From Illinois

**ZeRohiLL** · 07-17-2008, 12:09 AM

Hey Everyone... just getting into this site and my new life as a domainer... Gotta get the first post ice breaker in...

My name is Travis, I'm 26, and becoming addicted to the business. I love the research, predict and gamble aspect of it..

I fell into the business only in the last month or so, but have been developing sites for a few years as a hobby.

Over the past few years I'd been working as a kitchen manager in a dinky restaurant in a town of 700 people. In December, I had a son, Lucian, who was born with a moderately rare birth defect, Esophageal Atresia. I couldn't pronounce it either, don't feel bad.

Basically my son was born missing his esophagus, or it just didn't connect to his stomach correctly. I more or less had to stop working to take care of my son in the hospital. This left time on my hands to become educated in my sons disorder, so I spent a lot of time on the web.

Doing research on the topic yielded little results and answers, so I was determined to build a site that would fulfill the need for good information, from a first person perspective on all of the things related to esophageal atresia. I got a good name and built esophagealatresia.org in less than a week; its no diamond, but it gets the job done and I've gotten countless comments and emails from other parents about how the web needed a site like mine. So they put a spark under butt and I built tracheomalacia.org and bronchomalacia.org, two more disorders my son had, and contented them as well. After that, bornwithea.com, a community site for parents and survivors of esophageal atresia was built and just launched the first of the month.

So after all that work and getting my son healthy enough to finally get home, (we spent a total of 6 months in the hospital. He's had his primary repair of his esophagus, so it is connected to his stomach. we are working hard with him on feeding through his mouth, right now he gets his nutrition through a g-tube.) I told my work that I wasn't coming back, that I was going to be a full time stay at home dad... They didn't like that too much, but that's not my problem.

So obviously I needed to find something to pass the time and make some money in the process. I quickly learned that the ads on my site, as few as their are, where not going to make me any kind of significant money, and it's nothing to rely on.

But then I remembered that rush I felt when I found those domain names to build my sites. Every one of them (IMHO) a great name, easy to target and content. I wanted to feel that rush again, so I researched and built a system. I've got a small portfolio started of about 35 domains, mainly .com's, that i feel are good, solid, marketable domains; but I know all to well what I think of my domain names don't mean squat... It's the market that matters.....

So I've built my base and want to start testing the waters... I'm not looking for the quick big buck, hell if i make just $300 a week I'm doing better than the grease job I had.

Any quick advice for a beginner would be appreciated. I'll hope to be spending a lot of time here to become more educated and sucessful, and putting in my two cents where worthy.

Thanks for taking the time to read my lengthy ice breaker.

Travis

**Credit** · 07-17-2008, 12:16 AM

Take your time...this is the mistake most new domainers make. Don't rush. Don't expect to make money right away or even soon.

**ck89102** · 07-17-2008, 12:29 AM

Welcome home.

**DNP** · 07-17-2008, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by ZeRohiLL

Any quick advice for a beginner would be appreciated.

Welcome to the club, Travis. Upgrade your memberhip to the Platinum first.

**ZeRohiLL** · 07-17-2008, 01:02 AM

How couldn't I? after reading the extra benefits you receive.... Going Platinum....

Thanks for the welcome home....

**draggar** · 07-17-2008, 04:45 AM

Welcome to the community, now for your next trick, upgrade to exclusive!

**MacyT.** · 07-17-2008, 05:54 AM

Welcome, you are more than off to a great start. You've done something very positive for the internet - you provided good content where there was a real need. And that - looks very good for all of us domainers as well

.

I'm going to throw you a few DNF$ to say thanks!