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Women
For the Win! How An Influx of Talented Female Professionals
Is Transforming the Domain Industry For Good
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By Ron
Jackson
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Over the past 15 years
I've watched the domain business go through changes
that have transformed it from a cottage
industry into the multi-billion dollar global
enterprise it is today. There was the introduction of the
first new gTLDS (think .info and .biz),
the birth of domain conferences that allowed us to
meet face to face to form new partnerships and lasting
relationships, the meteoric rise (and fall) of domain
monetization revenue, the mid 2000s domain boom that,
for the first time, attracted mainstream media
attention and venture capital money like flies to
honey, a global recession that made money much tougher
to come by, a rebound that included an extraordinary
sales explosion fueled by the emergence of China
as a market force and a second wave of new gTLDs (this
time hundreds of them instead of just a
handful) - and that is just a partial list!
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Still,
with all of that we've seen, nothing has changed
the industry more for the better than the many
talented professional women who have entered
the space over the past decade. When I first stumbled
upon the business in 2002 I loved everything about it
except the fact that you could count the women in
domain investing/ aftermarket sales on your hands and
have some fingers left over. In my previous careers in
broadcasting and music women were critically important
contributors in those fields. If the domain business
stayed the way I found it, I wasn't sure how far we
could get if we weren't drawing on the brain power and
business smarts of half of the population.
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Image
from Bigstock
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In 2005,
a couple of years after starting DNJournal, I wound up
writing a Cover Story about the situation titled .Women
Wanted: Our Role Models Rock But the Business Needs
More Recruits. Believe it or not, there
were only three widely known women in the domain
investing/aftermarket sales space that we focused on
that time - Donna Mahony, Marcia Lynn
Walker and Michelle Miller - and I called
on them for that piece (I knew about a few others but
they preferred to stay under the radar). All are still
on the scene and we will honor that
power trio with the last words in this article.
Given
where we came from I was stunned and delighted to pop
into the annual Women in Domaining dinner held
at the 2018
NamesCon conference in Las Vegas
and see an all-time record crowd of more than 100
professional women that took over Robert Irvine's
Public House restaurant for the event. There have
been decent crowds at the dinner in recent years but
nothing like this. It impressed upon me how much women
are contributing to every sector of the industry and
how much stronger the business is because of it.
Just
part of the overflow crowd that stretched as
far as you can see at the 2018 Women
in Domaining dinner held in January during NamesCon
at Robert Irvine's Public House.
To give
you a better idea of what drew them into the domain
business, what some of their most gratifying
achievements have been and where they see opportunities
for other women who might want to enter it, I
called on some of the best and brightest from every
corner of the industry to share their thoughts on
those points. They include company founders, corporate
executives, successful investors, brokers, consultants
and attorneys and I am very thankful to all of them
for taking time out of their busy schedules to share
their stories. Let me start with introductions to our
special guests:
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Domain Investors
Aside
from a few introductory comments about each of our guests I will
now take a seat to enjoy and learn from what these inspiring
industry leaders have to say.
Cybele
Negris
CEO & Co-Founder, WebNames.ca
Regardless
of gender, Cybele
Negris is one of the true pioneers of the
modern domain industry. Years before we arrived on the scene
Cybele was already a major force as the Co-Founder of WebNames.ca.
Cybele is also known for her advocacy and mentorship of
entrepreneurs and we delighted to have her kick off the
commentary.
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Cybele
Negris
CEO & Co-Founder
WebNames.ca |
Well
I guess I’m one of the real old veterans in this
business as I co founded Webnames.ca 18 years ago,"
Cybele began. "Prior to that I worked with John
Demco who founded the .CA domain registry in
1987. I met John around 1999 at the University of
British Columbia where I was doing some contract work
at the University Industry Liaison Office (the office that
commercializes technologies and spins off companies). I
was fascinated by John’s story and intrigued by the work
he was doing managing about 100,000 .CA domain names
and charging no fees for his efforts. I worked with John
and a small team to modernize the Registry and then
transferred and sold the technology from UBC to the
Canadian Internet Registration Authority which
today continues to be the registry for .CA. We then
started Webnames.ca as one of the accredited registrars
under CIRA in 2000."
"The
early years were a lot of fun and really exciting as we
grew from three to 30 people in about four months. We had
people sleeping in sleeping bags, working all hours in
order to keep up with demand. As the initial rush for .CA
settled, we continued to build out services like web
hosting, email, SSL certificates, DNS hosting, domain
privacy and web development.
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Each
day has been different in the 18 years of business.
We’ve seen tremendous growth and the new gTLDs brought
another round of excitement in 2013 to now with us
launching several hundred new domain extensions. The
fast pace and constant change keeps the job exciting.
It also gives me the ability to do a lot of other things
in terms of speaking at entrepreneurial or technology
events, serving on a variety of different boards and
writing columns for various media publications."
"I
also didn’t let the fact that the industry was
male dominated deter me. In the early years, there
were events with scantily clad “booth babes” which was
what the women at tradeshow booths were referred to, a
party at the Playboy Mansion and I remember after one
ICANN meeting going for drinks with a pretty big group
of all guys and we ended up at a strip bar in Montreal
with a few of the guys offering to buy me lap dances. As I
was also a co-owner of a construction business at the
time, I had been very used to having to hold my own around
men and handle uncomfortable situations with grace. The
industry has changed a lot since then as society has
continued to shift to understanding more about diversity,
inclusiveness and what is socially acceptable, especially
in work related settings. There’s obviously still room
for improvement and I thank you for presenting the
opportunity for women in this industry to tell our
stories."
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John
Demco speaking at the 2010 T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Vancouver conference. |
"Over
18 years, there are lots of things to be proud of. Being part
of the original .CA Registry was very gratifying especially
given John Demco my business partner has been
recognized as a pioneer of the Canadian internet by a former
Prime Minister. I’m also proud of how we were able to
transition from what was a highly manual service run by a few
volunteers into a business with over 600 products. John
is more than a business partner but a lifelong friend.
I’m very
proud of the culture we have developed at Webnames.ca, one
that puts customers first with our core value of “Amaze
every customer with exceptional service.” Our customer
satisfaction scores are on average 94 to 97%, our NPS
(Net Promoter Score) ranges from 54 to 72 which is very high
for those who understand how NPS is calculated. We have under
60 second average telephone response times to talk to a live
person and a Better Business Bureau A+ rating and zero
complaint record. We were even recognized as a finalist in
Canada’s Top 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures. |
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It is
tremendously gratifying to have a team that has
stuck with us for so many years growing together
as people and experts in our respective areas.
