The usual course of action when starting an online business is to grab the .com for your chosen business name and then build from the ground up. But some entrepreneurs are so savvy, so determined that they’ll literally put the cart before the horse in the hope that things will fall into place later. This is the approach taken by Klout’s CEO and founder, Joe Fernandez.
It turns out that a few years ago when Fernandez had the brainchild for what is now Klout.com, the .com version of the domain was already registered. This would have posed a small problem for lesser entrepreneurs but not Fernandez; instead of changing his plans, he quickly registered Klout.net and then set off on the quest to buy Klout.com.
When he contacted the owner and offered $1000 for the purchase of the domain, the owner flatly rejected the offer—even giving out a load laugh. This did not dissuade Fernandez in the least and the next year and a half was spent chasing the domains owner on Twitter. All Fernandez needed was a slip from the owner and it happened one day when the owner revealed his location via Twitter. Not one to miss an opportunity, Fernandez darted down over to San Francisco where he met up with the owner in a restaurant. There was no chit-chat; Fernandez dumped an envelope filled with $5,000 and made it clear that “this was it”.
The owner accepted the offer and the rest, as they say, is history. Today Klout.com is a thriving company and Joe Fernandez is a happy man—so too is the former owner of the domain.
Do you use the Klout.com service? Share your experience with the platform in the comments below.
source: http://www.sitetrail.com/2011/11/04/klout.com-sold-for-5000/
It turns out that a few years ago when Fernandez had the brainchild for what is now Klout.com, the .com version of the domain was already registered. This would have posed a small problem for lesser entrepreneurs but not Fernandez; instead of changing his plans, he quickly registered Klout.net and then set off on the quest to buy Klout.com.When he contacted the owner and offered $1000 for the purchase of the domain, the owner flatly rejected the offer—even giving out a load laugh. This did not dissuade Fernandez in the least and the next year and a half was spent chasing the domains owner on Twitter. All Fernandez needed was a slip from the owner and it happened one day when the owner revealed his location via Twitter. Not one to miss an opportunity, Fernandez darted down over to San Francisco where he met up with the owner in a restaurant. There was no chit-chat; Fernandez dumped an envelope filled with $5,000 and made it clear that “this was it”.
The owner accepted the offer and the rest, as they say, is history. Today Klout.com is a thriving company and Joe Fernandez is a happy man—so too is the former owner of the domain.
Do you use the Klout.com service? Share your experience with the platform in the comments below.
source: http://www.sitetrail.com/2011/11/04/klout.com-sold-for-5000/