A few weeks ago, I learned that Fabulous employees Mike Robertson and Jen Sale had announced their resignations from the company, and they hinted that the two of them had something big in the works.
I received a press release announcing the pair’s new venture, and I was surprised to see some others involved in this exciting project. Domain Guardians is a new domain registrar that is going to officially launch during the ICANN conference in a couple of weeks, and it involves Mike Robertson, Jen Sale, Bill Vanderent, Adam Strong and Paul Keating.
This is not going to be your standard domain registrar though. The company will offer “domain estate planning and management services to domain professionals.” Estate planning specifically for domain investors is something that has been discussed by many (including me), but I don’t believe there are any companies offering these services.
I spoke with Adam Strong, and he mentioned that a health scare about 5 years ago focused his attention to this issue.
“The concept has been one I’ve discussed with many other domain investors and my attorney and it didn’t seem there was a solution or an entity that was set up to handle these issues, especially one with trust and experience. I think Jen, Mike and Bill have all that it takes to fill this void.
Additionally, I’ve got my hands full with many projects. Logo.com is going to be occupying a great deal of my time when we launch, so it’s also refreshing to have a team that I can trust available to turn to and manage my domains for me when I’m engaged in other things.
The Domain Legacy service is designed similar to how banks & trusts handle real estate when someone dies. DomainGuardians works with your attorney and heirs/family and fills the role of handling either a liquidation strategy or a management strategy in the event of death or disability. If your beneficiaries wish for something else, DG will also accommodate those wishes. This is a white-glove sort of service that is tailored for each person based on their individual plans and portfolios.”
I think this company is addressing an unfilled need in the domain space, and I look forward to hearing more about it in the coming weeks.
Full press release is below.
Domain name industry experts Mike Robertson, Jen Sale, Bill Vanderent, Adam Strong and Paul Keating have partnered to establish Domain Guardians, an ICANN accredited registrar providing domain estate planning and management services to domain professionals. The team will be launching the company and services at the upcoming ICANN Silicon Valley conference in San Francisco, CA, USA from March 13-18, 2011.
The combination of Dark Blue Sea alumni, Robertson, Sale and Vanderent, along with Strong and Keating, offers over 50 years of combined experience in the domain industry. “Working with a group of this caliber is humbling, and we’re all very excited to offer the domain community a comprehensive suite of services that provide real value,” stated Robertson of this opportunity.
Domain Guardians has developed Domain Legacy to technically and legally protect and manage domain assets in the event of a portfolio owner’s death or disability.
Paul Keating, prominent domain lawyer, recognizes the complicated nature of managing a portfolio, “No one lives forever, and most domain investors are not planning enough for the future. Managing domains across multiple registrars and monetization providers is a daunting task. It requires a great deal of skill developed on the back of years that may include lost opportunities, missteps and other failures. What will happen to the asset base and income streams when the manager is no longer “there” because of a death or disability? How will our survivors cope in an industry where contacts and experiences are shared by word of mouth?”
Veteran domain professional, Adam Strong, addresses the importance of Domain Legacy for your loved one’s protection and peace of mind, “Like other domain investors, I’ve thought, ‘Who’ll take care of my domains when I’m gone?’… I’ll be transferring my assets to my loved ones, who unfortunately don’t have the skills or desire to continue managing my business. It gives me peace of mind to know that they can trust the expertise of Domain Guardians to do this for them. Every domain investor with a valuable portfolio should protect the future of that portfolio.”
For more information, and to arrange a meeting with the team at ICANN, please email hello@domainguardians.com
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With that all star cast and a much needed service, this is a sure success! Congrats!
Ive been discussing this very issue recently with my associates – so far our best answer to the problem was a sealed envelope containing login info, duplicated and lodged with trustworthy attorneys in different cities. Not exactly very efficient. There is definitely a gap in the market for this type of thing, and there are few certainties in life but this deals with a dead cert, no pun. I for one welcome developments in this area and wish them well.
*If it were me* Id take a leaf from the domain daddy’s success and offer some killer transfer loss-leader deals and bundle the basic protection services. A portion of them will upgrade to the bells and whistles and give a nice return for the owners. If its affordable to the masses there’s no reason why it wont be wildly successful 🙂
Much needed service for our industry. I’m excited to see where this goes. Congratulations everyone!
What a list of people. Congratulations and a great idea!
Congratulations to all involved in this new business. It’s a great team with proven and respected histories in the the domain industry and a business model that is long overdue.
Congratulations to all involved and good luck!! As a financial advisor for over 18 years and a domain investor, it’s very difficult to transition a business (brick and mortar) SUCCESSFULLY to a second generation, let alone domains that no one typically understands…Great idea!!
Great idea! Congrats!!!
I don’t get it. What am I missing?
Jeff Libert who is a well known domainer and
a NJ lawyer talked about this many, many times
on domainstate.
It is a great idea.
You never know when one is going to die from
car accident, heart attack, unknown embolism,
legionnaires disease, shooting, falling off ladder,
earthquake or asteroid falling on you.
Congrats to them all, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Jen and Mike in the past and will do whatever I can to help make them successful.
wow, very clever idea. Can’t wait to get more details.
Long Overdue!
A winner without a doubt.
@ Adad Dicker
You need to steer clear of this project, period….
this is not Godaddy VP scandal Revisted!
@ Adam Dicker
You need to steer clear of this project, period….
this is not Godaddy VP scandal Revisted!
Thanks for the well wishes and support everyone. We’re all very excited and passionate about this new project and look forward to working with you all soon!
@Richard – feel free to drop me an email (mike AT domainguardians DOT com) and we can discuss further.
That also goes for anyone else interested wanting more information, shoot me a note.
Cheers,
Mike
Very good idea and one that is going to be increasingly needed. I will definitely be following you all closely and recommending the service where appropriate for my clients.