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To
do that we talked to women who have made their mark in three
distinctly different areas; one in traffic monetization (Donna
Mahony), another in domain development (Marcia Lynn Walker)
and a third as a high level executive in one of the industry�s
largest corporations (Michelle Miller).
These women came from considerably different backgrounds but they
have all arrived at the same destination � the top of the mountain.
Donna
Mahony was born in Boston and spent most of her life
in Massachusetts before success with domains allowed
her to trade in fast paced city life for the Arizona
spread she now shares with husband Jim (everyone
just calls him Mahony), 30 chickens, 4 cats, 2 goats, a
dog, a cockatoo and and a cockatiel. "I come from
an Irish/Greek heritage where hard work was the only
way to succeed and the work and business ethics I learned
early in life have helped me to remain focused and put in
the long hard hours it took to get me to this point in
business,�
Mahony told us. |
Donna & Jim Mahony |
Mahony
has had a computer since the mid 90�s but it was little more than
a toy to her until she was hurt in a car accident in 1997. She was
told she would probably never be able to work again, but she would
not accept that diagnosis and thanks to her computer she didn�t
have to. �I had often wondered why people ran things like bingo
games on the internet so I did a little research and found out...money!
My research was all done on the internet since I didn't even know a
person who had a computer, let alone any internet skills!"
She
began her search for information at Yahoo. �I searched
"How do I get a web site" and found Web Pages for
Dummies. My portfolio in the early years was built by
struggling to find $14 I could take from the budget without it
hurting! The first domain I ever registered was WinFreeCash.net.�
She
eventually progressed to the point where she was able to contact the
owner of the .com version of that domain with a purchase offer. �I
offered him $5,000 for it. He declined and I eventually
picked it up when it dropped!� Mahony recalled.
�My
first site was just a banner farm, all centered down the middle
of the page because that was all I knew how to do. Well, my first
generated income was a click for 4 cents and my first check was for $4.67. I
knew right away that if I could make 4 cents then I could make 4
dollars and if I could make 4 dollars I could make $40!! One
day I somehow stumbled into the Great Domains chat room and
suddenly I wasn't alone any more," Mahony said. "I learned
about buying and selling domains and that was my focus for the first
couple of years as that gave me the income to reinvest in my
business as I learned the wide range of income producing
possibilities available to us in this industry. To this day may
of the folks I met in the public forums and chat rooms remain my
good friends!"
Before settling on her pay per click business model, Mahony tried
her hand at domain development but soon tired of the headaches. �I
was constantly in a battle with sponsors over payment issues and
such. Each month I was waiting and hoping the check would
arrive. Sponsors went out of business and left us unpaid, they
disallowed traffic and sales on a whim and skimmed sales for
themselves," Mahony said. "Now I send most of my traffic
to Domain
Sponsor and sleep well knowing I will get paid promptly
and fairly. I see traffic as the fuel of the internet and thus feel
there will always be a future in selling traffic. I try to keep my
portfolio diverse and could supply traffic to almost any
industry.�
Mahony added �I prefer the PPC part of the business for one reason.
No matter what you sell, how super your site is or how necessary or
popular your product is...it's nothing without traffic. We all know
that and when the word gets to the mainstream industries, I feel
that we will all benefit.�
Mahony believes that whatever model you follow there�s a lot to
like about the domain business. She told us, �I love that I can
work from home and make my own hours. My business can be as diverse
or as targeted as I choose to make it. All the information I need is
right here on the internet and if I cannot find it there are forums
where some kind soul will help me out. Like most devoted
domainers, my life is spent here in front of the computer. I am
addicted!! I have had many folks tell me that I need to get out more
and not limit my life to the computer. Well, I don't see it as
limiting me in any way. How many folks can say that they chatted
with friends in Hong Kong, Australia, and the UK all
in one day? The entire world is at my finger tips!�
A lot of people in the business recognize Mahony from her Tips
From WinFreeCash threads at DNForum.com. She
has always been willing to lend a helping hand to newcomers. �I
don't actually share many "secrets" but I do try to
provide some guidance. The more educated our small group becomes,
the more legitimate the industry becomes and we all benefit.
The biggest "secret" to my own success is very simple. Reputation.
