You should think of an online business as real estate. You have an entity (a website) that you promote and try to make money with. As it becomes more popular or successful its value grows (net worth). You can then buy (or start) another website or simply sell your website for its current market value or more.
What else works this way? Right! Real estate. As we all know the biggest fortunes ever made were made in real estate? Well wait a minute here…The richest man in the world for the past 20 years has been Bill Gates and in 2008 he was surpassed by two guys: his friend, billionaire investor Warren Buffet and Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú. Both of these guys passed him but after the economic downturn Gates has taken back his #1 position only to lose it again last early this year.
Ya but Fred, none of these guys are in real estate. One’s a computer geek. The other is a Wall Street geek and the third is the son of a Mexico City shopkeeper. But hold on. Let’s take a look at what these guys own:
Gates/Microsoft: @Home Solutions (1999) [1]
Accel Partners (1998) [2]
Akamai Technologies Inc. (1999) [3]
Ameranth (2000) [4]
American City Business Journals (2001) [5]
Amicore (2001) [6]
Apple Inc (1997) [7]
Ardent Communications Inc. (2000) [8]
Asia Global Crossing Ltd. (1999) [9]
AT&T (1999)
Audible (1999, 2001)
Avanade (2000)
Avid Technology (1998)
Banyan Systems (1999)
BayStar Capital (2003)
Best Buy (1999)
Big Huge Games (2000)
Borland (1999)
Black Entertainment Television (BET) (1996)
Blackboard Inc. (2001)
Blixer (Italy, 2000)
BroadBand Office Inc (2000)
Bungie Studios (2000)
CareerBuilder (1999)
Chyron Corporation (2000)
CMG Plc (UK, 1996)
CMGI Inc (1998)
Comcast Corporation (1997)
Commerce One Inc (2001)
CommTouch Software Inc (1999)
CommVault Systems Inc (2000)
CompUSA Inc (2000)
Concentric Network Corporation (1999)
ContentGuard (2000)
Corel Corporation (Canada, 2000)
Corio Inc (2000)
CPA2Biz (2001)
CSI, Inc (2000)
Data Return LLC (1999)
Dialogic (1999)
Digital Anvil (1997)
Digital Entertainment Network (DEN) (1999)
Digital Equipment Corporation (1995)
Digital Island (2000)
Digital Sound Corporation (1997)
DiscoverMusic.com (1999)
DreamWorks SKG (1995)
DSL.net Inc (1999)
eFusion (1997)
eLabor (2000)
Encompys (2001)
ENDFORCE Inc (2002)
Entex (1996)
Equinix Inc (1999)
Evoke Software Corp (2000)
Expedia.com (1999)
Extreme Logic (2001)
FaceBook (2007)
FairMarket Inc (1999)
First Data Corporation (1997)
FutureLink Corporation (2000)
General Magic (1998)
GigaMedia Ltd (Taiwan, 1999)
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd (Israel, 2000)
Google (2004)
Groove Networks Inc (2001)
Helicon Publishing Group PLC (UK, 1996)
Hitachi Ltd (Japan, 2000)
HomeAdvisor Technologies (2000)
Hutchison Global Crossing Ltd (Hong Kong) (2000)
i-Deal (2001)
Immersion Corporation (2003)
Individual Inc (1995)
Infolibria Inc (2001)
Interland Inc (2000)
Interliant (2000)
Intertainer (2000)
ITRAN Communications Ltd (Israel, 2000)
Jato Communications (2000)
Keen.com (1999)
Korea Thrunet Co. Ltd (1999)
KT Corporation (Korea) (2001)
Lernout & Hauspie (Belgium, 1997)
MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems (Malaysia, 2000)
MediaWave Inc (UK, 2001)
MyPlant.com (2000)
Navitel Communications Inc (1997)
NBC Television Network (1995)
Net Serviços de Comunicação S.A (Brazil, 1999)
Nextel Communications Inc (1999)
NorthPoint Communications Group Inc (1999)
Novell, Inc (2006)
NTL Inc (UK, 1999)
OpenPort (1998)
