Domain Name Wire Podcast

The U.S. government is handing out lots of free money these days, and one often-overlooked freebie is a deal on SBA loans. Right now, you can get up to three months of interest and principle covered by the government on new loans. Lots of people use SBA loans for buying online businesses and working capital, and it might be right for your online business (or maybe even domain investing). On today'...

This week on the podcast I check in with domain investor Shane Cultra. Shane owns a nursery and he's seen first hand how business is changing with the U.S. reopening now that vaccines are widely available. We discuss what impact things getting "back to normal" could have on the business of websites and domain names. Shane also explains why he thinks domain investors are so drawn to NFTs. I promise...

There are lots of benefits to companies that use great domain names. On today's show, Voices.com founder and CEO David Ciccarelli discusses why his company upgraded its domain name and the benefits it got from the change. You'll also hear how he negotiated to buy the domain name. Sponsor: Dan.com

On today's show I look at the impact of cryptocurrencies on the domain name market. I also review the top sales of the year to date.  Sponsor: Sav.com

Would a DNS using blockchain technology be better than the current DNS? Andrew Rosener thinks so, although he admits there are some challenges to overcome. On today's show, Andrew and I discuss the benefits of a decentralized DNS using blockchain technology, as well as the drawbacks and hurdles to getting there. Also: Domain numbers head south, Hallmark loses, Dutch domain auctions and more. Spons...

I've interviewed many great domain investors for this show, and some have left a great impression on me and listeners. Today, you're going to hear some of the valuable insights I've gained over the past year from select interviews. You'll hear from Mark Levine about his success with .io and .gg domains, you'll get a sample of Logan Flatt's domain sales, you'll hear about what Elkhan Agamirza looks...

Crypto markets had a wild ride last week. My guest this week, Amanda Waltz of Saw.com, discusses the impact that cryptocurrency prices have on domain name sales. Even if you don't own cryptocurrency, your domain investments might do better when cryptocurrencies are doing well. Also: Bill Gate's loses, Pheenix won't be rebirthed, Nubank fight, and more. Sponsor: DAN.com

Acquiring domain names and social media accounts from their current owners isn't easy. Today's guest, Bill Sweetman, has more than his fair share of battle stories. He's the founder of Name Ninja, which helps companies acquire domains and social media handles. He discusses a handful of cases today, including The Case of the Salty Senior and The Case of the Wacky Wordsmith . It's entertaining but a...

Have you ever wondered how you can sell your online business, or how to acquire a business and take it to the next level? Today's guest is an expert in buying and selling online business. Thomas Smale's company FE International has helped sell 1,000 businesses for a total dollar value of $1 billion. On today's show, he explains what goes into valuing an online business, the process of selling a bu...

Domain investor Keith DeBoer started dabbling in domains in 2014. Within a few years he started making six figures per year and he's not a full time domain investor. On today's show, Keith talks about how he acquires good brandable domain names, where he sells them, and provides examples of some of his recent sales. If you like this episode, check out Keith's podcast Brandable Insider . Tool of th...

Michael Cyger of DNAcademy just sold his business iSixSigma. On today's show, Michael talks about the work that went into building this business. (Hint: it wasn't easy!) We discuss what it takes to create and run a business, and why you should think twice when someone says, "That's a great domain to develop!". Tip of the week: Exportable lists at GoDaddy Also: Domain industry boom, RDNH, .Au warni...

My guest this week is Graeme Bunton, Director of the new DNS Abuse Institute . We discuss types of DNS abuse and how the institute plans to help the domain name ecosystem combat abuse. Tip of the week: Bulk auth codes at NameBright Also: Angel.com blockbuster sale, Facebook lawsuit, Queen of .XYZ Sponsor: Sav.com

Domain auction prices are going through the roof. What does this mean for domain investors? Is there a fallout coming? On today's show, I discuss this with long time domain investor Braden Pollack. Braden makes some good observations about today's market that are worth considering as you invest in domain names. Tool of the week: OneWord. Domains   Also: GoDaddy's buying spree, UDRP cases,    Spons...