Keep it clean and work hard...the rest will follow.�
Mahony also says women interested in this business won�t have
to worry about the glass ceiling they�ve heard about in other
industries. �Back in the '70s I was a foreman on the
shipping docks of a large company. I am no stranger to trying to
make it in a man's world. In this business it doesn't seem to matter
whether you are male or female and it isn't until well into a business
relationship that they even realize I am female. I met some folks in
L.A. a couple of years ago that I had interacted with in the
forums and even done some business with for a few years. They were shocked
to find I was a woman. Part of the charm of this business is that it
is a great equalizer. We are not male or female, black or white, fat
or thin...we are all black letters on a white page.�
Marcia Lynn Walker is
one of Mahony�s biggest fans. �I�ve known Donna for
about five years and I just love her," Walker said.
"She's one of the most giving and sharing individuals
I've ever met; an intelligent woman with a huge heart.�
Though Walker admires and emulates Mahony�s personal
attributes, she has followed a different path to success in
the domain business. You would have a hard time find a
busier domain developer than Walker, the CEO of Myrtle
Beach Inc. Her company operates a multitude of
websites related to travel, tourism and local attractions. |
Marcia & Warren Walker
Myrtle Beach Inc. |
Marcia (pronounced mar-SEE-ah) told us, �I was born into a
family with entrepreneurial blood, so I've known since childhood
that I'd never hold a real job for any length of time, unless it
involved sharing ownership in a company or helping out friends,
family, or a charitable cause. I don't understand the mentality of
working towards a stranger's monetary goals!�
Many women may overlook this industry because it is lumped in
with high tech and computers which have historically been of more
interest to men. However, Walker is an exception to the rule.
�I've always been fascinated by computers. While attending college
in southern California (majoring in Philosophy and Accounting
of all things), I realized I wanted to run a business specializing
in computers. Unlike today, in the early 80s there were pretty much
only three paths to take if you wanted to run your own computer
business; sales, hardware, or software,� Walker said. She
experimented with all three before finally setting the course she
remains on today.
�To see if I'd like repairing, servicing or customizing hardware, I purchased
a Heathkit (Zenith) Z-100 and built a computer," Walker
said. "I soldered all the capacitors, LEDs, and chips in place on the motherboard, installed the yoke
on the cathode ray tube (I got shocked terribly once!), learned how to
operate an amp meter and other testing equipment and assembled everything
myself. It was an important project for me that took eight months to finish.
I laughed at myself when I found out later that there were guys very skilled
at this type of thing, who could assemble the Heathkit computer in about 25
hours! Still, I was extremely pleased with the results of the test, since at
the end I had a working computer for thousands of dollars less than the
factory-assembled model, but I also realized that I didn't have the talent or
desire to ever specialize in computer hardware service!� Walker said.
�At the same time, I was writing code for expense tracking and for simple
computer games similar to Pong and BreakOut. I wasn't happy with paper
expense tracking and canned budget books of the time, so I also wrote code
to organize my expenses and finances. This, I found, I thoroughly enjoyed
and found very useful. Writing code was easy and fun for me, so I thought contract software design would be the best business outlet for my interests and
talents,� Walker said.
That prompted Walker to switch her major to computer programming before finally leaving college
when her business became too profitable to spend her time on coursework.
However, there was still one more turn ahead. �As the computer industry became more widespread and diversified, I realized my niche was in combining computers and marketing.� Walker said. That revelation came when a top advertising agency in
southern California contracted me to write custom tracking software for multiple projects.
Although at the time I was writing programming code, this frequent interaction with some of the most creative minds in the advertising industry fueled my desire to combine the efficiency of computers with effective marketing from that point in my life forward. So I slowly transitioned from computer programming to
computer-designed print advertising,� Walker recalled.
In the mid-80�s Walker, along with a brother and sister, decided to move from southern California to join their parents in the
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area. A brief, unsuccessful marriage there produced her son,
Deven, and left Walker a single parent for many years. It
was a rough stretch but she kept honing her skills during that time, eventually deciding to
focus on the Myrtle Beach tourism market. �I produced full-color ads for the annual Myrtle
Beach Chamber of Commerce Stay-n-Play magazine, brochures for vacation
rental companies, advertisements for newspapers and magazines, and hotel
guest directories along the Grand Strand,� Walker said. With her computer background she
quickly recognized the power of the Internet to provide a more cost-effective means to
distribute massive amounts of information and regularly update the full-color
advertisements necessary for continued growth in a tourism market.
In 1999 she began registering domain names and designing websites for her
company and others. Walker told us, �Unaware of natural type-in value at the time, my first
domain, NorthMyrtleBeach.net, was specifically registered and developed as a
portal to promote the north end of the Myrtle Beach area where I live.