Plural Inc (2000)
Pluto Technologies (Norway, 1998)
Portugal Telecom, SGPS, S.A. (1999)
Proginet Corporation (1996)- sold circa 2002
Qwest Communications (1998)
Radiant Systems (2000)
RadioShack Corporation (1999)
RealNames (2000)
RealNetworks (1997)
Reciprocal Inc (1999)
Reservation Works LLC (1998)
Rhythms NetConnections Inc (1999)
Road Runner (1998)
Rogers Communications (Canada) (1999)
SCO Group (2003)
SeaChange International (2000)
Sendo Holdings PLC (UK, 2001)
SingleTrac Entertainment Technologies (1996)
SkyTel (1996)
SMART LLC (Mexico, 2001)
SRS Labs (2000)
Stamps.com Inc (1997)
Tandem (1996)
TCI International Inc (1994)
Telecom New Zealand (2001)
Telewest Group Inc 22.9% (2000 [1] – 2003[2])
Grupo Televisa, S.A. — A Mexican television company
Teligent Inc (1999)
Telmex (Mexico, 1999)
ThingWorld.com (1999)
Ticketmaster (1999)
TITUS Communications (Japan, 2000)
TRADOS Incorporated (1997)
Tut Systems Inc (1998)
UGC Europe (1999)
UnitedGlobalCom Inc (1999)
Usinternetworking Inc (2000)
USWeb (1999)
UUNET (1995, Divested)
Vanstar(1995)
VDOnet (1996)
VenturCom (2000)
VeriSign (1996)
VerticalNet (2000)
Wang (1995)
WebMD (1999)
Wildfire Communications (1997)
Wink Communications (1999)
WirelessKnowledge (1998)
Yam Digital Technology (Taiwan, 2000)
Buffett/Berkshire Hathaway: Geico Insurance and Finance 100%
Applied Underwriters Insurance and Finance
General Re Insurance and Finance
Kansas Bankers Surety Company Insurance and Finance
National Indemnity Company Insurance and Finance
Wesco Financial Corporation Insurance and Finance
United States Liability Insurance Group Insurance and Finance
Central States Indemnity Company Insurance and Finance
American Express Insurance and Finance 13.1% as of August 8, 2008
M&T Bank Insurance and Finance 5.9% of common stock
Anheuser-Busch Food 5.8% owned at the end of 3Q 2005
Dairy Queen Food 100% October 21, 1997
The Coca-Cola Company Food 8.3% owned at the end of 2004
The Pampered Chef Food
See’s Candies Food 1970s
Fechheimer Brothers Company Clothing
Fruit of the Loom Clothing 100% April 30, 2002
Garan Children’s Clothing
H.H. Brown Shoe Group Clothing
Justin Brands Clothing
CORT Business Services Furniture Related January 14, 2000
Jordan’s Furniture Related
Larson-Juhl Furniture Related
Nebraska Furniture Mart Furniture Related
RC Willey Home Furnishings Furniture Related
Star Furniture Related
Acme Brick Company Materials and Construction
Benjamin Moore & Co. Materials and Construction
Clayton Homes Materials and Construction
ISCAR Metalworking Materials and Construction
Johns Manville Materials and Construction
MiTek Materials and Construction
Precision Steel Warehouse, Inc. Materials and Construction
Shaw Industries Materials and Construction
The Washington Post Company Media 18.1% owned at the end of 2004
The Buffalo News Media
Business Wire Media
XTRA Corporation Logistics
McLane Company Logistics
Ben Bridge Jewelers Luxury Items
Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry Luxury Items
Helzberg Diamonds Luxury Items
Scott Fetzer Companies Other
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company Other
NetJets Other
NetJets Europe Other
FlightSafety Other
CTB Inc. Other
Procter & Gamble Other 3.0% owned at the end of 2005
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. Other 18.9%
Blue Chip Stamps
Other Investements: Acme Brick Company
Ben Bridge Jeweler
Benjamin Moore Paints
Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry
Brooks Sports, Inc.
