Pretty much from the beginning we did not like the idea of just purchasing land (domains) and wanted to do something with them. We felt we had no control over the business cycle and even though we were buying, we were spending most of our time building software, the thing we really were passionate about. In 2003 I set a SEO driven venture with a colleague, the concept was around mini content sites, travel related. Within few months we were dominating Google in some verticals, at times 8 out of 10 results for decent travel keywords were our sites. Later came what is now known as the Florida update, and that with a combination of my colleague “getting involved” was a fatal combination for that venture. I called it off, much money lost, as well as valuable time. I moved on..
Later I moved into my next big venture, Assista. Some of you remember this one. I found my calling, or so I thought. I spent many years working on this project, large staff (in-house full time employees), hundreds of servers. While I was highly passionate about it no one else seems to be. We sent traffic to the site however visitors did not stick around, did not interact. Many thought it was a neat concept however it wasn’t enough. Neat on its own does not cut it in business, especially if one day the business has to support itself. As the economy worsen I decided, as hard as it was, to call it off as well.
Off to the next venture, here comes Bido. Bido was and still is a tough project. Most of my peers, especially those at the top of the food chain, hated everything about it, did not stand by me, nor supported in any way. Few were saying it is again a “neat idea” but their actions contradicted their talks. They would not participate, they would not step up and take the necessary risks I believed we all need to take to move our industry forward. Luckily though, we did something that the top of the food chain would not do: We catered to the hungry domainer, not to the fat cats out there. We catered to those who want to figure it out, did not necessarily make it big just yet however were more than willing to learn, try, hustle. For the lack of support we’ve gotten from our peers, this group made up for it and so much more. We needed someone to believe in us and they were there - they still are!
See, it is hard to venture out of your comfort zone, away from the known, away from what your peers are doing. It is hard to do something different, something that is not easily acceptable by all. One of my dearest friends, Dr. Chris Hartnett, has invested heavily in .TV domains. Another one, Frank Schilling, bet the house on a new and upcoming service called “SnapNames” long before others have adopted it, and others as I see now, who are believing in Bido and what we stand for, step up and pick up some amazing deals, even though they do not yet see their peers participate. It is the faith they have in themselves, knowing that if they wait for others to take the lead it may just be too late.
It is not easy to do any of this, to go against the tide. It takes extreme faith, some will question your sanity, many will predict the demise of your venture. I wake up every morning trying to figure out how to help others. It may not be the most popular thing to do, it may not be the easy way to riches, but one thing for sure: Helping others will never go completely out of fashion.
As an entrepreneur, if at times you feel lonely, know you are not alone. If anything, you are likely more in sync with the rest of the entrepreneurial world than those who stick with their closed groups. Most of those are followers, they follow the leaders, but what did the leaders do to be where they are? I can assure you, they had extreme faith in themselves, their sanity was questioned, many predicted the demise of their ventures, and many times they felt the same loneliness I sometimes feel.
So today I decided it is time to stop being lonely, time to talk a little about it. A Penny for your thoughts? Have a great weekend, and happy Halloween!
Sahar
* there were a number of other ventures in between I did not elaborate on here, such as RMG, as well as Flowchart.com (which we still own and operate).
It’s great to hear your thinking behind past ventures as you’re strengthen you Bido service. As you said it’s hard to venture out of the comfort zone, but where would mankind be today we hadn’t taken the first steps out into the unknown.
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Hi Jeff,
I think you are right, in all aspects of life (business, politics, health, etc).
Best,
Sahar
The braver you are, the more things you try, the more success and happiness you’ll have in the long run. Thanks for the post that speaks to my heart.
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Hi Jeff,
Hi Jeff,
Not sure if that brings happiness, but it sure better than the alternative: wanting to try and not making a move, taking the risk. I remember years ago after losing a boatload of money I was chatting with my partner and just said “Between having the money in the bank and doing what we’ve done in the last few years and losing, I’ll take losing any day of the week”. Ok, maybe I’m not the smartest business person on earth, but I do believe that even if you lose, you have gained experience, and that may lead for future successes. Where I am right this moment would have not happened without the past, the good, the bad, and the technologically ugly.
Best,
Sahar
Where would “mankind” be indeed, if the best and brightest minds all earned their living by means of, basically, advertising dollars. So an item that costs ten cents to produce, and sold for a dollar, gives internet folk about fifty to sixty cents of that dollar.
No wonder no one finds “passion” in arcane dealings with internet “traffic” or vertical whatevers that Google has done. It is distinctly divorced from reality, the reality of eating, drinking, sleeping, and personal physical relationships…the reality that has guided “mankind” for tens of thousands of years.
One billion people on the planet, today, don’t know the spot where they’ll sleep tonight. And where would they be, if someone had not taken “the first steps out into the unknown” of the Internet World??