Although early on I registered some dashed and non-dot-coms to experiment
with keyword relevancy, I slowly began registering regional keyword-rich natural type-in names as well. Shortly thereafter, I stopped
taking on clients and, utilizing the combination of natural traffic from my
type-in domains and traffic from placement in search results, devoted all of
my time to developing my portfolio of sites.�
1999 was also a turning point for Walker for another reason. �Although it would be some time
before we married, that�s when I met my husband, Warren. He was the
network engineer running the servers for one of my clients. I was impressed with
him immediately as being a brilliant programmer, technical wizard and
all-around nice guy.� Walker said.
Everything was finally coming together. �With the benefit of multiple web sites in niche tourist markets, I was able to test various types of web sites and information delivery systems until
settling on the specific combination with the greatest conversion rate and
highest return on investment (ROI) for tourism markets,� Walker said. �One of the major
surprises from these tests was that most surfers looking to book vacations
online are not looking for 100-page portals with every conceivable bit of
information about the city they're planning to visit. People looking at
those types of sites are still in the "information gathering" stage, not at
the purchase stage.�
�I found that the most effective sites for people wanting to make travel reservations were much smaller, where the major focus was to
save the traveler money while providing secure and instant booking
online," Walker said. "These types of sites make sense in today's world where, unlike web
developers, most people don't spend the majority of their time online. Most
people go online to read their email and find quick answers. This testing
and the results are what led me to produce multiple, one-to-four page sites
in destination-specific tourist markets, like one of our Orlando sites,
DisneyOrlandoHotels.com. I
concentrated on airports as well, and have airport web sites all over the world, from Myrtle Beach
(MyrtleBeachAirport.com) to
Maldives (MaldivesAirport.com).
She and Warren are currently concentrating on a more wide-ranging project at
Stockbin.com, designed for live booking of hotel rooms nationwide.
Walker thinks the domain world should be near the top of a woman�s
potential career choices. �The best way I can describe why I enjoy
this business is that it is the coming together of education,
talent, experience and desire. There is a deep level of satisfaction
when combining the acquisition of domains with the marketing,
creativity, and technical challenges involved with
the development of multiple websites that provide information people
are searching for. Sharing the challenges of this business with my
husband and family, and being at the forefront
of this new industry with my esteemed colleagues is more enriching
and rewarding than I could ever convey in words," Walker said.
So why haven�t more women followed the same path? �Since I
find every aspect of this business fascinating, I'll have to guess
that the technical aspects of managing a large portfolio of domains
and websites would not be very exciting for most women," Walker
said. "Also, in order to make the best
choices in this business, there are long hours of isolation in
front of a computer screen to do the required
research. For those of us that develop our portfolios, there are
even longer hours in front of a computer, as well as a good deal of
expense for dedicated servers and contract labor." In
Walker's mind the pluses far outweigh the negatives though. �In
this business, I've never felt as though I'm treated differently
because I'm a woman. I have deep respect and admiration, as well as
a binding camaraderie with my friends and colleagues on the cutting
edge of Internet innovation. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by
men and women with integrity, drive and vision and I could never say
enough to express my gratitude and love.�
Walker was a featured panelist during seminars at the Traffic
2004 domain trade show in Delray Beach, Florida.
Many prefer not to share what they have learned for fear of creating
competitors, but that is not part of Walker's makeup. �For me,
sharing is an integral part of being a good person, a good wife, a
good mother, and a good friend. I believe that there is no greater
good than helping others. I have such gratitude for those who helped
me when I needed it as a struggling single parent trying to build my
business. As far as fearing competitors, there are always going to
be competitors and I actually embrace
competition because it never fails to increase my creativity
and drive for further innovation,� Walker said.
When asked for her advice to other women wanting to get into this
business Walker said �this is still a very new industry and there
are many opportunities to succeed in niche markets. My advice would
be to consider your talents and interests and brainstorm until you
find something very unique in a niche market. This unique
period of time where the Internet is still in its infancy won't last
forever. But right now the possibilities and opportunities are
endless for those wanting to build solid businesses online.�
Michelle Miller, the
current Chief Operating Officer at industry giant BuyDomains.com,
is a another woman who seized one of those �endless
opportunities�. While Walker went East and Mahony went
West, Miller went vertical, climbing all the way to
top of the corporate ladder.
