So you wanna be a domainer with $100?
I have always imagined what I would tell someone who is just starting out in the domain business, in this time in our hemisphere. My advice is so simple that its simplicity might put some people off. I remember when I was a personal trainer, everyone wanted the quick fix. It has not changed even in domaining. We all want it and we want it now. Ideally instead of buying 300 names and hope one of the m makes it, you should buy one good name and make it with that name. However this post is not geared to those who have reasonable capital to start. I am going to assume in this post that you are starting with $100 (One hundred US dollars) Yes 100 dollars it is is not a typo. I am also going to assume that you are able to spare 90 to 120 minutes a day 6 days a week. If this sounds like a “do” to you then read on.
Like most of my posts, I will try and keep this short and sweet. If questions arise from comments that calls for elaboration, I elaborate on comment reply or another post.
Okay here are the steps I suggest.
So you wanna be a domianer with 100 bucks.You are in luck because there is a lot of valuable information still out there for free. Here is my prescription. Spend no more than 35 minutes a day on any of this forums combined. DNforum, Namepros, DiscussNames etc. For at least one to two weeks, all you should do is read. Buy nothing remember you only have 100 dollars to spare and we must spend it wisely. I will suggest you read the blog archives of any two domain blogs you like. Off the top of my head, I will suggest, DotWeekly and ElliotsBlog. They are not the only great blogs out there but I have picked them for a reason. The archives of these two blogs will prepare you enough for the adventure you are about to take because they often touch on so many aspects of the domain industry. The balance is what you need at this stage of the game. As you mature you will expand to all the blogs in domaining.com and then make your pick. Not bad for free education– eh!
Guess what, you now have some education under your belt and we still have our initial 100 dollars. Now sit down with a piece of paper and a pen. I want you to answer this questions.
What is your passion?
What makes you happy?
What are you good in?
What do you like to talk about?
What specialized training do you have if any?
What will you be willing to do for free if money were no option?
When you have written all this down, these are the areas you should focus your search for your first domain name because that is where your passion is. When you come up with a suitable domain name, now spend the 8 dollars and make sure it is a .com
Go to ICDsoft for web hosting. This webhosting company is picked because of there unparalled support for newbies (See old post “The best hosting company in the world” ). On this domain you will build your first website, because you are passionate about it, you will be able to provide content and develop it. With time this domain will pay its way all the time but most importantly you would have learnt a lot along the way. If you are able to stick to this one domain/website for a entire year, you will safe yourself a lot of wasted registrations in the long run.
This is a pilot post. I will write a follow-up if there is interest with questions. I will tackle each question as best as I can.
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Hi SkyDomains,
Hey I love your prudent advice and guidance and agree with your post
- but what it looks to me is that you are showing how to build yourself up as a site developer/owner, not a “domainer”
- which it is my understanding is someone who buys and sells domain names for profit
- what am I missing here?
Thanks, Matthew
This would be really cool if you would do it as an experiment and after a couple of weeks tell us what name you bought for $100 then give us periodic updates on your income from that name.
Sort of like here’s how you do it and I will prove it to you…
Troy
Troy,
I have already done that. The first domain I ever bought was a hand reg at registrar.com for 35 bucks back then. While this domain was my primary focus, it did pretty well. However recently I have relegated it to the background because my interest and visions have long changed. Check out PeHall.com
With this domain I was able to send a pet to the Leno show with one letter. I was arrogant and determined enough at the time to think that my main competitor was pets.com.
Also I do not know if my post is not clear enough but the domain is supposed to be a handreg for 8 bucks because you need some of your balance for hosting like I stated in the post
Matthew,
You are right but the fact is most successful domainers are also bloggers and or webmasters. Also lets not forget you do not exactly have the most capital in the world so with only 100 bucks be ready for a lot of elbow grease in lieu of cash. This is a training exercise in your domaining career which you will learn to appreciate in future. Most boxers do long distance runs and yet they are boxers not runners.
Interesting concept, especially with all the stuff you hear about domains, and those that can afford to do it.
Couple of questions come to mind though.
Is your “experiment” for those that have never done this before? to see what they come up with?
100 dollars can buy you alot, depending on where you look.
Domain name(s) for 6.95 per year, and that comes with a free hosting account good for 1-5 pages depending.
Ebay has all sorts of .99 domain names, that come with hosting, and once in awhile you can snag an interesting, yet marketable monetized domain name.
and it’s all set up for you….
You could conceivably get 5 domain names, with hosting, regardless if you paid for the domain name yourself, or bought one already off ebay.
Thanks for the valuable info, Mr. Aladi,
Will the information I learn by hosting with ICDsoft transfer easily to HostGator (or other host) when I am ready to build and flip not only domains, but sites as well?
@Dluzional
This is not an experiment. This is a time tested principle. I know 100 dollars can buy a lot but there is a specific reason why it is assumed you will register your domain. When a boxer is preparing for a championship, it is possible that he might score a knockout in the first round or his opponnent might get a heart attack just by the sight of him. The fact remains, to win, the boxer must still train to go the 10 or 12 rounds in the fight. Get my drift?
You might catch some fair wind along the way but even if you don’t you will still succeed with the stated principle as it is.
@Michael,
I have domains in hostgator as well as ICDsoft. For seasoned webmasters, you can’t beat hostgator because you can host multiple domains on one account. However in the beginning, you will require an unusuall amount of tech support which is where ICDsoft has no equal.
Because I can go back to support notes from as far back as 3 years ago online on ICDsoft, I am able to fix certain issues myself even now at hostgator. Most of the support request where actualy caused by me. Screwing up an installation of a software or messing up one thing or the other but ICDsoft always came to the rescue and fast. The average response time of support requests is less than 3 minutes. And to have issue completely resolved, less than 2 hours. Now that is great!
Another question or two, Mr. Aladi,
Is 1,000 MB sufficient space? If not, can I easily upgrade if and when I need more?
Can I host a WordPress blog here?
I would like a $5 domain, but it is generally and universally accepted that you should never purchase a domain name from your host. Agree?
Where can I sign up under your affiliate link?
Thanks for your time, trouble and recommendation.
1000MB is more than enough for 90% of domainers. I have websites with 75K indexed pages and I am yet to scratch that limit. As long as you are not planning to compete with youTube or run a video download site, 1000MB is more than adequate. I have never bought a domain from my host even though I have never heard about the unwritten law you mentioned.
I personaly believe in specialization. I buy my domains from the best registrars and I host my sites with the best hosts. In my current level as a domainer, I favor Fabulous but will try Name.com if I were starting afresh.
Please if you have any questions on anything domaining, do not hesitate to ask. If I don’t know I may be able to point you to someone who does. Sometime I am away from my computer which explains delays in response.
Thank you.
Very well written post however, I would recommend that you turn the No Follow off in your comment section.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Domain Flipping.
I had no idea it was even on. I have removed it now via a plugin.