Business Wire
Clayton Homes
Cort Furniture
Dairy Queen
FlightSafety International
Forest River
Fruit of the Loom
Helzberg Diamonds
HH Brown Shoe Group
ISCAR Metalworking
Jordan’s Furniture
Justin Brands Inc.
Marmon Holdings Inc
McLane Company
Mouser Electronics
Nebraska Furniture Mart
NetJets
The Pampered Chef
Richline Group
Russell Corporation
See’s Candies
Shaw Industries
Star Furniture
R.C. Willey Home Furnishings
TTI, Inc.
Wayne Water Systems
World Book
Xtra Lease
Not to mention: American Express Co. (13.1%)
Anheuser-Busch Cos. (4.8%)
Bank of America
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (17.5%)
Carmax (10%)
The Coca-Cola Company (8.6%)
Comcast
Comdisco (38%)
ConocoPhillips (5.6%)
Costco Wholesale
Diageo PLC
Gannett
General Electric
GlaxoSmithKline
Goldman Sachs
The Home Depot
H&R Block Inc. (sold out in 2007)
Ingersoll Rand
Iron Mountain
Johnson & Johnson (2.2%)
Kraft Foods (8.1%)
Lexmark International (sold out in 2006)
Lowe’s Companies
M&T Bank (6.1%)
MidAmerican (83.7%)
Moody’s Corporation (19.1%)
Mueller Industries (sold out in 2006)
NRG Energy
Nike
Norfolk Southern Corp.
Outback Steakhouse
PetroChina (sold out in 2007)
Pier 1 Imports (sold out in 2007)
Posco (4.5%)
Procter & Gamble Co. (3.3%)
Sanofi-Aventis (1.3%)
Sealed Air (sold out in 2006)
ServiceMaster
Shaw Communications
SunTrust Banks
Tesco (2.9%)
Torchmark (3.2%)
Tyco International (sold out in 2008)
UnitedHealth Group
Union Pacific Railroad
United Parcel Service
USG (19.0%)
U.S. Bancorp (4.4%)
WABCO
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (0.5%)
The Washington Post Company (18.2%)
Wells Fargo (9.2%)
Wellpoint
Wesco Financial Corporation (80%)
White Mountains Insurance (sold out in 2008)
Carlos Slim Helú….I won’t list them all because it would be about another 10 pages to list what he owns…
The point of showing you these exhaustive lists is to prove that only by branching out can you ever really achieve. These guys have taken it to the next level, for sure, but let me give you an example of why you should have more than one site going.
If you can do the work for one website why not do the same work for a bunch of them. Do you know how hard it is to have one site earn you let’s say 100 dollars a day. Very, very hard – trust me. But it is quite easy to have 100 sites earn you 1 dollar a day each.
Here is another reason, a more technical one. As I hope you know by now, we all live and die by Google online. So when I first started out, I had this site which I still have but will not list because it is an online pharmaceutical site. My top month was 50k on it….so I was on easy street right? WRONG….BIG TIME ….So I go out and bought a convertible, had an Italian Carpet shipped…started a renovation on my house….and then the two weeks after that big month….nothing and I mean nothing…WHY? Pharmaceutical companies went to Congress and basically had us outlawed…which meant Google de-listed all of us and removed our page rank. I had only one site online at the time….Fortunately, I didn’t depend on my online income at the time so I kept all the stuff I bought anyway?
Nowadays if one or two or three sites fall off of Google I don’t even know about it…Why because I have a virtual real estate empire, which has a heck of a lot of worth.
If you want to be in business that is one thing but if you want to be successful at business, think BIG…
Brilliant! Thank you