NamesCon and Cloudfest are under new ownership. On this week's show, I talk with Christian Jaeger, CEO of the new owner WHD Event GmbH, and Soeren von Varchmin, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. We discuss the history of the events, who now owns the company, and what's next now that the conferences have been spun out of a large corporation's control. It has me excited to attend my next in-person...

Many businesses (especially big ones) require a contract before doing a domain name purchase. Joe Uddeme of Name Experts has brokered many domain transactions with contracts. On today's show, he talks about when contracts are usually required and specific points to negotiate over, such as liability and trademarks. It's an informative interview.   Tool of the week: NameBio categories   Also: France...

Most domain name registrars charge their customers whatever fee the registry charges them for a domain plus a markup. Openprovider has a different business model, which founder Arno Vis compares to Costco. Customers pay a membership fee and then get domains at cost. On today's show, Vis explains the model and how his company uses automation to keep costs low.   Tool of the week: DomainLeads.com an...

Verisign operates one of the most profitable large businesses in the world thanks to a no-bid contract to operate the .com namespace. My guest on today's show talks about how Verisign got to where it is today and what the chances are that antitrust forces will take a look at it in the future. David Dayen is the Executive Editor of The American Prospect and the author of Monopolized: Life in the Ag...

Last week I wrote about how domain investing is constantly changing and how you need to change your approach to adapt. This week's guest is a domain investor who has done just that. Logan Flatt returns to the podcast this week to talk about his results in 2020. He also explains some strategic shifts he's made and tests he's running to stay ahead of the times. I also introduce a new segment this we...

One of my favorite domain investors is back on the show this week. Nikul Sanghvi talks about his domain investing results from last year. We discuss his strategic changes, harvesting gains vs. replenishing your portfolio, and much more. Nikul invests almost exclusively in domains other than .com, which should give inspiration to many investors. It's a great show. Also: Big auction sales, IPO, Spid...

There has been a lot of talk about censorship and taking down websites over the past couple of months. On today's show, I talk with Tucows CEO Elliot Noss about the issue. Tucows is one of the world's largest domain name registrars. We discuss the role that registrars and registries could play in taking down domains used for nefarious purposes, and how Noss' take on the issue has changed over time...

Mark Levine returns to the podcast this week to dig into his 2020 domain investing results. You'll learn about his revenues and costs, which TLDs he sold, his strategy for finding and buying domains, how he's pricing them and much more. Grab a pen and paper to take notes, because you'll learn a lot for this domain investor.   Also: Endurance acquires Web.com, .Com price hikes, NamesCon sold, earni...

Frank Schilling is exiting the top level domain business. He's auctioning off his 23 top level domains on April 28 in what is sure to be an interesting event. On today's show, Frank explains what's behind the sale, what he got right (and what he didn't) about new top level domains, and what his plans are for the future.    Also: GoDaddy closeouts, Super Bowl ad and last month's top stories   Spons...

This week we take an outside-in look at your domain business from a business perspective. My guest, Warren Coughlin came on the show last year when the economy grinded to a halt due to the pandemic. We talked about how to save your business. The domain business had a good year in 2020, but that doesn't mean you can rest on your laurels. Today, Warren discusses planning for your businesses' future....

Squadhelp launched its new whitelabel marketplace for domainers last summer and I've been testing it out ever since. Today, I quiz Squadhelp CEO Darpen Munjal about many of the features and how to get the best results out of the platform. We get a bit into the weeds (for example, which domains work best with logos vs. images) and I found it very helpful. I hope you do too!   Also: Donuts acquired...

They say "all of the good domains are taken" and many people think that if you didn't get into domain investing early, it's too late. But last week, I hosted a panel on behalf of the Internet Commerce Association that proves it's not too late. I interviewed three relative new-comers to domain investing: Joshua Schoen, Doron Vermaat, and Josh Reason. On today's show, I'm providing an abbreviated re...