For 12 years, I owned OnlineBusiness.com. And for most of that time, I wasn't sure what to do with it.
I knew it was valuable. I even asked for ideas publicly back in 2014, I posted on Warrior Forum: OnlineBusiness.com - What would you do? But nothing ever felt quite right. So it sat there. A basic homepage. A catalog of domains. A few blog posts. Nothing with a heartbeat.
Until now.
Because the truth is, I stopped waiting for the perfect idea. And I finally accepted something it took me decades to learn: You don't find the perfect online business. You design it.
This isn't just a relaunch. It's a repositioning of everything I believe about building online. That trust is the real foundation. That your domain name is your first impression. And that when you combine premium positioning with AI-powered execution, you unlock a level of leverage most founders never access.
I call this approach The Trust Shortcut. And this site, OnlineBusiness.com, is where I'm putting it to the test. In public. With proof. One build at a time.
The Domain That Changed Everything
Visual: Side-by-side graphic: i-Newswire.com → Newswire.com
Caption: "The rebrand didn't change our product. It changed how people saw us."
I didn't always see things this clearly.
Years ago, I was running i-Newswire.com. It was working. We had revenue, happy customers, and momentum. But something always felt capped. Like we were growing with a ceiling we couldn't see.
We eventually upgraded to iNewswire.com (no dash), which helped a bit. But the real unlock came when we acquired Newswire.com.
That single change shifted the trajectory of the entire company:
Sales calls converted faster
Cold outreach started getting actual replies
Ad performance improved across the board
Customers started assuming we were the leaders in our space
Same team. Same product. Same offer. Different perception.
And that perception made everything else work better. Over the next few years, we scaled to more than $10 million in annual revenue and eventually successfully exited the business.
Was it just the domain? Of course not. We had strong systems and a sharp team. But the domain? It was the accelerant. It created belief before we said a word.
That's the power of a premium domain. It doesn't do the work for you, but it makes all your work more effective.
Why Everything Comes Down to Trust
Visual: Infographic: The Trust Funnel - from "I don't know you" to "I trust you enough to buy"
Caption: "Every marketing touchpoint is really a trust-building moment."
If you strip away all the strategies, tactics, funnels, hacks what are we all trying to do online?
We're trying to earn trust.
Every lead magnet, cold email, ad, podcast, landing page, testimonial, and tweet it's all in service of the same invisible objective: helping someone move from "I don't know you" to "I trust you enough to take the next step."
We don't always name it that way. But that's what it is.
And in that journey, your domain name is often the very first trust signal someone sees.
It happens in a blink. Type it into a browser. See it in an email. Hear it on a podcast. The domain hits first. And if it looks second-rate or sketchy, that split-second judgment happens. And you may never get the chance to recover.
But if it sounds clean, premium, and credible? You skip that doubt. You get the benefit of the doubt. You earn the chance to make your case.
That domain advantage is the foundation of The Trust Shortcut. But it's not just the domain. The full shortcut happens when you combine a premium domain with AI-powered execution. One gives you instant trust. The other lets you build on that trust faster than ever before. That combination is what I'm using and what I believe is one of the biggest advantages a founder can have today.
Domains + AI: The Ultimate Combo
Visual: Simple equation-style graphic: Premium Domain + AI Tools = Trust Shortcut
Optional visual: Screenshot of Signage.com and LashArtist.com with caption: "Live, in-progress builds I'm documenting in public."
So how does that Trust Shortcut actually work in practice? That's where AI changes everything.
I'm not a technical founder. I don't code. I've never been a designer. For years, I had to rely on others to bring my ideas to life. But now with tools like ChatGPT and others I can build faster than ever. Not just websites. Entire business systems. The kind of progress that used to take weeks or a full team? I can do that in days.
And when you combine that kind of execution speed with a premium domain that earns trust instantly, you unlock what I call the Trust Shortcut.
This isn't theory. It's what I'm doing.
Take Signage.com, for example. This was my newest venture in 2024, right before this site and book. I acquired and built it out with my longtime developer and new partner. He's also the owner of a large signage manufacturer overseas. It's a category-defining domain, and we're using AI to build and market it into something that reflects what the leader in the space would look like and how they would operate. From consistent brand voice across all our content channels to streamlined client onboarding flows to SEO at scale.
Then there's LashArtist.com. This one's personal. My wife is a lash artist it's her profession. And LashArtist.com is the category-defining domain for her occupation, just like Solopreneur.com would be powerful for solopreneurs or DigitalMarketer.com for digital marketers. When potential clients see LashArtist.com, they immediately know she's serious about her craft.
Since we upgraded her to this domain, she's been getting more calls and bookings. We can't attribute it all to the domain, but something's definitely happening. I'm building out that site with her, in public, as both a case study and a real-world application of everything I talk about. We're using AI to create trust-first content, document the journey, and help her brand grow with credibility from day one.
That's the beauty of this moment. With the right domain and the right tools, you don't need a huge team. You just need clarity, commitment, and a way to move fast.
And that's exactly what I'm doing now with OnlineBusiness.com combining premium positioning with modern execution. In public. Step by step.
Why Build in Public?
Visual: Photo-style quote card with your line: "If I were new right now, I'd want to see someone actually doing it not just talking about it."
Because transparency is underrated.
We all say we value it, but not many people show their work while they're figuring it out. That's what I want to do here.
I'm sharing what works, what doesn't, what I test, what I tweak across everything from AI workflows to domain strategy to product ideas. Not to position myself as a guru. But to stay accountable. To be visible. To build trust by showing, not just telling.
And maybe most importantly to give others a blueprint I wish I had when I was starting out.
For Founders: Something to Consider
Visual: Chart: Domain acquisition timeline with callout "Hesitation is expensive. Good domains rarely come back."
If you're a founder and you see a domain that fits your brand perfectly, don't dismiss it.
I've watched this play out too many times. Someone finds the perfect name. They hesitate. They try to validate it. They wait for more revenue. And a few weeks later? It's gone. Acquired by a competitor. Or a startup with conviction.
They get the trust advantage you could've had. And in many cases, that opportunity never comes back.
Premium domains are scarce. Once they're off the market, they usually stay there. I'm not planning to sell OnlineBusiness.com. It's mine. I'm building it out. And I'll say the same about a few others in my portfolio.
If the name matters to your business, treat it like it matters.
When someone sees Signage.com, they don't wonder if we're serious about the signage business. They know. When they see OnlineBusiness.com, they know we're not just dabbling. We're here to lead. That credibility opens doors you don't even see yet.
If You're New, You're in the Right Place
Visual: Friendly illustrated flow: "No audience → Learn → Build → Trust → Grow"
This isn't just for veteran founders. If you're new to online business, this is a great time to be here.
Because yes, domains matter. Yes, AI matters. But what really matters is your willingness to build something real. Something useful. Something trustworthy.
That's what I'm trying to do. That's what this site is for.
And while I'm not promising you'll get the same results I've had, I am promising to show you exactly what I'm doing without the filters or fluff.
Let's Talk
Visual: CTA banner: "Follow the builds. Read the book. Join the journey."
If any of this connects with you:
Check out my book: The Trust Shortcut
Follow along with the public build of OnlineBusiness.com
Reach out if you're interested in acquiring a domain or exploring a partnership
This isn't a pitch for a system. This is a window into what I'm building based on what's worked for me in the past, and what I believe in enough to bet on now.
And I'm building it in public.
