social-networking, trademark, domain-nameI am about to close a startup of mine, started over 6 years ago.
At first, I only thought of selling the domain name, but then I realized that, if bundled properly, it may be worth much more, as 6+ years of high visibility through Google Search, plus 3 years in a row in which sales grew about 500% per year, may be worth something.
This domain also has matching Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google Play accounts (exact name as domain as tradename and trademark.
What is the best venue to go about this?
Note: Maximizing sale value is not the only factor. An important consideration is also a safe and trustworthy way to transfer payment.
The quick answer to your question is: go look at Flippa.com, as probably the most active market for domains plus content. If current revenue is small, my guess is that a third party business or domain broker won’t see much realizable value.
There may be other choices.
Do you feel you’ve proved that the market you were aiming at isn’t there, or is dominated by a major player? If so, then you may have assets worth selling, as long as you remember that the whole is less than the sum of the parts. So make the longest list you can of assets, and against each one, ask
How could I monetize this?
Who else might value this, and why?
Once you have your list, triage. If there’s no obvious buyer but there is a monetization route, invest a little time trying it out. So for instance, could your website morph into a simple content site to leverage the search engine history? If there’s value to a third party then try some direct approaches.
Or do you feel that while you hit the wall, someone else might be ready to take it forward. Given new vision, new leadership and new resources, many projects could be viable. If that’s possible, get out there and network. The deal you offer is a way for someone to earn their way to a majority share, with a future exit route for you. Will that suit everyone? No way! But the right person…
Aside from generic domains it is assumed that the domain owner has trademark rights, otherwise the (real) trademark owner might be able to take control of the domain.
Domain resellers offer escrow services, so payment is likely a non-issue.
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