I’ve given out numerous 5, 10 and even 15-year
service awards for staff. We’ve also had 20% of
our staff leave the company and come back which
speaks volumes to the culture we’ve developed. |
We
don’t work so hard for the accolades but because we truly
have passion for what we do. It does bring all of us a lot
of pride though to be recognized by industry and our peers
for what we have achieved through awards like Canada’s
Top 10 Most Powerful Women in Canada, Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Profit W100, Business
In Vancouver Influential Women in Business, BC
Business Women of Influence, Queen Elizabeth Diamond
Jubilee Award and more."
With
regard to what advice she would give women about
learning the business, useful skill sets to have, how to
break in and where some of the better opportunities might be
today, Ms. Negris said, "In whatever industry a woman
is looking at, I always suggest looking at the culture of
the organization first and foremost. Profit and hard work
are of course the expectation of running a business but not
at the expense of treating people and customers poorly. Does
the company have a diverse mix of genders, ethnic
backgrounds and age groups; as studies have shown that a
diverse workforce and board in an organization breeds better
results in decision-making including improved financial
performance. Are activities in the company inclusive?
Foosball tables and beer may not be everyone’s thing so
having a variety of team-building activities that everyone
feels comfortable participating in is important. Does the
company believe in continuous improvement and education for
employees so that there’s a path for personal and career
growth. For women, there is a huge confidence gap
that needs to be closed. We are less likely to put our hands
up for that next promotion (studies show that women need to
feel 100% qualified before applying while men only need to
feel 60% qualified). Women are less likely to apply as we
feel the “required qualifications” are all truly needed
and that applying means we will fail so we don’t bother
and we would waste our own and the interviewer’s
time."
Cybele
Negris speaking at the 2017 NamesCon conference in Las
Vegas.
"Finally,
I want women to feel empowered to join this industry.
Yes it is still male dominated but start looking at this as
an advantage and an opportunity to stand out. When I go to a
technology event I’m one of few women in the room,
especially in the C-Suite/founder level. There are media
opportunities, numerous asks to speak as keynotes and panels
as a result. Start to build your leadership and public
speaking skills so you feel confident in taking those
opportunities. When I was younger I was deathly afraid of
public speaking yet I accepted these opportunities anyway.
In part because I needed to live outside my comfort zone and
partly that I felt an obligation as one of the few female
leaders in the industry to actually give us a voice. Feeling
fear and doing it anyway is the only way to get over that
fear. It sounds hard and it is; but I promise, it gets
easier every time. Now I actually get paid to speak at
events, something I never could have imagined before."
"I
want to make it very clear that although through my long
career in tech I have had to overcome some challenges of
being a young female in a male dominated industry that I
feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to build a
successful business with the support of many. I honestly
feel that we are at a point in society where advocating for
one group (eg. female) does not need to mean the exclusion
of or blaming of men. The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs,
Women’s Executive Network and Women’s
Enterprise Centre were great advocates of mine. There
were also many men through Small Business BC, Vancouver
Economic Commission and Premier’s Technology
Council who have provided encouragement, mentorship and
that nudge to put my name forward for boards and other
opportunities when I otherwise would not have because I
didn’t think I was worthy. If anyone is interested in my
article on the Imposter Syndrome, go to Business In
Vancouver https://biv.com/author/cybele-negris |
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Lori Anne Wardi
Vice President, Neustar
Inc.
Lori
Anne Wardi is another one of the most
accomplished women in the domain industry (we shared her
life story in the November 2016 DNJournal Cover
Story). Among other things, Lori Anne,
who started out as a domain investor, is well known for
co-founding the .CO Registry and helping build it
into a company that Neustar spent $109 million
to acquire in 2014.
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Lori
Anne Wardi
Vice President
Neustar Inc. |
"I
started buying domain names in year 2000 — each
name represented an idea I had for a business,"
Lori Anne recalled. "I didn’t know back
then that there was such a thing as a “domain
industry” - and I definitely didn’t
consider myself a part of any such industry!
I was just a girl with a lot of big,
sometimes crazy ideas — and domain
names were like like these little magic idea
bullets. Each time I would buy a domain
name, it felt like my ideas were that much closer
to becoming real. And so the whole process
became quite addictive! Before I knew it, I
had hundreds, then thousands of domain names —
each representing a little slice of a dream I
imagined one day creating. In 2005, I read an
article called “Masters of their Domains”
by Paul Sloan. That’s when I
learned about this sub-culture of people who buy,
sell, trade and monetize domain names —
people called “domainers”…. I
couldn’t believe there were others out there
like me! I remember thinking “these
are my people — I need to go meet them!”
That’s when I started to go to all the domain
events. I convinced my sister to join me, we
made up business cards and called ourselves “Domain
Name Divas.” Vegas was our first TRAFFIC
conference in 2005 — and we were determined to
meet every single person at |
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the event — pretty much all of whom were
men. We had a blast, and the guys were
great. It was a little awkward being the
only women there, but we got used to it. It
wasn’t the first business setting I’d been in
where I’d been the only woman — so it was
really no big deal! As for why I stayed in
the domain industry for all these years, all I can
say is, it is addictive. I’m a true domain
junky!"
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"The
early part of my career in domain names
was all about being a domainer," Lori
Anne continued. "I learned from many
of the best and brightest in the field,
and made literally hundreds of friends in
the industry. I don’t know of another
industry where the people are as gracious!
Going to every domain event felt
like reuniting with great old friends.
I enjoyed every second of it. Then
came the .CO years in about 2009
— when I joined the team that launched
and built the .CO top level domain brand.
I would say those were the most
exciting and gratifying years —
taking a business idea from just a seed
and building it into a multi-million
dollar global platform was beyond
exciting. But the best part was
working together as a team with some of the
most amazingly talented people on the
planet, like Juan Diego Calle, Nicolai |
Lori
Anne Wardi in her .CO days. |
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Bezsonoff,
Jose Rasco, Eduardo Santoyo
and Crystal Peterson. Not
only did we have fun building the .CO TLD
together, we built something special that
we are all very proud of to this day.
.CO has truly changed the fabric
of the Internet, making meaningful,
memorable domain names available to a new
generation of innovators and
entrepreneurs. In 2014, .CO was acquired
by Neustar, a world leading
Information Services company. At
Neustar, we manage and operate close to 300
top level domain extensions —
including .CO, .US and .BIZ — and
many of the world’s leading .Brand and
Digital City domains (like .NYC,
.Melbourne, etc.) Our CEO, Lisa
Hook, is one of the most dynamic and
powerful women leaders in the business
world today. She is a tremendous
role model for me every day.
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I
love domain investing, and would absolutely
love to see more women get involved. My
first bit of advice would be to subscribe to all
the key industry journals and blogs so you can
stay up-to-date on what’s happening in the
industry, who the players are, what the issues
are, and where the emerging opportunities may be.
Some of my favorites are DNJournal (of
course!), as well as DomainNameWire, Domain
Investing and The Domains. Next
I'd encourage any woman who is interested in the
business to get out from behind the computer
screen, and attend key industry events.
