Branson, Missouri is a thriving city in the Ozark Mountains, named after Reuben Branson, local entrepreneur and postmaster in the 1880s.
Entrepreneurship still goes strong in the Internet era, and the owners of Branson.com know very well about it all.
Yesterday, Branson.com sold its 4,000,000th online ticket, something that would never be possible, had the Branson Chamber of Commerce bought the domain when it still had a chance.
In 2000, the current owners were looking for some quick cash, and offered the domain Branson.com to the Chamber of Commerce for a remarkably low $20,000 dollars.
Luckily for them, the “bureaucrats” turned down the opportunity to own the city’s own .com and the rest is history!
This is yet another story of success for local entrepreneurs utilizing a geo-domain that became a brand as big as the city it represents.
Many thanks to George Verdugo of VisitSpace.com for providing the story.
Very similar to the story I heard from PigeonForge.com owner who has done a fabulous job parlaying a 5 figure domain investment into many multiples in annual revenue.