We're pleased to share a Q&A with one of our customers, Deepak Daftari! Deepak is the CEO of DD Web Vision Pvt. Ltd and has over 20 years of experience in domain investing and consulting. During this period, he has helped numerous Fortune 500 and 1000 companies acquire strategic domain assets and potential billion dollar brand names. He currently manages a large portfolio of domains and is also an active angel investor in various ventures, ranging from SaaS to health tech and food tech companies.
Let's get to know Deepak through this interview!
Introducing: Deepak Daftari
Your name: Deepak Daftari
Where are you based? Kolkata, India
Date business was started: 2005
Business web address: eSiksha.com
Social media accounts related to your business:
List of GoDaddy products you use: Domains, GoDaddy Auctions, Domain Investor App and Afternic
The journey from first domain to domain investing
How did you get started in domain investing and how did it evolve into your business?
I started my journey in domain investing when .IN and .CO.IN were released for public registrations. Eventually, I moved on to trading in the .co.uk space and finally graduated to actively buying and selling one and two word .com domain names.
I also broker on the Buy Side and acquire marquee names for Fortune 500 companies. Currently, I am curating my own high end portfolio of one-word .com names for my personal collection.
Tell us your company story – from how it started to what’s happening now.
I begin by buying and selling domain names in any and every extension. After gaining small amounts of capital in return and consistently moving up the value chain, I started trading in the high-end segment of the domain market. I continued brokering on the side for my select group of clientele and curating my own portfolio of high-value domain names for the long term.
In terms of TLDs, I started my journey with .in and .co.in names, moved on to LLL.co.uk and LL.co.uk names. After building my capital over the years. I started on .com domain names.
I still acquire names on a regular basis from all the public and private auction venues, as well as private brokers and platforms.
How did COVID-19 affect your business and how did you respond to the challenges?
COVID has affected us all emotionally and mentally, with many of us who lost near and dear ones to the epidemic. Yet, it was a boon for domain business with plenty of businesses moving online. These new site owners were trying to acquire short memorable vanity names for their online business. In this aspect, COVID was a game changer for us in the domain investing business, as we see our business growing rapidly.
Has there ever been a time when you thought a project/your business might fail?
Definitely yes! In fact, I felt this way many times during global crises such as the subprime crisis in 2008, COVID in 2020 and the Cryptocurrency crash in 2022. Still, it's inevitable that every business goes through a cycle of ups and downs. A good portfolio rides out these low phases, but the key is to hold on and not give up during these tough times.
Tools of the trade
What online tools do you use for your business?
Here are some tools that I use:
- ExpiredDomains.net
- DotDB.com
- Domaining.com
- DomainIQ.com
- NameBio.com
How do you use each of these tools?
Every tool has its own set of rules, filters, variables and values to effectively have the best output from them and summarizing them in a paragraph would be next to impossible.
What difference have these tools made to your business?
These tools are the lifeline of my business. Without them, I won't be able to run my business!
How is your experience with GoDaddy thus far?
One word: Excellent. This is how I sum up my experience with GoDaddy. Some of the nicest, caring, honest and empathetic individuals in the domain industry work with GoDaddy. These relationships over the years have matured beyond a business relationship into friendships.
As with any industry service provider, GoDaddy has its own imperfections, but the willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty and genuinely help out a customer in their hour of need is what sets apart GoDaddy over other companies in the industry.
People like Paul Nicks, Joe Styler, Alan Shiflett and Alpesh Shinde are invaluable assets for the company and not just mere employees.
Business advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
As an investor and consultant, what were your most memorable moments in this journey thus far?
For me, some of the best moments were the times I have been able to acquire some marquee names, or going above and beyond to help a client when they were in a really tight spot.
For example, one of the largest tech company in India approached me for help to acquire their exact brand domain name. They had been trying to acquire the name for the last few years and hadn’t been able to. Using my connections and research, I was able to secure and acquire the name for them in less then a week, and that saved them a lot of stress.
Another memorable moment was when I was able to secure a very nice portfolio of 1 word .com’s, which had names like CoFounder.com, Mischief.com, Majesty.com etc for myself.
Do you have any advice for someone who’s just starting out with domain investing?
Think Big, think long term, think profitable, think of creating a sustainable business and not short term profits. There are still plenty of ways to mine the expired lists, provided that you put in the required hard work. It’s still possible to build a self-sustaining portfolio.
Are there any mistakes you made that other entrepreneurs should try to avoid?
Plenty. Never put all your eggs in one basket, trends have come and gone and this cycle will keep repeating.
Try not to invest more then that you can afford to lose in one deal / trend / vertical / TLD.
What one thing do you wish you’d known when you were starting your business?
More knowledge, more due diligence, knowing more brokers and deal makers and the capital to build a self sustaining long term portfolio.
Some final words of wisdom from Deepak for our readers!
- Try not to be greedy.
- Don't try to squeeze the last penny from every deal.
- Leave something on the table for the other person too and make them feel they won the negotiations.
- Try to be nice to people, if not always then at least most of the times.
- Build friendships, connect with people and network as much as possible.
Editor's Note: Do you want to be the next successful domain investor like Deepak Daftari? Start your domain investment journey by enrolling in DomainAcademy today. If you’re a successful domain name investor already, why not share your story with us? Email domaincommunity@godaddy.com to discuss being featured on the GoDaddy Blog.