Miller was a born competitor and cites two
factors that made her the person she is today � her
parents and basketball. �My dad, John Miller,
Director of the Army Research Labs, is intelligent, a
leader and a role model - one of the smartest, focused, and
most respected people I know. My mom, Nancy Miller,
raised 4 kids, grew up and worked in the family restaurant
business and bar none is the most hardworking, independent,
strong woman I know,� Miller said. |
Michelle Miller
Chief Operating Officer
BuyDomains.com
|
I�m sure Miller got the attention of all of you guys when she
mentioned basketball. She was an exceptional college player,
lettering at the University of Maryland where she earned
bachelor�s degrees in finance & marketing. Miller told us, �I
have been playing since I was 7 years old. Basketball has taught me
the importance of teamwork, discipline, respect, loyalty, practice,
preparation, and best of all�how to compete and win!�
The only thing Miller likes as much as basketball and business is
traveling. �Whenever I have the opportunity I�m on a plane. I�ve
been to Italy, England, Russia, Finland, Nicaragua and Mexico.
Spain, Greece and Egypt are next on my list.� After
college, Miller lived in San Francisco for a couple of years
then came back home to live in Washington, D.C. That turned
out to be a very propitious move. While working for a small start-up
web development firm in D.C. she went to Boston in April 2000
for a conference. One of the people she met there was a BuyDomains
shareholder. He suggested she might want to help get Mike Mann�s
newest company off the ground.
�Two months later I came on board focusing on building an
affiliate program and marketing specifically for the registration
business," Miller recalled. "Soon after I started focusing
more on the premium/secondary domain market and began looking at
ways to improve the sales process.� She hired a sales team, worked
with business partners and developed other new revenue generators.
In 2004, she was appointed COO and was an integral part of
the launch of Seeq
(BuyDomains� paid advertising network of 36 portals). Miller now
runs day-to-day operations at BuyDomains where she keeps an eye on
nearly every aspect of the business.
Miller�s success has come as no surprise to the man who hired
her. Michael Mann told us �Michelle started off as somewhat of a
novice in the business world since she was fresh out of school, but
she had a winning attitude...and she was willing to take on what
promised to be a very difficult and exhaustive job. When we
interviewed her she was informed we play to win in our current and
past businesses and would never let up the pace. She is very
competitive and assertive in her own right as an athlete, so she was
a natural fit for our hard driving small team.�
Mann added �she has gained business skills very rapidly and is
particularly astute at handling the hucksters we run across in the
Internet world. She learned early on not to take any crap and that
people may try to take advantage of her in business dealings, so get
all details clear and in writing. I feel sorry for anyone that tries
to pull anything on her nowadays because she'll let them have it
(just like she was taught). In fact she may have been taught too
well because she even lets me have it!�
Mann credited Miller personally for having a considerable role in
BuyDomains and Seeq.com's extraordinary growth and their success in
rolling out innovative new services. Just since August 2003 when we
ran a cover story on Mann, the
BuyDomains portfolio has doubled to 425,000 domains. During
that time they�ve rolled out a free personalized web-based email
service at SeeqMail.com,
a browser Toolbar with a built-in pop-up blocker at SeeqBar.com,
a dialup internet service at DialupAccess.com,
a free blogging service at Blogs.net
and completed a site redesign at the their home base, BuyDomains.com.
�We�ve maintained our success and leadership position because we
are able to adapt quickly,� Miller said. �We are always prepared
for any situation because we have a diversified business model and
strong foundation."
Another thing you may have noticed at BuyDomains in the past year
is rising domain prices. Miller said �prices have been rising due
to the increasing demand and increased customer awareness and
overall understanding of domain names. In addition the names that
generate traffic have grown in lock step with rising PPC bids. Our
sales team is able to focus on negotiating and closing more sales
instead of educating potential customers on the appraisal and value
of domains, which has allowed us to focus on the serious buyers who
are looking to spend more.�
Obviously gender has been no barrier to Miller in the domain
world. �I really don�t pay much attention to or worry about
gender differences. In fact, I�m used to being the only girl on
the basketball court. All the men in the industry have acted very
professionally towards me.� Miller said if other women interested
in the domain business look beyond the surface they too can find a
world of opportunity. �Technology historically does not appeal to
women and this is definitely a technology driven industry. I think
many women tend to steer away from the domain industry because they
only see the technical aspects. They don�t realize the other
opportunities in branding, advertising, marketing, sales and other
areas.� So ladies, the door is wide open and you are more than welcome
here. Come on in, the water�s fine!
*
* * * *
Editor�s
Note: For those who would like to comment on this story,
we invite you to make use of our Letters to the Editor
feature (write to [email protected]).
If you missed our previous Cover Story click
on the headline below:
2004:
It Was a Very Good Year - But Now What? Industry Experts Say The Best Is Yet to Come!
All
other previous Cover Stories are available in our Archive
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