I know this is the Internet age and all, but
I still believe that the best way to forge
relationships is up-close-and-personal —
in real life! There is simply no substitute
for the kind of special bonds that can develop
over of a few drinks with a group of domain
investors! I’d especially urge you to
attend NamesCon —
and the Women in Domaining event —
where you can quickly tap into a community of
smart, talented women who understand the ins and
outs of the domain industry and can help you get
on your feet. As with learning any new
skill, learning how to invest in domain names
takes time and money and will involve a whole lot
of trial and error. Have patience with
yourself and have fun in the process!" |
Jen Sale
Chief Operating Office &
Co-Founder, Evergreen.com
Jen
Sale
is another industry veteran whose time in the business
predates DNJournal as she started 17 years ago. At this
year's NamesCon conference Jen was recognized by Escrow.com
as one of the world's top 10 brokers in total $
volume sold on their platform.
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Jen
Sale
COO & Co-Founder
Evergreen.com |
"I
kicked off my career in the online space in 2001,
starting out as a developer for an online casino,
before taking on a role in the traffic team with Dark
Blue Sea (AKA Fabulous)," Jen began.
"My DBS roles varied greatly over 9 years,
including development, marketing, sales, product
management and business development. However, I
primarily brokered sales for the
company’s portfolio of 500,000+ domains
and managed partnerships for the Domain
Distribution Network - the first API to enable
retail registrars to sell aftermarket domains in
their registration paths. Fast forward to today,
where I've been partnered with Adam Strong
for the past 7 years, brokering the best 1word.com
domain names via Evergreen.com.
I
love the domain name space - it’s agile,
buzzing with excitement and inspiration, and
includes some amazing and creative entrepreneurs.
Aside from some cracker sales that we’ve
brokered over the years, my biggest accomplishment
has been launching my own business while raising
two boys with my incredibly supportive husband. It
didn’t come without its ups and downs, learning
how to juggle countless things at once and finding
that
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infamous
work/life balance, but it’s been worth it and
I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished to
date.
I’ve
also had the great privilege to work alongside
some of the best industry vets, including Adam
Strong, who is not just an amazing investor,
business partner and mentor, but also a great
friend with an impressive Aussie accent; Elliot
Silver, who consistently supports us in
everything we do, and will happily lend his advice
unreservedly, any time of the day; and Ammar
Kubba, who will volunteer his time to give us
honest and invaluable advice when needed - I could
go on and on, but I’d be here all day. The point
is, there are many interesting, supportive and
friendly people in the domain space."
Jen
Sale being honored at NamesCon 2018 by Escrow.com
as one of the
Top 10 brokers worldwide in domain sales
transacted on the Escrow.com platform.
To
other women who aspire to a career in domains Jen
said, "Like any business, I believe you need
to invest serious time and energy to hone your
craft and establish any kind of reputation and
recognition - it won’t happen over night, but it
can happen, so don’t give up on what you believe
in and ignore the naysayers.
To
broaden your skill set, volunteer for all kinds of
roles and projects - especially when it’s
outside of your comfort zone. For example, while I
buy and sell domain names most days, I also code
and design when/where time permits.
Also
expose yourself to a wide-range of people and
opportunities by attending as many events as
possible. People and relationships are key in
niche industries, and I believe that like attracts
like. So surround yourself with people that
inspire and challenge you to learn and grow every
day. With the right skill set, experience and
attitude, the opportunities are endless!" |
Barbara Neu
Conference Liaison, MERGE!
Barbara
Neu has played an instrumental role in bringing
people in the domain industry together for the past 14
years, starting with the first T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
conference in 2004, continuing with THE Domain
Conference that she co-founded with husband Howard and
son Ray in 2015 and now in a supporting promotional
and hosting role for the MERGE!
conference in Orlando run by Ray and Jothan
Frakes. We told her fascinating life story in the July
2016 DNJournal Cover
Story.
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Barbara
Neu
Conference Liaison
MERGE! |
"When
Howard and Rick Schwartz started T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
14 years ago I immediately became a part of
the team, working primarily on coordinating hotel
room availabilities and attendees' needs,"
Barbara recalled. "I also LOVE to take
pictures, so I made certain that as many people as
possible were included. We all had our roles
to play in making sure that T.R.A.F.F.I.C. was
successful, and what made it nice was that it was
all family. My main goal was to make every
attendee feel comfortable and part of the
"family" of domainers. The
first few shows were very challenging, because
no-one had ever met any of the other domainers or
sponsors and everybody started out as strangers
who then became friends.
As
the years went by and the shows became
international, there were always new attendees
that I made feel comfortable and at home and
introduced to their newfound friends from all
over the world. To me, it wasn't a job,
but rather my enjoyment in being able to get
people together. If you love what you do,
you never work a day in your life, and I LOVED
what I was doing.
I
have had the privilege of meeting and greeting
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and photographing almost
every person who has been involved in the
industry, and as a result, have made a
number of new dear friends along the way,
including Ron and Diana Jackson. DNJournal
has had the most profound effect on my domain
industry knowledge by keeping me up-to-date on
what is happening and reading the in depth
articles about the fascinating domain investors
and sponsors. The best part is that I know
almost everyone who has been written about because
I have had the pleasure of meeting them at our
conferences. Mike and Judi Berkens
have also become close friends and have influenced
me greatly as they are here in South Florida and
we are able to socialize and confer on a regular
basis, and celebrate many holidays together.
When
asked what advice she would give women interested
in the industry Barbara said, "Of course, my
best advice would be to come to MERGE! 2018
in September at the Lake Buena Vista Hilton
Hotel right across the street from the new
exciting Disney Springs in Orlando.
They would meet the movers and shakers of the
industry along with learning about cryptocurrency,
blockchain technology and more. The
networking opportunities are tremendous and I will
personally welcome them and introduce them to
people who will change their lives and lead to
successes that they never even considered
obtainable. Even thought the conference is
now in the hands of my son Ray Dillman Neu
and his partner Jothan Frakes, I will still
be there registering, greeting and making
attendees feel at home.
Above
& below: Attendees
at the 2016 edition of THE Domain Conference in
Fort Lauderdale showed their appreciation
for Barbara's dedication to bringing them together
by giving her a standing ovation. Barbara was
so moved so took a photo of the audience on her
iPhone that provided her bird's eye view of that
memorable day in the photo you see below.
Barbara
closed by noting, "Friendships have
developed that go far beyond just domaining.
My good friend Ilze Kaulins-Plaskacz comes
all the way to South Florida from Canada,
sometimes with her beautiful daughter Natasha
and son Gerrit, to have lunch with Mom and
me. I also have such good friends
in Michael and Sherry Castello who come
down from California and Michael and David's
mother Victoria. None of these
friendships would have been possible were it not
for the conferences over the years. Each and
every conference feels like a class reunion and
the list of friendships goes on and on." |
Ilze Kaulins-Plaskacz
Domain Investment & Sales,
ExcellentDomains.ca
Ilze
Kaulins-Plaskacz has been a domain investor
for the past 18 years and she has built up one of the
world's largest and most valuable female-owned portfolios.
