In this episode of the Domain Academy Podcast DREAM Contest, we catch up with the top three participants—Mike, Andrew, and Deepak—as they share their latest moves and strategies in the year-long, $500 domain investing challenge. Andrew discusses his jump from last to second place by leveraging his personal network, emphasizing the importance of connections—even for new investors. The group debates the role of networking versus name quality, pricing strategies, and how research, AI tools, and niching down can turn up valuable domains. Mike shares how he scored a quick flip with “elevatefund.com” and discusses the emotional rollercoaster of outbound sales. The team explores the realities of hand-registering domains, time investment versus reward, and the challenges of selling to end users. Whether you’re new to domaining or curious about investing in illiquid assets, this episode is packed with practical tips, honest stories, and a look at the real hustle behind domain investing.Follow our progress and view the challenge spreadsheet in the episode links!https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-y2hm89miTikAL5s0hVipL_fMfBYfkKnBR44jhOWKl8/edit?pli=1&gid=410596151#gid=410596151🎧 Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-domain-academy-podcast/id1779312301📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Fk98QgRw5iRGKCFpW9JSSGTm1yFmY8P#DomainNames #Podcast #Investing #IlliquidAssets #Networking*Remember to always do your own research and that these videos are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.*

In this episode of Domain Academy’s (domainacademy.com) investing challenge, six seasoned domain investors each start with $500—and compete to see who can grow their portfolio the most in just one year!Follow along with the leaderboard and every purchase and sale made along the way here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-y2hm89miTikAL5s0hVipL_fMfBYfkKnBR44jhOWKl8/edit?usp=sharingToday, we shine the spotlight on Mike Cyger—founder of Domain Academy, Domain Sherpa, and a well-known investor—who is currently leading the contest with $500 in sales. We’re also joined by Piyush Patel, a newer investor bringing fresh enthusiasm to the competition. Listen in as Mike and Piyush share their current strategies, recent purchases and sales, the names they missed, and the highs and lows they’ve experienced so far.You’ll discover why buying domains can feel like hitting the lottery, why selling takes real effort, and what key data each investor uses to guide their decisions. Their candid insights and real-world experiences are designed to help you learn from their journey and become a better domain investor yourself.Who will come out on top? Root for your favorite contestant, share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to follow the competition!**These podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.**

In this episode of Domain Academy’s (domainacademy.com) investing challenge, six seasoned domain investors each start with $500—and compete to see who can grow their portfolio the most in just one year!Today, we shine the spotlight on Mike Cyger—founder of Domain Academy, Domain Sherpa, and a well-known investor—who is currently leading the contest with $500 in sales. We’re also joined by Piyush Patel, a newer investor bringing fresh enthusiasm to the competition. Listen in as Mike and Piyush share their current strategies, recent purchases and sales, the names they missed, and the highs and lows they’ve experienced so far.You’ll discover why buying domains can feel like hitting the lottery, why selling takes real effort, and what key data each investor uses to guide their decisions. Their candid insights and real-world experiences are designed to help you learn from their journey and become a better domain investor yourself.Who will come out on top? Root for your favorite contestant, share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to follow the competition!*These podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.*

In this season we have a domain investing contest where 6 domain investors are given a $500 budget and compete against each other to see who can wind up with the most total dollars in sales at the end of a year.On today's domain academy podcast, from DomainAcademy.com, we continue the DREAM (Domains Rule Everything Around Me) contest focusing on two investors and what they have done so far about a month into the content. Follow along all year and root for your favorite investor. See where everyone is at in realtime via our running spreadsheet of domain purchases and sales https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-y2hm89miTikAL5s0hVipL_fMfBYfkKnBR44jhOWKl8/edit?usp=sharingJoin me as we interview James Iles and Andrew Alleman for today's exciting episode! Key Topics:Introduction to the Podcast: The podcast host introduced the Domain Academy podcast, explaining the goal of the contest where participants start with a $500 budget to invest in domain names and see how much profit they can make within a year. 0:00James' Strategy Update: James Iles shared that he has shifted his strategy from focusing on popular keywords to targeting Geo domain names, which he believes have a specific need for improving business presence online. He mentioned some of the names he acquired, such as Venicebroker.com and Malibuagent.com. 1:28Andrew's Recent Acquisitions: Andrew Allman discussed his recent domain acquisitions, including inboxsentry.com and rationalcode.com. He mentioned the challenges of being a new domain investor with restrictions and the importance of patience in the domain investing process. 3:45Using ExpiredDomains.net: Andrew Allman explained his process of using expireddomains.net to find domain names, including setting up filters and using the GoDaddy investor app to track and purchase domains. 5:51AI Tools for Domain Search: Andrew Allman and James Iles discussed the use of AI tools for domain search. Andrew demonstrated AI Domain Genius and Domain Agents, highlighting their features and how they can help generate domain name ideas. 15:36Pricing Strategies: Andrew Allman and James Iles shared their pricing strategies for the contest. Andrew mentioned pricing his domains between $1,000 and $2,000, while James is using a sub-$1,000 strategy, pricing his domains at $999 to encourage quicker sales. 30:40Outbound Sales Strategy: James Iles discussed his outbound sales strategy, mentioning that he plans to keep the pricing the same on the Lander but is open to negotiation using custom checkout links to close deals. 41:17Advice for New Domain Investors: James Iles and Andrew Allman provided advice for new domain investors. James emphasized the importance of being prepared to pivot strategies, while Andrew highlighted the need for grunt work in both finding and selling domains. 44:38**Remember to always do your own research and that these podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.**

