Digital Strategist — Kickstart Commerce
Twitter: @alvinbrown
FAST FACTS
Location: Austin, Texas
Domain name you wish you owned: Alvin.com or Brown.com
Favourite extension: Don’t have a favorite extension, yet I primarily invest in .com
Currently reading: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happines.
Your mentor: Bi-Weekly Entrepreneurial Councilship
Q&A
Describe your company. How long have you been there and what led you to this career choice?
KickstartCommerce.com started in 2013 as a search marketing consultancy, yet today is a full-blown media blog now covering various domain industry insights and tutorials, including an additional blog, DNAdverts.com, focused on sharing insight of search marketing and domain name strategies to grow customer reach and revenue.
NamesCon is all about business networking. Can you tell us a story about the success of a meeting at NamesCon?
This is my first time attending NamesCon, so I’m looking forward to business networking while at NamesCon.
Can you tell us about how your service or product helps deliver value to your customers?
KickstartCommerce.com and DNAdverts.com aims to influence and educate newly minted domain investors, website developers, and business owners/managers for how best to use domain names to establish and strategically grow one’s business.
How does your career compare to what you envisioned in your youth?
Having a professional software development background has greatly served me well as I successfully transitioned to operating a media business. In fact, I often use a few software development principles to produce content and tutorials shared on KickstartCommerce.com.
How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?
I teach you how to use domain names to establish and strategically grow one’s business.
Describe the latest and greatest accomplishment in your career.
One of the latest is the privilege and honor to have been invited to be a Contributing Writer to DomainNameWire.com, TheDomains.com, and TLDInvestors.com.
What are your thoughts on the new TLDs?
I wasn’t a big fan of the new TLDs when they confusingly arrived on the scene a few years ago (and still not today). However, it’s been an interesting journey encountering small and medium sized businesses using new TLDs as an alternative to pricey .com domains. Not all new TLDs make sense to represent one’s digital presence, yet there are a growing number of businesses becoming comfortable with using new TLDs.
What kinds of changes to you foresee within the industry in the next year? The next five years?
Currently, I’m interested in seeing how things turn out with emoji domains, and their adoption or non-adoption in commercial use in 1-2 years. In addition, it’ll be interesting to see how blockchain technology alters the domain industry (if any) in the coming years.
Who would you like to hear speak at NamesCon? Why?
I’m looking forward to each of the keynotes, and specifically looking forward to hearing from Jackson Elsegood on the effects of cryptocurrency on domain trading. With blockchain and cryptocurrency at forefront of everyone’s attention, I really hope to gain greater understanding and clarity pertaining to factors, both positive an negative, impacting the domain industry.
What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming NamesCon?
I’m looking forward to establishing new relationships with industry professionals while continuing known relationships.
What fact about you would surprise people?
That I’m an Associate Pastor at MosaicChurchAustin.com in Austin,Texas.
What was one of your biggest “A-ha!” moments in life?
One of the biggest “Aha!” moments for me was harnessing the power of automation via software development. Automation via software development has made my life more effective and efficient across the board.
If you had 15 extra minutes each day, what would you do with them?
Read more books!
What are you proudest of in your life?
Second to my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I’m most proud of my wife and I’s marriage and growing family.
Name three things you can’t travel without.
Phone, Laptop, Wedding Ring.
What object would you put in a time capsule that best represents who you are today?
My wedding ring.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Two words: Yes Dear! 🙂
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