How Mac MacLeod Acquired Carvertise.com AND Got Paid $50k in the Process

The Road to Carvertise: How Mac MacLeod Secured the Perfect Domain Name

When Mac MacLeod launched his startup, Penguin Ads, he thought he had cracked the code for a catchy brand name. It was quirky, easy to remember, and gave his fledgling company an air of lightheartedness. But there was just one glaring issue—no one had the faintest idea what the business actually did.

“We do car advertising,” Mac would explain, only to be met with puzzled expressions. Penguins and cars? The mental gymnastics people had to do to connect the dots made Mac realize he’d unwittingly created “the best worst marketing ever.” It was clear: Penguin Ads needed to be retired.

After much soul-searching, Mac found the name of his dreams: Carvertise. It was the holy grail of brand names—concise, memorable, and, best of all, self-explanatory. “It wasn’t just a name; it was a verb,” Mac recalls. A company could Carvertise. Drivers could Carvertise. The name practically marketed itself.

But like many entrepreneurs before him, Mac quickly discovered that a great name wasn’t enough—you needed the domain name to match. And thus began a journey of persistence, patience, and a little bit of madness.

The Search for Carvertise.com

Carvertise wasn’t just a name Mac wanted; it was the only name he could see for his company. Anything less than Carvertise.com would be, in his words, “doing it halfway.” He secured trademarks for variations of the name—Carvertise with a Z, Carvertising—and even scooped up domains like carvertise.biz, carvertise.us, and carvertise.net. But none of them had the legitimacy or authority of the dot-com.

Through some online sleuthing, Mac discovered that Carvertise.com had been registered in 2001. The owner was a man named Dave, who, based on his email handle—dirtworshipper@yahoo.com—was either an earthy free spirit or a cryptic genius. Either way, Dave was proving elusive.

Mac emailed, called, and sent letters. For six months, Dave ignored him. Then, one day, Mac’s persistence finally paid off. “I got an email,” Mac remembers. “It was from Dirt Worshipper himself. It just said, ‘$10,000. Dave.’”

The Art of Negotiation

Ten grand was a steep ask for a startup that was already pinching pennies. But for Mac, Carvertise.com wasn’t just a luxury—it was a necessity. He countered with $7,500, playing the negotiation game. And then...silence.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into a month. Dave had ghosted him again. Frustration mounted, but Mac wasn’t ready to give up. The domain was too important to let go.

Then, Mac stumbled across a key piece of information: Dave lived in Cary, North Carolina. At this point, most entrepreneurs would take the hint and move on. Not Mac. He decided to do what can only be described as a Hail Mary play: show up at Dave’s house.

A Road Trip with High Stakes

Armed with $7,500 in cash, Mac prepared for the 10.5-hour drive from Delaware to Cary. His mom, ever the voice of reason, tried to talk him out of it. “You don’t even know if he lives there,” she said. But Mac’s persistence rubbed off. The next morning, his mom texted him: “Mac, I want to come too.”

What followed was part business mission, part family bonding adventure. After navigating hours of traffic, they arrived at Dave’s house—only to find it dark and empty. No lights. No car. No Dave.

Disheartened, Mac and his mom grabbed dinner and prepared for the drive home. But as they finished eating, Mac decided to take one last shot. They returned to the house. This time, there was a car in the driveway. The lights were on. It was now or never.

Closing the Deal

When Dave answered the door, Mac and his mom made their pitch. Mac laid out the whole saga—his emails, his calls, his vision for Carvertise. Having his mom there softened the encounter, and Dave eventually invited them in.

Dave turned out to be more than just a quirky domain hoarder. He was a multimillionaire with a massive portfolio of domains. Money, it seemed, wasn’t his driving motivation. He wanted a piece of the action.

After hours of negotiation, they struck a deal: Dave would get 5% equity in Carvertise, and in return, Mac would finally own the coveted Carvertise.com. But there was a twist. Dave also believed in Mac’s vision enough to invest. On top of handing over the domain, he wrote Mac a check for $50,000.

Persistence, Creativity, and Gut Instinct

Mac’s relentless pursuit of Carvertise.com is a masterclass in what it takes to secure a domain name that’s more than just a web address. It’s a badge of legitimacy, a first impression, and a cornerstone of your brand. “If you’re going to do something, do it the right way,” Mac says.

The process wasn’t easy. It required persistence to push through months of silence, creativity to pivot when traditional approaches failed, and a willingness to take bold risks—like driving halfway across the country with a bag of cash.

But the payoff was worth it. Today, Carvertise is a thriving company, turning everyday drivers into mobile billboards and helping brands reach audiences in ways that are as innovative as they are eye-catching. And it all started with one stubborn entrepreneur, a dream, and an email from Dirt Worshipper.

The next time you’re faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, take a page from Mac’s playbook. Sometimes, the road to success is long, winding, and filled with traffic—but the destination is worth it.