Disney Took All My Money - Article #7

OK... listen.

I know it has been a month since my last article. I can feel your judgmental eyes through my ultrawide-screen nerd monitor.

Since my last captivating issue, I have attended DISCO training in NYC, DISCO training in Austin, hung out with Rev Run (wait, what...? explanation at the end), and took my kid to #DisneyWorld for her first birthday. If you were wondering... yes, I rode DUMBO. Even better - I wore a shirt that says 'DAD' while riding DUMBO. Proof:

We went to a character breakfast at 'Cape May Cafe.' I flew to Orlando to go to a Jersey-themed restaurant. Smart, Jesse. Mia loved it, except when she met Goofy. She lost her damn mind. Screamed bloody murder. Goofy kept a big grin on his face like a certified sociopath. Everything worked out, and Mia and Goofy were BFFs by the time we left. She's generally a good judge of character, so maybe we should do some additional background checking into ol' Goof before we let him around CHILDREN. He's out there causing chaos.

In the world of DISCO ... I have a new SDR partner! Abigail Baxter is a recent college grad and an overall fantastic person. She has been earning the respect of her colleagues, clients, and prospects with her honesty and commitment to being better every day. I'm a huge Abi fan, and I look forward to her continued success.

In Austin, I spent time with the broader training team led by the amazing Robyn Payne and some of our fantastic subject matter experts, especially Jane Maranhas (She/Her/Hers) and Gregory MacFarlane . Even with my extreme ADHD kicking, I learned much from their expertise and patience. If you know Greg, then this picture will make total sense. If you don't - you're missing out. We share the same brand of sarcasm that I don't think most people realize is sarcasm. Big brain stuff.

Domain Names - The Tale of Two Acquisitions (and a name change)

Today's NEWS section is a little different - focusing on the recent movement in the corporate domain name space. It's almost the tale of two acquisitions - MarkMonitor to Newfold and IPM to CentralNic.

MarkMonitor to Newfold

If you're unfamiliar with Newfold Digital , they're the parent company of several internet brands, some you may have heard of, some not. Most notably, their brand portfolio includes the 'original' domain name registrar Network Solutions and hosting provider Bluehost. I'd consider both brands (NetSol and Bluehost) leaders in their respective spaces. I personally host a website on Bluehost via their WordPress solution. Outside of these well-known brands, they own niche companies like SnapNames and Freeparking.

Adding MarkMonitor to the NewFold portfolio only makes sense and follows GoDaddy's successful acquisition of Brandsight in 2020. I'd assume that profit margins for corporate registrars are higher than their 'retail' counterparts (consummate with better service and technology). Conversely, now that MarkMonitor is primarily (if not solely) a domain name company after the spin-off of its brand protection business to OpSec, MarkMonitor could benefit from a consolidated back end to hopefully lower costs and provide much-needed capital for improved technology that F500 and small businesses alike demand.

My opinion on how this will impact MarkMonitor customers is still up in the air. On the one hand, this ownership change is a hop from one venture fund to another, which MarkMonitor has done a few times in the past. On the other hand, this could give corporate customers of other Newfold Digital brands an easy introduction to the world of 'corporate registrars.' We'll see how it goes. You can read the NewFold press release here .

IPM to CentralNic

Admittedly, this is a smaller acquisition with fewer consequences. California-based IPM was acquired by CentralNic for $7.6M, representing a 7x multiple of its 2021 adjusted EBITDA. Since CentralNic already has an enterprise presence, IPM will be folded into CentralNic's Online Presence segment, which has been growing via acquisition over the last few years. In the press release, CentralNic CEO Ben Crawford says, "IPMC has been entrusted with protection of some of the finest brands in the world, which will now join more than 1/000 corporations and organizations that already rely on CentralNic's domain management suite of services." The fact that IPM is US based could help CentralNic grow its portfolio of US-based companies. However, CentralNic is generally well-respected internationally and employs several well-respected industry veterans. The press release can be found here .

AppDetex is now Tracer

Not a ton to say here. I like the name change. AppDetex went with Tracer(dot)AI for their website, which seems like a good choice given that Tracer(dot)Com is taken and used by a legitimate company.

The recent addition of Bradley Muller to lead sales and Rick Farnell as CEO has injected energy into the company that is causing them to grow. The Brand Protection industry is incredibly complex (for many reasons, some outside of any vendor's control), and any new or growing entrant has an uphill battle.

Job (Sales) Resources

It is necessary to recognize the layoffs occurring in all verticals, especially tech sales. Looking for a new job is hard, especially in a tough candidate market. Here are a few resources for job seekers that I think should help.

1. Kelly Juliff from the Porter Group - Fantastic East Coast sales recruiter
2. Katie Hawking - Excellent sales recruiter based in Chicago
3. Lavender AI and Grammarly - Tools to help you write more succinct
4. ThursdayNightSales.com - Fantastic community of sales professionals with a slack channel
5. Pavillion - a little pricey - but the networking cannot be beat

Rev Run?

I'm shocked you made it this far. Yes, Rev Run and his entire family were on my flight home from Orlando. I said, "what's up, Rev?" He nodded. Simpatico.

That's all for this week! Catch you next time.