She was profiled in the September 2015 DNJournal Cover
Story titled Ilze's
Odyssey: How a Daughter of Latvian Immigrants Wound Up
Rocking the Domain World.
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Ilze
Kaulins-Plaskacz
Owner-Director
Excellent Domains Inc. |
"Without
a doubt, my most gratifying accomplishment was
being awarded the First (and only to date) Women
in Domaining Award by Howard Neu at the
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in 2014,"
Ilze began. Although I was nominated several
times for the Domainer of the Year Awards,
as well as Domain Hall of Fame, I never was
able to compete with the men in the business.
Another feather in my cap was when I
was the only woman invited to help Roast the
King of Domains, Rick Schwartz at his last
conference. Being on that stage with
successful Domainers such as Michael Berkens
was certainly an honor.
Several
years ago I was also asked to be on a panel to
discuss domain sales at conference in Fort
Lauderdale by Barbara and Howard Neu.
After that conference, I have been invited to
participate in similar panels all around the
world, from Dubai to Berlin to Las
Vegas. I am grateful that the Domaining
Community includes women in these important
information gatherings.
However, the community falls
short when it comes to moderators.
I have moderated panels, but I have never
seen another woman moderate a domaining related
panel. There
are numerous talented women
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that
could easily moderate any panel...any discussion,
but it seems that the comfort zone predominately
lies with what is familiar...the male moderator.
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Being
recognized by my peers is always a honor,
but my real accomplishment is having a
domain business that continues to thrive
and make money. I created my
website, ExcellentDomains.ca,
immediately after I purchased my first
domain, back in the year 2000.
Making money was predominately with PPC,
so that is where my focus was. Now,
with PPC virtually dried up, selling my
own domains has become a priority.
With a portfolio of over 3,000
domains, it keeps me very busy. Many of my
sales are under an NDA (non-disclosure
agreement), but there are plenty of sales
that are memorialized in the DNJournal.
Buying
and selling domains is what I do, and I am
not sure why there are not more women
investing in domain names. Off hand,
I can only name 2 women that are true
Investors - KW Boswell and Anna
Bastian. They are not Brokers,
but buyers and sellers of very nice domain
portfolios.
People
are always asking me for advice, and like
it or not, my advice is always the same.
Start with only a dot COM and make
sure it is a good one. Do your
research, save up the |
Ilze
Kaulins-Plaskacz receiving the Women
in Domaining Award from Howard Neu
at the 2014 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference
at Miami Beach. |
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cash and then
market the hell out of it. Also, if
you get the fever, stay in one niche.
It is easier to reach out to the same
end-user database over and over. Think
outside the Box, and attend end-user
conferences. If you have a travel
related domain, go to a Travel expo, and
meet potential buyers.
Finally, buying
and investing in a domain is NOT
gender-specific. All Women have the
savvy to do what needs to be done.
Just do it!!" |
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Kate Buckley
Founder & CEO, Buckley
Media Group
Kate
Buckley has spent 23 years in
marketing and business development with extensive
experience in global domains, brand development,
naming, creative strategy, storytelling and social
media. Her background includes large branding
agencies (Gray and Landor) as well as 20
years experience with premium domains with Castello
Cities Internet Network. Kate has been
on a domain brokerage roll the past couple of
years. She had two of the 20 biggest domain sales
reported in 2016 followed by three of the top 25
sales in 2017 (led by Refi.com at $500,000)
and she kicked off 2018 with a $335,000
sale of Inspection.com!
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Kate
Buckley
Founder & CEO
Buckley Media Group |
"I
was fortunate enough to be recruited and
mentored by David and Michael Castello
back in the stone age of domaining—1998!—and
immediately realized the industry’s
endless possibilities," Kate said.
"Coming from a family of
entrepreneurs, as well as a branding and
marketing background, the industry made
deep intuitive sense to me, and I’ve
been a student of it ever since.
I
love the freedom and flexibility of the
domain industry, and that it requires
constant learning and evolution. Buckley
Media Group combines my passion for
psychology, negotiation, business
development, branding, sales and marketing
to bring about sterling results for my
clients, and there is truly never a dull
moment!
With
David and Michael Castello I learned
firsthand how to advance a business that
was built on a virtual barren land. Not
many people have had that advantage, and
it’s one for which I’m profoundly
grateful. The Castello Brothers gave me my
start in brokerage as well—my first
six-figure sales were of their domains: LagunaBeach.com
($600,000) and Rate.com
($725,000). I’ve also learned a lot
from my colleagues and clients—Roy
Messer, in
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particular,
is a trusted friend and mentor. I’ve
found the vast majority of people in our
industry to be incredibly warm and
interesting, as well as generous with
their knowledge.
Kate's
advice to women who want to enter the
field is this, "Educate yourself—there
are so many wonderful forums, blogs and
podcasts out there by some of the top
minds in our industry, avail yourself of
their wisdom and experience. Follow domain
influencers and leaders on Twitter and
LinkedIn, read what they’re
reading, learn from their perspectives. Be
curious, teachable, passionate and
compassionate. Be ethical, tenacious,
strategic, creative and the hardest
working person you know. “Luck” seems
to follow people who cultivate these skill
sets.
Be
ethical. Our industry is in its
adolescence, thus relatively unregulated
and we’ve all heard stories of (and
experienced!) brokers, investors and
developers who try to take advantage of
others. The more we self-regulate and
encourage others to exhibit the same
ethical behaviors, the faster we can
transform the holistic reputation of the
industry and move forward in lockstep on
important issues. Be transparent, do what
you say you’re going to do and become
known as a person of integrity and
unimpeachable ethics.
Regarding
opportunities and breaking into the
business, don’t be afraid to think
outside the box. I’ve invented almost
every “job” I’ve had out of thin
air. Look for a need, identify problems
and pain points and come up with creative,
innovative and actionable ways to solve
them.
I
would also encourage those new to the
industry to not only learn and absorb the
nuances of our field, but to share their
experiences with us as well—the more
open we are with one another, the greater
the flow of information and the stronger
our industry becomes. |
|
Nancy Bianchi
Executive Vice President, Trellian
and Above.com
Over the past 11 years Nancy
Bianchi has become one of the most widely known
and respected women in the domain industry. She is always on
hand at major events to represent her company Trellian.com
and answer questions about the popular domain monetization (Above.com)
and domains sales services they offer.
|
Nancy
Bianchi
Executive Vice President
Trellian and Above.com |
"My first experience with the domain industry happened rather unexpectedly back in
2007," Nancy recalled. "I had recently joined the company in a completely different business unit and unexpectedly found myself involved in the launch of
Above.com. I knew nothing about the domain industry but the first conference left a lasting impression. I was fascinated to learn about the value that domain names generated for investors and businesses alike. I saw business being build around a domain name first which was a shift from the traditional business models. I was hooked and wanted to learn more about this niche industry.
