speculate to accumulate. That means putting your money where your mouth is. Taking a punt.

 

[WhoaDomain.com]

I believe every entrepreneur at least the smart ones are or should be "closet" domainers.

Case in point lawyers like Barry Goldwater. Came across his list of domains. I had to think "this guy must be a domainer" looking at his list.

If I have business, as a domainer, I would choose a brandable unique made up name like "Google".

And then register every version of it misspelled and all versions with missing letters.

Fact. 3 versions of Facebook with letter missing sold for $100k each.

Next? Register patterns below where keyword= your brand.

Keyword+sucks.com
Keyword plus .net .org,.co
Keyword+review.com
Buy+keyword.com
Get+keyword.com
Try+keyword.com
Keyword+app.com
Best+keyword.com
Free+keyword.com
E+keyword.com
I+keyword.com
The+keyword.com
My+keyword.com
Keyword+s.com

Depending on industry make list of keywords associated to your niche combine those to your brand and reg the .com.

So just that alone. It's easy to assume entrepreneurs have to be domain hoarders at one point or another

 

[Recons.Com]

I've yet to receive an offer lol

Maybe, because of perspective? Meaning I was buying for own use. Even now I receive most offers for those. Probably I tend to pay more for those and also they pass some internal tests.

 

[platey]

Maybe, because of perspective? Meaning I was buying for own use. Even now I receive most offers for those. Probably I tend to pay more for those and also they pass some internal tests.

I too buy for my own use with the intention of never selling as I bought them based on my ideas etc

 

[lock]

Simple you have great domain but your still securing the industry and haven't secured all the domains in that niche your chasing you don't mention but hide those in order to concentrate on obtaining the remaining.