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Welcome to the The
Lowdown from
DN Journal - your source for notable news
and information from all corners of the global
domain name
industry!
The Lowdown
is compiled by DN Journal
Editor & Publisher Ron Jackson. |
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How
Positivity and Perseverance Powered Sedo Premium
Domain Broker Mark Ghoriafi's Rise to Prominence |
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I
was happy to see a Sedo
post on Facebook Friday announcing that Mark
Ghoriafi was joining the company's all-star
team of premium domain brokers. Happy for
Mark, who has impressed me with his positive attitude and energy from the first day I
met him almost a decade ago, and happy for
Sedo who will benefit from having this highly respected
proven pro representing them. In
his steady 9-year rise through the ranks
Mark has had the opportunity to learn form some of
the best people in the business, starting with .CLUB
in 2014, followed by successes with .GLOBAL,
Afilias and Radix and the launch of
his own shop
at MrPremium.com. Mark had also worked with
Sedo on specific projects over the years so they
were already well aware of his capabilities. While
Mark is widely known throughout the industry I
wanted to share his colorful and inspiring background
with those who haven't met him yet or have
never heard the full story. So, over the
weekend I connected with Mark, who moved to Fort
Lauderdale after growing up in the UK,
for the interview below. This is Mark's word for word
account of where he came from, what he has experienced
along the way and where is headed now: |
Mark
Ghoriafi
Premium Domain Broker
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"From
fun-in-the-sun hospitality to the world of professional
wrestling, and of course our passionate domain
names industry, all my business paths had the
same personal desire; to support my family
and enjoy life’s journey!
," Ghoriafi began.
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Mark
with his parents in England. |
For
over six decades my father has been a respected
political journalist, with a natural flair
for creativity and a strong business mind. My
mother has always been a social butterfly,
having a diverse and successful career in sales
and hospitality. They reached milestones in
life many can only dream of, but in the late
80’s when I was two years old, the effects of
continuing war in the region resulted in a complete
loss of wealth, with them having to hit
the ‘restart button’ in life.
I
grew up inspired by their determination to
persevere, gaining a strong set of ethics,
morals, and appreciation for efforts needed to
succeed. It was only natural that my life would
lead me to destinations where passion, patience,
and |
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persistence
are at the core of what I do, with my parents
still always giving me their unconditional
support and love.
|
My
graduation from Oxford Brookes University studying
Marketing Management in collaboration with
one year spent studying in the U.S. at a
prominent Pennsylvania school, gave me the
educational tools to go out into the business world.
I spent eight years working in Corfu, Greece
focusing on face-to-face selling and customer
psychology, and in addition founded a successful online
store within the sports memorabilia industry,
all of which provided a well-rounded overview of
business logistics.
|
In
late-2014 I was unintentionally "body
slammed into domaining" stemming from
my fandom years with the superstars of
wrestling, where innovative self-marketing
led to an alter-ego identity being born. I
became known as “WWE Superman” in
the wrestling community, traveling alongside
the icons of wrestling across Europe and the
U.S., building a strong network of public
figure friends and associates.
It
was during these times that the .CLUB domain
extension launched, also having some notable
celebrity names using a .Club for their fan
clubs. With my desire to move to America |
WWE
Superman Mark Ghoriafi with Hulk Hogan |
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perfectly
coinciding with their need for someone to join
the team and help grow awareness by
onboarding influencers to actively use the
domain, I entered into the industry.
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Mark
Ghoriafi, .CLUB CEO Colin Campbell and CMO Jeff
Sass (2nd, 3rd and 4th from left) at a
.CLUB dinner with friends, Ray Dillman Neu
(far left) and Howard and Barbara Neu (far
right).
I
worked directly with Colin Campbell and Jeff
Sass, the then CEO & CMO of .Club, with Jeff
becoming (and still being) my mentor (Jeff is
now the CMO of .ART domains), and under his
industry tutelage I advanced my role into premium
domain sales, me able to confidently say I
superseded all internal selling expectations.
Those
initial years in the industry helped me establish
future footsteps with premium domain selling,
working with Rolf Larsen (Founder of
.GLOBAL) and an exceptional family-like team,
collaboratively advancing the company to a high
enough level where the decision was made to sell the
extension to Afilias. I was graciously asked
if I wanted to transition into Afilias and oversee
all premium domain selling activities for dozens
of Afilias-owned domain extensions, to which I
accepted, having notable success with .BET
and .POKER.
Mark
with .GLOBAL Founder Rolf Larsen at the 2023
NamesCon Global conference in Austin.
It
was unfortunate timing that during my peak of
achievement at Afilias, a 20-yar-old-company, a
decision was again made to sell the company.
However, when that door closed, a window opened, and
I decided to start my own domains brokerage
and acquisition: MrPremium.com.
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Now,
many people may be most familiar with me as
the founder of MrPremium.com, which has
become a respected and recognized brand in
the industry through its daily outbounding,
innovative marketing, and unparalleled
social media, with especially big waves made
with the .io ccTLD, and achieving millions
of dollars of total domain sales.
Whether
it was skydiving from 10,000 feet in
Key West, snorkeling with shipwrecks
in the Caribbean, or in the dungeons of a
castle in Puerto Rico, the MrPremium
brand and the domains under brokerage where
being promoted in a never-seen-before
style, resulting in selling victories
and new opportunities, including my new
happy horizons with Sedo.com. |
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(Left
to right) Mark Ghoriafi, Marc Stepken, Sedo
Senior Broker Dave Evanson and CEO Michael
Robrock at a Sedo Party during the 2020
NamesCon Global conference in Austin, Texas.
Throughout
my 9 years so-far in the industry, I have crossed
paths with Sedo on many occasions, teaming up
and partnering with them at many events and
conferences during my time on the registry side of
the industry, so I am no stranger to their style
and success.
With
recent life advancements, including getting
married to my wonderful wife and moving to Fort
Lauderdale Beach, future stability is a
desired focus for us both. So, when casual Sedo
conversations turned into long-term business
opportunities, it is with great pleasure to say
that I have now joined Sedo.com as a Premium Domain
Broker. I will be working with a team of likeminded
passionate people who I respect and admire, also
thrilled that MrPremium clients have chosen to
join in my exciting journey, with their
domain inventory coming to Sedo brokerage.
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As
many will already know, Sedo
is the world's largest domain marketplace,
having 22 million domains for sale, 4
million parked domains, 2 million
customers, 700,000 domain sales since
inception, and is world's leading platform
for domain buyers and sellers.
I
am proud to be a member of the Sedo.com
team, and an extra special thank you to Michael
Robrock (CEO), Christian Voss (CMO),
Paul Martin Fawell (General Manager),
and Dave Evanson (Senior Broker) for
your above-and-beyond daily support helping
me settle in.
Finally,
Ron, on behalf of the entire domains
industry, thank you for your
DNJournal.com writings, reports, and
always insightful industry news. You are not
just a blessing to our community, but a
friend to us all.
|
(Left
to right) Sedo Director of Business
Development
Sophie Pieck, CMO Christian Voss
and newly named
Premium Domain Broker Mark Ghoriafi. |
Another
day, another dime, another dollar,
another day in domaining paradise!"
Mark, joyfully as always, concluded.
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(Posted
October 16, 2023)
*****
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