But I have to say that the people, the sense of community, family and
friendship, is a big reason I have stayed in this industry. No other industry comes close to having this kind of camaraderie. You feel like you are part of one big, global family.
It has been gratifying to work with some of the smartest, most creative, entrepreneurial people in this industry. I have learned a lot and find myself constantly motivated by people who are always looking outside-the-box for new opportunities.
It has also been very gratifying to
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be part of a company that continues to revolutionized the way that domain traffic was monetized and the way portfolios were managed. And that has never stopped
evolving.
With
respect to women, today the industry has evolved with greater points of entry that were not available ten years ago. Interest and skills in online advertising, intellectual property, regulation, brokering, business development, IT and global business expansion can find opportunities that didn’t exist years ago.
For someone entering our industry to be successful, it won’t be surprising for me to say that they need to be professional, know their company’s value propositions and
be very good at building relationships. Most women possess excellent listening skills that will go a long way in any type of business.
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Susan
Lawrence
Open SRS, North America
Accounts Manager, Tucows
Open SRS
Susan
Lawrence has probably built up as many
contacts as anyone in the domain industry after 13
years spent in key positions with companies like Oversee.net,
Trellian, Minds+Machines and the company
she just joined with this week - Tucows.
|
Susan
Lawrence
Open SRS, North America Account
ManagerTucows |
Susan
began with how her journey in the domain
business began. "In 2004, I had been
working in the entertainment industry for
a few years after making a change from
working for tech/software companies. I had
always thought entertainment publicity and
event management was my dream job.
After a few years in the entertainment industry, I
realized it wasn’t for me. I really wanted
to get back into the tech industry as
there were so many innovative tech
startups in the Los Angeles area where I
live. The first company I applied to was a
New Media/Advertising/Internet company
looking for a jack of all trades
for the CEO of Oversee.net.
I didn’t completely understand what they
did but I was familiar with domain investing
as my brother had been buying and selling
domains for years. I interviewed with Lawrence
Ng, the co-founder and CEO and we talked
for hours. He discussed domain
investing, monetization, lead gen and
the vision he and his co-founder, Fred
Hsu, had for the company. After
meeting with employees (they were
only at about 30 employees at the time) and
seeing the company culture and camaraderie,
I was excited for the opportunity to jump on
the domain wagon. I started a few days
later and worked for Lawrence at first.
I then moved to the DomainSponsor account
team. We were a close-knit group
and I learned so much in the 7 years I was
there.
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Through
my relationships across the industry, I
have been presented with some great
opportunities to stay in the business.
While it has been a crazy
rollercoaster of changes since I
started in July 2004, it’s a rollercoaster
I love and want to continue to be a part of!
As such, I’m very excited to
announce that I am now a member of Tucow’s
OpenSRS account management team. I’ve
worked with and have known and respected the
team there for years. I am
excited to be onboard and work under another
fantastic female executive, Sharlene
Dubraj, who is their VP of Sales for
Wholesale Domains.
I
am grateful for all the amazing friendships
I’ve made with co-workers, clients and industry colleagues
over the years. It’s exciting to see
how many of the very young domain investors
I managed or knew are now running
hugely successful businesses (outside of
just domain investing). It’s great
to see the growth, changes and
innovations that have come out of this
industry.
I
am truly thankful for the amazing female
relationships I’ve made over the years
and how it has helped me grow. This
started with Oversee.net and Corinne
Forti, who came on board not long after
me as their PR & Communications Counsel.
Many of the women who worked there
formed a strong bond and became much more
than colleagues. We would do women’s
lunches, happy hours (and even a trip to Rosarito
Beach and a wine train adventure to Santa
Barbara)."
Susan
Lawrence (2nd from left) and Corinne
Forti (2nd from right)
on an Oversee.net wine train adventure to
Santa Barbara.
"Corinne
became an amazing mentor to a lot of us and
basically became our “Den Mom” and
someone you could always go to for advice
and help with anything. That has not
changed in the years since. One of my
highlights of the year is an annual
women’s potluck brunch Corinne hosts for
us every summer. We spend the
afternoon at her beautiful home to eat,
drink and share our professional and
personal lives. It is a group of
wonderful and talented women who are doing
amazing things both in and outside the
domain industry now. Best of all, we
know how to laugh and have fun together.
There
is such a sense of sisterhood in the
industry that has been cultivated over the
years. One of my first accounts while at
DomainSponsor was iREIT where I met Lisa
Box (now VP Strategic Alliances
& Business Development at WP Engine) who
managed their portfolio. That became
an instant friendship that I will have for
life. She is such a great example of
women mentors in the industry with her
involvement with the Women In Domaining
event every year, keeping the wonderful
tradition that Jen Sale started going
strong. I’ve attended every Women in
Domaining event and it’s so fantastic to
see how big it’s become since Jen’s OG
women’s suite party of about 20 of us!
For
women interested in getting into the
industry they should definitely look for
networking opportunities in our
community. Obviously, attending industry conferences
and going to networking events to meet
people such as the Women In Domaining dinner
at NamesCon., are excellent If you
don’t have the opportunity to
attend events, I would encourage them to
connect with women in the industry via
LinkedIn or other Social Media/Networking
sites. I am sure any of us would be
happy to talk to women who are interested
in learning more about the industry and
our experiences in it." |
|
Kathy
Nielsen
Consultant, DigitalStrategies.Marketing
Kathy
Nielsen is another widely
respected industry professional who first
made her mark in this industry with Sedo a
decade ago. She rose through the ranks to
Vice President there and now runs her own
busy consulting shop. Her client list
includes industry giant Neustar who
happens to be run by a smart, inspiring
female CEO, Lisa Hook.
|
Kathy
Nielsen
Consultant
DigitalStrategies.Marketing |
"I was in the online
advertising business before I found
my way to the domain industry,"
Kathy began. "There are a lot
of similarities with the two and it
turned out to be a good move for me.
Honestly, I was attracted to a
company and job opportunity first.
I didn’t even know about the
industry. My educational background
is in International Relations with a
business focus and at the time, the
international piece was what
was missing in my career. The
opportunity at Sedo allowed me
to use my online advertising knowledge
while working in an international
setting, with clients and colleagues
from around the world. It was
only later that I learned to
appreciate the industry. There
have been opportunities along the
way to leave the industry but I
could never quite do it. I
think the tight knit and
supportive community is really
something unique. It’s
in large part because of the people
that I have stayed!