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Hi Scott,
I don’t believe what was said was only meant in relation to the internet, but in relation to all aspects of life.
Best,
Sahar
Sahar, I’ve known your story for a long time but reading this gave me an extra level of respect for you and a lot of appreciation for your contributions to the domainosphere through Bido.
Keep up the good work!
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Thank you Tony, much appreciated!
Sahar
Without a doubt you are one of the best net entrepreneurs. You have bucket loads of integrity and your biggest successes most likely lie ahead.
—-answer—-
Hi Jim, and thanks for the kind words, I very much appreciate the support!
Best,
Sahar
Great post Sahar! I completely agree and understand the feeling of going down the road less traveled. It’s all about believing in what you do and having the confidence to pursue your dreams.
I know how much work you’ve put into Bido and am proud to have acquired some great domains through the service! Keep it up Sahar - you inspired me to start my blog and company over two years ago and it has completely changed my life!
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Hi Morgan,
Thanks so much for the kind words, and all the best with the blog (one of the better one out there) as well as the other ventures you are involved with !
Best,
Sahar
The more I am alive each freaking day, the more BS I learn…that how we survive!!!
Chris
Creative CEO
BullShitWebsites.com
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Not sure I follow..
Best,
Sahar
Interesting - no doubt the domainers who have been in the business for many years have been rather critical of BIDO’s offerings. But BIDO has done a superb job of responding to user feedback. The challenge BIDO still faces is attracting a larger percentage of higher-quality domains into its marketplace and a more significant following among domain buyers. 8% of an average $50 sale doesn’t go far. Having followed Namejet and Snapnames auctions for a while, I believe the same domain at BIDO will sell at a significantly discounted price. That makes BIDO a good place to acquire a domain without the swarm of bidders one sees at Namejet. Sellers however are reluctant to offer their domains in such an environment. BIDO needs both. The implementation of a discounted reserve fee should eventually have the effect of allaying such fears. Best of luck in your venture.
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Hi Leonard,
The reserve fee structure improvement was the first of a number of critical elements that are coming in the next 60 days. Thanks for the support!
Sahar
Sahar,
Once again, you are right on the money.
“As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth.”
John Greenleaf Whittier
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Chris,
Even with the Flu, thanks for taking an hour+ to chat today, you always go the extra hundred miles, even if just to listen. And I cannot ever thank you enough for all you’ve thought me, about life, business, friendship. Thanks for always being there!
Best,
Sahar
There once was a man who never lived
He never laughed he never cried
He never failed he never tried
Then one day he passed away
His insurance was denied
Because they say he never lived
He never could have died
The world is a better place because of
those who have tried and failed and
tried again until they succeeded
A wise man and quite successful in the
Networking marketing business told me that he sought out
98 NO’s each day since he knew the average was that the next
two would sign on.
Every domainer can learn from this experience and should be
asking the simple question
How many failures are necessary before a success in their industry
The answer to how many failures they have endured will be a good
indicator about how close they may be to success.
Here is to trying! Keep up the faith and the good work.
AS I like to say
When faith is all you have … faith is all you need!
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Hi Scott,
“When faith is all you have … faith is all you need!” - That one I think I will borrow when explaining to others, it makes much sense.
Thanks!
Sahar
In my 30’s I achieved quite a lot and I’ll never forget the day I was sitting all alone at my long dining room table in a big house on the summit of a hillside with a beautiful panoramic view of the entire San Fernando Valley.
It was one of the loneliest moments of my life because I’d come to the realization as much as I had acquired in material stuff, I was getting totally bored with it all. The nice clothes, the nice cars, etc. didn’t mean anything exciting anymore. There was no more “rush” working so hard just to buy more stuff all the time. In fact, looking in the mirror, I felt repulsed by the whole self indulgent L.A. lifestyle kind of person I’d become.
So I just sat there empty and drained, wondering what life was really all about once you get to the pinnacle of your goals and thinking how it’d been so much more fun when I had nothing as a younger entrepreneur in my 20’s struggling everyday but loving the thrill of the climb up the mountain of success.
After that I decided my life was no longer going to be about just my success all the time for self enrichment, but rather using my success as much as possible to help others to learn how to grow and prosper in their entrepreneurial ventures and also help those less fortunate and in need, and devote lots of time and resources to my favorite cause the protection of animals worldwide.
The moment I reversed my inner self to achieving for others instead of just me, I found total peace of mind. I no longer felt the need to spend money on anything fancy just to create a “keeping up with the jones” image and lifestyle. I simplified my life completely and found total happiness again. And the never ending opportunities that come my way, I attribute to always sticking with this philosophy of achieving to help others.
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Hi Kevin,
As always, from the heart. Thanks for sharing.
