Mike Mann 15 Years Later

Mike Mann stands as one of the most enduring and influential figures in the domain industry, having built an empire that spans from the pioneering days of BuyDomains.com to today’s DomainMarket.com with over 232,000 domains. When I first interviewed Mann approximately 15 years ago, he was already making waves with groundbreaking .CO sales like Flying.CO for $3,500 and had just published his book “Make Millions and Make Change!” – a work that promised readers a formula for both financial success and positive social impact. At that time, his DomainMarket.com portfolio held 139,000 domains, his charitable work through Grassroots.org was serving 4,000 nonprofits, and he was openly sharing his philosophy that domain investing was “really a grind of studying lists of domains, aggregating and studying data, buying and selling.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Mann’s influence has only grown more profound. It seems he is sharing key domain sales on a daily basis on X.com. His portfolio has expanded to over 232,000 domains with an average listed price of $30,000 each, representing one of the most valuable digital real estate portfolios in existence. Having recently revisited his book “Make Millions and Make Change!” and observing his continued innovation in areas like AI-powered domain appraisals and his expanded charitable initiatives, I’m eager to explore how both Mann and the domain industry have evolved over the past decade and a half. From the early days of premium .com scarcity to today’s AI-driven valuations and the emergence of new digital assets, Mann has not only witnessed but actively shaped the transformation of digital real estate into a mature investment class.

Sully: When we last spoke, DomainMarket.com had 139,000 domains. Today you’re at 232,000+ with an average listed price of $30,000. What’s driven this dramatic growth in both quantity and valuation?

Mann: Reinvesting revenues. Comps, fair market values. Better data and analysis.

Sully: On SmartBranding.com, you’ve mentioned leveraging AI for domain appraisals and acquisitions. How has artificial intelligence changed your approach to domain investing compared to the manual “grind” you described 15 years ago?

Mann: It allows us to process more variety and quantity of data points and understand it better.

Sully: Back in 2010, you were pioneering the .CO market with sales like Flying.CO. How do you view the evolution of alternative TLDs versus your prediction from WhoAPI.com that “.com is king” and people would be “disappointed with all other TLDs”? Do you still feel the same?

Mann: The other TLDs are losing value somewhat due to the proliferation of alternatives, including changes in Google, ai innovations, social media, large companies usurping market share. These same issues lower the value of .com, but then they go up due to scarcity and flight to quality, so mostly flat. But certain types of name categories in .com are still expansive. Finance, tech, ai, etc. And certain exceptional keywords in the names.

Sully: Your AccurateAppraisals.com now positions itself as “the world’s best domain name appraisal company.” What breakthrough methodologies have you developed that weren’t available during our first interview?

Mann: We use three of the world’s top domain experts on every appraisal, includes myself and Braden Pollock, and one other. Then we give the customer the average on a certificate of appraisal, and the entire experience is only $88. Nobody has a better appraisal or price. No competition.

Sully: You’ve maintained long-term holdings while also making strategic sales. What’s changed in your philosophy, if anything, about when to hold versus when to sell premium domains?

Mann: Usually depends on my need for cashflow. In times of relative weakness we accept offers, otherwise we hold out for full appraised price /FMV.

Sully: Have developments like cryptocurrency, NFTs, and Web3 affected traditional domain investing in your experience?

Mann: Not so much. Just a distraction for people that should be investing in real digital assets, i.e., domains, instead of that other crap.

Sully: With companies now regularly paying seven and eight figures for premium domains, how has this shifted negotiation dynamics compared to the early days?

Mann: We try our best to get the full fair price and make the business case for it to the prospective buyers.

Sully: I love the idea of developing businesses on keyword domains. Your companies like Phone.com and SEO.com were Inc 500 fastest-growing companies. How has building operational businesses around domains evolved your investment strategy?

Mann:I sold SEO.com a couple years ago fyi. It is a good idea to build those companies but then again I could have just sold those domains way back and invested the proceeds in other domains. I found that I am a better specialist at domaining than hiring people and managin g companies, too complex and difficult and risky, too much work. Although those particular companies have been great winners overall.

Sully: Are you investing in newer technologies like blockchain domains, or do you remain focused on traditional DNS?

Mann: Definitely not. It’s a racket.

Sully: You’ve recently published “2025 Domain Market Predictions” back in April.  What major shifts do you foresee that weren’t imaginable during our first interview?

Mann: I’m surprised how well .ai domains have done, but presumably it is a bubble at its peak. There are not enough pure ai companies that are profitable to justify so much speculation in .ai domains.

Sully: As someone who’s been in the industry for 30+ years, how are you thinking about the long-term future of your domain empire?

Mann: I am thinking I need to continuously innovate with my team as we have done so far to keep on top. A lot of hard work. Sometimes hit payday.

Sully: Looking back over 15 years, what developments in the domain industry most surprised you—both positive and negative?

Mann: The number of scammers and poorly trained speculators never ceases to amaze me, and the wide variety of their rackets. One would have expected that to be somewhat weeded out by now.

Sully: If you were to update your advice for new domainers today, what would you tell them differently than you did in 2010, and what core principles remain unchanged?

Mann:  Just invest in the very best .com domains. Those have risen in value every year for decades and likely still will. Other ones are either too risky, worth nothing, or are likely to become worth nothing. Not a good investment of time and money. There are some exceptions to every rule, but not many.

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