19. The Bad Company and the Stolen Website

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Description

Have you ever had your identity stolen?

As ForeverLawn, Inc. was beginning to grow, Brian received a call from one of their dealers. A potential customer had gone to ForeverLawn.com and was being directed to a competitor’s website. This shocked Dale & Brian as they had previously tried to obtain the domain, but a seed company had already purchased it but wasn’t using it.

Not only did this upset Dale & Brian, but the dealers also began to get frustrated. In the vast and intricate web of the internet, website domains are the virtual real estate on which our digital presence is built. They represent our brands, businesses, and online identities. 

Unsure where to turn, they found an arbitration website and started a claim. When this attempt was deemed unsuccessful, they decided to hire an attorney. Over the next year and a half, the brothers’ eyes were painfully opened to the fact that there are people in the world who do not value integrity. 

The entire process of recovering the domain was frustrating and emotionally draining, impacting their personal lives and business. While they could have pushed to collect damages and made a lot of money, it ultimately came down to integrity. Even when facing adversity, and you are RIGHT – never let your integrity be compromised.

Episode Highlights: 

  • Running into issues trying to obtain ForeverLawn.com.
  • ForeverLawn.com was going to a competitor’s website.
  • Dealers are beginning to get upset.
  • We’re in a mess. How do we fix it?
  • Arbitration was set in motion.
  • The competitor begins falsifying documents.
  • Finding an attorney.
  • Winning small motions.
  • Our supplier purchases the competitor.
  • Dropping the lawsuit.
  • The value of a relationship.

Links Mentioned in Episode/Find More on ForeverLawn:

This show has been produced by Adkins Media Co.

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