Norwegian Entrepreneur Regrets Failure to Acquire HUK.com! No hope for domain name upgrade

For Norwegian entrepreneur Niklas Reinke Kaarlson, the past week has certainly been challenging. As the founder of startup HUK|TUAH Group AS, Kaarlson had planned to acquire the three-letter .com domain name HUK.com in the hope that its simplicity and memorability would better represent the company's forward-thinking and professional image in the Nordic market.

The HUK.com domain name caught Carlsen's eye and he spent three days negotiating with the domain owner to secure a short, powerful brand identity for the company and its U.S. operations. However, things did not go as planned. Carlson reveals that while he was negotiating closely, a fisherman's style fashion company managed to step in and acquire HUK.com with a much higher bid, an unexpected turn of events that left him deeply dissatisfied.

HUK.com website

Carlson puts part of the blame for this outcome on domain broker Saw.com, saying that it was Saw.com that convinced the seller to accept the higher bid, resulting in HUK|TUAH Group not being able to acquire this important domain name as it had hoped. “We had hoped for a lower price,” said Carlson, ”but Saw.com convinced the buyer and undid us, which is very disappointing.”

As HUK.com eventually changed hands, HUK|TUAH Group AS had to continue using the longer HUKTUAH.com domain name, which left Carlson feeling a bit helpless. Nonetheless, he faced this setback with humor. “If I really want to rebrand, maybe I should consider Saw.com since they managed to broker the deal and they have a short and compact .com domain themselves.” Carlson laughed, adding, “At least it makes us realize that it takes a lot more investment to pick up a domain name like that.”

The domain name battle not only made HUK|TUAH Group realize the importance of high-value domain names, but also reminded startups that they must always be prepared for stiff competition when developing a domain name strategy.