Season 2 Episode 1On today's domain academy podcast, from DomainAcademy.com, introduce the DREAM (Domains Rule Everything Around Me) contest. James and I do a deep dive into the contest and rules before getting to the heart of the content. Thanks for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe. Check out Domain Academy for more learning content on domain name investing. DomainAcademy.comFollow along all year and root for your favorite investor. See where everyone is at in realtime via our running spreadsheet of domain purchases and sales https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-y2hm89miTikAL5s0hVipL_fMfBYfkKnBR44jhOWKl8/edit?usp=sharing**Remember to always do your own research and that these podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.**

Season 2 Episode 2On today's domain academy podcast, from DomainAcademy.com, introduce the DREAM (Domains Rule Everything Around Me) contest and meet the 6 domain investors participating. In this season we have a domain investing contest where 6 domain investors are given a $500 budget and compete against each other to see who can wind up with the most total dollars in sales at the end of a year. We introduce each other and discuss the rules and early strategy and some initial purchases. Who do you think made the best ones so far?How much money can we make in one year? Can you do better?We've assembled an all star cast of domain investors who were kind enough to dedicate their time and expertise to help other investors, new and old, to grow in their domain investing journey and to make the most money possible. Bragging rights are on the line where we put our money (well GoDaddy's money) where our mouth is and make some sales. Joining us for this experience are:-Andrew Alleman - Founder of DNW.com an award winning domain investment blog, podcast host, accomplished investor and all around great guy. Deepak Daftari - An extremely successful domain name investor featured International conference speaker and start up investor. Deepak is well known in the domain name space and we are lucky to have him share his expertise with us on the show.James Iles - James has been involved in the domain investing space for well over a decade and in that time has made a name for himself as a blogger, investor, and community advocate. He is also co-host of the podcast as well as the community manager for GoDaddy.com.Joe Styler - Who let this guy in? Current teacher of DomainAcademy.com and former head of GoDaddy domain auctions, and current co-host of the domain academy podcast. Joe has been in the domain industry for 2 decades. He hasn't learned enough to make his fortune and is probably just in this because everyone loves an underdog.Mike Cyger - If you are involved in any way in the domain investing space you know Mike. Founder of Domain Academy and Domain Sherpa he has come into the space and compiled systematic analysis of the successful investors and then created avenues to share that learning with people who are new to investing or want to continue to grow in the space. Successful in his own right on domain name investing he is sure to be a tough competitor.Piyush Patel - Is a relatively new investor who has been in the space as side hustle for some years. He is getting more serious and is ready to try and become the contest winner and take the crown from the well known domain investors to show us what some new energy can do in the space. Follow along all year and root for your favorite investor. See where everyone is at in realtime via our running spreadsheet of domain purchases and sales https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-y2hm89miTikAL5s0hVipL_fMfBYfkKnBR44jhOWKl8/edit?usp=sharing**Remember to always do your own research and that these podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.**

Season 2 Episode 3On today's domain academy podcast, from DomainAcademy.com, we delve further into the domain investing contest where 6 domain investors are given a $500 budget and compete against each other to see who can wind up with the most total dollars in sales at the end of a year. We go over some initial purchases and a high level overview of the current strategies and challenges we all face in an effort to help everyone listening learn from our successes and failures. How much money can we make in one year? Can you do better?We've assembled an all star cast of domain investors who were kind enough to dedicate their time and expertise to help other investors, new and old, to grow in their domain investing journey and to make the most money possible. Bragging rights are on the line where we put our money (well GoDaddy's money) where our mouth is and make some sales. Joining us for this experience are:-Andrew Alleman - Founder of DNW.com an award winning domain investment blog, podcast host, accomplished investor and all around great guy. Deepak Daftari - An extremely successful domain name investor featured International conference speaker and start up investor. Deepak is well known in the domain name space and we are lucky to have him share his expertise with us on the show.James Iles - James has been involved in the domain investing space for well over a decade and in that time has made a name for himself as a blogger, investor, and community advocate. He is also co-host of the podcast as well as the community manager for GoDaddy.com.Joe Styler - Who let this guy in? Current teacher of DomainAcademy.com and former head of GoDaddy domain auctions, and current co-host of the domain academy podcast. Joe has been in the domain industry for 2 decades. He hasn't learned enough to make his fortune and is probably just in this because everyone loves an underdog.Mike Cyger - If you are involved in any way in the domain investing space you know Mike. Founder of Domain Academy and Domain Sherpa he has come into the space and compiled systematic analysis of the successful investors and then created avenues to share that learning with people who are new to investing or want to continue to grow in the space. Successful in his own right on domain name investing he is sure to be a tough competitor.Piyush Patel - Is a relatively new investor who has been in the space as side hustle for some years. He is getting more serious and is ready to try and become the contest winner and take the crown from the well known domain investors to show us what some new energy can do in the space. Follow along all year and root for your favorite investor. See where everyone is at in realtime via our running spreadsheet of domain purchases and sales https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-y2hm89miTikAL5s0hVipL_fMfBYfkKnBR44jhOWKl8/edit?usp=sharing**Remember to always do your own research and that these podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.**

We end this mini-series with a chat with the person we call the boss. Paul Nicks is the Vice President of Domain Investors at GoDaddy, and oversees a division dedicated to serving domain name investors. Paul joins us to talk about his experience in the industry, how GoDaddy can help domain investors thrive, plus a look at the future of domain investing.

GoDaddy’s Domain Academy miniseries dives into the lucrative world of domain investing with lead instructor Joe Styler and community manager James Iles. In this 6-episode series, unlock pro tips on valuing, buying, and selling domain names. Featuring 5 special guests, we’ll guide you through the essentials to set yourself up for success, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned investor.

For more information, tools, and training check us out at domainacademy.com.

**These podcasts are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or financial advice. Always do your own research.**