How Did You Get Started Domaining?
Whether you began back in 1998 or now in 2008, every domainer had to start somewhere. With good strategy and careful investment, even a new domainer today can achieve a lot of success and make a good living domaining. So, how did everyone get started as a domainer? I always enjoy taking a look back, so I’ll get the ball rolling.
Although I wasn’t to long ago compared to many domainers, I suppose I technically started domaining back in early 2006, though it wasn’t necessarily intentional. I had just purchased my first few domain names, all with the plan of eventually developing them. After grabbing my first and last name domain, I figured out some areas I could work with, did a lot of research, and grabbed about 10 domains. Over the course of the next year, I established maybe 3 of these sites with some success. The remaining 7 domains were coming up for renewal and I wasn’t sure if I had time to develop them. Rather than just let them go or renew them, I decided to see if anyone else wanted them. With a quick search, I discovered Namepros and posted my domains. After a couple days, I had collected several hundred dollars on my investment and realized I may have been taking the wrong approach to establishing myself online!
To test my skills, I used some of that money and went out and purchased another 20 keyword-rich domain names to work with. After about a week, I had made back more than I’d spent and still have about 11 domains left! Again, nothing major, but it showed me that I had the research skills necessary to find success in the world of internet real estate. Over the last year my portfolio has continued to grow as I started delving into the world of backordering domains and it has really been a fun ride. As I look towards the future, my hope is to continue to mix domaining with developing and hopefully create a steady and profitable web prescence.
So, that is my story in a nutshell. How and when did you get started domaining? Who were your mentors?