One
of the biggest accomplishments early
on in my domain industry career was
fighting for over a year, against tough competition, and
wining a big exclusive contract to
sell one killer name. That
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contract win alone was a huge.
The selling part was
interesting to go through as
well because the selling
process was very unique. It
was a team effort involving a
broker, a lawyer and me. It also
resulted in a record-breaking sale
but it sure was a long road to get
there. But that contract win
was my big, personal accomplishment.
The name? I can’t say or it
will make me blush!
For
women looking to break into the
domain business Kathy noted, "I
always like to hire people with marketing
and online advertising backgrounds.
It’s such a good fit.
There
are so many parts of the business to
learn! When I started out, I
remember reading a few books that were
really helpful. The two I recall
being most helpful were, The Domain Game
and Domaining for Dummies.
Today,
there are some great opportunities in marketing
and development. Domains
as a product are not easy to promote
so I always really enjoy working
with someone from outside the
industry who can bring a new set of
ideas to the process. I would say
it’s important to really be a
savvy internet user though. If
your not, this is just not the right
industry. I imagine that there
are some good opportunities for
developers as well. Many of the industry
platforms, whether registrars,
registries, premium platforms,
auction platforms, and there are
many others, are just old and
need upgrading! With the
introduction of all the new gTLDs,
many platforms are changing but I
think there is a great deal of
opportunity now to make some big
improvements on the ecommerce side
of things. |
|
Karen
Bernstein
Principal, Bernstein
IP
The
growth of the domain industry has
attracted an impressive array of
intellectual property attorneys who
help protect domain owner's rights.
Karen
Bernstein is one of the
best and most experienced in this
specialized field.
|
Karen
Bernstein
Principal
Berstein IP |
"I
started my own law practice in 2007
and ran Google Ads back then
to build up my client base,"
Karen said. "A couple of months
into running the law firm, I
received a call from a guy named Marc
Ostrofsky who told me he
saw my Google ad and he loved it.
He then went on to tell me that he
sold Business.com in 1998.
Having previously worked for a
boutique Manhattan intellectual
property law firm whose clients
included Ralph Lauren and Calvin
Klein, I had experience in
bringing UDRP complaints on
behalf of brand owners against
“cybersquatters” and that’s
all I knew. Well, Marc set me
straight on the fact that there was
a real industry of domain name
investors who not only bought domain
names for their potential value, but
also actually built bona fide
businesses out of them like one of
Marc’s properties located at Cufflinks.com.
Marc said that I needed to see the
domain name industry for myself and
so he invited me to fly out to
Las Vegas to attend the T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Conference and so I did. In
Las Vegas, he introduced me to many
of the top people in the domain name
industry, including Rick Schwartz
and Howard Neu, and I never
looked back.
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No
doubt, there are many people I’ve
met in the domain industry whom
I’ve not only helped out with
their legal needs, but also made
friends with along the way such as Lori
Anne Wardi, Victor Pitts
and Natasa Djukanovic of .Me.
Among the most gratifying
accomplishments as an attorney in
the domain name industry was
successfully defending Johnsons.com
against Johnson & Johnson
back in 2013 in a UDRP and also
representing one of the gTLD
applicants for .Music, Far
Further, in both a Legal Rights and
Community Objection. I also
had a lot of fun working with the
esteemed Dr. John Berryhill
when we successfully fended off a
frivolous federal court case in New
York brought by one of Michael
Gleissner’s companies over the
domain name, Workbetter.com.
For
women looking at industry opportunities
Karen advised, "Read the domain
industry blogs and go to industry
events to learn as much about the
players and the issues that affect
domainers. Don’t be afraid
to walk up to people and talk to
them at domain conferences.
They are really friendly. If
you're a domain name investor,
especially read the weekly
sales data on how much
domain names are selling for to get
a feel of how domain names are being
priced. Also, go to
namebio.com or dnpric.es
to see what domain names have sold
for in the past to understand the
buying trends and how high you can
price a comparable domain name to an
end user." |
Natasa
Djukanovic
Chief
Marketing Officer, Domain.ME
Natasa
Djukanovic has done of
superb job of building recognition
for the .ME domain extension.
.ME was originally delegated as the ccTLD
for Natasa's home land, Montenegro,
but it was opened up to domain
registrants worldwide to take
advantage of the personal meaning of
"me" that was a natural
fit for individual's wanting a
unique base for their online
presence.
|
Natasa
Djukanovic
Chief Marketing Officer
Domain.ME (.ME Registry) |
"I
joined the industry almost 10 years
ago, through an invitation by a
colleague, friend and for the last
10 years boss,' Natasa said.
"He asked me to help him
organize operations for, at that
time, launching the .ME
domain. Only after a year, I
realized how traditional and
fast-changing the environment is and
that placed a special kind of a
challenge in front of us as a team.
That constant change and development
is what made me stay and personally
develop in the industry.
Some
of our ideas from the beginning that
were related to the promotion to the
end-customers were accepted and
supported, but only after some
initial opposition and lack of
trust. That support meant a lot to
me personally as well as to our whole
team. I met some really great people
in the industry and we exchanged
lots of ideas and joint activities.
It feels like we've been mentors to
each other. That is an influence of
a well developed and progressive
industry.
With respect to women, I am never
sure why would we have to feel that
this industry is any different than
another. I came from an airline and
then banking industry, who are
male-dominated. I have had
great carriers there too. The only
important thing is that you
should not be afraid to say
what you think and show your
knowledge and ideas, but that advice
comes for every industry. |
Jeanette
Söderlund
Vice
President,
Industry
Relations & Marketing,
.GLOBAL
Registry
Jeanette
Söderlund
is helping one of the hundreds of
new gTLDs introduced over the
last few years, .GLOBAL, to
differentiate itself from what has
become a very crowded field. She and
her .GLOBAL teammates have become
familiar faces at all of the leading
industry events and their devotion
to the cause (including books about
the industry that Jeanette has
authored) is helping their TLD
steadily gain ground.
|
Jeanette
Söderlund
Vice President, Industry Relations
& Marketing
.GLOBAL Registry |
Jeanette's
that into the business had a
different starting point than most.
"I actually got into it right
after graduating law school,"
Jeanette noted. "I got a good
job offer from a corporate registrar
in Stockholm and had some
great teachers there (Patrik,
Magnus, Jonas and
Nils primarily) that walked me
through all parts of the industry
and business. That job got me a
great overview of everything from
portfolio management, dispute
resolution, understanding DNS
records, managing transfers and
negotiating acquisitions. I’ve
been in the industry ever since, and
that was now 8 years ago.
What
caught my interest and got me to
stay in the industry was the fact
that this is such an important
global industry, yet somehow
it’s something that most
businesses have no idea how to
approach. Realizing this, together
with the fact that it wasn’t even
briefly mentioned in law school
(hopefully this has changed by now),
was what got me to reach out to Norstedts
Juridik and Thomson
Reuters/Sweet and Maxwell
and to ultimately write the
books about it.
