@calebrowden44 @missouricom @BrianNull #Missouri “The State of Business” pic.twitter.com/dYzGSTq1qY
— Missouri (@missouricom) March 6, 2014
I saw the tweet above, and it stood out for two reasons. First, Missouri.com is an excellent domain name, and when I see an exact match domain name like this, it grabs my attention. Second, the photo of the person in the tweet is domain investor, Brian Null.
After seeing the tweet, I sent Brian an email to ask about Missouri.com, and he quickly responded. According to Brian, Missouri.com was launched in February by Magnetar Media, a company owned and operated by Brian and Mike Sullivan (publisher of SullysBlog.com). The domain name is still owned by domain investor Nat Cohen’s StateVentures, LLC, but Magnetar Media has a license deal to operate a website on the domain name. Details about the transaction are confidential.
According to Brian, the company will be “leveraging the platform Magnetar Media built for BusinessTips.com, but applying it to Missouri. We’re here in Missouri and that gives us the opportunity to network and build relationships in person.”
One of the main reasons why I haven’t done an awesome job of generating revenue from my geodomain names is that I am not located in the marketplace. I have learned that it’s very important to have a local connection, so that you can meet with business leaders and potential advertisers. Additionally, knowing who to ask about certain topics and knowing what events are happening are also helpful. You can “fake” it in some ways, but I have personally found that being located in the community is a critical element to successful operation of a geographic website.
I will be following along with Brian and Mike as they build out this brand, and I wish them lots of success as they build it.
Congrats Nully! See you in June!