Sahar
Great post which will strike a chord with many domainers out there. Its always refreshing to see the path travelled by an entrepreneur. I completely agree its way better to even fail after trying rather than not try at all.
—-answer—-
Thanks for your comment, hopefully some tech folks will see some value here as well.
Best,
Sahar
Nice story, Sahar. Im a newbie in domaining, trying now to sell at Bido (my first try auction). Feel excited..
Kevin, I was very touched of your veeeery personal comment.
Your revelation makes you “the humble victor”. You`ve found the right way of your life. The real one.
Thank you, both
Laurentius
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Good luck with your auctions. If I was in your shoes I would have spent most of my time analyzing the Sales Archive page, learn it inside out, and go acquire what sells.
Best,
Sahar
Thanks.
I am a domainer with two years long most of my time learning with experts like you. I even learn to not feel myself alone as you wrote today.
In the meanwhile let me ask your permission to publish a section of of your article and make a link to the entire article from my web site to yours. I already had asked Jarred (when i complete some domain transfer i bought on Bido) and he suggested me to ask you personally.
My web site started a few months but already counts hundreds of visitors a week.
One more time, THANKS.
Carlos Martins
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Hi Carlos,
Sure thing. it’s not a problem. Good luck with your blog!
Sahar
Sahar,
I wrote you a personal letter about 3 years ago (does Muki ring a bell ?) Well since then I have followed your writing as much as I can and this piece speaks volumes.
My father once told me; ” my son always aim for the skies, at least that way if you miss, the worst that can happen is that you land on a tree top but if you aim for a tree top, if you miss you might hit the ground”
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Hi Frankie,
Wise father indeed. Not sure about the email, you can imagine I get lots of emails on a daily basis and try to reply to all (not always possible). In any event, hope all is well with you and that you have made much progress since!
Best,
Sahar
Sahar,
I too have felt the loneliness of walking my own path but continued to walk in expectation of finding success at the end.
I appreciate what Bido brings to the market. The ability for domainers to buy discounted domain names and sell names that just didn’t work for them.
I also appreciate the level of commitment you have shown to the industry and your willingness to make the changes that your customer base is looking for. The reverse of this looks like Sedo’s new commission structure which all the polls on domainers’ forums aren’t going to change.
Regardless of the industry’s “big fish” and some of the snobbish put downs by some of the wannabe big fish I expect Bido to be successful in the long run. I know you will be supported by the users of your auction house.
Changing the reserve pricing structure was the right thing to do and it will improve the name quality in due time.
Good luck Sahar!
Dtagr.
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Hi Dtagr,
Thanks for that. we have much more changes coming in the next 60 days to improve the overall experience as well as liquidity and quality. Thanks again for the support!
Sahar
Hi Sahar,
Read your blog on a regular basis also involved with bido mostly selling. Judging from your history it sounds like you walk the walk and don’t just talk about what your going to do.
The old saying seems to apply to you get knocked down 8 times and get up 9 times.
best of luck
Richard St Cyr
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Hi Richard,
Trying to talk less, do more. Our mantra: Under promise - over deliver. We live by that.
Thanks for the support and kind words,
Sahar
As always, I really enjoy reading your from-the-heart entrepreneurship stories. Was sorry to read about Assista.com but you can still be proud of giving a great effort and making something remarkable.
Coincidently, I was finishing up a blog post on a similar topic when I read your post: http://www.internetinc.com/rock-bottom
Keep the faith!
-eric
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Hi Eric,
Great post Eric !
Sahar
Hi Sahar,
מה שכתבת בהחלט מעורר הערכה רבה כלפיך.
יש לי משהו שלדעתי מאוד יעניין אותך. אני יודע שאתה מוצף באמיילים ופניות אבל זה משהו בסד”ג אחר לחלוטין.
נא צור איתי קשר
Thanks Sahar…
I read the comments abouve…
and saw where you said this:
“Where I am right this moment would have not happened without the past, the good, the bad, and the technologically ugly.”
then I went and REGISTERED:
TechnologicallyUGLY.com
that will be a fun one to dev out…
LOL
thanks for the seed of a name for an idea…
~Patricia - DomainBELL
Hello,Sahar
I read your post,and thank you very much,this post gave me hope.as i am just beginning domaining,then i read your life story at DNJournal,and i was very impressed,now I am as you were at 90s,i spent all my money on domains,and have debts,but i dont want to quit now,because the people like you,give me hope to gain something in my life,thank you very much,i bookmarked your blog and will read all your posts.
Good luck
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Hi there,
There’s lots of posts on here that may be of some help to you. In addition, I’d recommend to check out Michael Berkens TheDomains, Rick’s blog, as well as Frank Schilling’s Seven Mile nad of course, follow the daily blogs on NameBee.
Good luck !
Sahar