Michael Santiago · Founder
The builder behind
the names.
I love the beginning. The right name, the first design, the first words and the moment an idea starts to feel real.
I’m Michael, founder of PremiumBrands.com and OnlineBusiness.com. I’ve been starting and building online businesses for more than two decades. I'm a builder first. I select names for their business potential and explore what can be built on them. PremiumBrands brings that perspective to the names in this collection.
Michael Santiago
Founder, PremiumBrands & OnlineBusinessWhy this collection exists
I buy names I’d build on.
I bought PremiumBrands.com years before I had a business to put on it. I’ve always loved premium domains and the brands they can become, so I knew I’d build something on it one day.
AI is helping more people turn ideas into software, apps and businesses. As building gets easier, a recognizable brand and good marketing become harder advantages to copy. A premium domain gives both a memorable starting point. It won’t build the business for you, but it can help people remember you and take you seriously from day one.
Experience behind the perspective
A premium domain
gives you a head start.
A memorable name, an exact-match domain, a stronger first impression. A premium domain can give a business a head start but you still have to build something worth choosing.
The Newswire experience
In 2007, I acquired a press release business that ran on I-Newswire.com. In 2013, I finally secured iNewswire.com, a name I’d been after for years, and soon after brought on a partner who invested to grow the business. We both knew our vision called for the best name in the industry. It took more than a year of negotiating and well over six figures, and in February 2015 we moved to Newswire.com, after consulting SEO professionals to confirm we were handling the move the right way. That same morning, a prospect told one of our sales agents, “Oh yeah, Newswire.com. I’ve heard of you guys.” We’d switched hours earlier. In my view, the upgrade played a pivotal role in the business’s trajectory.
The business was acquired for $44 million in 2022. That is part of my prior business experience, alongside the work of the team. It is not a PremiumBrands customer result or a valuation of the domain alone.
Read the domain upgrade storyThe studio behind the collection
Good beginnings.
Practical next steps.
OnlineBusiness.com is my boutique strategy and execution studio. It builds the sites that present each name in this collection and helps entrepreneurs evaluate ideas, develop businesses and find appropriate growth support, with AI assisting execution.
PremiumBrands is where you acquire a name, or get help acquiring one. OnlineBusiness is where you can discuss bespoke advice and optional paid development. Each is separate, separately priced and entirely optional.
An optional personalized roadmap is included with a purchase. You can use your own team and do not need to purchase further services.
How both paths workYour next beginning
What do you want to build?
Explore the names, or tell me what you have in mind. If the name you want isn't in our collection, I can help you find out whether it can be acquired.