In 1999 I bought JeremyMiller.com from Jeremy Miller of Arizona.
I had been tracking this domain through university. Every year I sent the owner an email asking if he was ready to sell the domain yet. Every year he did not reply.
Then one day I got an email, “I’m ready to sell JeremyMiller.com. Are you still interested? If so, how much will you offer for the domain?” I was one of three Jeremy Miller’s cc’d on that email.
I was excited. I wanted this domain. I knew I would use it one day.
I replied to the email immediately with an initial offer of $250. As soon as that had left my computer I called my bank to secure a loan. They were willing to increase my line of credit to $10,000. That was my budget. That’s what I would have spent on that domain.
I sat on pins and needles for a few days filled with self-doubt. Was my bid too low? Did I insult the seller? Did someone else outbid me before I even started? What happened?
A week later I received a reply, “Thanks for the offer Jeremy. I accept.” That was it. I wired him $250, and I got the .com of my name.
Fifteen years later I am finally launching JeremyMiller.com. It’s my new Professional Speaker website.
I love speaking and sharing ideas on branding and business development. It’s one of the most rewarding activities I do. And with the launch of my new book, Sticky Branding, I’m doing a lot more keynotes and workshops.
Let me know what you think: www.JeremyMiller.com. All comments and criticism are welcome.
And if the site strikes a chord and you want to have me speak at your company or event, all the better. I’d love to connect.
I also want to point out the great work of my partners, Paul Sveda and Opal Gamble at Design & Develop. They created this site. I work closely with them on client projects for websites, brand development, and design projects. I do the strategy and content creation, they do the design and development.