There
have been many small but continuous
accomplishments along the way (such |
|
as
finally tracking down a domain owner
that a client has spent months
trying to find, succeeding in tricky
disputes, landing a good marketing
deal and so on), which is, at the
end of the day, what really makes
the hours spent worth it. But among
the bigger most gratifying
accomplishments, I’d have to say
getting the books published and
thereby hopefully being able to help
some businesses/lawyers/other
advisors getting a comprehensible
overview of all aspects of domain
names and to make more informed
decisions when managing their
domains.
Another
majorly gratifying journey has been
to grow and manage the .GLOBAL
TLD, basically from the ground
and up, together with the registry
team. Rolf, Michael, Steinar,
Su and Kristian are
all wonderful people that are
brilliant at what they do, and
although we’re working from all
parts of the world and time zones
(quite literally) the teamwork is
remarkable. It just goes to show
that trusting in people’s
abilities and giving them freedom
with responsibility allows for a
more genuine connection to the work
that you’re doing, and that is
something that I firmly believe
in.
.GLOBAL
CEO & Founder Rolf Larsen and
Jeanette Söderlund
onstage at the 2018 NamesCon
conference in Las Vegas.
For
women interested in the field, I’d
say just get in it and start
somewhere, it doesn’t necessarily
matter where or with what. What’s
important when being new to the
industry is more so to be among
open-minded people that are willing
to teach you and walk you through
the different parts of the industry.
It’s a fairly small industry, so
it won’t take too long before you
get an overview and likely realize
how your qualities can be best used.
It should be mentioned though, that
although it’s a small industry,
it’s highly international. So
being interested in different people
and not being too set in the hours
that you work/don’t work (again,
time zones) certainly helps. One tip
would be to attend one of the
many industry conferences that
take place in a rotating scheme
around the globe, where people take
a break from the Skype sessions to
actually meet in person and discuss
new opportunities. |
Negar
Hajikhani
Senior Sales & Brokerage Consultant,
Sedo
Negar
Hajikhani has a long
track record of domain brokerage
success at Sedo including
becoming the first female in the
10-year history of the pioneering T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
conference to be awarded the show's
Broker of the Year Award in
2013 (winners were chosen in
industry wide voting). The ability
to speak multiple languages allows
Negar to personally conduct business
on a global scale that few can match.
|
Negar
Hajikhani
Senior Sales & Brokerage
Consultant
Sedo |
Negar
told us, "I came out of
business school in Germany
wanting to work in the fashion
industry. I loved the thought of
working in a fast paced,
international business setting where
my day to day work touches people
all over the world. Well, on my way
I stumbled into the domain industry
and it has proven every bit as
interesting a career as I’d
envisioned for myself. I’ve now
been working in this field for over
9 years and have gained a lot of
international experience and
expertise. In the same day, I will
negotiate a price in Mandarin, close
a deal in German, and discuss
traffic monetization in English.
Since I started working for Sedo
I’ve been in the middle of million
dollar sales and helped acquire and
sell internationally recognized
online brands. Moreover, our field
is in a constant evolution. Every
year is different. Technologies
change, the markets change, and our
clients’ desires and goals reflect
that. Keeping up with this evolution
makes our work new and exciting day
after day. Looking back, I have to
wonder what other industry I could
do that in. Perhaps fashion, but the
domain industry has its own
interesting style and I’m more
than excited to be part of it.
What
I have found most gratifying over
the years is working along a broad
spectrum of clients – from young
start-up companies all the |
|
way to
large international corporations. It
is fascinating to help start-up
companies find the perfect domain
name that communicates their brand
new ideas to the world and helps
them grow. Large corporations, on
the other hand, already have their
own domain name, but are often
looking to add more variety to their
product line and web presentation.
Using my skills across such a broad
spectrum of clients and tailoring my
work to their completely different
needs and expectations is a
fascinating challenge and hugely
rewarding. In addition, over the
course of many years in this
industry, I have met a lot of
fascinating people I wouldn’t have
met otherwise. Several clients and
colleagues have now become close
friends of mine. Among them, true
veterans of the domain industry
whose experience and advice I value
highly. I would not want to miss
them and look forward to every time
we meet, at a conference or even
outside of work."
Sedo's
Negar Hajikhani (4th from left)
accepting the 2013 Broker of the
Year Award
from T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Founders Rick
Schwartz and Howard Neu. She was
the first female to win the
prestigious honor.
For
women seeking advice on succeeding in the
domain world, Negar said, "The
biggest lesson I have learned and
would like to pass on is: Stay
flexible! I was headed for the
fashion industry when I got
sidetracked into domain brokerage and
I have never regretted it since. This
is a highly specialized field and may
not be on your radar right from the
start. But if you happen to stumble
upon it along your career path, seize
the opportunity and take a closer
look! It is a really fascinating and
ever evolving field that has a lot to
offer, whatever your individual skill
set may be.
For those who are already planning a
career in the domain industry, I
recommend starting with an internship
at a domain brokerage firm, such as
Sedo. That way you get a great inside
look right from the big central hub
where all the diverse branches of the
industry come together. There you can
test and see which area best fits your
particular skill set and interests. If
you like to work with international
clients, negotiate deals, and become a
sought-after expert on domain name
appraisals and traffic monetization,
then this could be a bright and
exciting career for you!" |
Marie
Lanyon
Vice President
Marketing, HEXONET
Marie
Lanyon, whom I had the
pleasure of meeting at NamesCon 2018
in January, arrived in the
domain industry less than a year ago,
so I was especially interested in
hearing from her to see what kind of
impression this business makes on
someone looking at it with fresh eyes
as she is.
|
Marie
Lanyon
Vice President Marketing
Hexonet |
"I'm still
quite new to the domain industry but
that hasn't stopped me from quickly
becoming deeply fascinated and
impassioned by it," Marie said.
"My background is in marketing
(private and public sectors and
within ad agencies), so I have a
variety of experience and exposure
in different industries. I have
the benefit of knowing something
great when I see it.
Two
things immediately stood out when I
entered the domain industry: its
potential to evolve (again) and the
people.
Just
as all industries have to consider
their role and offerings in today's
developed market, the domain
industry must look at what we are
solving for customers today and
tomorrow. We are on the cusp
of, if not creating, change in
the market and that is exciting to
contribute to.
Regarding
the people, I've been blown away by
the depth of the industry, the
helpful and supportive nature of
those that I encounter, and the team
I joined at HEXONET. I knew I
had found something unique here: a
graciousness to share insights,
excitement for fresh perspectives,
and an industry-wide interest in
working together to grow.
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Since
joining HEXONET we have
reestablished our Mission and Vision
statements, updated the brand,
rebuilt our website, and are taking
on initiatives never done within the
company before. I consider it a very
exciting time to be a part of the
industry and this team.
When
I first came on board, Robbie
Birkner, HEXONET's CSO,
introduced me to a variety of
industry leaders. What impressed me
immediately was the open and
welcoming responses I received
during these conversations. Everyone
I reached out to made time
for a call. I felt an immediate
connection to the industry based on
the outgoing and insightful thoughts
shared with me by a variety of
folks. Michelle Hedtke of GoDaddy
and Jeff Sass of .CLUB
are two people that have gone
above and beyond in their time with
me, and I am grateful for their
willingness to share. They have each
left a lasting impression on me -
both in their knowledge and
easygoing inclusiveness.
|
Image
from Bigstock |
Since
Marie just recently made her
way into the field she is
well positioned to advise
other women based on what
worked for her. "Like
any new undertaking, I
advise doing your homework.
Be curious, ask questions,
read industry news outlets
and blogs, listen to
podcasts, and reach out to
others," Marie said.
"The domain industry
has many layers and areas of
specialization. Make sure
you have a solid overall
understanding of the
business, then dive deeper
into the areas that spark
your interest.
Opportunity-wise, I strongly
believe in not only looking
for existing opportunity but
creating opportunity. As you
learn more, see if there is
a way to bring your unique
skill set to solve an
existing industry challenge. |
Throughout
my career, I have often been one of
the few women in the room, if not
the only woman. It's wonderful
to see this changing
throughout many industries,
including the domain industry. Even
over the past year as conversations
globally are ramping up, I have been
asked at conferences on what it's
like to be a woman in this industry
by male peers. I think this is an
excellent dialogue to have and I
applaud those asking and actively
conversing on the topic. The fewer
barriers we have, the more business
we can all take care of." |
Marcia
Lynn Walker
Owner, Myrtle
Beach Inc.
Now
we are coming fill circle. As I noted
at the top of this article, Marcia
Lynn Walker, Michelle Miller and
Donna Mahony (the founder of DomainBoardroom.com)
represented just about the entire pool
of publicly active women in the
investment and aftermarket space when
we wrote that 2005
Cover Story about the
unfortunate lack of women in the
industry. Donna wasn't available to
comment for this article but I'm
pleased to have Marcia (who runs a
video production company in Myrtle
Beach) and Michelle back from the
original power trio so two of our
first female role models can have the
final words on this business that has
been such an important part of their
lives.
|
Marcia
Lynn Walker
Owner
Myrtle Beach Inc. |
Marcia's
thoughts went back to when it all
began for her. "In the 1990s, I
was both a computer programmer and a
desktop publisher of full-color ads
for magazines, chambers of commerce,
and private companies. When the web
took off, I immediately realized
the cost benefits of having content
online, and the ability to
instantly change and update content,
without the large expenses
associated with editing and
reprinting full-color ads and
changing copy. Living in a tourist
area, I began registering domains
associated with my area that I knew
would be of interest to locals and
visitors. I was already working from
home, so what attracted me to the
industry and kept me in it is the
ability to continue working from
home and making my own hours.
My most gratifying accomplishments
were becoming debt-free and having
the time to spend with family and
friends. Over the 20+ years I've
been involved, there have been
numerous colleagues who I've admired
and still call friends. I did go a
different route, however, right from
the beginning, of developing
sites for most of my domains,
which in the 90s not many were
doing, and still today is very
gratifying work.
Marcia
knows today's domain industry in not
the same thing it was when she
started but she |
|
still
had some ideas on how a newcomer
might want to approach it today.
"Yes, it would be a very
different path than the mid- to
late-90s but I supposed I'd start
with purchasing one good dot com
where I had interest, develop it
fully, and as it began making
money, purchase another, and
another, repeating the process.
For this, it would be helpful to
know how to code websites and write
good content.
Domain
industry pioneers Donna Mahony and
Marcia Lynn Walker
at the 2007 DOMAINfest Global
conference in Los Angeles.
I'm
not as active with my business or
the industry as I once was, and
devote most of my time to growing my
own food, reading, and enjoying
family, pets, and friends. I haven't
been to a convention in years and I
certainly miss interacting with
everybody. Perhaps one day I'll pop
in at another conference and have
fun catching up with everyone!"
That is something we would all like
to see! |
Michelle
Miller Reed
Consultant
As
for former college basketball player Michelle
Miller, she is still very
active in the industry and things are
more hectic than usual these days
since she has started a family and has
a new baby in tow. Michelle's domain
journey began in 2000 with BuyDomains
(later purchased by NameMedia)
and has included stops with Archeo
(Marchex) and Flippa before
opening her own consultancy.
|
Michelle
Miller Reed
Consultant |
When
asked to recall how her long ride
began Michelle said, "Wow,
looking back it’s fun to think
about this... At the ripe age of
22(!) in the year 2000, I was
actually headed to San Francisco
for a marketing internship
opportunity with the X Games.
My inner tom-boy skate
boarding, surfing, and snowboarding
self was on a mission to find a
career that balanced the two things
I loved - sports and marketing.
Just a few months prior to the
start of the internship, my oldest
sister convinced me to attend some
internet conference in Boston.
In between seminars, Eric
Cantor and I met and started
chatting. He suggested I
connect with his brother (Mike
Mann) who had some “new idea
about domains” he was working on.
A week or so later and after a
few phone conversations, I met Mike
at the brand new food chain, Chipotle,
in Bethesda. I vividly
remember thinking whatever this
Domain idea is, it sounds FAST and I
had a ton of confidence I could just
do it! ... looking back I think
it was a combination of my inflated
since of confidence and ignorance
that allowed me to take off with
BuyDomains as fast as we did! LOL.
Overall, I |
|
think
it was the newness and lack of any
leaders or known road to take and
speed of the internet (booms and
busts) that were happening at the
time that attracted me to it all.
It was a big unknown...lots of
challenges and it was a very
exciting time!
As
for why she has stayed in it so
long, Michelle answered without
hesitation. "By far the people.
The team we built and working crazy
hours, facing different obstacles
together built a level of comrade
that holds special bonds. It
was the closest experience to having
that sports team environment. I
still keep in touch with nearly
everyone I’ve worked with and am
most proud of those relationships
and fact that I can call my former
co-workers “friends”.
Michelle
also has some solid advice for women
eyeing the field today. "Be
bold, confident, strong in what you
believe. Regardless of
what industry I think this holds
true. I’ve had the
opportunity to work in various
internet industries over the years
and different size companies - the
obstacles women and minorities face
are real and can be challenging.
I’m excited to see progress
and overall different initiatives
across the globe - such as the #meToo
movement take place. This will help
everyone have an equal shot
at being heard, being seen." |
With
that we say goodbye and send a big
thank you to everyone who shared
their story with us and to every woman
across the industry that has made this
a far better business to be in than it
was without you! |
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